posted by Jennie on Oct 15
Fun, exciting and intensely musical – these are words that can easily be used to describe both the Philippines and MTV.
“We have so much in common,” states Bill Roedy, Chairman and CEO of MTVN International, when he remarked on the partnership between the Philippine Department of Tourism and MTV. Secretary Ace Durano of the DOT agrees, “Music is as part of the Philippines as our cultural heritage, there is just a perfect fit between MTV and the Philippines.”
This collaboration marks the first time that the media giant has joined forces with a country to promote its tourism industry and it exemplifies the innovative direction that the DOT has taken to reach out to younger generations of world travelers. The resulting campaign anchored on the global DOT website, AwesomePhilippines.com which represents a perfect synergy of the youthfulness of MTV and the unique charms of the Philippines. As Roedy puts it, “Our audience is young and vibrant and that’s exactly what the Philippines is.”
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posted by Jennie on Oct 15
Trailblazing innovations in broadband technology and still the country’s most preferred broadband provider, PLDT myDSL has once again introduced another first to its subscribers – the revolutionary Watchpad.
On Watchpad, there’s something for everyone. With Cignal HD as content provider, PLDT myDSL subscribers can now watch the hottest TV shows from their favorite channels – right on their computers. They also get to play the coolest online games and hang out with their favorite celebrities, all in one exclusive entertainment portal. While surfing, subscribers can even update their Facebook, Multiply and Twitter accounts, without having to leave the Watchpad page. Best of all, Watchpad is available nationwide and it’s absolutely free.
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posted by Jennie on Oct 14
It has been almost three weeks since we were hit by Ondoy and although clean up isn’t officially done yet (still some more stuff to sort and throw out), we’re picking up the pieces and slowly going back to normal. Although our 4 year old son’s paces got wet as well with flood water, we have resolved to sanitize, dry and still use whatever was left. Buying a replacement for every single wet pace would cost a lot and that’s something we cannot afford anymore right now. We had to order 16 paces that we failed to retrieve (8 Science and 8 Word Building Paces). The sets will be available Monday next week but we’ve already resumed homeschooling Monday of this week and I cannot be more thrilled to see my son’s fine motor skills has improved a great deal!
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posted by Jennie on Oct 5
Nine days of cleaning up the house and we’re still not done. While it is true that we are extremely grateful that we are intact through it all, we cannot help but still feel exhausted from time to time. It’s like we’ve been cleaning up since forever and it doesn’t seem to end. The Lord alone sustains us, this much I can say. Counting the blessings and people who ministered to us by reaching out, have done a great deal.
Just to give you a glimpse of the devastation this typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) has done to our abode, allow me to share some before and after pictures.
our washroom before typhoon Ondoy
Ondoy and his wrath
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posted by Jennie on Oct 4
On a lighter note, one thing I missed after being compelled to find solace at a higher ground a.k.a. “The Neighbor’s,” during the havoc Typhoon Ondoy has brought our family, is preparing Kefir Smoothie. Probiotic is the best and as much as I would love to serve it au naturel, there is no way I could have my boys take them as is. And you cannot get more probiotic than kefir. I went back to “kefiring” the day after we came back home. I figured, we all needed the immune system boosting it gives us.
I just love how the World’s Healthiest Foods come up with such fine recipes. I could make use of them, incorporate with the everyday stuff I prepare for the family and even modify them to our taste. Life goes on and as we struggle to move on, sulking is just unacceptable and we press on to glorify God everyday of our lives and one way to do that is to be good stewards of the health He has given us. I’ve done a few articles about Kefir and you could just go back to those posts for its health benefits. Just so you guys know, despite our being exposed to extreme weather conditions lately and having to get soaked in mud water (Eew!) and to sort out all the muddy stuff (can you imagine all the bacteria therein!), my family and I are all fine! Strengthened immune system, by God’s grace, through the daily Kefir smoothie our family has been taking.
So, without further ado, here’s the Strawberries Smoothie Recipe from World’s Healthiest Foods. I will replace the yogurt ingredient with, you guessed it right, kefir. 
This health-promoting smoothie recipe provides a wonderful combination of flavors and nutrition to your Healthiest Way of Eating. The addition of tahini helps keep you satiated for a longer period than your usual smoothie.
Prep and Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
4 large strawberries
ź cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 TBS tahini*
1 medium size banana
˝ tsp vanilla
1 TBS honey
* Tahini is sesame seed butter and can be found in natural food stores or Middle Eastern groceries.
Directions:
Remove stems from strawberries and wash.
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.
Serve 2 (8 oz glass servings)
posted by Jennie on Oct 3
This was taken Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 8:19 AM, the day following Typhoon Ondoy’s wrath. The flood has receded approximately a couple of feet since the rain stopped. Took this shot from the room we stayed in at the neighbor’s. That’s my son’s bicycle. The night before, it was completely covered in flood water. Barely slept, following closely the flood’s developments. Although we were on the second floor, even during the rain stopped for a while, the flood continued to rise. We didn’t know where to head to next in the event that the flood would reach the second floor. It helped that the neighbor’s house has high ceilings. I reckoned, it was gonna take a great while before flood reaches our floor. But now that I come to think of it, if the rain refused to stop, it was not far from happening.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 2:03PM. Three days of cleaning up and still not half done. Everyone in the family is tired. We are blessed to have my reliable weekend helper report everyday for work this whole week. It helped that classes were suspended. That made her available, she has 4 girls.
My folks’ place suffered a more terrible plight. Their house has wood parquet flooring. All the installed wood tiles came off and the Narra plywood walls also peeled off. Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Jennie on Oct 1
Here’s a photo essay of what happened to our family during the rage of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana). The above picture was taken last Saturday, September 26 at 10:19AM. The flood water covered the street but we were confident that it was to subside in no time, like it always does. We were not even anticipating that it will climb up our already elevated garage.
At 1:03 PM. Jeff walking towards our pedestrian gate. Flood waters not quite touching our doorstep just yet. This sight alone was a shock to all of us. We’ve been living here since 1980 and nothing like this has ever happened before. Just for us to know hours later that we haven’t seen anything yet.
Typhoon Ketsana, locally called Ondoy, has brought record rainfall in Metro Manila, producing hours of extreme heavy rains, the volume of which exceeded that of Hurricane Katrina, which led to this tragic flooding. The rainfall that we usually receive in one month was brought by Typhoon Ondoy in six hours.
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posted by Jennie on Oct 1
SM SuperMalls are currently accepting donations such as canned goods, bottled waters, medicines, clothes, towels, blankets and toiletries in all SM SuperMalls nationwide until October 15, 2009. All proceeds will go to the Typhoon Ondoy relief drive of Caritas Manila.
posted by Jennie on Oct 1
SEVERE WEATHER BULLETIN NUMBER FOUR
TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING: TROPICAL TYPHOON “PEPENG”
ISSUED AT 11:00 AM, 01 OCTOBER 2009
(by: PAGASA)
(Valid for broadcast until the next bulletin to be issued at 5 PM today)
At 10:00 AM today, the center of Tropical Typhoon “PEPENG” was estimated to be 520 kms east of Borongan, Eastern Samar with maximum sustained winds of 175 kph near center and gustiness of up to 210 kph. It’s estimated position on Friday morning shall be 220 kms East of Virac, Catanduanes and on Saturday morning, 80 kms East of Casiguran, Aurora or 160 kms southeast of Tuguegarao City. By Sunday morning it is estimated to be 60 kms Northwest of Laoag City.
PUBLIC STORM WARNING SIGNAL 1 is raised over Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Catanduanes. Winds of 30-60 kph is expected within the next 36 hrs.
Residents in low lying areas and near mountain slopes under signal #1 are advised to take all the necessary precautionary measures against possible flashfloods and landslides.
The public and the disaster coordinating councils concerned are advised to take appropriate actions and watch for the next bulletin to be issued at 5 P.M. today.
