Amoroma : best Italian resto in Tagaytay
I was never able to visit the much-acclaimed Italian resto Amoroma all the time it was in Alabang. That old place is closed, and now am glad this “best-kept secret resto” has permanently settled in Tagaytay. You’ll see it if you use the Sta. Rosa Road. It now even boasts of a bed and breakfast!
Inaugural speech of Benigno Aquino III (Noynoy Aquino), 15th President, Republic of the Philippines
Note: Full English translation follows the transcript of President Noynoy Aquino’s speech, mostly in Pilipino, delivered at the Quirino Grandstand today, June 30, 2010
His Excellency Jose Ramos Horta, Former President Fidel V. Ramos, Former President Joseph Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and members of the Senate, House Speaker Prospero Nograles and members of the House, justices of the Supreme Court, members of the foreign delegations,Your Excellencies of the diplomatic corps, fellow colleagues in government, aking mga kababayan.
Ang pagtayo ko dito ngayon ay patunay na kayo ang aking tunay na lakas. Hindi ko inakala na darating tayo sa puntong ito, na ako’y manunumpa sa harap ninyo bilang inyong Pangulo. Hindi ko pinangarap maging tagapagtaguyod ng pag-asa at tagapagmana ng mga suliranin ng ating bayan.
Ang layunin ko sa buhay ay simple lang: maging tapat sa aking mga magulang at sa bayan bilang isang marangal na anak, mabait na kuya, at mabuting mamamayan.
Nilabanan ng aking ama ang diktaturya at ibinuwis niya ang kanyang buhay para tubusin ang ating demokrasya. Inalay ng aking ina ang kanyang buhay upang pangalagaan ang demokrasyang ito. Ilalaan ko ang aking buhay para siguraduhin na ang ating demokrasya ay kapaki-pakinabang sa bawat isa. Namuhunan na kami ng dugo at handang gawin itong muli kung kinakailangan.
Tanyag man ang aking mga magulang at ang kanilang mga nagawa, alam ko rin ang problema ng ordinaryong mamamayan. Alam nating lahat ang pakiramdam na magkaroon ng pamahalaang bulag at bingi. Alam natin ang pakiramdam na mapagkaitan ng hustisya, na mabalewala ng mga taong pinagkatiwalaan at inatasan nating maging ating tagapagtanggol.
Kayo ba ay minsan ring nalimutan ng pamahalaang inyong iniluklok sa puwesto? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay nagtiis na sa trapiko para lamang masingitan ng isang naghahari-hariang de-wangwang sa kalsada? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay sawang-sawa na sa pamahalaang sa halip na magsilbi sa taumbayan ay kailangan pa nila itong pagpasensiyahan at tiisin? Ako rin.
Katulad ninyo ako. Marami na sa atin ang bumoto gamit ang kanilang paa – nilisan na nila ang ating bansa sa kanilang paghahanap ng pagbabago at katahimikan. Tiniis nila ang hirap, sinugod ang panganib sa ibang bansa dahil doon may pag-asa kahit kaunti na dito sa atin ay hindi nila nakikita. Sa iilang sandali na sarili ko lang ang aking inaalala, pati ako ay napag-isip din – talaga bang hindi na mababago ang pamamahala natin dito? Hindi kaya nasa ibang bansa ang katahimikang hinahanap ko? Saan ba nakasulat na kailangang puro pagtitiis ang tadhana ng Pilipino?
Ngayon, sa araw na ito – dito magwawakas ang pamumunong manhid sa mga daing ng taumbayan. Hindi si Noynoy ang gumawa ng paraan, kayo ang dahilan kung bakit ngayon, magtatapos na ang pagtitiis ng sambayanan. Ito naman ang umpisa ng kalbaryo ko, ngunit kung marami tayong magpapasan ng krus ay kakayanin natin ito, gaano man kabigat.
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After Pacquiao vs Cotto, it’s now Jinkee vs. Krista?
Some people just couldn’t help but be tickled with the latest rumor in the winning Pacman’s life. His reported love affair and romantic involvement with the aspiring actress named Krista Ranillo.
Beth Celis of the Inquirer, quoting people close to Manny Pacquiao, wrote last Friday, Nov. 13: “Not only does she [Krista] wipe his face and body during workouts, she also feeds him like a baby during mealtimes,” said the well-informed source.”
Not a few people saw the two of them in romantic Baguio City where Pacquiao trained for weeks.
Sources in the sports community now chorus “totoo talaga.” (yes, it’s true)
We can only say: yes it’s true. Manny Pacquiao and Krista Ranillo will be seen together in the forthcoming movie Wapakman, to be shown during the Metro Manila Film Festival 2009 
Who is Krista Ranillo and why are people suddenly curious about her?
A great vacation in Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Davao
I really enjoyed our business trip to Davao City last July and what clinched it was our overnight stopover at the scenic Pearl Farm Resort in Samal Island. It’s a must see when you’re in Davao because it’s out there as one of the top resorts in the Philippines. Our time in Pearl Farm, no matter how short, surely gave us time to unwind and shoo the work blues away. Most of all, the ultra-refreshing views made us forget the sullen landscape of the city.
How can you probably sulk when you open the bedroom window to something like this?
Corporate blogging 101: should your company engage in it? (Blog-O-Rama)
Note: This post is adapted from my Manila Bulletin Blog-O-Rama column for April 27, 2009.
Because of the popularity of blogs these days, some companies are joining the blog mob or the blog bandwagon. There’s really nothing wrong with this. A corporate blog, after all, is another way to connect with your customers or market on another level. And a blog, if put up well, can project more warmth and candidness than a generic press releases would. It is an affordable, high-impact way to get your message across without the expense of multi-million campaigns.
On the other hand, a corporation or company should also ask itself if a blog fits their marketing goals. It is really not for everybody. Sometimes, it can make a firm vulnerable to unwanted “blog storms” or security lapses and make its stand on certain matters open to interpretation. That’s why I’d suggest that entities think long and think hard before starting a blog. Here are some suggested things to do:
What is this thing about labelling bloggers into Exhibits A, B, and C?
Gamer and blogger Carlo Ople stirred a hornet’s nest when he categorized different types of bloggers in his new blog. While his pronounced intention is to teach marketers and public relations companies on “How to Deal with New Media,” it seems Mr. Ople is now finding out the hard way about “How NOT to Write Derogatory Blog Posts about New Media.” The reaction from certain sectors who felt slighted by the use of the term “Patay Gutom Blogger” to refer to those who attend events because of the free food and freebies has been substantial that Mr. Ople was forced to take down the PGB term and apologize to those who he might have insulted.
Personally, I don’t believe in taking down what I blog about, even if it’s too easy to press DELETE in cyberspace. My conviction is to always stand by what I write. (and pataygutom.com is one blog food blog I like!) However, I don’t believe in labelling people myself, even though it’s quite tempting to categorize the numerous characters that populate the internetz. Blogging is called “citizen journalism” precisely because anyone can post his thoughts and materials in the great WWW without the stiff hierarchy and requirements of the media networks. Considering the diversity, we would certainly run out of terms to categorize people. But is that even necessary? Name-calling and criticizing is a human propensity but it should be kept by people within their groups, not in the open field where respect, decency and tolerance is called for.
Manila’s dine-in seafood markets
With a mainly no-meat diet being imposed by Filipino Roman Catholics among themselves this past Holy Week, allow me to talk about seafood markets that have mushroomed in the city. When you’re craving for cooked seafood in these parts, you can think of three major sources: the Filipino restos where you can feast on local specialties like guinataang kuhol (snail), the Chinese restos which have offerings like crispy shrimps or crab with sotanghon (vermicelli), and the open-air markets where you can pick your seafood fresh and have it cooked in the adjoining restaurant of your choice.
I dined in two of these seafood markets recently and the experience hasn’t been disappointing. A bit on the pricey side, yes, but then again, seafood doesn’t really come cheap, unless you’re in a coastal town or something.
Dampa sa Libis was quite a revelation. I liked it because it was clean and didn’t suffocate me with the crowds. For someone like me who’s based in the center of Manila, its location in Libis, along C5, was definitely out of my way. It would pay to be here at least once a year, he he, and what’s good is that after eating here, you can take a short five minute drive to Eastwood City and have coffee there. The malls in Eastwood also close late, around midnight or so.
Because we ate all that Chickenjoy, Jollibee turns over P18 million to charity
Donations are hard to come by, in these times of recession. Companies are cutting back on all fronts, including charitable contributions which used to be an appropriate venue for tax breaks and aiding underprivileged sectors of society.
That is why we were quite elated when we heard the news that fastfood giant Jollibee turned over P18 million to eight recipient-foundations who will implement programs to benefit Filipino children around the country.
The eight beneficiaries of the Jollibee grants are Cottolengo Filipino (Rizal), ERDA Tech (Manila), Families and Children for Empowerment and Development Foundation (Manila), House with No Steps (Quezon City), Marcellin Project (General Santos City), Shontoug Foundation (Baguio City), Philippine Children’s Medical Center (Quezon City) and the Busog, Lusog, Talino In-School Feeding Program of the Jollibee Foundation (Leyte).
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Go ahead, Plurk your world!
This post first appeared in Manila Bulletin’s Terchnews last December 24, but I don’t think it was uploaded online. So here’s sharing with you my thoughts on Plurk and the many ways by which you can Plurk your world!
Is the Philippines on its way to becoming the next Plurking capital of the world? Unlike in other countries where Twitter continues to reign, Plurking appears to be the more popular microblogging medium now, at least among the denizens of the blogosphere. Not a few have said that they’ve left Twitter for good, or visit there now ONLY occasionally.
Let us dissect some of the reasons why.
Firstly, Plurk is addicting because of the karma philosophy involved. You gain points every time you Plurk, and lose points for even a day of missing it. It’s a slow, uphill climb but human nature dictates that nobody wants to go down, as far as thge Plurk score is concerned. You see, after attaining so much number of points (let’s say 80), you’re supposed to reach Nirvana, or the state of eternal Plurkiness. After Nirvana, one’s supposed to aspire for more, and it escapes us what’s the highest Plurk points out here. The only secret we can tell you is that you Plurk with consistency every day and Plurk Buddy will take care of the rest.
Then, there’s the concept of having Fans and Friends. The more, the merrier; and the more friends/fans you have is supposed to indicate how popular/likeable you are. You’re given Plurk icons if you’ve attained the desired number of fans or invited this many users.
Perhaps, Plurk’s most endearing trait is its ability to give instant interaction among Plurk users. Let’s say I greet everyone “Good Morning!” and 12 of my friends will greet me back.Perhaps, along the way, somebody will make a totally zany comment, or reciprocate with an equally zany emoticon.
The Plurk banana is certainly one emoticon I love. The Plurk banana dances and rocks. I wonder they haven’t imported him to YM or Google yet, he’s certainly lovable. Other unique Plurk emoticons are W00t, Ninja, Hungry and Music 
First visit to Hong Kong Disneyland
… and so it came to pass that we ended up in Holly wood.
The Disney Hollywood Hotel in Hong Kong Disneyland 
It was raining, but we enjoyed it just the same.
(to be continued)
Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
