Life, Day by Day

I have been very busy for the last seven days that I could not get on-line till late evenings, so you can imagine how many e-mails and messages I have not read. If I was really tired, I would just check my mobile browser and see if there is anything important, otherwise I'd go to bed. Tonight after putting my little girl to sleep, I saw that there was a message on this blog's Facebook Fanpage. So, I decided to open my laptop to check it out. Well, surprise, surprise! It was a message informing me that Mom Chronicles nominated Life, Day By Day for the Liebster Award. Thank you so much! I am honored that someone would even think that my blog was worth nominating. Now, I am not a person who cares much about getting recognition but, honestly...this one felt good even if I had absolutely never heard of this award before...hahaha.

The years 2011-2020 is the Decade of Action for Road Safety. Terms like road rage, distracted driving, killer highways, DUI (driving under the influence) have been read and heard about but still, the statistics for road and crash victims continue to grow. To create awareness and remembrance, the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims started by RoadPeace in 1993, was endorsed on October 26, 2005 by the United Nations as a global day to be observed every third Sunday in November each year.

Last October 18 to 22, Enrico Dee of Biyahilo.com invited bloggers from all over the Philippines to "invade" Bacolod and experience the biggest street party in the Philippines, the Masskara Festival .  About thirty-one travel and food bloggers responded and came to party during Masskara 2012 .

It's my brother's birthday today and so for his present I am writing about his favorite obsession...running.  Ever since he discovered running, my brother, "the running doc", Dr. Roberto Ledesma has not only run countless marathons and even got featured in FrontRUNNER magazine, but he is also the originator of the Silay City Marathons.  His latest? The Mt. Patag Eco Adventure Endurance Trail Challenge, a   34k / 42K (solo) and 42k (relay) marathon to be held on November 3, 2012 in Silay City.  It is the only full marathon in the country with a non-stop ascending route that ends on top of a mountain. 

One clear outcome of the Masskara Festival of Bacolod was the emergence of masks and mask makers from the time of its inception. Today, there are many kinds available in the market during festival time, a good number coming from China, but none of them could compare with those made by mask maker par excellence, Jojo Vito. Last October 15, I was very lucky to be invited to the opening of Kara, an exhibit of limited edition masks conceptualized by Jojo Vito and Anton Manso, Marketing Consultant of Jojo Vito Designs Gallery.  The display is inspired by the theme of the 2012 Masskara Festival, “Celebrating the good Life in Bacolod”.  Mayor Bing Leonardia with Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and Masskara Chairman Mr. Eli Tajanlangit did the ribbon cutting. The exhibit is sponsored by of SM City Bacolod and located at it's North Wing main entrance until October 22, 2012.

This year, Manila’s undisputed nightlife venues – OPUS and REPUBLIQ will again invade Bacolod City for a very exclusive Masskara party experience! Proper Production, GROOVE INK, World Wide Womb & JIVE Crew bring you “The Masskara Roof Deck Party 2012”: two nights of nonstop dancing with the country’s hottest DJs – Bombi Balquiedra, Manolet Dario, John Monreal, Arnel Genterone, Angelo de Dios, Martin Pulgar, Chewy Ramos, Mars Miranda, DJ Nina, Funk Avy, X-Factor, Santi Santos & Karl Ty! Get crazy at the OPUS White Party on October 19, Friday and go wild at the REPUBLIQ Neon Party on October 20, Saturday at the Roof Deck of L’Fisher Chalet Hotel!

I always believed that I was a person who knew how to use credit cards correctly, and so when I was earning enough money, I applied for one.  Well, I was so wrong.  By 2010, I had incurred enough credit card debt that would have enabled me to buy a new car.  But that is getting ahead of my story. Before I begin telling my credit card saga, I would like to make mention of Diner's Card Corporation , the very first company that gave me my very first credit card in 1988. Many years later, I would realize that among my many other credit cards (I had 6), it was the most friendly and had great customer support.  When it was time to close down all my accounts, Diner's gave me the fastest response and facilitated an installment process that was painless and stress-free. All the others get a double, no make that triple thumbs down from me. And so, here are the hard lessons I learned regarding credit card use. Hopefully these will inform and warn potential card holders before they f