Reyjr.com

W e have a small garden with a small pond in front of our house - with a few potted plants around the cascading water fountain, a tall fortune plant on one side, and a row of flowering Periwinkles with pink, white and yellow flowers... ...well, we used to . THEY have eaten almost all of the leaves of my mom's Periwinkles. There were about 8 of THEM - none of them shorter than my longest finger - THEY were fat with chlorophyll, had purple and teal eyes with a sinister glare, tiny white dots form a row on either side, and they had these clawlike appendages near their heads. Caterpillars have invaded our garden!

Tweet Are you a dog person? M y sister and her boyfriend both love dogs - and even though I don't (lol) their presence in our home have made me kind-of-fond of them too. We currently have two female Yorkshire Terriers - their tiny barks fill our home with warmth, they are attention demanding, sweet little critters. :p After being in Batangas for 2 weeks for work, I was surprised to come home to a house full of doggies - not just the 2, but 4 doggies and 5 puppies! 5 French bulldogs and 3 Yorkshire Terriers ! A few hours later, another dog arrived - an English bulldog (unfortunately I wasn't able to take photos of that one!). :D Come see the photos of the dogs...

I just published my first ever post as a Patay Gutom blogger - and I'm stoked about it. Woot! It's 3AM, and although my high can also be attributed to the 2 hour travel from Manila to Batangas, and the Starbucks Cafe Mocha I consumed a few hours ago - I am more excited to have published my first ever food blog post - and on no less than one of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009 !

Why is it a holiday today? Last night, one of my younger colleagues asked us over dinner the reason why it was a holiday today. We all laughed at her naivete - it was common knowledge: today we remember the 26th death Anniversary of Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino. On a separate occasion, another friend asked if whether it was Ninoy's birthday or his death anniversary we are commemorating on Aug 21. While both mistakes can be attributable to memory gaps and are forgivable, it made me wonder about myself: Do I really understand why it was a holiday today? Or am I just happy that I don't have to work? If I, who was already alive at the time of Ninoy's assassination (albeit too young to remember) can so easily forget, how much more so for those who were born much later?

Tweet Have you ever had Pink Eye? Overheard: "Oh! You know what, a friend of mine from work recently gave birth. She was worried her baby was not drinking enough milk from her breast. She said her breasts always felt full like they were about to burst, and the veins on the sides were showing like those on an angry person's neck..."

I got a note in my email that sent back memories of sharpened Mongols #2, mind numbing fear and excitement, eyeglasses, Zesto snacks and hundreds upon hundreds of nerds all in one place. Yep, the Philippine Science High School (PSHS or Pisay) is now accepting applications for Scholars for SY 2010-2011. PSHS Admission Exams will be on November 7, 2009. On their website, it says: "The one-time screening is composed of scholastic aptitude test (SAT) which is designed to measure Scientific Ability, Quantitative Ability, Abstract Reasoning and Verbal Aptitude." I reminisce...

I just found out that there is an ongoing meteor shower called the Perseid Meteor Shower , and that it is peaking TONIGHT (Aug 12)! It's a great night to sit under the stars and wish on a shooting star (or a hundred shooting stars just to be sure). :D So, tonight, get you boyfriend, your girlfriend, your special someone to spend a few minutes looking at the sky. Make sure it's dark to get a better view of the night sky. I guess, a candle-lit dinner will be perfect. ;) Details of meteor shower, where to look, i.e. what constellations to look for, and other geeky stuff after the jump... Here is the info excerpt from the PAGASA Website : "The famous Perseids meteor shower will be observed with its peak on the late night of August 12 until dawn on the following day...occasionally, an exceptional shower may show tens or even hundreds of meteors per minute, but around 50 meteors per hour is more typical." The Perseids meteor shower is the most reliable one, which ...

Emerging Influential Bloggers 2009: My first blogging event It was my first venture into the land of the bloggers (hehe) and I was quite anxious about it: My first ever blogging event! Sure, I've had my blog for quite a while, but I've actually only really started blogging last January 2009. Would any of them even know my blog? And besides, who knows what these bloggers are like? Wah! After some "boyfriend duties", I rushed to Casino Filipino on Sucat Road in Paranaque (I was an hour late! doh!). As I pulled in the parking area, curiously eyeing the huge PAGCOR sign and thinking to myself, it says Casino Filipino, not PAGCOR in the invite...is this really Casino Filipino? Why does it only say PAGCOR? Lol. I realized later that it was common knowledge that they were one and the same. Hah! Anyways, I worked my way through the reception, the metal detectors, up the stairs, through registration and into the Forum Hall. With cold and sweaty hands, I opened the door...

Video Format Converter! I've finally gotten a hold of a video format converter so now I can convert AVI to MPEG to make the file size smaller and easier to upload on Youtube! I now know how to make vids and convert them to mpeg > upload to youtube and then post on my blog. So, I got excited at the prospect of making video blogs or vlogs...but then I realized I still have to get a video editing software and learn how to use it. Heheh. But at least I've made progress right? SO, I've made a test post! "To Where You Are" by Josh Groban Last week (July 31), on my way home from Batangas, the traffic was horrible on C5 that I got bored and started singing to the songs on the radio to entertain myself. I saw I had taken my Canon Ixus 90IS with me in the car, so I snatched it up and decided to take a short clip of me singing in the dark. Hehe. Since I have zero knowledge about editing, this is raw unedited footage... :D Still looking for a mentor to teach ...

On Saturday, August 1, I woke up to an sms from my co-UP Concert Chorus Alum, Ging, that our dear former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino or Tita Cory, had passed away. Her message was quickly followed by another one, asking if I was willing to come over and sing for the 8pm mass set that evening in La Salle, Greenhills where the late President's body was brought for public viewing. It was going to be the first mass for the wake of Pres. Cory Aquino... I knew there was going to be a lot of people, tight security because of all the VIPs coming, parking was going to be difficult, not to mention I haven't sung with the UP Concert Chorus in a long time...but there was no hesitation when I replied: Yes, I will go. After some errands in Makati and a light KFC take-out dinner in the car, Liz and I made our way to La Salle, Greenhills. Along the way, we could already see the yellow ribbons on the vehicles around us, on the branches of trees along Ortigas Ave, even on lamp posts and r...

Next week, I will be attending my first ever bloggers meet - the awarding ceremonies for the Top Emerging Influential Bloggers for 2009, and I am at a loss for how to prepare for it. But being the (mild) OC that I am, I have decided to make a list of things to do, to bring, to internalize and externalize (lol) for the bloggers meet. Feel free to add your suggestions and your advice in the comments section below! What to bring: - Bring a pen and a small notebook, in case you have to write down names and blogs. - Bring your blogging card with your blog's name and website on it. (lol! I did not know how to call it - it can't be a calling card right?) - Bring your camera! - Bring enough cash for taxi and coffee. (Because people will probably be having coffee after that!) - Bring an ID in case you need to "authenticate" your identity. Or to prove that you're above 18. (we'll be in a Casino after all, you might want to try some slot machines) What to think about bef...

I have edited this post (7/11/09) because I'm happy to announce that I have finally (FINALLY! yes..) completed my noms for this year's uber awesome, uber prestigious top emerging influential blogs. I started out with just two nominations, and begged my readers to send me links to their favorite newbie blogs (and this explains why most comments here are suggestions!) and in the process, I have made several new blogger friends (and some jedi masters), improved my readership (to a staggering 30 visits per day! lol..), and most importantly, connected with people who share a true passion for blogging. Without further ado, here is my uber awesome and eccentric list: http://www.adaphobic.com/ http://tunaynalalake.blogspot.com/ http://ka-blogs-tugan.blogspot.com/ http://videochops.com/ http://www.pataygutom.com/ http://writingtoexhale.com/ http://zorlone.blogspot.com/ http://goodtimesmanila.com/ http://www.millionaireacts.com/ http://thestrugglingblogger.168center.com WOOT! CONGRATUL...