Archive for Announcement
Bye Bye Smart Bro!
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I have no internet connection for three long and agonizing days. Just when I was all fired up in coming back to blog, my internet connection did not cooperate with me. It kept acting up and much worse, the ISP’s customer service representatives gave me a really hard time. The technicians came after two days of letting them know of my predicament. That’s how fast they act on their clients’ problems, huh! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Being the impulsive person that I am, the first day the SMART Bro CSR’s didn’t arrived as scheduled, I applied for PLDT DSL. I am currently awaiting for them to get me connected next week.
For the meantime, I am still using my lousy SMART Bro provider. I just got reconnected tonight after the Smart Bro technician knocked at our door at past 8pm and gave the adaptor to my brother. READ: my brother was the one who replaced the adaptor, not the technician.
That’s customer service at its worst!
Anyways, I’d like to commend the dropping efforts of my cousin Ally of 
In the Eyes of the Beholder.
Thank you so much my Cousin Dearie!
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Get Well Quick, Windy!
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I ask everyone’s bevenolent heart to please pray for my brilliant friend Windy of Windmill on the Hill’s speedy recovery.
He had an accident yesterday, hurt himself and got a concussion. He is currently resting in a private hospital and will be under observation for two days.
Get well quick, Windy! All of us will be waiting for yah!
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Honoured to Author Lainy’s Musings (Part II)
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After spending almost two months out of town trying to make sure I make some very important runs for my company before I quit, here I am back to my town, Buea. Though Buea is really not my home town, I feel at home whenever I am there. I have been living here in Buea since October 2000 (almost nine years now).
As I explained in the last post, the reason I had to quit my job was because it’s getting a little too much for me to cope with, so I decided to start up a business. Everything is almost set now and I am thing of starting up full swing on Monday.
The first time I had a chat with Ate Lainy after coming back, she pointed out this post that I should go and read and get ready for a proposition. After reading, I got interested in this other post but she patiently waited for me to read though she was anxious to deliver the news.
Though I thought it the very best thing she should do, I felt a little sad that my Ate is taking a break just when I came back and thought the blogging fun will be at its peak. Well, she gave me lots of reasons why she really needed that break. This is not the first time she has told me about it. The last time, Windy was the one who encouraged her that despite all odds, she could still hang on and continue making it big.
Ate Lainy’s health hasn’t really been the best lately. She has been having lots of problems with her tooth and blood pressure. She has been advised to take proper care about the situation or else it will cause her more complications in the nearest future. Her job (which is very tedious now because of the Philippine elections coming up next year), her blogs (up to three, big, popular and require lots of updates) and her health issues (top priority of all) are three big giants weighing a lot upon her. Taking a break from one of them will reduce the workload upon her shoulders and give her lots of time to restructure things and live a “normal” life.
Now, what’s my own part of the deal? Ate Lainy proposed that I take over Lainy’s Musings while she is away. My immediate answer, though I didn’t speak it out yet, was “YES”. How could I refuse an offer from “my sister”? Secondly, it was not just any kind of offer but a very big and prestigious one. I felt very much honored for it.
But wait a minute! Why did I hesitate to say “Yes” to something I had already agreed? She said her cousin Ally accepted taking responsibility over two of her blogs but wasn’t comfortable handling this blog because of its traffic and ranking.
Did I feel like Ally? Oh yeah! Sure, but from a different perspective. I asked Ate Lainy if she was very sure about having me take over Lainy’s Musings for now. We all know she has her stories to tell in her own writing style. I was a little afraid her readers will find it difficult coping with mine. Her response increased my level of confidence. Here am I, co-authoring Lainy’s Musings.
Ate Lainy announced in an earlier post that I will be maintaining this blog while she is on break. For the benefit of those of you who don’t really know me well, I will publish a detailed profile in the next post.
Till then, I continue pledging my faithfulness and loyalty to all visitors and readers.
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Honoured to Author Lainy’s Musings (Part I)
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[To give chronology to the log, I started here but actually the real deal is Part II]
Sometimes I feel being a kid again is one of the most interesting adventures to embark upon. You don’t have to worry about making the right or wrong decisions because someone else will make them for you. Most of the time, those decisions will be positive and for your own good. Sometimes, the reverse comes into play. “To hell with that, anyway”, you murmur to yourself. “I need not worry because if anything goes wrong, I have Mum, Dad, Big Sis and Big Bro to blame”. “I can even extend to Auntie, Uncle, Grandpa and Grandma”. 
However, when you are a grown up already, especially above 16, watch the decisions you make. Your choices can either give you wings and take you to the skies for a good flight, or rip you off, down to what you were at birth, and take you to the sixth feet to enjoy a good lengthy rest.
When Buwah (Baby) Noela asked me to leave my job and start a business of my own, I stared into her eyes for a long time and was still trying hard to believe what I heard. Business? No way! The very first thing that came across my mind was something Mum said about business and I. “Che, you are too kind, lenient and carefree to do business”. “Making profit will be very difficult for you because you will end up offering all available services free of charge”. “Maybe you should run an NGO“. Actually, Mum was right. Running a Non-profit organization and offering help to others has always been my passion and I am realizing that already with CIWABA. However, I also want to prove Mum wrong by stepping into the business world and making it big.
My job, though runs from 8:00am to 4:00pm, is actually an 8am – 11pm kind of job. I do lots of work in the office and take part of it to complete at home. I even show up at the job site on public holidays and Sundays after Church service. I hardly had enough time for myself, Noela and my family. I didn’t even give blogging the best of me because time was always a limiting factor and every time I sat in front of the computer, I was already tired and as good as dead. The only way out is being my own boss and creating a balance between work and leisure.
I have always been loyal to my Boss and did everything to make sure the Business runs smoothly, so quitting doesn’t really make me guilty. In order not to leave a gap when I am gone, I worked for the past two months like a robot. I was outstationed, completely cut off from Noela, Ate Ellaine, phone and the internet (no network coverage). For those two months, I spent less than 48hrs with Noela, less than 5 with Ate Ellaine, and less than 3 on my blogs.
Now that I have decided to quit the job and set up a business, I won’t be MIA (Missing In Action) again. I have already set up a business that involves PC Hardware maintenance and sales of spare parts and accessories, Word processing and Print designs, International call shop and internet café. Since I will be having three employees to handle various sections of the Business and Noela to play some managerial roles, I can have some extra time for myself and of course, more money :d Everything has been put in place except my internet connection subscription still pending activation.
As I earlier said, I am back into the Blogosphere and will be offering my best. I turned “An Angel’s Blogmate” into my personal hotspot on the web. That blog is now a site that aggregates all my content from around the web as feeds for easy accessibility to my fans. I enjoy blogging. Through my blogs, I get to give and take, and most of all make great friends from different angles of the globe.
Anybody who didn’t read the last post will probably be very surprised and wondering why Uncle Che is writing a post on Lainy’s blog. Well, this isn’t the very first time I am writing here. I did it before. What is special about now is that I will be doing it about 5 times a week. On the next post, I will add some spices to Lainy’s last post to explain how and why this temporal switch of Author for Lainy’s Musings all came about.
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
The Judges Spoke, You Spoke… Now I Speak: To Judge or Not To Judge
Posted by: | CommentsThis is something that should have been published much earlier and it has taken me quite a while to get down to doing it. There were extenuating reasons for the delay but I have to get it done. I did say that the names of the Judges for the Lainy’s Hottest Blogoversary Writing Competition: A Bloggers Celebration would be made known.
The Contest would not have had that extra “oomph” had it not been for the manner in which the Judges most ably handled the Contestants’ entries.
Understandably, Judges like the rest of us, they are human and their perceptions come under duress when scoring the Contestants for their efforts. It is never easy to say anything that would be deemed unpleasant.
Therein lies the need to fairly accept the Judges’ comments. They did it in good faith and never intentioned to demean or belittle the efforts contributed at the Blogoversary Contest.
After all, was it not the clamor from several Contestants that they wished to know what the Judges had to say about their evaluation on their entries?
A few adjustments were made at a later stage as to what format the Judges would have their Comments known. This resulted in an overall Judges’ Comment rather than producing a Contestant by Contestant comment. I agreed to that decision because it would be more tactful than to draw a Contestant into direct line of fire.
Besides, this is an Open Writing Contest and it is not a classroom.
I know you wish me to stop right here and move on with the purpose for this article .. and it is the names of the Judges that you are solely interested in.
But in keeping with good grace and decorum, I should extend a hearty THANK YOU to our three Judges. Had it not been for their quality and commitment to judging the Contest with a professional attitude, I would think that the Blogoversary Contest could have had a contentious ending.
As you may or may not agree with how the Blogoversary Contest was handled when it was regrettably “abused” at the Polls, we all have learned something from it. Difficult decisions must never be avoided for one thing.
There was a heartbeat stop when I had to decide on the matter of disqualifying a cantankerous Contestant. How I would have loved that I did not have to face such a dilemma. Had it not been for the unyielding decision of the Judges to disqualify that Contestant, I think I would have blundered and the Contest would have been mired deeper in emotional debates and factionalism.
That is one example of how and where the Judges’ role became poignant and their resources was invaluably tapped.
I could go on with more and bore you. But we owe it to the steadfastness of our three Judges who kept the Contest moving on and on an even keel.
Granted, the reaction from readers and from the Contestants to all three Judges’ Comments is your unassailable right. I do not question that right.
However, let me repeat, the Judges commented because YOU ASKED FOR IT.
And obviously you forgot to tell the Judges to say ONLY NICE THINGS.
So it is not the fault of the Judges that they said it all.
I know that it is all now gone under and past that bridge. But I have the same right as anyone else and being the Organizer to set it down fairly because NONE OF THE JUDGES RETURNED TO COMMENT ON YOUR COMMENTS.
Yes, they are that professional.
The judges were (in alphabetical order):
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Lainy's Hottest Blogoversary Writing Competition: Winners Declared!
Posted by: | CommentsTHANK YOU, BLOGGERS!
The Lainy’s Hottest Blogoversary Writing Competition: A Bloggers Celebration strived to recognize literary merit. I am grateful and humbled by the tremendous effort the contestants put into this contest. I hope the process was beneficial to all of you as you worked through your entries. You all had a story to tell and a message to share, so making a selection was very difficult.
Without much further ado, I am thrilled to announce the winners, to wit:
| MAJOR PRIZE WINNERS | WEIGHTED AVERAGE | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st: ZORLONE | 2.39 | |
| 2nd: MY WRITTEN xPRESSIONS | 2.32 | |
| 3rd: TWERLERMZ BLOG | 1.8 | |
| 4th: IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER | 1.6 | |
| 5th: THE MAIDEN’S TESTIMONY | 1.55 | |
| 6th: TWINKLETOE WRITING SPACE | 1.54 | |
| 7th: JOYS IN LIFE | 1.4 | |
| SPECIAL AWARDEES | WEIGHTED AVERAGE | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Storyteller: |
1.66 |
|
| Readers Choice: |
0.73 |
|
| LUCKY CONTESTANT |
|---|
|
No. 18- HOME BUDDIES * Please see screen capture HERE. |
The list of prizes won are HERE. The surprise prizes that were promised to the first and second submitted entries are the following:
Twerlermz Blog- $10 & 1, 000 EntreCard Credits courtesy of The Novice Master
The Maiden’s Testimony- $5 and 500 EntreCard Credits courtesy of My Blog Says
To help spread the good cheer, I am inviting you all to share your best wishes and congratulations to all the winners!
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Readers Poll Officially Closed!
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome back to Lainy’s Hottest Blogoversary Writing Competition: A Bloggers Celebration. I am aware that there is great expectation particularly from the Contestants with regard to the results.
Today marks the first anniversary of Lainy’s Musings. With this celebration, the Readers Poll is closed.
As indicated earlier in the Contest Rules, the Readers Poll will be closed on April 25, Midnight Central Time. Therefore, the calculation for the Readers Poll has begun.
Together with the Judges result, the Readers Poll results will be published within one week from today.
Shortly, each of the Competition Judges will render their comment/opinion here about the Contest entries.
I thank everyone who participated in this undertaking because it wouldn’t have been possible without your unfailing support.
I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who took part in the poll to support your favorite storytellers.
Good luck!
I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
Comments Are Now Functional!
Posted by: Scotty's Princess | Comments (25)The Comments at Lainy’s Musings went through a series of ups and downs over the past days. There were times when Comments worked and recently it stopped functioning.
All’s well now as the issues that were the cause for its erratic behaviour have been removed successfully. This is a rather new Theme release, a good one but like all new Theme releases there are bugs, small farts here and there.
Well, at least it was not a BIG fart like what happened to Lainy’s Musings when it was hijacked.
Thank you for being so patient with all these small farts.
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I wish you blue skies and all things nice,
