Saturday, November 12, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino bloggers from all over the world are invited to participate in the 2011 Pinoy Expats/ OFW Blog Awards (PEBA).
Interested Filipino expats and OFWs are asked to submit blog entries on this year's theme is "Ako'y Magbabalik, Hatid Ko'y Pagbabago" (I Will Return, I Will Bring Change.)

Organizers said the contest will look into how returning Filipino expats and OFWs make use and share "social remittance" or their talents and skills to bring change to their families, communities and country. Social remittance is defined by PEBA as ideas and practices that are brought from an overseas country to the Philippines.

To qualify for the contest, the blog must be managed by an OFW, Filipino expat or half-Filipino who is living temporarily or permanently in a country other than the Philippines.

The PEBA is also introducing a new blog search called "Any Blogger, Anywhere" for Filipinos, whether based in the Philippines or abroad, who write about different topics such as politics, health well-being, finance and travel.

For more details, visit PEBA website http://www.pinoyblogawards.com.
PEBA is a non-profit, non-stock organization of international Filipino bloggers from different parts of the world.

News from the Philippine Star:

Int'l Blog Awards to honor homecoming of Pinoys worldwide

Home Updated October 11, 2011 05:14 PM 0 comment to this post

Pinoy Expats OFW Blog Awards (PEBA), Inc., an international alliance of Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and Pinoy Expatriate Bloggers will put to center stage the return of Philippines modern-day heroes as PEBA 2011 celebrates the “homecoming” of OFWs and Filipino Expatriates.  Joining this year’s celebration are Ayala Malls, Nokia and Globe Telecoms.
PEBA is on its fourth year of recognizing blogs written from all over the world by Filipino workers and expatriates.  This year is unique from the previous awards night as it will also honor the talent of Filipinos abroad in the field of photography.

“We wanted to bring a message to the world that despite the hardship experienced by our fellow Filipinos working or residing abroad, we continuously think of returning to the Philippines with honor and our dignity intact.” according to Mr. Segre, Director of Global Affairs.  The focus this year is to promote the beauty of the Philippines and declare that OFWs and Filipino expatriates are returning home to effect positives changes learned from their respective host countries.  The theme, "Ako’y Magbabalik, Hatid Ko’y Pagbabago" (I Will Return, I Will Bring Change) brings to life the aspiration of Filipino workers abroad.

PEBA is going back to the basic; it will bring the advocacy to a wider audience by increasing PEBA’s visibility in the shopping malls. We want to come closer to the hearts of Filipino people, including to those who do not blog, to the mall-going Filipinos and help us campaign for change and support the blogging Filipinos abroad.

We would like to promote the importance of blogging because it enable and empower Filipinos in various parts of the world, encouraging them to express their thoughts, ideas and share their individual experiences.

The PEBA 2011 awards night will be held in Trinoma Activity Center on Dec. 9, 2011 at 5pm.  The winning entries of PEBA 2011 Photo Contest will be exhibited in Market Market Mall and will be attended by OFW advocates in the government, diplomatic corps and NGOs.

Contact Information:
Pete E. Rahon | PEBA 2011 Chairman
Mobile: +63917-733-7152 | Email: peterahon@pinoyblogawards.com
OR
Mark Aethen Agana | Head of Public Relations and Media Affairs
Mobile: +63927.339.1454 | E-mail: mark.agana@pinoyblogawards.com
OR
F. Jigs G. Segre | Director of Global Affairs & Strategic Initiatives
U.S. Contact No.: +1510.589.2950 | E-mail: jigsegre@pinoyblogawards.com

Visit www.pinoyblogawards.com for more media resources.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

PEBA Any Blogger Anywhere Contest

We always believe that we have the obligation to honor bloggers, OFW and supporters of our cause. We conceived the idea of honoring bloggers in different categories two years ago, and we recognize the fact that not all can relate to our yearly theme, or that not all are good in writing essays and stories or conveying their message through words. We hope our friends and fellow bloggers will support this idea and join this unique PEBA 2011 Awards!

Read and nominate now!

ANY BLOGGER, ANYWHERE!

General Guidelines

1. Overseas and local (home based or Philippine bloggers) can join the contest. PEBA nominees in the blog entry division can still be nominated in the category division.

2. At least 6 months presence in the blogging world with at least one post per month.

3. Blog should be 60% personal in nature and not more than 40% commercial or paid ads blog posts. To qualify for a specific blog category, the blog site must contain at least 60% posts related to the category it is intending to join/participate from the 6 months of his blogging career.

4. In the event that a blog has been nominated by friends to different categories, the Nominated Blogger will be contacted by the Contest Secretariat through a Verification Form to confirm his/her PREFERRED CHOICE in the blog category that he/she intends to join.

5. During the Pre-Selection stage, the Contest Secretariat will assess and review the blog contents of all nominees and determine if each Nominee’s blog are properly classified in the correct blog group category (e.g. If a blog contains a multi or combination of personal, photo blog articles and travel blogs, for the last 6 months, his blog posts/articles will be re-assessed from the last 6 months on which category he/she has written most. If 6 months is not enough to determine the site categorization requirement, we can go further within the last 12 months of their blog career.)

6. All nominees shall be informed of their nomination for acceptance and the correct category that their blog will be entered into the contest as determined by the Secretariat.

7. Blogger who maintained various blog sites can have his/her site nominated at different categories however, he is only entitled to one blog per category. (i.e. A blogger has 3 blog sites, one is dedicated to photo blog and the remaining two sites are both for travel blogs. In the contest, he is only allowed to enter one blog for the photo blog category, and he/she has to choose on his/her remaining two sites on which one to enter for the travel blog)

8. Previous PEBA winners, except for current PEBA volunteers/bloggers are allowed to be nominated and to join in the contest.

9. Blog posts that contains sexually explicit, extreme violence or offensive languages which are not suitable for Age Group "below 18 years old" MUST BE properly declared, tagged and labeled before joining to warn the general public that the blog contents is suitable for adult and mature readers only.

10 Blog posts that contain articles that directly invoke racism (discrimination based on race and ethnic belief & skin color, religious belief, sex and sexual preferences including articles that demean the Overseas Filipino Workers) are prohibited to join this event.

11 If you find your friends or even yourself and your blog qualified for this event -Fill up the Nomination Form and read the Nomination Process.

12 FAQ will be presented in the contest page and subject items will be introduced as necessary as we meet new queries that warrant posting on the FAQ page.

Nomination
Process to the Category Division

1. PEBA invites blog writers, readers and followers to fill up the nomination form to endorse and nominate their favorite blog sites for the PEBA 2011.

2. Blog sites that are endorsed and nominated by bloggers, readers and followers must meet the PEBA General Eligibility Requirements of the PEBA 2011.

3. All blog site owners/authors who are endorsed and nominated shall be contacted by the PEBA Secretariat through email for confirmation purposes within the next few days.

4. Nominated (endorsed) blogger are requested to review the Nomination Form data given by his/her endorser for any changes and fill up other missing information’s that maybe required by the Secretariat and subsequently, nominee must submit their confirmation of their nomination by forwarding the e-mail back to the PEBA Secretariat.

5. Nominated blogger who meets all the requirements and accepts their nomination will receive a
Nominee Badge from the PEBA Secretariat through e-mail and it must be displayed in his/her blog sidebar linking to PEBA Awards, www.pinoyblogawards.com as a verification requirement throughout the contest.

A. AWARDS
CATEGORIES

1. Personal Blog - Blogs written by individuals about themselves which does not necessarily adhere to a specific theme but must be specifically be about the blogger's life, his first hand account on events and his personal experiences.

2. Showbiz and Sports Blog - An entertainment blog that discuss or promote entertainment industry ranging from TV shows, theater acts, and movie films, musical shows, concerts and popular music. Sports blog discuss or analyze anything sports-related, including professional sports team, sports players and other related content.

3. Food Blog - Blog which focuses on food and recipes and its preparations which may also include restaurants reviews.

4. Fun and Entertainment Blog- Lighthearted and funny blog about life and everything that will make a reader smile or laugh.

5. Gadgets and Tech Blog - This category discusses about electronic gadgets, mobiles and computers, tablets and video game consoles and other electronic machine and new gadget inventions.

6. Negosyo, Entrepreneurship and Investment Blog - Blog that focuses on world commerce which covers the modern business trends such as marketing & finance and advertising. It also discusses about remittances, rates and OFW opportunities for entrepreneurship.

7. Wellness, Beauty and Kakikayan Blog - Blog topics on beauty, fashion, personal styling, clothing, cosmetics and accessories and other related contents for men and women.

8. Literary Blog - Blogs on contemporary and modern prose and poetry where style, narrative forms and literrary merits are shared. This includes literary reviews on reviews on literary books and poems from popular authors.

9. Family and/or Inspirational Blog - This category is for blogs which center around the topics of family, raising children, marriages and relationship and inspirational, any religious and spiritual content.

10. Picture! Picture! Blog - Blog which present and feature photographs taken by the author or others and post or shared as a blog.

11. Biyaheng Blog (Travel Blog) - This category is for blog which explore world travel, tourism, travel writings which include personal account and experiences of country's culture and visited sites.

B. CRITERIA
and JUDGING PROCESS

1. There will be two phases of judging process.

Selection of Finalist based on the following - A PEBA
pre-selection committee (Finalists Jurors) will review all the blogs based on
the following criteria’s in each category:

• Form
(30%) (Element, Blog Layout, Theme, Design)

• Substance
(50%) (Total Impact and Over All Blog
Content)

• Originality
(20%) (Uniqueness among other nominees in a particular category)

(A single or few nominees on a particular category does
not guarantee a win. PEBA has certain criteria’s and standard that will be
used to assess blog entries.)

2. PEBA General Board of Trustees and other selected judges
will determine the final winner in each category. All the BOT and judges
decisions are final, protests or reconsideration is not allowed.

3. The PEBA BOT will pick the blog winner in each category
that they all believe has made a greater
impact to the Filipino’s at home and abroad than the rest of the
finalists.

4. Each winner in every category will receive an online
badge, and a framed PEBA Certificate. Other awards and prizes, if there’s any
will be announced later.

5. Deadline of nomination will be on October 31st 2011,
11:59 P.M. Philippine time.

For more details regarding the contest, email us at

nominees@pinoyblogawards.com

The Nomination Form:

The nomination can be found here

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Wounds Heal When We Serve

Everyday, all through out our lives, we encountered trials, and challenges that besets us, occupy much of our time, effort, and sometimes, resources. They are in our work place, in our circle of friends, in our community and civic activities, and they are within the bonds of family and relationships.

Sometimes we struggle to overcome them. Most of the time we needs others, especially the ones that we love the most to understand us, strengthen us, show the love and support, and thereby win the battle.

Me and my Mrs. Thoughtskoto was watching last night a feel good movie entitled "A Walk in my Shoes"

"Ever judge someone just by looking at them? Of course, weve all made snap judgments about people. But what if we really got to know them? How would our opinions change? And what if we were forced to become them how would the shoes fit then? Stressed-out high school teacher Trish Fahey cant understand her students lack of effort and why their parents dont seem to care. This is especially true of Justin Kremer, a popular, skateboard-loving, basketball star who is underperforming in her class. Trish has him suspended from the team and quickly chalks up the situation as a case of bad parenting. This perspective dramatically changes when Trish meets Molly, a mysterious stranger intent on helping her see things differently. When Trish wrecks her car, Molly is there as Trish wakes to find herself living the life of Cindy Kremer, the woman she has personally judged and criticized. Trish discovers that there is often more to the story and learns a powerful lesson that affects everyone she interacts with. Her husband, her daughter, the ex-Marine next door No one is left unchanged."

Wounds heal when we serve others. Pain is gone when we serve others too. In fact, it is the truth that as we serve others, we realize our worries, our problems, our challenges are lighter compared to others. We need to let go of that selfish behavior, and don't have to harbor that feeling of hatred, vanity, jealousy, and selfishness because it creates a negative feeling and makes us old.

I've said here one time in my post, that when you worry too much, when you only think of yourself, you will look old, you will have so much wrinkles, you'll become ugly. Now if you find so many ugly people everyday, try to look at yourself and the way you look through others, and the way you conduct your life, or handle your problems, and challenges, and see in the mirror, how you too look like.

I believe that service to others is also serving serving Him. He said a long long time ago, that if you have done it to the least of my fellows, you've done it unto Me. As we serve others, our wounds, or whatever feeling or memory that we keep and weighing heavily upon us, we lighten the load, and we feel better, much happier and eventually healed.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

PEBA PROJECT NealShai

ORIGINALLY posted from

PEBA WEBSITE

NealShai, from Sharon Flores Facebook account, a jargon name of her 9 years old son and her name.

Who is she? She was a caregiver in Haifa, Israel. Her story was brought to PEBA's attention a few days ago by some of her concerned friends, fellow caregivers Mush and Mazelle.

They been doing everything they could to support Sharon and send her home. Why?

She is 32 years old single mom, and is working for 5 years as caregiver in Haifa. For more than one month, she had been hospitalized, and her friends and family learned from the doctor taking care of her, that she needs immediate medication and treatment for stomach cancer.

Her friends had been persistently asking the support of the embassy in Israel to repatriate Sharon so she can spend most of her remaining days with her son. The embassy said they can't help her because she was UNDOCUMENTED after her employer died of old age, and she decided to stay even without documents so she can support her son and family.

We found out that the embassy wanted Sharon to stay and stabilize at the hospital before flying home. The doctor advised otherwise because chemotherapy could weaken her more.

The letter below was from Mush, Sharon's friend and also a caregiver. We forwarded this letter to The Ople Center through the effort of Ms. Susan Ople, and the Patnubay who knew well the rules regarding this situation.

The Ople Center contacted the embassy in Israel, and do more of the contacting in Manila.

As of this writing, Sharon is being flown from Haifa to Manila.
We would like to plead for support moral and financial and donation, or even sponsorship of her son's education.

Sharon and her son

Here is the letter from Mush:

Magandang araw po sa inyong lahat.

Si Sharon Flores po, 32 years old, ay isang caregiver dito sa Israel. Mahigit isang buwan na po ang nakakaraan ng mag umpisang sumakit ang kanyang tyan, ayon po sa mga doktor, ang pananakit daw po ng kaniyang tyan ay sanhi ng appendicitis, kung kaya madalian po siyang inoperahan upang alisin ang knyang appendix. Ilang araw siyang tumagal sa hospital, hanggang pauwiin na sa kanyang bahay. Pagkaraan ng ilang araw, tumawag muli ang doktor sa kanya upang pabalikin sya sa hospital dahil may nakita silang iregularidad sa knyang sikmura. Mula noon ay ini confine sya sa hospital at sumailalalim sa iba't ibang tests. Pagkatapos ng ilang araw, lumabas ang findings ng doktor at nadiagnose sya na merong STOMACH CANCER, STAGE 4, at ipinayo ng mga doktor na iuwi na sya upang sa Pilipinas sumailalim ng chemotherapy. Sa kasalukuyan po ay naka confine pa din sya sa hospital habang hinihintay ang mga dokumentong kailangan nya sa kanyang pag uwi, at inaasahan po namin na makakauwi sya sa susunod na linggo.

Siya po ay isa lamang sa napakaraming Pilipino na nakikipagsapalaran sa bansang ito at nagtatrabaho kahit walang dokumento. Siya po ay nasa ilalim ng kategoryang UNDOCUMENTED WORKER, at sinabi po ng DFA na wala syang matatanggap na kahit na anong benipisyo mula sa gobyerno. Wala din pong maibigay na tulong pinansyal ang Philippine Embassy dito sa Israel o kahit na po sa OWWA ay di sya entitled sa kahit anong benifits dahil sa status nya . Bilang isang breadwinner ng pamilya, sya po ay walang ipon na pera at meron po syang 9 na taong gulang na anak na lalaki na nangangailangan ng suporta at pagmamahal nya. Sinubukan na po namin na makakolekta ng kaunting pera mula sa mga malalapit na kaibigan pero alam ko po na hindi yun sasapat para sa pagpapagamot nya.

Siya po ay isang mabuting halimbawa ng isang mabuting mamamayan, na handang ibigay ang lahat para sa mga mahal nya sa buhay, at sya din po ay kabilang sa mga bagong bayani ng ating bayan. Sayang po kung basta na lamang isusuko ang laban kung dahil lamang sa kakulangang pinansyal. Kaya po bilang isang kaibigan, na nakakita at nakasaksi sa kanyng kahirapan, idinudulog ko po sa inyo, at nagmamakaawa po ako, na sana ay tulungan nyo sya na madugtungan pa ang kanyang buhay, para sa kanyang anak na umaasa na sa paglaki nya ay may ina sya na makakatuwang sa buhay.

If you wish to donate or offer prayers and support for Sharon, contact and bank details here

Mobile No. +639474773934

Bank Details

Name: Banco De Oro

Savings Account Name: Sharon Flores

Savings Account No.: 6320062362

or for more details please email at contact@pinoyblogawards.com

PEBA would like to thank again Maricel and Mazelle for their courage and unfaltering support to Sharon at the lowest times of her life, as well as the Ople Center and Patnubay Riyadh for helping our distressed Kababayans. Mabuhay po kayo!

We ask that you will repost this in your blogs as a way of support or share the link in your Facebook walls. Thank you.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Music and the Spoken Word: Father's Day Message

Renaissance Men

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

"From time to time we hear great artists or athletes described as “Renaissance men.” Society marvels at the variety of their accomplishments—a football player who also excels as a musician or a writer who can also paint.

We admire people who can switch hats and shine in more than one arena. But in our quest to find the next celebrity multitasker, we often overlook countless Renaissance men who are closer to home.

The real treasures of our society are the dads who wear multiple hats every day of their lives, even when they’re tired after a long day at work. Our world is made better by these kinds of men—men who can work a jackhammer one minute and caress a baby the next. Men who can split a log yet mend a heart. Men who can be tenacious at the office in the morning, yet be found teetering on a tiny chair and sipping from a tiny cup at their young daughter’s teddy bear tea party that evening.

Great fathers listen, guide, love, and laugh, forging a sacred bond with their children that will last for generations. Such men put family first and understand that their role extends far beyond providing. In the process, they show their families what it means to be a real man. No one can fill this heroic role quite like a loving father.

If you ask them how they do it, they’ll simply say they’re average guys with average lives. But in the eyes of their children, they are heroes, men who can stand as strong as mighty oaks yet share a gentle breeze and the squeeze of a little hand. These are the real Renaissance men, and they are all around us: fathers whose children matter most of all."

Thanks to Kirk for the reference. Taken from here.

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

PEBA, Globe Kababayan and the Pink Tarha Photo Contest

Hello everyone, we're The Pink Tarha and we're proud to be a part of this year's PEBA and GLOBE Kababayan SIM by Globe Telecom Photo Contest! We'll put the girly, light factor in this competition, lol. Let's start with this:

Rain, clouds, more colors, vintage effect? What happened? Don't fret, it's still the PEBA 2011 Photo Contest. We just added a fun, very colorful side to it. Of course, it's hand-in-hand with the theme of the PEBA 2011 Blogging Contest. This is our first major project as a blog, and the first tie-up we have of PEBA Inc... please support us! Grab your cameras and shoot!

Here's the gist: All Filipinos living and residing abroad and of legal age are eligible to join this photo contest. Think of a subject/subjects that will show us where your heart is, what you consider "home." A home is not just a place, right? Capture your interpretation of the theme with the use of your cameras! We don't discriminate so you can use whatever camera you have, as long as you pour lots of creativity and mix in passion. :) Submit your photos (a maximum of 2) at pc@pinoyblogawards.com starting today until August 1, 2011. Worthy judges will be taking a look at your photographs and your family and friend can support you through the Facebook pages of PEBA, The Pink Tarha, and the Globe Kababayan. Winners will be receiving electronic gadgets and more prizes from our wonderful sponsors. For more information, please read THIS. (If that doesn't work because sometimes Google Docs is choosy aka nagiinarte, haha, then you can also click here. ;)

We'll be giving away Globe TipIDD cards worth P300 each for the first 50 participants. We'll be awaiting, rather eagerly, your wonderful photos! :)

Again, don't forget to read the full mechanics and rules HERE (It's a must!). It's just four pages and font 12 so it won't be stressful to read. If you have more questions such as why there are clouds and rain in the poster above or who's that guy holding the camera or why you should join, don't hesitate to email us at pc@pinoyblogawards.com or thepinktarha@gmail.com. Don't be shy now. :)

Kindly share this to your family, friends, and fellow photographers. More photos, more happiness shared. :)

Monday, May 30, 2011

My Apology

It's been a while since the Pacquiao-Mosley boxing match that I haven't updated my blog. PEBA and the Sayangtist (trying hard chemist) in me, as well as being a full time father and husband is taking so much of my time. I am not complaining anyway. I love it. I love my family more than anything.

Anyway, this will only be short. An apology post. I had this experience before in WAYN or the Where Are You Now, where it send to my hundreds of contacts and keep sending annoying invitation and emails.

Now it happened again to LinkedIn, and even posted an invitation to my blogs. I have to delete my LinkedIn account for reasons that firstly, I didn't see any benefit to it, and secondly, it's purely annoying that they send a thousand of my contacts in my email with annoying invitations that I am inviting them to join my network.

I may have clicked somewhere using my mobile phone that I am authorizing them to do it, so it's my fault, and so I am asking apology to all who received the email invitation and reinvitation. For LINKEDIN sake, can you just send one email? It's enough! Pero nanaykupo dalawang email na, and who knows hanggang ilang libo iyan. Mark it as a Spam, please.

****************************

And dahil bihira ako makapost, susulitin ko na. Sali po tayo sa PEBA Awards 2011. Blogging and Photography po na pakontest, and we hope all nominees will enjoy this season. Let me share a few of our ads here.

MORE CONTEST at the PEBA WEBSITE

Thoughtskoto

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