Life, Day by Day

I am not a fan girl but when Greenwich invited the Negros Bloggers to a meet and greet with John Lloyd Cruz last October 18,  I decided to go.  The invitation was for 7 PM, but I was there early because I had everybody's VIP passes with me and so that we can get good seats, but to my chagrin the cordoned off fountain area was almost full.  It's a good thing that Ms. Charo, Marketing Head for Greenwich Vis-Min area was there and she brought me to our reserved seats.

The 2013 Masskara Festival is under new management!  This is the 33rd year of the festival and the new organizer is the Kasadya Bacolod Foundation, Inc . led by its chairman and MassKara Festival Director Mr. Rhoderick Samonte, who according to news feeds, has said that they are working with a minimum budget but, they will try their best to make this year’s festival distinct from past festivals.  For one, they are returning the Trini Lopez Medley , which was used first in 1988. Admittedly the latino medley is very upbeat and rhythmic, but the original music created for last year's Masskara had a distinct local beat and is Bacolod's own. And so, I think the 2012 music should have been retained, given some improvement and remixed.  Listen to both versions which I uploaded below and let me know what you think.

SM City Bacolod had the grand opening of The SM Store last April 19, 2013.  Although I was invited, I decided to forgo the event since I could not leave the office that morning.  Besides I really don't like early morning events and this was for 8 AM!  The new department store has three floors that are filled with merchandise enough to make any shopaholic happy for the rest of her life  :)

My children Big Brother and Preemie Girl had their graduations this year.  Big Brother finished his Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies last October 2012 yet, but he is included in the 2012-2013 annual yearbook since there are no semestral graduations at the University of St. La Salle.  He no longer joined the graduation ceremonies last March because he has started working last January and could not get time off. I am very proud of him and so grateful that God has blessed him with a well paying first job :) And my daughter Preemie Girl?  Well, she also had her culmination ceremony, with a recognition award.......from Kindergarten! Hahaha!

Like I said in my previous post , this is my first time ever to attend the Bacolaodiat Festival .  When the festival committee sent the Negrense Blogging Society, Inc. an invitation to attend and cover the activities (February 7-10, 2013), I immediately sent out the call to our board and other Negros bloggers.  After getting our press kits, I was supposed to meet up with 2 other bloggers to watch the dazzling dance parade, lantern street dance competition, the cultural show and then dinner at the chopstick's alley.  Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the parade (could not get off work) and so, I am still waiting for the pictures that one of our other board member took.  Here are some pictures from last year which I took from their website.

Kung Hei Fat Choi! I first learned this word in 1993 when I went to Hongkong with my mom and brother. I got sick the second day I was there, so all I did was watch television and trying to learn Chinese phrases. But even then, Chinese New Year was not a big thing for a non-Chinese like me (although I do have a Chinese ancestor, way up the line), so I basically forgot it's meaning until 2005 when Mayor Evelio "Bing" Leonardia launched the first Bacolaodiat Festival , Bacolod City's very own Chinese New Year Festival--it comes from the words "Bacolod" & "Lao Diat" (Fookien word for celebration).

This isn't the first time that the Negrense Blogging Society, Inc. got invited to an appreciation  party but this is the first time that we all had fun!  Last January 25, 2013, Globe hosted a Media and Blogger's Night at 21 Restaurant.  In attendance were media practitioners from print, television and radio and of course, the bloggers group.  You know, it never ceases to surprise me that companies, organizations, festival organizers and even politicians now look at bloggers as a "force" that can influence public opinion and even effect change.  In the past not many people read blogs, but that is no longer true now-a-days.  Bloggers are now seen as good sources of publicity, which more often than not is unsolicited and may be good or bad.  When I started blogging, this was the farthest from my mind...in fact, it never even entered my head. To this day blogging for me is just another way to express my thoughts and ideas...it is not about anything else....

Even when I began blogging more seriously, I never quite realized the reach and power of social media.  Although we started getting some invitations to events sponsored by Globe, Google and Multiply, it was only when several businesses started knocking that I saw the importance of social media in influencing opinions and outcomes in almost everything it touches. So that when SM City Bacolod invited the officers of the Negrense Blogging Society, Inc. to attend it's Media Night last January 5, 2013, we decided to attend.  It was fun to be part of the "media" even though I am not what is considered a "real" media practitioner.  But I'd like to believe that as bloggers, we too are writers and also, what is more commonly known, citizen journalists .  Our friends from Skyscrapercity.com were there (of which I too am a member but have not been very active) and personalities from the different radio and TV stations in the province. We were entertained by the talent...

The years 2011-2020 is the Decade of Action for Road Safety. Terms like road rage, distracted driving, killer highways, DUI (driving under the influence) have been read and heard about but still, the statistics for road and crash victims continue to grow. To create awareness and remembrance, the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims started by RoadPeace in 1993, was endorsed on October 26, 2005 by the United Nations as a global day to be observed every third Sunday in November each year.

It's my brother's birthday today and so for his present I am writing about his favorite obsession...running.  Ever since he discovered running, my brother, "the running doc", Dr. Roberto Ledesma has not only run countless marathons and even got featured in FrontRUNNER magazine, but he is also the originator of the Silay City Marathons.  His latest? The Mt. Patag Eco Adventure Endurance Trail Challenge, a   34k / 42K (solo) and 42k (relay) marathon to be held on November 3, 2012 in Silay City.  It is the only full marathon in the country with a non-stop ascending route that ends on top of a mountain. 

One clear outcome of the Masskara Festival of Bacolod was the emergence of masks and mask makers from the time of its inception. Today, there are many kinds available in the market during festival time, a good number coming from China, but none of them could compare with those made by mask maker par excellence, Jojo Vito. Last October 15, I was very lucky to be invited to the opening of Kara, an exhibit of limited edition masks conceptualized by Jojo Vito and Anton Manso, Marketing Consultant of Jojo Vito Designs Gallery.  The display is inspired by the theme of the 2012 Masskara Festival, “Celebrating the good Life in Bacolod”.  Mayor Bing Leonardia with Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and Masskara Chairman Mr. Eli Tajanlangit did the ribbon cutting. The exhibit is sponsored by of SM City Bacolod and located at it's North Wing main entrance until October 22, 2012.

This year, Manila’s undisputed nightlife venues – OPUS and REPUBLIQ will again invade Bacolod City for a very exclusive Masskara party experience! Proper Production, GROOVE INK, World Wide Womb & JIVE Crew bring you “The Masskara Roof Deck Party 2012”: two nights of nonstop dancing with the country’s hottest DJs – Bombi Balquiedra, Manolet Dario, John Monreal, Arnel Genterone, Angelo de Dios, Martin Pulgar, Chewy Ramos, Mars Miranda, DJ Nina, Funk Avy, X-Factor, Santi Santos & Karl Ty! Get crazy at the OPUS White Party on October 19, Friday and go wild at the REPUBLIQ Neon Party on October 20, Saturday at the Roof Deck of L’Fisher Chalet Hotel!

Who would have thought that what began as an over-the-counter pizza store in Greenhills Commercial Center in 1971 would become this big?  As a student  at the University of Santo Tomas in the mid-70's,  I was very happy to see that there was a Greenwich branch in España right near the overpass!  If I remember correctly, it was  besides the St. Paul's Bookstore. I would go there at least once a week to give myself a pizza or taco treat (yes, they used to sell tacos).  This love affair ended in 1980 when I came home to the province and it was not till the '90's when they opened a small branch in Bacolod that I got to eat my favorite pizza regularly again.  As different malls started to sprout in the city, the store also established branches there.  In 1994, Greenwich was bought by Jollibee Food Corporation and from then on, it continued to grow bigger and better.  Aside from the varied pizza offerings, their menu began to include pasta, rice a...

The Multiply marketing team came to Bacolod City last August 31, 2012 to meet with bloggers and merchants alike. This is in line with their transformation from a social networking site to e-commerce.   I already knew from e-mails and other blogs that the Jakarta based (formerly Florida, USA until early 2012) company will now be focusing purely on e-commerce effective December 1, 2012.  When I first heard about it, I was a little sad but after this meeting, I understood the reasons and merits of the change. Those of us with a Multiply account need not fear that our photos, videos and blog posts will be lost  because the Multiply team will inform and guide all their members with what to do with these.  We then have an option to close our account or transform it into an online shop. I chose to close it down but at the same time I opened not one but two online shops.  Of course, I did not really know what to do with them until I attended this session with th...

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Negros Occidental (HRANO) presents “SABOR BISAYA 2012 - A Culinary Competition and Food Expo” on July 27-28, 2012 at the Convention Hall of the Bacolod Pavilion Hotel. This annual event is dedicated to upgrade the level of standards of the Foodservice Industry Professionals and future practitioners in the Visayas Region. The following exciting and interesting activities are scheduled for the 2-day event:

Although I live in Silay, I don't attend the Charter Day celebrations every 12th of June, due to the fact that I am not really a fiesta person and I live far from the city center where all the activities are happening.  But this year, my family and I decided to watch the Hugyaw Kansilay street dancing competition scheduled at 2 PM. We left the house early to find a good parking space and it was a wise decision since traffic was closed by then.  I must say, it was an exhilarating experience watching the participants swaying and dancing to the vibrant beat of the music of "Hugyaw Silay".  All sixteen barangays of the city participated in the competition with Barangay Guinhalaran emerging as the winner.

Traditionally, Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May) in the Philippines is usually equated with a Santacruzan Festival or a procession of "sagalas" with their consorts.  However, the real essence of the Flores is that it is a festival that is held for the whole month of May in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, while a Santacruzan refers to the pageant on the last day of Flores de Mayo,  where pretty young ladies (usually from prominent families) dressed in traditional Filipino attire are paraded to represent the different virtues of the Blessed Mother. An Hermana Mayor, usually someone from the community or barangay takes care of the whole procession where devotees follow the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary praying the rosary and singing songs.  The Santacruzan was practiced more in the Tagalog provinces of Luzon than in the Visayas and Mindanao. And perhaps because of it's extravagance, this more than a hundred-years old cultural tradition done in honour of St. Helena...

For people looking out for great food this holiday season, watch out for COMER.CIO , a 3-day food market slated to open on December 16 to 18, 2011 at the Central District right besides Robinson's Mall. The team behind the bazaar is a group of young entrepreneurs with a vision of promoting and showcasing Bacolod's finest food products that gives a young, fun and fresh appeal. The name COMER.CIO is an interplay of words, inspired by the Spanish word comer, meaning "to eat" yet when taken as a whole word, it translates to "commerce" which means intellectual exchange or social interaction. This is one of the aims of the bazaar-to establish social dealings between and among lovers of food. Interested parties who would like to showcase their products may email comercio.bacolod@yahoo.com for inquiries.  Deadline for submission of application is on December 8, 2011.