Convenience and Gaining More

In the past few months, I may not have worked at a big broadcasting network nor have I met news anchors nor have I experienced participating in story conferences but I know that I had a great OJT experience on my last semester in school.

I have chosen Catfish Software Incorporated as my OJT site for the second semester mostly out of convenience. Our adviser said that we could use up time from our jobs and I thought that it presented the perfect opportunity—I would have an OJT site without having to waste time, money, and effort applying to big companies and I would also get paid while in the company.

It’s also lucky I guess that I mentioned to my boss during my first semester that I might have my internship at his company and he consented on that. He was on board with it and he was very supportive. He even came up with the Google Authorship Program so that I could have additional points for my internship class.

I know I had to give up some things for the sake of convenience but I guess it is okay to let go of some things especially if the other choice has more pros rather than cons. If I had gone for a broadcasting company, I might not have been able to focus on my work nor on my thesis. I might have gone home at the end of the day feeling exhausted and not having the energy to work on the articles that I need to submit. On this regard, I think having my internship at CSI is one of the best decisions I made for this year.

I learned so much from CSI about the real world when it comes to working. I have been exposed to the new trends that writers can pursue in the coming years. I learned from my boss that there is a paradigm shift that is slowly changing the landscape of writing today. Writers are no longer bound to newspapers, magazines, or television shows. There are more options for people who want to pursue writing. Thanks to cloud computing, the market that writers can tap is expanding. Thanks to the internet, we can now work abroad and earn more without having to step out of our country. In way even labor becomes convenient.

The best skill that I developed from working in this company is flexibility when it comes to writing assignments. I have learned to adjust to the demands of clients. I learned to write feature articles and news articles. The wide variety of topics that we have to write as content writers allows you to develop the habit of researching so that I will know what I have to put in my articles.

I may have lost the opportunity to experience how it is like to work for a broadcasting company but what I have gained in the last few months and what I am about to gain in the coming years from CSI will be bigger.

I have long since decided that I won’t be working as a journalist but that does not mean that I am not going to write. I will pursue writing in this new landscape and that will be my greatest achievement—doing something I love in a platform that I have learned to respect and appreciate thanks to working for CSI.

9GAG - Just for Fun!

If you comment, share, like and laugh like a boss at 9gag.com, then you are probably a certified 9Gagger. Launched in 2008, 9gag is a comedy website set in Hong Kong but hosted in the United States. Many were hooked to the hilarious jokes and mind-blogging posts of other 9gaggers. If you are trying to escape from your worries better surf 9gag. It will definitely make you laugh in just a snap!

BEWARE! If you’re a Justin Bieber, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Twilight fan; better not surf 9gag for you might see some haters post. But if you do love, Harry Potter, How I met your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, well, welcome to the club! 9gag also has a subscription feature called “Admiring” in which someone who “Admires” your posts will see them on their home page.

Memes were used by some 9Gaggers to represent their idea.

            9gag set 9 rules for all the 9Gaggers to follow: 

1. 9GAG is just for FUN.

2. 9GAG is JUST for fun.

3. Get Involved.

4. If you’re funny, you get Likes.

5. Play Nice.

6. Respect originality and creativity.

7. Moderate your content.

8. No repost.

9. Report Abuse.

                      Because 9gag is too mainstream, here's a marriage proposal using memes.

Perfect Summer Getaways

            Aside from graduation parties, there’s a lot to look up for the month of March. ­­It’s summer! Everybody’s looking for a place to splurge their most-awaited time of the year.

                Are you ready to go out and feel the summer’s hotness? Here’s a list of top summer destinations that will perfectly fits you and your loved ones.

Boracay Island

                One of the Philippine pride tourists' spots. Every day seems to be a holiday on Boracay - all you need to do is relax and enjoy yourself. Just get up, make some coffee and decide whether to go sailing, windsurfing or perhaps snorkeling and looking at corals.

Puerto Princesa

                Located at Palawan, this place got lots of adventures for you. As what their website says, Puerto Princesa City is a tropical paradise with a bustling urban center perfect for business with leisure trips. Add to your list the famous Subterranean River National Park, The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

Cagayan de Oro

                One of the trademarks of CDO is their Pinoy River Rafting called Tubing,  Unlike rafting, where the passenger need to paddle, the guest here will just sit and enjoy the two and a half hour tubing trip. Age range of guests is from 2 years to 70+ years old. To be able to join this activity, swimming skills, no fear of water and ability to follow instructions is not a required trait.

Mactan Island

                Mactan Island lies across the Mactan Channel, opposite Cebu City in the southeast of Manila. It is modern and yet has retained its greenness and features lovely sandy beaches and good diving spots off the neighboring islets. Mactan is a perfect place for those who long for a holiday on a tropical island with beautiful beaches, great diving spots and plenty of snorkeling and diving sites.

PINOY PRIDE!

     Jessica Sanchez, one of the front runners in American Idol. With a Mexican American father and a Filipina mother, Jessica was born and raised in San Diego, California.


     Sanchez was first seen on television in the first season of America's Got Talent at the age of 11. She was not chosen to be in the semi-finals, but during the Wildcard round Brandy Norwood chose her to advance to the finals.


    Jessica auditioned for the eleventh season of American Idol, she advanced to the semi-finals and now part of the top 10. She claimed her fame for singing Whitney Houston's all-time favorite song I will always love you and made everyone got up on their seats. 


Jessica's performances and results based on wikipedia.org.

Performances/results

Episode	Theme	Song choice	Original artist	Order #	Result
Audition	Auditioner's Choice	"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"	Aretha Franklin	N/A	Advanced
Hollywood Round, Part 1	First Solo	"Get Me Bodied"	Beyoncé	N/A	Advanced
Hollywood Round, Part 2	Group Performance	Not aired		N/A	Advanced
Hollywood Round, Part 3	Second Solo	Not aired		N/A	Advanced
Las Vegas Round, Part 1	Songs from the 1950s Group Performance	"It Doesn't Matter Anymore"	Buddy Holly	N/A	Advanced
Las Vegas Round Final	Final Solo	"The Prayer"	Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli	N/A	Advanced
Top 25 (12 Women)	Personal Choice	"Love You I Do"	Jennifer Hudson	11	Advanced
Top 13	Whitney Houston	"I Will Always Love You"	Whitney Huston	12	Safe
Top 11	Year They Were Born	"Turn the Beat Around"	Vicki Sue Robinson	2	Safe
Top 10	Billy Joel	"Everybody Has a Dream"	Billy Joel	9	Safe

ANGELS AND WHAAAAAT?

Religion and Science, two different paths seeking for one truth, Great Power!

     Angels and Demons is a New York Times bestselling mystery-thriller novel of Dan Brown. It introduces the character of the symbologist, Robert Langdon. It shares different stories about religion and science. Ancient history that tells about religion and science's long time debate or war about how things started, where we came from and how we became like this.

     The story started when a physicist, Leonardo Vetra from CERN was brutally killed and marked with an ambigram of ILLUMINATI. The mark became controversial because history was saying that the Illuminati were dissolved 400 years ago.

    What is Illuminati?

Illuminati  [ɪˌluːmɪˈnɑːtiː] -  a group of persons claiming exceptional enlightenment on some subject, esp religion.

     Simply, the enlightened ones.

     It was said that well-known scientists and sculptors like Galileo Galilei, GianLorenzo Bernini etc. were among the members of the said secret society.

     The plot follows Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon in his quest to stop the illuminati from destroying the Vatican City using the newly discovered antimatter from CERN. Along the way, the four preferiti were discovered missing and was said kidnapped by the messenger of the illuminati(assassin).

     They were brutally killed and marked by the four elements. Earth, air, fire and water.

     As the story goes on, different secret codes and symbols were revealed. And a path was becoming clearer, the path to the Church of Illumination.

     Angels and Demons is one heck of a novel. It revealed different issues that were once said to be true. A fictional story with a lot of given facts about history,  churches and sculptures would likely have shaken your faith. Kudos to the writer!

" The Catholic Church is not a corporation! It's a beacon! A source of inspiration for a billion lost and frightened souls! "

-Chartrand (Angels and Demons movie)

Blogging Tips from the Big Guys

Blogging, apart from being an online form of self expression has transformed into many things over the years, Today, people utilize blogs to promote travel destinations, promote restaurants, provide product reviews, to market their own goods and services and even to help build a community of tech lovers, food lovers, business minded people, and travelling folk who share their experiences.

Among the big shot bloggers are Ms. Janette Toral of digitalfilipino.com, Mr. Abe Olandres of yugatech.com, and Mr. Vince Golangco of wheninmanila.com. These bloggers started out with a vision of giving the internet a dose of quality content that people need or would want to read and eventually became at the top of their game.

So what do these big time bloggers have to say for people who want to start their online writing career?

Abe Olandres of Yugatech.com shares...


Not being a writer did not hinder Abe to provide tech news and gadget reviews to those who need it beginning 2005. Today, yugatech.com is one of the most widely read sites globally especially when it all things technology. A visit to this site will definitely grant anyone a chance to get to know the latest in consumer electronics.

If you're a newbie writer, don't be afraid to start writing. You'll learn new things along the way that would make your blog even better than when you first started. In turn, if you're an experienced writer, never stop learning because there's always room for improvement.

Vince Golangco of Wheninmanila.com says...


Learning the ropes of online writing starting with SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION.  SEO, simply put, is a series of steps undertaken to increase the online presence of a site. It primarily relies on using keywords users often type in and incorporating them in your content. This way, your blog will receive more visitors as it appears on top of search results.

As for writing everyday, there's really no other way to learn how to write but to do it everyday. Apart from reading a lot of material, practicing how to write effectively for the readers is a blogger's best route to providing quality content for readers.


Janette Toral of Digitalfilipino.com says...

There are a handful of things Janette has learned since she started digitalfilipino.com 12 years ago and she lists them as such:

1. Help others succeed by building a community
2. Build relationships
3. Be responsible netizens.
4. Remember that the future is what we make of it.
5. Face things beyond your control.
6. Set new standards.
7. Give alternatives to people who are just starting out.
8. Establish mutual trust.

More than a decade of putting together a community of SME on the basis of e-commerce made Janette a visionary when it come to creating a bond between businesses and transforming it into a family. She wrote a blog about the above list here.

Keeping it Fresh this Summer Season!

School's out people! All you summer loving gals are definitely up for basking in the sun and enjoying months of freedom from homework, papers, and late night study sessions.

 Of course you can't just go out bare-faced. A little makeup will always do you good especially when your crush is just around the block. But with the smoldering heat, going out on full makeup is a big no-no. You'll have your face melting the moment you step out of the house. 

So what's the best way to enhance your looks this summer? By going Au Naturale of course! The barely there makeup look will keep you looking fresh and glowing without putting on a ton of powders, creams and gels on your face and neck. Here's how you can achieve it:


1. Keep Your Face Squeaky Clean

Nothing compares to working on a clean canvass. Keep yo u face free of dirt and oil not just this summer but all seasons of the year. Remember that good skin care makes you put on lets you put on less makeup because there'll be less to cover up.

Maintain the skincare mantra: Cleanse-Tone-Moisturize. Wash your face in the morning and at night using your favorite cleanser, remove microscopic dirt using a toner, and don't forget to pamper your face and neck with moisturizer.

Tip: pamper your face and neck with an ice facial before putting on any makeup. This will constrict your pores and minimize facial swelling.



2. Say "NO" to Foundation

Summer makeup is light, fresh and natural so there's no need for heavy foundation. Instead, use a tinted moisturizer to even out your skin tone and to give your skin more moisture. Choose a tinted moisturizer with SPF and/or sunscreen to protect your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. Don't forget to set it with translucent powder.






3. Conceal Imperfections

If you have dark circles under your eyes or pimple marks that are yet to vanish from this earth, try neutralizing them first with your trusted concealer. Remember to apply with a patting motion and don't rub it on you delicate eye area.









4. Brighten Up your Eyes

Use eye brighteners instead of dark shadows. Line your eyes lightly with either brown or black eyeliner. If you're feeling adventurous, use  colored eyeliner like blue or green to make your eyes pop. And don't forget to curl y our lashes to make your eyes open up.








5. Bloom with Blush

While powder blushes are easy to control, opt for either a cheek stain or gel blush that won't come sliding down your face with the heat. They have more staying power and they appear more natural giving you a glow from within. If you're on the warmer side, use bronzer instead to give you an unmistakable glow.

Tip: If you want to achieve the tanned look without exposing yourself to harmful sun rays, you can use bronzer to highlight your nose, cheeks, chin and forehead. Don't forget your neck, your arms and your legs too!




6. Go for Sweet Lips

Always wear lip balm with SPF and/or sunscreen. Your kissers need special attention too you know. For color, you can use a peachy lip gloss or lipstick to keep your look subdued yet sweet. Alternatively, you can use a lip stain instead to achieve that just-bitten look.