by rossanahead | Jun 28, 2011 | career, children, family, Gina Abuyuan, parenting, woman
By Regina Abuyuan
Out of sheer frustration, I ranted about a certain celebrity in my Facebook account. When I posted it Friday night, it got 14 likes in one hour. Now, it’s got 51 likes. The fervor has slowed down, but it looks like it’s not stopping.
So what is it that’s gotten people so involved—maybe a better word would be “embroiled”—in my personal opinions? My opinion about Kris Aquino, that’s what, and her most recent quotable quote about being a single mom: “Madali maging single mother, kasi mababait ang mga anak ko.” [“It’s easy being a single mother, because my children are good.”]
Google it and you’ll see.
I don’t even have to go into details on why this statement offends so many.
She makes light of the most difficult “job” in the universe, glossing it over with her image of being a doting, hardworking mom with a healthy work-life balance. No one—not even married or partnered moms and dads, no matter how wealthy and successful they are—can claim parenting is easy. Up to a certain point, you’re in charge of shaping a person’s life, making sure he or she doesn’t turn into a serial killer or something. And her reason? Because her kids are “nice”? That’s like saying parenting is easy because one’s kids are thoughtless, emotion-less lumps of cake who don’t need attention and understanding and discipline.
She seems to have forgotten that her mother, Cory Aquino, was a single parent. I wonder what Tita Cory would have said if she heard her youngest say that. I can just imagine her hanging her head in disappointment, shaking it side to side, and sighing: “Hay, Kris. Where did Ninoy and I go wrong with you?”
by rossanahead | Jun 25, 2011 | career, Education, Rossana Llenado, technology
By Rossana Llenado
People don’t go online because they like to read. They go online because they need the latest information fast, snappy, and brief. They don’t have time for details. They detest long text.
This couldn’t be emphasized enough during the recent International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) convention I attended in San Diego, California last week. One of the convention’s more than 80 speakers, Steve Cresenzo summed up internet writing principles in four letters, H-A-C-K.
Headline. Whether you’re writing a blog or updating a portion of your website, you have to have a catchy headline. It should be so encompassing that readers immediately “get” the idea and have no choice but to read the rest of the story. On your headline, use only key words. Make every word count.
Abstract. In a sentence, capture the essence of your story. Assume that this will be all that your readers would read. Let them know all they need to know. Try focusing on one persona that will represent your story’s point. According to research, readers are drawn in by striking character profiles rather than statistics. A reader is more likely to read the story of an earthquake survivor than an impersonal rundown of the number of calamity victims.
Content. Now apply your storytelling skills. Make your main “character” as human as possible. Include one or two quotations from an expert to give credibility to your account. Use conversational language. With different wordings, state your main point at the beginning, middle, and end of your piece as many of your readers would just be scanning your story. Through carefully chosen details, you should be able to give the reader a grasp of the bigger picture and lead him to where you want him to go.
Killer Content. Here comes the tricky part where you aim at three-way communication. Make the reader react to your story by leaving room for him to comment. Give examples and the examples of others so that the reader would be enticed to share his own. Be straightforward about how you’d like your audience to react:
(1) Like you/your organization on Facebook
(2) Share your story on their wall
(3) Join the discussion
(4) Comment. Comment. Comment.
Go forth and HACK!
by rossanahead | Jun 23, 2011 | career, Karen Galarpe, woman
By Karen Galarpe
I chuckled at the sight: one of my toenails in black currant polish. Suddenly I felt so out of character, and ready for adventure. The manicurist laughed with me, as I asked, “Won’t I look like a vampire?” Then I thought, why not? It’s time to try new shades, new things.
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and I tried out this salon on West Avenue after I found no parking space at the salon I usually go to. New salon, new hair stylist, new polish–yeah, bring it on.
I have a job that is kinda stressful. We’re in full adrenaline rush mode when there’s breaking news, like the Japan earthquake and tsunami last March, or the Halalan national elections last year. On other days, we’re still in some kind of rush, as we need to write, edit, and publish news as they happen.
So when other things come into play at work (changes, et cetera), it can get more stressful than usual. My hyperacidity kicks in, I can’t eat, my back hurts, and I get bone tired at the end of the day.
But I’ve been through other stressful times, and found that there are things one can do to bust that stress. Here are my tried-and-tested stress busters:
1. Treat yourself to something yummy. For me, sometimes it just takes a kiwi Sprite float, a great tea drink, barako coffee, or dark chocolates to lift my spirits.
2. Phone a friend. Or text, tweet, send a Facebook message. I love that my close friends are ready to listen to me, or if they’re busy, will get back to me when they have time to hear me out.
3. Go to a salon. Pamper yourself. Try a new shade of nail polish like I did.
4. Read a book that’s not for work or about the work that you do. Discover the sheer pleasure of reading and getting lost in someone’s world or finding some truths you can apply in your life.
5. Go for a massage. It’s painfully liberating to have those little hard knots of muscle at the back loosened. A foot spa also does wonders. You come out relaxed.
6. Tune in to some classical or soothing jazz music. Best done on the way home after a long hard day.
7. Pray. Yes, it works. And we can talk to Him like we talk to our close friends.
8. See what’s beyond you. There’s a whole world out there, one where you’re not the center of the universe. Just last week, the man who usually watches my car while parked outside asked me if I knew of a place where his nephew can go have a CT scan for free. There are many people in need around us.
9. Read the Bible. A chapter a day is food for the soul. Start with the gospel of John, or Psalms, or Proverbs.
10. Let go. Face it, there are just some things you can’t control. So let go, sip that coffee at an outdoor table in a cafe, feel the breeze, and watch the world go by.
by rossanahead | Jun 21, 2011 | Education, family, Mari-an Santos, woman
By Mari-An Santos
When we were growing up, my mother assigned us to do certain chores on weekends and during our summer break.
I learned how to clear the dining table and how to wipe it clean without leaving any crumbs or leftover food on the floor.
I learned how to wash the dishes with my mother first demonstrating how it’s supposed to be done: Rinse the dirty dishes in a basin of water. With a soapy sponge, wipe the glasses, plates, and utensils clean. Rinse everything thoroughly.
Every so often, my mother would come around to inspect my work. She would look closely, sniff, and then slide her fingers down the dishes. She would point out a tiny fleck of rice still sticking to a bowl or the slippery, still-soapy side of a glass. I had to wash those items again, of course. It took some time before she was completely satisfied with my work.
I learned how to care for wooden floors, sweeping, buffing, and waxing them. I found out which direction it was best to sweep with the broom and how to angle the dust pan so that my efforts did not go to waste.
I learned to cook and bake too. When we made brownies or cookies, my mother would let me lick the spoons clean. The reward, of course, was getting to eat whatever we had made.
I also had to clean the bathroom, which was my least favorite chore. Of course, I knew that someone had to make sure that the toilet was spic and span, I just couldn’t accept the fact that I had to dig my hands deep into wherever our bodily waste went on a daily basis.
Growing up, I did not understand why I had to do any of these things, especially when we had helpers who could do it. But when I started living alone, I realized the value of such hands-on knowledge. Because of my mother’s diligence, I could take care of a house and myself. It is one of the most enduring lessons that I learned from my parents, and I will be forever grateful.
I still don’t like cleaning the toilet though.
by rossanahead | Jun 19, 2011 | children, family, parenting, Ruth M. Floresca, woman
By Ruth M. Floresca
“It’s your government-given right!” I’d always point out every time one of my sons tells me a tricycle or jeepney driver hadn’t given him the correct change.
It irritates me that we have a law indicating that students are entitled to a 20% discount on public transportation fares and yet there are still drivers who choose to ignore this directive. I am all for paying the right amount for fares and services. I even return money to drivers and bus conductors every time I receive extra change. But I am not in favor of having my kids pay more than what they are supposed to.
Three of my boys take public transport when they go to school. I really dislike it when drivers insist that students don’t get fare discounts when there are no classes. Even though I still don’t get why not (since their status as students doesn’t change just because it’s Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday), I pay full fare for my boys when we ride PUVs on those times and during summer vacations just to avert unreasonable arguments.
But now that classes have resumed, I remind my boys to insist on their rights. “Imagine poor kids who can’t afford to pay regular fares. If you let drivers think it’s OK with you if they don’t give you the correct change, you are doing a disservice to many other kids, especially those whose parents can’t afford to pay extra.”
I also tell them to compute how much they’ll be able to save in just a week, in a month, and in a year if they pay the discounted amount every day. That got them thinking, particularly my firstborn who’s already in college and is more conscious nowadays when it comes to budgeting his allowance.
To avoid hassles as much as possible, hubby and I save the coins we get as change whenever we go out. This way, we can give our kids the exact fares they should hand over to drivers so they won’t have to insist getting the right change every time they pay.
I believe that what I’m doing is one way to teach financial responsibility. Alas, honesty should go both ways. Still, it’s always better to stay upright on our end even if there are others who refuse to do so. While they are young, I want my kids to always remember that.
