Help Victims of Typhoon Ondoy

Typhoon Ondoy Photos (Source: GmaNews.tv Facebook)

Everyone desires to live a peaceful and secure life, but when tragedy strikes, we are awaken to other realities. Typhoon Ondoy that hit the Philippines unfortunately serves as a wake-up call. We realized our nation's irresponsibility and inadequacy, and the government's lack of preparedness in this natural phenomenon.

Typhoon Ondoy has left but its aftermath is devastating. The rich and poor suffered equally in the floods, many areas were submerged under Ondoy’s onslaught. It is heart wrenching to see the damages that Typhoon Ondoy had caused, the people who lost their homes and the grieving families who lost their loved ones. Hundreds have died and more are still missing.

For the numerous victims of this tragedy, this is a nightmare that would be hard to forget. We empathize with their pain and with their loss. May God give them comfort in the midst of this tragedy.

Sadly, we cannot blame nature. May this serve as reminder for everyone to be responsible in taking good care of the environment.

The Filipino's "bayanihan spirit" shows as people help those in need. There are countless acts of bravery and compassion showed by ordinary people; even though there are also unsung heroes who have died after saving flood victims.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter became a hub for coordinating rescue and relief operations. The government and relief agencies are not alone in their fight to help the victims of this calamity.

Unfortunately, many families still need help.

There are a number of groups and foundations who are accepting donations and volunteers. I am also encouraging you to share and send in your donations. Here's a compiled list of relief organizations and foundations for Typhoon Ondoy victims that are accepting bank donations, credit card, PayPal, SMS and in-kind donations.

God remains to be our hope and He is our light amidst this tragedy.

Google Becomes Googlle Today

Google is showing a new logo in its homepage today! Have you also noticed that the Google logo has two letter L's? I've searched the reason behind this doodle. The reason: the 2 L's stand for 11 because Google is celebrating its 11th birthday today. This logo version is appearing worldwide as the date becomes September 27 in each time zone.

Moving your mouse pointer over the letter L’s will show this - Google’s 11th Birthday.

Happy Birthday Google!

The Wrath of Typhoon Ondoy

Metro Manila and other areas in the northern Philippines experienced the worst flood in recent history because of Tropical Storm Ondoy. The government has already declared Metro Manila and about two dozen provinces in Luzon region under state of calamity, said Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.

We experienced heavy and continuous rains since Friday night. State weather bureau reports that this 6-hour rainfall is an epic flood and breaks the 1967-record of 334 millimeters in a 24-hour period.

Water has reached chest-deep and as high as neck-deep in some areas, many residents were atop roofs to escape rising flood waters, some have evacuated from their homes and some houses are almost submerged in the waters. Gmanews.tv reports that as of 11:32 pm, at least 46 people were confirmed dead due to floods.

Hundreds of vehicles were stuck in traffic and passengers were stranded. To accommodate stranded commuters, the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) will be operational for 24 hours.

Meralco had cut off electricity in some areas, including ours.

At this time of crisis, people realized how powerful and useful social networking sites can be. GMANews.TV has even opened a Facebook board for updates regarding the storm so people can post who needs help. Emergency information can be posted on GMANews.TV's Facebook page.

People at home had posted their updates, experiences in their Facebook, Multiply, Plurk, and Twitter sites. Definitely Filipino Facebook group posts news updates and people who needs to be rescued. Here's a list of numbers that people can contact for help:

Red Cross

Send full address of stranded friends/family to Senator Dick Gordon: +639178897898/ +63938444BOYS/ Landline 143

Donate to the Red Cross Rescue and Relief Operations. Text RED amount to 2899 (Globe) and 4483 (SMART). The service only accepts the following amounts: 10, 25, 50 and 100 (pesos).

Visit Red Cross website for your online donations.

Metro Manila Development Authority: Landline 136

Coast Guard: +632-5276136

For Rubber Boat Requests: NCRPO +632-8383203/ +632-8383354

ABS-CBN Typhoon Ondoy Hotline
+632-4163641

National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)
Emergency Numbers: +632-9125668/ +632-9111406/ +632-9122665 / +632-9115061
Help Hotlines: +63-2-7342118/ +63-2-7342120

Noynoy Aquino & Mar Roxas Disaster Relief
contact Jana Vicente: +639285205499
contact Clare Amador: +639285205499

Senator Manuel Villar Jr., Emergency Hotlines for Dump Trucks: +639174226800/ +639172414864/ +639276751981

Relief and rescue operations are still ongoing. Flood victims need help. Please let us all pray for the people who were greatly affected by this typhoon.

An Eventful Saturday

This Saturday, September 26, there would be lots of interesting activities to do and events to attend around Manila. There would be a concert, a party, a play date, a workshop, and more. There are activities for the kids, the youth, the grandparents, and the whole family! If you have no plans yet, you might want to consider going to one of these events:

Nickelodeon's Let's Just Play

It's all about fun and slime! Entrance is free.
Venue: Bonifacio Open Field, behind NBC tent ( 2 pm - 6pm)


Ideas Alive! Talk with Budjette Tan & Jomike Tejido

Philippine Star’s Supreme and Powerbooks make your ideas come alive! This is a seminar and workshop on how to be a media creator.
Venue: Powerbooks SM Megamall (3 pm - 5 pm)


It's Great to be Grand with Kidstime!

An exciting day for Children's Avenue and Kidstime members from sunrise to sunset. A grand family day that also pays tribute to grandparents. There would be health checks, little ballroom dancing, games, art contests, and lots of fun and surprises.
Venue: Manila Ocean Park (10 am - 7 pm)


World Animal Day Launch Party

Venue: Eastwood Mall Atrium (6 pm - 8 pm)


Rockatropa Concert

The biggest free rock concert for the youth! Bands and performers include Bamboo, Parokya ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Sandwich, Itchyworms and more.
Visit Akala Mo website for free tickets to the concert.
Venue: SM Mall of Asia Open Grounds (gates open at 3 pm)


Ako'y Pinoy! The Biggest and Sing-a-long Concert Party

Pinoy Phone My|Phone free concert. For more details and free tickets, call 728-2168 / 728-3175 / 5833097 look for John or Chie.
Venue: Araneta Coliseum 7:30 pm



How about you - where would you be and what are your plans for the weekend?

We Love Birthday Parties

My kids enjoyed the birthday party we attended at the North Greenhills Clubhouse last September 13. They got to take part in the party games, bring home lots of prizes and party favors. They were also fascinated at watching the magician, the jugglers and the party performers.

It is the first birthday party of Chanel. She is the granddaughter of the Preschool Directress - who is also the owner of the school where my kids are studying. Party invitations were given to selected kids from the preschool. I have no idea how many got the invites, though we were the only ones from the preschool who attended.


Chanel had a circus party theme. All the party decorations and preparations were handled by her grannies. There were food carts that served pizza, french fries, hotdog, popcorn, cotton candy and ice cream.

It is a children's party, though only a few kids were there! Most of the guests are relatives and friends of the celebrant's parents. Like what the party host said, "this birthday party is also for their parents..."

This is a party where my kids had much fun. Maybe it is because they got to pick whatever prize they want and they got to took home lots of prizes! They even kept on saying, "Happy Birthday Chanellllll" on the way home.

A Family Affair at SIS Dampa

Mealtimes are always enjoyable when spent with family members. My family loves and enjoys eating. We frequent SIS Restaurant at Dampa (Seaside Paluto Restaurants) Macapagal Avenue, Roxas Boulevard even if there are no occasions to celebrate. Buttered garlic shrimps, tempura and bouillabaisse are the family’s preferred dish. My kids love the creamy bouillabaisse soup, a seasoned stew compose of several kinds of seafood and shellfish.

"Dampa" is a Filipino word which means hut. The "dampa" concept is where you can buy ingredients from the market near the rows of restaurants and have it cooked your way at the restaurant of your choice; or you can have the option of just letting the people in the restaurant do the food-marketing for you. We always prefer to order a la carte. Getting the freshest seafood is the best thing about eating at Dampa.

August 31 and September 5 had been an enjoyable family affair. My family and relatives spent these dates dining at SIS Restaurant for the birthday celebration of my two tito’s (uncles). This has also been a get-together for my tita who is working abroad and my tito’s family who lives in the States. For these celebrations, both the buttered garlic shrimps and tempura are on our menu. Pancit, fried chicken, spicy crab, tuna belly, chopsuey, halaan soup, and calamares filled our appetite. It was a truly sumptuous dinner!

iLasik You Gotta See This Video Contest

If you enjoy joining contest, creating videos, and believed that life is better with clearer vision, then you stand a chance to win $5,000 at the “You Gotta See This” iLASIK Video Contest. The videos that capture the greatest influence of improved vision gets a chance to win cash and prizes.

To join this contest, create and submit a video showing how better vision could improve your life. The video should be 90 second in length and must fall into one of these categories:
1. "My contacts are getting in the way of my good time"
2. "My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision"
3. "You should see life after the Lasik Procedure"

Prizes at stake are as follows:

- One Grand prize winner of $5,000, which is the market value for the iLASIK Procedure
- Three First prize winners (one per video category) will an HDTV package worth $2,500
- Three Second Prize winners (one per video category) will win the Flip UltraHD™ camcorder worth $199.99

Get creative and do not forget to tell your friends to vote for it to increase your chances of winning. You can submit, view and vote on all entries until December 10, 2009 at www.GottaSeeThisNow.com.

Abbott Medical Optics Inc. (AMO), the global leader in laser vision correction, sponsors this contest. The iLasik Procedure is the world's most modern form of LASIK surgery and for those who wants to get clearer vision, visit the website to find an iLasik Doctor nearest you.

I Love Freebies

There are only a few freebies available in the Philippines, still, I enjoy getting freebies and taking advantage of some promos and discounts.

Last week, I received thru mail two complimentary SM Cinema tickets that I got from answering HSBC's Red Mastercard Survey. My husband and I also redeemed our free Post-it OC Sampler Pack at National Bookstore. You can also get your free Post-it Sampler Pack here. This promo runs until September 30, 2009.

Here are some freebies that you can also get to enjoy:

1. Free mobile gift certificate from Flapjacks. Register and join the mailing list to receive your Php 250 mobile gift certificate. The GC is valid for one month after registration.

2. Free entrance and freebies (free book, earth bag, and more) at the Manila International Bookfair from OMF Lit. The Book Fair is from September 16-20 at SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia. Visit the site to download and print the Freebie flyer.

3. Free entrance at the Rockatropa concert at SM Mall Asia concert grounds on September 26. Bands and performers include Bamboo, Parokya ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Sandwich, Itchyworms and more. You can also get a chance to win a VIP Pass. Visit the site to register.

Earn Money Writing Reviews at LinkfromBlog

Blog advertising is becoming one of the hottest selling techniques for advertisers for it is cheaper than the normal promotional means. More bloggers are also geared towards monetizing their blogs. I want to earn extra money from blogging too, so I also registered at LinkfromBlog.

LinkfromBlog offers members the chance to earn by writing website or product reviews on their blogs. Signing up is rather easy and you can get your blog approved immediately. Similar with other PTR programs, advertisers buy blog reviews, while bloggers earn by writing about the advertiser's product, services or website.

This is another opportunity to make money from your blogs. LinkfromBlog proudly claims that you can earn $1,000 a month by working at this site. Well, who would not be interested to earn this amount?

Strengthen Friendship Award

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. ~Douglas Pagels

It is always good to make new acquaintances and meet new friends even in the blogosphere. I appreciate this Strengthen Friendship Award shared by my sister, Liv of Tinkerputt's Turf.

The award above signifies:

Green : symbolizes the new buddies
Yellow : represents the guys who are always active
Blue : symbolizes the bloggers with PR
Platform Red : symbolizes that we are all equal and that we are brothers and sisters

Here are the rules for the award:

1. Create a post as above.
2. Include the link Giver Award.
3. For colleagues who have not followed this site or not exchange links, please follow or exchange links with me.
4. Copy-paste the image above

I am now passing this award to these 5 newly-discovered blogs that I found interesting and worth visiting. I have added their blogs in my Blog Roll too! hope that they would accept this award and support the Strengthen the Friendship chain.

All About My Life
A Lil Enchanted
enveloped ideas
Make or Break
Spinning Lovely Days

I also want to share this award with everyone on my Blog List and my Blog Followers. You can all grab this award!

When My Computer Starts Talking

I am the computer and this is my life. I am running all day long. I rarely sleep. I only take a few hours of nap during the day and I am awake during the night. The kids cannot sleep without hearing music through my speakers. With me, they can sleep soundly.

I work full-time for the woman; and part-time for her husband and the kids. On a daily basis, I access emails, the Internet and other software applications. I save all information she needs and bookmark those websites. My hard drive is now full of pictures, music, downloaded movies, and programs. This is slowing me down, yet I still keep on going. I even caught viruses, has been attacked and there was a time that I almost crashed! Whew!

I feel wonderful to be in their hands and live with the other PC's in the family's home. I feel deeply treasured and needed. I love it every time she is sharing me with the kids. I have fun seeing the kids playing their games and watching videos online. I appreciate it when I receive check-ups from her husband too.

I know she is searching for laptops, browsing HP notebooks and reading laptop reviews. Just like her, I always try to be more understanding and supportive. She needs a laptop that she can carry with her anywhere and enjoy those free Wi-Fi zones!

She learned of this great sale over at HP website. She is now eyeing the lustrous-looking HP Pavilion dv2z and the cool HP Mini 110 notebook. Those are amazingly good choices!

Everyone else should really take advantage of the $30 stackable site-wide coupon that HP is offering. It means that there is a $30 off orders $150 or greater at HP Home Store. Coupon code to use is SV2132. This coupon is Valid through October 31, 2009 or while supplies last. Restrictions and exclusions apply.

Okay, I need to go back to work and take a break soon.

Adgitize Payment Received

I Adgitize and I got paid! It is the third time that I received a payment from Adgitize since joining last May. I am both a publisher and an advertiser. For the month of August, there are days when I have not written blog posts and clicked ads on the Adgitize network. My earnings dropped, but still I am reaping the benefits of what I have invested. I earned blog traffic and received my payment!

Join now! Get traffic and start earning extra money from your blog. If you want to earn more, then advertise your blog on the Adgitize network. Being an advertiser means you will get more exposure and more traffic on your blogs.

True, you can really get worth class advertising with your budget, and Adgitize makes this possible!

Contests Prizes and Winnings

"I won!" I love saying these two words repeatedly.

Reading these words, "Congratulations you are one of the winners...", in my email (as long as it is not spam) makes me feel like I am in the clouds. Knowing that my name or one of my family member's is included in the winners list brings me much joy.

I just find it fascinating to receive prizes, freebies and tokens from the contests I had joined. Yes, sometimes I win and sometimes I do not. Here are all the prizes and some freebies that my family received last month.


I appreciate all these gift certificates and items from Krispy Kreme, Honda Card Philippines, The Ramp Crossings, ClawDaddy, and Inquirer publications for the magazines and movie tickets. Even the kids enjoyed their loots from Disney Princess magazine and Total Girl magazine for my daughter's KidzRepublic gift certificate and for my younger sister's Barbie Mariposa beauty loot.

The latest item I received is a Physiogel gift pack as a consolation prize from MomsToady magazine for my short note on "How Do You Keep Baby's Skin Soft and Smooth."


The monetary values of all these prizes are not really high, but the good feeling comes from considering that we got all these for free!

Well, will I also be lucky if I buy lottery tickets?

Breastfeeding Wonders and the Truth about Infant Formula

Moms are now rising to the challenge of breastfeeding. Knowing how difficult breastfeeding is, I still believe that with determination to breastfeed from the start and commitment to stick with it, breastfeeding can go on easier.

Breastfeeding is the best and natural way to meet the baby's nutrition needs. It strengthens the special bond between the mother and the child even more. Breast milk is the first perfect food for the baby. The benefits for the mother and the child are actually incalculable and nothing is more wonderful than this. Now, more moms are keeping abreast on breastfeeding. There are online communities and advocates who support mommies to go on with breastfeeding their babies.

Experts and the federal government encourages American mothers to breastfeed their babies because of its benefits to the baby and the family as well. Breast milk is free and it can help mothers save around $2,000 a year on baby formula.

A federal agency, WIC, provides nutrition counseling, food and health services, has also introduces a new food program that encourages breastfeeding. This new program, mandated in all the States, reallocates funding for all currently provided foods, which includes infant formula, baby foods and more. It means that a mother whp choose to breastfeed their babies exclusively with not be provided with an infant formula.

Here is an interesting baby formula calculator where we can calculate the amount of savings we can get. You can compare the price of the infant formula you often used with the high quality Parent’s Choice Infant formula. There is actually more savings on the Parent’s Choice Infant formula and moms should not be worried with its nutritional values. As Dr. Barbara Levine of Weill Cornell Medical College says,

“Store-brand infant formulas sold at major retailers are therefore a premium nutritional substitute at a value price and meet the same exacting FDA nutritional requirements as all the major brands. As a nutritionist I know the truth about infant formula: there is no nutritional reason to buy the much more expensive formulas sold by the big pharmaceutical companies.”

Dora the Explorer

My daughter Skylah grew up being fond of Dora the Explorer. Until now, she still watches Dora on DVD and play Dora games on the computer. On the other hand, my son Brent also likes Diego (Dora's cousin) and the jaguar.

When we happen to see an advertisement at Philippine Star that there would be a Dora the Explorer at the Ayala Malls, she instantly said, "Mommy let's watch Dora!" I checked on the ways on how we can get to watch. Good thing, my sister is an A-card holder! I do not have to spend anything just to get free seats at the show. Those who are not A-card holders need to present receipts worth Php 2,000 from Ayala Malls establishments in order to have two tickets to the show.

I even had a hard time calling and reserving for seats because the phone lines are always busy. It is because Ayala Malls can only accommodate a number of A-card holders per show and maybe a lot of A-card holders are calling. However, after more than an hour of trying to call, I was glad that the phone ring. There... we have reserved seats for the Dora the Explorer The Big Piñata show!

We watched Dora the Explorer show last August 28, 2009 at Glorietta 5. We only have two free stubs, but they allowed me and my two kids to have seats. My kids also get to have their pictures taken with Dora and Boots. A free print is also provided by Picture City.

The Big Piñata show lasted for just about 30 minutes, but my kids had so much fun and enjoyed this wonderful day with Dora, their favorite adventurer!

Web Hosting Geeks: A Web Hosting Review Website

Nowadays, it is important that business owners and companies to establish their online presence and have their own websites. I usually search the Internet when I want to make a purchase or try availing certain services as I find it essential to read reviews before making a decision. Moreover, it is equally valuable for bloggers to have their own domain and have the best web hosting services for their blogs.

I decided to visit Web Hosting Geeks and found the site very useful. Web Hosting Geeks features genuine and trustworthy reviews of the top 10 professional web hosting services. These are cheap web hosts under $10 a month. Each has useful information like hosting packages, features, monitoring chart and customer reviews.

It is necessary to gather information before choosing a web host, yet some still find it difficult to choose the right web hosting service. Web Hosting Geeks and can help anyone who wants to start investing in a web hosting company and those who are looking for other web host.

For those who want to purchase cheap web hosting, it is good to check on the best budget hosting. There is also a best blog hosting for those who wants to find the hosting for their blogs. For someone who is into saving the environment they can make use of the best green hosting websites.

Web Hosting Geeks is not just a hosting review site. It also has regular blog updates and articles that provide users with additional information regarding web hosting, web developments, website management and more.

Personally, I really find the customer reviews helpful for it can help users in deciding which web hosting company to get. The reviews are easy-to-understand and help in understanding the pros and cons of various web hosting services. Before making a choice and investing in a web hosting company, I would definitely consult review sites like Web Hosting Geeks. This is a site that helps.

EC Credits for My Top Entrecard Droppers for August

For the month of July, I was not able to post my Top 10 Entrecard droppers. Now since it's the first day of the month, here's the list of Entrecard droppers who made it to the Top 10. As a small gesture of appreciation, I am transferring 100 EC credits to each one of them.

Jean sQuared (29)
The Way I See It (29)
Wirez and Circuitz (27)
Mom's Place (27)
Grampy and You! (26)
Frugality is the New Reality (25)
A lil Enchanted (24)
Funky Town Disco Music (23)
All About My Life (23)
Inside My Head (23)

My appreciation also goes to everyone who regularly visits my blog. Thank you and I hope to see more of you here.