For the love of Facebook

I do not understand what's with all the hate coming out as a result of Mark Zuckerberg being chosen as TIME's Person of the Year for 2010. I myself have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, but we have to admit that in recent times, nothing else on or off the Web, has made so much impact on...

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Curry Remedy

I came down with colds a few days ago, and so of course, I had a stuffy nose. To get some relief, I wanted to make soup. There were not a lot of ingredients I could choose from in the fridge, so I decided to try my luck on a Japanese curry mixture.  I've always made my curry quite saucy and...

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A Letter

Dear God,I know that during my birthday, I act weird. I go emotional, and I dwell about the things I do not have in my life. But I do not want to be ungrateful, because I really am so thankful for everything I have in my life. Thank you most of all, for all the blessings I have received. I have never...

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Boulevard Series: Le Chalet

I figured that there is no better to way to kick off my Boulevard Series than by blogging about my favorite restaurant in all of Dumaguete--Le Chalet. It's a quaint Swiss-style restaurant near the southern tip of the Rizal Boulevard, and is part of the Why Not complex, along with Why Not Disco...

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Bo's, Coffee, Green Tea, and Me

I really envy people who love coffee. I make an effort to enjoy it, but no matter what I do, it doesn't work. There seems to always be this weird taste in my mouth after I drink the beverage. Bo's Coffee recently opened in Robinson's Place Dumaguete, and I thought I'd be converted with all the...

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Dumaguete's Pride

If you are a tourist and you come to Dumaguete, there is probably one spot in the city that's going to stay in your mind--the Rizal Boulevard (named after the Philippine national hero who was said to have taken a stroll here while on the way to his exile in Dapitan). This is the stretch of boardwalk...

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Panic Mode

Tomorrow starts my comprehensive exams for masters, a series of 9 exams in total over 3 days for 9 of the 12 subjects I took up over the past 1 year and a half. I am panicking, because I really am not ready. I tried studying for a few hours last Friday at Bo's Coffee, but I covered very little...

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They're Real

You know the "secretaries of Juliet" who answer letters in the movie Letters to Juliet? Well, they're real. Verona, the "City of Love," is the setting of Romeo and Juliet. And while the star-crossed lovers are just a figment of the author's imagination, on Via Capello in this city, there actually exists...

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Letters to Juliet

'What' and 'if' are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life. What if? What if? What... if? Do you have regrets in life? Are you wondering, what if? If you are, then this movie is for you. I...

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Kookoo's Nest

There is a hidden treasure in the Tambobo Bay area of Siaton, Negros Oriental, approximately one and a half hours away from the provincial capital of Dumaguete. It's called Kookoo's Nest. I've heard of this place long before, but I never got to check it out until last Friday. It was a holiday in the...

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Finding Heritage

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World...

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My Bucket List

A lot of people are making bucket lists. What is a bucket list? Well, it's a list of things you want to do before you die, and it was made popular with the movie The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. I have yet to see the movie--I will watch it soon, I promise--but...

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100 Scents

It is no secret that I love perfumes. I am a perfume addict! And on my bucket list, there is an item that says, "Smell a hundred different perfume scents." This item would be crashed out the moment I am able to try on a hundred different perfumes. I am still quite far from the hundred mark, but...

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I ♥ Negros

...

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Sad Day

What a sad and embarrassing day for the Philippines today has been, as a former police officer who was dismissed from his job took a bus of 25 people, most of whom Hong Kong tourists, hostage at around 10 o'clock this morning. Ten hours later, the crisis is finally over, with the hostage-taker shot...

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The Opposite of Love

From debut author Julie Buxbaum comes a brave original heroine who will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has loved and lost. . . and loved again. When twenty-nine-year-old attorney Emily Haskey ends her happy relationship just as her boyfriend is about to propose, she can't explain to even...

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Notting Hill

Notting Hill is on HBO again. I've seen this movie about a gazillion times, but every time I watch it, I am reminded that it is undeniably my most favorite romantic comedy of all time. There are so many things I love about this movie, I don't even know what to start listing first. I remember...

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Longing for Tennis

I shouldn't be here, sitting on my bum in my cubicle freezing my fingers off because of the chilly air conditioner. I should be running around on a hard, green court, whacking balls back and forth over the net with my skunk racquet. Yes, I should be playing tennis right now. But it had to rain this...

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I wanted a perfect ending...

Beautiful quote, this. ...

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Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want--husband, country home, successful career--but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she felt consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all...

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On Eagles' Wings

The theme for Silliman University's Founder's Day celebration this year is "Silliman @ 109: Raised on Eagles' Wings." And for the past two semesters, all I've been hearing about in sermons during university Christian convocations is the grace of eagles while soaring above the wind. What does...

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Bohol Bee Farm

After living for 26 years on the island next to it, I was finally able to visit Bohol last weekend. I'm crazy, I know. Bohol is an amazing tourist destination, but since it's just less than 2 hours away by fast ferry from Dumaguete, I guess I took it for granted. If not for my boss's wedding, I probably...

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Time to Go

I feel like a weight has been taken off my shoulders. But at the same time, I feel a little bit sad, too. What's going on, you might ask. Last year, I was elected as the president of the Graduate Students Organization (GSO) in my university. Because I'm a full time student and part-time teacher,...

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