Camella Holds Fathers Day Writing Contest

He's the man of the house and yes, he deserves all the care that comes with it. It's almost Father's Day, and I heard the folks at Camella would love to make it even more special for you and your family.

Their house coffee brand Dear Joe, a letter writing cafe is holding their very first Father's Day Writing Contest aimed to dish out those proud words on paper as a tribute to our fathers on this special occasion. They are also doing a Father's Day Quiz for everyone, one that would hopefully determine your Dad's personality so you wouldn't need to think about what to give him on the actual day.

Tip: Make sure you showcase how deep your love is and tell the story how you became who you are because of your Dad. 

Aside from that, give those life lessons he gave you and immortalize it with words, something other people could learn from too. 

Best letter writers will get the chance to win a brand new HONOR Mobile Phone and GC's from Dear Joe coffee shops across the country. I bet it's going to be the best gift you can give your Dad! 

All you need to do is follow the instructions listed on the mechanics. Tag Camella's official Facebook page @CamellaOfficial and use the hashtags #Camella #FathersDay #DearAwesomeDad #BrewingLoveforDAD. Who knows, you could be the one!

Passion: An Indespensible Ingredient in Blogging

The era of blogging is still alive in the country, which for me - is still in its infancy. I believe we've barely scratched the surface; as the expertise and passion required to be in this industry has been satisfied by the skin of one's teeth.

I've been writing online since 1995. I started doing journals of my life, of goofy personal anecdotes as I was already building websites and didn't have content for them during the dial up era. My official hosted website started around 2003 as I've seen a surge of it of sorts in the US. I felt there were barely a few blogs in the Philippines and most of them were transcribed in Filipino which I wasn't too confident writing with. It was awesome to have been able to talk to them (US bloggers) while I was starting, I got the advice I needed from industry leaders/professional bloggers whom I could learn from early on.

 

I started covering local events in Manila and saw how my writing passion could help businesses and startups be known on the web. This started the expansion of my network as I got to be recognized with the value of what I write and see conversion first hand as people started to tell me about what I wrote about this and that product. In 2010, I got bit by the photography bug and bought my first DSLR camera. With it, I combined my love for fashion, photography and  writing appearing in Philippine Fashion Week, fashion shows, bi annual brand shows (the biggest in the country) and got to see the Philippines brightest celebrities, international stars, models, fashion designers and got to know them a little better. I also started to interview stars from broadcast stations, and increased my tribe including those from other countries because of the medium I decided to write with and established what my website is today.

Prior to that, I've been working for a multinational corporation as a Computer Engineer. It was totally off from my day job but it was something that I believed would take me places, unbeknownst to some of my peers. Others say it was a crazy idea to quit a secure and prestigious job and do this full time. When I left the corporate world a few years ago and did this stint, I didn't feel that it was work and I was only following my passion. I also had the chance to write for a travel magazine, a men's magazine with an international circulation which was only a dream for a budding writer like me. It happened all so fast, but I'm glad to have been able to go through the trials and tribulations of blogging early on.

Some international celebrities who have graced my blog. There are more, we couldn't fit them in one frame!

 
Here’s some pointers to note if you would like to start in the same profession:

1.    Don’t do it because you can earn from it. It’s a perk, but it’s not a good place to start. Pretty soon, you’ll run out of ideas and you won’t be in the right place to find inspiration to write if it’s something you’re not passionate about.

2.    Get a handy camera. These days, telling a story isn’t just going to cut it if you don’t spend time telling a story with photos or videos. Invest in a good digital camera or a mobile phone that can be your best buddy when doing interviews. It will save you a lot of time. Owning your own images and videos will also save you from the headache of fighting copyright issues from day 1.

3.    Be nice to people. Say hello and thank you often. Make sure the connections you make in one event last a lifetime because brands, deals, people would make you thrive in this industry. Help them as they help you.

4.    Appreciate the little things. From saying thanks to a simple gift, it wouldn’t hurt to reciprocate the good things people do for you. 

5.    Don’t shortchange yourself. In this industry, the last person that should doubt yourself is YOU. If you feel and think you are in the right, fight for it. Just like in any job, the playing field is huge… and there are people that will take advantage of your kindness. Be nice, but if you find a situation where you need to be stern, become it.

6.    Be honest with your readers, because they can spot who’s not from a mile away even before you press that publish button.

7.    Follow your passion. At the end of the day, it will make you happy. 

One of the highlights of my career probably was the chance to go back to my university and tell them about what I've gone through; so they too would take the chance and follow their dreams. I’ve been blogging for a little around 22 years, yet I feel like I’ve just started doing what I love… and I have no plans of stopping anytime soon. Passion is an ingredient mostly looked over, but it is the most important thing I've had - it kept my desire for writing stay.

An Extraordinary Workshop for GMA Artists with Howie Severino

When an artist undergoes workshops, it usually means they'll be learning more about singing, dancing, interacting with other actors and acting. A few days ago, an unconventional one happened virtually with no less than the award winning journalist and broadcaster Howie Severino.

Mr. Severino held a masterclass about Baybayin which is an acient writing system. He's very passionate about teaching this to others as people reading and writing it remains scarce. He says "I'm very happy that I get to meet all of you, not just because you are artists, but you are also culture bearers. You carry our identities as Filipinos, it's a good thing you're learning how to do Baybayin. You get to be looked up to by generations that kept the writing form alive. It's a huge undertaking but we have to start somewhere, now that includes you!"

This is part of GMA Artist Center's efforts called "Ang Breakout Room: Masterclass Series" which they'll be doing on a regular basis for home grown artists and celebrities. Artists who were included in the roster included First Lady Sanya Lopez, the beloved Farrah in Legal Wives Bianca Umali, Kyline Alcantara who probably is being swooned by Mavy Legaspi, Lexi Gonzales who just released a single, Radson Flores and Matt Lozano who's excited for Voltes V Legacy, artists Claire Castro, Royce Cabrera, Zonia Mejia, Jamir Zabarte, Joaquin Manansala, Jen Maravilla, Jr Royol, Migs Villasis, Hannah Arguelles, Bryce Eusebio, Gab Yabut, Elias Point, Allen Ansay, Lia Salvador, Dentrix Ponce, Dave Duque, Kirsten Gonzales, Kimson Tan, Lime Aranya, Levince Sotto and Rain Matienzo all learned the ropes in how to read and write with Baybayin just on that day.

Howie also shared how this would impact their families, their community and the next generation. I wonder what GMA Artist Center has under their sleeves after this one. It sounds so exciting!

How To Write Good Essays Fast

Despite our best efforts, we’ve all been in a situation where we need to write an essay in a truly ridiculous amount of time. It can either be because we genuinely forgot about it, or because we're in a class which gave huge amounts of homework. This means our schedules need to change and move quickly. While a lot of students prefer to simply buy an essay from writing services such as www.essayzoo.org, there are ways in which to tackle the need to write quickly which can be learned easily by anybody who wants to do so. Writing an essay quickly is difficult, but ultimately doable.

Brainstorm

When you need to write something fast, the most important thing is to get started. Getting started can mean simply beginning to write, of course, but it can also be as simple as simply jotting down ideas for research and structure, just so that you have something to work from.

Getting ideas onto paper is one of the easiest ways to start the process of writing, as it means that you have something to work from, and that the process of writing has started.

Structure

When writing essays, it is always a good thing to try and stand out in some way, to get your essay noticed. When you are on a deadline is not the time to try something like that; it is the time to keep things simple. A simple structure is more easily remembered, so when you are writing in a hurry it is much easier to remember what goes where, and how to structure a thesis statement, and so on.

Keeping to the basic structure also allows you to build an essay more quickly, as the basics are usually the same, no matter the essay.

Proofread!

When you are on a deadline, paying attention to the little details becomes all the more important, because that will detract attention from the half-baked ideas which you might end up with. Spelling and grammar is also an opportunity to make up for any points lost in other areas of the essay.

When it comes to how to write a good college essay, both good spelling and good ideas are needed, but if one has to be sacrificed to the deadline? Good communication skills as shown by an entirely grammatically correct and well-formatted paper cover bad ideas far more easily than good ideas will cover for a badly-written and formatted paper.

Check your spelling and grammar as much as possible. Time constraints might not allow it, but having a second pair of eyes to look over your work is helpful too. Make sure to check that the formatting you are using for your paper is correct, and pay special attention to quotes and references, as they are the most visible part of the formatting.

Don’t Panic

It can be easy to start feeling paralyzed by looming deadlines, but don’t let that get in your way! If you let yourself be stopped by fear, then the work you need to do will never be done, so push through the fear, and keep writing. The work will get done one way or another and the quicker you start, the quicker it will be done.

Minimize Distractions

Ask anyone who has had to contend with deadlines how to write an essay fast and they will most likely share some wisdom about minimizing potential distractions while working. Unfortunately, distractions only seem to be worsening as time goes on, with streaming TV and movies, social media, and video games all jockeying for space with the more usual ways we have of spending our leisure time.

Be strong, and ignore the distractions around you! There are now programs and apps which can be used to temporarily block social media sites (among other things) for a certain duration – you could consider getting one of them if necessary.

Eat and Drink

Remember to eat and stay hydrated! It is easy to forget these things when on a deadline, but it is important that you not. Eating and drinking properly helps you to stay alert and awake, and also makes it easier to concentrate, so keeping up with these things can help with the writing process.

Eating and drinking can also serve as a way of relaxing, or rewarding yourself for reaching certain milestones in your paper. When on a deadline, rewarding yourself for keeping to the timetable and not getting distracted can be a good way of keeping yourself on schedule.

In Conclusion

Writing an essay on a strict time limit is not fun, but there are ways in which it can be done, and done well. This article looked at some of the more popular tips which can come with short deadlines, such as keeping distractions down, and making sure you eat, among others. These tips could apply to any writing situation, not simply short deadlines, but they are particularly appropriate here.

Time Management Rules: How Much Time Do You Need To Spend Working?

Become More Productive With Proper Time Management Habits

The efficiency of 8-hour working day has been argued for a long time now, let alone those cases when the amount of time you spend working has no limits whatsoever. It may seem that you have no choice: that paper writing or those assignments won’t complete themselves. But the thing is, to be more productive you need to create a perfect balance of working hours and off-hours. Read on to learn more about time management rules.

Best Way To Organize Your Time

One recent research showed that workday length doesn’t really affect productivity in any significant way, but the way people organize their work hours does. People who regularly take small breaks from work show higher levels of productivity than those who work for hours in a row. 

The perfect balance is 52 minutes of work followed by 17 minutes of rest followed by another 52 minutes of work… you get the idea. Try this method while doing some important and complex research writing – odds are you’ll notice how much more productive you get.

The only thing you have to remember if you do want to increase your productivity is forget about social media and private messages. During your breaks, do something that would distract you from work – read, do workouts, have a cup of tea. This will give you more energy to complete all the tasks during the upcoming hour of work.

Your Brain Will Tell You How To Be More Productive
Those who discovered this perfect balance of work and breaks show better results and easily catch up on competition. The thing is they’ve realized how to satisfy our brain’s fundamental needs. It is capable of working at full capacity for an hour and then its activity drops down. This decrease of activity lasts for approximately 15-20 minutes.

The best way to avoid exhaustion and all kinds of distractions is to divide your workload in portions.

So instead of working on something until you just can’t focus on your task, listen to what your body tells you. Tiredness or desire to get distracted may be a sign that tells you that you need a break. Your list of essay topics can wait. Relax and forget about your work for a short period of time.

Main Rules of Productive Working Day Organization

Correct time management will help you improve your performance at work, no matter how many hours a day you spend working. If you work on your tasks and assignments during your natural activity peaks, it will be easier for you to deal with large amounts of work. Here are four main tips on how to do this right:

1. Work diligently during that hour and divide your tasks into several separate stages based on your working hour sessions. As a rule, we plan to complete our tasks or projects by the end of the day, week, or month. However, practice shows that your performance efficiency increases when we focus on something we can do right here, right now. Correct working schedule will not only help you work out your own productivity rhythm; it will also make massive tasks look more doable.


2.   Focus on your work completely. You need to pay all your attention and your every effort to what your work on during your activity hour. If you constantly get distracted by something, it will be of no use.


3. Make sure you relax properly during your breaks. Those who find a way to completely detach themselves from thoughts about work during their breaks work more productively afterwards. To increase your productivity, take a break and stay away from your computer, your smartphone and from thinking of your work. Take a walk, read a book, chat to a friend. When there’s just too much of work, the temptation to use your break to make calls or write emails is great but remember that this won’t let you relax properly. 


4. Don’t wait until the moment your body will make you take a break. It will be too late, you’ll miss a planned break and get off track. In that case you’ll need more time for restoring the proper working hours/off-hours balance.

Follow these simple rules and your productivity will increase. You’ll improve your performance and feel much better overall. It is a great way to deal with large workload faster without resorting to outside help. Give this a try – and you’ll forget about contacting custom essay services.

How To Prepare Effectively For Exams

Some treat summer as a time for holidays and the sun. As we all know, this is also the time for graduation. Exams also come and it's when everything else becomes a little more stressful. In every student's life, it's such a crucial moment when any writing essay service could not help. It becomes a time where you must learn to handle tons of tickets on your own.

An exam is always accompanied by considerable excitement. You just have to learn how not to be disturbed. Every student wants a good final score and bad ones need to cope with the teachers criticism and at least achieve a satisfactory assessment. Knowledge is not always enough for you to get the right kind of essay writing.


Here are some tips we would like to share with you, we hope this helps!
 

• Be optimistic. Exams are neither an enemy nor an instrument of torture, but a means of self-improvement and an opportunity to demonstrate their mental abilities. For such a complex and important work, proper conditions need to be created. Get rid of everything that you don't need. Get in touch with people home and ask nicely, so that you wouldn't be disturbed.

• View your materials and categorize them in terms of complexity. Choose topics that are most difficult for you and focus on them first. Preparation is effective only when you have enough energy. If you notice that you have read the sentences twice and have not understood anything, it's time to take a break. Relax for about 15-20 minutes.

Here's how you can do it step by step:

1. Set up a work place.
2. Hold near something bright and pleasant (images, souvenirs, etc.) that will raise your mood.
3. Thoroughly plan the preparation. Organize your work so that it coincides with your activity periods - in the morning or in the evening.
4. First, take the hardest material and work on it until it's mastered.
5. Do not forget to rest - take a ten-minute break every forty minutes of work.
6. Practice as often as possible using a variety of sample tasks and if you need find any writing tips, for  example at essaysreviewer.com  for your work.
7. In order not to lose your inspiration, encourage yourself to think that you are capable of getting an excellent score on the exams if you prepare accordingly.
8. Do not allow laziness, anxiety or secondary interests to divert you from training.
9. Explore different memorization methods and use the ones that suit you best.
10. Be sure to repeat reading the material you have made. We wouldn't want to forget it  when the exams happen. Prepare in advanced, without delay before the test or any writing exam. 

11. Do not work on the last night before the exam. You might get tired and come to the exams not in the best form. Devote your evening to your favorite affairs and do not stay up late.

It's clear that preparing for the exam is not that fun. This is a serious test, which may make or break your future. Sometimes, it is inevitably frightening. You don't want to be distracted by anything. Do not get tempted going out with friends and know your priorities. The task ahead needs to be completed and the longer you drag on, the less time will remain for your quality work. You should arrange training reasonably, in order to accomplish it all while less exhausted.

Follow the schedule and do not stop until you learned about the amount of material you have for a specific day. Prepare yourself well and test if you are apt for group studies. There are times that studying with friends help but most often than not, more time is usually spent on conversations than on studying. Choose your battles and make sure you are equipped well before you head on to war. Hope this helps!

Join Pioneer's Stories of Hope Playwriting Competition

Do you have the knack for telling stories? Do you have the talent and play with words? You might want to think about submitting an entry to Pioneer Insurance's Stories of Hope Playwriting Competition as you can get to win Php 25,000 in cold cash and insurance coverage for yourself. Imagine putting in your work into something that could eventually be a material for a play, having actors and actresses utter those same words for audiences to enjoy if it's that good.

You must be a college student, 15-24 years old, a Filipino and have the passion for writing. If I were still that young, I would have submitted mine. But since I'm already 25 this year LOL.. anyway, it would really be a good stepping stone if you want your writing career to have a jumpstart. I heard there are several entries already and with the Virgin Labfest Tours going to schools, I wish they get inspired more so they can get those materials out there for the ordinary Filipino to enjoy.

Go to http://www.storieslab.ph to know more about it.

For more information about their contest:

Pioneer Is Your Insurance

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://www.pioneer.com.ph/

Pioneer and Teatro Pilipino Kicks Off Virgin Lab Fest Campus Tour

Spent a weekend at Miriam College in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City to watch a worthwhile leg of Virgin Lab Fest in the school's theater. I'm much of a theater performer guy myself but of course that was ages ago. This is Pioneer and Teatro Pilipino's way of giving back to culture and the arts to feed passion in the hearts of Filipinos and this isn't the first time they've done something similar to this. What made me think of affairs like these is no matter how much I wanted NOT to think of my days on stage, it just seems to have crumbled seeing these talented individuals up front doing what they love. Aside from that, this particular piece "Walang Kukurap" from Virgin Lab Fest has been proven effective for years now - and even if you consider its material a bit dated, execution would get the message across and how it battles how current the problem of corruption in the government - it still is totally relevant.

Miriam College's theater group called "Teatro Kolehiyo ng Miriam" didn't just sit and watch, they also performed with their all female ensemble a funny theater story piece which proved quite effective with the guests that afternoon. You could see how eager they were to perform and push, mix small antics which surely made the audience laugh before the more serious plays from CCP's Teatro Pilipino came in. I was a bit nostalgic, more of my high school plays' memories came crashing back to me. They impressed the audience, one of which is important in this venue.

I could see the ordinary students and members of Teatro Kolehiyo ng Miriam's faces light up and learn a thing or two about putting a message across the work they do on theater. I bet right after this, they'll probably think of more material that would be apt for this generation and make socially conscious story lines as they get inspired with the ones in Virgin Lab Fest. For those who would want to catch a show (as it is open to the public) please call Kris Caturay of Pioneer's Digital Marketing at (02) 812-7777 local 455 or you could look up their schedules here. The next one will be on September 23 at Lyceum of the Philippines in Intramuros. You can also catch the one on September 30 at the University of Santo Tomas, October 5 at the University of Makati or October 13 at the De Lasalle College of St. Benilde. It's free so all you got to do is secure tickets through the number mentioned above. It's a learning experience too, so if you're thinking this would be nice to watch, don't hesitate and give it a go! If you're also into writing, join Pioneer's Stories of Hope Playwriting Competition so you could win prizes for your passion!

For more information about their contest:

Pioneer Is Your Insurance

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://www.pioneer.com.ph/

Scribe Writing Essentials: Launches New Store in Shangrila Mall East Wing

I have been one of the less blessed people when it comes to handwriting. My professors would dare to even compare it to papers that have been scratched by chickens back in high school. It's my kryptonite and admittedly so I wasn't really good at it. When I attended an event in Shangrila Mall's East Wing, I guess I already considered to put up my arms and surrender because I was inspired by some of the work displayed during the Scribe launch. Scribe Writing Essentials is a specialty store dedicated to all things about crafty-artsy writing. If everyone was in old English costumes I could have sworn it would have looked like a medieval gathering. Let's take a look at what brands they have inside the store:

I remember taking a shot at this J. Herbin La Perle des Encres Fountain Pen Ink ages ago. My grandma was still alive then. They have 30 different colors and it's nice to see this available now in the Philippines. Ours was imported from the US I think when I saw this first.

They also have some well designed Daycraft Notebooks. They really have good ones for corporate, business or executive planners. Something high end/premium well fit for people who want it sleek and classic.

I love this feather pen that's for calligraphy and this Japanese brand Sailor which manufactures Fountain Pen Jentle Ink. I might not be a good in handwriting but this is a dream no?!

My pen of choice back in college is this CROSS pen. I had to be different because everybody else had a Parker Pen, I'm cool like that. I also marveled at this German branded pen Pelikan. The experts wanted that one, I must check that out why later. They apparently have repair centers for the Pelikan too, they must have a life expectancy of forever if that's the case.

All these great international brands will be available at the pen and ink meccas in 3rd Level Eastwood Mall, SM Aura Premier, SM Megamall's Fashion Hall, Glorietta 5 and at the new one, located at the Shangrila Mall Plaza's East Wing. Writing enthusiasts, artists, calligraphers and just anyone who loves writing should pay a visit. They have kept this art form still burning after all these years and they are growing!

I promise, I'll try to write again. :)

For more information about their stores:

Scribe Writing Essentials

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://www.scribewritingessentials.com