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Anna Isabel “Issai” Villafuerte goes for Gold

Written by Ms. Confuse on Sunday, August 31, 2008

SHE may be one of the Philippines best hopes for a gold medal in the 2010 or 2014 Winter Olympics or a possible future Miss Philippines contender, but Anna Isabel “Issai” Villafuerte will try to do the unthinkable as she works her way up the amateur ice skating totem pole.

Having a Filipino in the winter Olympics may sound like an oxymoron given that the Philippines is known more for it’s tropical climate than frigid weather. However, from skating on slushy, chopped ice in the Philippines to a pristine, spotless surface in the US, the 13-year-old Issai will look to become an Olympic hopeful for the Philippines come the next Winter Olympics slated for Vancouver, Canada in 2010 or Sochi, Russia in 2014. Last year, Issai became the first Philippine-born ice skater to qualify to compete in the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) sanctioned competitive events. She qualified last year after undergoing a series of rigorous tests conducted by the USFSA. Most ice skaters in the Philippines compete on a recreational level. The US and world has a stricter standard. An ice skater looking to compete in an Olympic/or USFSA event must pass a stringent test to compete in qualifying competitions. Issai performed well enough to pass. This year was her first year of competitive events and she surprised many when she arrived to the US in June and nearly swept the competition during her very first USFSA event. Issai bagged three gold, a silver and bronze medal at the Broadmoor Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado last June 24-28. She topped the seven other competitors in freestyle, artistic, and spin events, according to her US Ice Skating Coach Ted Domingo. "We were all surprised," said Fe Villafuerte, the mother. "We didn’t expect it." Domingo did.

"I’m not surprised," he said. "We had two good weeks of training [leading] up to the event. We’ve been preparing and practicing for five to six hours a day." Issai said that she too was surprised since prior to the Broadmoor Open, she didn’t perform very well in a different recreational competition. "It [the Broadmoor Open] supposed to be the hardest and most important one," she said. "I was competing against seven people. It was really tough. They were all so good and they landed everything. I was so nervous but I’m glad I did well."

Ice Princess
Issai hails from Bicol, Philippines and is the granddaughter of Camarines Sur Congressman Luis Villafuerte. She currently attends a British School in Manila, according to Fe. Issai learned how to ice skate at the age of 8. Accompanying her mother to SM Mega Mall in Manila, Issai grew tired of walking from store to store as her mother shopped. She found solace in the Mall’s ice skating rink – one of a few places on the island to have such a venue. "It just started out as a hobby," said Issai. "Something to do." Pretty soon, she couldn’t get enough of the ice. "She was begging me to go shopping so she could skate," said Fe. Fe started to take her to local mall competitions. In 2003, Issai picked up her first medal, a bronze, at an SM Southmall sponsored event. She momentarily quit to focus on school but picked up her skates again three years later. In 2006, Issai’s seriousness of the sport began to grow. She was among the 1,000 competitors from 25 different countries and one of 200 from the Philippines to compete in the Skate Asia event at the World Ice Arena in Shenzhen, China.

At that event, Issai captured four gold medals, one silver medal and two bronzes. Momentum began to build. She continued to rack up medals in other ice skating events in Guangdong, China, and in Bandung, Indonesia and she placed second runner up in an Ice Princess 2006 competitio in the Philippines. The next year, Issai picked up eight gold medals in her skill level at the 2007 Ice Skating Institute (ISI) Skate Beijing competition. The only time she didn’t medal in a competition was when she first arrived to the US for the ISI World Recreational championship held in Chicago, IL. Issai had a difficult time adjusting to the ice surface. "In Manila, the skating rink has a lot of bumps and sometimes holes," she said. "They only clean it every three or four hours. But when I got here, they clean it every hour. I couldn’t believe how nice the ice looked. The ice was so pristine in Chicago that initially, Issai was apprehensive to skate fearing that the ice was too slick and her skates were too sharp, according to her mother.

"You have to go to the Philippines to understand," said Fe, jokingly. Fe added that it’s been a surprising two years. She never expected her youngest daughter of eight to be a competitive ice skater. She has accompanied Fe in all of her ice skating tournaments and she has not only seen her grow in experience on the ice but also physically grow "three to four inches." "I want her to win a Miss Philippines title," said Fe. "She has the height and looks." That’ll have to wait. Now standing with a svelte 5’7" frame, Issai and her coaches know tat she still has a long way to go before being the first Filipino born ice skater to compete in a winter Olympics. "We still have a lot of work to do," said Albert Aguilar, Issai’s ice skating coach in the Philippines. "We can do it probably in 2014 Olympics. We really have to work hard for it but with her determination and support from her mom and family, maybe we can achieve it."

If not, she could always try Miss Philippines.

Pacquiao confirms he'll fight De la Hoya

Written by Ms. Confuse on Saturday, August 30, 2008

The biggest boxing bout of 2008 is on.

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao confirmed Thursday that he will indeed fight boxing superstar Oscar de la Hoya on December 6 at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. "Tuloy na tuloy na. Confirmed na, agree na kami sa laban," said the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) Lightweight Champion. It is a welcome development for boxing fans since they consider the Pacquiao-De la Hoya tiff one for the ages. Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs), however, refused to disclose how much he will be getting when he faces the heavier De la Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs). De La Hoya, who has repeatedly said that the December 6 fight would be his last bout, had been in talks with Pacquiao for weeks.

Negotiations broke down since both side could not reach an agreement on how to split the revenue, which is expected to exceed more than $100 million. "Definitely not 70-30 [as de la Hoya proposed]. Hindi ko na sasabihin ang details ng contract. Basta tuloy na," he said. Pacquiao, who started out years ago fighting as a flyweight, said the fight will be the most important bout of his career, and he will thus be preparing thoroughly. "This is the biggest fight of my career, paghahandaan ko ito," he said.

Formal announcement
Reports earlier said that de la Hoya will formally announce the fight Thursday (Friday in Manila). The match will cap his illustrious boxing career. News about the official announcement was reported by Los Angeles-based ABC Channel 7. Rob Fukuzaki, ABC Channel 7's sports anchor reported that official announcements will be forthcoming August 28 before noon in Los Angeles. Top Rank's Bob Arum, whose company promotes Pacquiao, would not confirm to ESPN.com that a deal was already in place for what would be the year's biggest fight. He, however, confirmed that de La Hoya would host a media teleconference on Thursday to announce his opponent.

"We'll know who he is fighting tomorrow," Arum told ESPN.com. "I made a commitment that I wouldn't say anything and that tomorrow there would be an announcement. I'm not allowed to make any comments. Everything will be clear on Thursday."Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer would also not confirm the deal but reportedly sounded positive when asked about it.

Dulcie Dee exhibiting "Ban The Bra"

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, August 29, 2008

FilAm artist Dulcie Dee will be exhibitig her latest colege entitled "Ban The Bra" at the upcoming all women's group art exhibition "Woman" at the Fusion Arts Museum located at 57 Stanton St., opening Sept 4,2008 at 6:30 p.m. Exhibition will be on display till October 10,2008. As the title suggests, this exhibit will feature female artists only. Fusion Arts Museum is proud to present Dee's multi-disciplinary artwork reflecting the artist's feelings about the woman's role in today's society. Deborah Fries, gallery director, asked that all women artists participating in this show consider the quote from the Roman poet Ovid - "What one beholds of a woman is the least part of her"

Dee’s latest collage “Ban The Bra” makes a bold statement combining painting, drawing, paper, recent press releases, photos of her geisha paintings, Austrian Crystal beads, shells, black panty and bra, gold metallic ink, gold glitter, gold wire, sculpture, text, artificial light which forms an interactive large 36”x36” scroll. This artwork is of particular interest to the Fusion Arts Museum for its contemporary relevance to how people treat women artists today depicting her angst with being recently banned by the SPAA (Society of Philippine American Artists) for her “immoral character”.

Dee first formerly displayed her explicit sensuous collage work “Sex in the City” at the Fusion Arts Museum in 2006 at the group show “Light My Ire” which showed her angst with men who looked at women as sex objects.
For more gallery inquiries, contact Deborah Fries, Fusion Arts Museum (212) 995-5290.

Sheila Mae Perez feels like a winner

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, August 28, 2008

Sheila Mae Perez walked out of the Water Cube, site of the diving competition, looking like she was floating on air. She actually was, five times, during the 3m springboard preliminaries. But she was on her way to the athletes service bus, her feet on the ground not above the springboard and joy was written in her face. If you didn't know the result beforehand, you'd think she was a winner. Far from it, through, but she has fully embraced the spirit of Olympic Games and despite losing, she will be going home happy and fulfilled. "Hindi ako nagsisisi sa pagpunta ko dito," she said and added,"walang panghihinayang." Perez finished 23rd beating just seven others in the 30-woman field that included two of Chin'a sporting icons, one of whom, Guo Jingjing, topped the preliminaries, which the othe, Wu Minxia, was right there in the mix in fourth spot after five dives. Perez's slot as No.6 diver was just before Wu, but despite having the Chinese star practically breathing behind her back, the pint-sized 22-year-old Filipina from Zamboanga City, said she never got nervous.

"Hindi ako kinabahan," she said. She may not have buckledm, but it was obvious her skills were far lesser than the other competitors. She never got below 22nd in the ranking from the first dive onwards. After five dives and a total score of 251.15, she languished at 23rd spot, 122.75 points behind Guo Jingjing, the defending champion whose image is enshrined in Madame Tossauds New York museum. After five dives, the top 18 advance to the semifinals and after that, the top 12 in the finals. Perez never got to smell No.18. After the preliminaries, she was more or less 25 points behind from the last semifinal slot. But it was not because of not trying. She said she tried her bedt to perfect her dives, the way she did in practice the day before.

"Maganda siya kahapon sa practice," said fellow diver Ryan Fabriga. "Hindi ko alam kung ano ang nangyari." Perhaps one reason she suffererd days before the dive. She was carrying a pack of ice on the way to the bus, pressing it against her left knee. But like a good sportswoman, she said this was not an excuse. She, however, lamented that the seven judges were stingy on her. "Maliit magbiay," she saidm not one geting more than 7 on the various scales of difficulty. "Siguro kasi maliit din ako at maliit and bansa natin." She wondered particularly why her score in the first and fifth dives were given low scores.

"Favorite jumps ko yun at ginalingan ko talaga," said the three-time SEA Games gold medalist. But she also admittes she erred during the second dive when she failed to reach the apex. Despite the finish, she said she felt like a chamapion because that was what President Arroyo said when she gave them a pep talk last week. "Enjoy ako," she said, "parang champion din ang pakiramdam."

Original Filipino opera performed in the U.S.

Written by Ms. Confuse on Wednesday, August 27, 2008

It is said that the Philippines is an amalgam of Asian, Hispanic and American cultures. This is exactly what Karim ant Jasmin, the first-ever original Filipino opera performed in the U.S. Dr. Ramon Sison Geluz, a U.P. alumnus, the composer and librettist, explains that "its original, meaning NOT an adaptation from an already existing book or novel, legend or myth or written material, but an original creation inspired by the fusion of the multicultural genetic and colonial influences embedded in the Filipino blood, making us unique from most people of the world." The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Nevada (UPAAN), a non-profit organization (501-C-3), proudly brings to Las Vegas Karim at Jasmin on Saturday, September 20, 2008, 6pm at the Nicholas Horn Theatre, College of Southeren Nevada, 3200 E. Cheynne Avenue, North Las Vegas, NV 89030. The event is chaired by Will Vicuna, UPAAN founding president; co-chaired by Romualdo Aragon,Jr.MD, UPAAN president; and Isidro Dela Cruz, past president. Tickets- are $45 balcony and $55 orchestra. For tickets call (702)547-5277 or (702)544-3560.

To those who have seen it, have experienced a feeling of pride and elation as a Filipino. Philippine Consul General Mary Jo Bernardo Aragon, Los Angeles said,"I encourage everyone of you to see Karim at Jasmin. It is a 'must-see' production. and I am sure that you will enjoy it, as I did. I comment and congratulate Dr. Geluz for his very beautiful tribute to our culture and heritage." Karim, the protagonist, symbolizes Filipino nobility and dignity, even before our colonization by forein powers. Jasmin, the heroine, symbolizes purity an innocence, duty and passion. The Heneral, the Princess Rajita, and the Huramentado symbolizes the evil in man, selfishness, intrigue and greed. The "heavenly" music by the Philippines greatest arranger and reendered into music by the world renowned classical pianist Joselito Pascual, musical director of the opera, is definitely a big plus.

Th production manager and director is Edith Andres, the technical director is Marc Ramos, and the choreographer is Paolo Alcedo. Dr. Geluz's wife Lani is the executive producer and son Michael Raymond Geluz, the sound director. The MRG Services, Inc., a California based corporation, has been formed by Dr. Ramon Sison Geluz with the purpose of discovering and assisting Filipino artist and providing community service in different fund raising performances for different cities in the United States and in the Philippines.

Further more : Karim at Jasmin

Graduate Riche

Written by Ms. Confuse on Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The term “nouveau riche” is usually used in a pejorative fashion to refer to people who have acquired money recently, usually within one or two generations. The term is used by established members of the upper class who represent dynasties of wealth, some of which have existed for centuries. The nouveau riche are generally associated with tactlessness, lack of taste, and questionable cultural or social practices. Most members of the nouveau riche are unaware of how offensive their behavior appears to others. The phrase is French for “new rich,” and the term “new money” is sometimes used to refer to the Nouveau Riche. People who have the benefit of generations of wealth are generally classified as “old money,” and they tend to be leading members of society. Directories of important people in a community usually include old money, sometimes dismissed by the nouveau riche as traditionalists or the “old guard.” Members of the Nouveau Riche usually struggle for social acceptance. With old money comes centuries of refined pedigree, exclusive social matches made between people of similar social status. It also comes with responsibility, and most wealthy parents send their children to exclusive private schools for extensive educations which include a discussion of how to handle money. The Nouveau Riche usually work their way up from the lower classes, and are perceived to be of less social value. Often, a member of the nouveau riche has not received the benefit of an elaborate private school education and generations of steeping in set cultural and social values. As a result, the nouveau riche attempt to fit in with old money as best they can. Frequently this results in the acquisition of ostentatious homes, furnishings, and vehicles. This practice is frowned upon by old money, and is generally termed “flaunting.”

WOW Pinoy is nominated!!!

Written by Ms. Confuse on Tuesday, August 26, 2008


Few months ago, I sign up at this blog award called "Philippine Blog Awards". I think everybody like to know there blog as best blog and have some award. So, as i signed up and put my website WOW Pinoy. Actually, I never expecting anything cause I know that theres a lot of bloggers out there that really good into this cyber journal.

I open my email last night and saw a mail from Philippine Blog Awards. I immediately open it and theres a message saying I am nominated for the best blog under news and media category. I'll be waiting when the voting gonna be. Hoping you guys vote me on voting day. I gonna post it here and to my other blogs where you can vote.

Please support this!!!...Mabuhay tayong Pinoy!

Dr. GundelinaVelazco wins award to street kids

Written by Ms. Confuse on Tuesday, August 26, 2008

From Washington D.C., Ambassador Willy C. Gaa congratulated Dr. Gundelina Velazco for being first Filipina to receive the 2008 American Psychological Association's International Humanitarian Award. Velazco was also a "Pamana ng Pilipino Presidential Awardee" in 2004 for outstanding achievements in her field as an international counseling psychologist working with street children. In his letter to Velazco, Gaa noted that this award from the American Psychological Association recognizes and validates Velazco's extraordinary humanitarian service as a psychologist working in he field to care for and prevent child exploitaion and the trafficking of children.

Commenting on this latest achievement by a Filipino, Gaa said, "This only goes to show the valuable contribution and the important role the Filipino American community continues to play, not only in their respective communities here in the United States but also for their homeland, the Philippines, and the Filipino people."

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!

Written by Ms. Confuse on Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Whether you view shoes as merely a necessity, or you believe owning the newest designer styles is essential to your well-being, there are several ways to save money when you buy shoes. The first step in cutting your footwear budget is to only buy the shoes you actually need, or those that you'll get a good amount of use from. By focusing on what really works for you, your wardrobe and your lifestyle, you won't feel guilty the next time you spend a little more on a pair of shoes you really love. By looking and searching throught the net, I found Blowfishshoe [dot]com and they got this cute shoes i like. Blowfish Shoes have the one I like, It's Turquiose boots. I really wanted to buy one like that for myself. It has a good color that is perfect for my taste. This is the kind of color I really love. I can match this one on my clothes that have the same color. I can also match this on my other clothes. I like colorful clothes thats why I'm looking for colorful shoes too. Blowfish women's shoes is a really must for all womens. Blowfish men's shoes are located to many retailers, like Macy's and Planetshoes.com that I also like to go. I also like there sandals.Blowfish Designer Shoes want to buy shoes because of the styles they have. They got my style when it comes to shoes. I will enjoy looking for my new pair of shoes. Try to come and look what I'm talking about.

Miguelito Macario Andaluz actor shines bright in two Canadian productions

Written by Ms. Confuse on Monday, August 25, 2008

Miguelito Macario Andaluz shines bright in two major Canadian Productions: "Everest," and "Less Than Kind" this fall. Philippine-born actor Miguelito Macario Andaluz will be seen across Canadian small screens this fall. This 20-year veteran of film, TV and stage, who has previously worked with artists such as Johnny Depp and Robin Williams, is gaining notoriety in his own right. The Mini-Series Everest relives a time when there was a code of mountaineering, and when only a few specially-skilled climbers were able to reach the top of the world. And even though the expedition succeeded in placing Canadians at the top of the world for the first time, it was not without tragedy and death. This is a bittersweet story of courage and determination, of ambition and camaraderie, of hope and perseverance, and of the tragedy and triumph of the first Canadians to conquer Mount Everest.

An ensemble cast of some of the best actors in Canada portrays the climbers of the expedition in Everest. The key cast received basic training from experienced mountaineers, from how to climb to knot-tying techniques and subtle tricks that experienced outdoorsmen use. Jason Priestley (Don’t Cry Now, 90210), Leslie Hope (Never Back Down, 24) and William Shatner (Boston Legal, Star Trek) headline an ensemble cast, telling the drama, tragedy and triumph of that 1982 expedition. Eric Johnson (Smallville, Flash Gordon) stars as Laurie Skreslet, Gord Rand (Mayerthorpe, Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye) as Pat Morrow, John Pyper-Ferguson (Brothers & Sisters, Highlander) as Roger Marshall, and Zachary Bennett (The Border, Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion) as Blair Griffiths and Miguelito Macario Andaluz (Less Than Kind, Robson Arms, The Collector) as Sungdare. The four-hour, Mini-Series premieres on the CBC National Network. Sunday, August 31, at 8 p.m., and concludes Monday, September 1, at 8 p.m.

"Less than Kind"
"Less Than Kind" is a smart, edgy, dysfunctional half-hour comedy that follows Sheldon as he attempts to manage his teenage years. It’s a sharp and humorous look at the collisions and twists that happen between the hugs and kisses in a "loving" family. Andaluz plays a former migrant worker and widower dad who’s daughter crushes on Sheldon. As any Filipino father would, he keeps a close eye on this relationship, which leads to a lot of swearing in Tagalog and humorously awkward situations. This 13-part TV series premieres in major cities across Canada on CityTV, Monday, October 13, 10:30 p.m.

Source : Philippine Reporter

Stainless Steel for my future

Written by Ms. Confuse on Monday, August 25, 2008

Who doesn’t knowstainless steel? Every of us is very familiar with this stuff that is commonly identical to kitchen appliances. Spoons, forks, corianders and the like that we use in our our daily meals are mostly made of stainless steel. Why do we like to use such a material for our home appliances? Stainless steel is believed to be a safe metal in terms of its resistance to rust. As we know that rust is a hazardous part that can cause tetanus and other infections. That’s why, we use stainless steel to minimize the hazard. Today, it is not only kitchen appliances made of stainless steel, other stuffs we have around are also made of such a metal. There are stainless steel mailbox, stairs rims, balcony fence, main gate door, etc. Even now the designs of the stuffs are getting more decorative and chic. Let’s just have a look at our blomus stainless steel fireplace accessories. They are so attractive that the fireplace is no more of monotonous part of house. All products that they provide are made by blomus, the most famous product that they produce are blomus stainless steel mailboxes and blomus stainless steel fireplace accessories. Get the stainless steel tools to your environment. Don’t worry about the model that you want to choose. They provide more stainless steel tools or accessories models for your nice environment or favorite room, such as garden, relax room, kitchen, dining room and any kind of rooms. Obtain the best of the best model of stainless steel tools that most fit to your place right now.










Stainless steel is a hardworking surface that's as easy to maintain as it is beautiful. Its reflective qualities make it an especially good choice to decorate kitchen or bathroom space, reflecting both natural and artificial light and making a small space feel larger. A stainless steel fireplace accessories can make the fireplace look more sophisticated, acting as a back splash. Having a stainless steel mailbox the kitchen and also in my living room. I like unique things, its already on my list having stainless steel on my home. add elegance to your house. If I want to accessorize my place i want to have more stainless steel products. I want it everywhere in my house. I want it to my bathroom through blomus stainless steel mailboxes is perfect for my front house. I can imagine how elegant its gonna be. I'm sure my friends will ask me how beautiful it is. They gonna be more surprise if they see my whole house with stainless steel products, From my fireplace, blomus stainless steel fireplace accessories, magnet board and key hook. They gonna be envy me having all of this, most of all my kitchen. We like hanging out there and cooking. Having my stainless steel everywhere going to make their eyes more wider. We going to enjoy more chatting here and then going back to the dining room and eating our favorite dishes. For sure we going to chit chat my new products. As of now, this is all still on my plan. I'm planning to have a new house and I want to make those stainless steel products going to be everywhere of my house.

Filipino teleseryes a big hit in Africa

Written by Ms. Confuse on Sunday, August 24, 2008

ABS-CBN’s drama series like The Promise (Pangako Sa Yo), Timeless (Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas) and The Long Wait (Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay) are all blockbuster hits in Africa.

“African TV stations broadcast at least one ABS-CBN Philippine telenovela a day while the other TV stations air two to three times a week,” says Reena de Guzman-Garingan, International Sales and Distribution Director at ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation.

“There are channels that have been broadcasting two Philippine telenovelas from Monday to Friday and another one on Saturdays and Sundays. In countries like Kenya, Cameroon and Tanzania at least two networks are currently airing ABS-CBN Philippine telenovelas, which always consist in 45-to-50-minute episodes,” explains the executive.

Kristine Hermosa is now a superstar in Africa as the continent was hit by Philippine telenovela craze, spawning websites and fan clubs. “Our telenovelas are the hot items in foreign newspapers; there’s the case of a TV station in Africa that delayed its launch hoping to have the Philippine telenovela stars to grace their celebration. The Philippine telenovela business in Africa is a phenomenon and has captured advertising revenues never achieved before by the networks,” states de Guzman-Garingan.
So why does Africa embrace Philippine stories? The executive said it’s because of the mixture of distinct facial features on the screen, ranging from Asian to Spanish, and also explains that due to the infusion of multicultural context, they have captured both female and male audiences.

During the World Cup month, the time slots of The Promise, Timeless, The Long Wait and other ABS-CBN’s telenovelas airing on various networks across Africa were pre-empted. As a result, the male audience was warned by their wives of having no meals on their tables for not having their favorite Philippine telenovela on air.

flop to river

Written by Ms. Confuse on Saturday, August 23, 2008

becoming a professional poker player?Playing "professionally" is a lot tougher and a hell of a lot less glamorous than most people realize. There are a number of factors to consider.The biggest, yet possibly least discussed, factor is the rake. All casinos, online or otherwise, rake cash games and require entry fees in tournaments. Some are reasonable and can be overcome by a truly skilled player, others are very excessive and should definitely be avoided. And, oddly, it can be difficult to determine the difference without considerable scrutiny.Another major pitfall is money management. It's very common for a player to go on a rush, perhaps even an extended rush, and do well only to give back all his winnings in a single session or small handful of sessions. Or possibly to spend those winnings on spoils only to go on a cold streak and lose what little bankroll he left himself to continue playing with.Others have done well, but lost everything when they have upped their limits a bit too high only to run into competition they can no longer beat, yet refused to drop their limits back down.And yet others might win a couple tournaments, but get sunk come tax time when they're forced to pay excessive taxes on the winnings they're forced to claim (and can't successfully negate to the satisfaction of an IRS auditor by claiming losses.)I played casino poker "professionally" for a while a number of years ago - before most players today had ever heard of Hold'em - so perhaps I can help you to an extent. Today, however, I just supplement with play in spare time only. It keeps me sane and more-importantly permits me to blow winnings on entertainment or things I wouldn't otherwise purchase without fear of depreciating my bankroll more than I should.Begin with limit play. Do your homework first! Read everything you can about low limit. Forget about tournaments and all-in play. Learn (or re-learn) the most basic fundamentals as they will apply to all games you may find yourself in. Commit to memory the importance of position, pot odds, aggressive play, etc. - all the fundamentals.PLAY TIGHT! Seriously, play so tight it almost makes you puke. Rarely does a good, consistently-profitable player enjoy the game - it should be a grind, perhaps even a bore. Get real used to folding and learn to fold monster hands when you're beat.and ofcourse! how can you play poker without having your own Poker Table? good thing that flop2river.com offers Poker Chips, Poker Tables,poker accessories and more Call 888-610-7810 or e-mail info@flop2river.com for other concerns

Vicente Jaime Villafranca photojournalist is Ian Parry Prize winner

Written by Ms. Confuse on Saturday, August 23, 2008

Freelance photojournalist Vicente Jaime Villafranca is the winner of the prestigious 2008 Ian Parry Prize.

Villafranca bested 172 photographers from all over the world for the scholarship prize, awarded in memory of Ian Parry, a British photojournalist who died in 1989 at age 24 while on assignment for the Sunday Times of London during the Romanian revolution.

Villafranca’s winning entry was a portfolio of 12 black-and-white images of gang members of the “Chinese Mafia Crew” living in the Baseco compound in Tondo.

Last year Villafranca won the “Everyday Islam” photo competition sponsored by the British Embassy and Newsbreak magazine. He won the first prize for “School Bound,” his photograph of four schoolgirls in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, taken soon after the ambush and beheading of Marines there last year.

The winner of the Ian Parry Award is automatically accepted by the World Press Photo into its final list of nominees for the Joop Swart Master Class in Amsterdam.



The prize is awarded on the basis of both words and pictures. Entrants are required to submit an existing body of work as evidence of their ability to pursue a story, as well as a proposal on the project that they intend to pursue if they win the award.

Villafranca plans to use his prize money of £3,000 ($5,900) to fund a project in Burma.

Villafranca obtained a degree in Fine Arts, major in Advertising Arts, from the University of Santo Tomas. He also studied at the Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Photos by Vicente Jaime Villafranca courtesy of the Ian Parry Scholarship.

Source : GoodnewsPilipinas

Super Crew wins title Americas Best Dance Crew Season 2

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, August 22, 2008

After 13 weeks and 12 crews compete to each other the Final of Americas Best Dance Crew Season 2 of MTV has finally have a result. Lots of asians joined the battle of the best crews and almost all of the crews have Filipino member in each crew. In finals SoReal Crew of Houston, Texas and Super Crew of Las Vegas battled in finals last week (August 14 10:00PM Pacific Time). They dance 3 kinds of music and last night the America decided whose gonna win by calling the phone number they plug or texting. Super Crew won on the final night and they represent the flag of Filipino with. Actually, i like Fanny Pak but they didn't make it in the final 3. So, I choose SoReal Crew by calling through phone and vote for them. Well, thats the decision of the America. Congratulation Super Crew!!!!

See the whole video HERE of Finale All Performance

Web Hosting

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, August 22, 2008

Web hosting (also known as Web hosting, Web site hosting, and hosting) is the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more Web site. Web hosting is a service that provides online systems for storing information, images, video, or any content accessible via the Web. In short webhosting is a service relating to hosting a website on the internet. In order to have your site hosted on the web, you need to have the following three things:

• Website
A page or set of pages that is located under the same domain name. A web page is a computer document written in a publishing language called HTML. When an Internet user types in your web address, your web server sends the content of your web page to that user.


Domain name
A unique text-based address used to locate a specific set of web pages. A domain name is made up of words and/or numbers plus a TLD (top level domain). The TLD for most businesses is ".com", non-profit organizations use ".org"; universities and educational sites use ".edu"; and sites involved with the U.S. government use ".gov". More TLDs are on the way, such as .biz, .pro, .name, .info, etc. Even in general use.

• Account
An account with a web hosting company, or a server of your own to host your website

Steven Puruganan is World Sport Stacking Champ

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, August 22, 2008

A ten-year old Filipino boy in the U-S is a multiple world record holder in the latest sport craze in America - Sport Stacking. Steven Purugganan of Longmeadow, Massachusetts holds two world records which he set by winnng the World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver, Colorado. Watch the record breaking victory of Steven on Youtube.

Sport stacking (formerly known as cup stacking and commonly known as speed stacking) is an individual and team activity played using plastic cups. It originated in the early 1980s at a southern California boys and girls’ club and received national attention in 1990 on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The sport was invented by Wayne Godinet. He was the man who invented the first formations and gave the name to the Cup stack (Karango Cup Stack).

Shortly thereafter Godinet formed a group called Cupstack. Later he worked together with the physical education teacher Bob Fox. Early competitions were held in 1998 in Oceanside, California and Denver, Colorado. Later Bob fox developed the sport and invented new formations and competitons, he also invented the annual World Sport Stacking Championships and founded Speed Stacks.

Participants of sport stacking upstack and downstack cups in pre-determined sequences, competing against the clock or another player. Sequences are usually pyramids of three, six, or ten cups. Proponents of the sport say participants learn teamwork, cooperation, ambidexterity and hand-eye coordination.

Tournaments are governed by the World Sport Stacking Association. In 2004, the WSSA changed the activity’s name from cup stacking to sport stacking in an attempt to give it “immediate identification as a competitive sport.”

In the 2008 WSSA World Sport Stacking Championships, Steven won three titles, 2 in world record time.

Cycle Champion: Steven Purugganan, 10, time 6.21 sec, New World Record
3-6-3 Champion: Steven Purugganan, 10, time 2.34 sec
3-3-3 Champion: Steven Purugganan, 10, time 1.86 sec, New World Record
Doubles Cycle: Timo Reuhl & David Wolf, time 7.65 sec, New World Record
Timed 3-6-3 Relay: TeaM2 Germany, time 13.19 sec, New World Record
Team 6-12-6 Champions: Chris Patterson & Reece Gregory, Australia, time 10.34sec. Australian record.

Luis Benesa wins silver in World Cyber Games

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, August 21, 2008

Luis Benesa won a silver medal in the Microsoft Xbox 360 game “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” at the World Cyber Games (WCG) Asian Championships held in Singapore on August 8 to 10. Benesa beat China, Vietnam and Korea to reach the semi-finals. He was beaten by a player from New Zealand for the top spot. The 18-year-old Ateneo De Manila University student is the first Filipino player to win a silver medal in an international competition of WCG, and the second overall to win a medal.

The first medal the Philippines garnered was a bronze medal by the five-man team Flow playing Warcraft III: Defense of the Ancients in last year’s WCG Asian Championships. This is also the first time Benesa competed in an international gaming competition. He was second place in the WCG Philippines competition after Rafael Formoso who will compete in the WCG Finals in Germany in November. The rest of the Filipino contingent to this year’s WCG Asian Championships did not make it to the final rounds. The Philippine contingent is composed of players for Virtua Fighter 5, FIFA 08, and DotA.

Mike Vinluan, general manager for WCG Philippines organizer eSports, said the group is proud yet surprised that a young player for a new game that they introduced would take home a silver medal. “This is a step closer to a gold medal. Hopefully, we win one either in this year’s WCG Finals or next year,” Vinluan said.

Law School Admission Essay

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, August 21, 2008

Whoever first said that you should worry only about the things you can control was not helping to ease the concerns of the student writing his or her law school application essay. By that criterion, the student-writer should be very worried indeed. The scariest aspect of the law school admissions essay is that you have total control over it. With our help, you will learn to see the essay-writing process not as a daunting obstacle, but as a stimulating opportunity. When you send out your application, you will in theory have nothing left to worry about, knowing that you have capitalized on all the means available to you.

The law school admissions process is extremely selective. Talented and motivated students from around the world compete against each other for a scarce number of spots. Facing the difficult task of choosing among often indistinguishable candidates, admissions officers must rely heavily on those factors that provide insight into the applicants' characters, and these usually boil down to recommendation letters and essays. Although you can and should choose your recommendation writers carefully, the essay remains the only aspect of your application under your total control.

What makes the essay such a useful measure is that it represents you on two fronts: the substantive details of your experiences themselves and the style and approach you use to present them. Both aspects can and should say a great deal about your abilities and qualifications. image by ~Inoss01

Gloves, weight still unsure - Roach

Written by Ms. Confuse on Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Aside from the revenue split, the size of gloves and the fight weight need to be ironed out before the Oscar De La Hoya - Manny Pacquiao fight gets off the ground, according to the Filipino champion's trainer Freddie Roach.

Roach said De La Hya wanted to fight at 151 lb, not at 147 lb which Pacquiao handlers desired. The famous trainer also said the camps will have to agree on the size of the gloves as Pacquiao wanted an eight-once mitts to muster all the power he needs against De La Hoya, who at 5-foot-10 has a four-inch advantage in height and six-inch edge in reach. Other sources said De La Hoya's camp wanted the fight a 151 lb so that Pacquiao won't be able to use the eight-once gloves mandated by the Nevada State Athletic Commision, which sanctions boxing fights in Las Vegas. The state rules that only light-weight and welterweight fighters could either use eight or 10-ounce gloves, a recent ammendment reportedly used to attract crowds in the bout between welterweights Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito last month.

He also expressed confidence taht his famous ward will be beat De La Hoya, judging from the fighter's recent performances. "If De La Hoya couldn't stop Steve Forbes and with how eaily Forbes hit Oscar, imagine what Manny is going to do with him," said Roach. De La Hoya defeated Forbes via unanumous decision last May. Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight (135lb) is expeccting back Monday from Beijing where he served as flag bearer for the RP Olympic contingent in Friday's opening ceremony. Earlier in the week, Manny's promoter Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer of De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions failed to agree on how to split the revenues for the proposed mega-fight. (inquirer.net) image by wildcardbc

Plants are beautiful

Written by Ms. Confuse on Wednesday, August 20, 2008

If you love plants you probably already know that the right planters can really showcase your plants and bring out their natural beauty. A planter is also a great way to bring the outdoor planters in, by finding that one great planter that goes with the indoor planters of your home and then placing your favorite plant in it. Putting plants is nice to look and please your the eyes of the people. Decorative planters will add a touch of sophisticated beauty to your yard or garden even its residential or commercial. Garden planters are great also for our environment and gives natural look of a garden. You can use them to grow everything from vegetables and herbs. A window-box planter can camouflage off-center windows and add appeal to an uninteresting facade. It even adds beauty and color with the addition of plants and flowers. Although window-box planters were once a common feature on many homes of the past, they're rarely found on today's homes. Also high end planters adds more of good looking piece of plant that gives warmth to the plant.

Lara Villanueva Wins Gold at the United Nations for Her Green Projects

Written by Ms. Confuse on Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Lara Villanueva , a soft spoken 17-year-old barrio lass from the sleepy town of Bacacay in Albay, Philippines still can't believe her luck.

August 13, she received her Youth Achievement Award at the United Nations for her humanitarian efforts working with Children International in her hometown. Villanuva, now a freshman nursing student at Bicol University, is one of 12 youth leaders honored by the UN/Youth Assembly this year. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she'd be flying thousands of miles away to New York just to receive the award. In between sobs, Villanueva said that coming from a middle class family in the Philippines did not deter her to dream big, In fact, she overcame poverty's hurdles and developed environmental projects in her area. "Hindi pa din ako makapaniwala. This is more than a privilege for me and I thank God for this wonderful opportunity. Up to now, I stil could not believe that I am here," Villanueva said during an interview at the UN cafeteria while she was waiting for more official events. Villanueva went through a rigorous selection process and she felt that her competitors were all equallyqualified and deserved that's why she was quite suprised yet relieved when she found out that she won.

The awards means so much to her and she is thankful that her entire family is supportive to her cause. Villanueva's father is a farmer and her mother is a teacher and while they may not be earning much, they are able to provide her and her siblings. "I will never forget this experience habang ako ay nabubuhay. The award gave me more confidence in dealing with my peers, the community and the government officials," she added. Despite the struggles, she succeded in trying to balance her studies and her humanitarian work. For the last couple of years, their local organization has received grants but instead of using the funds that would benefit them, they decided to use them for their projects. "Lara could have used the grant scholarships for them or for projects that will benefit them but they chose to develop projects for their community. The region where Lara is from is typhoon0prone and during the last few typhoons, their neighborhoods coastal areas were inundated with garbage when it flooded. Now the youth group is educating the community about how to take care of the environment," Eleanor Pena, CHildren International's regional program coordinator of the Philippines.

Through their youth empowerment fund, they developed Green Patrol, where they would invite speakers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to talk about global warming, climate change and other processing issues. It was because of this green initiative why she won the UN gold. "This trip changed my life for the beter. WHen I go back to the PHilippines, I will share everything that I learned including the best practices of the other countries and I will make sure that our projects there continue," Villanueva said.

Online Casino Gambling

Written by Ms. Confuse on Tuesday, August 19, 2008


Some time we find a word “Casino”, Did you know what is a casino? Casino is a place or facility that accommodates many types of gambling activities. If you want to gambling, you must go to Casino. There many choice to make a gambling. Where we can find a Casino? We can find it often placed in hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other vacation attractions. If you are a beginner, you can find an Online Casino Gambling guide. Casino Scrutiny provides casino reviews of the best online casinos including Rushmore Casino, Golden Casino, Millionaire Casino and many more quality casinos. You age must over the age of license to make a gambling. Because in most jurisdictions, gambling is limited to persons over the age of license. in most of the United States you must 18 or 21 years of age and in most other countries where casinos are permitted you must 16 to 21 years of age. Maybe in any countries has own limited to person’s age can make a gambling. And in many country, gambling not permitted. Get guide casino online if you wish to gamblings winner. You can choice what your interest gambling. Enjoy in front of your computer. image by ~Eenuh

Kristine Musademba - Pinay Olympic dreamer

Written by Ms. Confuse on Monday, August 18, 2008

She was only seven when her best friend asked her to go ice skating - and she never looked back. Today, 15-year-old Kristine Musademba is a forced to be reckoned within in the sport. This year she came in fourth in the junior ladies' division of 2008 US Figure Skating Championships. Later this month, Kritine will represent the US in the first event of the Junior GrandPrix series of tournaments in France. Not many know that Kristine is half Filipino and Half Zimbabawean. A student of Greorgetown Day School in Washington, she is an only child, she practices her skill on ice three times a day in the summer.

Recently, Kristine was featured in The Washington Post article, Olympic Dreams. Aling with other budding athletes also dream of winning the Olympic gold in the future. "I love skating," she said in the interview with The Washington Post "Nowhere else can you glide and express yourself and learn to emote. And it's very challenging mentally."

Further Reading : US Figure Skating

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Promote it!

Written by Ms. Confuse on Monday, August 18, 2008

Promote your special event with products that boast the best in custom design, quality and affordability. Raise Awareness Reward Your Supporters and Recognize Each Event with gifts, gear and other essentials. In today’s competitive world it is important to portray the right image for your business through brand awareness. Promotional Products are proven to have a positive and long-lasting impact on existing clients and potential customers. Used as sales incentives or thank-you items, promotional products provide a constant presence for your business name beyond the sale or service. You can now choose a lot of things like promotional items and corporate gifts for everybody. Promopeddler.com is experts in providing a reliable, cost-effective and easy-to-use service to help you choose the right promotional products for your needs. they know and source only the highest quality merchandise from reputable suppliers and use a variety of printing and embroidery methods to ensure your promotional products are made to last. image by FireHuntress

Natalie Coughlin of US Team is Half Filipina wins Gold

Written by Ms. Confuse on Sunday, August 17, 2008

Natalie Anne Coughlin born August 23, 1982 in Vallejo, California is a American swimmer who has represented the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. She won multiple medals at both of these Games and became the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympics. She is known for her dominance in a short course pool and for her underwater kicking ability. She currently holds World, American and US Open records in various events. Born to Jim and Zennie Coughlin on August 23, 1982. Coughlin lives in Lafayette, California, was originally from Concord, California and is of Filipino and Irish heritage. As of April 2008, she is engaged to Crow Canyon Sharks swim team coach Ethan Hall; they are planning an April 2009 wedding.

Prior to the 2004 Olympics, she was a student-athlete at Carondelet High School in Concord CA, Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, then later at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a BA in psychology in 2005. She had won twelve National Collegiate Athletic Association Swimmer of the Year honors in her first three years at the university. Coughlin worked as an in-studio host for MSNBC during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

Further Reading : cbs5

Bedroom Furniture

Written by Ms. Confuse on Saturday, August 16, 2008

Bedroom furniture, with its sleek, smart lines, and made from wood, chrome, and leather, in the modern and contemporary taste is one of the joys of the furniture industry today in Europe and continues to maintain its vitality and design strength in the face of the mass of cheap imports from other parts of the world. Discovering the freshest modern furniture and contemporary bedroom furniture for your bedroom is just as important. Modern bedroom furniture has a variety of influential bedroom pieces. This versitile, custom made, cutting edge, modern contemporary furniture, holds the plush art of comfort, with the perfect blend of high quality standards of persise craftmenship . image by ~t_seventeen

Reggie Lee making it big at Hollywood

Written by Ms. Confuse on Saturday, August 16, 2008

Born in Quezon City, Philippines, Lee is the oldest of three sons and in addition to English, continues to speak Tagalog, his native language, as well as Cantonese. As a child, the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio where Reggie graduated from a Franciscan High School. The 1990’s found Lee relocating to Los Angeles only to hit the road again and tour nationally in the musical Heartstrings and later in Miss Saigon. With his tremendous success on stage, it is no surprise that Broadway came calling when he was cast in the original company of the Tony Award-winning musical, Carousel. In 1997, he received a Dramalogue Critics Award for his performance in F.O.B. at East West Players. With his critical acclaim, Lee also starred in their production of Carry the Tiger to the Mountain.

Further Reading : Reggie Lee

Email, Email

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, August 15, 2008

The first autoresponder were created within mail transfer agents that found they could not deliver an e-mail to a given address. These create bounce messages such as "your e-mail could not be delivered because..." type responses. Today's autoresponder need to be careful to not generate e-mail backscatter, which can result in the autoresponses being considered E-mail spam. Autoresponder tools are used in email marketing, to immediately provide information to their prospective customers and then follow-up with them at preset time intervals. iContact dot com puts your mind at ease, providing a full suite of email marketing tools running on our high-speed network. Your list is also very important and our tools will help you collect subscribers directly from your website, manage your list members, and craft professionally written messages to acknowledge to the subscriber they are now on your list. Every single step of the process is covered with iContact. We make the job of list management and email marketing a very easy one. An autoresponder is a computer program that automatically answers e-mail sent to it. They can be very simple or quite complex. They also have survey tools for more. image by SeeHerDream

Need to go to Rehab?

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, August 15, 2008

Many people throughout the world struggle with substance abuse. Some addicts may decide to quit on their own. Unfortunately, the rate of relapse is very high for people that quit and do not receive any type of outside help. The most successful recovery includes professional help. Once the problem with drugs or alcohol is acknowledged, treatment can begin. The Canyon is renowned rehabilitation and dual diagnosis center. They considers substance and alcohol abuse to be diseases, and like other medical problems, they require specialized attention. Rehab provides this specialized treatment. It is an important step on the road to lasting recovery from drug and/or alcohol abuse. They have drug rehab blog online for you to know more about drug and alcohol abuse. The objective of alcohol rehab centers is to eliminate drugs or alcohol from the patient's body and provide them with Rehab info on healthy behaviors to achieve long-term control over the addiction and abstinence from the addictive substance(s). There are many recovery centers that utilize different methods to help speed recovery from various substances, from drugs to alcohol to magic mushrooms. image by bubulaq

Erika David winner of Colgate’s MaxFresh Karaoke Contest.

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, August 15, 2008

Fortunately, one Las Vegas FilAm student defied this stereotype. In fact, she recorded her rendition of the Alicia Keys hit single If I Ain’t Got You and submitted it to a competition online, and won big. I did feature her video at this site before and here she now making a sound again.

Last month, Erika David was declared as the winner of Colgate’s MaxFresh Karaoke Contest. The 19-year-old education major at UNLV won a trip to New York City, where she recorded a demo with Grammy award-winning songwriter/record producer, Bryan-Michael Cox, and the opportunity to perform at the Z100 Jingle Ball pre-party, an annual concert hosted at the Madison Square Garden this December.

“The whole experience was really awesome and I had a really great time,” David told the Asian Journal after her studio recording session in Manhattan. The whirlwind experience also afforded had David having a photo-shoot and some press interviews. David said she found out about the online competition two days before the deadline so she had no time to prepare well. She knew she had to join the competition so she recorded her performance and sent it at once. She was eventually voted into the top five by MySpace users. A panel of judges, which included Cox himself, made the final decision.

“That video I submitted wasn’t the one I really wanted to send in, but I had sung it so many times already,” she said. David can be considered as one of the internet’s rising stars. She is the 45th most subscribed musician on YouTube, with more than a million views, and the three tracks posted on her MySpace profile have been listened to more than 30,000 times. “I am glad she won. She is the next fresh thing to happen. She’s a great artist. I’m keeping it real,” Cox said in a video taken in the recording studio posted in David’s site.

Erika said that she started singing when she was a very young kid, and her dad used to ask her a lot to sing during family gatherings and parties. She also joined talent shows when she was in elementary school, made it to the choir when she was in junior high and said that she loved the stage and performing. In college, she auditioned and performed in various programs and shows. She also discovered YouTube and MySpace and decided to share her talent for the rest of the world to see. Originally from Fremont, California, Erika and her family moved to Las Vegas six years ago. She considers Keyshia Cole, Amy Winehouse and Alicia Keys as her favorites because of their individuality.

Erika hopes to pursue a professional career in singing and she thinks that given the opportunity, she will be able to fulfill her dreams. In the meantime, she intends to finish her education course at the UNLV while waiting for her big break to come. Becoming a teacher is also one of her dreams because as she said, she adores kids. Her message to the younger ones who also dream of making it in the music industry?

“The Internet is really big. Putting your stuff out there is the biggest thing and getting everybody’s feedback is great because you can learn from it. If you believe in something, just go for it. As long as you believe in yourself, something good will happen. Always have a positive attitude,” Erika said.

Erika David’s songs and profile may be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/ekaiann.

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Barcelona Hotels

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, August 15, 2008

Barcelona is one of Spain’s most innovative, cosmopolitan cities, home to a diverse population, both from all over Spain and other parts of the world, while retaining a strong local Catalan identity. Going out in Barcelona you can enjoy an exciting diversity of night time options. Our Barcelona guide includes bars, restaurants and clubs to suit every taste. Try some great Indian dishes in the multicultural Raval, relax and enjoy “tapas” in the Example, including Catalan specialities like delicious “pa amb tomaquet”, chill out with a lazy, cool “copa” in the hip, cosmopolitan Borne or the beach “chiringuitos” by the Mediterranean, then get down to some deep House grooves in the energetic night clubs in the backstreets off La Rambla, the options are endless! For those who live the lifestyle, Destinia dot com have the finest of Barcelona Hotels. Let's face it, after a hard day's work or play everyone deserves some pampering, and there's no better place to find that special treatment than a luxury hotel in Barcelona. Or if you want to experience Barcelona's night life, celebrate in the magnificence of Barcelona's top hotel bars - the pinnacle of style and sophistication. If you are travelling on a budget to Barcelona means balancing comfort, cost and location convenience. These little gems are just around the corner, as Barcelona is home to a wide range of excellent budget hotels, at affordable prices.

Blogging is "IN"

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, August 14, 2008

The word blog is short for web log. Blogs can be used as an online diary or journal. They are an easy way of publishing content online due to their easy content management systems. There are two kinds of blogging, personal and business. Over the past year, blogs have become popular with businesses, they are no longer just a simple web diary. Blogs are useful to businesses because of the potential for search engine marketing. A business can ask members of staff to regularly add posts to their staff blog. The posts are not general diary entries for the members of staff, but, for example, useful tips on using the businesses products. Content is added regularly to the staff blogs which the search engines index. This means that a user who is searching for information on a particular product is more likely to find details on your product because you have a portfolio of blog pages indexed by the search engines discussing your product and its various uses. As well as the search engine benefits, these product blog information pages can be a valuable resource to the businesses customers as they provide an additional level of support. There are two kinds of blogging, personal and business. Also you need a online blog community

Los Angeles Search Engine Optimization

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, August 14, 2008

Search engine optimization is the art of adjusting keywords, metatags and programming to improve your website’s rankings on the major search engines and directories. Search engines results are determined by matching the exact word or phrase that a web user types in with websites that are in a search engine’s massive database. You will only rank high on results with terms or phrases that exist in your website. Brand Identity Guru is better alternative than Los Angeles Search Engine Optimazation purpose is to make organizations and companies that have websites make those websites more relevant on the internet. Brand Identity Guru has as its mission to help people who have websites makes those sites relevant, or help those individuals or small businesses create optimized websites so that they have an opportunity to obtain business. There aren't many companies who will tell you straight out how to do it, or whether to do it, but we will. It's not hard to do, but it can be time consuming. To do it properly, optimization takes lots of research, good copy writing, continually adding content, and constant tinkering. Sites that are optimized will boost your web presence, but if it's not continual, they will lose that presence as fast as they got it.

Japanese-Filipino kids may soon apply for Japan citizenship

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, August 14, 2008

A Japanese lawyer has urged Davao-based Japanese-Filipinos to take advantage of the new law that grants citizenships to children of unmarried Japanese and Filipina couples. Hironori Kodoh of the Tokyo-based Japanese Filipino Children Lawyers Association, told a roomful of Filipinas in Davao that the June 4 decision of the Japan Supreme Court would reverse the law which only granted nationality to Japanese-Filipino children whose parents were married legally.

"The Japanese Supreme Court has pronounced such ruling as unconstitutional," said Kondoh, who was in Davao last week for a forum with affected Japanese Filipino children and their mothers. "It's not the fault of the children whether or not their parents are married.Children and mothers living in Davao can apply before the Japanese embassy once the law takes effect," he said. He also said the application must be done before the child reaches 20 years old. "Japanese-Filipino children from 16 to 19 years old should prepare their documents as soon as possible," he said.

The new ruling is expected to open applications for Japanese citizenship among tens of thousands of Japanese Filipino children. James Akiyama, 20, was among the Japanese Filipino children here who welcomed Kondoh's news. Until the previous month, Akiyama has been receiving regular financial support from his father in Japan, coursed through his mother's account. He said he wanted to go to Japan just to "serve" his father, because the only time that they met was when he was still three years old.

"All they [mothers] want is recognition more than anything else," said Sister Celine Cajandig, executive director of the Center for Overseas Workers Davao Inc. (Cowfi). "They're saying that if they can't go there themselves, at least, their children can," she said. Jean Bingcoy, president of the Samahan ng Kababaihan para sa Karapatan ng mga Japanese Filipino Children (Women's Association for the Rights of Japanese-Filipino Children), said her 11-year old son, has not been recognized under the law, although his father has been sending financial support once in a while.

"The new law can help a lot," she said. "Parents do not need to get married to have the children recognized," she said. She said that if it were to push through, many children abandoned by their Japanese fathers would be looking for a chance to go to Japan. "Life is better in Japan compared to here," said Bingcoy. "They're hoping that through their children, they can get residency and passport," said Cajandig, referring to the women. "They are the ones who would take care of the children, so, they'll be allowed to go there."

At least 40 members of the SKKJ here are raising their children in Davao but the fathers are in Japan. Some of these Japanese fathers have been sending financial support but others were not, Cajandig said. "We expect the Diet to revise the nationality law in August," said Kondoh. "But even before the law is revised, the government will start accepting application for nationality before September," he added.

Naoko Kono, executive director of the Maligaya House, a Manila-based NGOs assisting Japanese-Filipino children and their mothers, said their Manila office handled 840 cases of Japanese Filipino children in Manila since 1994. The cases included those children abandoned by their Japanese fathers. "Most of these children have no official legal recognition and have not been supported financially," said Kono.

"They need food, money and mostly the mothers are already married. In other cases, their Japanese husbands divorced them without their consent. Sometimes, the husbands falsify the signatures of their wives. So, we help the woman file a criminal case and require the husbands to give financial support," Kono added. Of the 843 cases, 500 are being handled by their Tokyo office. Maligaya House, which relays the cases to their counterpart in Tokyo, held a brief consultation and case conference among potential beneficiaries here in Davao.

Kondoh said the Japanese media expected the Diet to start session towards the end of August. Although there is some opposition to the law, there is a big chance that it will pass the Diet, according to Kondoh, one of the 60 lawyers helping the Japanese Filipino Children Lawyers Association. The disparity of the living conditions between Japan and the Philippines pushes more Filipinas to find work in Japan, where they mostly land as entertainers. According to Kono, they're currently handling 20 to 30 ongoing paternity cases. Of the 843 cases they handled in 10 years, only 20 or 30 per cent were successful.

"Oftentimes, the mother drops the case because she doesn't want to prolong her agonies. She wants to move on with her life and marry someone else," Kono said.

Your Health

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, August 14, 2008

Many of us are getting to the stage when we feel some sort of pains like inflamed painful joints, chronic ear ringing, back & neck pain, also sleep problems, sports injuries, and even weight control. We all looking for cures and there is product that doesn't work for us. Magnetic therapy is one of good alternative way of taking away pains. Magnetic therapy soothes and relax our body, it relief from most any pain, it may play an important role in the fight against depression. Magnetic therapy products also adds more relaxing feeling. Its Magnetic field therapy removes the pain away. Of course you should consult with your doctor before using any magnetic product.

Pinoy Laughfest: 3 stand-up comedians set to conquer New York on Sept. 20

Written by Ms. Confuse on Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Samantha Lopez Productions, Inc. (SLP) will stage its very first production, a comedy festival featuring 3 hugely popular stand-up comedians— Rex Navarrete of Hawaii, Ron Josol of Canada and Air Tabigue of New York, all of Filipino descent on Sept. 20 at the prestigious BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center. The show promises to be a night to remember as the three comedians have prepared fresh material for the demanding New York market.

Navarrete, the most recognizable Filipino stand-up comedian, pushes the envelope in his comedy playing up his Pinoy heritage and has performed the longest among the two other performers.

Josol, a Canadian standout, has a comedy style that is a mix between his inexperience as an Asian in the North American entertainment industry and his personal thoughts about life. Born and raised in Long Island, NY, Tabigue is a fast-rising comedian who makes people laugh with his own wicked New York sense of humor. Behind SLP is Samantha Lopez, a.k.a. GRACIA, a former TVdancer, host /comedienne of the popular noontime show, EAT BULAGA. She now manages a fancy Italian restaurant and upscale shoe store with her husband, Warren Edwards in New York.

Asked about her unique logo I Love Pinoy, Samantha says, “In the city Pinoys have grown to love as much as its own country, it’s time we showcase Pinoy culture served up with a defining New York City twist.”

For more information, please call Samantha Lopez at 917-306-1518 or visit HYPERLINK "http://www.ilovepinoynyc.com"www.ilovepinoynyc.com. Tickets are selling fast. VIP tickets are sold out but other regular tickets are still available. Please call 212-220-1460, Box Office at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center or visit tribecapac.org or buy at ticketaonline.com. You can also email SLP at HYPERLINK "mailto:slp.inc137@gmail.com"slp.inc137@gmail.com.

Orchestra tickets are $75 and $60 with a free “I love Pinoy T-shirt, while Mezzanine tickets cost $50 and $35 with a $5 discount.

BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center is located at 199 Chambers St. (between Greenwich and West Streets), New York City, NY 1000

Easy to Book

Written by Ms. Confuse on Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Whenever your going somewhere or having a vaction wherever around the world, you need to book to have a nice place to stay in called "hotel". Most of us go through online to this beacuse it is the easiest and convenient way for reservation to your destination and hotels. Easy to Book dot com gives you plenty of choices, it will guarantee you on lowest rate. They have the luxurious ones and cheap ones that you can afford. If your planning to go to London, they have hotels that you can choose on. My husband have a relatives to San Diego, if ever we are planning on visiting them, we don't have to worry cause they have hotels near the places and easy access on everything.

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Watching on DVDs

Written by Ms. Confuse on Wednesday, August 13, 2008

It’s growth and popularity is down to ease of use and cost, most of the DVD rental companies operate an identical service, you pay them a monthly subscription fee and in return they post you DVDs that you have chosen to watch by adding them to your online account, once you have watched them you simply pop them into a pre-paid envelope and post them back. Once they receive the DVD back, they automatically post the next available title in your list, you never pay for postage, and it is all included in the monthly subscription. It is so simple and convenient as you don’t have to drive/walk to your local DVD rental shop, you simply manage your account online, by adding the titles you want to want to watch, all from the comfort of you own home, you can also watch trailers first to help with your decision! What could be simpler!

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Commonly known as nikky and was bestowed the nickname billyboxergirl by her close peers. Age is a myth for time knows no boundaries. Being the proud mommy she is, she wastes her days away trying to perfect the art of human anatomy.

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