tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56232090664840233702024-03-14T19:02:28.337+08:00JobHunting PinoyMga kwento sa paghahanap ng pagkakakitaan...rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-55207128749646311502010-08-24T00:30:00.000+08:002010-08-24T00:30:45.173+08:00Hostage taking<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Watching the almost 12-hour <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Taking-Terrorism-Incident-Response-Alastair-MacWillson/dp/0312067844?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">hostage-taking</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0312067844" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> drama is even better than your run-of-the-mill soap opera. Full of tense moments, funny antics, and bungled procedures, the stand-off started as a non-event, almost unnoticed by the people. As time went by, the tension gradually rose, culminating in the shooting/hurting of the hostages and the comedic storming of the bus. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div class="photo photo_center" style="clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><div class="photo_img" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 180px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31593455&fbid=1579955499666&op=1&view=all&subj=420850094023&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=420850094023&id=1259022174" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><img class="img" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs371.snc4/45465_1579955499666_1259022174_31593455_3542748_a.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" /></a></div><div class="caption" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 9px; line-height: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 180px;">If the hostage-taker just happened to drop his grenade on the bus front, there will be lots of dead policemen (Photo from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reuters-Our-World-Now-Third/dp/0500288690?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Reuters</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0500288690" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />)</div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Obviously, all's not well when something bad like eight dead tourists happens. Here's what we can do to make the best out of a very bad situation:</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1. Make THAT bus a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tourist-Attraction/dp/B00332XT32?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">tourist attraction</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00332XT32" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Surely there are thousands out there who'll want to see the bus in all its gory mess. Who wouldn't want to have his photo taken in such a historic and renowned relic. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">2. Fire from PNP the policemen and officers who were on the scene AND rehire them as crew and guides in the tourist bus, to re-enact the scene over and over till they get it right.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">3. Make a comprehensive manual on what NOT to do during <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Negotiations-Fourth-Enforcement-Corrections/dp/1422463230?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">hostage situations</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1422463230" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div class="photo photo_center" style="clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><div class="photo_img" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 180px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31593525&fbid=1579966419939&op=1&view=all&subj=420850094023&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=420850094023&id=1259022174" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><img class="img" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs297.snc4/41175_1579966419939_1259022174_31593525_4030998_a.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" /></a></div><div class="caption" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 9px; line-height: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 180px;">Don't use a small sledgehammer to smash fiber-coated windows (Photo from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reuters-Top-News/dp/B000IOMT2K?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Reuters</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000IOMT2K" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />)</div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">4. The Hongkong government's travel advisory is well-intentioned but may not be effective considering that most travelers to the Philippines from the territory are OFW's coming home. A better deal would be to ask HK authorities to vent their anger on SOME high-profile Filipinos awaiting trial in the colony.</div><div><br />
</div>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-42086864497967012682010-08-04T14:47:00.002+08:002010-08-04T17:24:16.535+08:00Blackberry Turning Blackworry<a href="http://www.amazon.com/CNN-Effect-Foreign-Policy-Intervention/dp/0415259053?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">CNN</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0415259053" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> reported that Saudi Arabia will block starting August 5 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blackberry-8520-Gemini-Bluetooth-Wi-Fi-International/dp/B002KQLUVU?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Blackberry </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002KQLUVU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />service in the Kingdom. The official line is that the action was resorted to<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> "because the manufacturer of the devices couldn't meet the regulatory requirements" of the S</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">audi Communications and Information Technology Commission. But reading through the lines, there's more to it than what meets the eye, specially since the action comes on the heel of the UAE decision to also restrict the Blackberry e-mail, instant messaging and Web browsing service. Here's the <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/08/03/saudi.arabia.blackberry/index.html#fbid=NdYz3weHFSN">link to the CNN article</a>.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This news item caught my eye as I suddenly remembered a few months back when I was locked out twice from my Facebook account due to the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BlackBerry-Curve-8900-Javelin-Slot-International/dp/B001OD2OAQ?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Blackberry </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001OD2OAQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />service. What happened was that I tried to login on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Facebook </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439102112" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />while on the go, using the native Facebook application in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blackberry-Storm-9500-Unlocked-Camera/dp/B002UD4LQ4?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Blackberry</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002UD4LQ4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. There was a glitch somewhere, and I was not able to connect to my account. Moments later, I tried to login again, and I was told that my account was blocked and that I have to use a computer to unlock it. But it turned out that unlocking it is not an easy thing to do - particularly if you have hundreds of friends you barely knew.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Facebook unlocking process requires correctly matching the name of the friend tagged in the photo shown. There are choices given to help you out, but you must guess correctly </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">at least five out of the seven chances given. Tough, really, as I have hundreds of friends I don't know at all but were just added for the sake of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/MAFIA-WARS-Strategy-Guide-ebook/dp/B003F777PQ?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mafia Wars</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003F777PQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> game in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Era-Networks-Products-Audiences/dp/0137152221?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Facebook</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0137152221" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">To cut the story short, I was able to get my account restored after literally sweating it out in dozens of attempts. It was really just a lucky run that what was shown in that final attempt were mostly people I do know, so I matched five correctly. And guess what <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Billionaires-Founding-Facebook-Betrayal/dp/0767931556?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Facebook </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0767931556" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />told me as the reason for blocking the account while at the same time advising me to change the password? Someone in Canada is trying to access my account. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I figured it was the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BlackBerry-Inside-Story-Research-Motion/dp/1552639401?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Research In Motion Blackberry</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1552639401" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> service trying to login to Facebook for me, since I already encountered the same problem earlier (which was resolved in a much easier way as my succeeding attempt was already on a computer.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Pull/Push Email Service of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BlackBerry-Bold-9000-Slot-International-Black/dp/B001F7VN6M?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Blackberry</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001F7VN6M" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">RIM's Blackberry service is unique in that it pulls your emails from sites like Yahoo and Gmail and pushes these to your <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BlackBerry-Planet-Research-Motion-Little/dp/0470159405?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Blackberry</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0470159405" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> device once you subscribe to the service. RIM retrieves the email in real time, say from Gmail, then sends this promptly to your Blackberry smartphone. Yeah, it's cool having your emails sent to you and having these easily handy anytime, anywhere. If you're a busy person that is always on-the-go, the BB service is truly heaven-sent. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The downside, obviously, is that you'll be entrusting your personal information to RIM. Such guarded information like usernames and passwords have to be revealed; otherwise, you can't make much of your Blackberry service </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">subscription. And not just emails but also </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">login info </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Facebook</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439102112" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twitter-Book-Tim-OReilly/dp/0596802811?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Twitter</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0596802811" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, IM clients or even <a href="http://www.amazon.com/PayPal-Dummies-Business-Personal-Finance/dp/0764583921?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Paypal</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0764583921" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. In essence, you'll be entrusting your sensitive information to this extra layer that promises to make life a little easier and convenient for a busy guy like you.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">While there has been no reported breach in RIM's handling of confidential information (at least not yet), it is just a matter of time before snoops and government agents try and succeed to get around the encryption and see what you are up to. Quite a terrifying thought, just thinking about it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But who is to say that government regulators in the US and Canada are not privy to the data being handled now by RIM? Reading between the lines of both the Saudi and UAE explanations for their drastic decisions, it seems both are trying to get into regulatory oversight game. With a broad, undefined power mixed with such lofty goals like </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">national security and law enforcement in the hands of government agents, who knows what may happen.</span></div>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-11542096085826594912010-08-01T23:33:00.000+08:002010-08-01T23:33:53.372+08:00Anakngtaliban<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2010/1007/a_time_cover_0809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2010/1007/a_time_cover_0809.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">When I watched the legendary Zenaida Amador read some of Eve Ensler's lines in a Vagina Monologues staging less than a decade ago, I thought that being confined to a 'burqa' was the worst thing women in Afghanistan were subjected to under the ultra-conservative Taliban rule. I was wrong. Being covered with an enveloping outer garment that leaves one with a hampered vision and totally without peripheral view, it turns out, is a much desirable circumstance compared to what Bibi Aisha went through.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">I was quite taken aback when I saw the picture in the cover of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/TIME-1-year/dp/B00007BK3L?ie=UTF8&tag=jobhu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Time</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jobhu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00007BK3L" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. I haven't taken a sip of my coffee but I was jolted awake by the photo - in a way </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">perhaps much </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">more intense than caffeine normally do to my system. After reading through the various Time articles on her, I googled her and this is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/note_redirect.php?note_id=412747354023&h=d0fb98d4fa2b83543a47f7fbd00628b9&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.grossmanburnfoundation.org%2Faisha.htm" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.grossmanburnfoundation.org/aisha.htm">her story</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">The Grossman Burn Centers Provides Care and Hope for Bibi Aisha from Afghanistan</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">At 16, her father promised her hand in marriage and she was handed over to a large family, who she claims were all members of the Taliban in Oruzgan province. "I spent two years with them and became a prisoner," she says. Tortured and abused, she couldn't take it any longer and decided to run away. Two female neighbors promising to help took her to Kandahar province. But this was just another act of deception. When they arrived to Kandahar her female companions tried to sell Aisha to another man. All three women were stopped by the police and imprisoned. Aisha was locked up because she was a runaway. And although running away is not a crime, in places throughout Afghanistan it is treated as one if you are a woman. A three-year sentence was reduced to five months when President Hamid Karzai pardoned Aisha. But eventually her father-in-law found her and took her back home. That was the first time she met her husband. He came home from Pakistan to take her to Taliban court for dishonoring his family and bringing them shame. The court ruled that her nose and ears must be cut off. An act carried out by her husband in the mountains of Oruzgan where they left her to die. But she survived. And with the help of an American Provincial Reconstruction Team in Oruzgan and the organization Women for Afghan Women (WAW), she is finally getting help. The United Nations estimates that nearly 90 percent of Afghanistan's women suffer from some sort of domestic abuse. "Bibi Aisha is only one example of thousands of girls and women in Afghanistan and throughout the world who are treated this way. Aisha is reminded of that enslavement every time she looks in the mirror. But there still times she can laugh. And at that moment you see her teenage spirit escaping a body that has seen a lifetime of injustice.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">“To know that so many can breath easier and live a better life because of your support is to know that we have all succeeded. The gift truly does belong to the giver.”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">- Rebecca Gray Grossman, Chair – The Grossman Burn Foundation</span>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-23111439780020363972009-05-20T00:24:00.003+08:002010-08-01T22:24:20.473+08:00Filipina Mail Order Brides and Alec Baldwin<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"><div style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; padding-top: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "><p>Just watched Alec Baldwin's Youtube video and personally, I'm not offended. It was said in jest (he even mentioned Russians too) -but I don't see it as insulting. Tasteless and crude yes, but not that bad to merit the brouhaha it has generated. Baldwin even made fun of more Americans, including his brothers and President Obama in the latter part.</p><p>It's quite strange that we pat each other in the back whenever Filipinos are mentioned positively in international media. It's as if we are all part of the achievement. But mention something negative, and all blame is cast on the unfortunate soul who dared said it. We don't blame the government - which at the very least should be doing something about the problem - or ourselves, as we perhaps are contributing to it. I guess it's a culture thing, wherein we prefer to sweep dirt under the rug rather than address it properly. Methinks this is one reason why we're not progressing culturally, as the more we avoid taking concrete actions, the more we become stained.</p><p>In Baldwin's case, he certainly didn't invent the idea of Pinay mail order brides - they are a reality that even Philippine laws can't curb. So why shoot the messenger? Isn't it more appropriate to look inwards and see what makes Filipino women grab at any chance to get out of what they believe is a wretched situation in this country. Why not address widespread poverty and offer more opportunities here, so that try as Baldwin might, he wouldn't find a Pinay who would willingly become his mail order bride.</p><p>The other interesting point that need to be said is that by making noise over those 'slights' - imagined or otherwise, we're dealing ourselves a double jeopardy. In the case of Baldwin - he is virtually unknown to Filipinos a few days back but has become well-known even to ordinary people just because he joked about an overly-sensitive race. I'll bet that with this incident, Google and Youtube searches for his name here and abroad will increase, along with a slew of Filipinos who bash him publicly. Interest in his work, movies and shows would certainly spike up, and that is good for him. It was good for Chip Tsao a few months back too - he was an unknown catapulted to instant celebrity just because Filipinos reacted adversely to his moronic article.</p><p>Yet hapless Filipinas still leave the country as mail order brides or domestic slaves in droves. Nothing came out of the brouhahas, except that the 'offenders' and some opportunists gained media mileage. Enough said.</p></div></span>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-87906770254131400732009-05-02T19:55:00.001+08:002009-05-02T19:55:26.715+08:00<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Set my Gmail page to display a sunshine theme. Know what? The theme changes depending on the time of the day....like it was bright and sunny a few hours ago and now is dark as the sky outside... awesome. Available only to recent versions of IE, Firefox, Safari and Chrome browsers, this is a really cool way to view emails/ You can get more tips at this link: <a href='http://ping.fm/e1ama'>http://ping.fm/e1ama</a></div>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-70671453462446570952009-05-02T13:07:00.001+08:002009-05-02T13:07:08.404+08:00<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>still working on product titles... hundreds of them... search engine optimized and grammatically correct at that... whew!</div>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-50835840684721839092009-05-02T01:39:00.001+08:002009-05-02T01:39:47.615+08:00<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Great... nice to be able to update ALL my networks in one platform.. to try it out, click this link...<br /><a href='http://ping.fm/'>http://ping.fm/</a></div>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-14721326021682059192009-05-02T01:21:00.001+08:002009-05-02T01:21:35.718+08:00<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Hello everyone... just testing the ping.fm service to see how one can instantly update multiple social networks...</div>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-4156585919279220332008-08-09T12:32:00.004+08:002008-08-09T13:18:58.654+08:00Youtube and the Olympics<p>I've been trying to view the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in Youtube, but so far, it's been a frustrating exercise. It seems that IOC, BOCOG and NBC are right on their toes tracking every Youtube upload that is connected to the Games. Thus, on many of the search results that come up, I frequently see the message 'This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by a third party.'</p><p>This is the first time that the Olympics is held in the Youtube era, and it will indeed be a daunting challenge for the organizers to curb uploading of Olympic-related videos, view each one, see if it meets the allowed criteria and then ask for its removal if found violating the guidelines. As it were, clips showing a slideshow of photographs from the opening ceremonies and very short clips (around a minute) are allowed to remain in cyberspace. But often, you will see a link for a video uploaded only a few hours (or even minutes) before and its already deleted - that's how quick the response is. </p><p>Well, this is just the first day of the Games. Youtube (and other video-sharing sites) fanatics will surely devise ways to circumvent the rules in the coming days. For one, naming and tagging an upload with name/tags remotely related to the Games would work, as it seems the organizers are focused on the most likely keywords that surfers would type in the search engines. But the problem with this is its very limited and slow propagation - you have to have a huge mailing list to inform as many people as possible about the upload and it would take several days before the viral impact of this approach will get results. Still, I guess that is slightly better than having your upload taken down within minutes, reaching a much limited audience.</p>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-55571284486574424042008-07-29T23:29:00.004+08:002008-08-09T13:23:15.997+08:00Cinderella<p>As I earlier posted, we were scheduled to watch the first show of Cinderella today, July 29. While the first gala was scheduled the night of the same day, a matinee show was scheduled as a preview. We did watch the preview, and here's my take on it. </p><p>The cast is great, the music lively and appropriate, the set and set changes are great, and the spoken dialogues are witty and up-to-date (the king's <em><strong>secret service</strong></em> tasked to find the girl who left the shoe, the I-love-your-ball repartee of one of the stepsisters, the fairy godmother's some-people-are-too-dumb line, and many more) make watching Cinderella at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CCP</span> worth your while and cash.</p><p>Lea <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Salonga</span> is, as always, superb. But I found her short stature distracting, particularly as most of the other people in the cast are mostly tall Caucasians. Indeed, when she first appeared, it didn't occur to me that it was Lea, that is, not until she spoke. I thought the girl on stage is just one of the cast, for my impression of her was that of a girl in her teens (and to think that some comments on Broadwayworld.com point out that Lea is too old for the role). Add to it the fact that the Prince, <em>Christopher Rupert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Vwindemier</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Vlandamier</span> Carl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman Gregory James</em>, played by Peter Sadie, is rather tall. Lea has to look up every time they're together onstage (see Peter's audition video <a href="http://www.cinderellaonstage.com/behind.php">here</a> and see for yourself how much their heights differ).</p><p>Speaking of Lea, I can't get out from my mind the word Repertory while I watched the show. It seems that Annie had grown to be Cinderella, and the latter staging is just a much better version of the Repertory productions in the past. </p><p>Peter can sing and that is all there is. He looks tragically blank, either happy or unhappy. He and Lea may have chemistry together, but unfortunately, even that does not cover up for his lack of expression. They should thank the fairy godmother who is around, not only to do the magic, but to spice things up when scenes are tragically boring.</p><p>Set is great, though there are minor, but noticeable glitches (understandable, really, as that was the very first show). Lighting was magical in scenes where the godmother was using her powers, but not quite spectacular. Perhaps I was just too fond of Disney, as I was half-expecting Lea's costume from rags to the ball gown to be changed in full view - as in the animated movies. I will not tell how they did it because that will spoil some of the fun. As for the music, it didn't touch me as much as songs from other musicals do. To be frank, only the <em>Prince is Giving a Ball</em> and the <em>Impossible/It's Possible</em> numbers remain in my mind just hours after watching it.</p><p>My verdict: Show is less grand and less touching than Saigon but it's still worth watching. </p>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-61621069146614180052008-07-28T22:41:00.004+08:002008-07-28T23:45:06.047+08:00Four Reasons Why Arroyo's 2008 SONA is the WorstI just read the latest State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Mrs. Arroyo, and I can't believe the utter lack of substance and style. It is the epitome of a bad speech, especially because it is laden with bad transitions from English to Filipino and vice versa. Take a look. <br /><br />1. 'Because tough choices were made, kumikilos na ang bayan sa wakas (the nation is moving at last).'<br /><br />The kumikilos (moving) translation is obviously misplaced, as the apparent intention is to say 'the nation is moving forward'. The words 'umaangat' (literally rising but can also mean getting better) or 'gumiginhawa' (getting better) would have meant exactly what she intended to say. Unless she meant that the nation is moving - to get her removed, perhaps?<br /><br /> <br /><p>2. 'We were retiring debts in great amounts, reducing the drag on our country’s development, habang namumuhunan sa taong bayan (while investing on the people).' </p><p>Does she mean that the people are the drag in the country's development? I know, those are three separate things she was talking about, but it was unfortunate that she constructed the sentence that way, lumping investment on human resources with drag in the country's development. It just sounded wrong.<br /></p><br /><br />3. 'The result has been, on the one hand, ito ang nakasalba sa bayan (this saved the nation); and, on the other, more unpopularity for myself in the opinion polls.' <br /><br />The correct sentence should have been: The result has been, on the one hand, naisalba ang bayan (the nation was saved); and, on the other, more unpopularity for myself in the opinion polls.<br /><br />The statement in its original form is especially confusing as there is no clear indication which of the preceding points was being referred to: the tough choices made, the shield around the country (Starwars?), the preparations made for the economic downturn (whatever these are?) or the wisdom of Congress (???).<br /><br /><br />4. 'Sinimula ng aking ama ang land reform noong 1963.'<br /><br />Should have read 'sinimulan' as there is no sinimula word in Filipino.<br /><br /><br />Filipinos are unique in the English-speaking world because of our ability to shift from the local tongue to English without losing a beat. Speakers in other languages usually need to end the sentence before continuing in English. Not so for us. We can intersperse English and Filipino words without losing the intended meaning; and we can shift languages from phrase to phrase, as can be seen from the 2008 SONA. It therefore defies logic why the president failed miserably in this regard. She should have stuck with English.<br /><br /><p>Now I know why Arroyo is so unpopular - she can't communicate correctly what she really meant, especially in Filipino. It is not only her sneering, high-handed attitude that's alienating the masses, but her poor communication skills.</p><p></p><p>Read the full text of the SONA <a href="http://www.gov.ph/news/?i=21659">here</a>.</p>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-90017010003557532042008-07-28T17:32:00.004+08:002008-11-19T09:15:38.984+08:00Cinderella in CCP<p>Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella" will be staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, beginning July 29, 2008. Tony awardee Lea Salonga plays the lead role, with Australian stage actor Peter Saide as the Prince Charming. The show promises to be a magical experience, with lively and enchanting characters, great songs and world-class production design. Produced By Broadway Asia, the Manila run is just the first stop of the musical in its Asian tour, with staging scheduled in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea.</p><p></p><p></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://www.ticketworld.com.ph/OnlineTicketWorld/Default.asp?brand=TicketWorld&series_name=Cinderella"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWFJv46qcKOnYSjCn2NOVXayAUEbz-9O6_txifroqqKe7LUZR3K0DJQDL3_QadB-RxbtVvZNJtdkc2qdgxfzqbU1zb4oioGromBNFbwJnVuymJaOFIXZc18VxPdeSK1hyphenhypheno5A8zxJuSZM/s320/cinderella.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228002478717791154" /></a><br /></p><p>We will watch tomorrow' opening show (not the gala though) , with wife and youngest son. We hope the show surpasses the unforgettable experience we had when we watched Lea in Miss Saigon. I'll be going to write more about the musical after we've seen it. </p>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-65378605846498252792008-05-02T21:54:00.002+08:002008-05-02T21:57:49.353+08:00Beat ItAs mentioned in my profile, one of my favorite bands is the Fall Out Boy. I really don't know why I like their songs and style at my age, but what can I say, I found their music easy to listen to (although not all their songs, particularly the long-titled ones in their Under the Cork Tree album). Although I'm not diabetic, I guess I just want to listen to them shouting Sugar, we're going down... down...<br /><br />I recently learned that the band issued another album, a follow-up to their highly successful Infinity on High album released last year. The album, with the unpronounceable title '****', was released April 8, 2008 and is the first ever live release of the group. On the odd title, bassist Pete <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wentz</span> has this to say, "It's pretty gross ... though it's edited as to not hurt your little munchkin ears. And as for how to say the name, well any little four letter word will work."<br /><br />The first single out of the album, Beat It, is a cover of Michael Jackson's hit. The recently released music video features the band doing the classic dance beats of the song with added rock muscles. John Mayer joins the group in making this a great cover song. <br /><br /><br />You may watch the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Youtube</span> video <a href="http://www.kovideo.net/music/video/Fall-Out-Boy---Beat-It/3366.html">here</a>.rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-15864989258360953212008-04-20T23:28:00.002+08:002008-04-20T23:36:10.122+08:00Applying for telecommuting jobsTelecommuting jobs abound all over the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Internet</span>. Unfortunately, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">scammers</span> are also plentiful, preying on unsuspecting victims trying to find a job. I still have to experience a real scam in my applications, as I normally would not reply to postings that give me some doubts from the start. It is for this reason that I haven't been victimized by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">MLM</span> or networking scams in the past - I'm not the type who would grab at any money-making opportunity unless I'm convinced that it's legal and safe to do so.<br /><br />But others may be easily tempted by the large fortune offered by some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">scammers</span>. Work-at-home mom Rosalind Mays created a helpful article in <a href="http://www.hbwm.com/HomeBizCentral/index.htm">HomeBiz Central</a> comparing the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">actuation</span> of real employers against the acts of those just who just wanted to get money from you. According to Mays, some of the ways to tell if your being scammed are:<br /><br />1. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Scammers</span> post vague descriptions, including the catch-all phrase 'no experience necessary' to beguile as many people as possible. Real employers, on the other hand, will list the details of the job and requirements, as they need to make sure that applicants are suited for the job, especially as telecommuting work means that the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">hiree</span> would work largely on his own and hence must be a professional and highly-disciplined person.<br /><br />2. When a real employer responds to your email, it will usually ask for a resume, sample works and references while <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">scammers</span> ask for money to process the application or as payment for some step-by-step booklet that you will supposedly need to apply for the job.<br /><br />3. When you are hired, real employers will contact you directly and ask you to sign contracts, request for your tax details and gives complete instructions on the work the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">hiree</span> is expected to do. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Scammers</span> give vague instructions and some materials for your supposed work.<br /><br />Read the full article <a href="http://www.hbwm.com/HomeBizCentral/scams216.htm">here</a> and be enlightened. It is particularly important for those using the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Internet</span> to find gigs, as anonymity is the rule in cyberspace. It really wouldn't hurt to be on the side of caution when you apply for telecommuting jobs.rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-77793085549325883282008-04-20T23:19:00.000+08:002008-04-20T23:25:15.792+08:0010 dumbest job-interview movesHere's an interesting - and funny- article on the <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/10/news/economy/dumb.moves.fortune/index.htm">ten dumbest and wackiest moves </a>of applicants during interviews. Remember the acts and responses made by the applicants, so you won't also be bringing your mom to your job interview.rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-19177248178871703012008-04-18T21:30:00.004+08:002008-04-18T21:40:57.211+08:00Advertise Your Job HuntingI found this very <a href="http://www.damnineedajob.com/">novel way</a> to make people aware that you need a job, and advertise your qualifications as well. I wonder if people here in the Philippines are ready for this method of finding a job. But it is true that the person sitting in front of you in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">MRT</span> or in the next table of a restaurant may just be the HR person wanting to hire someone with your qualifications. Who knows?<br /><br />If someone is truly desperate, I think this idea is worth trying. The question is, are these T-shirts available in the country?rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-7928706627893091492008-04-16T21:05:00.003+08:002008-04-16T21:19:26.453+08:00The Easy 10 Step Job Hunting GuideHere's a helpful guide for you job hunters out there. A career counselor lists The Easy 10 Step Job Hunting Guide that will help you find, and win that dream job of yours. Briefly, the ten easy steps are:<br /><br />Step 1: Get your head on straight<br />Step 2: Conduct a self-assessment<br />Step 3: Determine your job hunting objectives<br />Step 4: Prepare your career portfolio<br />Step 5: Organize a support group<br />Step 6: Identify target employers<br />Step 7: Apply for employment<br />Step 8: Interview for employment<br />Step 9: Accept or reject the offer<br />Step 10: Evaluate the process<br /><br />Read the full article <a href="http://www.iccweb.com/jhunt/jhunt0.htm">here</a>. Note that each step has a rather lengthy explanation when you click the corresponding link.rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-4336700371390440182008-04-16T12:35:00.002+08:002008-04-16T12:39:45.342+08:00Job Hunting Horror StoriesEveryone knows that job hunting is not fun. It's costly, tedious and tiring and you got to meet all sorts of prospective employers. But some people are less fortunate than most, and they got to experience really horrible things in their hunt for jobs. Read some of the most interesting job hunter horror stories <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.co.uk/UK/JobSeeker/CareerAdvice/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=14&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=c401dab7c7a64a19926a620202593a30-261575696-VJ-4&ns_siteid=ns_us_g_%22job_hunter%22">here</a>. Draw lessons from their mishaps so that you won't be traveling the same road they did.rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-77644928426547326102008-04-15T23:30:00.005+08:002008-04-16T21:25:01.273+08:00Job Hunting Part 2This is the second part of my job hunting experiences. Read the first part <a href="http://jobhuntingpinoy.blogspot.com/2008/04/job-hunting.html">here</a>.<br /><br />I wrote a really touching generic cover letter, re-wrote it a little to cater to the specific requirements of the job poster (thus the line 'has excellent creative writing skills' became 'has excellent technical writing skills' in some versions while it turned into 'has excellent <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">copywriting</span> skills' in others). I sent out about 12 emails in a span of ten days and I was really elated to receive replies from eight prospective employers.<br />I promptly responded to each, careful to satisfy all the requirements being asked: sample clips or actual writing of articles in a given topic, resume (not attached but pasted into into the email itself), correct subject lines, etc.<br /><br />From the eight, I got praises from seven and got accepted by five employers. Well, six actually, but I didn't like the arrogant way the sixth employer asked me to submit two articles within twelve hours from receipt (their first email stated that turn-around time is 1-2 days). I was quite pissed with that so when I submitted the articles within the time specified, I promptly told them what I felt. I told them it was a rather bad start and I would not care to write for their group.<br /><br />The seventh prospective employer is altogether different. Their first email asked me to visit their website and I found it's a rather good prospect: they sell sports memorabilia and I'm supposed to write blurbs for their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">web pages</span>. Unfortunately, sports writing is nowhere near my inclinations and I had to decline the work. But that did not end there. The employer asked me to reconsider, explaining that I don't have to be knowledgeable in sports to do the blurbs. I tried anyway but I just don't have it in me.<br /><br />So now I'm left with five. Since I am fully employed, I had to carefully manage my time to be able to meet the deadlines for each work. After the initial assignments with two employers, I politely asked them to defer new assignments as I had to focus on prior commitments (which is true, as the remaining ones were the first writing jobs that I had been accepted to).<br /><br />My very first assignment was writing test questions for a natural therapy school. It was the first response I got when I sent out my application emails and it was a much needed booster for my flagging spirit. The director was rather nice, gracious and generous with her praises. I passed their initial test - visiting their website and writing a few test questions from their home page and was accepted immediately thereafter. However, it took sometime before the first book from which I would lift the question arrived. So in the meantime, I kept on job hunting.<br /><br />I don't know much about my second employer, except for his name and email address. I suppose he is a business process <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">outsourcer</span> providing content for websites mainly in the US. Our first interactions was quite informal and brief. Or much too brief I would say. His first email simply said 'Send me samples' and that's it. So I sent him a writing sample and pointed him to a link where a writing sample can be found. I also asked him to just assign a topic I would write about as a test but he wouldn't. Instead he gave me my first assignment, a 1,500 word article, divided into seven sub-topics, about a European city. I passed that test and was promptly given three more topics one after another. On the fifth assignment, I bothered to ask for payment terms (as I said our mail interactions are quite brief, consisting of one or two sentences only). I told him I wouldn't write further unless payment is arranged so he promptly paid me through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Paypal</span>.<br /><br />The third work I have now is writing product descriptions for the website of an American firm doing business in China. They have thousands of products in their catalogs and only a few of these have <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">descriptions</span>. It seems a not-too-difficult job at first; I even told myself that making product descriptions would be easy. But it turned out it is not that easy after all. First, I only have the photos in their website on which to base the descriptions - no specs, no additional details given, except for a general guidelines on how to write the descriptions.<br /><br />I'm therefore left to my own devices describing the products in the images. It is difficult because at times, it is not even clear what the items are, much more glean from the photos what these are made of. One has to be really creative to create product descriptions, for items one could barely identify. And it takes a lot of creativity making separate descriptions for items that are almost, if not indeed, similar. But after a week or so of writing, I found my rhythm and now I can do 30-50 per day, for an hour or two of work.<br /><br />One more thing about this job is that no one reviews or edits the descriptions. Thus, when I submit a batch it is immediately on their website just a couple of hours later. It's a double-edged sword: it gives me some freedom but at the same time a great <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">responsibility</span>, as I had to ensure that my descriptions are error-free. Still, there may be errors out there, not glaring ones but errors nonetheless.<br /><br />These are my initial experiences in my job-hunting and freelancing career which, incidentally, I just started a month ago. I'll write more about about new things I encounter in my freelancing career in this blog, and other subjects related to job-hunting and freelance writing.<br /><br />I guess I found my topic at last.rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-82904724570868811272008-04-14T22:39:00.000+08:002008-04-14T22:55:17.866+08:00Career Objectives, Anyone?<p class="MsoNormal">In looking for a job, you need to focus on your career objective: Why do you want a particular job? Is it merely to have a stable source of income or do you want to broaden your horizons? Is it just for your own satisfaction or is it because your family's future depends on getting that job? Whatever your reason, you have to clearly define your objective and include it in your resume whenever you apply for a job. Take it from me, I did it and I certainly got results in doing so.</p> I found this nice article on how to write a career objective <a href="http://jobsgate.in/blogs/?p=19">here</a>. It has great tips on how one may define his objective and discussions on how to clearly and correctly present it to prospective <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">employers</span>. If you're currently job-hunting, it would be to your advantage to follow the advice and get a sensible line or two in your resume that will touch the cold-hearted HR people out there.rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623209066484023370.post-54913738234257634432008-04-14T14:16:00.000+08:002008-04-13T23:17:59.461+08:00Job Hunting<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#003300;">I know years before that there are writing opportunities in the internet. My former boss at one time encouraged me to submit articles to well-known publications that accept unsolicited contributions as a way to break into professional writing. I guess I didn't have the nerve before or I'm just too lazy to try. I'm also aware when the freelance writing industry started to grow a couple of years back and for some time, I kept track of its development. Still, I didn't venture into joining the bandwagon, secure and nonchalant that I am in having a good job. It is only recently when I finally decided to try it out, as general living conditions became more difficult with my take-home wages. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#003300;">My so-called career plan then was to create and launch a blog, make a name for myself through it and then start a freelance writing career. I had it all ready by then: I'd set-up blogging accounts with Blogger.com and Yahoo and all I had to do was post that first blog entry. But I guess it just wasn't meant to be.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#003300;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#003300;">First problem I had was I don't know what to write about. I like music and music videos, movies, books and e-books, electronic gadgets, some sports, computers and all its related technologies, but I still did not have anything to write about. Or to put simply, I don't know which topic readers would find interesting. Thus, for months I waited for something I would care to write about or maybe what many would call divine inspiration. But sadly, it never came. Until today, at least.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#003300;">Since I urgently need extra income to pay for home mortgage and college education of my eldest kid, I thus resorted to scanning the job postings in <a href="http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.html">Craiglist</a> and other internet sites for writing jobs. And luckily, I stumbled on some good leads.</span>rocastrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982308610090491327noreply@blogger.com1