My cousin is the 2011 US NFL Champion in Storytelling

Image taken from Saipantribune.com

I've always thought that my love for writing and storytelling runs in the genes.

Well, my first cousin John Edward Elenzano just made my thoughts loud and clear after being declared as the 2011 Champion in the recently concluded US National Forensic League competition held at Dallas, Texas last weekend.

He was judged as the overall champ in the Storytelling category of the National Forensic League participated by more than 4,000 students across the US. Whoa! Talk about big competition. So many inglesero nose bleed ako kung andun ako wahhh!

John Edward, studies at Mount carmel High School, is the second child of OFWs Edward Elenzano ( from Quezon City) at Fe Mamuyac - Elenzano, my lovely auntie, (tubong Agoo, La Union) based in Saipan, Northern Marianas Island. his winning piece “The Girl Who Became a Mean Bear.”

My cousin received a trophy and US scholarship. Congrats John Edward for making our family, Saipan and your kababayan proud.. Another testament that Pinoy talents and indeed world-class.

I am just happy to have spent 2-years of my life living and growing with Kokoy, John Edward's nickname, with his two siblings and parents in Saipan when I worked there a few years ago. Miss you guys!

To see the full report of John Edward's feat, you can go to Saipan Tribune's official website.

PLDT myDSL’s Internet to Sawa TRANSFORMS my Internet experience from DOOM to ZOOM!

Beware and be aware!

There is a emerging outbreak in the community today and everyone is advised to take necessary steps to be protected from any harm. Here are the symptoms of the said spate:

1. You tend to slam your desktop keyboard and/ or mouse or hit the CPU subconsciously.

2. You curse your internet provider and make your rants known via FB and/ or Twitter.

3. You always get the same message over the phone: “There is an upgrading of our facilities in your area to improve our service. Sorry but I can’t provide you a definite time when this will be completed.”

4. You dream of a circling light with a note that says "connecting..." as if it’s going to be like that way forever.

If you are experiencing two or more of the mentioned symptoms, there is a big probability that you just caught the wave called SLOKONEKSYONMOSIS.

Do not take this lightly because this epidemic has been reported to have caused a lot of damage to unwilling victims:

a. Loss of sight. Youtube habit is now a mess and you’re missing an average of a dozen of viral videos a day.

b. Loss of hearing. E-radio, podcast and downloading of mp3s either from iTunes or Bearshare is completely silenced.

c. Lost of sense of touch. This is good actually. Only cyber perverts will be affected by this.

d. Lost of sense of taste. You can’t decide what and where to eat because you can’t get updates from your fave food blogs.

e. And worst of all, loss of life (blogging life, that is)

This is kinda scary especially for a blogger, or should I say a Nuffnanger like me. Life has never been the same when I started my Nuffnang life. Any day can be a day of surprises especially when a new promo, contest or event (like the upcoming movie premiere of Transformer 3: Dark of the Moon) is launched. The challenge of making your post more creative and the opportunity to meet new friends online and in person are only some of the great opportunities one can gain. I say Nuffnang tansformed me from a regular blogger to a winner, both figuratively and literally. My proudest moments as a blogger came when I was declared as the grand winner for Aboitiz Power Alter Space (2011), Eveready Everyday Moments (2011) and Funniest Blog for Enervon's Hapontukin contest (2010) by Nuffnang Philippines. Any interruption on my internet connection is definitely a big issue on my part.

That's why I am now considering getting a new internet provider. I just heard the great news from PLDT myDSL that their plan 3000 subscribers will be given a free upgrade from 3mbps to an unlimited speed boost of 5 mbps bandwidth this month of June. This is a big transformation since this kind of connection guarantees a great online experience to every subscriber from playing online games to visiting social networking sites and of course, updating blogs.

Having this internet speed, I can post more entries in my blog, share great photos and videos to my friends and finish lots of work-related tasks in less time! Indeed, PLDT myDSL’s Internet to Sawa TRANSFORMS my Internet experience from DOOM to ZOOM!

And if you think that the Internet to Sawa treat is the only bonus you'll be getting from PLDT, you got to hear this: you'll also get Watchpad, the first ever broadband entertainment portal which enables PLDT subscribers to watch TV Online, with even more exclusive contents plus One (1) year of Free PLDT to PLDT NDD calls!

It's not yet December, right? Why it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. With all the these generous gifts and offers from PLDT, I am hearing Christmas bells instead of just wedding bells this June.

Visit www.myworldmydsl.com for more information or call 171 to confirm your subscription today!

PMAP Awards: Recognizing the best of the best

Does your employer offer competitive compensation, benefits and recognition for good work?  Does your boss promote work-life balance and a healthy work culture and present opportunities of career growth?  Do you know a company that provides a stable and secure workplace with substantial retention rate and job security?

The People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) encourages the public to help them find and recognize companies and individuals who promote sound people practice in their respective workplaces.  The annual search for the PMAP Employer of the Year (EOY), Personnel Manager of the Year (PMY) and People Program of the Year (PPY) continues to accept nominations for the said categories until June 15, 2011.

The PMAP Awards, the highly-coveted recognition from the premiere organization of human resource management (HR) experts, aims to honor organizations and individuals for their outstanding accomplishments and exemplary contributions to the promotion and development of the HR practice and profession.

Since 1977, PMAP has honored individuals and organizations that have achieved excellence and distinction in the field of human resources management.  It also recognizes people management programs and initiatives that help achieve outstanding outcomes for the organization, its employees and other stakeholders. 

The Employer of the Year Award is the ultimate accolade for the exemplary enterprise. It recognizes a company that fulfills its human resource management responsibilities evident in its leadership, dynamism, professionalism, strategic thinking and continuous improvement successfully linking its business goals and people. Two EOY Awardees will be feted--- one large enterprise and one small-medium enterprise (SME).  Nominations for the EOY Awards are open for companies nationwide whether PMAP member or not

On the other hand, the People Manager of the Year Award is the premier recognition by peers to that one HR Practitioner who has distinguished himself in the practice of managing people in an enterprise contributing to the business success of the company while advancing people management both as an advocacy and a career.

The People Program of the Year Award is conferred on a unique, innovative and pioneering program designed to enhance, improve and facilitate employer and employee relations in the various functional and service areas of human resources.  Both the PMY and PPY Awards are strictly for PMAP members only

Past winners come from various industries and geographical locations, but they have one thing in common – the commitment to optimize opportunities for their people.

The PMAP Awards Committee will recognize this year’s winners on during the 48^th PMAP Annual Conference that will be held at The Atrium, Limketkai Center, Cagayan De Oro City from October 12 to 14, 2011.

For more details, please contact the PMAP Secretariat at tel. no. 726-1532, fax no. 726-1530 or email dette.tan@pmap.org.ph.

I love BOLD (BlackBerry 9780, that is)

It still makes me smile or even laugh when I’m in the mood every time I remember a funny incident with a former office mate a couple of years ago.

It was December and we already have our 13th month pay out of our ATM cards and were in the midst of a sea of shoppers in a tech center of a big mall. I was looking for gift ideas for my wife while my co-worker was looking for a phone.

The guy bought a dual SIM phone which he will use for his promising loading business while I got some brochures and price list of gadgets and stuff that I need to review before I decide what I will purchase. Before we parted ways, we were talking about movies as we passed by the cinema house of the mall and blurted out something like, “Anganda ng BlackBerry Bold” when I saw a lady carrying a unit near the area.

I heard my officemate said, “Oo, nakita ko na din yun.” Which I thought was just the right reaction.

The next day, I got an email from him around lunchtime with photos of Halle Berry during her eye-popping scenes from the movie Swordfish. It was then that I realize that my buddy thought I was talking about a topless Hollywood actress when I said BB Bold! (But I still give him an A for effort to Google those photos).

Talking about being bold, BlackBerry Bold 9780 is one gadget that is making quite a buzz among the latest smartphones in the market today. It promises to be a perfect companion for people who is always on the go and needs to be always connected via internet to check emails or send reports (that would be me). This handset offers this capability and more, not to mention a classy and edgy look that is an eye catcher. Won’t it be something you can be proud of when you see your clients or office mates trying to get a glimpse of your handsome phone on your table?

There are so many reasons why I love BlackBerry Bold 9780 but I would like to highlight four of it’s great features that makes me wanna own one. I want to make it loud and clear... I love BOLD!

Battery life. With up to 528 hours of standby time and up to 6 hours of talk time, BBB 9780 offers this remarkable spec to their users that other large screen devices can’t match. It’s the sort of handset that you can take away for the weekend and feel secure without bringing the charger. No more moments of going to the nearest convenient store in the middle of business trip just to get a 10-minute cellphone charging for a fee.

Operating System. This latest product from Research In Motion will carry BlackBerry OS 6.0 which offers the universal search. Just type what you are looking for and the BB screen will show you all apps/ files relating to the word you just typed. It’s a fantastic feature that makes looking for photos, emails, or word documents easier. If only someone here in the office can think of something like this so I can finally find my missing pens, stapler and scissors in my cubicle.

LED flash-supported 5MP camera. BBB 9780 has an improved autofocus camera with 5 megapixels and has easy access to a selection of scene modes, geo tagging and other features. There is also a single LED flash supporting the camera for better shots. You can also get video clips using it. Now, I can leave my digicam at home because I have a decent camera in this phone that I can use for a chance encounter with a celebrity that will eventually end up as my latest profile pic in Facebook.

Display and keyboard. The 2.44 inch display and 480 x 360 pixels resolution may sound like small numbers but ask one of the geeky IT guys in your office and they’ll tell you it translate to 236 pixels per inch which is incredibly sharp. This means that you can still watch your favorite video in a screen the size of the mouth of your boss when he’s angry and still enjoy it since it is clear and vibrant even in direct sunlight. (Apologies for the comparison especially to those who are having their meal)

Now tell me how you can’t love the new BlackBerry Bold 9780! It has answer to all your wants and needs for a smartphone. So, join me and make ourselves heard: I love Bold... I love Bold... I love Bold!

To get updates on BlackBerry products, just like BlackBerry Pilipinas Facebook fan page. You can also visit www.unbox.ph for news and information about the latest happenings, promotions and latest cool gadgets.