Monday, January 31, 2011

25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself

As usual, still awake and working. Hopping from one website to another. Can you live with that? I'm used to this since... for quiet some time now... While listening to one of my favorite band  "The Calling", the band that sang the hit song "Wherever You Will Go" and while creating some accounts to various websites, I came across with this very interesting ebook as it was featured on the site. Kinda old but I still downloaded it. It is entitled "25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself". 


Here are the simplified version of the ebook, well, it's too long to put the whole content, right?







                                     Why should you distinguish yourself?

               ~ Simple, being part of the commodity crowd erodes your value.

 

  Care as if it’s your own
  Do your daily work with passion!
  Build strong relationships
  Dream BIG !
  Set the right expectations
  Ask for help
  Celebrate small victories
  Set higher standards
  Know your values
  Pursue right memberships
  Help people help themselves
  Be a reader
  Plan by outcomes
  Think Long-term
  Embrace uncertainty with ease
  Ask the right questions
  Engage with a coach
  Be relevant
  Get back on your feet FAST !
  Lead a volunteer effort
  Balance Innovation and Continuous Improvement
  Learn to sell
  Learn systems thinking
  Walk away from free
  Influence the influencers





 Gotta finish reading this one. Bye for now. Ciao




Credits
Check the Blog of Rajesh Setty for the elaborated version.
You can also get the ebook here

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Agusanon Pride - Naliyagan Festival


The Festival

Naliyagan Festival is celebrated annually, highlighting the commemoration of the founding anniversary of Agusan del Sur every 17th of June. Also called the Bai Naliyagan, the week-long event showcases the culture and products of the province.

The event starts with a Manobo ritual where high priest of the Manobos called the baylan summons the spiritis of the forest, giving them a safe day in celebrating the occasion, same time driving away the evil spirits to avoid mishaps. A hog is butchered as its blood is offered by the priests, praying to appease the evil spirits in exchange of the safety of the people. Tobacco, eggs, fowls, gin, candles, fruits, and leaves chewed by natives, used as a concoction called mama, are also offered.

After the spiritual ceremonies, an event called the raising of the colors is held. Each barangay has their own flag raised at its designated flag pole in the Naliyagan Plaza. Soon, a giant balloon along with small balloons are released, representing dreams, hopes, and aspirations of the people of Agusan.

From day one to day six, an array of activities are prepared to be witnessed, especially by local and foreign tourists, who are drawn in every celebration, and keep on increasing year after year. One factor the Naliyagan appeals to the crowd is the holding of the Bai Naliyagan Beauty Pageant, participated by local beauties from 13 towns.

Activities in the festival are the Agri-industrial Fair, where indigenous cottage and agricultural products are displayed for sale, essay writing, cock derby, native games such as spear throwing, boat rowing, boxing, night concert on the culmination night, various sport competition, airsoft tournament, rappelling exhibition, which is participated by several teams all over Mindanao, the Naliyagan Agri-lympics featuring the biggest farm produce, fastest manual rice miller, mudfish relay, fastest fir maker contest, piglet catching, tribal street dancing competition that highlights the colorful ethnic display of the Manobo dance that has proven to be the top crowd drawer during the festivity.

All the natives of the river valley of Agusan del Sur come together, displaying their very own dances, songs, products of both agricultural and cottage industries, and handicrafts that pictures the lifestyle of the early natives.

 

Origin

Due to the continous support of the indigenous people of the Agusan, the Governor of the province came up with an opportunity to feature these indigenous people, showcasing their cultural heritage, products, artifacts, and their practices, in an event that fall the same day as the foundation anniversary of Agusan.
To have it addressed by a fitting name, the Governor sought the help of the Manobo elders, and chose naliyagan, meaning the chosen one and the most loved. Thus the Naliyagan Festival is born, being celebrated at the Naliyagan Plaza, same space where official celebration in the province and official programs are held.


Saturday, January 29, 2011

50 THINGS YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW

 

I was taking a break from work when I decided to drop a visit to my favorite torrent site and I bumped into this file. I got curious what is the  content of that ebook since it's title is very intriguing and so I downloaded the file.





50 THINGS YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW

01. The Ten Commandments We Always See Aren't the Ten Commandments
02. One of the Popes Wrote an Erotic Book
03. The CIA Commits Over 100,000 Serious Crimes Each Year
04. The First CIA Agent to Die in the Line of Duty Was Douglas Mackiernan
05. After 9/11, the Defense Department Wanted to Poison Afghanistan's Food Supply
06. The US Government Lies About the Number of Terrorism Convictions It Obtains
07. The US Is Planning to Provoke Terrorist Attacks
08. The US and Soviet Union Considered Detonating Nuclear Bombs on the Moon
09. Two Atomic Bombs Were Dropped on North Carolina
10. World War III Almost Started in 1995
11. The Korean War Never Ended
12. Agent Orange Was Used in Korea
13. Kent State Wasn't the Only — or Even the First — 

     Massacre of College Students During the Vietnam Era
14. Winston Churchill Believed in a Worldwide Jewish Conspiracy
15. The Auschwitz Tattoo Was Originally an IBM Code Number
16. Adolph Hitler's Blood Relatives Are Alive and Well in New York State
17. Around One Quarter of "Witches" Were Men
18. The Virginia Colonists Practiced Cannibalism
19. Many of the Pioneering Feminists Opposed Abortion
20. Black People Served in the Confederate Army
21. Electric Cars Have Been Around Since the 1880s
22. Juries Are Allowed to Judge the Law, Not Just the Facts
23. The Police Aren't Legally Obligated to Protect You
24. The Government Can Take Your House and Land, Then Sell Them to Private Corporations
25. The Supreme Court Has Ruled That You're Allowed to Ingest Any Drug, 

      Especially If You're an Addict
26. The Age of Consent in Most of the US Is Not Eighteen
27. Most Scientists Don't Read All of the Articles They Cite
28. Louis Pasteur Suppressed Experiments That Didn't Support His Theories
29. The Creator of the GAIA Hypothesis Supports Nuclear Power
30. Genetically-Engineered Humans Have Already Been Born
31. The Insurance Industry Wants to Genetically Test All Policy Holders
32. Smoking Causes Problems Other Than Lung Cancer and Heart Disease
33. Herds of Milk-Producing Cows Are Rife With Bovine Leukemia Virus
34. Most Doctors Don't Know the Radiation Level of CAT Scans
35. Medication Errors Kill Thousands Each Year
36. Prescription Drugs Kill Over 100,000 Annually
37. Work Kills More People Than War
38. The Suicide Rate Is Highest Among the Elderly
39. For Low-Risk People, a Positive Result from an HIV Test Is Wrong Half the Time
40. DNA Matching Is Not Infallible
41. An FBI Expert Testified That Lie Detectors Are Worthless for Security Screening
42. The Bayer Company Made Heroin
43. LSD Has Been Used Successfully in Psychiatric Therapy
44. Carl Sagan Was an Avid Pot-Smoker
45. One of the Heroes of Black Hawk Down Is a Convicted Child Molester
46. The Auto Industry Says That SUV Drivers Are Selfish and Insecure
47. The Word "Squaw" Is Not a Derisive Term for the Vagina
48. You Can Mail Letters for Little or No Cost
49. Advertisers' Influence on the News Media Is Widespread
50. The World's Museums Contain Innumerable Fakes

 I have read a few only of the 50 articles,  it's very interesting. 
Try it for yourselves, it's really a good book.




Credits:  Russ Kick  

Thursday, January 27, 2011

One Fine Day at Bigby's


 

The idea that Zaki wouldn't be seen in any other resto than Jollibee has ended. I guess the Snow Sheen experience really paid its part of embedding into Zaki's mind that Chicken is Chicken, where ever and however. Today, we are celebrating Zaki's Papa Dandan's 57th year of existence and we've headed our way to another resto -- Bigby's

So, strictly no Jollibee for today and perhaps in another month or so.



Butuan and Balanghai - A Journey Through Time

I'm about to sleep and I stumble to this blog post. I really find this one very interesting.

We usually  hear this word  around  this  time  of summer as  we usually equate it with the  city’s  display of culture and tradition as well as its opportunity to show  the  development  highlights it has travailed in its a thousand  years  of existence, from an influential maritime  kingdom in the  Sri Vidjayan and  Madjapahit Empires, to a gold  finders paradise in the early 20th century… to a  booming timber-town in the 50’s.  From a  fragile, perennial  calamity hit locality… to  a rising highly urbanized  regional  capital of today…to that  of vigorous  shining metropolis  in the near future. Let us again take a review of Balanghai, and how this great Indo-Malay  word came  to represent this  city’s journey through the past millenia.


Golden VoyageSince the 10th  century,  Butuan  appeared to have been in good relations with  the Srivijayan Empire. Being  located on the coast of Mindanao,  balanghais are  often docking at the Butuan bay keeping good business  between the local  people of Butuan and traders from the neighboring empire.

During the 1970’s,  these  balanghais  were exposed through an  excavation to the modern  time and found that through carbon-dating process, the boats were almost a thousand years old.
Building  balanghai requires  teamwork and  unity among workers which is why it was  used by the Philippine  Government as a term to  refer to the smallest political unit, now became popularly pronounced as barangay.

Butuan’s Early Balanghais
A  balanghai, or some refer  to it as balangay,  is a wooden boat adjoined by planks, and  believed that  the term originated from an  Italian archaeologist named Antonio Pigafetta  in the 16th century  when he mentioned  the word spelled “balanghai”.

The  balangays did not serve just a  wooden boat  but stood as a symbol for social unit. In the 16th century,   Spaniards found  out that balangay also referred to the smallest unit of politics among Filipinos.
Balanghai Boats


Late 1970’s,  balangay boats were  discovered in Butuan City by the National Museum archaelogists.  Nine were  recovered during the excavation. The first is being presently preserved and displayed  in the museum in  Libertad, Butuan City. It had  undergone carbon-dating  and  dated at year 320.  The second  boat, dated 1250, is presently located at the Maritime Hall of National Museum in Manila. The third  was  transferred to Butuan  Regional Museum while the six other boats are under the process of  excavtion and  preserved,  remaining to their original waterlogged condition to protect the artifacts.

The Historical Butuan
The city of Butuan is the home  of treasures such as the  Tara, golden  figurine of Buddha’s consort, an array of lustrous,  most intricate jewelry, a collection of priceless ceramics  from the Sung Dynasty, and  the remains of the early balanghai.

These precious  treasures of Butuan  are now found around the globe.  The Tara is now at the Field Museum in Chicago, the Chinese  precious findings and the restored  balanghais are being displayed  at the National Museum,  and the incomparable gold jewelry is the Metropolitan  Museum of Manila’s grandest collection.

The first mass in the  Philippines is believed to have  taken place near  the Agusan River,  and it is said that Ferdinand  Magellan himself dropped the anchor of the ship in 1521 at the Agusan River, and held a  mass to  commemorate the event.


BALANGHAI FESTIVAL
The Festival


Commemorating  the coming of the early settlers from Borneo and Celebes, Butuan in Agusan  del Sur is celebrating Balanghai  Festival during  the third week of May, coinciding the feast of Butuan’s patron  saint, Saint Joseph.

The balanghai,  also known as balangay and Butuan boat, is  the first water vessel to have  excavated in Southeast Asia, serving as  evidence to the craftsmanship of the early Filipinos in attempting to transport on water.

Balanghai Festival is  one historical event commemorated  through a  night of exotic performances, costumes in an array of colors and creativity, and dazzling floats. One can also take part in the festivals activities such as contests, exhibits, and many other events.
 

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Once Upon a Time in Snow Sheen


     After a "few" visits to fastfood chains like Jollibee and KFC, as well as Manok Republik and Siomai & Lumpia sa Tipolo, we finally got the chance to go back to Snow Sheen, a Chinese restaurant located in the crowded sidewalks of downtown Cebu. They serve the best fried rice in town. Your all-time favorite Dimsum delights like Chopsuey, Pancit Canton, Pancit Guisado, Chaupachin, Buttered Chicken, Maki, Siopao and Chinese Lumpia are among their most requested dishes.



Fried Rice - Buttered Chicken - Pancit Canton

Fried Rice - Buttered Chicken - Pancit Canton

Fried Rice - Buttered Chicken - Pancit Canton

     It was fun to know that Zaki, after eating 3 pieces of Buttered Chicken and some rice, totally forgot about the usual fries-and-sundae meal from her favorite Jollibee. Both me and miko were also busy putting our mouths to work, and of course, with bellies full.

     Try it for yourself! If you happen to visit Cebu, don't forget to put Snow Sheen in your destination list.

     Happy chow time!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Tale of a Lost Elephant

I was blog hopping when i bumped into this very hilarious and humorous article that intales a story of an elephant who has been been snap by a crocodile. Well, the story goes like this.


Once upon a time there lived a little elephant in the far, far away jungle. But this little elephant was not a good boy, and he was never listening to what his mother was telling to him. His mother always tell him : ” Be careful where you are going and don’t wonder around, because the jungle is not the safest place to be!”, but he didn’t care a lot about what his mother’s talking.

And, then one day he went to the river and the crocodile caught him and snap his trunk. The little elephant tried to run away, but it was to late, the crocodile already got him. He started to yell, and good thing was that his mother and father heard…not only they heard the little elephant’s screaming but all the family did, so they all run to the rescue, and saved little elephant.

From that day on, this little elephant never was a bad boy and and always listen to his mother. And that elephant grow big and a fine elephant!






So people out there especially kids, always and always listen to your mothers. They know what's best for us.




Do You LOVE or HATE Gwyneth Paltrow? Why?


I bumped to a certain forum and read this post about Gwyneth Paltrow. I dont know why she said this, maybe she really hates Gwyneth. Whatever the reasons maybe, we all dont know, only Beatrice, the one who posted it.



Here is the detail of that letter.



Dear Gwyneth,

Oh, you sweet celebration of sexuality and class. Even after all these years, you are still as beautiful as a blizzard, as majestic as an elk. I feel terrible about the way we left things after our ski trip to Chamonix. Again, I assure you that you did nothing wrong, I was just young and afraid of getting tied down (figuratively).  I hope you've since found some semblance of happiness with Chris and those absurdly-named sex trophies you carry around. Hold your head up high, my diamond, there is no shame in compromise.

You have to let me go.
Now, onto the meat. I noticed that you have taken some heat lately from the press for your website, for your spontaneous music career, and for just generally being you. I imagine your self-confidence is a little shaken and that you would gladly wish it all away, if only you knew how wishing for things worked. Well, I'm writing to tell you that everything will be OK. I come to you not only as a friend, or even former mounter, but as someone who's right there by your side, at the top.

You and I are cut from the same cloth and I assure you, that cloth was very very expensive. The universe bestowed on us the gift to change the world through beauty alone, and we told the universe, "I can give more." Me through my many charities, my peace work in foreign countries and my renowned authorship -- you through that newsletter you do sometimes. Goop is a veritable lifeline to mothers across the country. You recognized that women everywhere have the capacity to MAKE, GO, GET, DO, BE and SEE, but no items of luxury at which to aim those powers. Collectively they cry for solutions to the holes in their hearts, and you courageously answer, "Here, fill them with boots!"


As if that weren't enough, you also aren't afraid to bury your helping hands in the wad of the lower class,  giving them guidance for upgrading to a better life; your life. As sad is it may be, there are mothers out there right now who are unconsciously poisoning their children with macaroni and cheese for under $25. But not the mothers who get your newsletter -- you are saving lives. The point is, no one asked for your help, Gwyneth, yet you offer it all the same. You know who else does that? God. God and Batman.

And despite everything you've done, there are critics who still spin your humanitarian efforts as ostentatious. They accuse you of being out of touch with the average woman, and worse, of plagiarizing other domestically-minded celebrities like Martha Stewart. Granted, your work is similar, but each vegan cake you make is iced with healthy dose of spirituality. I'd certainly like to see Martha make a maple-brined, free range turkey while teaching a woman to mend her soul.

In addition to the blows your website has taken from cynics, I understand that you are under fire for your career choices as well. I'm surprised to see that the country music fans of the world are unwilling to embrace you as a singer now. Don't they know that you pretended to be one in a movie? As sad as it makes me, I suppose this is the way the world works. The singularly-talented refuse to accept that there may be other people who are more talented at two or three things, or in your case, 47 things.
It's all up to you guys to decide whether to believe this or not. As for me, Gwyneth Paltrow is a good artist based on the projects i've seen from her so far. That user really got a a grudge anger to her, LOL.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Through the Creative Mind of a Little Girl

      It was a rainy afternoon again, as usual, as it was always raining during these past days. We went to SuperMetro to buy some stuff for her "Baby House", but  as it turns out, instead of buying the tao-tao, her attention got diverted to these colorful building blocks. So here she is, on her quest to be an Architect? An inventor, perhaps.

     Thanks to the Baby House for being empty, a new phase of learning is on its way. Cheers!




Monday, January 17, 2011

Fudgee Barr Float with Choco Chip Cookies & Graham Crackers


     I was working on a rainy Monday and my Princessita, probably tired of playing and making a mess out of everything, kept on bugging me to buy some food to eat. While at the sari-sari store, the Durian-flavored Fudgee Barr caught my attention and gave me the idea to make a Refrigerator Cake. Ref Cake, as it is commonly known, is called such because it simply requires cooling in the fridge. My mother used to make this for snack time and uses these mini cakes for its layers. And so, without hesitation, I bought 6 peices of Fudgee Barrs, as well as Graham Crackers, and the food tripping began.

      If you're wondering how it is done, here is the enticing recipe and step-by-step guide in making this luscious dessert. :)

Fudgee Float with Choco Chip Cookies and Graham Crackers


Ingredients

Directions
1. Slice the Fudgee Barr into thin wedges.
2. Combine condensed milk and all-purpose cream. Mix well.
3. Layer the
Fudgee Barr, in a glass pan or any rectangular container.
4. Pour all-purpose cream and condensed milk filling on top until fully covered.
5. Repeat by putting layers of cookies, crackers or Fudgee Barr according to your liking and filling until you’ve used it all.
6. Top the final layer with Graham Crackers and sprinkle it with Choco Chips.
7. Put it in the refrigerator and chill overnight. 

Fudgee Float with Choco Chip Cookies & Graham Crackers
as a frozen treat tastes even more delicious when you put this dessert in the freezer.


  
I don't really know if many people have done this already but one thing is for sure, doing this with your loved ones really makes it more enjoyable. I felt sorry for the bad weather, but we really had a great time!


Friday, January 14, 2011

Finding The Right Action Games Is Easy

Description: If you are bored and want to find the real fun thing then the right action game would do the task for you.

When you are in a mood to find the real fun and exciting thing and action in your life then the right Action Games are the thing which you should get. It is always fun to play games in which you take the charge as the hero of the game and have to save the world, the girl or the treasure. It can be about anything and you would love every part of the game. There are many different kinds of Action Games which you can easily find in the market but you should be careful while choosing the game for yourself. You should first try to see the preview of the game before purchasing it so that you do not have to get disappointed after the purchase. The Action Games allow you to bring some extra action to your life. This would make your more energetic and enthusiastic about the things.

There are different kinds of games that include different types of actions. There are some games in which you just have to fight with the villains or vamps while in others you have a certain task to complete. You are on a journey and have to save the world or some other creature. You can also find some imaginative and unreal creatures in most of the Action Games which are enough to give you the kind of entertainment you are looking for. You can fight the world easily and safely too with the help of playing such games.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

The Fundamentals of Saying Hello In Italian

When it comes to greeting people in Italian, there are certain nuances you ought to bear in mind. While a simple ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ is sufficient in greeting someone in English (even someone like your priest), in Italian, this depends on how well you know the person and the relationship you share. The difference is basically in the formal and the informal usage.

Keeping it Casual:
In interacting with friends, close family members, people of the same age group, peers, shopkeepers, etc., casual is usually the way to go. ‘Ciao’, pronounced, chow, does the work of saying a casual hi/hello in Italian. However, using this casual form of greeting with everyone is not suggested, especially the elderly. What might come as a surprise to you is that ‘Ciao’ is also used as a casual term to say ‘goodbye’. Yes, the same word to say ‘Hello’ and well as ‘Goodbye’.

Going the Formal Way:
If you are to learn the Italian language as a part of your school’s curriculum, the standard form of greeting you will encounter is, ‘Buongiorno’, pronounced, bwon-JOR-no. This literally translates into ‘good day’; with ‘buon’ meaning good, and ‘giorno’ meaning day. ‘Buongiorno’, by the way, can only be used to say hi/hello and not goodbye.

In continuing to use the same format, this greeting changes with the time of the day it is used. In the late afternoon or evening it is more apt to say, ‘Buona sera’, which translates to ‘good evening’. In the morning, you will still say, ‘Buongiorno’.

Bear in mind, who you’re interacting with makes an important difference in the term you should use. For example, you really would not want to be saying ‘Ciao’ to the Pope if you chanced upon a meeting with him.

Other Variations:
As you travel to different parts of Italy, you will notice local differences when it comes to people greeting each other. In the southern part of the country you are more likely to come across the term ‘Salve’, pronounced sal-ve. ‘Mandi’, pronounced mahn-dee, is a Friulian term; and ‘Bona die’, pronounced boh-na dee-ah, is the Sardinian way of saying hi/hello.

The Physical Aspect:
Remember that native Italians are rather prone to using physical greetings when saying hi/hello. This can come in the form of a handshake in between men, and a kiss on one or both cheeks when it comes to women. When it comes to men and women interacting with each other, this depends on the relationship they share. For instance, relatives, irrespective of their genders, generally greet each other with a kiss on both cheeks.

Once you’re comfortable in using these terms to say Hi or Hello in Italian, you can take the next step and try incorporating more words to make the greeting more personalized. For instance: learn how to say ‘Ciao Bella’ next, and use it with the ladies (it simply means hello beautiful).

Understand that learning Italian is not as hard as it’s often made out to be. Start with the basics, get your pronunciation right, and practice regularly. A great thing is the online sphere has opened up a large variety of learning resources for you to choose from, and this will only help in your learning this language.