My RegaloService.Com Experience

As I have mentioned in my older posts, I was lucky enough to win a $25 GC from RegaloService.Com. Excited as I was to avail of their service, I immediately shopped for holiday presents from their site. However, there was a glitch. I could not choose the GC as a payment option so I sent them an e-mail to inform them about the problem.

The answer arrived not through e-mail but through a better means: the telephone. I was happy that the response was fast, there was a solution already being offered and that the caller was courteous. An hour or two after, I got another call from them informing me that the problem has already been fixed.

I checked out my ordered items and just this morning, as I have requested, they were delivered to my office, nicely wrapped and ready to be handed to my contacts.

I am glad that excellent customer service was exhibited by Regalo Service even in the absence of a face-to-face encounter during purchase.

And just an update, the Terry Selection platter which I gave to a colleague was greatly appreciated.

Thanks RegaloService.Com.

Proudly Pinay presents Janette Toral

Proudly Pinay

presents

Janette Toral

PROUDLY PINAY recognizes all the Filipino women who, symbolically, walk their talk in heels and skirts. These are women who have made valuable contribution to society. They are the ones who make us truly proud to be Pinoys.

The second Pinay who makes it to Proudly Pinay is the woman behind the recently concluded Filipina Writing Contest. She is also involved in various internet-related policies, businesses and advocacies. Now let me present to you,

Ms. JANETTE TORAL.

The void of a blackhole, the depth of an abyss--if there is just one place in the whole wide universe that the Filipino can get lost in, it is nowhere in the map. The address does not start with a number that's followed by a street's name, rather, the address starts with http:// and is followed by 3Ws. It's the cyberspace.

Now that the digital age is no longer an exclusive privilege for developed countries and for those who belong to the wealthier social strata, it is a relief that Filipino have taken a step forward to counter naivete, misconceptions and fears arising from those whose idea of typing results into kalyos and usage of liquid and carbon papers (both are not clean, white sheets). (Side comment: I can't believe that some people actually thought of the Y2K bug as something as a deadly epidemic.) One of them--I'm proud to say that I have met her, is Janette Toral.

As a writer, Janette shares her opinions as a columnist of Sun Star Cebu. Aside from this, she has authored and co-authored two books, respectively, DigitalFilipino.Com E-Commerce Workshop E-Book and Philippine Internet Review: 10 Years of Internet History (1994-2004). She has also conducted researches on the electronic field: IT, online banking, mobile phone usage, outsourcing, etc.

As an advocate, among Janette's most successful efforts are lobbying for RA8792: The Y2K and E-Commerce Law.; founding the Philippine Internet Commerce Society; and other projects which include the Filipina Writing Project and the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs Project.

She owns the DigitalFilipino.Com Club and the Philippine Software Process Improvement Network, which are both professional online communities. She does consultancy work and also conducts training on various internet and multimedia-related topics.

With all of these and so much more at her hand, Janette has empowered the lives of the digital Filipinos and Filipinas. Hence, we name Ms. Janette Toral as our second Proudly Pinay in the list.

Info based from her personal website.

More info available at JanetteToral.Com

Lady in Red has the permission to post her photo.

The Filipina Writing Contest

A couple of months ago, we were outraged by the FilipinaBride.Com, which is supposedly a spoof for the international perverts-or-hopeless con romantics who use the internet to look for their Filipina subjects.

While concerned groups have been successful with soliciting support and a couple of reactions from Filipinos, there weren't much efforts gathered for eliminating the "Filipina bride" impression of many on Filipino women. Most actions were geared towards the site owners; they were attacks to specific groups or individuals like the pervs that I was talking about in the first paragraph. None of them countered the real enemy: the negative perception of the Filipina.

Fighting this enemy is a big challenge. This is mainly because we are dealing with individual psychos...err... I mean psyches and as well as a whole bunch of social constructions which have long been a mainstream for a significant number of ignoramuses.

Last August, another social barrier has been broken; another line has been crossed for the Filipino women. Janette Toral's brainchild, The Filipina Writing Contest, has the following aim:

"... to influence and change the impression about the Filipina by having relevant content appear in the first page of major search engines."

There were around 80 entries to this campaign and the awarding was held last 28 November 2007 at Ponciana's Kitchen along Timog Avenue.

Now ladies and gentlemen, the winners:

The judges' Most Liked Entries and won US$100 each.
The Funniest Filipina Vloggers
Ako si Pina.. At ito ang aking kuwento...
Superiority of Women in the Philippine Society

US$100 Winners in the raffle:
Filipina as Other (Betsy's!)
Two Popular and Unique Individuals, Both Filipina
The Filipina Campaign (Aiza's! Birthday gift!)
Filipina 2007

For the SEO competition part, the following won US$100:
Google - Filipina (marhgil's)
Yahoo - Filipina (marhgil's--lucky, lucky guy na nagrereklamo pa!)
MSN - Hindi lang Filipina Dating, Dating Filipina, Wow Filipina talaga!

For thoseShortlisted entries' prizes:
One (1) Customized Banner or Button (Thanks Juan Karlo Licudine!)
Filipina Pride
Three (3) Wordpress t-shirts for entries with link to our partner FilipinaImages.com (Thanks Noemi Lardizabal Dado!)
Filipina Ako. I am a Filipina
A Topless Filipina in Europe
Maria “Ria” A. Jose is a Filipina
Two (2) Strategic Problogging Audio E-Book (Thanks Manuel Viloria!)
Filipina Since Birth
Story of a Young Filipina Woman - The Fighter in Me
The following got a one-year individual membership in the DigitalFilipino.com Club.
A Different Filipina
Proudly Pinay: The Filipina Who Strut on Her Heels (wow! this IS mine!)
Macho I Love Yous
The Filipina in the Eyes of the World
Adobong Pinay
Ang mga Filipina ng Buhay Ko
Filipina works! Abroad
Podcast/Vlogs creation effort
Hot Filipina
The Portrait of a Japayuki as a Filipina
Google Suggested Pinay Scandal
What is a Filipina?
3 Things You Possibly Do Not Know about the Filipina

Congratulations to all (since I think everyone won a prize in the raffle)! And of course, congratulations to Ms. Janette!

To know more about the project, click here.
To know more about the winners and sponsors, click here.

Filipina Writing Contest EB

My first EB. Ever.

The experience was fun: a yummy buffet, a lechon (that I was craving for a few days before), lotsss of cool prizes and most of all, lots of friendly, unassuming, down-to-earth people. I was lucky to have known Ms. Janet Toral and the rest of my seatmates at the LUCKY TABLE--Betsy, Jehzeel (tama ba?!), Aiza, Arbet (Loggins) and Mar. (Guys, if ever you find this post, please correct me if I got your names wrong.) Guess what? I won a $25-worth GC from regaloservice.com =)

I'll be posting the links to the winning entries as soon as someone posts them.

L is for Lucky!

Back-to-Back So-Hot Bachelors

The Lady in Red's So-Hot Bachelors...

Catch 'em while they're hot!

Bachelor # 1: Kimi Raikkonen

Sigh... Don't you just wanna be the girl on the passenger's seat of the 2007 Formula One World Champion's non-F1 car?

Now, even if the win took place last month, he still sizzles.

Photo from Formula1Sport.Net

Bachelor # 2: Prince Harry

Forget about the events that must have caused his split with Chelsy Davy. The fact is PRINCE HARRY IS NOW SINGLE. He's the type of guy I'd go nuts about: athletic, bad boy, do-gooder, serves in the military and most of all, a royalty. Rarrr!

Photo from CThings.Com (Change The World News)

Chic Finds # 1: The PLUEYS are coming!

Don't you just wanna walk in the rain on these?

Read more at:

Shopcrazy.Com

Newsmakers (Week of Nov 19-25)

Lady in Red's Weekly Newsmakers:
Chismis, Balita, atbp. It's time to be a bit bakla!

Carlene Aguilar and Christine Reyes Make Peace

Well, last Friday, tuluyan nang natapos ang gulo at demandahan sa pagitan ni Christine Reyes at Carlene Aguilar. Nakakatawang isipin na habang ang gulo ay nagmula sa Star Talk, naayos naman ito sa ka-kumpetensya nitong programa sa kabilang station na ang The Buzz.

I admit na noong una kong narinig ang bangayan na ito, kahit hindi ko naman talaga kilala ang parehong babae (I actually know Christine as Ara's sister and as FHM's cover a few months ago but I have never heard of Carlene), kumampi na agad ako kay Carlene. I guess coz it strikes a chord in me.

But I guess we have to understand the situation of both women. I really feel for Carlene coz it must be super hard for her. She gave birth alone and the scumbag called the dad of her daughter has just vanished into thin air. Sa totoo lang, it's not even Christine's fault; Dennis is just an asshole with no balls.

Enough said.

Video available at: Tagpuan.Com

Another kid kills himself.

Hmm... For the past 2 or 3 weeks, news of children killing themselves have been reported. I am honestly starting to get used to it though, of course, they are alarming. The authorities are still examining whether or not foul play is involved. I hope that this won't encourage children to do the same.

Now's your chance to own a Ferrari...toy car.

To celebrate Team Ferrari's big win at the Grand Prix (ohh my Kimi, you make my heart melt), selected Shell stations will be selling Ferrari toy cars for P49 only. Six models are available for collectors. So there, grab your chance to own one of those hot cars (haha!).