Win a Boracay Holiday

The paradise island of Boracay brings so many great memories for me. I've been there seven times since 1983 and every time I go there whether with family or friends, it's always an amazing experience. Not many people get to experience the beauty of the island and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity of visiting the place several times already in my 40 years of existence.

I've witnessed how Boracay transformed from a less known summer vacation destination back in the 1980s to becoming one the world's best tourist spots today. And I'm always proud of this fantastic island because it's the pride of the Philippines. It used to be that the main beachfront was just dotted with ordinary cottages made from native materials and with no electricity at that time. Through the years as many foreigners and Filipino investors saw the potential of the island, more restaurants and cottages were put up until concrete structures such as modern hotels rose on the island filling up every space available on the front and back ends.

I'd love to go back there with my family if given the chance and I just found this opportunity through the WOW Philippines Travel Agency's promo. Find out all about it here.

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency

WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package.

Vacation Package Inclusions:
- 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel
- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines
- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila
- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat
- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash

Read More Information: www.boracay-packages.com

Double Celebration

February this year saw two important events celebrated in just a single day. You guessed it right, they were Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year. A rare occasion if you may call it. For the romantics, the love day was their D-day while for the followers of the Chinese tradition, the lunar new year celebration had more importance.

I celebrated those two days in a very discreet way. No romantic date as the hubby is away although we greeted each other via email. I just strolled at Chinatown and the mall with the kids the day before and made important visits on the 14th. Guess, I was contented seeing those pairs in a romantic mood and feeling excited to be with the person they consider to be very special in their lives.

As for the Chinese New Year, I can feel the excitement each year when this event approaches. It's just that I don't really do the rituals. It's good, though, that the Chinese community here in my place has become united and very active in celebrating this occasion together with the local residents and visitors. The celebration has been a blast with several activities successfully conducted in the different parts of the city.

Let's all hope then that the year of the Metal Tiger will be a fruitful one for all of us and that we'll continue to be filled with love all the time.

Tina's Lucky 9

Do you believe in lucky numbers? If you'll ask me, I'd say no. Except for last year.

I would like to believe that the year 2009 was my sister's lucky year. Early last year, I learned from numerologists who were interviewed on several television programs (gosh, was that a year ago already?) that 9 was predicted to be a lucky number. Although I'm not a believer of yearly predictions, I enjoy listening to what people who foresee the future especially those studying numerology have to say.

It only struck me that indeed there's some truth to the lucky 9 prediction in 2009 when I learned about my sister, Tina's achievements early last year. I'll tell you why.

Tina's birth date is February 9 so that's just the first factor. Secondly, she was matched by a good old friend to a guy (who later became her husband)in the first month of 2009. Thirdly, she received two achievement awards from the bank she works for in February. Finally, she got married in September which is the 9th month of the year although not just on the 9th day.

So with all those positive developments in her life, I truly believe that it was really a lucky 9 for her in 2009.

The Year That Was

It's the last day of the year 2009 and I have a lot of catching up to do. Time really flies so fast and tomorrow is already another year.

Looking back, 2009 was a good year for me and my family. I continued to enjoy many writing jobs and I finally started work as a virtual assistant or VA. I've always been curious about the job of a VA and now that I'm one, I enjoy the variety in the work that I do. Also, it's nice to be able to help someone accomplish her tasks while at the same time fulfilling my own goals.

Healthwise, I'm thankful that not one in my family got sick. My mother has fully recovered from her illness and our kids are eating well. I gained a little weight myself which is another plus. My only wish is all of us continue to enjoy good health in the coming year.

The year 2009 also fulfilled my husband's wish of working on a cruise ship for the first time as a cook. He got on board M/S Salamis Glory for seven months and although his job was quite grueling having to cook for hundreds of people including crew and passengers, that gave him a lot of training and experience. The biggest fulfillment for him was having to visit several countries including the birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem in Israel during their cruises.

And not to forget, my dear sister Tina finally tied the knot with Boboy on September 12. It was a much awaited marriage and we're all happy for them that they found each other.

Looking forward, we pray for more blessings in the coming new year. The best way to start it is with a positive attitude coupled with hard work and for sure, everything will fall into place. So I wish everyone a fruitful 2010. Cheers!!

Writing for the Internet

Writing for the internet is fun whether it's just a hobby or you're earning from pursuing such passion. Fun and very informative it is. Not to mention very convenient as well especially if you are able to find regular writing work that makes you stay at home.

This is what I do now and I can't be happier. As a former journalist, choosing to be a home-based web writer is what you will call an early retirement job.

What I love about writing for the web is its being more personalized. I've been exposed to different types of work in the broadcast industry in the past spanning more than five years. From there, I then moved on to the print media for several years. As a big part of my job then focused on writing, I was able to hone my skills in both formal and informal writing.

In writing straight news, you need to be formal in your style to be credible to people. If it's a feature story whether for broadcast or print, the style can be less formal but engaging. On the internet today, though, the conversational writing style is the trend. The news, of course, has to be straightforward still but when it comes to blogs and websites as well as articles, the more casual and interesting the style the better is the chance of your content to be read by more web users.

By casual, it means writing in such a way as if you're just talking to a friend. The simpler the English language you use, the better you will be understood. Just make sure that you avoid typo and grammatical errors so people will get the message you want to convey in just one read.

If your passion is writing, why not start doing it on the internet. There are even lots of jobs that you can apply to if you really want to earn serious money. And I'm not kidding :)

After the Storm

Several super typhoons have hit the Philippines in recent years causing so much devastation in properties and agricultural land. The latest Typhoon Ondoy that hit Metro Manila and nearby provinces caused the same flashfloods that hit Panay in Western Visayas in 2008 due to Typhoon Frank. People were caught offguard due to the rapid rise of floodwaters that resulted from overflowing rivers.

My heart went out to the victims and at the time I was monitoring the news as it happened on TV, I also got worried about friends and relatives in the affected areas in Luzon. I have my own experience with floods when I was younger and I must admit it can really bring trauma to affected people especially those who have lost family members and relatives as well as their homes.

Natural calamities like these make many of us sad but life has to go on. Filipinos are a unique lot and they know how to stand up after a fall. I salute those who helped other people during the flashfloods whether they know each other or not, to those who gave their time to help pack relief goods, to private companies that donated hundreds of thousands or even millions of pesos worth of their products and to private citizens who donated cash and used clothings for the victims. This bayanihan spirit of cooperation is so alive in most Filipinos during tragic situations and this is what makes me proud to be a Filipino.

I'm a Proud Mom

I feel so proud today for the recent achievements of my two kids. First, my eldest James or JP as what we call him at home who is now in Grade 6 was a Champion in their school's Spelling Bee as part of their Communications Month culmination program last September. He bested the topnotcher of their class but my son was so humble about everything. He didn't even brag about it at home. I only discovered it when I saw a pin bearing "Certified Speller" on his backpack and a certificate inside his notebook later when I checked his belongings. James has been a good speller and he also got a citation from their Language teacher last year.

My younger child, Charlotte, on the other hand is the top 3 in her Kinder-I class. She shows much interest in her studies and according to her teacher, she works independently in class. She also learns fast and does not hesitate to recite when she feels like it.

My two kids are exact opposites just like me and my husband. James is the silent type while my little girl is a vocal type of individual. But despite their differences, they both do well in school and I feel so blessed that they are.

These are the rewards a mother can be proud of. These achievements of James and Charlotte are what inspire me to do my best as a mother. It does not matter whether I raise our children singlehandedly while my husband works overseas because what counts most is a mother's constant support and love to her children. The hardships and pains that we go through are not that important because they are part of our journey through life. As long we continuously gain the strength and we keep the faith in God, there will always be blessings coming our way.