Old Names Flourish in Latest SWS Senatorial Survey

The Social Weather Station (SWS) has released its latest Survey on preferred Senatoriables.  Conducted last January 17 to 19, the survey shows old names entering the Magic 12.

1.  Loren Legarda
2.  Chiz Escudero
3.  Allan Peter Cayetano
4.  JV Ejercito
5.  Gringo Honasan
6.  Koko Pimentel
7.  Migs Zubiri
8-9.  Cynthia Villar
8-9.  Jack Enrile
10-11.  Antonio Trillanes IV
10-11.  Grace Poe
12.  Nancy Binay

Legarda, Escudero, Cayetano, Honasan, Pimentel, Zubiri and Trillanes are re-electionists; while the remaining five newcomers are somewhat related to other big names in Philippine Politics.

JV Ejercito, former San Juan City Mayor and now Congressman, is the son of Former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada.

Cynthia Villar, current Las Piñas Representative, is the wife of Senator Manny Villar.

Jack Enrile, Grace Poe, and Nancy Binay are children of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Fernando Poe, Jr., and Vice President Jejomar Binay, respectively.

PNOY Rating Continues To Decline

President Benigno "Noynoy" S. Aquino's net satisfaction rating continues to decline. That is according to the latest survey released by the Social Weather Station (SWS) conducted this June 2011.

In November 2010, Aquino's rating is at +64. It plummeted to +51 in March 2011, then further declined to +46 this June.

The study also reveals that most of those dissatisfied with the President are women, those in Class D, NCR residents, and some parts of Luzon. He continues to enjoy high ratings in the Visayas and Mindanao Area.

Is Facebook Safe?

According to research studies, Filipinos are known to be one of the most active Facebook users in the world. In fact, we are not only active users, but we are one of the most active in terms of uploading pictures and videos.

While many people get hooked on using social networking sites as a way of interacting to others, finding long lost friends, and sharing their thoughts, it is also quite alarming that the number of social network-related crimes and violence is rising.

Recently, a Filipino actor-director, Ricky Rivero, has been stabbed a couple of times by someone whom he only got acquainted with in Facebook. This, along with other "unheard" stories, make up a long list of the bad effects of Social Networking Sites, especially to the kids and the young people.

While we can't really stop people from registering on these sites, may we take heed of the below basic precautions:

• Never post important personal details that you don't normally give to everyone (Bank Details, Cellphone Numbers, Credit Card Numbers)

• Accept only Friend Requests that you personally know. Do not accept friend requests just because you have a common friend.

• Do not just click forwarded links.

• As much as possible, persons allowed to view your profile/page should only be those people listed on your friends list.

• Never chat with someone whom you do not personally know.

These are just some of those basic but helpful tips we can follow to avoid, if not minimize the harms done by social networking sites to users.

Purchasing Medical Uniforms and Scrubs

For at least more than fire years now, Nursing has become one of the most (if not the most) sought-after courses by the Filipino youth.

While some really has inclination to medicine and science courses, most of the students prefer Nursing because they think that this is their passport to migrate to other countries such as Singapore, Canada, the United States and United Kingdom. This is because in the early 2000s, many of our nurses were given the opportunity to work in these countries, and when they got back to the Philippines, they were able to acquire houses, lands and other properties. Needless to say, the salary/pay in other countries are much much bigger as compared to what they could have been receiving domestically.

On this thought, the young, after graduating from High School, are enticed to enroll in colleges and universities that offer Nursing and/or Pre-medicine courses.

With the increase in number of nursing students, graduates and professional nurses, nursing equipments, uniform and gadgets also increased. Typically, you can find stores that offer medical supplies, equipments and uniforms near colleges, universities, and hospitals. There are also specific areas in the Metropolis where these supplies and uniforms are sold in cheaper prices. The area of Bambang in Manila is well-known for stores that sell medical equipments at lower prices, while in Divisoria, you can purchase nursing scrubs and hospital uniforms.

While some students and nurses prefer to purchase at low costs in these stores and location, others, especially those who have busy schedules, are buying uniforms via the internet. However, as there are a lot of fake online stores, it is very important to purchase on online stores that are proven to sell nursing uniforms at the best quality. One of those authentic online stores is may be found in this link: http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/ .

There are other online stores that offer quality nursing scrubs and medical uniforms and I shall be very glad to update the links for you in the coming days.

Paquito Diaz Dies

After battling with several complications, veteran actor Paquito Diaz, 73, is confirmed dead on March 3, 2011. He died in his home in Daraga, Albay.

Paquito Diaz, brother of Romy (another veteran actor) and father to son Joko, is well-remembered for his antagonist portrayals on most of Fernado Poe Jr.'s movies in the 70's to 90's.

photo credit: pinaysaamerika

Oscar Awards Winners 2011

And the 2011 Oscar goes to....

Best Supporting Actress: Mellisa Leo (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Picture: The King's Speech














OSCAR 2011, OSCAR 2011 PICTURES, OSCAR 2011 WINNERS

Fashionable Nursing Scrubs

Being a complete novice with regards to surgical and medical terms, I was a bit confused when my brother, who is based in the United Kingdom, has emailed me and asked me where he could buy nursing scrubs. Though the hospital where he is currently employed provides one, he said that it is always good that he has an alternate scrub on his own.

He went on to explain that nursing scrubs, together with cotton surgical scrubs, are those suits that medical practicioners, particularly nurses and nursing assistants, wear while on duty. Needless to say, they should always look neat and nice whenever assisting patients- but then, neat and nice should not mean you could not be fashionable.

These days, there are nursing scrubs that are trendy and cool to wear. There are also cotton surgical scrubs that have nice prints and can fit the character of the one wearing them.

I told my brother that there will definitely be cheap scrubs for men that are sold here in the local market, however, I am not so sure if these are authentic.

I searched for the web and found out that there are online shops that offer comfortable and quality (yet trendy!) nursing scrubs. Maybe, I will just ask my brother to purchase online rather than let me buy for him. This makes it more beneficial for him because he'll get to chose the one trendy and fashionable scrub that he likes to wear at work.

Valentines 1996

Angelo Reyes Is Dead

This came as a total shock, I had to stop and say to myself, what in the world happened?

Early this morning, I received a text message from a colleague who told me Former Armed Forces Chief of Staff and National Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes died (or rather, committed suicide) at the Loyola Memorial Park, Marikina City.

Angelo Reyes had a gunshot wound in his chest and was proclaimed dead on arrival at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center. He was 65 years old.

Earlier, his name is included as one of those who have allegedly misused the funds of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, along with former Major General Carlos Garcia.

Plea Bargaining Agreement: Senate Live Streaming Hearing

The Senate Hearing on the controversial Plea Bargaining Agreement deal made by Major General Carlos Garcia with the Ombudsman is now happening.

I believe ANC is doing a live streaming video but unfortunately, there was a bit of technical glitz earlier, so now I'm desperate in finding a Live Streaming Video of the Senate Inquiry.

For sure, this will again, be an exciting session as the major persons will be there to account their testimonies.

There are rumors in Twitter that there will be another MAJOR MAJOR witness who is expected to testify against Garcia, so we better watch out for it.

Meanwhile, the fiesty Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has given a prelude of what's gonna happen to today's hearing. Senator Santiago tweets:

"I'm at the Senate hearing. I hope my bp doesn't shoot up."

Bus Explosion Along EDSA-Buendia

It is confirmed!

A bus has exploded today, January 25, 2011, along EDSA-Buendia Northbound. MMDA, thru its official twitter account, reports that the Makati Ambulance, Firetrucks, PNP, Bomb Squad, are now on the scene.

Unconfirmed reports from various twitter accounts say that there are at least 7 bodies injured due to the incident.

Picture of Newman Goldliner Bus which exploded in EDSA-Buendia may be seen here.



Tags: Bus Explosion, MMDA, twitter,

MRT Fare Hike

Ten people were hurt in an accident involving one of the escalators of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) system at the MRT Ayala Ave. Station in Makati City on January 18, 2011.

Two days later, on January 20, 2011, smokes came in beneath the cars of an MRT train when the train brakes malfunctioned. Several people were injured when the passengers panicked to get out of the train.


And you expect people to be happy and just accept the government's approval of the LRT/MRT Fare Hikes?

Who Hosts Your Site?

My quest to further increase my knowledge about paid websites and web hosting services continues.

[ For those unfamiliar with my topic, Wikipedia defines web hosting service as a type of internet hosting services which allows individuals (or corporations/organizations) to create their own websites and make it accessible in the world wide web.]

There are now a lot of web hosts that offer their services, so people like me can just actually get one in an instant. However, the tricky part is to ensure that you get the best value for your money; meaning that, you have to ensure that the web hosting service you get should provide the things you need for your website.

The basic necessities that I'm looking for on web hosting services are: that the applications I need should be available at any time, frequency of data backup, and plentiful storage.

But still, there are other web host services that offer managed hosting. This means that a dedicated group of specialists from your web host monitors your services, performs frequent backup, and ensures that their clients (meaning us) do not worry about their web infrastructures, and instead focus our selves on our respective works and businesses.

Other than basic web hosting and managed hosting, some hosts also offer Colocation. Colocation is good for web-based businesses because it allows the small businesses to place their services into a bigger rack/storage/facility and share that bigger rack's bandwith, meaning, better speed on your networks.

So before you grab a web host, make sure to choose the best one that suits your need.

Remember the simple rule: Value for Money.

Getting Ready For My Own Website

I'm contemplating on the idea of finally getting my own website, instead of my current free site from blogspot.

But please don't get me wrong. I have been using blogspot for at least three years and I have loved its simplicity better than wordpress. In fact, whenever possible, I think I will still maintain this free site even if I will be able to acquire a new paid website.

A lot of blogger friends have actually adviced me that though maintaing my site on blogspot or wordpress is perfectly fine, they say that I could attract more visitors (visitors=traffic=money), if I get web hosting service for my own website.

There are lots of Web Host providers that I saw in the online market, however, based on my research, it is not that easy to just get any of them. Of course, you must know and understand the different web host types to find out which one is most suitable for your need.

Right now, I am blog hopping on the many sites that gives me information regarding paid web hosting. Should I think myself capable of knowing and understanding how it goes, I shall by then be ready to plunge in and get my own website.

But right now, I'm still getting ready.

Hostage Taking in Makati

Less than three months after the infamous hostage taking in Quirino Grandstand, Manila, Philippines, another hostage-taking is said to be happening now in Makati City, Philippines.

GMANews.tv reports that prior to the hostage-taking drama, the suspect allegedly shot at least two people along Evangelista Street, Brgy. Bangkal, Makati City.

After the shooting incident, the gunman fled to a nearby building and is said to have taken some people as hostages. As of the moment, police authorities have arrived in the area.

Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay (son of former Mayor and now Vice President Jejomar "Jojo" Binay) is also spotted in the area.

The injured victims are now being treated at the Ospital ng Makati.

Business Management Made Easy

Sometimes I couldn't help but envy my brother who has landed a very great job with a fat salary (and other perks to boot) as a Computer Programmer in one of the top emerging Call Center Stations in the city of Manila, Philippines.

He shares that though the work is much challenging and time-consuming, he enjoys doing Custom Application Development for their company, especially when he and his co-programmers are able to come up with good and simple solutions to complex business process problems that the company is experiencing.

Application Development Defined-

Application Development, or software development, pertains to a development of software product (involving the creation of computer programs), in a planned and structured process.

Due to the fast-paced introduction of various new technologies in computer programming, Computer Programmers now have lots of resources and means to create better applications. In fact, there are even ready-made application development programs that are available for use by business entities.

However, it is much better to have to hire (or employ) computer programmers that will customize applications suitable for the need of the company.

As a fine example, I used to work in a company that owns a chain of stores that offers Sporting Goods such as rubber shoes, jerseys, basketballs, volleyballs, apparels, etc. We purchase the items directly from big sports suppliers (like Adidas, Nike, Reebok) and store them in a warehouse located near the Main Office. Periodically, these sporting goods are transported to the various stores all over the country.

Due to the large volume of inventory movement, it is thus necessary that a good inventory process (or system) is in place. The management has decided to do away with the basic inventory system where we only use excel spreadsheet to track inventories. An employee was tasked to browse through the internet to check where to purchase a good inventory database system. He also joined in an application development forum and made discussions with members in order to get additional ideas.

After much research, it was determined that it is much better to hire computers programmers to customize the application /program that the company needs. This is because the program is custom-fit with the specific requirements that the we need.

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Custom Application Development, indeed, has become a necessary partner in making businesses easier to manage.

Do Gold Coins Still Exist?

The answer to the question is a reasounding Yes.

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The question was raised during our discussion of the popular Harry Potter book (and movie) series where wizards and witches are using gold 401K coins and silver coins when transacting business.

Although now, we are already using bills and coins in transacting, it is good to know and realize that French Gold are still existing, and even Gold IRA coins are still available in some parts of the world.

French Gold coins are, of course, very much known to historians because it dates back into the early centuries. Thus, we could boldly say that French Gold coins are a rare collectors' treat.

For those who are still unaware, IRA (for Gold IRA) referes to Individual Retirement Account. These are normally used by workers and employees as part of their investments.

Thus, we can indeed say that even though bills and other forms of moneys have already emerged as the primary form of business transaction, Gold coins are still existing and are still very much in demand, especially for people who use them as their investment. The fact that golds and jewels continue to appreciate and not depreciate still rings true today.

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Did you know?

An interesting fact about St. Gaudens Gold Coin.

According to history, St. Gaudens Gold Coins are named after one of America's well-known sculptors, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It was then President Theodore Roosevelt who asked Saint-Gaudens to redesign America's coinage, and thus, the St. Gaudens double eagle coin emerged.

A Perfect Giveaway

A friend has emailed me a few days ago asking for my opinion on what would be a nice take-home giveaway for her mother's 70th birthday celebration.

I gave out two criteria to help her out. I said to her that we have to:

1. identify the types of visitors who will receive the giveaways;

2. determine the budget allocated per piece.

She said that most of the visitors would be her mother's friends and peers, and that we don't have a problem on the budget because her brother (who is in overseas worker) would take care of the costs.

I suggested to her that we may only opt to give giveaways to ladies (men don't make a fuss of giveaways and tokens, anyway).

I also told her about a wedding I attended about a year ago, where the couple chose Pashminas Shawls as giveaways to visitors. The giveaways are an instant hit to us because they are such an uncommon gifts in parties and events.

To those unfamiliar, a Pashmina Shawl is hand spun, woven, and embroidered in Kashmir, and made from fine cashmere fibre. People have to beware, however, because there are product imitations that use sub-standard materials, so needless to say, always ensure to buy Pashmina Shawls to suppliers who offer only the top-grade, quality checked Pashmina wraps.

A Shawl Pashmina will be a perfect giveaway on the birthday of my friend's mother. It may have to be a bit expensive; but it will definitely be an instant hit to the visitors.

Balakubak

It's nice to be back

For The Rainy Days

Have you ever noticed those seemingly excess materials that protrude outside vehicle mirrors? Well, many people might find them a bit excess design to our cars but actually, these materials do have great functions!

I found it out during our most recent trip to the countryside last May 2010 to visit our old folks. Apparently, the Sports Utility Vehicle, or SUV, that we are riding on does have these Rain Guards installed on the windows.

According to our driver, these Rain Guards, or Wind Deflectors are very much useful especially while you are traveling during windy or rainy weather conditions. Rain Guards ensure that excess raindrops are being blocked before they reach the windows, that's why it is very much helpful for drivers to still get a clear view outside the vehicle.

This was proven when we got back to the city because while we were travelling back to the city, a heavy rain has approached us in the expressway, and the rain guards proved to be very efficient in keeping a clear view from outside the vehicle. As we all know, travelling during bad weather conditions is a bit risky especially when you can't see clearly from outside.

Moreover, Rain Guards cut down excess wind and noise from outside the car, so basically, these additional accessories give lots and lots of functions for travellers.

So for frequent travellers, it is really most advisable to install rain guards or wind deflectors on our cars to ensure that our travel is safe and sound all year round- even during the rainy days.