Hostage Crisis: The Social Media Commentary

A terrible tragedy happened in the Philippines Monday night.  A former police officer who had lost all hope because the Ombudsman had accused him of planting evidence and extortion - and relieved him of his position, disregarding his petition of reconsideration.  He would have retired in January.  He was in service for over three decades and was a decorated officer.  He claimed to be falsely accused.  He took a bus with 15 people hostage (most of them tourists from Hong Kong), caused an international incident and was instrumental in showing the world how inexperienced and ill-equipped the Philippine National Police was to handle crisis situations.  We grieve with the people of Hong Kong for the death of their countrymen.

It has been all over the news - not just locally but in several news outfits abroad as well.  My husband and I have watched it over and over again on ABS-CBN - a local Philippine TV station that broadcasts internationally through cable channels.  In the commentaries, local news shows feature reactions from Filipinos around the world, quoting comments from Facebook and posts from Twitter.

This style of journalism is unique to Filipino news shows - I have yet to see US or International news programs quoting non-expert Facebook and Twitter posts as extensively as Filipino news programs - unless it is a celebrity post and usually only in tech shows or in celebrity news shows.   Featuring social media posts in news programs has many pros and cons - in my opinion.

When I logged in to Facebook on the day of the hostage situation, I already saw a lot of posts from friends who are frustrated at how the situation was handled - some judging the capabilities of the PNP very harshly.  Similar comments were read out loud in news coverages from the Philippines.  Comments from people who were not qualified to criticize the situation because they were not experts in law enforcement and crisis management.  And if, in fact, they are not expert commentators then doesn't that mean that the news outfit just posted a lot of hearsay/gossip?

I do also acknowledge that their intention may just be to gather the pulse of what Filipinos, in general, think about the issue - an informal poll.  In this case then they are pioneers in this type of media use.  The appropriateness of this type of journalism is then a matter of interpretation.

What do you think?  I think social media should be used moderately and appropriately at all times.  Social media users are not journalists, but they do broadcast their personal opinions on issues (that they may not be experts in) to the world through these networks.  Therefore, social media users should post responsibly- you never know who will repost/retweet what you broadcast online.  Be kind.  Be courteous.  And most of all, be true.

Filipino Cuisine Conquered 24-Hour Restaurant Battle

Karine Bakhoum, Gabriella Gershenson, Geoffrey Zakarian and host, Scott Conant, were the four judges who appreciated exotic Filipino delicacies in the Food Network's 24-Hour Restaurant Battle.

I stumbled upon the show's Battle of the Home Cooks episode.  Filipino father and son team, Lad and Andrew Dizon, were shopping for their menu when I landed on the Food Network.  The mention of beef tongue, ox tail, and turon caught my attention and, after learning that they were serving Filipino food at their restaurant-in-24-hours battle, I was hooked!

The father and son team wanted to introduce Filipino cuisine in a big way in this competition.  They did not shy away from serving beef tongue (lengua estofado) and ox tail in peanut soup (kare-kare) as their main entrees - even after Scott Conant suggested they add a safe dish so as not to scare away customers.  Now that's going all out!  I wouldn't be surprised if they served balut (duck egg) and dinuguan (meat in blood soup) when they open their own restaurant for real!

They served shanghai egg rolls and stuffed bitter gourd (ampalaya) as appetizers.  They had turon and leche flan for dessert.  Filipino mainstays - which could be considered safe - in my opinion.

They did scare away a lot of potential clients, but the clients who dined in their restaurant loved the food.  I think that is mainly why Filipino food has not caught on in other parts of the world.  Most people look at the ingredients and run away without trying it.  The ingredients may be exotic, but there is a reason why they are delicacies!

As the judges discovered, beef tongue melts in your mouth in wonderful flavors and ox tail is tender meat  that absorbs the sweet and salty flavors of peanut and shrimp paste to perfection.  The Filipinos won the challenge and went home with the $10,000 prize!  Personally, I feel that they made us all proud by standing up and representing Filipino cuisine - against all odds.  Great job, guys!

In the Hunt for Good Deals: Gifts With Purchase

I saw this Lancome promotion in my Borders Perks email and remembered that my mom loves their powder.  I looked at their promo on the Lancome website and almost bought my mom's gift from there - but then I remembered that Macy's has Lancome in their cosmetics counter.

I checked Macy's website, wondering if they had the promo too - they did and they had a lower minimum purchase than the Lancome website to avail of the gift.  So I went to their store and found this wonderful Lancome gift set with mineral anti-aging powders, bronzers and foundation for my mom - and got the sample gift set for free!

And when my mom requested the powder the next time I talked to her over the phone - I was so happy to report that I had already bought it for her!

Are you more likely to purchase expensive cosmetics or perfumes when they have a gift available with purchase?  I must admit that I do buy expensive stuff more often if they come with a free gift!  I just feel like the added gift makes the expensive purchase seem like a deal.

I purchased my husband's perfume on the same day I went shopping for my mom's gift.  I purchased it because it came with two bags - one to put his toiletries in and a big weekender bag (that I had been meaning to buy because we needed one).  If I deduct the price I would have paid buying a weekender bag to the cost of the perfume - it would've been a 50% or more deal!

Do you think these gifts with purchase are good deals?  Why or why not?

The Orange Public Library: A Great Resource

My husband and I decided to study/work at our local library yesterday to escape the heat.  The two-story building is relatively new and we guessed that it would have wireless internet.  It did!

This was the first time we had seen the second floor's new computer area.  They had a lot of computers, which you can reserve using your library card.  There were also a lot of people who had their laptops and were availing of the free internet.  It's a great set up, but the air conditioning left much to be desired at the second level.  I think it may have been due to the number of computers generating heat at the same time plus it was stifling hot outside.

On our way home, we passed the first level near the teen section and it was definitely much much cooler.  We were just not sure if we could use our laptops there - considering that the librarian upstairs chased us away from the reading room where we first set up our gear.  There were two teenage boys using their laptops in the teen section though - so, unless they had an age restriction in that area, maybe we'll try staying there next time.

I think internet access in public libraries is a great service to residents.  To be able to use the computers for research is also a great asset during these tough times.  So if you need internet access and are having a hard time paying for it at home - grab your library card and take advantage of this public service.  I think resourcefulness is part of this country's recovery process - there are tools available out there that we can use to make our lives better, you just have to go out and look!

Eat Pray Love Every Day

"I want to go somewhere where I can marvel at something!"

This was the quote from the movie, Eat Pray Love, that caught my interest immediately.  It caught my interest because I want the same thing!  In my bucket list, much like in Elizabeth Gilbert's box, is a list of destinations - places I have been longing to see ever since I was a child.

I want to see the world - to experience God's creation and be awed by its magnificence.  But unlike Elizabeth Gilbert, I want to see it all with my husband.  I want to share the experience with him - because I know that the experience will be just as spiritual for him as it will be for me.

I have experienced this feeling a few times - the feeling of being able to marvel at something - the feeling of being in awe of God's creation.  Have you ever climbed a mountain and felt an overwhelming sense of peace?  Has a sunrise ever taken your breath away, the hues of pink enveloping the sky as the lake/ocean from where it rose from turns a brilliant shade of blue?  Have you ever been in awe of the pure beauty of a perfect conical peak, a magnificent whale or the majestic king of the beasts?  Have you ever savored just being immersed in a beautiful garden filled with colorful flowers and beautiful foliage?  Have you ever savored each bite of food and marveled at the different flavors that bursts in your mouth?  Have you ever heard an artist singing that tugged at your heart and swelled with so much emotion you had to close your eyes to take it all in?  No?  You should!

It doesn't need to take a year.  You don't need to go off in far off places - although traveling is always a pleasure for me.  What Elizabeth Gilbert experienced in Eat Pray Love - we should be able to experience in our daily lives - especially love.  Love the man you married, your kids, your family and friends.  Don't be afraid to taste different types of food.  And explore the world you live in - see what beautiful places are there in your backyard, in your own neighborhood (easy for me to say, I live in California) - I'm sure that there is a place where you live that is absolutely beautiful and amazing that you will enjoy.

Eat, pray and love - every day, my friends!  Life is short, make the most of it!

Leann Rimes: Country Music Appreciation

One of our favorite date night traditions is to watch a concert under the warm summer sky.  We usually try to see one at the nearby Pacific Amphitheater during the OC Fair.

Concerts are one of the things that we cut from our budget because of the recession.  And I didn't really see any artist I recognized in the line up of the OC Fair except two country singers, Faith Hill and Leann Rimes.  We weren't available during the Faith Hill concert and I wasn't too keen on Leann Rimes because I wasn't familiar with her new songs.  But I got an email for a 2-for-1 ticket deal and thought $15 tickets in pretty good seats would fit into my tight budget.

It was so worth it!  I may not be a big fan of country music, but Leann Rimes made me a big fan of her voice!  My husband agreed with me - especially when she did a few Patsy Kline songs.  Apparently Patsy Kline was one of my father-in-law's favorites so my husband knew her songs well.  It was a fun concert with people clapping and dancing all around us.

She sang the songs I remember from my younger days: Can't Fight the Moonlight, How Do I Live Without You and I Need You.  She didn't sing it in the same way, her singing style is different now - more mature.  I must admit, I didn't like her rendition of Can't Fight the Moonlight at all - it lacked power and passion to my ears.  I liked her new song, You Ruin Me, better - she's not releasing it until next year though.

I think Leann Rimes has a lot of talent.  She has a voice that can grow with her music and she still looks amazing - considering she's still very young!  I hope you get the chance to appreciate her music live on stage as I have.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, my friends!

Road Hazard Warranty = Loyal Customer

My husband and I buy our truck's tires from Costco - every time tires need to be replaced, it's always a major expense.  Our mid-size truck's tires cost about $180-$200 each - it's bigger than a passenger car's and it has to be ordered in advance.

A few years back, one of our tires got punctured.  This should not have been a problem because Costco has a Road Hazard Warranty, which means if your tire gets damaged they will fix it at no cost to you.  You just bring in your vehicle and show them your Costco card - and they should have a record that you bought the tires there. At the time we brought the truck, they could not fix the puncture because it was too deep, but they said they can replace it - under the warranty.

They put our spare (which was practically new) in and we were off - dealing with our hectic lives and forgot all about the tire replacement.  When it came time to buy a new tire to pair with the spare they had installed in place of the punctured one, we purchased it straight up.

When they saw the punctured tire as they were installing our new tire - they tested to see if the damaged tire was still under warranty by measuring the tread.  It was.  So they tried to see if they could get us a replacement for that tire and found that the model had been discontinued.  Under the warranty they could not just replace one tire, they had to replace two tires so they gave us another one for free.  And the amount we paid to purchase one tire?  They refunded us.

So what did we do with the refund?  We bought another tire.  We will end up with three new tires for the price of one (and have a complete set of four new tires) - now is that a good deal or what?

This warranty has kept me loyal to Costco for buying new tires.  It costs the same - sometimes even cheaper than the other stores and once you have the tires installed it's hassle free for the life of the tires.  Tires are an expensive necessity for motorists and you should protect your investment by buying them at a place that guarantees that they will last.  So next time you're shopping for new tires - try going to Costco and experience the difference!

He's a Mac, I'm a PC

On my husband's first day back in school - his old and reliable laptop gave out.  He took it to Geek Squad for a diagnosis - apparently the motherboard had given out.

This was a funny coincidence because my dad had just teased me about sending him our old laptop when we buy a new one a few days back.  And now here lies our oldest laptop - fried!

The technician advised that it would be easier to just buy a new laptop instead of trying to fix the old one.  Our cousin who repairs and builds computers said we could probably get it fixed in the Philippines - just buy the motherboard here and send it over - to my dad!  Now wasn't that just perfect timing?

My husband needs a laptop for school.  I've been thinking about trying out a Mac for a while now and my husband has always wanted an iMac (the desktop, he did not particularly want a Mac Book Pro).  As a student, my husband gets a discount on a Mac, but he was looking for an inexpensive replacement for the dead laptop at first.  I told him I probably should get him a durable unit that will last him through his planned three more years of study.  We looked at other high end PCs, but ended up buying a Mac Book Pro because there really isn't much of a price difference when you factor in the discount.

So we brought his new laptop home and set it up - loaded iWork on it and got it going.  We had to figure out a few things, but it was a relatively painless install and it was up and running in no time.  A few of his classmates have Mac Books too so he can probably ask them when he gets stuck.  So now my converted techie husband is a Mac - and I'm still a PC.

I probably will steal his Mac Book Pro from time to time - if only to see how my projects look in Safari and see if  I can work with iPhoto for my hobbies.  I'm a PC, my husband's a Mac.  Aside from the shift + end I use to select a whole line of text that I can't figure out how to do in the Mac Book Pro, I don't see any major differences between the two laptops.

Why am I sticking to my PC?  I'm more comfortable working (aka programming) on it.  My Dreamweaver runs without glitches and I edit my photos using Photoshop with no major issues - plus I've been using MS Office ever since I can remember!  I don't want to stress myself out by having to relearn how to do everything (not to mention, buying all new software) for a Mac - at least not yet.  But now I have an option to become familiar with a Mac - who knows, maybe in time I will make the big shift - I'm just not quite ready yet.

Crab Alfredo: Yum!

Source: Taste of Home - because I forgot 

to take a photo of the actual dish!

Imagine rich and creamy alfredo sauce on perfectly al dente fetuccini pasta - then imagine an almost equal amount of freshly cooked and succulent real crab meat.  Yes, it's ok to smack your lips in appreciation!

My husband and I celebrated an anniversary last week by having lunch at our favorite seafood restaurant and I decided to try something new.  My culinary adventure paid off - big time!

The fresh slightly sweet crab meat was the perfect partner of the delicious white sauce.  I exchanged the parmesan bread for the restaurant's freshly baked bread and was in seafood pasta heaven!  I even got two servings for the price of one (just because the portions they served were so huge)!  And the dish was still good when I shared it with my husband at home - now that's hard to accomplish.

Craving for crab?  In the mood for pasta?  Try Market Broiler's Crab Alfredo - it's definitely a must for your taste buds!