Christmas in Polland

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly..." so the song goes. But here in Polland (or Polomolok Land to those who are from here), Christmas is evident in the lights and display of the various cooperative offices lining Cannery Road. Its so nice to see that they have adorned their offices with the Christmas belen, twinkly lights and all the paraphernalia of the season.

My favorite display so far is the one by Unified Engineering Coop wherein they made a Christmas Village complete with a pineapple merry-go-round and ferris wheel. Its the first time in Polomolok that traffic starts as early as 6pm and onwards on this part of Cannery road as residents and their guests flock to the display to have their picture taken not only in the Christmas village of sorts but to pose next to a human sized Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman with his friends. I was so happy to note that the kids most especially (and the kids at heart like me) appreciate the display so much that their eyes pop out to take in every detail. And you wish its Christmas the whole year round. :) Its just too bad Mr. OSG always forgets to bring his camera so we didn't get to take our own pictures. Pictures below are courtesy of Ms. Yvon Buenavista.

The Christmas Village at Polomolok c/o Ms. Yvon Buenavista

Blogfest 2010....A Synopsis

There are award winning bloggers and emo bloggers. Those that blog about reality and those that blog prose and poetry... and then there is the SOCCSKSARGEN Bloggers.

Mindanao's Funnest - Sox Bloggers

with the men of the hour..Orman and Avel Manansala

The Sox Bloggers are the team behind the recently successful BlogFest SOCCSKSARGEN 2010. Conceived by the minds of GenSan's own celebrity bloggers Mr. Bariles, Avel Manansala and his royal Gandaness Orman Manasala. Under their constant leadership and guidance, the team of bloggers organized the biggest blogging event in Southern Mindanao ever! All in the span of three weeks tops! --something else huh? :) 

 With the charisma of the brothers, they were able to put together a  gathering of the best speakers in the entire local blogosphere. The likes of  Ria Jose, Jong Gonzales, Michelle Solon, Ryann Elumba, Danilo Arao, Jay Jaboneta, Dale Palileo, Aileen Apolo-de Jesus, Bob Soriano, Jun Acharon, Janette Toral and Brendel Balaga all authorities in their fields, some even flying in from Manila to share their time and talent to the 100plus registered attendees. Read more about them at GenSan News Online Mag.

funny moment with one of the speakers, Ms. Michelle Solon

 

exercise break

Many thanks to the following sponsors who made this event a resounding success! The Gold Sponsors for backing the Sox Bloggers in this endeavor: 

• East Asia Royale Hotel, 
• Sagittarius Mines, 
• Smart Communications, 
• Dolores Hotels and Resorts,  
• Gaisano Mall of GenSan 

Thanks also to these people who made this event truly memorable not only for the Sox Bloggers but all the bloggers of Southern Mindanao: Mr Omar Gallinero of Montage Digital Photography, Royal Iris Productions, the team from STI College and Robinsons Place Gensan.

From all of us in the SOCCSKSARGEN Bloggers, we wish to thank everyone who flew in, rode a bus, a taxi, from all over just to be with us in our first Blogfest ever!Your presence made this event a success. Hope you learned a lot and had fun while you were here.  Hats off to everyone and till we all meet again....

Blogfest 2010 Live Blogging

I'm currently at the SOCCKSARGEN Blogfest at the posh East Asia Royale Hotel. When I say this is a first for me, I am not exaggerating being a newbie in blogging. So far the number of participant turnout is overwhelming that I consider this a success even if we are still halfway through the day.

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A good number of speakers such as the likes of Prof Danilo Arao, a professor from UP Diliman Mass Communications, mentioned the importance of responsble blogging and quoted on spiderman's motto: with great powers comes great responsibility. So far, based from what I learned from the notable speakers (which I will mention one by one in another entry....back to the days of Jose Rizal's days which were limited to newspaper and book publishing, the new media need to be reminded of the power of the pen and in our case, of the blog. We can not only uplift a certain community or a person with what we write but we can also destroy with harsh words and unreliable data. Whew! suddenly blogging for me seems to be a whole new ball game. :) more to come....

The True Meaning of Christmas

Christmas is a time for giving. Its the favorite time of the year for kids who believe in Santa and all the gifts he gives on Christmas morning for the good boys and girls. Assuming that all kids are good, "why does Santa skip our house come Christmas day?" -- a question I was asked by a little girl many years ago in one of the community projects I volunteered for back when I was still working. Quite honestly, I didn't know how to answer her since Santa Claus does not seem to exist for the less fortunate kids.

Fast forward many years, hubby and I were involved in various community projects in our local Polomolok. One particular project we were fond of is the "Shoebox of Love This Christmas Project" wherein members of the Rotary Club of Polomolok choose a poor community every year as beneficiary of the collected gifts and sometimes along with a feeding project for the kids and medical/dental projects for the entire community. It is a heart warming feeling to be able to give to these people who are less fortunate than ourselves. It is a fulfilling feeling all the more when we see the smile on the children's faces, and the way their faces lit up as they play with the toys (that were considered old and well-loved by its former owners) that are given to them. One particular kid that poked our heart is this one (picture below) in Klinan, Plomolok where every drop of the arroz cado given to her was very precious. The clothes and the toys she received, well  appreciated.

 

Christmas should rightly be not just about Santa Claus and his reindeers or the Christmas tree and trimmings we decorate nor about the gifts we will receive on Christmas morning. Oftentimes we forget the true meaning of Christmas. Of how a man gave up His life for our sakes. In making ourselves useful and sharing our things and blessings with our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

Truly, it there is no kind of satisfaction that can compare when we share our blessings. If you want to make a difference, The Rotary Club of Polomolok accepts donations of clothes, old toys, school supplies, canned goods or noodles for its annual project. You can get in touch with President Xavier Bayan 09228663693, CP Omar Gallinero 09228487921 or drop off at any Gala Enterprises or Gala Builders Supply outlets in Polomolok.

Our vote goes to LIFE WITH RIA

We vote for LIFE WITH RIA, 

a true Mindanaoan,

an inspiration to fellow bloggers here in the south.

Visit her site at:  http://www.riajose.com/

BlogFest SOCCSKSARGEN 2010

This coming December 11th, will be the most awaited event of the year for bloggers of Southern Mindanao, me included! It will be this year's blogfest! Being a newbie in the blogging world, this is one event that I am really looking forward to. From my short acquaintance with the SOCCSKSARGEN bloggers, they have been a group of nice and very educated people who share a passion for blogging and uplifting the image of Mindanao to the rest of the world. It makes me really happy to be identified with them. From the time Mr. Avel Manansala welcomed me to the group, I never once felt out of place or insignificant in every meeting I had with the group. So this event is truly one experience that I am really really excited about.

A lot of notable speakers had been invited from all over who can be expected to give meaningful talks and insights not only about the entire blogosphere but I'm sure the attendees will get a lot from it. Bloggers will surely go home armed with the latest know how and techniques in blogging as well as have a lively time interacting with fellow bloggers. So what are you waiting for? Come join us and register this coming December 11th at the East Asia Royale Hotel . Blog about this beautiful island and interact with Mindanao's funnest - the SOCCSKSARGEN Bloggers!