Social Networking

I am a member of several social networking sites, six to be exact if I include Food Buzz. I have declined several invitations from sites which are not that popular, at least not in Asia. How do I manage six sites apart from my blogging?

Each site serve its purpose for me. A few minutes every night of checking at least two of them do not hurt my schedule if I may say that. In fact they recharge me. Like reading or watching television or having a cup of coffee with friends, I see it as a form of relaxation also after a day's work and after I have settled everything in the house.

Friendster is the very first social networking site I joined. My cousins and most of my friends, old and new, have an account. It used to be my venue to exchange pictures with my family living in another country. I can lock my profile as well as make pictures private. I check it now maybe once every two weeks.

And then came Flickr but I used it mostly for the pictures I post in my blog. Multiply is more beneficial for me and my family. We readily see each others' latest pictures and videos using our accounts. I check this when I see an advise in my email of a recently uploaded set of pictures or videos.

I opened a Plurk account middle of last year and for a few months I was into it updating with my blog friends. But the novelty wore off. I only go to Plurk when I see a private plurk on my email, basically for getting in touch with my mommy friends. I go there just to peek but it's not exciting for me anymore. It's like there is too much noise around.

What Simon Cowell has to say about Twitter is exactly the way I feel about Plurk.

Do you Twitter?
I only found out about Twitter a few weeks ago. And of course the person who’s always on it is Ryan. Twitter is made for Ryan, where he can talk like a 15 year old. He knows the language, all the horrible abbreviations. And also have the ego to assume people are interested in what you’ve got to say. It is as strange to me as picking up the phone now and dialing a number randomly and saying, “Hi, what are you doing for dinner tonight? Because I’m having a cup of tea, are you interested?” It’s just too odd.

I became a member of Facebook early last year if I remember it right but it was only this year when I became an active user. I use Facebook mainly for the thousands of applications they offer. I like the updates from CNN, The Onion, Ellen, etcetera. I love Pet Society and now Restaurant City. They are fun games! No pressure. Just have fun decorating your house and your restaurant. It's therapeutic at least for me.

I became a member of Twitter since 2007 I think. It took a sideline when Plurk got my attention. But now I am back in Twitter and will stay in Twitter. I love it because it allows me to do real microblogging. I love the peace and quiet it offers plus I get to read Ashton Kutcher's tweets. Just kidding. :D

Find what suits your personality. Once you know what works best for you, it will be a win-win situation. You and your social networking site will give each other a good deal.

Something About Books

I got the advise from Wifely Steps about her blog post on books through her plurk. I checked her blog about it and it made me excited to post about my book preference too. Here it goes.

1. What books are you currently reading?
I am still on Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. I am rereading some parts. I would like to give my thoughts about what the book espouses in my succeeding posts.

2. What books are on your to-be-read list?
Oh, a lot! But I will start on Pillars of the Earth. This book was given to me by a colleague years ago. One of my friends had been nudging me to read this as this is one of her favorite books. She said I won't be able to put down the book once I started on it. We will see. :)

3. What book/s would you recommend?
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

4. What book made you fall in love with reading?
I love books since I was five. I remember borrowing my cousin's books for her English class when she was in fifth grade. I still remember the title, More Stories on Parade. That started my love affair with books.

5. Do you have a book collection you’re proud of? Tell us about it!
I have a lot of books written by Haruki Murakami. I love the way he writes. I walk through each page as if I am a character in his stories. My favorite among his works is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

Mataas na Gusali

Ang routine ko pagdating ng opisina ay itaas ang blinds para natural light ang magsilbing liwanag sa aking kwarto. Patay ang ilaw ko hanggang mga alas kwatro ng hapon. Form of relaxation ko rin ang pagtayo at pagtanaw sa labas. Kahit madalas ay traffic pa ang nakikita ko lalo na noong nasa Ortigas pa ako. Mahilig akong mag-obserba.

Hindi ko lang makita sa files ko pero maganda ang nakunan kong litrato ng palubog na araw isang hapon sa aking opisina. Gusto ko rin ang tanawin sa taas ng building kapag umuulan, kahit pa kumikidlat - 'yung humahampas ang malalakas na patak ng ulan sa glass panel ng aking kwarto. For whatever reason, refreshing iyan para sa akin.

Simbolo nga ba ng kapangyarihan at tagumpay ang mataas na building? Nasa loob ka ng opisina mo at minumuni ang bagay-bagay. Success! You are on top of the world! Pero pagbaba mo ng gusali, sisiksik ka rin naman sa traffic. Maiinis. Magmamadali. Nagdaan muli ang isang araw. Bukas babalik ka ulit sa tore. At feeling on top of the world again. Tandaan lamang, the higher you go up, the more responsibilities you have. Higit pa sa 50% ng iyong waking hours ay dyaan ka na titira sa loob ng gusali. Kaya't napakaimportante ang masaya ka sa ginagawa mo at marunong magbalanse, at least try not to fall off.

***Para sa iba pang litrato ng mga gusali, bisitahin ang Litratong Pinoy.

Divorce and Annulment Over Dinner

My daughter and I were having dinner when she paused and asked me in all seriousness, "Mommy, what is the difference between divorce and annulment? Kasi I get confused."

Say what?

I normally do not allow shock or any indifferent reaction to register on my face whenever my ten year old daughter throws questions which take me aback. I carry on with the conversation like it was just a usual question. This is my way of letting her feel she can ask me anything, anything at all. There will not be any feeling of prejudice whenever she speaks her mind.

I have to ask her first why did she ask. Are her friends talking about it? She said she just hears it quite a lot. One is from the news about Madonna. Now I remember the television was tuned in to one of E!'s shows detailing the most expensive divorce in Hollywood. Then she said she read about divorce and annulment when she looked at Madonna and Britney Spears' profiles in IMDB. Oh. Should I now block IMDB from the family computer?

This may be an innocent question from her but I do not want to impress her that divorce or annulment are taken as casually as that - get a checklist and see what suits oneself. So first off I have to say people get married for the right reasons like her Dad and me. We love each other, we got married at the right time and we continuously work on our differences. We are happy with each other. For some, problems arise which they cannot find solutions anymore. I do not want to make this a lecture as I am supposed to answer her curiosity about divorce and annulment. I just feel I have to give that piece quickly but with great emphasis.

I am not a lawyer so help me on this one if I missed it. I did some explaining that divorce ends a legal marriage and what are the possible reasons. I did more explaining as more unfamiliar terms come out of my mouth. Jesus!

And she butted in, "I was thinking divorce is for married people and annulment is for engaged." I laughed at that one. How can she even think of these?

"Can it be both?" No, honey, it can't be.

Annulment is ending a marriage because looking back there are some reasons which make the marriage not legal. This one I find hard explaining. It could be they got married at a young age which is not allowed by law for one.

She did not pursue any questions because she heard Shrek is showing on tv already so she finished her food. I was saved by Shrek. Maybe she understood in a way I explained it but of course the whole concept is alien to her. I know later on, when she is way older, she will get to understand the "nitty-gritty" of relationships, both with my help and on her own.

Sometimes I grasp for answers and explanations with the questions my daughter suddenly thinks of. I feel like I should always have an answer which she would understand. Part of being a mother is trying to know everything. But of course we do not know everything. Don't we wish at times we do because that could help our children's lives to be a breeze. On the other hand, learning and realizing things on their own are a great part of growing up which we do not want them to be deprived of. So, okay, mothers are able and willing supporting actors to their children's lives as they explore life. I am laying the groundwork during these formative years of my daughter just fine that I want to believe.

It feels good my daughter asks me directly things she does not understand. I would like to keep our relationship this way - as open as possible.

Adam Lambert's Mad World

I am a johnny-come-lately when it comes to American Idol. I have not given this reality show any thought until season 8. I came to like the two Davids - Cook and Archuleta after they won the Idol last year. But now I like AI a lot.

I was pretty excited to watch last week's show because the top eight will be singing mostly 80s songs, songs which were popular when they were born. They were all born in the 80s except for Allison Iraheta who was born on 1992 if I remember it right.

I thought Anoop Desai did well singing True Colors. I am biased of course because I liked him the first time I watched him during his audition - in geeky checkered polo and khaki knee-length pants. He's the typical college guy. I thought he's very secure about who he is without working so much about what he wears. You know the kind who wears whatever is clean in the closet and then go.

I thought Adam Lambert was overrated getting a standing ovation from the audience and the judges including Simon Cowell. But tonight I bow to him. WOW!

I listened to Anoop's studio recording of True Colors and he's great. As Paula Abdul said, it was magical.


But Adam Lambert was amazing! Listen. His rendition of Tears for Fears' Mad World is haunting. He deserved that standing ovation.


One has to have real, absolute talent to come up with a version of a song that will show your personality, your style. Adam hit it with his arrangement of Mad World.

But I'm loyal. I still vote for Anoop Dog! :)

All About Costumes

This sounds like a quiz straight from Facebook but what kind of mom are you when it comes to your child's costume needs? As we know, schools, and on some occasions or parties, require costumes depending on the program or theme.

Some moms I know rent gowns and period costumes while a handful borrow. A lot buy ready-made ones in department stores. And a few have their child's dresses made by their family seamstress.

I have never borrowed or rented any of my daughter's costumes nor I had any customized except for gowns which she already used when she was the flower girl in several wedding events of family and friends. I buy her costumes along with the accessories (if needed).

More often than not, the adviser will finalize the needed costumes only a week before the program. Sometimes also the school provides the costumes for uniformity which earns several percentage points when there is intercompetition. Of course the parents are billed before the event.

This picture was taken during Linggo ng Wika at my daughter's school. She was able to use this Filipiniana dress for two consecutive years. I bought her a Muslim inspired set for the school's interpretative song but there was a change of plan. Her role was that of a barrio lass so we opted to use this once again - a midnight blue Filipiniana dress with orange accents with flower designs on the sleeves and matching wrap around on the waist. I used hairnet and ribbon to keep her long hair in place.

I keep all her dresses used in school programs and parties. I wanted to share a Halloween costume but my daughter prevented me from doing so. She's ten and she gets embarrassed already looking at her pictures dressed like a cartoon character, an animal or a walking apple. "But...but...you're so cuuuute!" I told her. It does not work for her anymore. I rest my case.

I just have to share this too, my niece's very cute kitten costume last Halloween for the trick or treat rounds. So cute! This toddler loves wearing costumes. On different occasions she was a pumpkin, little girl santa, a princess and the latest, a pink and white kitten.

She loves dressing up obviously regardless how hot it must be. Haha. She'll go easter egg-hunting tomorrow. She's got her baskets ready and her easter wardrobe.

***See more sharing on children's costumes at Mommy Journey.

A Laidback Night

I am planning to watch a lot of movies this week when most of the usual activities are put to a halt being Holy Week. Old movies are in my list. I was browsing on titles like A Street Car Named Desire, On a Golden Pond, Once a Thief, etcetera, when I landed on Alain Delon's old pictures. He is beautiful.

I then thought of coming up with my list of the most beautiful leading men and women: Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, River Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Chace Crawford,Ethan Hawke and Alain Delon. Alain Delon tops them all. I like them brooding.

If Twilight was created during his time, Alain Delon is the perfect Edward Cullen - unapologetically good looking male. And then my daughter said, Marlon Brando will be Jacob Black. Oh, I don't think so. That would be a sacrilege. The Godfather will not allow this comparison. :)

For the women: Demi Moore, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Monica Belucci, Kate Winslet, Liv Tyler, Reese Witherspoon. Ingrid Bergman is the prettiest.

If Chace is included, shall I include Gossip Girls, Leighton Meester and Blake Lively? No, I'd rather include Camilla Belle. For both men and women, I like flawed beauty like Keanu and River, Reese and Liv. Not perfect but still mesmerizing.

As I was browsing the internet I came to a site where they feature covers of magazines circa 1960. My daughter browsed with me and remembered I told her Tiger Beat has been around since her aunts, who are way older than I am, was in their pre-teen years. That was early seventies. She asked me to check Google for old issues of Tiger Beat.

What do you know. There are old issues of Tiger Beat dating back as early as 1970s. We had silly grins on our faces because of the hairstyles and how crudely the covers were done. It's like even my daughter can make something like that now. It seems a very simple scrapbook. And it only costs 50 cents. That's how long ago 1972 was.

Tiger Beat now costs around P250-P500 here in the Philippines (roughly 5 to 10USD). Expensive. That's why I don't buy any for my daughter. I can spend that amount on her CDs and books because these will last forever or for a long time. They have value but the movie magazines will only be good for a few days and whatever is in there, she can read online. All her celebrity magazines were sent by my sister.

Going back to Tiger Beat, I rounded up to her some of the celebrities I can remember. I was telling her if you have Zac Efron now, we had Scott Baio before. My cousins were fan girls too of Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garret. Donny Osmond was really that popular before. Just like The Jonas Brothers now, he was in every issue of Tiger Beat then.

I suddenly remembered Scott Baio's sitcom I used to watch, Charles in Charge. I think this was the reference of the local Okidok of Aga Muhlach where he takes care of his nephews and nieces. And of course, how can I forget Zapped, the famous movie about telekenetic powers with the equally famous, super cheesy official soundtracks, Got to Believe in Magic and King and Queen of Hearts. Oh boy. Those were the days.

They were sung by David Pomeranz which went really big in the Philippines. See, until now David Pomeranz produce his concert here. As if the kids of today will mind or the mommies his age will spend precious money to watch him.

Time flies so fast. The next thing we know, there will be new and fresher batches of superstars.

Well, my daughter and I had fun doing this together while digging on chocolate ice cream and potato chips. :D

Games We Used to Play

This is a common sight for a lot of school children during school parties and get-together - they take out their PSPs and DS Lites and play to their hearts' content. They quietly sit in a corner and busy themselves hitting buttons trying to win their games. Sometimes they play together, or should I say they are all lined up, each to his own, all eyes are set on their little gadgets. The school and the parents have a great take on this. Let me talk about that on some other post.

I rarely allow my daughter to bring her toys - electronic or not - at school whether it's a Xmas party or whatever get-together they are having. I encourage her to interact with her classmates, spend more time with them. There are a lot of activities or games they can enjoy together. They swap books and magazines. I'm agreeable to that. They spend time talking to each other, face to face, about what they read or what's on their magazine.

I attended my daughter's school's family day last month. It was a whole day affair but it was a weekend full of fun! It was a pleasant surprise too to see youngsters play the kind of games I used to play as a child. They were playing jackstones and doing some exhibition with the ball and the star-shaped "stones". I was an expert in jackstones when I was in grade school. So jackstones is in again.


A classmate also brought pick-up-sticks. It's great to see them enjoying this game as a group. It fosters team work and healthy competition.


I still remember the games which kept me and my playmates busy. Personal computers were still unheard of back in late seventies and early 80s when I was growing up. What do we play on weekends when there's no school?

* Taguan (Hide & Seek) - We all hide somewhere and pity the girl or boy who was tasked to find each player. The ground's so big it's hard to find us.

* Sungka - It is said to be the Filipino version of a mancala game, a game of counting and strategy. When I was guiding my daughter in her Social Studies, she was totally at a lost thinking how it can be such an exciting game for us as children many summers ago.

* Piko (Hopscotch) - What I find really fun here is drawing the board or the diagram on the pavement.

* Tumbang preso - A game distinctly Filipino as the linked site says. I agree. I love it whenever I hit the tin can with my slippers! I don't know but is this a backyard version of football with a few major tweaks? Haha.

* Luksong-tinik - I'm below average in this game. The highest jumper wins the game.

* Patintero - The idea is to block an opponent from passing through the player's territory. Speed and timing are keys to win this game. I was pretty good in this game.

Do your children still play these games? The only game from the list above my daughter plays now with her classmates at school is hide and seek.

***More snapshots at WS.

Stripes

I thought of sharing my daughter's picture with The Striped One, Ronald McDonald. This was taken right after their activity on the last day of her stint as a McDonald's kiddie crew last summer.

There are Ronald McDonald permutations in other countries. There is an Asian Ronald McDonald for instance.

The picture came from Jackie Chan Kids website. It's the first thing that came up when I searched on Google. I don't know the whole story behind the picture but look at Ronald serving vegetables.

I remembered Super Size Me, the documentary about eating so much fast food. McDonald's introduced Ronald McDonald as the Ambassador of Balanced Lifestyles a few years ago expanding Ronald's role of teaching kids the value of an active lifestyle. Checking out McDonald's website, they have provided food quality check on their products.

Eat fries and burgers but burn all the calories after? We have not totally turned our backs on fast food but we have less of it now and so with processed foods. Eating at home also keeps us within our budget.

Here's something from Wikipedia.

In Thailand, Ronald McDonald greets people in the traditional Thai "wai" greeting gesture of both hands pressed together. The Thai version of the company mascot was created in 2002 by the local Thai franchise, McThai, as part of a "McThai in the Thai Spirit" campaign. The figure has also been exported to India and other Buddhist countries where a similar gesture is used. In Japan, Ronald McDonald is called Donald McDonald due to a lack of a clear "r" sound in Japanese. (Picture lifted from Wikimedia.)

I am aware about Ronald's greeting in Thailand but I did not know Ronald is Donald in Japan. :)

***See more stripes at Photohunt.