Good day! It’s been a while since I last shared stories about what’s happening around me. Well, if I have to describe it in a word, it would be definitely… “busy”… We have been very busy at work recently and I should admit that it is really kinda stressful. I just look at it on a positive side though sometimes it is making me lose my patience.

My sister went to China for two weeks because of work, that’s why it was only me and my mom who were left at home for a couple of days. Good thing that my sister arrived back in  the Philippines just few hours after my dad arrived as well. I suddenly miss my other sister who was left in U.A.E.

David Cook and David Archuleta had their back to back concert here in the Philippines last Saturday. I didn’t get the chance to watch David Cook on TV. I have watched David Archuleta’s guesting on some GMA 7 shows last Thursday. I am not a fan but I started to admire him for being humble after watching him. He’s such a very adorable guy.

Speaking of David Archuleta, I was surprised last Friday when I had a meeting with one of the managers in our office when he said, “My gosh Rowell, kamukha mo pala si David Archuleta!”. I laughed after hearing that. Well, David looks much better. The next day while I was in the pantry with my office mates, one of them told me, “Kumain ka Rowell para tumangkad ka. Para kang si David Archuleta”. My gosh, I really take it as a compliment, but I don’t see David Archuleta in me. He’s much far better. Hehehe.

I am trying to listen to different music artists for the past few weeks and I am enjoying listening to Eric Hutchinson, Blake Lewis, Matt White, and Laura Izibor.

I hope I could finish watching Heroes. I got stuck in Season 1. I also have still a lot of books to read. Hehe. I hope I could find time to finish all of them.

I am so excited for the first Saturday of June because me and my friends have planned to go to Puerto Galera on that day. I really hope it will push through and I also hope that the weather would be sunny on that day!

Posted in My Story Tagged: Blake Lewis, David Archuleta, David Cook, Eric Hutchinson, Heroes, Laura Izibor, Matt White, Puerto Galera

I remember the days when our only means of communicating is through snail mail, or through landline phones, that’s why mobile phones really became a hit until it became a “necessity”.

It is actually wonderful that communication became easy because of SMS. Internet back then was not yet that popular during those days. We had our first internet connection at home back when I was in college. People would often communicate back then through chat rooms, Yahoo Messenger, and forums. Yahoo Groups became really popular back then. It became a venue for friends, classmates, and people who have the same interests as yours.

The first social networking site I joined in is Ringo. Ringo is actually similar to Friendster. It was actually on it’s way to popularity when Friendster grabbed the attention of the majority. Friendster became a hit in the Philippines because it is a venue of sharing photos and meeting new and old friends. And one of the features of Friendster why it is loved by many Filipinos is the “testimonial” feature. Who would not love reading positive thoughts about themselves?

Personal website became the venue also for people who like to showcase their artistry, or those who like to express themselves. Web blogs were then introduced which are much easier to maintain. Blogger, WordPress, Live Journal, etc. became popular web blogs platforms.

Multiply became famous because blog, photo albums, etc. were all integrated to one site. But it’s popularity in the Philippines did not surpass Friendster’s. Several hosting sites for images and videos also became a hit… like Flickr (for images), and You Tube (for videos). Side blogs or micro blogs like Twitter and Plurk became popular then.

In my opinion, Facebook is now stealing the crown from Friendster here in the Philippines. Facebook’s interface and features seems to be more likeable by more people. The only downside I see in Facebook is the “testimonial” feature. But in general, I find Facebook better than Friendster.

What’s nice about these sites, is that they are able to communicate with each other… you can link all these sites if you want to. A good example is HelloTXT, where you can updateyour status in different websites with just one click.

It’s nice to think that communication and espression of one’s self today is already easy. Let us thank all the
“technologies” that made it easier but I still believe that “physical presence” is still the best.

Posted in Review, Technology, Websites Tagged: Blogger, Facebook, Flickr, Friendster, HelloTXT, Live Journal, Plurk, Ringo, SMS, Twitter, Wordpress, Yahoo Groups, Yahoo Messenger, You Tube

I am posting my first “RowjieloGREEN” post as a part of our anniversary week. I went to the Greenpeace booth in SM Megamall last Earth Day to see their activities there, and it is actually my pleasure to meet Ms. Joan Meris in person. Anyway, they were promoting their campaign against Nuclear Power, especially now that there are plans to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

Say NO to Nuclear and YES to clean Renewable Energy!

Nuclear power is the most dangerous, and most expensive source of electricity. It won’t help our country achieve energy security because it won’t lower the costs of power, and it won’t reduce our dependence on imported fuel. Nuclear power will also not solve problems like climate change.

7 Reasons vs. The BNPP

1. The BNPP Bill lacks feasibility study.
2. The BNPP is structurally defective and unsafe.
3. The BNPP Site has an unacceptably high risk of serious damage from earthquakes, volcanism, or both.
4. The BNPP is an unnecessary response to faulty power shortage projections.
5. The BNPP would be costly to operate and accompanied by enormous hidden costs.
6. The BNPP is a glaring testimony to the government’s continuing wasteful debt policy at the expense of the peoples’ welfare.
7. The BNPP is not an answer to Climate Crisis, nor an alternative to Renewable Energy.

One key solution to genuine energy security and climate change is Renewable Energy. Renewable energy is clean, safe and cheap. And the best thing about it is, we already have a Renewable Energy Law—so we don’t need to revive outdated technology like the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to achieve our quest for energy solutions.

Source: Greenpeace Philippines

Posted in Greenpeace, RowjieloGREEN Tagged: Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, BNPP, Nuclear Power, Renewable Energy

May 13, 2008 was the date when all Jason Mraz’s fans worldwide waited for the release of his album “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things”, where the hit “I’m Yours” was the carrier single. Some might have listened to the album even before the said date when it was leaked through the internet. It was released here in the Philippines few weeks after the release date.

I actually like the idea of how this album came into existence… Most of the songs from this album are actually old songs that were composed by Jason Mraz. He just gave “new interpretation” to these songs. Jason Mraz fans might now the song “Im Yours” right even before the song became a worldwide hit.

Before the official release date of the album, they first released three different EPs: 1. We Sing 2. We Dance 3. We Steal Things. I really find it cool.The packaging of the album is simple but is really unique and noticeable.

In December of 2008, a special edition of the album has been released, which contains 3 CDs: 1. The Album 2. The EPs 3. DVD Concert and “Here We Are” documentary. It’s not because I am a fan of Jason, but I really do like all the songs in this album. I find his songs cool, easy to listen to, at the same time with meaningful lyrics.

It’s been a year already when I started listening to the songs from this album, and until now, I keep some of those in my music player where I listen to them once in a while. I definitely consider this album one of the best albums I’ve ever listened to and surely as years pass by, it would definitely be a “classic” and “must have” album.

Posted in Jason Mraz, Mrazmerized, Spotlight Tagged: We Sing We Dance We Steal Things

Posted in Rowjienetics