Sorry no, I was not trying to get your attention. That would be Hello Hello!

Now if you’ve been to the Philippines and they say that you weren’t truly a Filipino like them because you did not eat Balut, don’t fall for that one. You might be refused boarding on your flight back home. LOL!

The truth is if you’ve been there and did not taste their Halo Halo! you’re stupid and it makes the natives far more intelligent than what you’ve missed! Bwaaahahaha.

Here is a picture of Halo Halo:

And what is its concoction

Now that’s the scoop over there in the Philippines.

Over here where I live, in Malaysia, we have something very similar and it is called “Ice Kacang” (in the Malay language) which translates to, “Ice Nuts” in English.

And what its ingredients are

Now, doesn’t that make the Filipinos and the Malaysians alike, dessert-wise?

For the more adventurous who wish to serve it at home, there are so many savory ways to make Halo Halo give a real punch. I love it with a good dash of Rum. LOL!

Note: This post was authored by Windy which was originally published at the defunct Windmill of My Mind on April 21, 2011.

After featuring the Dance Moves and the Scrumptious Foodies during the yearend party at work, I believe it’s now high time to share the dance showdown of the five groups.

My group was the last performer after I picked no. 5. I can’t help but feel relieved, LOL!

During the performances of the four groups, everyone was laughing and you can evidently see that we all were having fun in each and every group’s performances.

And why not?

Group 1

From the costume to their dance moves, it really was so funny! I can see the Boss laughing out so loud when Group 1 performed.

Group 2

Group 2 was composed of some Muslim members. Their choreography was a little toned down and so they contented themselves with some footsteps that were very easy to follow. Except for some moves when the boys did a very hilarious skit.

Group 3

Among the five groups, the third group was the lone group who had spent so much time for practice. They were complete with props and choreography was very creative.

Group 4

If Group 3 spent a lot of time for their practice, it hasn’t been the case for Group 4. They only hurdled one day for their practice but it turned out really well. One of their members though had to drink lots of beer before he performed the “Careless Whisper” moves, LOL!

Group 5

It’s my group who performed last but definitely not the least, LOL! I can’t describe well how we fared that night because that would be speaking full of biases. However, I believe we got the highest score for choreography as we displayed strength, intricacy and the pacing of movement/ transition skill was very well performed.

But well… I am part of the group so you can hear me say all praises and glories, hahaha!

Our fate actually lies in the hands of the judges:

The Honorable Panel of Judges

Win or lose, the party was absolutely one night of fun and excitement. It was the first time that I was made to dance, hahaha!

My Share For:
Happiness Is…

AN N E Y
First commenter for this post…

What on earth are you gonna do if you don’t know how to swim and this happened to you in a 7-feet deep swimming pool? LOL! (Edit: Just take a closer look at the photo)

R C E L
First commenter for this post…

I shall take a break from writing about aversion for negative Bloggers and instead write what I think makes a Blog more sought after than others.

Barring that you are not a rocket scientist, a controversial politician, a celebrity, a cult figure or the latest heart throb sensation because what I am about to say will never mean anything. By their own achievement or endowment, these kind of achievers would  have the opposite problem. Their personal privacy and time is sacrosanct.

Therefore, with the 99 percent who are not in that league and are hopelessly addicted to blogging, there are merely two factors to deal with . The person who blogs and the Blog. This is outrageously simple but there’s more to it than meets the eye.

What is expected of the person who blogs?

Now we’ve entered a minefield because there is a psychology aspect for what makes one person more appealing than another. Oh! and this is not about Blog etiquette. Rather, I am writing about the individual, the Blogger per se.

It would be expected of a person who blogs to have these qualities:

1. Respectful
2. Tactful
3. Has a good sense of humor and is able to laugh at himself
4. Down to earth goodness and honest
5. Does not sway to extremes
6. Writes truthfully
7. Writes without fear or favor
8. Gets involved and is objective
9. Has good moral values
10. Doesn’t preach

GOLDEN EXCEPTION: By all means, slap back when a foul mouthed, dirty old bag, nondescript crank with slimy venom repeatedly agitates and disturbs the peace at your Blog. You’re not expected to be a living saint!

I think that a Blogger should possess those basic personal qualities in order to foster a good rapport.

Moving on…the second that needs to be assayed is his tool – the Blog. In this regard the content always comes before anything else he does at his Blog.

What is expected of a Blog?

It really does not matter what classification of Blog it is. Readers visit Blogs that suit their preference. Therefore, the search and visit is on a level.

The Content should be:

1. Written in simple, easy to understand language.
2. The content should reflect originality of the mind and personality behind it.
3. The written material should elicit others to wish to leave a Comment.
4. The article should be written is an unaffected style.
5. The article should not have a closed loop. It should stimulate readers to want to share their views.
6. The content should strive to impart information rather than drone and drivel about vacillating personal moods and hormonal changes.
7. Inclusion of related images provides added interest.
8. Arguments should remain forthright and objective.
9. Avoid being Quixotic when writing something personal.
10. Be mindful that the reader hasn’t the whole day so spare the reader from rigmarole.

What about the rest of the stuff that fills a Blog?

As for the other stuff that is displayed at the Blog, each has its own merit and the choice should always be a matter of functionality and personal liking.

Regardless of what choices are made such as widgets and what-have-you, keep the Blog layout pleasant, properly positioned and organized.

Choice of color and theme have an aesthetic appeal because first impressions do count.

Traffic and Blog rank has grown to be a very much overstated issue for Blogs. It’s Blogosphere’s equivalent of the rat race. The pundits give divergent opinions about its real worth. Others make a living out of it by providing guaranteed results to enhance the Blog’s Traffic and rank.

I believe that if a person is able to satisfy most of what is explained here, both the person and his Blog will be sought after.

Now that I have finished what I needed to explain, my observation is that it is really not that simple. It is not that simple because there are not that many persons and their Blog who are being sought after.

If you haven’t noticed here is some of the silly routine that goes by day after day:

1. Bloggers who are too immersed with their daily “drops”  either to carve out that profit margin or to enforce traffic to their Blog.

It is a ridiculous round robin exercise of “I drop you;You drop me” that goes daily, repeatedly. It reminds me of the Nursery Rhyme…

…and fall down, that’s for sure because it also depends on the number of Blogs a person has to do that. How much real effort goes to minding the intrinsic quality of the Blog?.

2. Bloggers pop-in and pop-out at breakneck speed and so the essence of blogging is relegated.
3. Bloggers who feel brain drained after completing their paid posts without the will to think what to write any more than just a lame article.
4. Bloggers whose written article deteriorates with time for lack of time needed to think creatively.
5. Bloggers who talk much but say little.
6. Bloggers who fight shy of writing what they think and who they really are.
7. Bloggers who devote their entire Blog to one same old, same old. Makes anyone sit up to wonder how on earth the person never tires of it.
8. Bloggers who first appeared charging and then got burnt out.
9. Bloggers who leave footprints of themselves that does not make anyone interested in them or their Blog.
10. Bloggers who believe they must be served and theirs is not to serve.

Hence, taking it in reverse and choosing the lesser “evil” if a person is able to avoid those 10 silly routines, there is a greater possibility for the Blog to be enhanced because there is more focus and more time is devoted for the published content.

T W E R L Y N
First commenter for this post…

First off, I wish to thank all my lovely blogpals who wished me well while I was away. There were quite a few beautiful souls who privately messaged me and wished me speedy recovery. I truly appreciate your concern.

I am not supposed to be blogging for an indefinite period of time. In fact, I have turned over my blogs to my cousin Ally who, thankfully, took the mighty responsibility of updating my three (3) other blogs. I feel grateful that she didn’t say “NO” outright.

However, I was downhearted when she couldn’t take the reigns here at Lainy’s Musings (LM) and over at The Fool on the Hill (TFotH). At first, she expressed that she feels intimidated writing articles for Lainy’s Musings.

Ally expressing her thoughts in taking over Lainy's Musings

What standard? Duh!

I still can vividly recall when I once invited her some years back to author this blog but she declined for the same reason. In desperation, I sought the assistance of my Cameroonian bloggie pal, Uncle Che, who proudly accepted my invite. That was before when Uncle Che was still single and we both can blog till we drop.

When Ally knew that LM and TFotH will remain dormant till she accepts the responsibility of taking over the blogs, she got desperate in suggesting Windy to co-author the blogs once more.

Ally suggesting that I ask Windy to take over at LM

I will be the happiest soul if ever Windy will again co-author my blogs. Sadly, he has long given up blogging for reasons only known to me apart from health being the issue. I miss those times when we used to cheer and egg each other on at the blogs. The hilarious moments shared with him being once the co-author of Lainy’s Musings was something I’ve truly missed. I still am hoping though that it won’t remain a thing of the past.

In need of inspiration, sometimes I think about looking into a free article writing services.

Meanwhile, I understand why Ally declined to add more blogs for her to work on. You see, she already got two personal blogs under her belt, and adding 5 more of my blogs would be like taking suicide.

So I have no other recourse but to continue writing here at Lainy’s Musings and over at The Fool on the Hill. Many times, I have been in quandary and have contemplated on whether To Blog or Not To Blog.

During my nth hiatus, everytime I take a quick peek here and see this blog die a natural death, I feel like dying inside, too. It’s heartbreaking to let go of something you have once loved doing. It’s not for monetary reasons. Be it known that most of my craps were not paid. It’s the sentimentalist person in me that just can’t afford to lose a baby. And to think Lainy’s Musings is about to celebrate its 4th blogoversary in three (3) months time!

Gone were the blogging heydays when I worked hard for my blog’s traffic to the point of compromising my health. I don’t think I will ever regain back the 38K traffic Lainy’s Musings’ once had. But again, that’s not the issue. It’s primarily for the joy of being able to express for passion and simply exercise what I love doing the most.

As I write this, I can feel the tears welling up my eyes. I know things will never be the same again. I don’t want to make any promises but I shall try my absolute best to fuel up some life in this blog the best way I know how.

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Happiness Is… |

R O V I E
First commenter for this post…

Honestly, I am not at all sure how to react. I don’t know if I’m gonna feel amused or pissed off with all the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” brouhaha after it was launched by the Department of Tourism. True, it went viral all over. In fact, it’s now an internet meme and everyone is free to join. It’s now a craze at Facebook and everyone wants to show off their creativity and ingenuity.

So would it mean less budget spending by the government for sloganeering as it has now gone widespread?

I find it rather strange that instead of joining the bandwagon to help the country in promoting this new thrust by the government across the world, some crabs simply love to poke fun and in turn, kills the thrill on the tourism campaign.

Let me show you some proofs:

Photo Crab #1

Photo Crab #2

Photo Crab #3

~Photos NOT Mine

Well, it might be that the owner of these photos have other description of fun. But to give him the benefit of the doubt, it does speak volumes with regards to the ailing living conditions of most Filipinos. The truth will always hurt. So what’s the government gonna do with these truths staring them in the face?

We all know that these photos won’t help at all in boosting further the government’s campaign. I say, if you can’t help, better not be a burden.

I’ve heard all the negatives. In fact, hearing it from a non- Filipino like Windy, I feel more challenged to help promote DOT’s thrust.

Here’s what Windy has got to say:

Honestly, I have my own initial misgivings on this. But I figured the solution deserves an opportunity to prove itself. I won’t even try to argue with what has been said and done. In fact, Windy had it spot on! But to be perfectly fair, even if things doesn’t look nice as they are now in my country, I have to say that this slogan deserves a chance to get to work, regardless if it’s a copy cat from another country.

As we all can see, we have found a brilliant ad campaign in “It’s More Fun”. Everyone is now taking part. Its success lies not only in the hands of the government but to each and every Filipino as well. Let us not try to always nitpick. Let us NOT allow the notorious crabs to ruin its beauty.

W I N D Y
First commenter for this post…

My Share For:
Blog Photo Challenge

It wasn’t too long ago when I asked, “What’s Wrong With WOW Philippines”?

Well, it seemed like the disagreement of the entire country to the much disliked Department of Tourism’s Pilipinas Kay Ganda slogan prevailed. Pilipinas Kay Ganda was a total junk.

What’s trending now is the recent tourism slogan formulated by the men and women of the Department of Tourism.

It’s More Fun In The Philippines

Photo grabbed

As I was about to write a post about this, I came across former COMELEC Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal’s wall status at FB which is very similar to what I think and believe in. By the way, if you failed to remember how handsome Atty. Larrazabal looks like, you can post- hop when I once had a date with him H E R E .

Now if I may just quote:

So aptly said, ain’t right? Government needs to do something drastic to improve the country’s image across the world.

Education could be the key. See Guide to Career Education to find possible solutions.

Let me just mention that in promoting the Philippines worldwide, the mass media also got a vital role to play.

But do you think the headlines below will help boost its tourism campaign?

It’s pretty ambiguous when these things you see ruin all the government efforts to promote a good image of the Philippines. Just as the campaign was beginning to get the nods of the public, here comes the media boasting of the crimes taking place in the country. This is just a wrong juxtaposition! What a massive fail!

Anyhow, I still hope that the tourism campaign will reap better results. Each of us has a role to play. Take part and help promote our country to the world. We aren’t called Pinoy bloggers for nothing

My Share For:
Blog Photo Challenge |

A T T Y. E L I
First commenter for this post…

This Philippine Traffic Cop had Balut for breakfast before reporting for work.

If you’re in need for road directions while in the Philippines, it is best you seek it from an Undertaker or die laughing while getting it from a Philippine Traffic Cop.

R O V I E
First commenter for this post…

Typhoon Sendong which wrought havoc to Cagayan De Oro City and Iligan was earlier identified to be a “weak” typhoon. No one has ever warned that it could be very deadly as it claimed the lives of more than a thousand people and damaged millions of properties.

With the recent PAG-ASA weather forecast, I can’t help but feel scared. I am from GenSan and my imagination has gone wild after seeing the weather forecast on TV last night indicating that a Low Pressure Area is developing in the very City where I reside.

Just as the residents of CDO and Iligan were trying to rise up from the devastation caused by the destructive deluge last month, I ask, are we all prepared for another slap by Mother Nature? What is the government doing to prevent another onslaught to its populace? We can’t simply sit back and relax but later on be caught off guard with such disaster claiming many more lives right before our very eyes.

Sometimes online school sources have emergency prep classes. Make sure you can take care of yourself until government help kicks in.

Since we could not entirely rely on our government to do things for us, I deemed it best to republish fromHubpages the safety precautions during typhoons.

These are the following:

1. Keep your radio on and listen to the latest weather bulletin and announcements.
2. Don’t pay attention to rumors.
3. Stay away from low-lying beaches or other locations which may be swept away by high tides or storm waves. If your only passage to high ground is over a road likely to be under water during a severe storm, then leave early.
4. If your house can’t be affected by a high tide and is well-built or anchored, then it is probably the best place to be during a storm.
5. Board up and securely fasten windows. Makeshift boarding may do more harm than good. Whenever applicable, anchor the house with strong wires.
6. Get extra food, particularly those that don’t need to be cooked and are easy to prepare. Remember that electric power may be cut off.
7. If emergency cooking facilities are necessary, be sure they work.
8. Store water as water service may be cut off.
9. Always keep a flashlight handy.
10. Check everything that may be blown away or turn loose. Flying objects are dangerous during typhoons.
11. If the eye of the typhoon has passed your house, there may be a lull lasting for a few minutes to half an hour. Stay in a safe place. Make emergency repairs during the lull if necessary. But remember that the wind will return suddenly from the opposite direction with even greater violence.
12. Be calm. Your ability to handle an emergency will inspire others and help them.

Be safe everyone!

UPDATE: As per recent reports from PAG-ASA, the low pressure area (LPA), which was estimated to hit GenSan and nearby areas including some parts of South Cotabato, would no longer develop into a tropical cyclone as earlier reported.

A L G E N E
First commenter for this post…

From my home to yours, please allow me to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

I wish that with the new year, we will all have renewed hope and faith despite the struggles and difficulties that we have gone through for the year that was. The challenges we faced for the past years may serve as our sword and inspiration as we hurdle yet another year of the unknown.

So how’s your celebration? I hope you all had a wonderful one. I was on blogging hiatus towards the end of 2011. I can’t keep up with all my offline commitments and so I had to sacrifice blogging for a while. I had a wonderful holiday albeit feeling down and sick. I have now fully recovered, thank God!

We had a great New Year’s Eve. It was a low-key celebration but it was a lot more meaningful because it’s the first New Year’s Eve with our Morning Dew.

Yours truly with my Morning Dew

Although we almost lost our house when a fire broke out a few hours before New Year’s Eve, we were still bound to feel grateful because my family and I were able to celebrate the New Year unharmed.

We took this time to celebrate each other’s presence.

My family

All smiles for the cam :-)

My brother's family

My lovely mother and I

With my brother, SIL and Morning Dew

For every celebration, food we can’t have without. I have been indulging to quite a handful of delectable and sumptuous dishes over the holiday season and I can’t help but feel sinfully guilty.

Fish Fillet with Tausi Sauce

Chicken Szechuan

Mixed Veggies

Calamares

Fruits

Desserts: Macaroni and my all time-fave spaghetti

Sweet Indulgence

Toast for a better and exciting 2012!

The highlight of the night was the solemn prayer led by my mother. It was a very poignant prayer that all of us can’t help but be spiritually touched. We were all very grateful for a great 2011. Though it wasn’t too blissful for all of us, the fact that we were able to come together to glorify His Holy Name is more than enough to feel blessed and be grateful. In prayer, my mother asked for another year of protection from the Lord God Almighty that He may continue to bless each one of us as we go through another year of life’s journey.

We continued to celebrate the New Year by singing out some songs via videoke sans the microphone, LOL! We Filipinos so love singing! It was a fun night howled by laughter.

Just to share a little bit more, apart from being a frustrated lawyer, yours truly is also a frustrated musician. Ssssshh! It’s our secret. Please don’t tell anyone.

By the way, the guitar is my Photo Challenge entry at Dhemz’ blog. You might want to join, too. It’s fun.

Frustrated musician, I am!

Again, Happy New Year everyone!

My Share For:
Mellow Yellow Monday | Blue Monday | Green Monday | Memory Lane Monday | Our World Tuesday | Orange Tuesday | Ruby Tuesday 2 | Wednesday Whites | Family Time | Blog Photo Challenge | Favorite Photo Friday | Food Trip Friday | Food Friday | Weekend Eating | Yummy Sunday | Happiness Is… | Thursday Brownies | Yummy Sunday |

R E C E L
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