Father Blogger dot Com

Angel Cuala joins Batangas Today

Angel Cuala — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:17:23 +0000

I know I should have published this on my personal blog, but I decided to place it here since this has a wider audience. lol!

Anyway, most of you may be wondering what I have been doing lately after I lost my job almost a month from now.

Well, besides looking for a new job (of course!) I joined the latest news site in town – Batangas Today.

It is actually a collaboration of fellow Pinoy bloggers led by Marhgil Macuha; a noted and famous Pinoy blogger who happens to live now in Lipa City, Batangas.

Although one may think that it is exclusively for bloggers from Batangas only, there are also fellow Pinoy bloggers from other parts of the Philippines.

So what exactly can Batangas Today offer to its readers?

As you can see in the screenshot that I included here, there are tons of categories with interesting topics to read and to learn from.

This includes Business, Education, Technology, Events, Lifestyle, Sports, Science, and our favorite Politics and Entertainment.

But of course, there are some Weird news and Opinions from us about certain issues. Each category has sub-categories such as Food, Health, Internet, and latest electronic gadgets.

By the way, we are looking for contributors (bloggers and writers) especially for topics about Science. He or she should have an existing Google Adsense account, for making money online purpose.

If you are interested to apply, simply visit this post from Macuha and he will give you further details which include guidelines and Terms and Condition.

So that’s it, my followers and friends. I wish you have time to visit Batangas Today.

Hopefully you can also subscribe through email as I guarantee you fruitful and latest news.

You can also join its Facebook fan page and be included in the 100+ members and still increasing.

See you there!

Related posts:
Father Blogger on You Tube: How to be an Influential Blogger
Father Blogger dot Com: One of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009
If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

FPIC cleared from the recent gas leak issue

Angel Cuala — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:46:57 +0000

I have a dear friend who is working now abroad while her family lives in Makati City.

Upon learning that I have a blog, she requested me to gather information about a certain oil leak near their area and post it online.

With this, I hope you would bear with me if I somehow get away from what I used to post.

Here it goes.

First Philippine Industrial Corporation (FPIC) pipeline was cleared as source of leak of oil, as recently revealed by Makati City officials.

This is after an oil leak was discovered in the basement of West Tower, a 22-story condominium located at Osmeña Highway, Barangay Bangkal, Makati City last July 2, 2010.

Apparently, an oil pipeline being operated by First Philippine Industrial Corporation (FPIC) is located just a few meters away from the West Tower building. The pipeline transports fuel from Batangas refineries to the Pandacan oil depot in Manila.

But since it is safety as FPIC’s core value, its emergency response team (ERT) immediately responded to attend the concerns of West Tower residents. This is in spite of the fact that the company is confident that the pipeline has no damage.

With the assistance of sister firm First Balfour Inc., 15 sections of the pipeline were excavated to check if they are free from oil leakage. After two test runs were performed, no problems were found and the operation was resumed.

Nevertheless, the government of Makati City instructed the temporary shutdown of FPIC and to dig 13 additional excavations in two side streets, thus extending the diggings to over 400-meter length of the pipeline.

After the confirmation that there was no oil leak from the pipeline operated by FPIC, its operation was finally resumed on July 24, 2010.

Meanwhile, a thorough investigation by the authorities is still going on to determine the real cause of the oil leak.

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

Warning to Parents: Free Online Games site with Dirty Live Chat

Angel Cuala — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:31:56 +0000

Free online games for children and adults alike are selling like candies on the Internet, and I am not against them.

In fact, I allow my children to play them as long as I check the site first and choose the games they play, especially for my 9-year old boy.

But of course, I do not tolerate long playing time as I still prefer him running outside and play with his friends with real toys. I know that playing outside will improve his social behavior more, as well as his physical strength.

Anyway, I would like to share to you what my wife discovered yesterday while she is trying a free online game that is suppose to be for children too. She found out that this has a dirty live chat, and I hope this post will serve as a warning to all parents.

Just below the post title is the screenshot of a free online game site named Pictogame.com, which my wife saw. My wife is playing Penguin Diner 2 when she noticed dirty language on the live chat, which is the same game my son played a few minutes ago before she came.

My wife immediately called me, and we observed the series of messages coming in. Upon learning that this is dangerous for my son, I instructed him not to visit that site again, and not even safe for my 14-year old daughter. Then I began asking some questions to my self.

If the site owner allows such live chat appear to visitors, does he monitor it? Or does he have a team of moderators who can help him control the behavior of the live chat users? Do the chat users know that their messages are being shown in public, anyway? If they know, do they care enough if their foul language can influence younger children?

While there are still a lot of questions running on my mind, I checked the profiles of some live chat users, and the only vital information about them that I saw is the country they came from. I am not just so sure how the site owner allows one to be a live chat member.

For the benefit of the doubt, I visited the site again just minutes before I published this post and found out that dirty words still appear on the live chat.

Here is another screenshot. This time, the usernames are different from yesterday. Therefore, I can assume that the moderation for this live chat is weak, if there is.

With this, I call the attention of the owner of Pictogame.com to check his site. Since he knows that he can have young children as his visitors, then he should control the live chat.

If he noticed that users are leaving dirty messages live, then he can suspend or terminate their accounts. If he cannot control it, then he should not allow the live chat to appear to his visitors.

And as I said earlier, this is a warning to all parents. Not all free online game sites are friendly even if the games are suited for young children. It is our responsibility as parents to protect our children from harm, and this includes what they see and read.

Lastly, I hope that this is not the only free online game site with dirty live chat but I doubt it. I wish that the site owners are responsible enough, since they may also have children and they do not want them to read such I am sure.

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

Free Web Safety Seminar for Filipino Parents

Angel Cuala — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:49:39 +0000

Let’s face it, online social networking these days is not only for adults but for the young ones too. Facebook is among those social networking sites where children especially teenagers are engaged into. Sad to say, even younger children are joining too since they can easily lie about their ages.

But let us not forget that there are other unsafe online acts our children may unintentionally do. Child predators are always ready for their trap and just waiting for a chance, and parents should be very conscious about them.

With this, a free web safety seminar for Filipino parents was recently launched and there are still series of seminars coming soon.

Here are some of the details.

First of all, this idea was conceptualized by Sonnie Santos. A family man, and an executive turned micro-entrepreneur. I met him in person once when I attended my first blogging event last 2008. We had a small talk, and got in touch for a while. I did not expect that someday, he will have an advocacy to guide fellow parents using his God-given talent and skills.

Anyway, the good news is that the seminars are free, absolutely free. This means that he had unselfish friends and even strangers who helped him, and some sponsors too. But that does not mean the event has no value at all. In fact, the safety of our children is the most concern among us parents.

So if you’re interested to come in which I hope you do, here is the schedule for the upcoming events.

August 28, 2010 – Philippine Alliance Christian School, Pasay City

August 31, 2010 – WWCF Auditorium, ACCM Bldg., 102 Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City

September 14, 2010 – WWCF Auditorium, ACCM Bldg., 102 Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City

September 25, 2010 – CCF Auditorium, St. Francis Square, Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong City

For more details, simply visit WebSafetyForParents.org.

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

Google Insider Secrets to SEO Live in Manila

Angel Cuala — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:33:24 +0000

It has been a long time since I last discussed about blogging here on my blog.

Well, I thought it might be boring for my readers to read blogging and making money online tips having the same idea, again and again.

Most Internet marketing gurus these days are not attracting to me, especially when they talk about SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

But when I heard about Google Insider Secrets to Search Engine Optimization, it sounds interesting to me. What’s more interesting is that it will be here in Manila, live!

Now I guess you’re starting to be interested too. So here are the details.

The speakers will be Simon Leung and Fabian Lim who are both notably known in the field of SEO.

Simon is a retired Most Senior Google Optimization Specialist was featured in USA, Canada, London, Australia, Singapore, and others. Meanwhile, Fabian is the Director of Click Media.com.sg and Asia’s Top Pay-Per-Click and a Search Engine Optimization Expert. He is also the author of AdWordsCode.com.

Among the knowledge they will share are the fundamentals of SEO, why it is very important that a website should be visible on Google, and how to research the keywords you should use that will help increase your website traffic. The event will be like a short course for all aspiring Internet marketers who want to have a successful online business.

We should always remember that no matter how many social networking sites will rise, it is still the search engine that can truly help you attract relevant visitors and potential customers, with lesser effort and time. Understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and following the techniques religiously are the only ways to make your website appear on the first page of Google.

While one might think that he has learned enough about SEO, there are still so many things to learn that only experts can be able to share. By simply listening to their inspiring success stories is a great motivation that you can also make it. How much more if they will share what they have learned?

So if you’re interested, what are you waiting for? Reserve your seats now. The event will be on August 25~26, 2010, 8:30am~5:30pm, at the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila.

For more information, simply watch the video below.

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

On McDonalds Happy Meal toys ban issue

Angel Cuala — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:36:31 +0000

According to USA Today recently, there is a proposal in San Francisco to ban fast-food giants from using toys to attract kids.

It can be remembered that several months ago, Santa Clara County, which is just south of San Francisco, became the first local government where such law has been implemented. Therefore, McDonalds Happy Meal and others may be greatly affected once it will become a law.

We all know that children love toys and parents are happy while seeing their children play. Therefore, what is the issue behind the McDonalds Happy Meal toys ban?

First of all, the real issue is not the banning of McDonalds Happy Meal toys. It is the health awareness especially the fight against childhood obesity and diabetes, as mentioned by Supervisor Eric Mar, the chief sponsor of the legislation. In addition, the proposal would dictate that the meals that come with toys also have a helping of fruit and vegetables.

“Our legislation will encourage restaurants that offer unhealthy meals marketed toward children and youth to offer healthier food options with incentive items or toys. It will help protect the public’s health, reduce costs to our health care system and promote healthier eating habits,” he said.

However, the restaurant industry does not seem to like the idea as published in an article at San Francisco Chronicle. Daniel Conway, director of public affairs for the California Restaurant Association says that “toy bans are only proven to disappoint kids, frustrate parents and generate headlines for ambitious politicians. The Board of Supervisors needs to stop gorging on political gimmicks and instead focus on creating jobs in their city.”

Now, here is my opinion as a parent.

Here in the Philippines, there is no such law which is why local and foreign fast-food chain owners are enjoying a good market. I cannot even remember any instant where a lawmaker has thought about this, or a parent who is vocal on this issue.

As a father of a 9-year old boy who loves toy cars very much, I enjoy watching him playing with them. It improves his analytical mind and widens his imagination. But I must admit, I bring my children to some fast-food chains and buy them foods accompanied with toys. However, I do it very seldom since I do not want them to get used to eat not-so-healthy foods.

Therefore, if these toys are being used only to market unhealthy foods, then I definitely disagree. If they want to sell toys, then sell them separately. If a fast-food chain owner is confident enough that he is selling good food, then there is no need to use toys to sell them.

While I admire people who are aware that children should be eating healthy foods, I think it would be better if they educate parents rather than controlling them. Parents should know the ingredients of the food their children are eating, while the government has the responsibility to guide them. For me, it is better for a happy meal to be called a healthy meal.

But then again, no one has the right to ban toys unless they are not safe. I know how a child feels when he has no toy.

I was not fortunate enough to have one when I was a child.

Related posts:
How to Deny your Child’s Request
10 Ways on How to Avoid Child Obesity
Food Preparation Tips for Healthier Children
How to keep your Child away from Junk Foods

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

Halal Certified Food Guide in the Philippines

Angel Cuala — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 04:32:00 +0000

According to Wikipedia, Halal is a term in Islam law which means permissible to use or engage in and is usually to designate food seen as permissible to eat.

Philippines is among the countries that has a big percentage of Muslims with some of them also living in Metro Manila. This means that creation of a local certified Halal food guide will be a big help.

But more importantly, I suppose each one of us (even non-Muslims) should realize the significance of Halal food products and how a Halal products guide can help a lot.

According to Bureau of Export Trade Promotion (Philexport), there are about 1.8 billion Muslims around the world who eat the widest range of foods. In line with this, local food exporters are being advised to conform to the Muslim standards.

In the Philippines alone, there are about 10 million Muslims who are surely Halal products consumers plus some non-Muslims who also buy Halal products. The Middle East, which is a key food importer, has one of the highest income capitals in the world. Other target markets include France, Africa, and the US.

This means that the market for Halal food products is very wide and should not to be taken granted for. Thus, this fast-growing industry will then be a big help for the growth of our economy and will create more jobs as well. I then believe that the government should support religiously through credible agencies and honest projects.

But what do I mean by Halal products guide? Well, it is site where local Halal food manufacturers can share their line of products so Filipino Muslims will be informed that these foods are Halal certified. This can also be a good marketing strategy to reach more consumers, since there is a direct link to the company website.

Lastly, it will prove that having different kinds of religion is not a burden for a nation to unite for progress. After all, nobody else in the world can love the Philippines like we Filipinos do.

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

Father Blogger has a new face

Angel Cuala — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:21:20 +0000

It is very seldom that I blog about my blog, but I just cannot help myself now. Anyway, Father Blogger dot Com has a new face in case you did not notice. Actually, it has a new theme and I simply love it. I love the cartoons as they make me feel young, and I am sure my readers will love it too.

For all you know, this blog has just renewed its hosting service and domain and is now on its third year. I have been using my old theme for more almost 2 years, and I can say that it was really a good one. Changing it never came into my mind, not until I noticed some problems.

Being a not-so-techie blogger, I do not mind my blog having some technical problems as long as my readers can read my posts, my e-mail subscribers do not complain, and Google loves it.

But besides the fact that I am using the older version of Wordpress, I am receiving getting tons of spam comments. These comments look very real and somehow related to my posts. One cannot notice at once that they are spam. Spammers are getting better these days, you know.

I am just glad that my blogging problems are over. I can now focus on what I love to do best since 2007. Well, I know I also have to do my best to find a new job soon.

But for now, I would like to thank my good old (not really that old) friend Raden Payas for helping me fixing my blog, just like he always do. Thank you for giving Father Blogger a new face.

I love you, pare…

PS. To my email subscribers, if you want to see my new theme, just click the post title and it will lead you there.

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

Is Saridon safe for my family?

Angel Cuala — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 02:08:00 +0000

Since I am not a doctor, I do not usually talk about medicine. But recently, a drug has been talked about online and keeps asking a simple question. Is Saridon safe for me and my family?

It was the first time I heard of such drug so I became curious and Googled it. Search at Google, that is.

But before I share it to you, let me clear that this post is not to destroy any name or product but rather hoping to find answers to a simple question. This is also to remind the public especially parents on how to keep their family safe while taking medicines.

Know its history

According to Wikipedia, Saridon is a painkiller against headache, muscle pain and toothache. I suppose this one-page information is not enough so I search some more. I learned that it has a new reformulated version after US Food and Drug Administration found out in 1983 that the product was potentially harmful due to the compound phenactin. It was then replaced with another substance called propyphenazone, but I got no solid information that it became safer now.

Know its side effect

Clinical studies showed that Phenactin is “l6 times more likely to have a kidney disease or one in the urinary tract, almost twice as likely to die of cancer, and almost three times as likely to die of heart disease while the risk of developing cardiovascular disease was nearly two to one”. But after it was reformulated, there had been unfavorable reports against Saridon which was reported to Lareb, a Dutch Pharmacovigilance Center. Some of them were interpreted as allergic reactions, while there were identified as possibly fatal.

Know the manufacturer

Bayer AG is the manufacturer of Saridon and is known worldwide for having a reputable name in the drug manufacturing industry. With this controversy, they (Bayer AG) reacted and were published by some columnists. However, I supposed that this is not enough. I hope that distributors and marketers of Saridon will take a higher level of informing the public about the reliability of their product.

Search their website

Unfortunately, Saridon has no website. Yes, no website not even from a free hosting service. All we can read now are reactions which I think do not really answer to a simple question. Therefore, I wish the Department of Health (DOH) will enforce a law that will require all medicines to have a website that will contain vital information that consumers should know. But of course, the website should be on top of the search engines or should be on the first page when being searched.

Now, is Saridon safe for me and my family? I do not know and I do not want to speculate. Surprisingly, I learned that it is only being sold in Visayas and Mindanao areas and I am not sure if it will reach Luzon and Metro Manila.

If it will, I strongly suggest that you follow the tips I mentioned above. After all, they are applicable to all kinds of medicines and health supplements. You should understand fully what No approved therapeutic claims really means.

Lastly, we should always follow the usual advice when we are sick.

If symptoms persist, consult a doctor, a legitimate one.

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

You can also visit my personal blog at Angel Cuala Online.

How to know if a Teenage Child has low self-esteem

Angel Cuala — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:58:28 +0000

Having a teenage child may be exciting as you can see yourself in her or him when you’re at the same age. But being a parent, it is very important that you observe and analyze their attitude especially towards themselves. This will be their asset when they grow older.

One of them is self-esteem which means confidence and satisfaction in oneself, and having self-respect as well. Since I also have a 14-year old daughter, I have been searching about this topic lately.

With this, here are some of the things I learned on how to know if a teenage child has low self-esteem.

Always worried what people will think

The body of a teenage child changes noticeably, and they feel conscious when people noticed them. Some of them feel uncomfortable about the changes and began worrying on what people will think. If a teenage child has this kind of attitude, what do you think will she think about herself? As parent, it is important that you know how she feels and give some advises based on your own experience.

Always trying to be perfect

Some people think it is fine to aim to be perfect, but we all know no one can be. If a teenage child is always trying to be perfect, then imagine what she will feel when she fails on something. Eventually, she may not be able to forgive herself and will be afraid to try again. Parents should therefore be present or at least available to talk with when their teenage child fails.

Always comparing herself with others negatively

If a teenage child is always comparing herself with others negatively, she therefore has a very low self-esteem. She should feel that each one of us is unique and being different from others does not necessarily mean she is not good. She should feel that she is also better than the others in some ways, and parents should help them realize it. However, she should not be too proud about it which can make her overconfident.

Always finding hard to please her self

Every teenage child wants to have and experience something new, and this is only normal. But if she is always finding hard to please her self, then she will not be happy most of the time. She will never be contented with what she has or what she does. In effect, her happiness will be very limited. Therefore, parents should convince their teenage child that happiness is a choice. After all, failure is inevitable.

With all of the mentioned above, you will notice how important it is that parents know their teenage child well enough. Constant communication and bonding time are very essential especially when they needed someone to turn to.

These days, some parents admit that they do not have enough time for their children since they are working all day or far away. To me, this is just an excuse not in this time of fast-changing high technology communication devices.

It is just a matter of prioritization and learning time management.

Related posts:
How a Father should Love his Teenage Daughter
How to teach your Teenage Child deal with Anger
How to Teach your Child the Art of Time Management
Helicopter Parenting: Not Just a Problem of Overprotective Parents
How to entertain your Child if he keeps on asking Questions
How to Teach your Child Deal with Failure
How Not to Spoil your Child

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by Email. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

You can also visit my personal blog at Angel Cuala Online.