Hall of Fame: Filipino Blog of the Week

My 5-week run at the Filipino Blog of the Week has ended on a high note!

Today, talksmart of The Composed Gentleman has elevated Born on a Syzygy~ to the Filipino Blog of the Week Hall of Fame after dominating the blog voting this week with 196 votes. This was the 2nd win for me, the first one was on the first week that I was a nominee (March 21-27). See my rankings for the 5-week run on the sidebar.

The prizes below come with the win! Click images to take you to the Filipino Blog of the Week definition and list of past winners...

Because of this week's win, "~Syzygy" will also be featured again on The Composed Gentleman's site for this whole week.

It was really an amazing voting week for me. I actually was not promoting the contest as much as I had done during the first week, and yet the votes kept coming it. I received more votes this week than any other week prior. So for everyone who took the time out to vote for me, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Did you vote for me? Please leave a comment below so I can thank you!

"See pictures of my boxers"

On a friend's blogsite...

kaich: "Early this morning, we got a call from our security office: they have an unclaimed boxer, approximately 8 months old, who has no one to care for her..."

kaich: "We can't keep her at home anymore because our house is full and our resources are short for the care of another, but she's so sweet I want to make sure she finds a nice home."

Friend #1: "me"

Friend #2: "Awwww, cutie doggie!"

Friend #3: "aww kawawa! but with the house i have now, my cats would do anything in their power to drive her out..."

Living Batangueño: My new vocabulary

I'm a city born boy living and working in Batangas City for the last 4 years. This post is part of a series about adjusting to life in Batangas - Living Batangueño. Please subscribe!
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Don't call the ladies "manang"

In Manila, it is common to refer to anyone older than you as "manang / manong", or "ate / kuya", both meaning elder sister or brother. In Batangas, the proper term for respect is "Ka". For example, you would call an elder who is not your relative "Ka -insert_name_here-", say for example, Ka Roger or Ka Pedring or Ka Linda.

When I was newly transplanted, some colleagues and I would have lunch at this nearby "bangihan" (bbq) place. One time, I was wanting something spicy for my sauce, so I called out to the serving lady, "Manang, pahingi ho ng sili (can I have some chili)". The lady just smiled at me and asked for some chili from another serving lady. The other lady then brought her some chili teasing, "O, Ka Manang, eto na yung sili! (here's the chili!)". Hehehehe. Pwnd! :p

Call me "Utoy" (not tutoy!)

On the other end of the geriatric spectrum, while elders are called "Ka", young Batangueño boys are referred to as "utoy" and young Batangueño girls are called "ineng". Being baby-faced and short (ouch!), I'm often called "utoy" here. That actually took some getting used to for my ears as "utoy" sounds very similar to "tutoy" which is in Manila, a short name for a kid's penis. Lol!

 

It's pronounced "gah"

One of the very first Batangueño things I learned was how to properly pronounce "ga". I had always thought it was pronounced with a shortened guttural "a" sound, pronouncing the "g" then closing your throat as if you choking. I was wrong! :p It's pronounced with a bit more sustained "a" (like "gaa" or "gah").

Now go practice!


"Ano, ga?"

Random: I've been on vacation mode since last week

Vacation Mode
I cannot for the respect of everything corporate continue like this...
Sure I have completed some tasks...
Sure I replied to some emails...
Sure I have not wasted my manhours on nothing...
Sure I'm still net positive on output vs input (haha, whatever)...

But damn, dude, my brain is already at the beach, receiving a relaxing massage by the shore, listening to the waves and soaking up the sun. My brain has been, since last week, off to Boracay or Puerto Galera or Palawan, begging my body to go and book a flight already! Please please please...

So I went and finalized a trip to Puerto Galera Beach in Mindoro this coming Labor Day long weekend! ...Excited much? I'll bring back photos. Haha.
Don't know yet where we will be staying, but I'm looking forward to relaxing and partying, maybe play with some fishies, go snorkeling, go dancing, swimming, whopee!

Vulcanized
I accompanied a friend of mine to a vulcanizing shop to take a nail out of his tire. Turns out he had 2 tires that had nails in 'em, for a grand total of 4 holes. lol. He's been driving around with 4 freakin' holes in his tires. :p

While we're on the topic, I think vulcanizing shop mechanics are terribly underpaid.

10,000 blog hits!
I do believe I am semi-obsessive.
How many times do you check your blog daily just to see if someone left a comment? :p
Do you keep an excel spreadsheet of your daily blog hits? (By the way, I'm approaching 10,000 hits on this blog, and expecting it to reach 10k within the week! 10,000 hits, and MORE THAN HALF of that was just in the last 4 months!)

I just restarted blogging in January of this year, and from an average of 3 hits per day last year, I'm now up to 80+ hits per day. I know that's not a lot yet, but hey! Thanks to all the visitors.

OK, all for now. Off to dinner.

Directory of Philippine Choirs and Websites

This page has been moved to :   
Philippine Choirs

The new (last) Harry Potter and the HBP trailer

The final Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince trailer is out! It's below after the "jump". Are you excited? The trailer looks awesome. Really dark and mysterious. Need to review the book though, it's been more than a year since I read it, haha.

And read this: "The release of the new Harry Potter film in the US has been brought forward by two days. It'll now open on Wednesday 15 July - the same day as it opens in the UK."
I had reported on this blogpost last month that Harry Potter and the HBP will come out in the Philippines on July 16. Are you going to watch it?

'Ere's the trailer: