THE ELECTRONIC FILING AND PAYMENT SYSTEM (EFPS) OF THE BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE

The Bureau of Internal Revenue has further expanded the coverage of corporations required to file and pay taxes through the Electronic Filing and Payment System (EFPS) as per Revenue Regulations 10-2007. Revenue Regulations 10-2007 enumerates the following criteria for a corporation to be covered in EFPS:
  1. Corporations with paid-up capital stock of Ten Million Pesos (Php.10,000,000) and above;
  2. Corporations with complete computerized system;
  3. All government bidders pursuant to EO no. 398 as implemented by RR 3-2005.
However, non-stock, non-profit corporations are excluded from the coverage of RR 10-2007.

The BIR's Electronic Filing and Payment System (EFPS) is a filing and payment gateway of the BIR which started online on July 1, 2001. It is a system developed and maintained by the BIR where the taxpayer can file through the internet, tax returns including attachments (if any) and accordingly pay the taxes due through Authorized Agent Banks' (AAB) internet banking facility. In this process, the taxpayer's representative will not have to go to the bank or the BIR office to file and pay it's monthly dues as this can be done online. The taxpayer will only have to log-on to the agency's link https://efps.bir.gov.ph/index.html.

Generally, any corporation though not covered by the RR 10-2007 - specifically those non-large taxpayers, may still opt to avail of the Electronic Filing and Payment System. The taxpayer's representative will only have to have their company be enrolled in the BIR's system. The taxpayer will only need to have an Internet connection, Internet Explorer Version 5 or higher, an email account, an a nominated bank account of an Authorized Agent Bank of the BIR.

The introduction of EFPS have lessened the load of compliance on BIR requirements. Through the EFPS, taxpayers will not have to wait on long lines just to have its payments be received as this can be done by simply a click of a mouse. Mispostings on the BIR forms are likewise brought to a minimum since the forms on the EFPS system are electronic and will compute for itself the tax due on the filed return. Having the option of validation, the forms will be counter-checked by the system itself. Taxpayers will not be stressed with on beating the clearing time of banks as transactions done before 10PM can still be considered as payment for such day.

However, we have just recently experienced the downside of an online system. Last April 15, 2008, the deadline for filing Annual Income taxes, the EFPS system of the BIR bogged down causing confusion and chaos to its users. This, I think, should be primarily be considered by the government. Since it now uses the advantages of the internet to aide in its regulatory and licensing functions, it should also invest whatever is needed for an internet system to work flawlessly.

IS INCOME FROM BLOGGING TAXABLE?

Is income from blogging taxable? My answer is Yes. Though there have been no concrete BIR regulation to address this question or at least I may have not found one, the basis of my opinion is Chapter 3, Section 23 of the National Internal Revenue Code which states that "A citizen of the Philippines residing therein is taxable on all income derived from sources within and without the Philippines". Therefore, it means that all revenue sources of income by a Filipino currently residing in the Philippines shall be subject to tax.

Though income from such endeavor is not subjected to withholding taxes, this shall still be within the bounds of Philippine taxation. This will then be the responsibility of the income earner or of the blogger in this case, to report to the government his earnings from abroad. And since there exists no employee-employer relationship between the publisher (blogger) and the advertising middlemen, this may be reckoned to as income from business and therefore, as just like the thousands of blogging enthusiasts in the country who also has a full-time job, will now be treated as mixed income earner.

As a mixed income earner, first and foremost, the taxpayer will now be required to register at their respective BIR District Offices as such. With it goes the responsibility to pay for the registration fee of Php.500 and may further be subjected to VAT if the annual income from blogging goes beyond Php.1,500,000 annually. It will however be a zero-rated VAT since the business is a sale to customers outside of the country. Further, the taxpayer will now be required to keep books of accounts or accounting records. There will also be additional reportorial requirement as a mixed income earner, which is the quarterly income tax and even monthly VAT reports if income is reaches the VATABLE SALE threshold.

BUSINESS PERMIT SYSTEM GUIDEBOOK FOR CENTRAL VISAYAS

I have discussed about the project in its pilot roll-out in my post "Business will soon be as easy as ABC". After barely a year of pilot run, it is now going to be implemented region wide in Central Visayas. The goal being, to limit the number of bureaucracy and red-tape in acquiring and processing business permits.

A Business Permit and Licensing System (BPLS) guidebook will be launched on July 9th which will soon be in place in 40 Local Government Units (LGU's) in Central Visayas. The book's title "Towards One Business Permit and Licensing System", is expected to assist LGUs shift to a more investor-friendly Business Permit and Licensing System. This will create a one-stop shop for new businesses acquiring the necessary permits and licenses.

As I have expressed on my earlier post on "Business will soon be as easy as ABC", I applaud the stakeholders of this project in seeing through that this be implemented to as many LGU as possible. This will definitely ease the stresses of starting-up a business venture and financially lessen the cost of business start-up. This will give entrepreneurs more time in developing better products and services than on non-value adding activities to consumers.

My Opinion on RA 9504 (The Republic Act ammending the National Internal Revenue Code Relative to the Withholding of Income Tax on Compensation)

I am quite interested on the forthcoming BIR's approved Revenue Regulation on RA 9504 , otherwise known as The Republic Act amending the National Internal Revenue Code Relative to the Withholding of Income Tax on Compensation. On July 1, the Bureau of Internal Revenue conducted a public hearing relative to the published revenue regulations draft in its national office. As I have previously highlighted on my post "Increased Tax Exemptions for Individual Taxpayers", the personal exemptions increased to Php.50,000 and Php.25,000 per dependent on the additional personal exemption. Further, this law exempts the minimum wage earners the requirement of withholding tax and increases the threshold of exemption as minimum wage at Php.10,000 per month (Php.120,000 per year) if the said amount is higher than the minimum wage of the locality. Exemption on withholding tax applies further to holiday pays, hazard pays, overtime pay and differential pay received by minimum waged earner. RA 9504 further increases also the Optional Standard Deduction (OSD) for those individuals who are earning business income from 10% to 40%.

But reading through the draft revenue regulation, these aren't as simple as it seems. Though this law clearly expresses it's intent to alleviate the low income earners of the working class Filipinos, this creates so much confusion on the part of the employers, more specifically - the cubicled Corporate Finance Warriors that will be tasked perform the requirement of the BIR. Here are my points:
  1. Though the law provides for an increase in personal and additional exemptions to cover dependents, this will be effected on a pro-rated basis. The old personal and additional exemptions will still be effected on the individual's income covering January to June while the new exemptions will be for July to December. Even though this can simply be remedied with the aide of a spreadsheet, imagine the tediousness of the activity of dividing the personal and additional exemption by two and applying it to the individual's income and then accordingly adjust the taxes withheld to date. This in effect entails a preparation of an Alphalist of Employees as of June 2008.
  2. Though clearly now identifies that all income received by minimum waged earners will be exempted from withholding taxes, the fact still remains that such exemption does not exclude the person from paying income tax. It is thus of this reason perhaps that the BIR now requires employers to compute for the taxes due of minimum waged earners for the period January to June and these shall then be deducted to the minimum-wage employee's payroll for July. Again, an Alphalist preparation on the part of the employer - Annual Alphalist preparation procedure by the company for a period covering 6 months. Further, this will require also an HR undertaking to explain such deduction to minimum-wage employees' payroll.
  3. The law on exempting minimum-waged employees from withholding taxes is merely a temporary remedy and may even give burden to these minimum income level employees when the time to pay for income taxes arrives come April 15th. This temporary solution is clearly seen as such because of the provision on the draft regulation where minimum-wage employees are given the option to be subjected to withholding tax by requesting from employers "in writing" that the minimum-wage employee be deducted with withholding tax.
In my conclusion, the law simply fortifies that Taxes are the bloodlines of the Government. Though one may be exempted from withholding taxes, this does not exclude the same from income tax payment. The law, in effect, could only be highlighted with this features: Increase in Personal and Additional Exemptions (but then again, this is still on a pro-rated basis for 2008). Stating the exemption of minimum-waged earners from income taxes and increasing the 40% OSD on individual business-income earners are but moth and academic.

New Schedule of Submission of Philhealth Remittance Reports (RF-1)

Beginning 3rd Quarter of 2008, the submission of the revised remittance reports (RF-1) of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation shall be on on or before the 15th after the applicable month. The old schedule of submission of remittance reports will be followed only until the 2nd Quarter of 2008 which covers the remittance months of April - June 2008. Based on the old schedule, the deadline of submission of Remittance Reports (RF-1) will still be on the 15th of July, 2008.

The new schedule which will effect for the month covering July 2008 requires the submission of remittance reports (RF-1) on August 15th, 2008. From then on, succeeding months' premium contributions remittance report will be due every 15th day after the applicable month. Employers who are "diskette-reporting" shall also follow the same schedule. However, the deadline of payment of remittance remains on every 10th day after the applicable month.

INCREASED TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYERS

Both houses for Philippine Congress are now about to hold it's joint committee deliberations to put into law an increased personal and allowable deductions for individual taxpayers. Currently, a single taxpayer enjoys Php.20,000.00 deduction as a allowable deduction from his/her taxable income, for a head of the family individual is Php.25,000 and for a married individual Php.32,000. An additional Php.8,000 allowable deduction from a head of the family or married individual for every dependent to a maximum of 4 dependents.


The Philippines' House of Representatives and House of Senate are proposing an increased personal exemption to Php.50,000 for a single, head of the family or married individual and an additional Php.25,000 per dependent for the two latter types of individual taxpayer. This will be the government's answer to help ease the effect of rises prices and escalating cost of living. I believe it is just appropos that this bills be passed into law as this will very much directly benefit individual taxpayers. Hopefully, the Filipino people will already be hearing this good news in effect by the end of this end of June.

WAGE INCREASE IN CEBU CITY

I am a waged corporate warrior but a talk of a WAGE INCREASE gives me mixed emotions. Already, Metro Manila and in the CALABARZON region have been given Php.20.00 WAGE INCREASE and Region 10 have been granted a Php.12.00 increase on COLA (Cost of Living Allowance).

Let me explain my concerns when an impending wage increase is in the horizon. I see the move as an ignition to all other increases in goods and services. It also further pushes some companies to hire contract workers where tenure of an employee is forever contract-based and not be able to fully avail of the benefits of a regular employees. It further extends the gap of assuring job stability.

But then again, this is a problem of on a chicken-and-egg scenario. Whoever raises the bar higher will have to assume that the other will simply just have to catch up. My wish for the Philippines is that we harness the benefits of natural gas.

Making Financial Reports Turn to Gold

You cannot literally make a financial report turn to gold but you can make it be a tool for your company's gold rush. After the busy season for those in the Accounting Profession, May is then the time to hand-in those reports to external users.

There are two major regulatory agencies which requires the submission of Financial Statements. The first would be the Bureau of Internal Revenue who requires the Financial Statements to be submitted on or before the 15th of April, annually. The second major regulatory agency which needs the Financial Statements is the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Audited Financial Statements are required or used twice in the summer months by the SEC. The first would be on or before the 30th of April (after the Financial Statements have been stamped received by the BIR) and the second is on or before the 30th of May 2008. The second submission requires a format known as General Form for Financial Statements (GFFS). The GFFS is a specifically formated template by the SEC which contains the data from the Annual Audited Financial Statements (AAFS). This is to a requirement for corporations with a gross revenue of at least Five Million Pesos (PHP.5,000,000.00). These Financial Statements are indeed worth in gold judging by their relevance.

Financial statements are relevant not only to the users in the organization but equally more important to entities outside the corporation. These are the regulatory agencies and creditors especially banks who see these financial statements in gold.

Philippine TAX AMNESTY Deadline Today

The deadline for the Philippines' Bureau of Internal Revenue's Tax Amnesty Program, otherwise known as R.A. 9480 or the Tax Amnesty Act of 2007, is today - May 5, 2008.

The original deadline set by the Bureau was on March 6, 2008 but was later amended by the Department of Finance through Revenue Memorandum Circular 29-2008. The amnesty program covers internal revenue income taxes of taxable year 2005 and prior years. Take note though that this only covers Income Taxes and does not include liabilities for withholding taxes for expanded and compensation withholding taxes. The amnesty fees ranges from Php50,000 to Php500,000 for corporations, depending on the company's authorized capital stock, while Php50,000 for individuals.

What this TAX AMNESTY does is that it erases Income Tax Liabilities of 2005 and prior years and will in effect, generally exempts the taxpayer on BIR Audits for the said years. For the detailed information, regulations pertaining to this Law can be found on the Bureau of Internal Revenue Website (www.bir.gov.ph) on how to avail of the Philippine TAX AMNESTY Program.

I Follow Comments on Cebu iMaginations

I have enabled a "Do Follow Comment" on my Cebu iMaginations site. This would be my way of thanking my visitors who dropped a comment on any entry on my posts by linking them back through a "Do Follow Comment" Plug-in.





Cubicled Playground is back on Business

Okay, okay. I thought I wouldn't be going back to blogging on my Cubicled Playground but had open this again. For reasons my dear friends will soon discover and I may not need to say it.

So there we go, Cubicled Playground is back online with a new look, hopefully a new feel and a logo to add on.




So welcome back again, friends to my Cubicled Playground!

Transferred to Cebu iMaginations







Money in the Net

It's amazing how the word "money" is being searched in the internet. That probably is why a lot of blogs talk about money-making.

My entries in keywording Show Me the Money in Cebu is steadily making it's way on the top rankings and Making Cows Turn to Cash is on top of the SEO too. This just shows that not only are we looking for money and opportunities of money the traditional way but also on the internet. Indeed, there are a lot of opportunities that can be found on the net and not just in Cebu, it simply takes a lot of patience, perseverance and little luck for the internet to show you the money.

Debts, Death and Taxes

Today’s issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer published a column with the heading “Delay in corporate income tax cut looms; Congressmen want relief for individuals instead”. This news, as for me in the corporate taxation field, could only shake my head in disappointment. With all the mounting rise in costs of business, the reprieve that a lowered corporate tax would have meant the much needed help for thriving businesses especially those in the export industry. A break on the 35% income tax on corporations would have meant lowered prices for products and services or such savings could have been shifted to employee salary increase.

On a personal note though, this news brings joy to salary earners as there is a pending proposal in Congress that additional personal deduction be raised from Php.32,000, for married individuals, to Php.75,000 each. In a lot of ways, this would help families. This will therefore lower the taxable income of married individuals which directly will increase net take home pay as this would then require lower monthly withholding taxes. This is great help especially those whose salaries would even be not enough to provide the basic needs of the family. Among which would mean bigger budget for food on the table, a more stable budget for savings, or a wider source for funding to pay up
Homeowner Loans. Hopefully this would see the light of a addendum to the present tax laws. The citizens have long been waiting for this news and it would be about time.

Moving from the World to Cebu

I have all been a Cebuano all my life. All things being equal, there would be nothing like the Queen City of the South, I know the place like the palm of my hands. But I have never been a Cebu-based Cebuano all the time. I have spent around 5 years in Lilo-an, Southern Leyte but still with the summer vacations spent in Cebu.

I was born in Cebu City. All the way from conception up to the pre-natal months, I lived outside of Cebu City. But as my mother's compulsion, being a 100% Cebuana herself and to deliver her first born son in a place she had known all her life, went back to Cebu City. Thinking about it, it was like my mom being in a basketball finals game 7 and she just wanted to play in her hometown. And it was hometown indeed. Her gynecologist was her close friend, who by the way was the reason for my unique second first name, and is my godmother. There was no place she could think of where she can be comfortable with the delivery but only in Cebu City Map. It was only then that I was two months old that we went back to Leyte and after 5 five years finally decided to head back home, to Cebu City home.

Moving from one place to another takes a lot of one's time, energy and resources. There comes the decision of looking for a permanent
mls real estate or homes for rent. Buying the permanent relocation real estate property will be a lifelong decision and thus be decided with so much care. On the other hand, renting a place while could be an option which also has to be done with a lot of consideration.

I have never been back to Leyte since we left for good. I could even recall wonderful and joyful experiences there. Perhaps one of these days, I shall find a way to visit the place. Leyte has been a part of me and a help that I realize the value of being at home. Being with people you share your joys, sorrow and dreams with. Dreams for a better Cebu City for my family.

Updates from Cebu City Map

Even amidst calls for a president’s resignation, Cebu City Map has stood firm on its thrust to be always mean business for its inhabitants. The weekend, more specifically Friday, Cebuanos saw one of the more attended public gathering relating to the Philippine’s current events. It did caused quite a headache for motorists like yours truly but all taken into consideration, it was business as usual in the Cebu City Map.

A wonderful news for the Cebu City is the recognition as being one of the awardees of the Gawad Galing Pook 2007 along with nine other cities in the country. Cebu City’s “strengthening the justice system in the grassroots” was picked among the 19 finalists evaluated last November. Ten were chosen as recipients of the award, which recognizes local government units (LGUs) “for outstanding and trailblazing local governance programs” and thus Cebu City was included. Further details of which can be found
here.

It is always refreshing to hear such positive news amongst chaotic and sensational happening in the country’s capital. Still, much is being talked about with regards to the NBN-ZTE deal and it is always a welcome to the senses, especially if these are close to your heart such as your hometown. It is always is great to note that even beyond the confusion, it is still business as usual in Cebu City Map.

Getting Ahead of the Race

When I was young, one of the favorite activities during sundays was groceries shopping with my mother. It was not because I would be able to choose more junk foods than my younger siblings who were more often left at home as junk foods would be for the family not only intended for one. It was the goodies being offered for free by either promo girls or mascots.

Being in the field of Business and Finance, I realize how important it is for product visibility. Especially for a product which is a new entrant to a market, it has to penetrate the customers with aggressiveness so as to be known at the fastest time possible. One of the ways to do this activity is through promotional items. Products may be introduced to the market together with an item that pushes a consumer more to buy it. A new toothpaste brand may be packed with a toothbrush so as to entice the consumer to try the product. Another strategy may be done through a product or brand launching where the new item may be packed as giveaways or
promotional gifts to suppliers, company patrons and valued consumers to make them aware and try the product.

Promotional products sprout very so often so it is a must that these product launch activities be handled by professionals. It is very important that products project the company's vision and culture and at the same time deliver the effectiveness and efficiency expected by consumers. But beyond promotional items products should address the need of a consumer on a more innovative way, for a newly launched product to succeed and this may be done with the help of public relations experts.

Page Ranking to a Cebuano Blogger

I have not heard nor have given attention to blogging until only mid-2007. A lot of things were cooking up then that I simply did not have time to look at other beautiful and exciting things free stuffs can offer. I started my Cebuano Blogging roughly 7 months ago and it was all a trial and error approach. I did not know what to blog about, as I only knew that it was tweaking some html codes in the process. This I have mentioned in my previous posts.

But with that short span of time that I got to have a peek of the blogging world, one by-word could easily be identified and that was Page Ranking. Well, what is that anyways? I did not know then and I don't know more now. For all I care is that this so-called page ranking somehow gives a site higher authority than others. Higher authority means that the Google search engine have archived enough pages from your website that when a phrase related to your site is searched, your URL address is given higher preference or authority. But I can be wrong, I am not an expert on this. I just interpret it by the way I have experienced SEO experimentation so far.

The benefit that I got from this Page Ranking thing was the opportunity to earn paid postings were widened. I got to qualify to post on higher paying opportunities than before. But I know as like in anything, this has to be done in a lot of moderation so as not to lose that long-awaited page ranking.

Work Safety

In whatever career a person chooses to invest his or her time on to, it is not only enough that such person has the right skills and exposure needed for the task at hand. Equally important is the person’s dedication to the chosen profession or vocation. These two ingredients, right skills and dedication, are need for a person to be successful at work.

And because of this dedication that at times a worker goes beyond the call of duty and in the process risks life and limbs in the performance of the job. It is always thus a requirement that considering these risks, a worker observes safety measures to protect himself. Unfortunately, situations happen beyond anyone’s control and in an unexpected moment. Accidents are such that they at times occur even beyond safety precautions. It is on these situations that a worker needs
Accident Compensation. And it is in these times and situations that a worker needs assistance so as to be provided with the proper care.

It is equally important that
accident compensation assistance is provided by those which have integrity, independence and disposes the task at the interest of the worker. These claims can be done at the most professional way and thus is very relevant that a worker chooses the most knowledgeable professional services firm in handling accident compensation.

Updating Cebu City Dates

This calls for great for a celebration. I just noticed that this humble cebuano blogger got PR 3. Pinch me if I'm dreaming, otherwise Yippee!

Will this beautiful development mean better income opportunities? I don't know but sure do hope so. For more than a week of cubicled playground absence, simply meant that got a new to experiment, twist and tweak. My previous posts mentioned about a funny yet exciting attempt to launch a cebuano website. During the days of Cebuano Blogging absence meant days spent on mygoldendagger.com. I have named it Cebu Imaginations.

I do hope you could drop by sometime on the site and give me your ideas or opinion about it. Be expecting you guys there on my Cebu Imaginations.

Cebu City Blogging: A Stage Higher

This will be a quick one as I did not intend to post an entry. I'm bringing my blogging experiment to the next level! Nope, it will not be about improving my entries in terms of grammar or content. It will still be the same old mine-style blogging, and it will still be an add-on if visitors would continue reading my posts even if how terrible it may be. LOL! And I hope I get to share too some of the exciting stuffs that happens on this CEBU CITY BLOGGING, and better yet, give a vivid picture of that.

Now, going back to the purpose of this post. By bringing this blogging experience to a higher level means that I have already purchased a domain name and have availed of a web hosting service. Nothing extra-ordinary about that BUT as I have previously posted an entry on how I was enticed to setting-up a blogger account because of the opportunity to learn about web design, I think I can learn more if I set-up a website on my own. Though I may not be entirely starting from scratch as I intend to use available templates but this is going to be a great experience for me. It may even be quite messy and time-consuming but I wouldn't mind the hassles considering the tons of new things I will learn in the process. Already, I have made quite a lot of blunders and I think my webhost's support team has already flag a description beside my username with "Pain-in-the-part of the body". For the past two days now, I have probably emailed the tech support guys some of the most stupid questions a website-developer-wannabe would ever dare to ask, LOL!

Still, I'm really very much excited about the whole process and as I said, this will be quite messy, fortunately not for me but for my webhost. LOL! And with the hours I've spent trying to learn web development, I have learned so many new stuffs. I just hope I would learn faster than those tech support guys losing their patience on me.

(See, I'm supposed to be doing some CEBU CITY BUSINESS stuffs this late in the evening but I can't stop talking about my experiment. Can't wait to have it all done and then do some more! Still I think I am well within the tolerable level of web-development-addiction as the wife haven't complained yet but already too, she's quite worried on the spendings of the Digital SLR project. LOL!) Ah! Boys will always be boys!

Connecting to the Blogging Community

In today's age, the world have been closer by the day. Though not physically as it still takes the same "x" kilometers to travel from home to destination but reaching it have all been easier. Technology have given each one of us a wider range of means to reaching-out to people yet at the comfort and time we wish. With emails, online social networking, Voice Over IP, instant messaging, mobile communications, there are varied ways to choose and only one's resourcesfullness is the limit to how one can take advantage of these tools. Online diaries, which we all know as Blog, have developed into quite an interesting tool over the years. It has evolved from being a personal expression tool to now a varied ways of connecting to people especially to friends.

I have joined
PayPerPost as this gives me more opportunities to write something which I am passionate about. It gives me the drive to better my niche on online business blogs and ups the ante on weblogs. I have been yearning for about sometime of when I could join the payperpost community and join thousands of bloggers talk about stuff they feel confident about and expresses more the ideas of what their blogs would want to represent. Being a CEBUANO BLOGGER makes me be open to the marketplace of the world and connects me to the world of blogging.

This is the beauty that I see on
PayPerPost and have enticed me to join the community of review blogging.

TRANSACTING CEBU BUSINESS TO THE WORLD

A great valentines day gift to all our OFWs and those who are planning to find better pastures outside of the country. Yesterday, VALENTINES DAY, the Philippine Overseas Employment Authority suspended the implementation of the new rule on direct hiring of Filipinos by Foreign Companies based outside the country. I posted an entry with regards to this new POEA rule here. This is great news as prospective employers of Filipino Skilled Workers will have lesser red tape in hiring directly from the Philippines.

Just so I could get the word out especially to my friends who are working abroad. This is great news really! You can find the full text of the memorandum
HERE.

Spending Time

So today is valentines day. Now what? There are actually quite a lot of things that people do to celebrate valentines day. Most of whom celebrate it by having dinner with a loved one. That is the reason a lot of restaurants consider valentines day as a very busy day. But of course, couples would definitely want to spend time in a romantic ambience and restaurants simply cater to that need.

In these days and age though, a lot of people want to spend valentines day in a unique experience. What better unique way to spend valentines day by sharing it in a casino. Where and how to spend it may be planned ahead by
online casino reviews sites. For those who prefer to spend time on a much exclusive place and decide to spend valentines day on their homes, some may even play online casino games and share the thrills and excitement. And spend the night away with an undivided attention with your special someone. Who knows, lady luck must be her - right by your side. Fun and excitement

PROUD AND LOUD: CEBUANO BLOGGER

I've displayed a badge given by a fellow cebuano blogger which I set-up at my left side bar. It shouts "CEBUANO BLOGGER". And yes I am, a CEBUANO blood runs through this author's veins. I've been born and have lived most of my life in CEBU CITY.

A CEBUANO BLOGGER’S TWO-CENT REFLECTION

I had a good read from Jim Paredes' blog Writing on Air. It touches on a topic about how a lot of us are so focused on the "big" things that in the process we fail to recognize the smaller ones. This may not actually be what the Mr. Paredes would want to send as a message to his readers but that was how I grasped the idea. And I could only nod in agreement to such premise.

This is exactly true for me and I suppose for a lot of young professionals who have just seen their own potential and on how we could easily take on the world with our bare hands. We see life mostly of its "big" events that we feel disappointed when faced with situations where life is simply as being as it is. Simple that only subtle event captures us as of the moment and none of the grand standing that always was a spice of whatever was an issue at hand. That we feel a disappointment when we run at high speeds like crazy yet suddenly feel the stop sign and holds us still.

I could totally relate to the "fast and furious" ride as a corporate warrior in my earlier years in the profession. Having been given the opportunity of racing the league with other players in the nation's capital gave me the thought that I could easily unleash my abilities and win some on the process. These experiences gave me the exposure of like driving a Ferrari and accelerate from 0 to 100mph in under 6 seconds. As what Mr. Paredes rightly opined, being in such a race takes out ones opportunity to appreciate the little things in between. It felt at that time that a non-eventful day was a let down and was somehow a waist of time.

So I had known better to hit the brakes and rode a more subtle yet meaning ride in life. It is not after all only the "big" things that makes life worthwhile but rather the minute details that life offers that makes it worth a journey. It is in acknowledging the simple joys in life that makes it more beautiful and better to share with. Now, I see more of life on a more colorful view that I could better visualize how I have traveled so far by focusing not on the "spectacles" only but equally the little things that defines life in general.

CEBU CITY MAP UPDATES THE WORLD

Just to update the Cebu City Map to the World, some exciting things are unfolding locally and nationally. I just don't know if we ought to be happy about or brace ourselves for yet another power struggle. Nah, I'd better leave politics to politicians, better they have something to do at least! I'm talking about the nonstop tale of the ZTE DEAL for the supposed NATIONAL BROADBAND NETWORK PROJECT of the Philippines. Just another reason to shout for a change of President. Exciting really!

Locally, there's the BANILAD-TALAMBAN FLY-OVER project in my beloved CEBU CITY. Apparently, that is how we CEBUANOS are going to solve the traffic problem in said area. Can't wait for it be done or see where this traffic problem ends up. I just don’t know what it is with CEBU CITY and transportation. If we don’t get problematic about traffic congestion, we worry about car smuggling. Exciting again!

On my blogging front, my blog on MAKING COWS TURN TO CASH is still creating traffic. Might have hit some good SEO stuffs on FINANCIAL RATIO there. On the CUBICLED world, our number warrior are already busy with INCOME TAX COMPUTATIONS. Locally, the enforcing agency on top of ITR FILING is the BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE while in the US is the INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE. Those are quite boring stuffs! LOL!

At this time of the year, SUMMER SEASON would have already been starting but rain still pours in quite frequently. Nevertheless, CEBU CITY MAP is just the right stuff for me.

My BUCKET LIST Reflection

Don't ask me again if where and how I saw BUCKET LIST, the only thing relevant is that I've seen it. I'd like to share with you a sort of "my movie review" of the film, but this is definitely not a spoiler. A caution though, this movie’s genre is definitely not for teenagers. You may also have to be ready to feel the weight of sadness after watching the movie. If you want to have to feel relaxed, you’d better not buy tickets for this movie.

The Plot:
Bucket list showcases a simplest story telling outline without useless fancy twists thus gives the viewers more focus on the dept of what the story intends to deliver. It begins with a traditional backgrounder of each character and slowly develops the storyline of how the movie would evolve. The movie's beginning tends to be dragging and a bit boring but equally important to the entire storyline as this lay-out starter is the foundation of what develop as the story goes on.

The Actors:
Morgan Freeman's calm and humble persona and Jack Nicholson's sarcastic and straight-forward character was a great mixture to portray a story as deep as bucket list. The two were perfect for the roles which gave credit and further realism to the crisis the characters fought to overcome. MORGAN FREEMAN and JACK NICHOLSON - enough said, you know the works.

The Message:
Beyond the magnificent settings the movie showcased, it was the depth of the conversation that will move viewers to a lot of realizations. The movie's theme for me was: making up for lost dreams, where we realize that it is not important of how we will become but how we have lived our lives. The message was definitely not new as there have been a lot of movies that showcased such situations, but as it is in life, we will always never be tired of seeing people rise above crisis situations. More so, even if it meant that there would be no escaping destiny yet it is of the fashion that we face it with that will show our strength and character. I was moved by a scene in which the characters were in Egypt. It said that when people die, a question is given to one who wants to enter heaven and these are: 1 - Have you experienced joy in your life? And; 2 - Have you given joy to others?

Definitely a good movie for the weekend.

Searching for the Right Kind of Love

Love creates meaning to things we do. Beyond the trials we go through in our life journeys, it is always with a loved one that we surpass all of it. Be it love between parents to children, sons and daughters to parents, friends, husband and wife, man and woman, there are varied ways of expressing these by one to another.

The way we manifest our love may not be the same for everyone. As equally relevant is a person's uniqueness, each person requires too, different types of loving attention. Love may be shown to by how much we care for another person. A great tool to finding this care information is through the internet. Nursing homes vary to the type of services they provide thus is essential that we care search carefully. Through nursing home search engines, we find information on care.

My Mumblings on Cebu City Map

I have been mumbling about politics but I haven't just gotten the courage to post it on a blog. I consider my political inclination as personal and would rather keep it to myself. But I am making this post as an exception. And hopefully, this would be one of the few if not the only post that would include a personal opinion with regards to politics.

So here we go again. It's hard to resist something like things even if I'm just mumbling in my own CUBICLED PLAYGROUND in this humble CEBU CITY MAP. It never ceases to amaze me how we could always associate a month with a particular issue. Are we overly sensationalizing news items or it is because we FILIPINOS SIMPLY LOVE an event. Pardon my hypothesis but is it because it ligthens us up by focusing more on stuffs of a so-called "NATIONAL INTEREST ISSUE" and drags it for months or even years rather than solving the grass roots problem of our society?

So what if we change the SPEAKER of the LOWER HOUSE OF CONGRESS, it isn't the first time anyways. For a lack of a better hobby, why not also change the PRESIDENT as well, we've been quite adjusted to it anyways. It's not like its not a natural occurrence, isn't it? A broadband deal gone bad is just too hard to resist for an issue to call for a PRESIDENT's ouster. For crying out loud, have you just heared such demands for the first time? This have always been a hot issue even for a CEBU CITY MAP. And while we're at it, why not change the constitution?

Oh, when will we ever get tired of all these an focus on something that we all can be proud off. Can the CEBU CITY MAP push for autonomy? Just thinking out loud. For all this is worth, this could be part of my SEO experiment.

CEBU CITY TRANSACTS ONLINE

I don't know if for how long have I mentioned this but I have been yearning to put-up a website of my own. It's just that - a website, from my beloved CEBU CITY to the world. As to whatever I would eventually put in is just totally a mixture of sorts in my mind. There are quite a lot of things I do that I think I could get inspiration from in setting up the site and its contents.

I'm thinking of something that somehow a little transaction occurs right in my CEBU CITY doorsteps. Though I don't have a clear picture of whatever I sell online, I'm definitely going to use a
shopping cart software. Transactions are done easier with the help of an ecommerce software that is reliable and makes this fast and safe.

Once I've organized things to set-up the site, I'm consiring using a shopping cart software.
CEBU CITY blogging has just made this opportunity all the more exciting.

10 Random Things About Me…

Nightdreamer shared this post to about 10 of us in his dopeblogs and I’m sharing it also:

1. This has to be first amongst others, I’m itching to have me a Digital SLR Camera. The earliest time on realizing that dream would be the last week of February but definitely before June 2008. Already, the wife is complaining about the incoming toy. I’m thinking about getting a brand new Nikon D40x or a 8-month old D80 from a former high school classmate, now a doctor in New York City which means that I’d be getting a 100% genuine D80 if I decide to get it. But I’m fixed to getting the darkside already.

2. I started blogging sometime June 2007 where I signed up for free hosting via wordpress. It was Novz who showed me the cool stuffs I could do with blogger, not to mention the earning possibilities, that I transferred to to it sometime November 2007. I carried the same blog title that I had when I started with wordpress.

3. I talk to myself when I’m alone in the car or sing out loud, either that or I’m not driving or not alone in the car.

4. I don’t play basketball, nor do I watch it. The last time I got interested on watching basketball was when Michael Jordan was playing for the bulls. I know how to dribble or shot, but never played competitive basketball even in my teens.

5. I played badminton for 3 years during weekends, the last time being in 2006. Until now, I haven’t seen my badminton rackets since I stacked it in my cabinet since last year.

6. I’m a computer games geek. I play a lot of campaign scenario games. I know “Empire Earth” is such an outdated game but I love the idea of sending a nation to battle. I mostly play it on the “Dark Ages” scenario. I once played it for 10 hours straight, from 10PM to 7AM.

7. I’m currently searching for a good template to use for my planned photo blog.

8. I plan to join the sinulog photo contest by next year (January). I’ve seen the winners of this year’s photo contest and I think it wasn’t that demanding, but they were definitely quite a lot of good takes. I fairly have an idea of where to get inspirations for the photos during the event. I know quite a lot with regards to what events are, both religious and civic, during the festival.

9. The most complicated stuff I know how to cook is “leche plan” but I’m proud to say that I make darn good ones.

10. This wasn’t a random list since I first thought what I wanted to share that were not yet known of me in blog world.

I’m sharing this tag to Siu, Eds, Juliana and Francine and Neil.

CEBU CITY MAP ISSUES OF THE WEEK

There are two huge issues in the country these days. These things definitely involve politics though one of them directly affects the Filipino people more than the other, and of course includes the CEBU CITY MAP.

Issue number one is about the looming power war for the SPEAKERSHIP OF THE LOWER HOUSE OF CONGRESS. The battle for dominance and influence will be shown most probably this afternoon as CONGRESS may do voting on who, between the current speaker JOSE DE VENECIA JR. and challenger CONGRESSMAN NOGRALES of DAVAO CITY, will lead the Philippine Lower House. Though both are affiliated with the PRESIDENT GMA, both have been holding their own caucauses to convince fellow congressmen to take to their sides for a now definite HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP BATTLE. As CEBUANOS in the CEBU CITY MAP, we now only witness on the sidelines the power war that may start this afternoon. My hope is that may these two distinguished gentlemen always remember that whatever they are fighting for may benefit the majority of the FILIPINO PEOPLE and not just the select few who only wants to expand their influence and richness at the sake of a PHILIPPINE STABILITY.

Issue number two is the issue on a new law affecting our OFWs. It says:

Stricter rules on direct hiring of OFW was issued recently by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. The rules which takes effect on January 15, 2008 allows direct hiring of OFWs by foreign employers only upon approval by the Secretary of Labor and subject to screening of employers and employment contract verification by the Labor Attaché or the Philippine Embassy.

Direct hiring may be allowed only for members of the diplomatic corps and of international organizations, government officials of m inisterial level, and employers who are hiring on one-time or trial basis. The number of employees to be hired directly shall not exceed 5.

More on this new can be found at this link.
I think this adversely affects the competitiveness of our OFWs in finding jobs outside of the country. I just hope the benefits further outweigh the disadvantage that this new law may bring to the CEBU CITY MAP and to the Filipino working population.

Online Business Made Easy

Corporations in these days and age, especially those engaged in the trading business employ both traditional and new methods of reaching out to its market. Equally important is a Company’s ability to provide real-time solutions from human’s most basic need to the most bizarre vanity.

When I used to work for a telecommunications company, reaching out to consumers meant going beyond the usual “Customer-Buys-In-Store” concept. The company had to bring the product literally outside the confines of a CUBICLED selling area and offer them in varied of ways which involved “Open-Field Booths” where there were activities that gathered a good number of people, “house-to-house selling”, and initiated promotional activities with combined selling programs.

These sales techniques have been further intensified due to competition. It is also because of intense competition that Companies must be ever present anywhere their products/services are deemed useful and anytime a consumer deems its products/services essential. It is thus of these realizations that Corporations dedicate websites to further the presence however they can including on the World Wide Web. Further enhancing that presence is the ability to trade online with customers.

A useful tool to cater to that ecommerce activity is through
shopping carts. An important consideration in choosing for a suitable service provider on hosted shopping cart software is its connectivity with major banks and credit cards, gateways and third party processors including Paypal. The leading provider on a complete solution for merchants to sell online is Ashop Commerce.

Partners that makes ecommerce easier and faster offers wider access to products and services to customers anywhere in the world.

A Welcome from SMORTY

I have mentioned in a previous post how Blogosphere have made the world smaller. I could travel, gossip (haha!) and be informed of the news with just about anything and anyone though simply be in a little nook in CEBU CITY.

With the latest e-commerce driven developments on the Internet, it has now become easier to transact with someone, at the other end of the world from where I am located. Web logs are now mostly driven with not just with a person’s event in life but also as a form of a profit venture. A known profit venture of that sort is blog advertising. Smorty, one of the better known service provider in connecting bloggers to advertisers, gives me that opportunity. Once I signed-up for membership, in no time I received approval status and came with that were opportunities to get paid for blogging. I only had to write opinions or reviews on advertisers and provide readers with the advertiser's link.

It was that simple really, so why don’t you give that blogging muscle some adverstising money for a while. Its amazing to know how you earn dollars right at the comfort of your own homes, and in my case, right at the middle of CEBU CITY.

Cebu City Map to Business: SPEED DATING in CEBU CITY

Advertisements are now much more open on this activity since it first invaded the CEBU CITY MAP some three years ago. I am talking about SPEED DATING in CEBU CITY. The concept of this is to go out of one's comfort zone by widening a person's circle of friends. Through Speed Dating, a person could meet friends and probably, develop a more intimate relationship with one of the participants. This is just one opener for VALENTINES happening over the weekend in CEBU CITY MAP.

My opinion could be summed up in three words: WAY TO GO! This activity invites CEBU CITY's eligible bachelors and single ladies in a specifically intended venue for such. Three years ago when I first knew of this activity, I have just heard of it from a friend who was excited to join the activity. Though I did not join it, I heard that it involved some cocktail tables where single ladies would wait. Bachelors would be given a 5-minute limit to a lady in waiting and after such time, he would have to go to another cocktail table and in no way would be given the chance to go back to any lady he has approached earlier. The concept is to Speed Date, and hook up to her in 5 to 10 minutes depending on the rules set by the organizers.

CEBU CITY MAP has indeed evolved from timid, conservative singles to now more open ways of meeting people. Cebuanos have now played by the rules of world yet maintaining a culture of its own and is all the more displaying CEBU CITY MAP.

Too Little Time, Too Much to Tell

Let me give you a breather from all my Cebu City Map series and talk about something supposedly entertaining, until you watch it. I've seen "The Seeker: The Dark is Rising". No, don't ask me about where I saw the movie, this entry is not about that. This wouldn't be much of a spoiler also since I wouldn't be talking about the plot either. This would probably have to be my 2 cents on the movie in general.

I have not read the novel and neither have I heard of it prior to watching the movie, so my only source of information about its story was the movie itself. The story was fairly simple; nothing shown in the movie that got too complicated. But that was actually one failure they had. It showed nothing about the past of the groups' beginnings. It said that the boy was "the seventh son of a seventh son", so what? Did it mean that his father also had 6 big brothers? And then what? Or did it mean the generation to which the father belonged to? Why the coincidence to the rise of the dark side? How were the "Older Members" of the society chosen, where they the 6th son of a seventh son that they didn't qualify for the job? (Ok, I'm being corny! LOL!) Where the "Old Members" related to the boy's family and indeed they belonged to the same family tree? Or were the "Old Members" also seekers in their youth but their powers have now faded?

Darn, at the end of the story, you'd end up making your own storyline than be convinced of what was presented. And oh, I watched the movie because I don't have time reading the novel. Watching it was like entering the movie house at the middle of the show, you wouldn't know how it came to be other than the fact that the boy had the responsibility to save the world and he had powers, for some reason though, I did not see him using it during times of battle.

There clearly were numerous attempts of mellow-dramatic scenes, but it failed miserably. It was like the scenes were very much in a hurry to have itself done and move on to the next that it ended up being just a show of special effects rather than a story-teller. There have been movies which lasted for 3 hours or more yet it gained a lot of revenues. So budget constraints might have been the factor of cutting a movie that could have been great, but that was one movie very much in a hurry to be done and over with.

I felt terrible after watching the movie. Not that darkness failed to conquer the light, but darkness indeed conquered my imagination. I didn't know what to make up with it. I had lots of questions about the movie that now I'm trying to google the story just to feed my inquiries.

Cebu City Map to Business: Borderless Trading

The world has once again shrunk to a diameter-feet lesser and the CEBU CITY MAP magnified to the world. Paypal just introduced a new innovation by allowing its account owners trunsfer funds to local Philippine banks. What's more exciting about it is that a minimal fee of Php.50 pesos is charged for fund transfers lower than Php.7,000 while free if higher than the latter amount. (Heck, this could be a paid post and me earning! Where are you Blogvertiser! This is Blogvertiser stuff!)

Anyways, this news simply makes money-making online a lot more interesting. Aside from the fact that Blogvertiser makes this stuff a lot cooler. Prior to this, cashing up one's paypal funds ended up with only two easy options, one was opening an account from a specified bank or having it applied to one's visa card. This feature not only opens e-commerce at a personal "blog advertising" driven trading but further gives e-commerce entrepreneurs a wider option to sell to the world. This opportunity creates a borderless CEBU CITY MAP business, or rightly - a MAPLESS CEBU CITY.

Cebu City Map to Business: A Team Effort to Improve

I personally know only two cebuano blog authors so far, the rest - I know them to be either found on a CEBU CITY MAP or cebuano but outside the country through blogging. If I would look at the CEBU CITY MAP, it is undoubtedly a very small place where I can travel anywhere within CEBU CITY from one point to another at no more than 45 minutes, street traffic being normal. It is thus quite surprising how small CEBU CITY is yet not once have there been a meet of cebuano blog owners that I have heard of. Well, at least not one which there have been a public announcement of such.

Blogging, as an organized group interest has not yet been given much attention to put the CEBU CITY MAP on the blogging community. My personal opinion on this is that though people, even cebuanos want to connect with other people online but blogging for a lot of them is simply just that, a personal web log. That being personal, writing an entry therefore require not much of inter-action with other people and not even fellow blog enthusiasts. As a medium of self-expression, a cebuano or blog author in general simply has one consideration in writing a piece and that is himself.

However, I do believe that just like any hobby or passion that has inter-action, a group interest activity may further enhance not just the writer but also the activity itself. CEBU blogging might have a stronger impact to CEBU CITY if this would be geared to an effort on which goal a group directs on. Someone to take the lead may just be what the group needs to draw a blogging CEBU CITY MAP.

CEBU CITY MAP to Business: Vogue Cebu, vogue!

I attended a forum related to Philippine economy and an emphasis on Cebu City Map to business scenario last week, where one of the speakers talked about finding the innate ability of an individual. By knowing a person's innate strength, that innate capability will be the person's investment to whatever venture he/she gets into. In as much as a businessman knows his market, that businessman must also know himself to drive whatever passion he has for business.

There are a few things I am passionate about which I think I could contribute Online to Cebu City Map to business. I am very much fond of technology, perhaps because I find it as another medium of artistic expression. Take for example digital photography where even inanimate objects are brought to life. I have seen a few pages of the coffee table book entitled "Cebu - Pride of Place" and I find it beautiful. It shows Cebu's richness in culture and diversity yet perfectly intertwined.

I have been yearning to study photography for quite a long time now and this year may just be the time to start it. With the occasional travel that I do through work, this hobby could be a great mixture. This could already be it, I can feel the shutter in my fingers ever more closely than before. So Cebu, prepare for the poses as I may be nearing you. Who knows, I might just be contributing to Cebu City Map to business and it’s Online presence.

Numbers in Action

I am a geek, in a way I think. No, its not because I was suddenly inspired by Bill Gates' latest $19.9M donation to IRRI, nor was I all of a sudden an adoring fan of Steve Jobs. I just surmised that I may be a geek after all.

If I would have been a lot younger, being tagged as a geek would instantly mean social death especially if I were either an elementary or high school student. I remembered watching "Pirates of Silicon Valley" which supposedly was a story about how Bill Gates and his team started what is now known as Microsoft. But then again, that is "Silicon Valley" and I was in Cebu City which meant that geeks were simply that, social outcasts of the majority.

I love accounting and a lot of people could attest that I love the profession I am into. Having said that fact though, I just feel that accounting indeed is a bit geeky. There is simply nothing melodramatic that goes on while doing it. I think that it is actually a reason why there have been no movie or television series even in the United States that depicts a life of a CPA. How could an unbalanced trial balance put the world's fate in peril? LOL! It even gets more geeky when accountants already discuss about accounting laws.

But beyond all that, I simply love the profession. It could be way far-off that CSI stuffs but the adventures of an unbalanced worksheet just appeals fun to me. The sense of satisfaction that I get from delivering a financial statement report is just right for me.

TRAVEL from CEBU to BLOGOSPHERE

I enjoy reading a lot, that was the inspiration of this blog, which I have also manifested on my second post. My day online starts by visiting CEBU’s community dailies to update myself of things that keeps my city busy. I have set-up my web browser’s favorites by grouping the ONLINE NEWS sites together so I would merely have to click on the link one after the other. Simultaneous with opening the news, I open a separate tab for my CUBICLED PLAYGROUND, of course. It for me is also news of how the site has been visited while I was off-line. Those of course are also simultaneously browsed while waiting for the emails that have waited for my local inbox to be opened from yesterday’s closure of the LAPTOP. CEBUANO multi-tasking at its best, LOL!

After those extras done, I then start my feed readings. I feel that I could be more updated, of what other bloggers who I have linked with have written, easier by subscribing feeds on their blogsite. Those who have frequently visited my site as to extend their regards may feel that I may seem snobbish of not visiting their sites in return but believe me when I say that I am well aware of what you guys have written. From time to time even, when I feel that I have some thoughts on the things fellow bloggers have published, I comment on those. I feel that with this activity, I have reached the far corners of the world yet still be in my beloved CEBU CITY, right down from MY CUBICLE.

I don’t often do blog hopping but I love the idea of it. It somehow tells me how small the world is and how easily I could travel the world yet be just right in the middle of CEBU. I believe that more important than such an activity is to update on the news of fellow bloggers by subscribing feeds. I am perhaps an easy loyalist. I am loyal to CEBU and I am fascinated by my linked bloggers.

CEBU’s Photo Perfect

CEBU has a lot to offer to artists which I think is the reason why I have been captivated by art more. If some call themselves frustrated singers, frustrated basketball players, then I could call myself a frustrated artist. What captivates me with artistry is not only the sense of freedom that it gives but beyond it is ability to convey itself a message through a medium other than words.

I have some friends in the Information Technology industry, some in Advertising and some in Marketing. The innate perks I see on their job is that it allows them to be an artist. My friends in the who are into website development clearly is able to exhibit art in the designs they deliver to clients, so do also with those in Advertising and Marketing.

ACCOUNTING is rather more science than art. Perhaps the interpretation of certain transactions gives one a sense of independence as to its treatment, but bottom-line is that accounting laws be foremost considered. More than ever, ACCOUNTING policy making and interpretation have been ever more stringent following corporate collapse of mammoth business organizations in the past few years. It has even anchored more of itself on its conservative nature though have been responsive to the present demands of business, even in the local CEBU arena.

These I believe is what has driven me to blogging. Perhaps, my eccentricities have long been tamed enough that it looks for ways to manifest itself. In as much I love and enjoy the cubicle adventures of a corporate warrior, the artistic adventurer also wants a piece of my identity. I have for so long been at awe of visual art, specifically photography, in its ability to give objects a chance to project itself beyond what it is. These are the sides of my personality coin, I suppose and CEBU’s treat of sceneries and culture is just waiting for me to take the plunge.

The ISLANDS that Divide us Draws us CLOSER, from Cebu to the World

No man is an ISLAND. Even the PHILIPPINES, looked for companionship the it decided to gather a bunch of it's friends and called itself the PHILIPPINE archipelago. Being a TROPICAL COUNTRY, we are blessed with lots of exotic BEACHES, some of which distinctly it's own that nowhere else in the world exists. Our ISLANDS prides itself with lavish VACATION BEACH RESORTS and DIVE SPOTS, yet still be within reach to CITY life amenities, which CEBU CITY is very much known for. These places are even more memorable because of loved-ones and friends that we share with.

Francine, who used to enjoy the beautiful BEACHES during her childhood in the PHILIPPINES, who I think is also a CEBUANO, gave me this tag. Nice to have such wonderful friends from CEBU to the rest of the world.

After serious and cautious consideration…your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2008! It was a very hard decision to make. So try not to screw it up!!!My Wish for You in 2008;
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!

May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires! May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had forget your home address! In simple words …May 2008 be the best year of your
life!
And yes Francine, from MY CUBICLE, CEBU CITY, I send you my warmest regards!

From Cebu and Beyond

One of the great things about blogging is that you gain friends from here to the other side of the world. Beng (who's somewhere in the US) shared with me this tag. Cut and paste the following starting here. I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!

The Strategist Notebook
Link Addiction Ardour of the Heart
When Life Becomes a Book
Malaysian Life
Yogatta.com
What goes under the sun
Roshidan’s Cyber Station
Sasha says
Arts of Physics
the legend lives
My View, My Life
A Simple Life
Juliana RW
The Callalily Space
PetraSummer in Blue
My DanceFloor
Wandering Thoughts
Bits and Pieces
A Journey to Life

One distinct trait of Filipinos is that wherever we may be in the world, we always feel a sense of Home when we know that a kababayan is part of our circle. It simply makes us feel delighted that we still have contact to our birthplace. I'm tagging my filipino blogging contacts located outside of the Philippines on this, LOL!

Cebu Sinulog, Me and this Cubicle

My last post was last Friday prior to the Sinulog 2008 weekend. My Sinulog was different this time though as there were things I was able to do last year that I wasn't able to do now, but that was most probably because of the scattered rains during Saturday and Sunday. Nevertheless, I was able to do the things I thought I should join in, and not only me but the relatives as well. In fact, my nieces were able to have their photos taken together with my uncle who joined the San Diego Dance Group contingent (as he always does and most definitely on Sinulog 2009 and so on).

I purposely didn't post an entry last Monday and Tuesday because I simply got burned-out with all those SEO experimenting that I did last week. I didn’t also want to post an entry when I just felt that I have nothing to talk about, I just felt burned-out and felt a loss of topics to write about. I realized that beyond all the SEO maximization that I do on this blog, I should have written more, and I should write more. My goal for this blog is to post relevant topics and enriching topics not only personally but of my profession, but aiming for that simply burns me out.

Interestingly, there are key words that I think I should focus more on, not only of the wars of Abs-Cbn and Gma as I miserably failed on that experiment. As I believe I am already way out of the Valentine's day gift ideas and Valentine's day surprises SEO maximization that I fell I would rather leave the same to those who's good at the topic. My topic on financial ratio analyses are still getting hits from time to time especially on my "Show Me the Money" posts or "Making Cows turn to Cash". At least these gives me the stamina to continue on this thriving blog and focus on what I have always planned for it since.

Though this is clearly niching but this might just have to be case of Cubicled Playground. I may as well have to focus on being a work related blog or business blog as this is what I feel I could be good at anyways. As boring as it may sound, seem or really is, that that may simply have to be Cubicled Playground - Business Blog niche. Oh, perhaps until such time I realize my project on getting my hands on those DSLR cameras.

Of Teleseries and Reality

It's not that I am a die-hard fan of whichever of the two GIANT TV NETWORKS at war. I just happen to be a buff of horror movies, and wherever there is one showing, I will try my best to watch it even if that means following a TELESERIES. I am talking about the television series "Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara". It's shown in Abs-Cbn while Gma shows Kamandag during that time-slot.

I have mentioned in a separate post that during the Sinulog week, my relatives on my mother's side usually hold the annual clan reunion as this is also the time when most of our relatives from abroad comes home to Cebu. Yesterday, my Lola's sister and Uncle arrived from Chicago. They said SINULOG is on full swing IN CEBU as they themselves were greeted with SINULOG dancers upon arriving at the Mactan International Airport. They were actually on one of the balikbayan trips scheduled to arrive on that day.

As customary for my clan, we welcome the arriving relatives in throngs at that airport. Among those who even fetched my Grand Aunt and Uncle were my nephews and nieces. Lucky for them - my nieces and nephews, I mean, they were the first ones to receive news of their pasalubongs.

Lola: Girls, I have a surprise for you!
Nieces: Yehey! What is it Mommy?!
Lola: I brought you baby dolls!
Nephew: Hala! Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara!

My nieces though were happy that they'd have something in store for them when they arrive home, were already frightened of the thought already.

As expected, it took the whole family the entire afternoon to convince my nieces that the dolls were beautiful and far from what they saw in television. The nieces were so afraid upon seeing the dolls that they cried when they saw it.

It's freaking similar, looked really like the one used in the show!

Sinulog in Cebu Tag!

Francine tagged me on this. This could be a breather from my post experiments and my UPDATES FROM CEBU about SINULOG. (hehehe, still managed to put in something from my experiment after all).

How long have you been blogging?
I started about June last year with the same title but used the wordpress platform. My Cubicled neighbor Novz showed me some of the cool stuffs he was able to do with his blogger site so I shifted to that sometime November.

What inspired you to write a blog, and who are your mentors?
I find it easier to give out talks rather than write that I think is why I went into blogging to develop more my writing skills. I was more enticed on the programming/HTML aspect of blogging rather than blogging itself that I joined the bandwagon but I know I was way too late than the rest of the blogging world. I started out with blogging from a lot of inputs from my good friends the Magnificent Perez and Novz and by reading about blog develop from everywhere else.

What are the 3 things that you love about being online?

1. the tons of information the helps me both personally and professionally.

2. the interaction with readers who from time to time comment on my posts.

3. the sense of ownership that I feel of whatever appears on my blog.

What are the three things that you struggle with in the online-world?

I honestly don't feel any struggle with blogging or being on-line. I always find myself on the learning end with the new stuffs I learn from other bloggers or from the news, which is simply superb. I guess being in front of a computer at least eight hours a day, blogging becomes a welcome refreshment from the routines of a CUBICLED setting.


Would Pinay $candal make it to the top?

I am going off-topic (again!) today by continuing a little experiment I have started out yesterday, which touches on SEOs. This SEO game, blogging has become so much more interesting. I am so far from being a learned though, as I am yet a toddler in this arena. But of course, I shall get over this I know, as with any experiments - there will be it's conclusion.

And importantly, I try to hold up my forte for Cubicled Playground (IN MY CUBICLE), as this is what I truly know much of and LOVE. Speaking of LOVE, in barely a month from now, it will already be VALENTINES DAY. But that is so far yet, I've got SINULOG in CEBU to celebrate this Saturday and Sunday. My vacation leave form is even ready IN MY CUBICLE.

But before I go any further, let me talk again about BUSINESS. It is important for businesses to have maximum exposure. There are a number of ways to give your company/ies maximum exposure. A CORPORATE BLOG may be of use to showcase your company's products or services. In a way, I think sponsored posts is a medium of CORPORATE BLOGGING, where such names of COMPANIES appear as either a part of the post's content or an acknowledge sponsor of such content. More directly, it offers the reader a link to the BUSINESS' website. CORPORATE BLOGGING though may be more directed and exact on the points it delivers, as product names and its specifics are clearly identified and explained.

Internet, since been public in the start of 1980s have really evolved from a mere network of dedicated information sharers to now a wide world of surprises. Television, with the likes of ABS-CBN or GMA, don't anymore have the monopoly of international advertising. BLOGGING with the CORPORATE nature have made the world of BUSINESSES.

The good thing about this experiment is that it gives me the excuse of being incoherent in my writing.

Of SEOs, PAGE RANKS, TELEVISION NETWORK LAWSUITS and PINAY SCANDALS

The NETWORK WARS have arrived on blogosphere. Not that bloggers have taken the stand on which side of the fence they are, whether they are for GMA 7 or ABS-CBN 2, but rather have banked on the SEO powers of those TELEVISION NETWORKS' searchability. My good friend Novz, have from the beginning seen the potential of creating traffic from the ABS-CBN vs. GMA, he now is reaping the rewards. I just hope that this competition between the two NETWORK GIANTS, which have not turned a bit sour due to the AGB NEILSEN SURVEY issue, would not cross-over to their home talents - STAR CIRLCE and TALENT CENTER (which now hosts quite a lot of good and promising young actors and actresses of the new generation by the likes of Piolo Pascual, Angel Locsin, Claudine Barreto, John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo, Richard Gutierrez, Izza Calzado, Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera and Dennis Trillo). These issues clearly overshadows PINAY SCANDALS down the SEO arena.

PAGE RANKING have made a buzz lately. A lot of blogsites have either been given a higher PAGE RANK from a PAGE RANK of 1 or from a none existent PAGE RANK prior to the updating. Interestingly, there are also those who have not received a PAGE RANK or ZERO PAGE RANK due to the still imposed penaly by google. As for me, a high PAGE RANK would be great but as long as VISITORS and READERS drop by MY CUBICLE every now and then, my CUBICLED PLAYGROUND would be happy.

I hope ABS-CBN and GMA airs Sinulog

Having been almost at almost the same age as the Sinulog festival itself, I could fairly call myself well-informed of the activity. I remember even the days when I had to sit over my father’s shoulders just to watch the parade pass by us. I have even been a participant at one-time during my elementary, of the grand parade being a part of the "Landonian Tribe" contingent. I've experienced how it was to wear an elaborate costume and at the same time dance the Sinulog beat under the scourging heat of the sun for almost about 10 hours. Interestingly, I remember not ever feeling tired even from the weeks of evening practices up to the grand parade itself.

My mother's side of the family is very active of the Sinulog. My uncles, being kababata to the owners of the renowned San Diego Dance Company made us, which of course include my uncles, me and my cousins, be part of a number of Sinulog parades. Sinulog fiesta is usually the time where we hold our family reunion on my mother's side, since Cebu is really my maternal ancestry is rooted.

Here's my survival list for those who which to join all the activities for the Sinulog starting Saturday up to Sunday.

1 - Prayer First
The grand parade happens to be a Sunday so better fulfill your obligation first before the merry making. It would even be better that you attend a mass at the Basilica if you're up to the challenge of haggling amongst the sea of people who attends the masses during that day.

2 - Use Coin Purse
Rather than using your usual wallets, I suggest you use a coin purse just big enough to carry some cash and an Identification Card. The streets will be overflowing with people and you'll be literally face-to-face with a lot strangers so you would rather put your mind on the merry making rather the worrying of pick pockets. Using a coin purse will give you the convenience of tucking it in the front pockets of your pants where it will be safe from strange hands.

3 - A scarf or a sarong would be handy
A sun screen would only last you for at most four hours so it would help if you bring with you a scarf or a sarong to protect you from the sun. Bringing a bottle of sun screen simply takes away the adventures for the day.

4 - Keep dehydrated
That wouldn't be much of a problem as there are plenty of sources for that. Every corner you look, there is most usually bottled waters for sale.

5 - A good pair of shoes
Forget those fancy sandals or expensive high heels. Though you wouldn't be going on a mountain climbing, but your feet will fighting for walking and standing space every now and then during that day so better be equipped with that.
My uncle will be arriving tomorrow together with my lola from abroad, so that simply means that reunion activities kick off.