Cable T.V., the internet, and iPhones have made Hollywood accessible with just a click of a button. And, unfortunately, these type of entertainment is also readily available to our children and could very well replace the roles of parents. Many are misled by the glamorous and dysfunctional lives of celebrities and “gangsters,” tagged as “real”, that it has become difficult for our youth to recognize their value in society and behave as citizens of the world. And with both mom and dad working in this present-day family, children are left behind and are very vulnerable to negative influences. (Many boys believe that real men should walk and talk like gangsters. And many girls think that “real men” have the right to treat them badly). And, working with the youth with psychiatric and behavioral challenges, it has become apparent to me that children that have received poor, or none, parenting are more susceptible to behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and social problems.

Last week, I had the opportunity to be a positive role model at my children’s elementary school through an initiative called WatchDOGS(Dads Of Great Students), a volunteer program that encourages fathers to bring positive male influences and security back in the school environment…

Here Are a Few Tips
A good education more often than not, paves the way for a good future. Due to steep competition in most professions though, a bachelor’s degree is oftentimes not enough to secure a job or climb high-up in the corporate ladder. Going abroad for graduate school offers a student a much wider horizon, in terms of training, experience, cultural integration, even communication skills. Most employers will put a premium to these. If you’re considering graduate school, here are few tips. Bear in mind though that I can …

Hello mga friendship! Juice ko ‘day kamusta naman kayo?
Well, if you ask me, heto pula pa rin ang aking hasang at nananatili pa rin ang ganda despite the fact na andaming pambabato ang aming natanggap dito sa Barrio Siete for the past few days. Ikaw ba naman ang salakayin ng mga fans ni ‘you know who’ at batu-batuhin ang aming barrio hall ng sangkaterbang panlalait at kung anik-anik pa, juice ko, maloloka ka talaga. Buti na lang at gawa sa marmol galing Italya ang barrio hall at matibay, dahil kung …

Alam kong madalas niyong mabasa ang katagang “chorvaloo” dito sa Barrio at malimit niyo rin itong marinig mula sa bunganga ng aming sangkapatiran pati na rin sa mga babae (at lalake?) na feeling miyembro na rin ng aming federacion.
Kung interesado kayong malaman ang history ng napaka-influential na salitang ito, continue reading this post.
Kung hindi niyo naman feel na malaman kung bakit may ganitong salita, ay huwag niyo nang ipagpatuloy ang pagbabasa at baka ito pa ang maging dahilan ng high blood niyo. Charing!
Disclaimer: Ang sumusunod na mga talata ay base …

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Who wants to be my pet dog?
That’s right.
I need you to link up with me as my twisted tita, nyorotik tito, uncontrollable nephew, crazy nephya, annoying couzin, insane ankle, wicked sisterrette, adik brotherhood, fadir smuggler, madir (oops!), bloody cook, conniving maid and pet dog.
Yeah!
It’s this Family Link on Facebook.
I don’t like the morbid thought of publicly arranging every FB member in column like.. in this column are the Ampatuan clan. On your left, the Mangudadato clan. In between? The Arroyo tribe.
Nunca!
I don’t believe in Family Linking sa …

I thought I’d share you this one entry sa Reyna na pinutakte nang mga lurkers nyahahaha! At nahiyang mag-comment kahit isa, but I know they’ve been accessing the entry hak hak hak! So here you go! Open your eyes wide! Hahaha!

Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity celebrates its anniversary on the 16th of December. At the University of the Philippines, they staged the traditional “Oblation Run” to protest against the recent massacre of journalists in the southern part of the country. This protest run was made on December 15, 2009 at the …

After stuffing ourselves with all the Thanksgiving turkey, my family and I decided to burn some calories by going to the Christmas tree farm. This was the first time we cut our own tree, and it was so much fun.

Words cannot describe the tragedy in Maguindanao. We all know that politics in the Philippines is dirty and violent, but this is beyond every Pinoy’s imagination. Many have been mum in disbelief that humans were capable of this horror, let alone a generally good-natured Filipino.

The news and the images circulating around the press and the internet not only presents our country to more embarassment and prejudice, but also neglects the need for privacy and comfort of the families of those who perished. Furthermore, it can further traumatize the already bruised and beaten sense of safety and innocence.

Photo credits here.
I received a sad news this previous week from a colleague of mine: some of our former teachers have been ill lately. Like for example, my former high school science teacher has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She had mastectomy (surgical removal of breasts) already and unfortunately, the cancer has already metastasized to her ovaries and bone. Surprisingly, when I asked my former biology teacher (of whom I crossed paths last Friday), I found out that this particular science teacher of mine, despite of her illness, she still …

Barrio Siete had the privilege of interviewing Efren Peñaflorida. Here’s Mahalia’s interview: An Extraordinary Life: Exclusive Interview with Efren Peñaflorida

Efren Peñaflorida was named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year at gala show attended by Hollywood stars like actress Nicole Kidman and featured performances by Grammy Award-winning artist Carrie Underwood, R&B crooner Maxwell and British pop sensation Leona Lewis. CNN’s Anderson Cooper revealed Peñaflorida’s selection at the conclusion of the third-annual “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday night. The Tribute airs at 9 …

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has finally signed into law the “Anti-Hentai” bill last Wednesday. Republic Act No. 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 penalizes offenders with one-month imprisonment to life sentence. The offender will also pay a fine of P300,000 to P5 million, depending on the gravity of the offense. (1.00 USD = 46.8096 PHP as of 11/21/2009)
The law defines child pornography as “any representation, whether visual, audio or written combination thereof, by electronic, mechanical, digital, optical, magnetic or any other means, of a child engaged or involved …

You know how there are people who just can’t say anything nice? You try to explain your point and they so rudely throw in an incoherent comment that throws people off of the subject you’re talking about? Well, there are a lot of those, too, in social media.
I’m sure you’ve had an experience similar to this: You post a blog entry, people comment, and then somebody just come in, babbling about how you’re wrong and that your blog post sucks ass. It’s inevitable especially if your post don’t confirm with …

Seems as though every livestock we eat can get us sick. First the bird flu. Then madcow. And now, swine flu! What’s next? Rover Fever?

And so Tyrone threw me a Richard Gutierrez for Senator question:
“Hi Reynz, in your opinion, which systems is more applicable given the Philippine setting of politics – is it the presidential or parliamentary form of government?”
Man, I’m telling you. This is such one heated topic. Parliamentary. Presidential. Which system fits the Philippines? In fact, this is the mother of all the fires you see in Congress – proposing amendments to revise the Constitution. Did I read it right that they passed this during the height of Ondoy? I think I …

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 …

Did you hear?!
iPhone sucks!
There. So all of you who doesn’t own one of these can now relax, just like me. Our ngit-ngit hatred for this thing is actually true kahit na di naman naten na-experience hehe! Im fak, I know iPhone is popular. It’s so popular, my phone looked not jurassic, but egyptian. But not surprisingly, dahil tayong mga wala already knows it, that the most popular tehno-toy is receiving a litany of complaints
Bwahaha! Bee buti nga! Hehehe!
* Say What?

Image via Wikipedia

Pissbuk in Filipino. Enjoy sya. And if you’re on Pissbuk, please hehehe wag nyo po akong i-blak, nakalimutan ko lang uminom nang prozac. And I am truly having fun sa bagong Pissbuk. Pati sya, pinatulan ko na.
What with their Filipino Language. Eh, alam naman nateng ang ating wikang salumpwet eh talagang kulang at di kumpleto kaya nga imbes na salongbola language we call them undies. Hahaha! But hey! We’re Flips and Tagalog is truly one language na talagang apaw sa comedy. Haller! Mas maganda kamo ang punchline in …

Aphrodisiac. A substance which is used in the belief that it will increase sexual desire.
Ewan. In my mind, pag frigid ka – frigid ka. At mas lalo na pag wez ka paligo at mag-ayos. Kahit lunukin mong buo ang cobra, hindi yan uubra. Indi yun aphrodisiac. Shocking ka lang talaga.
Soup # 5
Eeeeekkkk! Nunca!

“Strong like a bull is a phrase that attracts some lovers to this four-legged mammal with a notorious temper. In areas of Southeast Asia, a soup (known as soup # 5) composed of onions, carrots, broth and bull’s …

Image by Nature Explorer via Flickr

I read a lot of blogs. Some of them are from online celebrities and some are from my local tribe. And recently, there are around 16 blogs that don’t get updated anymore. Since I’m a curious reader, I try asking the authors on why they’re not writing anymore.
Many of these where full of energy and enthusiasm when they started but as months pass by, the energy level went down. They are very similar to a tornado. Started strong and suddenly disappears.
Viewed 6540 times by …

(Photo Credits: Pasyalera)
I read the article that ran today: RP tourism competitiveness slips five notches which said:
The country last year occupied the 81st spot among the more than 130 countries included in the study. This year, the country fell five notches to No. 86.

Its bad enough that the infrastructure in the North have been battered by Ondoy and Pepeng, then here comes the bad news on tourism. But let me leave that infrastructure and standards for them to figure out. For me, goodwill is important. Image is everything. Priority-wise, if …

The New CNN
If you’ve seen the new layout and design of CNN, you’d be impressed. Continually being on top of their game, CNN changed their layout today to a much more deliciously designed online newspaper, great photography and a lot more crispier pictures, nice layout design and tons of videos. What’s more, it’s a lot easier to share the stories you like on facebook and on twitter! Truly standing up to it’s name as the global leader. I believe, they are really tops as far as leveraging technology in delivering …

Image via Wikipedia

Tahimik ang gabi mo at nag mumuni muni. Pa relax relax at naisipan mong buksan ang computer mo. Pindot dito, login doon hintay ng kaunti at binuksan mo na home page ng browser mo. Facebook, Multiply, Friendster,Twitter at Plurk, present ka ba sa mga ito? Pwes, ikaw na ang susunod na biktima!
Viewed 5427 times by 1140 viewers

…in a very long time since my children were born.
My wife and I decided one Monday that it is time to leave the kids and go on a date again. So we left the boys with the babysitter and planned to go to the the casino. But the casino wasn’t the romantic place we were looking for. It was dirty and there was just too much smoking going on. We left just five minutes after arriving smelling like cigarettes.
We then decided to eat lunch downtown in Tacoma. The search for …