There’s nothing wrong about people blogging their thoughts away. That’s the essence of democracy. But that freedom comes with responsibility too. Haven’t we heard for countless times GMA7′s “Think before you click” campaign?

Blogging is no different from the way we converse or interact with people from within our circles. In real life, we extend basic courtesy expected of any decent civilized man. Now if you are a blogger, with one to a thousand followers under your circle of influence, you become responsible for the information you feed them and the way it is communicated. Garbage in, garbage out. Consider yourself lucky if it gets recycled. At least someone from your backyard knows how to filter.

Are Bloggers Writers?

Writers can be bloggers anytime. A blog, by the way, is a publishing tool that can be used by everyone. Writing, like painting, singing or dancing, is a gift. Not all people were gifted with this kind of creativity and the patience for such discipline. Accolades are rare and given to select few, so writing is not like some sport trophies that you can buy elsewhere. Therefore, not all bloggers can be writers in the same way that not everyone who uses graphic design software can be called an artist.

A no-brainer you say? Some people need to be reminded at times.

Everyone wants to be read

Hell yeah, why not? This is a free world and everyone can do whatever that pleases them. You can write about your crappy or happy experiences, and choose to turn the public or private view button on. But there is such thing called “abuse” once you let power drive you. We have countless examples of bloggers who made a living out of bullying people.

Things to remember should you decide that blog to go public

Know what you are writing about. Not all of us can be experts in many fields, but please, have time to do research and do not claim to be what you are not.

Make an effort to write a good post. If you are eking out a living from blogging for certain brands, there is more reason for you to write properly – from the proper use of the language, punctuations, to grammar and all.

It’s not all about the freebie, you know. The reality is that some bloggers get invited to press cons and media launches of certain businesses, an indication that blogging has recently become the new medium in the Philippines. I have seen bloggers who would just copy and paste press materials while print journalists would usually check on creative angles and still get edited. If you are a blogger, have the decency to write something original that is worth every penny or goodie bag.

Do not bite the hand that fed you. Because I know of a blogger who asked for a free dinner in exchange for a blog entry. The following day I was aghast to read about what he had written, making him one ungrateful asshole in this part of the universe. I really would have not taken offense if he had only paid for his dinner.

Be honest. If companies ask you to write a product review, be honest but don’t get too cocky. There’s a way of writing a decent review, and some people with limited vocabulary often miss that.

Keep these things in mind and happy blogging!

If you have been hit by Ondoy before, you would understand the severity of the disaster typhoon Sendong brought to Mindanao last weekend. Floods rose to 15 feet in the dead of the night sending people to their roofs, while others to their deaths. As of today, the body count has reached to around 700 already including people who had been missing.

Who’s to blame? The government does not have the monopoly of it, since accountability falls on various sectors – the local government that allowed deforestation and illegal mining, greedy business owners, poor technology of PAGASA and local folks who have been complacent since no strong typhoon has struck them for decades. What lessons have we learned? Given all the recipes for disaster, be ready and prepare for any eventualities. If the local officials asked folks to evacuate, flee your homes. Marikina City and the rest of Ondoy victims have learned that lesson bitterly.

This was something that has been eating up my brains since the second quarter. I liked the inspirations I read and saw in the magazines. The challenge though lies on the output. But I remain confident that I can do it BETTER than them without relying too much on pre-made templates and embellishments, and be able to market it well, if I give it time.

Work starts today. And then during the holiday break.

I’m currently at page 132. Each chapter was devoted to a certain character who would shape HBO’s sequel to “A Game of Thrones”. The book opened with a comet slashing through the sky, bringing tides of sorrow and fear to the seven kingdoms as their respective leaders and houses try to seize control of the Iron Throne. A background on the three Baratheon brothers – Robert, Stannis and Renly – was provided through Maester Cressen, who acted as their keeper when their father died at sea. Everything else are waiting to unfold. The story was quite unpredictable – you don’t know who would die or live to see the end of things.

We don’t know what would happen to Arya, a princess in boy’s clothing and the youngest daughter of Ned Stark who can duel with a sword, shot an arrow and ride the horse even without equestrian helmets, after she narrowly escaped persecution from her dad’s enemies. There’s a slew of characters that would play major roles in the next season: Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Cersei Lannister (Lena Heady), Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Lord Baelish (Aidan Gillen), and dragon lady Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), the sorceress Melisandre (Carice van Houten), Margaery Tyrell (Tudors alumni Natalie Dormer) and the loathsome manipulative daddy Lannister, Tywin (Charles Dance) would be introduced and given more airtime in the next season.

Let’s see how the story would unfold from where we have left it – the spoiled brat boy who became a king, the traitor Baelish, the Baratheon brothers, the lone survivor of the Targaryen clan, the fate of the Stark boys and the witty dwarf Tyrion Lannister. Of course, everyone wants Tywin, the equally cunning twins Cersei and Jaime, dead. One thing for sure, alliances will be forged and broken, and heads will roll as usual.

While waiting for season 2 to debut, a trip back to the popular books of George R.R. Martin, “A Song of Ice and Fire”, would definitely fill in the gap and make the wait worthwhile.

But since Christmas is a season of endless parties, I had to exercise my ability to socialize, albeit lazy to the bone to dress up. I was just glad that this year’s company party theme was “gossip girl” and not what I feared – United Nations (okay) or getting into some french maid outfits to make a statement. The only challenge being a “gossip girl” was finding the right clothes for my desperate-housewives age.

Anyway, I had a series of firsts in this year’s party:

- went to David’s Salon for hair and make-up
- wore a dress to a party
- skipped dinner in order to fit into the dress (LOL)
- went home without a date (a.k.a. sundo)
- ate chicken inasal in a party
- got nothing from the raffle (as in zilch)

What’s yours?

The Christmas lights came quite late this season. Last year, the gate was already glittering by first week of November giving everyone an early Christmas vibe. For some reason, the decor committee were delayed this year.

Anyway, better late than never. Still they did a fantastic job having the entire stretch of the highway lighted with multi-color lanterns that gave a fantasy-like look from a distance. I caught some photos of it after I visited Red from the vet’s hospital, beside a new clinic, which people say is managed by anaustin allergist. If you are from this area, you’d agree with me that everything in this corner has turned magical at night, and will remain that way for the next 30 days.

The latest holiday collection:

I was about to buy shoes at Rockport, which is currently doing a sale up 30% off. Quite a good deal there if you’re looking for christmas present ideas for him. But then again, there’s the nagging decision not to overspend. So I headed home thinking of ways on how I can recover my latest splurging. Then I passed by this neighborhood spa, and had a massage. I swear, with my muscles aching as of this writing, I will never come back to that place again. No one beats Manang Tonyang, the famous “hilot” (local massage therapist) in my place, who charges P50 for a back massage. She does it so well that you sleep like a baby at night.

My brothers and niece were just laughing at me as I refused to get into those rides again. So I ended up on the ferris wheel. I have already lost that daredevil attitude. I guess worrying about exploding eardrums and breaking a bone are signs of growing old. So I ended up the trip’s photographer trying to get a shot of family members who went crazy over the Space Shuttle ride from those stainless steel barrels at the corner of the mega structure.

Nevertheless, that was fun.

But so far, none of the recent romantic movies were able to survive the cynics’ critique, not even the taste of mere moviegoers. I’ve seen “One Day” which starred Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess and the 2006 flick “Griffin & Phoenix” of Amanda Peet & Dermot Mulroney. The only difference between the two, aside from the obvious age differences of the cast members, was that Hathaway and Sturgess took 20 years (or equivalent to 20 Julys – their fixed dating anniversary) to realize that they were meant for each other. Peet and Mulroney took less than a year and a dinner date to figure that one out.

Both movies injected some humor and wit. But somehow, they failed in that department as they came in either too melodramatic or tried hard to be funny and cute. The stories dragged until the end where they killed both heroines – and my sanity too.