As chart above shows (via Henley & Partners website), passport holders of Scandinavian countries Denmark, Sweden and Finland have the greatest freedom to travel among citizens of the world. This is according to the Henley Visa Restrictions Index which ranks countries according to the travel freedom their citizens enjoy.”Score” represents the number of countries they can go to without the need of a visa.

In Asia, getting the highest scores were the Japanese (visa-free travel to 170 countries), Singapore (164 countries), South Korea (163 countries) and Malaysia (158).

Thailand lags behind with visa free travel to 63 countries. As of my last count, the Philippines had a score of 59 while Vietnam is catching up with a score of 43. Ironically, the citizens of China, the most populous country, only had a Henley ranking of 40.

Sometime in 2009, I already listed in this blog post the (partial list) of countries Filipinos can go to without applying for a visa. For most of us who’s “been there and done that,” you know how nerve-wracking the process can be. We always have to show the burden of proof that we won’t aspire to be an illegal alien (like some of ‘em) and will actually return to the homeland.

In an age when air travel is getting cheaper by the day, visa restrictions can be a big obstacle. Filipinos then have no choice but to aspire to be residents of more advanced countries or pray to the heavens that they would be granted a visa to the countries they dream about of visiting

For instance it’s a good thing that Filipinos don’t need a visa to neighboring Hong Kong, Macau and countries belonging to ASEAN. We also don’t need a visa issued prior to arrival in exotic parts like Seychelles, Morocco, Kenya, Madagascar (!!). Same with Maldives and faraway South American countries like Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

For the full list of countries, this Wikipedia link on visa free travel for Filipinos is helpful

2011 was definitely the year of the groupons! The Philippines’ dynamic group buying sites like Deal Grocer, awesome.ph, Ensogo and Cashcashpinoy definitely filled up my inbox and I had to restrain myself from clicking on every tempting deal This is because some of them expired on me, either because I got very busy or they were too far from where am based. As a groupon user, I aim to give consumers some groupon buying tips in 2012. We really have to be discerning and see if we’re saving in the process. I have to praise the groupons though. Now, it’s NOT so expensive anymore to eat out, take vacations and stay in hotels if you keep your eye out on really good deals!

Weekend markets flourished one after the other, adding color to the already flourishing food scene in Manila. Old regulars like Salcedo and Legazpi weekend markets are still there but the Mercato group of RJ Ledesma, Anton Diaz and Co. are not far behind with the launch of Distrito in Makati (now closed) and Soderno in Alabang.

Am a happy camper at the Soderno Sunday market as picture above shows After the launch of my blog in 2004, my food project Chicken Delish is now my latest “baby” (albeit on a smaller scale). It thrills me to be getting customers (and not just the friends I force to visit me in the market, LOL). And every time I am able to make a good sale, the husband teases me “wow! am surprised people are buying your chicken!)

Kidding aside, if you’re somebody who’s raring to go into business (like me), I highly recommend starting out small first like joining these bazaars or weekend markets. This way, you’ll be able to assess consumer feedback to your product without shelling out too much investment. God only knows how stratospheric the rental of commercial spaces in Manila is these days. A would-be entrepreneur would be well-advised not to jump from the frying pan into the fire without testing out their business idea’s feasibility in the long or short term.

This blog is still here although I had to cut my ties with Nuffnang Philippines (for this blog) due to the biased and unprofessional way one staff (in charge of blogger relations) conducted their business (okay this is just my personal opinion, the Nuffnang brats don’t have to kill me!) 2011 was certainly awesome for my blog traffic, with this blog ending the year among the Top 700 or so websites in the Philippines. I would like to thank contest sponsors, publicist-friends, blogger friends and of course you, dear readers, for your support!

Let’s rock on in 2012!

I remember my first post, the post I made for the sake of being Googled … and yes, I can write stuff like this too…more stuff that makes me say OMG…the runaway groom and what happened to the brokenhearted bride… memorable travels….. ETC!

Honestly, I have this fear that I might just wake up one day and shut down this down.But as you can glean from my regular posting, Ajay’s Writings on the Wall will always be my pet. Blogging these days is busier than ever, and most of the time now I feel that am doing the work I used to do as a journalist. I do miss those early days when I blogged about the rawness of my thoughts and emotions without the distraction of press releases but I guess it’s inevitable, bloggers like me have to adapt to the changing times.

To celebrate my lucky 7 milestone, am gonna have a few giveaways before the end of the month. It is also one way of sharing my blessings and I will announce them in my next posts. In the meantime, I’d like to congratulate the winners of the 5 Campus BDJ 2011 planners:

A big thanks to all those who participated and if you didn’t make it this time, I sure hope you will win in the next round of giveaways.

Thanks to everyone too for sharing the ride with me through the years. Make your presence felt by leaving a comment and inspire this blogger to brave writing through another 7 years (whew!)

On the personal front, there’s also so much to be thankful for.

On top of this all is the birth of my daughter Lucia and having a wonderful birth experience at the Makati Medical Center. Lucy, now seven months old, continues to delight us everyday with her gaze and her smiles. Each day that she’s growing and changing excites me no end. Having a child at this later stage in a life is both a gift and a blessing. I am scared of the passing time, but more prepared for motherhood:)

Not leaving any debt for the whole year is quite an achievement, as I paid for everything in cash with some savings in between. It’s nice to have peace of mind and not be bothered by major mortgages and ginormous monthly bills. I have this wish to evolve to a different career in the future, or even be a stay-at-home mom, and I hope that happens soon.

Travelling by land, sea and air! My wanderlust was constrained for a bit while pregnant but I was lucky to make up for it all in the last quarter with journeys to Taipei, the Ilocos region, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam

Technology continues to play an important role in my daily life (even as I’ve been delinquent submitting my weekly column for the newspaper). It has been a rewarding year for me in terms of gadgets, as I won a laptop and an Android phone in those media raffles, plus some more! I end 2010 with an iPad 64gb 3G + wifi gift from hubby and am looking forward to reviewing this amazing toy soon

This blog continues to be my pet project and am glad my time spent blogging has been rewarded with sponsorships and supplemental income from the ever-reliable AdSense. I am also happy with this blog’s continued growth as shown by a daily average of 13,000 page views and 5,000 unique visitors per day. Out of a million or more websites in the Philippines, I end the year with a ranking of being in the top 1,300 or so for the PH ( via alexa.com). Not so bad eh? I owe it to you dear reader and I thank you for visiting!

And as I prepare again for a hectic 2011, there’s still so many more to do and some other things to cross off my bucket list.

Here’s the immediate New Year’s resolutions that come to mind:

On top of the list, I need to lose weight. And am probably wasting my $50 a month gym membership, if am only visiting once a month. LOL. I need to get back into shape, and be in shape and I’d probably have to stay away from the computer to do this. Ouch.

More food adventures? This one’s a dilemma. Correlate with above.

Travel. There’s just something to fall in love with each place I go to. I wish I can travel around Asia without eating, but the opposite happens every time. I’d have to travel somewhere far like England or Holland in order to diet because their food is bland

Regarding No. 5, my mantra for 2011 is still to save for the future and not be in debt.

How about you? Have a Happy New Year and a Lucky 2011!!!

Enchanted Kingdom’s yellow treat:

By simply wearing yellow on Wednesday (any clothing or shoes that constitute 75% yellow), enjoy a one day special rate of P350 each on Enchanted Kingdom’s Regular Day Passes.

On June 30, 2010 the Park will be opened from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Fireworks Display at 8:30PM. EK Biki Waterworld, EK’s water park, on the other hand, will be closed on that day and will resume on July 3 to 4 from 3p.m. to 9 p.m.

Cebu Pacific’s P15 seat sale!:

” Cebu Pacific (CEB) salutes the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III, with a system-wide seat sale as low as P15. The Seat Sale starts now until June 30, 2010, for travel from October 1 to November 30, 2010.

All CEB domestic destinations are up for grabs for the ‘Go Lite’ seat sale fare of P15. Meanwhile, all CEB international destinations are available for the ‘Go Lite’ seat sale fare of P1,500.

The domestic sale is only available via the Cebu Pacific website at www.cebupacificair.com or through travel agents using the Amadeus global distribution system while international seats are offered through all booking channels. More than 150,000 seats are available for this sale!”

Am not a big fan of flying, or of heights and tall buildings but I just have to say the view from the 42nd floor of this hotel in Ortigas Center is quite breathtaking. This manic Tuesday happened to find me in the middle of Ortigas, first: to visit the 34th floor office of Robinsons Land, and then then the penthouse (42nd floor) of another. I didn’t quite realize the area is full of skyscrapers. I guess riding high-speed elevators would be like routine if you work here. It isn’t really the norm in the heart of Manila (where am based) with buildings there only ten to 20 storeys high at the most.

Okay am rambling.Tall buildings are structurally sound and built to withstand natural calamities like earthquakes (!!) Besides, you wouldn’t be in any place safer if something like typhoon Ondoy struck again. Still, am not the type who prefers living in a tall condo because am not really comfortable with the idea. Look what happened during 9/11..and earthquakes. Ugh.

But with views like this, who needs fear? Manila seen in another light. Photo taken at Discovery Suites penthouse, Ortigas Center.

For example, how does DTI Secretary Peter Favila and his staff explain the more than one month wait in the approval of business names? I am asking this because the DTI even goes to the extremes of spending millions for advertising their Business Name Registration Service (DTI BNRS is supposedly a frontline service for the registry of sole proprietorships). The last time, I saw their half-page ads in the Inquirer.

More than one month of waiting for government approval of a business name is just inexcusable. It certainly doesn’t speak of the prompt delivery of service and efficiency of the DTI. My fellow applicants and I have been in touch through cellphone and they told me that they haven’t received their certificates from DTI as well. We applied on the second week of May. DTI BNRS promised to process our applications in two weeks, and they were supposed to mail our papers to us.

Another question that begs to be answered is: have DTI services deteriorated? I remember opening an eatery eight years ago, and I got my approved business name on the same day at the main DTI office in Buendia. The establishment of satellite offices (now in Hi-Way 54, Park & Ride Lawton, and Kalookan City) is supposed to make their work easier, but look at what’s happening. Does the DTI have no computer software to search for any duplication in business names? If they are doing investigation as well, they probably shouldn’t promise two weeks , when what they actually mean is TWO YEARS.

I am worried about the shortcomings in DTI’s services. An approved business name is, after all, the first step in obtaining a business license. Without it, nothing else moves. The very slow approval process actually encourages corruption as some people would certainly be tempted to hire a broker or a fixer to facilitate things. But corruption is the least that a small business owner/ entrepreneur with very little capital would like to experience and encounter.

Now, do we still have to wonder why it’s better to do business online, or engage in the underground economy? High taxes, red tape, corruption and DTI’s big-time registration PHAIL make it all possible.

*END OF RANT*

My related post on Barrio Siete: Mag-monkey business na lang tayo

One of the women in the scandal, Katrina Halili, has come out in the open to denounce Dr. Hayden Kho who was responsible for videotaping their private moments. I must say she must use the attention she already got from lawmakers to pursue this case till the end. It doesn’t matter what kind of woman she is, or the fact that she’s a sexy starlet. The Hayden Kho scandal should be a test case for the proliferation of privately filmed videos where unknowing women are often the victims, and exploited in the marketplace.

Today’s technology is encompassing, but there should be a law drafted to prohibit the production, distribution and sale of these sex videos. You have to consider if it happens to you, your daughter, or any of your relatives or friends…. and how the people seen in these videos are made objects of ridicule or disgust. I DO wonder where the women’s groups are in this fight, and why they don’t seem to be raising a noise.

One is my Plurk friend Pau who lost his laptop and high-end cameras at the rooftop parking lot of MC Home Depot, The Fort in a span of less than 10 minutes!

Last night, Plurk was abuzz again with news of another robbery. This time, somebody recounted how some rogue peeps broke into the trunk of a car and stole a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and a Dell laptop amounting to more than P200,000 at the Podium parking lot in Ortigas.

Yogini Jane recounts how one lost a laptop through the clever workings of the Salisi Gang.

Earlier in our photography class, my seatmate also recounted how she lost her camera collection in her parked car inside BF Homes Paranaque.

Another (and a reporter at that!) was victimized by somebody who engaged him in a conversation in Greenbelt. He lost his MacBook because he put down his bag to talk. His bag was gone in a split second.

The common thread in all these is that it’s almost suicidal to leave valuable items in any part of the car these days… no matter how inconspicuous they are. It seems that ruthless thieves are now targetting gadgets more expensive than cellphones. And they are doing so upscale places in Makati, Taguig and Ortigas.

One part of me thinks if this is in any way related to the elections, but laptops will always be in-demand among students and the like. (Yes, even if the advent of cheap netbooks has made owning a laptop easier)

An even more dangerous trend: unscrupulous persons are cannibalizing stolen items and selling them by parts, where they’re less likely to be traced. Browse the online marketplace and you’ll see some ads being ran about Macbook LCD screens for sale, and being peddled for $200 to $400.

Here’s my thoughts on the matter:

1. A laptop bag almost always screams “yes, this is a laptop. Come and get me.” I would really like to have those fashionable laptop bags, but a part of me says the bag should be as inconspicuous as possible to attract thieves LESS.

2. Consider asking around for insurance for your precious possessions. I think Canon Philippines has a promo now where every new purchase of a DLSR camera entitles one to protection in case of loss or theft from Malayan Insurance.

3. Consider installing anti-theft software. Okay, the subject of my next post.

4. Get an auto free insurance quote or shop car insurance, and see if it provides for replacement of items lost in the vehicle itself.

5. Back up your files always. Because the second most painful part about losing your valuables are the files in it. We love Apple Time capsule because it is a wireless router and at the same time backs up your Mac automatically.

6. Talking to the police…. a waste of time and an exercise in futility. Am sorry to say this, and am not saying you shouldn’t ever put your incident on record, either. Am just frustrated with the fact that the police will only jot down the details and secretly consider you just a sorry statistic among the countless incidents of theft in Metro Manila. When my bag was snatched last year, the policeman who did so posted bail and was freed within 24 hours

Related posts:

The man who snatched my bag…. was a policeman!

Stolen laptops, car robberies in Ortigas, The Fort

Here it goes:

It’s the time of the year again! Christmas is synonymous with wishlists and we do this for a couple of reasons: remind ourselves in choosing which stuff to spend our bonus on, guide our loved ones as to our preferences, or serve as a raincheck for future purchases.

The difficulty with blogging is that it’s a technologically-dependent field. You’d almost always need your own computer, high-speed internet connection, cameras to aid in your photo-documentation, software as needed, and other gadgets you see your blogging contemporaries using. This is what makes blogging pressure-filled. You gotta keep up with the Joneses, so to speak.

Don’t get me wrong. One can survive in blogging by owning just the basics. There’s even talk of a blogger earning a lot of money from his site, but has to bike his way to the nearest internet cafe. Still, it’s better to be equipped with the best, and that is why I crave for the following things:

1. A new cellphone, either a Nokia E61 or the new E63. Don’t know why, but I just like the look of this mobile phone, after attending the line’s launching in Singapore this year. The fact that it has wi-fi and a decent camera is an added plus.

2. The new Macbook. I’ve never been a Mac user so owning one is a dream come true for me. I already have the new Macbook THERE but it is not yet HERE with me, if you know what I mean. Counting the days. I have my Benefactor to thank for, in advance

3. Photography lessons. I need lessons since I can’t be bothered with reading my professional camera’s manual.Plus, it’s always good to learn from experts in the field. I still don’t know if I have to take professional classes, per se, or just bug my photojournalist friends to teach me how. Photography is up there on my list of interests so this is high priority for me.

4.A new blog theme. I just know that I need to improve the canvas on which I write on, so yes, a new design is coming soon

5. A reliable web host.This is not a wish already since I got the web host I can count on. I just pray that the people of the US-based Laughing Squid continue with their reliability and 99.9% uptime. Having come from the nightmare of a few local web hosts who gave me downtime whenever I looked, I realized the utmost importance of a hosting service which can impeccably deliver. What good is an awesome theme and content if your readers can’t see it because your site is down? Ouch.

6.A new iPod. Time was when I had an iPod Touch, until it was stolen away from me. How I mourned for that one, considering its sentimental value. Now, I am just dreaming of a handier, more compact iPod Nano in bubblegum pink. It should be easier to bring along since it’s smaller, and I need to cut my losses.A blogger has to take a break sometimes, and the better way to do this is to listen to music (and podcasts!).

7 Viva social networking! In the beginning, there was Friendster. After which there came Facebook, Twitter, a little bit of LinkedIn and now, Plurk. It just keeps on getting better. The benefits of all these are new modes of expression, more friends, and learning more of this platform called micro-blogging. If tomorrow we wake up and find out that there’s a better service than Plurk, at least we’ll be assured that it’s more interactive than the last.

8.More travels and explorations.Trying out new tastes, discovering little nooks and crannies, continually learning… these are all a blogger’s best friends. So I say yes to more food, places and expetiences explored in 2009, in the hope that there’d be greater, more wonderful things to be shared to our readers.

Get the geek on!