Chellelandia

June 8, 2013

‘Turn sex tourists into ex-tourists’

Whenever I see on TV news reports of children abused by strangers or family members, I think of how hard it must be being a parent these days. Especially for parents who work and have to leave their kids with babysitters or other people, or when the children start going to school or get old…

May 30, 2013

‘Gates of Hell’: Much ado about the truth

I don’t understand all this moaning and groaning of Filipino officials over Dan Brown‘s “Inferno.” I mean, really, guys, are you that touchy to be so offended over Manila being described as “gates of hell” in Brown’s latest novel? It’s a work of fiction, for Pedro’s sake. It’s not like one bad scene in a bestseller would dissuade thousands of tourists from coming over to the Philippines. I’ve always wanted to visit New York, and it’s common knowledge that the Big Apple has one of the highest crime rates worldwide. But that hasn’t stopped tourists from invading NY to stare up at the soaring skyscrapers or shopping in Manhattan. Besides,…

May 29, 2013

Mega Cebu Candidates Forums: Issues, not debates

The 2013 mid-term elections have come and gone. Did your candidates win? Mine mostly didn’t. But then I wasn’t able to exercise my right to suffrage this year (unfortunately!) for valid reasons. Voting in Dumaguete would have meant me missing our Hatol ng Bayan election coverage in Cebu. I’m still a registered voter in Dumaguete…

May 15, 2013

Top 3 chows in Cebu (so far)

I was losing weight late last year in Dumaguete after I religiously followed a diet + exercise regimen. But since I started working in Cebu in December 2012, I have steadily packed on additional pounds. You can call it stress eating. Adjusting to new (and bigger) responsibilities at work, being away for long periods of time from…

May 14, 2013

Digital media coverage, PIA Cebu version

One of the projects that was brewing on my mind since I learned that I’ll be promoted to manage our Cebu office is multi-media digital coverage. I got the idea from Natashya Gutierrez of Rappler during their #MoveDumaguete event. (It was unforgettable for me since I met Maria Ressa in person afterwards. Awe.some.) Natashya showed how…

April 30, 2013

Working in Cebu aka Culture Shock

Since December last year, I’ve started working in our Cebu office. If I complained before that nothing much is happening in my life, well now I can truly say: Be careful what you wish for. It’s been around 4 months that I’ve started working here, yet I still have to fully settle. To call it culture shock underestimates what I’ve been through, and still going through actually. It’s still an adjustment phase for me, one that I feel will stretch for quite some time. The adjustment involves dealing with a different way of doing things, or a certain way of not doing things. More people, more challenging personalities, more (impossible, ahem)…

April 8, 2013

This man, my father

My father turned 78 years old on April 3. I was in Cebu on his birthday, so we had a belated, intimate birthday party the weekend I came home. It was a party of three. Like I said, intimate. He just wanted to find out what frozen yogurt tastes like, and why I’m so fond…

March 22, 2013

Hi blog! I’m back (I think).

My last post here was Nov. 22 last year. Last year! That means it’s been 4 months today since I’ve last blogged. You must have thought I’ve died or something. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I die. Nobody else knows my passwords. How would my blog readers know that I’ve bitten the dust? Well, good news – I’m still alive. The reason for the long, deep silence here is that my life has taken some pretty sharp blind curves lately. I got that promotion that I’ve been talking about in this post. Since then, topsy-turvy is how I would best describe my life has become. Good thing the KL…

November 22, 2012

Initial highlights of my Kuala Lumpur trip

On my birthday in August this year, my e-mail inbox yielded what turned out to be one of the best birthday gifts I’ve received from a friend – an e-ticket for a three-day stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That makes two out-of-the-country trips this year for me. Both for free. I must have done something right somewhere, sometime ago for God to be blessing me a lot this year. My generous host for my KL trip, for purposes of privacy due to his work, will be known from hereon as James Bond. (I know for a fact that he will just love this. He’s a huge James Bond fan). James Bond…

November 2, 2012

Hello from Kuala Lumpur.

October 30, 2012

My Instagram addiction

Ever since I got an iPad (the Retina one), I’ve been going stir-crazy over Instagram. I used to tell friends that the only reason I would buy the ridiculously expensive iPhone is for the Instagram app. Now, thanks to the new iPad, I’ve been sucked into the Instagram-licious madness. I love the filters and I love the instant sharing capability. I’m also digging how the photos and the app’s UI look so glossy and gorgeous on the Retina screen! The pictures just jump out at you. This Retina thing is simply amazing. This is how the Instagram app looks on the iPad: You can also toggle between the iPad screen…

October 23, 2012

Hope from a chicken plate and the setting sun

About 2 weeks ago, I went to Cebu City for an… event that could make or break my career. Ok, well, not really “break” if things don’t go my way, but my heart would definitely break if it doesn’t. This event was an interview for a promotion. I’ve been holding the same position in my…