I just cannot believe!

How busy I was?

I have not updated my blog for the longest time! Imagine about two holidays have already passed and I still have the Eid Mubarak post as my welcome blog! Eeekkk!!

A lot of things have happened over the past few months.

• The Blackberry RIM service was not suspended which was a relief to all BB users
• The iPhone 4 was a hit when it was launched with Etisalat and Du going gaga over the sales (which eventually led to the acceptable price of the gadget... hint: some retailers would really go out of their way to mark the price up for almost 100%)
• Seeing that the Blackberry is still in demand through the young and old alike, Etisalat has made a special offer for their BB-wannabes. More selling happened. 
• Eid Al Adha was a hit. A lot of people were so happy that it fell on a weekend. 
• Because of the much-needed break provided during Eid Al Adha, people forgot that there was still another reason to celebrate - Islamic New Year. Another nice long weekend happening here in the UAE though not everybody was given the opportunity to do so but a break is always welcomed.

On other news...

• The Philippines have been busy pestering the President with his love life that he is now love-less (Thanks to the Press)
• James Yap and Kris Aquino are now friends
• The Morong 43 are now freed (as per the president but then again, the judge handling the case has the final say)
• Wikileaks founder is now in Europe waiting... because they do not know what to charge him but as per the latest update there was a sexual case against the Wikileaks founder
• The unexpected engagement between Kate Middleton and Prince William
• More news about what Kate will wear on the wedding

I don't think I have covered it all but I am pretty sure I was able to highlight the important stuff that has happened over the past months (I still cannot believe I have not blogged - what happen to me?!)

from http://www.sgfl.org.uk/englishandliteracy/primary/guidedwriting

Eid Mubarak to you all!!

Distractions

Writing can be hard sometimes most especially when you need to focus on what you need to write. I mean I’m pretty sure writers / novelists and the like do have these moments when they know what they need / can write but gets distracted.

Here are just some of the Top 3 distractions:-

1)   Facebook

This social network site has been around for more than four years and I have a feeling that i

t is here to stay. Previously, it was just a website where people can comment on each other’s status, give each other gifts (either a care bear hug or a starbucks coffee) and post quotable quotes from famous movies or television series (e.g. Sex and the City, Friends, etc). Now, this site has transformed the idea of social networking. It has incorporated games so that friends can now interact via their kitchens, farms, etc.  

Image via Wikipedia

It has gone a long way and is most important objective is for people not to leave the site and kind of use it day and night!

2)   Twitter

Another social network site that makes you stay in front the computer all day and night. As you read statuses from people you follow – it can be your friends, movie stars, love gurus, etc. A never ending banter of words can take place in this site which can also lead to interaction with other people whom you can consider to be your new friends – virtually.

Image via CrunchBase

3)   Games

Aside from the games you play in the social networking sites, you, at times, engage into either a downloaded game or an online game. These types of games can be addictive and will definitely consume most of your time, if taken lightly.

There you have it my friends, the distractions that can break you from writing a paragraph or even a sentence. I guess, the solution (in case you want to work without distractions) is to pull the plug of your internet connection. Try collecting all your thoughts and have a draft in place. Knowing us writers, we always need to do a little research on the piece that we are writing about. By doing this, you will be one step away from completing your article.

Image by Rennett Stowe via Flickr

Blackberry -- The Comeback

I guess, October 11 will be considered the 'Death of Blackberry Messaging or commonly known as BBM' or maybe not. 

A lot of people were worried about what will happen after October 11. Some had to vent their anger and post frustrated statuses on their Facebook and Twitter, the popular social networking sites to date. 

According to Yahoo's Maktoob Business, UAE ambassadors had a positive meeting with Research in Motion (RIM) team. 

Maktoob Business

Prior to this news, the team has allowed Saudi Arabia to monitor the activity of BBM users in the country. 

I guess with a further meeting to take place, RIM team and UAE's ambassadors will come up with the best solution on how to tackle this problem. Being the Gulf's largest mobile phone user, I am sure that RIM team and Blackberry will not allow to lose this country on their top-ranking users. 

This is a relief that we, as humans, still have a right to dictate when we think technology is dominating our lives. A few years back, no one was THAT glued to the internet to check daily feeds about their friend's whereabouts or feed their virtual pets or playing video games for that matter.

 

Blackberry being suspended due to security threat

It caused a lot of boos in the mobile world - most especially to those people who are so attached to their Blackberry phones that the UAE is officially banning the BBM or Blackberry Messenger from operating in the UAE. 

After the declaration, a few countries followed the lead - Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and India to name a few. 

click on this link to read more about this article

In our office, we do have a few BBM fanatics and were sad. They have used BBM to keep in touch with friends who are also users of the ever-popular Blackberry phones. As I am now part of the tech department in our office, speculations were made about why they are banning the service. 

Mentions of national security being threatened, BB users exchanging information that could and potentially harm a country (hence the national security threat), a person (not being able to follow a lead in case a murder / rape was planned via BBM) or culture (the Y generation having more freedom in expressing their thoughts without their relatives having a chance to intervene). 

Though the national security part is the most important issue at the moment because the only keeper of the BBM encryption can be found in the United States. 

I think control is important in order for each one of us to function accordingly. Let's use our companies as an example. In our companies, we have a set of rules and regulations to follow.We need to have these set of rules so that people are aware of the boundaries. Not doing this at all will cause chaos. 

This is also one of the main reasons we have rulers / presidents in each of our countries where they implement laws and decrees for people to follow. 

I guess this goes the same with BB phones. 

I believe that this will be resolved soon - depending on how the BB manufacturers will cooperate with the country's demands.  

For now, we can only wait and see. 

*Image courtesy of Yahoo! Maktoob Business (clicking on the link can also give you a history of news regarding the BBB (Blackberry Ban)

You got a Friend

When the going gets tough and you feel like you want to give up, a friend or friends will always be there to lend a hand.

Help can come in many ways and forms - a pat on the back, a hug of sympathy, a kiss of confidence and a touch that let's you feel that everything is going to be alright.

It was reported a month back that Dick Israel, one of the most sought after villains in Philippine cinema, had a  stroke while doing a TV series.

Dick Israel 

The family had to use their savings to ensure that the head of the family gets the best care however due to expensive treatments and chemotherapy, the savings the family once had were all gone. Dick's wife had to seek assistance from his fellow movie actors and maybe from fans via a radio station.

Friends / Acquaintances Unite!
One of the listeners of that radio program was Richard Merk, actor / singer / restaurateur. From previous reports, Merk's bar is always used a platform to help out fellow actors and musicians. Fund raising and charity functions are being held here to show support to their colleagues.

I have always admired Richard Merk in allowing this to happen and I guess that is also one of the main reasons why his bar is still being packed with people - all days of the week.

Merk's Bar Bistro Webpage 

Having a Good Time
The benefit has turned out to be a reunion for some of the artists while others enjoyed the music played. For the benefit done for Dick Israel, it was a night full of Eagles and Eric Clapton's songs - Dick's all-time favorite.

With this kind of ensemble and help from your friends, would you still think you are all alone in dealing with your problem?

I hope not.

**Read this article from Inquirer.net

Weddings

from http://www.fineprints.ca/

is a favorite topic by ladies and well.... not so much by men. 

With this in the conversation, women, friends or not, can unite and talk about how theirs went and how they want their children (or sometimes) and grandchildren should have their weddings done. 

When I got married, there was no major fuss. First because my marriage was only in a judge's office and second, I just wanted my family to be there and share the moment with us. 

I guess time has changed differently now as a lot of brides and grooms-to-be want to have a last hurrah before they actually tie the knot.

According to this news article from Maktoob Business, a lot of hen and stag parties are being held in Las Vegas, Mexico and the Bahamas. Though some opt to do it where they plan to have their wedding - so if it's a beach wedding, the couples including their entourage hops into one airplane and when they reach the land of promise, they go their separate ways and party like there's no tomorrow. 

I guess this is a good idea so that you do not end up like the movie, The Hangover, where the bachelor's friends lost their groom-to-be that they tried to look for him all over Las Vegas. 

Another convenience about this type of trip is that the wedding planners of the event do not have to worry about bringing / monitoring the bride and groom together because they will all just be in one area. 

I guess this is another way for the travel coordinators, wedding planners and hotelier's scheme of having business in their sleeves which is a good thing - that they can still come up with good sales pitches for their customers despite and in spite of the recession period.  

The Heat is ON!

Summer is now here in Dubai... and did Summer make a very fine entrance!

It has been hot!hot! for the past few days. People here try to strategize how they will beat the heat when they are walking, cooking or even at times, when they laze in their house. 

Summer usually lasts for two months - July & August. 

Emails have been sent all throughout the region that the days will definitely get hotter. I am not sure if that's even true because they send these type of scam emails... usually this time of the year. 

I guess we just have to wait and see. 

Forbes' 15 Richest Royals

If you were given one billion dollars to spend what would you do with it?

Probably, I will buy a three-bedroom house complete with backyard and swimming pool. After that, I will buy my husband a car or maybe a van whatever he likes which we can use for the food / internet cafe business that we will be putting up.

The rest will be saved in the bank or will be invested in stock bonds or another business venture but I want to make sure that we keep enough money for the family - for the kid's education.

How do you think these royals spend their money? Forbes has recently named 15 of the richest royals in the whole world.

Starting it off with Thailand's King Bhuminol Adulyadej. 

Abu Dhabi's ruler came fourth and Sheikh Mohammed came sixth.

It seems like even with the recession happening all over the world, these royals still have enough billions in their sleeves. 

I sometimes wish I'm just like them but when I think about the riches that I have - not the material ones. It makes me smile and think that I will not trade that for anything in the world. 

**to see the full list of richest royals here>

and I have changed it again...

I know... for the nth time... I have changed the layout and design of my blog.

I just can't help it... I keep tweaking this blog because I want my readers (if I do have any) to see that this is indeed a 'live' blog and not just 'one of those'.

Another thing is tweaking the design / layout of my blogs give me the inspiration to write more. :)

--
I hope that you will continue to pray for the Philippines. The counting of the ballots is not yet completed for the presidential and the VP race. Comelec has already announced the first 7 senators last week. As mentioned by Inquirer, one of the leading newspapers in the Philippines, most of the winners were re-electionists and returnees. I just hope that these senators will not waste their time in office. I really and truly hope that they will be able to do something about the humongous debt that the Philippines have incurred through the years.

I hope.