This morning my sister texted me to read the Facebook status of a schoolmate who is now in Canada (because of work), which caused a little chaos within our circle of friends and schoolmates.
This was her Facebook status:
“hahahahaha natatawa ako sa mga ibang taong nasa pinas at napaka OA ng mga status dito sa facebook kami nga na nasa abroad wala lang.. pwede ba relax and be yourself. at sa mga ibang taong nandito sa abroad perte ang mga pictures oi unsa nakalitan mo na naka abot mo dri sa …

MANILA, Philippines – Two Filipino teachers, who were hired to fill a shortage in Louisiana in 2007, have filed a federal lawsuit against the hiring firm that recruited them in the Philippines after being allegedly forced to pay exorbitant fees, the Lost Angeles Times reported today.
In a complaint filed in Los Angeles, Ingrid Cruz and Rolando Pascual accused Universal Placement International Inc. and its president Lourdes Navarro of forcing them to pay immigration fees, which should have been paid by the districts that hired them under the federal law.
The lawsuit said the …

LOS ANGELES – Dozens of Filipino hospital workers in California sued their employer Tuesday alleging they were the sole ethnic group targeted by a rule requiring them to speak only English.
The group of 52 nurses and medical staff filed a complaint accusing Delano Regional Medical Center of banning them from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages while letting other workers speak Spanish and Hindi.
The plaintiffs are seeking to join an August complaint filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Kern County federal court over the hospital’s enforcement of …

I received this news via Barrio Siete post office about Bermuda immigration minister David Burch, who made an offensive and generalized comments against Filipinas in Bermuda:
The Filipino community is to confront Immigration Minister David Burch after claiming he has made “offensive” remarks about women.
The Association of Filipinos in Bermuda (AFB) is to meet next week to issue a statement countering the Minister’s comments, while Dominicans are also understood to be upset at Senator Burch’s remarks at a press conference.
The Senator this week announced new visa requirements for citizens of the …

Ang mga OFW na nagbabakasyon sa Pinas ay nangangailangang magbigay pugay sa templo (POEA) upang kumuha ng kaukulang dokumento na tinatawag na OEC. Ito ay clearance na hinahanap ng mga opisyales ng immigration bago ka palabasin at tuluyang paliparin sa bansang iyong pinagtratrabahuhan. Nitong aking nakaraang luwas sa Manila inabot ako ng pagpapalit ng hugis ng buwan sa pagkuha ng aking OEC.
4 January 2010
Lunes 9:00 ng umaga basa pa ang aking buhok nuon dahil ako ay bagong paligo, mula sa over pass ng Ortigas ay tanaw ko …

Photo Credits: Here
Repost to mga kabarrio mula sa palasyo para naman sa mga nag-babalak na ibahay na ako sa Manila.
Think about this. Dati, there’s about 10% of the Philippine population outside of the country nag-ta-trabaho. Ngayon? Mas marami pa! Wala kasing lecheng trabaho saten noh? As usual, the ritual goes na we all send money back home, konting ipon and hope na makabili tayo nang palasyo. But, let’s admit it. Mahirap. We not only have to deal with the high cost of living kung saan mang lupalop tayo naka-base to …

Happy Birthday!
OMG, how old Ka na nga ba, gosh, You’re so old na noh. You are like forever years old. Kamusta Ka naman diyan? Well, if You ask me, I had a wonderful year salamat sa’Yo. So far, so good and kahit na struggling sa buhay at least maganda pa rin and I thank You for that.
Alam Mo, marami akong sasabihin sa Iyo.
Una sa lahat, I want to thank You for everything. Oo, for everything kabilang na ang mga trials and problems. Kasi naman it made me stronger and a …

O, Monique! Basahin! Namnamin para ok ang pamudmud mo nang regalo sa Davao!
Here’s an Advice for Vacationing OFW’s this Christmas:

As the Christmas season is when overseas Filipino workers usually come home for a vacation, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has issued an advisory on the issuance of POEA travel exit clearances.
In the advisory, vacationing Filipinos are thus advised:

If you have just arrived, apply for your overseas employment certificate early either at the POEA main office or at the nearest POEA regional offices and extension units, or avail of the OEC …

Did you hear the latest buzz?
Well, it’s about a trilogy.
Ok, maybe not.
Allegedly, it’s about Manny Pacquiao, Krista Ranillo, Jinkee Pacquiao and a blogger called Coconuter. Gosh he’s cute! I wanna buy him a sellphone! Grrr! Ok. Sumesemplang ako sa topic.
Well, according to the grapevine, si Manny daw and Krista…
ahh…
Honestly?!
Wala akong pakialam kung ano man ang gawin ni Manny or ni Krista or ni Jinkee hahaha! Have fun Manny! Enjoy! Hahaha!
Geez, bakit ako? Limang boylets, nag-convention pa kami, walang na-antig na blogs?!
Anyway, balik tayo ki Coconuter. The poor blogger is …

Alas 4:00 ng hapon araw ng Biyernes ako ay nasa Bus depot patungong Jakarta. Ito ang unang subok kong lumuwas mag-isa sakay ng public bus patungong syudad. Bagamat ayaw akong paluwasin ng aking administrator sakay ng bus, ako ay nagpumilit dahil malapit na akong takasan ng bait sa aking deserted na Barrio. (Sa sobrang walang magawa dito, tinatawanan ko ang aking saring jokes at madalas ina-argumento ko ang aking sariling argumento). Gusto kong makakita ng “tao” at maka-inom ng kape sa STARBUCKS.
Bandang 4:15 umusad ng bus, napansin ko na …

(Photo credit Destination: 360 Machu Picchu)
With my usual coffee + keyboard combination on a dreary Saturday Philly morning, I was reading this article about a 35-year-old Filipino who tried to smuggle in 6.145 kilos of cocaine alkaloid but was caught in Cusco, Peru on September 30. Now, in my mind, why would Filipinos do that? Highly unlikely right? Then again, drugs in Manila is already a problem.
And it’s even more interesting reading the comments section. One said… “a drug mule is dalawang klase, ang isa napangakuan ng trabaho …

Photo Credits: Insignificances
I hate political advertisements. To me it’s just a waste of money that should be spent elsewhere. I would like the candidates to spend their election funds on projects that would be beneficial to people in need.
Officially, I have no candidates yet. I’m still busy looking through candidates with my personal magnifying glass. There are the political ads, with their shots at informing the electorate of their platform, if there ever was one, but mostly their faces and their attempt of projecting themselves as candidates, pathetic as it …

Saturday: It was Halloween. I was already feeling a little lousy and there was a tingling sensation in my throat. But I promised to have a few drinks with my housemates so I dressed up in some really warm clothes and went. The quality of my voice was dwindling rapidly and my throat felt as if a blade is permanently slicing through it. Halfway through the pub crawl I knew I had to take a vow of silence.
Sunday: The gargle-with-warm-water-and-rock-salt trick wasn’t doing the trick. I could only …

Another truly sad day in America. True, recession might be ending because the last quarter of this year will probably show another growth. If that happens, that would be 2 successive quarters of positive growth officially ending the recession.
The bad news? Employers are just reluctant to hire. And the meager recovery for the last quarter could be in jeopardy. The news said:

“The unemployment rate has hit double digits for the first time since 1983 — and is likely to go higher. The 10.2 percent jobless rate for October shows …

Napakaraming kwentong sa dami e nalimutan ko na, mga kwento at mga pangyayari.
Malungkot, masaya, nakakaiyak, nakakatuwa, nakakainis, nakakapikon, nakakagalit, nakaka bad trip at nakakabuang minsan.
You must admit na lahat tayo ay may topak kung minsan, dont tell me na ev’rytime e friendly ka? na never kang tinopak sa buhay mo? na minsan gusto mong mapag isa? there’s a time na lumalabas din ang pagka bitchy mo, aminin mo, natural yan sa normal na tao…. or else di ka tao.
Pag sa airport, busy ako magbasa, nililibang ko nalang …

Photo Credits: TinkFixer on Military Forums
Sa Pinas maraming tawag sa ang mga anak ng lahing puti. May mga tawag na may bahid na pangungutya tulad ng: “Souvenir Baby” at meron namang politically correct tulad ng “Amerisians”.
Nang mapadpad ako sa Land of Komodo Dragons , marami akong nakilalang mga batang supling ng dalawang indibiduwal mula sa magkaibang “race”—Indonesian ang ina at ang ama ay maaring Dutch, Australian, American, New Zealander, English. Di tulad sa Pinas na karamihan ng mga batang Amerisian ay may amang taga-US Base, dito sa …

Image by Old Shoe Woman via Flickr

Speaking of delayed na fight, marami akong ganyang nakakainis na karanasan, yan pa naman sa lahat ng hate na hate ko at nakakainit ng ulo, (Im sure, di lang ako lol) kaya nga sumuko akot talagang tinatanggihan ko yung mga trabaho na magiging jet setter ako. Nabasa ko kasi yung post ni mam Cat tungkol dito kaya nagbalik sa ala ala ko yung mga nakaraang experience ko.
Sigh, eto nakakainis, 3 hrs delay????? usually di ordinary sa SQ ang ma delay ng ganun katagal (sa …

Amando M. Rama hails from Rizal, Escalante, Negros Occidental. Growing up in the Visayas, he finished high school with the combined support of his parents, grandmother and uncles and aunts. He took up Accounting in Lyceum of the Philippines in Manila. He supported himself with two jobs which eventually helped him earn a BSBA degree.
Mang Mando, as he is fondly called by the Northeast Ohio Filipino Community started his career as a janitor for EG Aguilar Accounting Firm in Bacolod City. He rose from the ranks of janitor to messenger …

Image via Wikipedia
“Filipino scholars’ abroad urged to return to the Philippines and share what they have learned to help improve the country’s academic and industrial sectors. Helpless Filipino politicians??? Sounds charity for the love of country.”
Seriously, if any local or multinational company or university in the Philippines hires me, I’ll go home. I am available. Bakit, sino bang ayaw umuwi? But not for charity. I don’t have any financial darna skills to increase my kakarampot na negative net worth to a million in just a year.
Now, Senator Edgardo Angara just …

War is not like a hollywood blockbuster. A soldier is not an action hero. Outside the statistics and the news-worthy portrayals, there are deeply personal issues that most of us don’t see.

Doon sa barrio namin, nagkalat ang mga walang magawa. At dahil mga walang magawa, wala ring ginawa  kundi libangin ang sarili at pulaan ang kapwa.
Di ko malaman kung anong magkakahalong libag ang nakatambay sa mga dila at kahit na kayurin mo pa ng combined powers ng panghilod na hollow blocks at pang-kaskas ng yelo ay hindi maalis-alis ang kati.
Tingin, nguso, ismid, bulong, tsismis, kamot dito, kamot doon. Sabay magco-comment pa na kung hindi naman kulang ay sobra naman sa detalye. First impression always.
Kaya naman unang silip pa lang sa bagong …

In New Orleans, I was on a hunt. Hunting for a Filipino store. That hunt would bring me to Slidell, Louisiana. Across the bridge, across the lake, on a very rainy day. I’m sorry, I lost my camera so I don’t have a picture of this Filipino store in Slidell. She told me that there was another Filipino store, right near the New Orleans Convention Center in the City.
So, one Saberdey, my goal was to find this Filipino Store in the heart of the city. I took out my hard-headed …

Ano nga ba meron sa mga produktong PInoy at hinahanap hanap natin kahit nasa labas na tayo ng Pinas? Andyan ang mga spanish food natin na kung tawagin eh De Lata na Ligo, Hokkaido, Maling, Argentina. Saranggani bangus, tinapa, GG(galunggong) at Tuyo.
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Photo Credits: My camera. My very, very own camera. And P5 too.
U.S. Stands By as Dollar Falls blares the headline on Wall Street Journal today.
The dollar fell to a 14-month low against other currencies Thursday, intensifying a trend that the Obama administration has publicly suggested it opposes — but which it appears prepared to tolerate quietly. Many of America’s trading partners, however, are pushing the other way. In Asia, traders said central banks in South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong again intervened to slow the …

By: iRonnie
Filipino Efren Peñaflorida of the Dynamic Teen Company earns a coveted spot in this year’s CNN Top Ten Heroes list. They will be honored at the Kodak theater on November 26th (Thanksgiving Night) when the winner will be announced.
The winner will be chosen by the public via online voting starting Oct. 1, 2009 at 11PM ET (8PM PT, 11AM Friday, Manila time). At this same time, a special edition of “AC360,” profiling this year’s honorees and their causes — “Change the World, You Vote, CNN Heroes” — airs on …