On Dummies and the Internet

I wasn't going to write about this at all. However, it's too amusing not to be shared.

I actually made an enemy online by typing LOL! And as if that wasn't enough, the dummy thought my username called him a liar. Uhmmm... username, username, username.

I know many people who don't have computers at home who are well-versed in computerese. Computer cafe mainstays actually put my skill to shame.  thefreedictionary website has 78 definitions of LOL.  FYI, dear dummy, LOL is not short for ULOL!

Anyone with a two-digit IQ should be BANNED from computers. Violators should be shot on sight. The most severe forms of torture should be reserved for those who attempt to join social networking sites, like Friendster. I'll bet they don't have friends nor photos, well maybe one if they're lucky. One thing this person definitely does not have is a sense of humor.

How can anyone totally misread my private messages? Twice!  I think I'm pretty straightforward and an easy read.  Maybe I should have written in the vernacular.

Duh?? Duh-mmy?? FRIENDster!  It was a dumb social experiment.  I'll stick to blogging.

On Being A Published Writer

I'm back after a long hiatus.  I've accepted the fact that while in Manila, I'm stuck with dial-up prepaid cards.  I'm up 12mn to 8am to browse, blog and comment on free off-peak hours.  Globe Telecom is a long way from Pasay, believe me.  I doubt their broadband will ever reach me. DLSU has wi-fi capability and is 3 blocks away but they say I'm out of the reach of their network.  Huh!?

In the meantime, I got a gig as a freelance writer!  To live my dream is the most exciting thing to have happened.  Technically, I have a secondary education but in the real world I have a PhD. It's great to be able to share street smarts on a superior IQ lol!

As a blogger I'm censor, writer, editor, proofreader and publisher all at once.  The Blogger site is my medium and advertiser.  As a freelance writer, I have my editor/publisher/administrator to go over my stuff. It's hard work writing for a publication with even a limited circulation.  In fairness, my blog doesn't get that many readers yet.  I've toned down my rhetoric (which isn't all that) to be politically-, gender-, religiously correct on print.

As to what I enjoy, it's everything all at once.  Freelance writing can pay for those pre-paid cards and my phone bill.  Seeing your words on paper is not a bad thing either.  I can lose the by-line, I love my anonymity.  But I love the freedom of blogging and the release of my rants even more. Let's see what happens next.

On Turning 43

"1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an Annus Horribilis."

-Queen Elizabeth II, in a speech to the Guildhall on 24 November 1992, marking the 40th anniversary of her Accession.

Prominent social personality Mayenne Carmona wrote in her Savoir Faire column last weekend that this year was her own annus horribilis. From her account, it was a nightmare of epic proportion. I hate using cliches, but this really was something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. This past week for me ranked a mere 4 out of 10 but I won't judge the entire year from recent events. It's just one out of 52.

I knew it was going to be a tough year. With my youngest child entering college adding to the previous three, it was obvious that I needed something short of a miracle. But things always have a way of working out and they did. They're all still in their private schools, thank you:) With the two oldest graduating next year, I can actually contemplate life in my farm.

I did a lot of new things this past year. We finally got a live-in maid. After literally doing everything ourselves all these years, we happily handed over the reins to our very own professional Manang. God bless her! I started to blog, joined more forums and began writing comments and letters to mainstream journalists. This was something I always wanted to do and online comment forms plus email make it easy. As I have always proudly worn my heritage and my age, I used the nick "filipina42." Unwittingly, I have immortalized myself and will forever remain this age. Well, in the virtual world at least.

In line with my "frugality," I made only one major purchase this year. It was a MacBook that my daughter badly needed for her senior thesis. I held out as long as I could but there was no going around it. On the other hand, she told me it was a Christmas/birthday/graduation gift. I might have saved a few thousand on the long run.

The most shocking thing this year was on something I saw on TV a few weeks ago. I was watching "How Do I Look?" on the Lifestyle Network and saw a makeover on a woman whose wardrobe was EXACTLY LIKE MINE!! Arrrgh, I didn't know I was a fashion victim. It started a few years ago when my father suddenly passed on and I had nothing black (or white) to wear. As I usually do, I overcompensated and wore mostly black (or white) for a year. I just never got around to updating my wardrobe.

I do have the occasional brown or gray shirt. And I got a navy dress for my youngest daughter's high school graduation. It was a steal on eBay for less than 100 bucks. I was telling my Mom that it was probably time for me to get a bespoke silk suit. That would be a splurge! However, since I would wear it to four graduations in four years, it would pay for itself in two.

In all, my humor , health and wit are mostly intact. My finances are a little worse for the wear but it's going to turn around soon. Everyone's still a little kooky while Gabriel is turning into a brat. Everything is as it should be. We should all be so blessed!

Source

More On Teachers

I'm happy to get a lot of reaction on my "Teachers" post, even from family members. One of my sisters is a teacher. One of my aunts studied to be a teacher. She ended up being an Ambassador, but that's another story. My Mom, a lawyer, taught Constitution for a time at Assumption College, her alma mater. A few years ago, she taught at Silliman Law School. Now that she's retired, I should bring up her going back.

In other parts of the world, teachers are getting recognition. Oprah Winfrey says they're her favorite people. In 2004, a Favorite Things" episode of hers featured only teachers in the audience.

In the world of fashion, designer Zac Posen has partnered with DHL to create the Zac Posen + DHL Tote For Teachers and will donate 100% of proceeds to benefit Teachers Count. Teachers Count (USA) is a non-profit organization that prides itself in furthering teacher appreciation. Read the full article here.

The October 4, 2007 post from Blogger Buzz, the official Blogger blog:) points to the Official Google blog for this post:

When it comes to philanthropy, everyone’s got something different to give – some people have money, others have time, and bloggers have devoted readers. The creative folks at DonorsChoose have a few ideas about how bloggers can help students and teachers.

In case you’re not familiar with DonorsChoose, it’s a site where teachers post needs they have for their classrooms, and donors fund those projects directly. If you’ve got a blog, a website, or even an email account, you can help by creating what’s called a challenge. Just pick some of your favorite projects and challenge your family, friends, and readers to fund them. If you’ve got a Blogger account, it’s easy to add your challenge to your blog in just a few clicks.

Pity there's no such thing here in the Philippines. Maybe we should start one. Awards given out are well enough, but they're individual. It's time our educators receive their due. They do more for our country than most legislators. And that's the truth.