Sunscreen

Wear Sunscreen or the Sunscreen Speech are the common names of an essay actually called "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997.

The most popular and well-known form of the essay is the successful music single released in 1999, credited to Baz Luhrmann.

Mary Schmich's "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column on June 1, 1997. In her introduction to the column, she described it as the commencement address she would give if she were asked to give one.

For more information visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wear_Sunscreen

Wear Sunscreen.

Idja-Idja

Source:   Minda News

CHILD OF THE SUN: Idja-idja, aho-aho!
by Ting Tiongco/MindaNews
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
(Speech of acceptance as one of the Ten Outstanding Boholano Award (Tobaw) delivered at the Tapok Bol-anon Tibuok Kalibutan awarding ceremonies on 25 July).

TAGBILARAN, Bohol (MindaNews/28 July) — I accept this award both with great pride and humility. I dedicate this award to my late parents who came from Bohol; my father from Bilar, and my mother, a Manigque from Tagbilaran. My mother, who died a few months ago, lived 63 out of her 86 years in Mindanao. But she died a true Boholana, speaking Binol-anon to the end. I was not born in Bohol. Neither did I grow up here. My parents made it clear to their children who were growing up in Mindanao that we are Bol-anons. Ang Bolanon, murag Amerkano. Maskin asa ka ma tawo, basta Amerkano ang imong tatay o nanay, Amerkano ka lang guihapon. Ang Bol-anon, mao sad. Maskin asa ka matawo, basta Bol-anon ang imong kaguikan, Bol-anon ka lang guihapon. Mailhan man gud ang Bol-anon sa uban, kay tag-as man ug ilong.

Christianity

The Essence of Christianity

via The BIBLE Baptist Web Store



Let me contrast for you Biblical Christianity with every religion or non-religion on the face of the earth. You can put them all together because they are all the same. Biblical Christianity says that no one is good enough to earn heaven on their merits. Every other faith or non-faith believes that eternal life is earned by good works. Everyone who is not a true Christian (as defined by the Bible, not by men) believes the same thing – “If I am good enough long enough, I will earn the favor of God and be granted eternal life.”

Juggle

Social Media Channels

As I was updating my revamped Yahoo! Profile.  It is also a long overdue post that I need just to let it out and well, to break off this ice.  I would completely understand if you don't understand anything with this post.  Thus, you've been warned.  These thoughts on social media, particularly on social networks are based on my own meandering experience.

Infancy

Remember the days of Myspace and Friendster?  They used to be fun.  Checking your Myspace or Friendster profile was fun.  It was not compulsory for you to check on those sites every minute.  There was no wall of your friend's activities back then, still it was fun.  There was such a thrill when a friend posted a testimonial - especially if they were just spontaneous about it.  Another thing I noticed is that people actually connected on those days despite the limitations given on those days.  That I believe is the infancy of social media.

Fun

Today, the Department of Tourism finally launched a brand new theme for Philippine Tourism - fun.  You've seen the hype on Twitter and the brand new website.  Also, this campaign is supposed to be fueled by social media like it's a new thing - I don't know what is the fuss about that but on that note you have probably noticed that I am not all out in this campaign.

Tourism Campaign For International Use

Sure thing, it is more fun and even better than the last failed attempt of "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" yet still if we were to be on par with other countries, they should have beefed up "WOW Philippines" instead.

Metro

I love designs that focuses more on typography than superfluous graphics.  That is one of the reason why I really love the Microsoft's Metro interface.  I don't usually customize my desktop to the last icon and font but I do want my desktop to be clean and minimal.  The only icons you see on my desktop are recycle bin and one program from Lenovo that I can't possible remove.  I only use my desktop when I am working on a project on Photoshop and I place all the source files I'm working on the desktop.  Sometimes if I am working on a document, I place the unfinished document on the desktop and all other text files.  After which, when it's all said and done I move them to their proper folder and move the temporary files to the recycle bin.

My current desktop using Rainmeter's Omnimo UI

Today all of that changed when I saw a the Omnimo UI for Rainmeter.  The tiles are simply gorgeous and the widgets are unobtrusive.  The Facebook notification widget is of great use.  I hope they'll have a fix for the Twitter panel soon.  Though there are panels that are still buggy most of the essential ones are functioning very well and I think I'm keeping this look and feel for a long time.  Probably until Windows 8 arrives.

Dynamic

[UPDATE]



The Blogger team just updated the new blogger allowing dynamic views to be your blog's default template when visitors view your site. Blogger also added two new dynamic views: classic and magazine. See the full post on Blogger buzz here.

Magazine

Classic

I personally love the new magazine dynamic view but sadly DISQUS won't work because dynamic views will not recognize your plugins. We'll just have to wait on Blogger to revamp the comments section as well.

How To Activate

If you're already on Blogger's new interface simply go to template and choose dynamic view, then apply to blog.

Dynamic Views on the New Blogger Inteface

If you're still on the old interface simply go to design then go to template designer.

Dynamic Views on the Old Blogger Interface

How To Revert

I was in a slight panic when I couldn't find button the revert button. Lesson, always back-up your template before making any modifications. I was so excited to see the new dynamic views that I just hit the "apply to blog" button. There is a revert button though, simply go back template designer and click on "revert to previous template" and your template before you used a dynamic view will be back. Still, you should back up your template before making changes.

Revert to Previous Template

Using Dynamic Views

I don't know if a bloggers will incorporate a dynamic view default template on their blogs. Personally, I will still stick to this template but I should probably place a menu or links on how to view my blog in dynamic view.

What do you think of this new feature from Blogger?

Equilibrium

The following article is taken from a part of the book The Lost Cause Series (What Are You Fighting About?:  Birth Control) by James W. Knox.  I believe this article is in line with the much debated RH Bill here in the Philippines.  I believe both parties are right in some aspects and wrong in some.  Thus, we seek to find a balance through the scriptures since most of the grounds of the debate are covered in this area or somewhat related. Permission to re-post the article can be found here.

The Lost Cause Series by James W. Knox

WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING ABOUT?:  BIRTH CONTROL

Turn to Hebrews 13 and 1 Corinthians 7.  The matter of the beard may not touch your home, but if you have a family, it won't be long until someone is going to come along and tell you that if you are trusting God and living by faith, you won't take your life into your own hands and practice birth control.  You will have babies as often as your wife can conceive.

For such people, the number of babies you produce is the means of determining the extent of your spirituality.  Again, the Pharisees want a visible, outward symbol of sanctification in order to proclaim themselves spiritual, regardless of the condition of the heart.

If you believe in your heart that it is God's will for you to have a baby every ten months, and He enables you to perform such a feat, then by all means do so.  But do not come into the church house and tell someone that God commanded him or her to do the same, when He did not.

If having a baby every year is a mark that your are spiritual and right with God, then how do you explain the fact that God made some saved women incapable of  bearing children?  Did God condemn someone to a life of disobedience to the scripture?  He wouldn't do that.

You may say, "Why did you kill that man?"  "I couldn't help it.  God made me a murderer."  Well, God did not make you a murderer.  God said, Thou shalt not kill.  You are a murderer by choice.  You willingly transgressed God's commandment.

Someone says, "I couldn't help it.  I committed adultery because God made me commit adultery."  No, God said, Thou shalt not commit adultery.  If you commit adultery, you are guilty of willfully transgressing God's word.

If it is sin for a man and woman not to have a baby every time the calendar changes, then God is guilty of sin, for He made some women unable to bear children every year and, in fact, some never.

The reverse argument is also true.  Are there unsaved Hindus, Muslims, Roman Catholics and Mormons who turn out babies every year?  Of course.  Is this an advent testimony of their sanctification?  Of course not.  Production of children and a right relationship to God have nothing in common.

Now if you want to have twenty-two kids, praise God.  Rear them all in church.  Rear them all to live for Jesus Christ and to turn the world upside down for Jesus.  But don't walk in to church with your twenty-two kids , look down your nose at that woman who is broken-hearted because she can't have a baby, and open your Pharisaical mouth and tell her that if she was right with God, she would have as many kids as you.  That  is not scriptural.

Parley

I'm pretty sure you've read James Soriano's infamous article "Language, Learning, Identity, Privilege" which garnered him mostly criticism from people who live in front of their keyboards netizens.  I know some of you are probably making or joining hate pages on Facebook, seriously, grow up.

I have edited this post for the nth time because there are still thoughts and ideas that need to sink in.  Also, I made a decision not to post or react when I am angry or pissed.  Sure, I was pissed when I first read the article.  Who wouldn't be?  But I just officially turned 28 and I need to act, you know - civilized.  You've got filter the facts and try to address the issue on how personally you can change for the better as a person.  I only found two response articles via Twitter:  "Editing James Soriano" and "Coming Home to the Filipino Language".  If you have any article or known any worth-reading article you can message me here or via Twitter and I'll update this post.

Now, my two cents after the jump.

Airlines

Zestair Mock-up

Planning a trip is not a walk in a park especially when you have to scout every airline company for special promotions.  That means you have to visit each website one by one and compare travel fares.  Then, the moment you decided on a flight - it changes status.  No kidding, I've been there a lot of times.  Often times these websites are difficulty to manage.  I've already said it a lot of times, I'm no designer but I've read web design books and experienced websites themselves and most of the Philippines airlines websites are not as friendly as they should be.  If my aunt can finally book her flight all by herself, then that'll be the day that someone finally thought of giving customers a good experience.  Bad experience is as the same as bad passenger experience like, this guy.  A lot of people have credit cards but I still wonder why they flock to the nearest travel agency to book a ticket - they don't know how to use the website. Ah, if people would just stick to the idea of giving a service that's awesome!  Anyway, I've dug through four airline company websites and their respective social networks.

Philippine Airlines
Asia's First, Shining Through
Follow @flyPAL


Zest Airways Inc. 
Asia's Most Refreshing Airline
Follow @ZestAirZ2

Unsmart

Unsmart
(adj) Slang for stupid - Urban Dictionary

Kevin Durant for Smartbro

What's wrong with this picture?

Just because Kevin Durant endorses your product doesn't mean it changes the whole experience.  I guess that's the trend of advertising nowadays - lying.  They'll just pretty much get some celebrity or a popular dude to endorse their stinking product and wallah!  I don't know about you but I'm quite sick of seeing advertisements like these.  Instead of getting creative, improving your service they do this and still maintain crappy the same quality of service.

I do not even begin to imagine what is the connection of KD and SmartBro.  If you do know, fill me in.  Oh, probably because KD is the #1 scorer and if we try to get him to endorse us we'll magically become #1 too!  If you do know, please do fill in the gap.

Singapura

Singapore Sunrise

I've been procrastinating for a year (oh yeah!) on my trip to Singapore last year.  Well it's a year now since the last time I visited Singapura.  But I know I had to after reading Mindanaoan's post on her Singapore escapade.  Anyway, here's a short post on my Singapore trip last year plus some tips.

Travel Blogger - Not

I envy travel bloggers on how they can write their trips painstakingly in detail.  So let's skip the part where I went to the airport, boarded, flew, landed, got my documents stamped and rode Mazzie on our way home in Singapore.  I'm not a travel blogger but sometimes I try to be and this is actually an attempt.  Anyway, unlike travel bloggers who travel (obviously) to a certain place and stay for like 2-3 days, this trip was not like that.  I stayed in Singapore for almost two months.

The first two weeks I was home sick.  Despite all the peaceful place, the disciplined traffic, the food (we'll tackle that later) I miss home.  This trip was not just a visit to Singapore it's also a chance for me to catch up with my Dad.  Every year it's either he comes home or some of us go their to visit him.  Yes, it's expensive but it's a must for a family to be together at least twice a year.

I deleted my Singapore photos on my Flickr account so you just have to rely on my words here.

Singlish



I think it's like an unwritten rule that before you go somewhere else, you at least make some research about the place better yet, ask some friends who have been there.  Even better, if you have friends and relatives staying in Singapore ask them to guide you. Singlish makes Singapore unique.  I know the above video you can hear laughing on the background, don't mind him.  You have to flex your listening muscles and skills to learn and understand Singlish.  Also try to research terminologies because usually they are fixed.  For example "to reload" credits to your mobile phone you must say "top up" or else they won't understand you.

Aery

Cake Garden Place

Cinnamon summer is now breezing in and if you're planning to take a next trip to Bohol, do check out Cake Garden Place.  Cake Garden Place is located at Unit 6, Seaview Apartment, Bool District Tagbilaran City.  It's one block away from the Sandugo Shrine and 15-20 minutes away from the city proper.  It gives you an aery feel to your Bohol experience.

Englewood Hospital is also just around the corner should there be any emergency arise.  Basically you're smacked right in the middle between the Dauis Junction and Baclayon, in other words you can have the best of both places.



The main package is 3,300Php good for 4 persons.  Two bedrooms fully air-conditioned, one common bathroom/toilet, fully functional kitchen with refrigerator, WIFI and cabled TV.  The best part probably is waking up to a scenic and peaceful sunrise with free breakfast served fresh and hot.  It is overlooking the island of Panglao and also sunsets are a treat.  Evenings are usually graced with activities from the Bool Barangay Hall:  basketball games, volleyball games and the like.

Spanking

To Train Up a Child

To spank or not to spank?  That is the question but before going futher I suggest you read the previous post, "Training".

Not quite Shakespearian but there has been an uproar from netizens regarding the anti-spanking bill that has just passed first reading.  To give you what's going on, the Positive Discipline Act of 2011 passed the first reading at the House committee on the welfare of children.  The bill is co-authored by Tarlac Representative Susan Yap and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy.   Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy earlier this year urged Aquino to list bill against spanking children as priority.

She authored House Bill 1082 that protects the child from all forms of corporal punishment and threats of physical harm that may be imposed as a disciplinary action by parents, guardians, teachers and elders.

HB 1082 prohibits the imposition of all manners of corporal punishment and other forms of disciplinary penalty, including humiliating or degrading methods against a child.  HB 1082 also promotes positive and non-violent ways of disciplining minors.  Among punishments to be prohibited are pinching (kurot), pulling of ears (pengot) or hair, cutting or shaving of hair, spanking with hand and whipping with belt, among others.

Hello!

Hello! Bohol Logo Draft

Hello! Bohol was my take on HelpDOT. If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, read various sources here, here and here.

Anyway, the Department of Tourism (they really need to update their website by the way) launched a new program last November 2010 called "Pilipinas Kay Ganda".  A lot of things went down after that.  #HelpDOT is still an active twitter hashtag up until now and you can also visit the #HelpDOT Daily here.  Below is TeamManila's contribution to HelpDOT.

Retweets

[tweet] /via [username] isn't the
same as RT [username]: [tweet]

I've been using "RT" and "via" to retweet.  In the back of my mind I know something is wrong and that there is a difference between the two but I did not bother to Google it until I was reading Maxvoltar.  Lo and behold at the bottom of the sidebar where you can find tidbits of wisdom it says:  "[tweet] /via [username] isn't the same as RT [username]: [tweet]".  I know I have been procrastinating to find an answer before but I had to Google it, stat! Glad I found the article "RT" vs "via" by atebits and summarize it:

What I found recently is that “RT” and “via” don’t mean the same thing. “RT” is typically used for verbatim retweets, sort of like the equivalent of “Fwd” for those chain emails your grandmother still sends you where Bill Gates will pay you money if you forward it to 10 people. “via” on the other hand is used when you want to add your own context to some existing tweet while attributing it to the original author.

Here are some examples:

Training

To Train Up a Child

Permission to Reprint: We receive many requests to reprint our articles in other publications. All of our material is copyrighted so that we can maintain control. Howver, we do hereby grant permission for any publication to reprint our articles in their entirety, without editing, on the conditions that with each reprint, clear recognition be given as to the source; and the article must include our address and an offer to receive our free newsletter. This permission is in force unless otherwise notified. --The Pearls

This book, TO TRAIN UP A CHILD is presented below in part, with the Introduction and Chapter 1 only. The rest of the book can be obtained by ordering from the publisher at No Greater Joy.

To Train Up a Child

by

Michael & Debi Pearl

INTRODUCTION

This book is not about discipline, nor problem children. The emphasis is on the training of a child before the need to discipline arises. It is apparent that most parents never attempt to train a child to obey. They wait until the child becomes unbearable and then explode. With proper training, discipline can be reduced to 5% of what many now practice. As you come to understand the difference between training and discipline, you will have a renewed vision for your family--no more raised voices, no contention, no bad attitudes, fewer spankings, a cheerful atmosphere in the home, and total obedience from your children.

Any parent with an emotional maturity level higher than the average thirteen-year-old can, with a proper vision and knowledge of the technique, have happy obedient children. This is not a theory; it is a practical reality which has been successfully applied many times over.

A couple, stressed out with the conflict of three young children, after spending the weekend with us and hearing some of these principles, changed their strategy. One week later, they exclaimed, "I can't believe it; we went to a friend's house, and when I told my children to do something, they immediately, without question, obeyed."

These truths are not new, deep insights from the professional world of research, rather, the same principles the Amish use to train their stubborn mules, the same technique God uses to train his children. They are profoundly simple and extremely obvious. After examining them with us, you will say, "I knew that all along. Where have I been? It's so obvious."

Superhero

I think there is a phase in life when one thinks that almost everything and everyone revolves around him. There used to be a time that I thought (probably unconsciously) that it's all about my dreams and hopes. Thus the "I Used To Be a Supehero" tagline was born. I think most people of my generation would agree that at some point in their lives we thought we went to school so that in the future we'll have a super job, a super car and be successful. At least, personally there was a time frame that my goal was something like that.

Travel, buy your own house or car, gadgets and the whatnot. When I pursued nursing we used to daydream about going abroad and living the life. Yes, I think it's pretty normal to have that phase in your lifetime but such a phase is neither true nor lasting.