October, 2011 | Prepys' Homepage

Saizen store opens in Robinsons Place Manila

October 3, 2011October 3, 2011 ajay Leave a comment

I couldn’t quite contain my happiness and excitement that a big branch of Saizen discount store has opened at the Faura Wing of Robinsons Place Manila (Robinsons Place Ermita, if you wish!) As I love all things Saizen, this is bad news for my wallet, but am certainly glad it is just a few steps away from where I work now. It used to be that I waited for the opportunity to go to their branch in Robinsons Galleria to buy all those cute and funky stuff I adore!

The good thing with shopping in Saizen, there’s new items each time. But you really have to allot time and effort to go through each stacks and try to decipher the labels which are often written in Japanese.

For instance, I just discovered how wonderful the food section in Saizen is.They have all these sauces and dressings, noodles, furikake, biscuits, rice crackers and all those chichirya.

A great shopping find: Buy One Take One on Meiji Chocolates!

The friendly store clerk recommended their bestseller mukiguri or peeled chestnuts and true enough, it was good! It’s great just for munching or for adding to savory dishes like chicken. Christmas being the chestnuts or kastanyas season, I plan to buy some for placing on the holiday table

The make-up and beauty tools racks are another popular section in the Everything 85! retail store. Even celebrities go here for unique finds! I spotted interesting items like a nose powder, marine lotion and horse fat foot cream.I bought this lipstick style hair dye for fixing my white hair (uban). Ouch! let’s see if this is effective

Featured here are three kinds of soap bars: the rice bran soap, stainless steel smell remover and the charcoal soap.Bar in the middle is not really a soap, you just rub it on your hands to get rid of strong odors like fish. I thought it’s amazing!

My other favorite stop is the kitchenware section where you can find bento tools, Japanese lacquer ware, dainty cups, bake ware and other items of interest. Spotted: pretty lunch boxes a la Cath Kidston !

Prettily embroidered chair leg covers. I never thought stuff like this existed… hehe.

Tsinelas in attractive designs and colors ….

These stackable wooden boxes are made from the Paulowania tree, “a special kind of tree,” so the label says.

I could spend hours and hours exploring the racks and the crux of the matter is: you’re better off not bringing your significant other along with you. He will surely get bored with the passing time, haha. Now that the Christmas season is here, you know where to scour for some of your gifts!

Thanks to Ms. Josette Salac and the amiable staff of Saizen Manila for inviting us. The store was crowded even on opening day. I guess a lot of people love Saizen shopping

Aside from Robinsons Manila, Saizen branches are found in Robinsons Galleria, Ali Mall, Marquee Mall, Trinoma, Abreeza Mall (Davao City) and Pavilion Mall. More branches opening in other parts of the country soon.

Who is a journalist?

October 3, 2011October 3, 2011 Ellen Leave a comment

The Maguindanao massacre

After eight annual self-examinations, media practitioners, meeting in Cebu’s Marco Polo Hotel last weekend, still had not found the answer to the question, “Who is a journalist?”

The question was crucial because the theme of MediaNation 8 was the Philippines being “The Most Dangerous Place for Journalists.”

Actually, that notorious title which the country achieved after the Nov 23, 2009 Maguindanao massacre where 32 of the 58 killed were members of media. Other countries like Mexico, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, have overtaken us in that notoriety but it doesn’t mean the killing of journalists here has stopped. Under the 16-month old government of President Benigno Aquino III, six journalists have already been killed, according to the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines.

One unwarranted death is too many.

Since 1986, when democracy was restored in the country after the first People Power revolution, NUJP said 146 journalists have been killed including 13 during the Arroyo administration.

In the two-half day discussion, the question “Who is a journalist?” keeps cropping up.

It used to be that the dictionary’s definition of “journalist” was enough. One of Webster dictionary’s definitions of a “journalist”, is one who engages in journalism, which is also defined as “ The collecting, writing, editing, and presenting of news or news articles in newspapers and magazines and in radio and television broadcasts.”

In the Media nation discussion, the issue of radio block timers came up. They are commentators who buy time in radio. They are usually the ones who do hard-hitting commentaries. Based on the records of media killings, they are the most vulnerable group of media people.

There is a certain uneasiness among some members of media about radio block timers because it is public knowledge that many of them are in the payroll of politicians. Although it was also mentioned that there are block timers who are not corrupt.

So one asked the question, “Are radio block timers journalists?”

Another question: “Can one still be called a journalist, if he is corrupt?

The lack of answer of who is a journalist is the reason why there are different figures on media killings. NUJP has its numbers. The Philippine National Police has a different figure. Karapatan, the human rights group, and the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists have different statistics.

Aside from the lack of a standard criteria of who is a journalist, there is also the question of when is the killing of a journalist considered “media killing?” If a journalist is killed over a family land dispute is that media killing?
The “ifs” led to more “ifs” and it was decided to set aside the resolution of the issue. Everybody agreed that whether nor not the media person practiced responsible journalism, there is no justification for violence.

Media Nation is the advocacy of a civil society group, Pagbabago@Pilipinas, which believes in the important role of media in a democracy. It’s current president is Bart Guingona.

Formed in 2003, MediaNation’s original aim was to have the news media re-examine its place in the context of an “unfolding nation,” and to drive home the point that in a country where the educational system was wanting, the media have become default educators.

One of the speakers in MediaNation8 was media guru, Vergel Santos, BusinessWorld chairman of the board. Santos underscored the importance of skills for a working journalist.

Excerpts from his talk:

“At any rate, journalism is part academic and part craft. It is philosophies, mathematics, histories and cultures, politics and economics, and arts and sciences supplied in amounts enough to provide a beginner journalist with a general working perspective, one informed not only by the standard liberal-arts disciplines, but also by studies in professional ethics; also, journalism is words handled with some degree of perspicuity – accuracy of description, clarity of thought, leanness of language, and a manner of expression decent yet straightforward.
“Both parts surely can be learned in school, but only if properly delineated, that is, taught separately and by different methods, one taught in a classroom as a regular undergraduate course, the other taught in a laboratory as a practical post-graduate course, one learned by doing.
“In fact, from then on everything is learned mostly by doing, learned on the job, although a return to academe, or any semi-academic setting (lectures, seminars, and similar short programs), should be useful for specialist or otherwise higher learning.
“I’ve often wondered who actually have had the benefit of that sort of grounding, and don’t feel sanguine ¬– how can I, with the proliferation of superficial and sensationalist publications and broadcast programs and more recently the opening of on-line platforms to everyone?
“It seems to me that the media have sunk into a free-for-all business – more individualistic than organized, turning out products untouched by professional standards – and that true journalism has become a mere shadow within it. In this new disarrangement, citizen journalism is the phrase of currency, one that cheapens a once noble and discriminating vocation by suggesting that anyone – just anyone – can take it up.”
“That is just the sort of fraudulence that breeds wrongful ineptitude, which, although, again, never deserving to be met with violence, is, all the same, a crime – a wholesale crime. “

JURIS OCTOBER GIGS

October 3, 2011October 3, 2011 Leave a comment

Matapos magsolo at humiwalay

sa bandang MYMP

na siyang mas tinangkilik

ng mga tao

Naging regular si Juris

sa ASAP Sessionistas

Nagkaroon na siya mga mga big projects

Ganumpaman mas cute sya nung MYMP pa siya

Sayang!

Oct 5 – Bagaberde, Roxas Blvd.
Oct 6 – 19east Sucat, Service Rd 1030pm
Oct 8 – SM Baguio
Oct 9 – Alabang Town Center (ASAP Rocks)
Oct 12- Bagaberde, Roxas Blvd
Oct 13- 19east Sucat, Service Rd 1030pm
Oct 14- Batangas
Oct 19- Bagaberde, Roxas Blvd.
Oct 20- 19 east, Sucat Srvc Rd 1030pm
Oct 22- SM Novaliches
Oct 26- Bagaberde, Roxas Blvd.
Oct 27- 19 east, Sucat Srvc Rd 1030pm

THE WEDDING SINGER SET TO OPEN ON OCTOBER 23 MEET THE CAST OF THE WEDDING SINGER SET TO OPEN...
The Amazing World Light Expo In case you haven’t already heard, the World Light Expo...

Hisense Mono Headset HB 200M review

October 2, 2011October 2, 2011 ajay Leave a comment

I consider myself a traditional mobile phone user. Am not one to accessorize or rely on bling-blings for my phone since I depend more on my gadget for its function rather than its form.

Lately however, this Hisense bluetooth Mono Headset (model HB 200M) landed on my lap and I realize how it perfectly suits my busy lifestyle.Being a multitasking mom, I can clip this gadget to my ear to answer calls while cooking or taking care of my toddler.

Outside the house, like in a mall for instance, this is safer to use. The less you display your precious phone in public, the better for its life span (you know what we mean).

This is the Hisense package when it came in. If you’re a first-time user, don’t be intimidated by the little bits and pieces for they’re actually easy to assemble when you get the hang of it just by reading the manual.

Pictured above is the bluetooth headset (right) with the magnetic clip (left)

This is the rest of the package consisting of the USB cable with the USB charger, ear hook, different-sized ear buds, the necklace and the user manual (not in photo)

The virtues of a bluetooth headset especially when you’re driving have long been extolled. Using the Hisense Mono Headset HB 200M while am on the road is ideal for me since I have a multi-touch phone. I can do away with the tedious work of pressing buttons on my phone and just use the Hisense device with its lone Multi-Function Button.I can even activate voice dialling with one click for those numbers I often call. What I found best: sound quality is good. It’s as if am using my high-tech smartphone myself.

There are two ways by which you can use the device: in-ear or as a pendant. The former method, with the headset clipped to your ear, is actually better since the hook has a tighter grip. When worn as a necklace, the magnetic clip doesn’t hold tight, especially when you’re engaged in activity like sports or chasing a toddler.

The good news: you can pair this Hisense bluetooth headset not just with one phone but two! This is certainly perfect for those with two phones. Pairing proved to be very easy. Following simple instructions, I was quite surprised to learn that my Hisense device connected to both my phones automatically.

Suggested retail price for this bluetooth headset is P1,450 only. You can find it at the following gadget stores in Manila and beyond:

* Digital Hub
* DigitalWalker
* Beyond the Box
* Adi Gadget World – Parksquare 1
* 5th Avenue Shangri-La Mall
* ComCentre – Sta. Lucia
* Power TelecomShop – SM North Edsa Annex
* Techno Mobile Hub – SM Marikina
* NewVenice– Parksquare 1
* TopNet – SM Megamall
* Sir Lance – Festival Mall
* Oxvor – Starmall Alabang
* Cell Power Sales
* Unitech
* Jerry Solutions
* MobileTerritory
* Bluelite
* Round Circle – Festival Mall
* Star Circle –Starmall Alabang
* Celvitek
* First Choice Cellshope
* Mobile Experts – Parksquare 1
* Owtel – Starmall Edsa Shaw
* CyberWidgets – SM Masinag
* BSD – Mall ofAsia
* Techno Kid – SM San Lazaro
* TechTel – Robinson’s Ermita
* Bionic HD

Si Manny Pacquiao at ang Cha-Cha

October 2, 2011October 2, 2011 Ellen Leave a comment

Photo by Reuters

Hindi ako sarado sa pag-amyenda ng Saligang Batas ngunit medyo may kaba ako na mai-pasok ang mga hindi kanais-nais na pagbabago.

Sana hindi nila ibahin ang limitasyun sa edad ng gusto kumandidato para presidente at bise-presidente. Natatakot kasi akong tumakbo si Manny Pacquiao sa 2016 at mananalo. Kawawa naman ang bayan.

Kamakailan sinabi ni Pacquaio na hindi pa naman ang pagka- presidente ng bansa ang sunod na pinupuntirya nya sa 2016. Bise- presidente daw.

Sunod na araw, sinabi na mali daw ang report. Dahil alam naman daw niya na hindi pa siya qualified para tumakbo kahit sa pagka bise-presidente. Pareho naman ang age requirement sa mga gustong kumandidato sa pagka presidente at bise-presidente. Kailangan 40 na taong gulagg sa araw ng eleksyun.

Sa Mayo 2016, ang sunod na nasyunal eleksyun, 37 taong gulang pa lang si Pacquiao.

Bilib ako kay Pacquiao bilang boksingero ngunit bilang public servant, pansarili pa rin ang base ng kanyang mga desisyun. Hindi ko makalimutan ang sagot niya sa akin noong kampanya ng tanungin ko siya kung bakit gusto niya magiging congressman. Sabi niya para daw makakatulong sa kanyang mga kababayan.

Sinabi ko sa kanya, pwede naman siya makatulong sa kanyang mga kababayan kahit hindi siya kongresista. Marami naman siyang pera.

Sabi niya, “pera ko ang ginagamit ko ngayon. Mauubos yun. kawawa naman ang aking pamilya.”

Kaya pala gusto niya magiging kongresista para ang pera na itutulong niya sa kanyang mga kababayan ay manggagaling sa kaban ng gobyerno. Pera ng taumbayan. Wise nga naman.

Kaya, pagkatapos ng eleksyun, lumipat kaagad siya sa partido ni Pangulong Aquino para mapadali ang paglabas ng kanyang pork barrel.

Ngunit pagdating sa botohan sa isyu, hindi naman sumusunod si Pacquiao sa sinusulong ng Malacanang katulad na lang ng pag-impeach kay Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez na bomoto siya ng “No.’

Kung ibaba ang limitasyun sa edad ng mga gustong kumandidato sa pagka-presidente at bise-presidente at tatakbo si Pacquiao sa 2016, naku, baka manalo yan.

Sa 2022 na nasyunal eleksyun na lang siya tumakbo. Retirado na siya noon sa boksing. Kung gusto talaga siya ng tao kahit laos na siya sa boxing, okay nay an.

Ayon sa report, sinabi ni Sen. Franklin Drilon na sang-ayon raw si Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile at House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte sa kanyang panukala na amyendahan ang Constitution sa pamamagitan ng Constitutent Assembly.

Ibig sabihin noon, ang mga miyembro ng Kongreso ngayon, pareho ang mga kongresista at mga senador ang siyang magre-repaso at mag-amyenda ng Constitution. Hindi na ang Consitutional Convention kung saan boboto pa tayo ng magiging miyembro ng Convention na siyang mag-papalit ng Constitution.

Hindi pa sinabi ni Drilon ang mga parte ng Constitution na sa paniwala niya ay kailangan baguhin para lalong makatulong sa pag-unlad ng bansa ngunit sinabi niya na tungkol daw sa ekonomiya.