Mary Jane's Niche

This is what I’ve been listening to in the past few days. So what do you think am I feeling?

And what do you know I remembered my blog!

How are you my niche? It has been a while since the last time that I poured my heart out to you. Maybe I was just afraid that someone might be reading what I’m writing here. Someone who I don’t really want to know what I’m really feeling because I am not used to sharing my feelings with him or her. But I guess I don’t have to worry about that now right? You have come a long way my blog. You are a part of a community now. You don’t belong to only me anymore. This might be the last blog post that I’m going to share with you how I’m really feeling these days.

So many things has happened last year. I thought it was going to be the best year of my life. But it was not. Year 2009 started really great actually. I was having the best time of my life. I finally had the freedom that I have always dreamed of. I was having fun with Tim. I felt so loved by him, my family and my few close friends. I was traveling to places I have never been. I had (and still have) the best job and the best boss ever. I work on my own time. I had (and still have) the financial freedom that I have always wanted. Everything was going so well. But the year 2009 left a devastatingly huge black hole of emptiness in my life.

I have learned so many things last year. One of them is to value time. Especially the time that you have with your loved ones, your family. I don’t have to explain why right? Now I believe that life is definitely too short. To those who don’t know this yet, don’t wait for your very own wake up call.

I have always tried to live my life to the fullest without stepping on someone else’s life. And I will continue to do so. I just want to get something out of my system. I just want the whole world to know that even though I am laughing, smiling and acting like everything’s doing great right now, it’s because I have accepted the fact that my father is gone. I know and feel that he is in a better place right now watching over us. And I also know that if I will be a really good girl, I will be with him too when the time is right.

God I miss Papang.

You will remain in our hearts forever Pang. We love you very much. We will miss you. I know and feel that you are happy wherever you are. I know you’re watching over us.

Dinagyang is the biggest religious and cultural festival in Iloilo. The Off-Price Store Iloilo is happy to announce that they will be joining the Dinagyang festivities by marking down selected items up to 30% OFF from January 22-25, 2010.

The Off-Price Store offers authentic branded merchandise at prices that would keep your gift list under budget and fashion savvy! Brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, H&M, Armani Exchange, Replay, Calvin Klein, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch and many, many more! Direct from the factory, store close outs and branded over-runs, our prices are guaranteed to be the lowest!

You can be a fan of The Off-Price Store Iloilo here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Off-Price-Store-Iloilo/171471259638

You can join the mailing list here: http://groups.google.com/group/TOPSIloilo

Store Hours
Sun – Thu: 11AM – 10PM
Fri – Sat: 11AM – 12MN

Address: Unit 5, Smallville Complex, Diversion Road, Iloilo City
Landline: 3000-567
Mobile: 0922-882-6259
Email: e@efrenefren.com
YM: TOPSIloilo@yahoo.com

Before the advent of the internet, it was so hard to communicate with relatives, friends and loved ones who are living or working abroad. Then, we had to use the “snail mail” or send telegrams which takes weeks or even months to reach the recipients. But now because of the advancement of technology and the internet, its so easy to get in touch with the people that we love. There’s instant messaging, emailing, social networks, SMSing and now I have also discovered Gloo which is a new and super fun way to share information with my friends and family with Globe Broadband. Gloo is a web application that allows us users to collaborate on virtual spaces by embedding and manipulating images, notes, videos and even creating doodles in real-time. And another great thing about Gloo is that users that share a space have the ability to chat with other users who are also online as well as send SMS or MMS.

By the way if you’re thinking that Gloo is a reply to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter or Sandbox then you’re wrong because let me note that Gloo is not a social media site, it is more of a real-time online collaboration tool. By creating a space, me and my friends are able to share photos, post videos, chat and doodle all at the same time and in real time. Isn’t that awesome? It has really cool features and possible uses too like scrapbooking, and you may also use it as a business page and make it a place for online group meetings, planning events, collaboration tool for business meetings and collaboration board for school meetings. It can also be a place for parents to interact with their kids and of course your family from abroad and for teenagers it can be your barkada’s message board!

So you guys should really start checking out this cool new web application and use it and have fun with it at the same time. Inquire about Gloo now so you can start having fun!

Believe it or not the 2010 election is closer than you think, only 155 days to go. So have you made up your mind on who to entrust our country’s future yet again? As far as my voting career goes the 2010 elections will be the most interesting. In lieu of the tragedies and disasters our country has faced this year, I hope everyone will choose the right candidate – if there’s one. So I have been surfing the web for sites that will help me decide for the elections and I stumbled upon Politicalarena.com. This website is actually the Philippines’ first socio-political networking site where members can post videos and photos, join forums on different important issues like politics, education, economy and commerce, labor and employment. It has partnered with COMELEC, Youth Vote Philippines and  PPCRV to promote voter education especially to first-time voters as well as encourage participation in the upcoming 2010 national elections. Politicalarena.com operates under the network of 88DB.com, the Philippines’ first rich media service portal.

Politicalarena.com promotes voter’s education through their special online features and social media networking tools such as blog , political forum, chat and other multimedia portals which allow voters to get up close and personal with presidential candidates and learn more about their goals, views and principles. This tools will provide us voters with enough information to help us make the right decision on who to vote for on the coming presidential elections. I signed up after a period of browsing the site and noting that not only the visitors can voice out their views, opinions and concerns but the presidential candidates can do so as well. Being a resident of  Iloilo, I saw Politicalarena.com as my chance to interact not only with the voters but also with the candidates and learn more about their platforms and be updated on all the latest political issues and events. Isn’t this way much better than just watching TV and rant without anyone hearing you? In fact I posted a question for the presidentiables at their Issues page. Let’s see who responds to that.

So please broaden your ability to vote wisely in the upcoming 2010 Philippine elections. Do our country a favor, visit Politicalarena.com and educate yourself.

I have just finished reading Hope Donahue’s book entitled Beautiful Stranger: A Memoir of an Obsession with Perfection. I decided to write a short blog post about it because I don’t want to forget the insightful words of Hope Donahue. I am not going to talk much about it but I’m just going to direct you to this site where you can see a summary of the novel. I recommend this book to everyone!

But let me share my favorite part of the book:

The young, beautiful models in fashion magazines do not represent the norm. In fact, these freakishly beautiful women make up less than one percent of the population. Their looks are the result of a genetic gift. And yet, they are the standard against which we are told to measure ourselves. The magazines tell us that we, too, can be as lovely and desirable as they are if only we have the right beauty regimen, exercise program, or plastic surgery. And despite the bold claims of anti-aging treatments, there is no way to recapture youth. It’s a profoundly unfair ideal that leads women on an impossible quest.

The Off-Price Store offers authentic branded merchandise at prices that would keep your gift list under budget and fashion savvy! Brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, H&M, Armani Exchange, Replay, Calvin Klein, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch and many, many more! Direct from the factory, store close outs and branded over-runs, our prices are guaranteed to be the lowest!

The Off-Price Store would like to spread good cheer this November by giving their customers a 20% discount on all regular priced items from November 13 – 15. All they need to do is show us a receipt dated November 13 – 15, 2009 from any of the following establishments in Smallville Complex:

• Afrique’s
• Bourbon Street
• Freska
• Kopiroti
• Krua Thai
• Maki
• Pirates
• Red Steakhouse

The Off-Price Store Hours:
• Sunday – Thursday 11AM to 10PM
• Friday – Saturday 11AM to 12AM

The Off-Price Store Iloilo Branch
Unit 5, Smallville Complex, Diversion Road, Iloilo City

The Off-Price Store gives you the warmest regards this Christmas season! See you there!