How moments fly! It’s now round 2 of our version of bloggers Christmas exchange gift. Thanks to our gracious host, PM for sustaining this initiative. It’s given that gift-hunting and and wish-listing would be challenging since I’m too busy (the same old tune), but I willingly joined in again because I don’t want to miss the fun. I enjoyed last year’s entire process of exchange gift — stitching the set of surprises for my baby blogger and personally receiving the package sent by my ‘mommy blogger’ and exclaiming “yehey, she sent me Princess Leia and R2-D2 (Starwars) and all those things that made my 2010 holidays happier!” It was extra interesting because I got the package while I was vacationing in the Philippines in time for Christmas. So here we are again, I’m looking forward to have an ‘exchange of warmth and care’ with another blogger. Do we have the same wish list? (I did a strike through of those which already materialized. Yehey!)

Something (1) small: artsy hairclift (2) big: new or old magazines which had a feature on Ely Buendia (3) cute: earphones (4) soft: socks with cat print

Something (5) techie: e-reader preferably a Kindle (6) fancy: a brown case for my Fuji X100 (I got two from my friends!) (7) fave color: right now my fave color is ginger because that speaks about our new kitten, Perdita; I’d be pleased to have the book “How to Live With A Neurotic Cat”, PM’s post piqued me (8) wearable: bracelet

Something (9) I need: SLEEP. I’m always striving to increase my zzzzzs-time. As an alternate wish, I need Fuji films for my Instamax mini. My film stock is depleting soon and unfortunately, I can’t source anything within the UAE. (10) work: I miss those Panda pens with sweet scent and glitters from the Philippines, with blue ink as I recall (11) sweet: Lala candies from the Philippines.

Wish-listing is challenging but fun. To my exchange gift partner, I hope this helps as a guide. Enjoy the hunt and stay cool because anything from you is going to be much appreciated, basta don’t forget my Lala candies (wish # 11).

[Photo credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11]

Last Sunday was extra special because I turned a year older and happier. I didn’t expect that I’d enjoy (this much) the process of growing old (minus the weight gain, ugh!) because I still feel invincible. It’s wonderful when one gets accustomed to dealing with things on a per state of mind basis.

And here’s to say cheers to the winners of my blog anniversary and birthday giveaway. The judges, whom included myself, had a difficult time selecting the winners. Let’s congratulate Lauren and Yellow Bells! I will be sending the Photobook Philippines’ vouchers to the respective emails you used in leaving the comment. Many thanks to those who participated. It’s always a pleasure to know more about my readers.

Hello everyone!

I know I’ve been quiet lately and I thank those who continuously drop by to say hi in your own ways. For those who asked, no, I was not traveling (yet) but I’m so consumed by responsibilities on and off-work. But all in all, I’m doing good. Since my favorite month has arrived, let’s talk about growing up and gratitude. I’m holding a blog anniversary and birthday giveaway as I’m traversing my 4th year of blogging; nonetheless it still feels like that first day when I blogged as if no one was reading. At the same time, I’m turning 32 over a week from now and it (always) feels like I’m in my early 20s and that life has just begun.

In the several years of blogging and awe-inspiring discoveries in life, I’ve taken a lot of photos and accumulated a multifold of memories wherein no photo was involved. With all the camera clicks, one of the simple things that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time is to finalize/submit the photobooks I’ve started (some are meant to be given as presents). And I thought it is an agreeable idea to share two (2) Photobook Philippines’ vouchers worth P4,000 each. In principle, I would like to imagine sharing a scene with two charming readers (either miles away or not) doing the photobook layout and customizing the other details at our own paces (with the use of the free software). And there’s no rush, we have until February 28, 2012 to redeem the vouchers. So, we can be meticulous at this point!

How to join the giveaway?

Simple rule: let’s have fun and get to know each other better!

1. Please leave a comment on this post and share with me/us your birthday (feel free to include your birth year and other trivial details about any of your birthday celebrations or the day that you were born).
2. Given a chance, which photos are you going to include in the personalized photobook? Why?

Two winners are going to be selected based on the response provided. The contest is open to everyone until 17th July. The winners shall be announced on 19th July.

Thanks to Abu Dhabi Week for featuring this blog along with Grapeshisha and Finding Abu Dhabi. Last month, I was contacted by Sawaiba Khan, one of their writers, requesting for this feature. I agreed to respond to a number of questions provided that she was going to tackle it with no mention of specific and personal stuff. I have no idea if the boss was already reading this blog that time. Anyway, since Abu Dhabi Week is widely read especially during the weekends, I’m glad that she agreed with my terms because being more than semi-anonymous would be a weight to handle at this point. Hahahaha.  By the way, thanks to those who tweeted and/or SMS-ed me about this.

In reference to the learning points and writing about Abu Dhabi, I wished that this part of the interview made it to the print:

At some point a number of earlier entries amazed me because I have matured from being a confused into a thriving expat. One time I talked about the difficulty of finding Jollibee-like fried chicken (a counterpart of Popeye’s and is one of the popular fastfood chains in the Philippines), the next time I raved about Taza’s chicken and crazy craving about shisk taouk (like I can eat it everyday!). Well, there is really a lot of other compensating examples, but what I realized a long time was that it is easy to feel really at home in Abu Dhabi especially that there are Filipinos everywhere I go. If anyone will look back at my Abu Dhabi-related posts, it will definitely give an impression that while I appreciate all the opportunities and new experiences about this emirate, there was never a single moment that I thought less of where I came from despite its limitations. I will always find Philippines as the most beautiful country, that is me objectively saying that non-Filipinos must really explore it.

She asked, how do you view blogging as an art form?

“It is an expression of one’s self. Given that premise, it is satisfying/rewarding in the sense that one gets to share a part of him or her, whether one is blogging anonymously or not. The best part is when you get a share of readership just by being an unassuming blogger (yeah, all for the love of writing!) and they get to learn from what you share. And since many readers (through Google search and feed subscription) are relying on the information, regardless of the extent, it is very important to be credible and share verifiable information.”

One of my most favorite parts of this print is when they mentioned about pandesal in connection to my other blog. Thanks again for the feature. Kindly grab your copy of the June 16-22 issue of Abu Dhabi Week.

The problem with possibilities and halo effect is people tend to generalize things. In their case, they traveled to have clean fun and celebrate their birthdays but because sh*t happens, they were suspected as drug traffickers — because they are Filipinos. Apparently, the recent cases of captures in the region via the immigration involved Filipinos.

As I read the account of how it happened (and as I spoke to Dyanie last night), I was enraged and I have so much regard for them for keeping their cool. You know the probability of being set-up and all that and as Dyanie said, only when she finally did set foot in NAIA (Philippine airport) that she felt really safe. As she said, “Hindi na ako babalik sa Indonesia, hindi muna ako magtra-travel outside the country. ”

We learn from this experience. No matter how prepared we may seem when we travel like knowing the contact numbers of the Office of the Philippine Embassy in the country we are visiting, observing the luggage security, and all that, there are things beyond our control that happen.  I hope that our government is aware of and doing something about this kind of situation.

Take the best of care, everyone.

You must read this: My traumatic experience as an alleged drug trafficker in Bali, Indonesia by Chyng Reyes.

You probably should pay extra attention to this post. LOL.

As my blog is turning another year old in less than three months from now, I remember that I still owe you responses to some of the questions you asked in this post. For those who are new here, I held a blog anniversary and birthday giveaway last year and each commenter-participant got to ask one question as part of the “game’. And I promised to give a response to the three winners. Well, I really did. Anyway, as I’m planning to hold another giveaway this July, I sort of reviewed what you wanted to happen last year and I absolutely felt the “clamor” for me to share more.

I started this blog without any reader in mind. (You can locate that statement on this blog’s sidebar.) But we don’t really know what’s going to happen next, right? So, it evolved and all that. But I remain non-descriptive and almost privy about some aspects, especially of my personal life. One of the things that I really appreciate about blogging is that the authors behind each post can possibly accept each other for who they are. And as blog owners, we decide how much information we are going to share. And because I really hear your clamor, I’ve decided to put this sort of question and answer (based on the items you asked last year) and decided to group them as follows:

The question was: A suntok sa buwan possibility,what is the first thing/question you are going to ask me if we ever get to meet in person?

BECAUSE I LOVE TO EAT

Q: What was your first meal in UAE? (from Kate of It’s All About the Meow)

A: Chicken and cajun fries from Popeye’s. But on my second day in the UAE, I had my first arabic meal from Mugg and Bean. From the menu, it read as “arabian plate”. It was delicious but being a newbie to “real” arabic food that time, I hardly managed to finish half of it.

Q: Saan tayo kakain? That’s because we’ll bond over a good meal, my treat! (from Toni of Wifely Steps, one of the winners)

A: Anywhere! Any restaurant where Timmy (Toni’s son) can join us. (Note: In December 2008, Toni and I had few minutes meet up in her office in Makati. I will always remember her as a Twilight sister!)

Q: Where do you want to eat? So that we can continue talking at the restaurant. Haha! (from Rachel of My Soulful Thoughts)

A: I noticed that your family frequents Nuvali, can you take me to your favourite restaurant there? Another option is to go to Paseo de Santa Rosa. I miss the crispy dinuguan from Kanin Club!

Q: Vanilla or chocolate? (from Glenda of Oodles of Goodles)

A: Chocolate!

Q: Saan tayo kakain? (from Caryn of Sari saring Kulay, one of the winners)

A: If by chance we do meet in Japan, let’s eat at that same restaurant where Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray (remember him from Ghostbusters?) ate when they were having a sort of lovers quarrel in the film Lost in Translation. But if we’re in the Philippines, let’s grab a bite anywhere near Ayala Museum so you can show me afterwards your contributions in their showcase inside the museum. Or if we get to meet in the UAE, let’s have a hearty meal at home.

AND THE PEOPLE I KNOW EVEN BEFORE WITSANDNUTS.COM WAS BORN ALSO ASKED,

Q: Pwedeng pa submit ng resume bwahahaha. (from upto6only)

A: Sure!

Q: Where are we gonna eat first? hehehehe (from rea, my cousin)

A: Sa Jollibee!

Q: I emailed you a question before.. If you just didn’t receive it that’s why it’s unanswered, it’s the same question I would want to ask you. Otherwise, it’s “How are you? Really.” And I hope the setting is as cozy as when we had our last long talk at RCBC Plaza, remember? Then, am gonna hug yah real tight!!! I really really missed you, my friend. I’m happy when you’re happy. (from shelshi, a good friend)

A: (My response was captured in the postcard that I sent her and here’s the gist) I’m not forgetting that email but I wasn’t just ready to give you an answer — for a long time, heehee. I’m happy and I miss you, too. I hope to see you soon. (Note: We were supposed to meet last December, but it didn’t happen. We’ll keep trying.)

BUT OF COURSE, YES!

Q: Wits, hindi suntok sa buwan na magmeet tayo. Perhaps I’ll be asking you then, “Pwede moko sama sa UAE for a vacation?” he he! What else diba? (from KG of Bahay ni Kumareng Grace, one of the winners).

A: Oo naman! (KG and I met through bloghopping and when she posted one group photo with her family, I noticed a pretty and familiar face. Her sister and I were former officemates pala! Small world, eh?)

Q: Ikaw ba si jo? LOL! (from PM of Prinsesa’s Anatomy)

A: Oo! (PM was my baby in the online kris kringle held last year and I was the baby of her sister. The Princess Leia and R2-D2 figures from Star Wars were from the latter.)

Q: I’d probably ask you if this meeting will merit a blog post hahaha! (from The Nomadic Pinoy)

A: Yes!

IMPRESSIONS and GROWING COMMUNITY

Q: In your opinion, who makes a better Mr. Darcy: Matthew Macfadyen (from the 2005 movie) or Colin Firth (from the BBC miniseries)? (from J of The Girl With A Curl)

A: With due respect to Colin Firth who was very good in The King’s Speech, Matthey Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy was much, much better! (In latter part of 2008 until 2009, I hosted a reading schedule for those who wished to read Jane Austen’s novels.)

Q: What do you think of me? (from Kayni of Kayni’s Corner Cafe)

A: I think and feel that you’re a passionate and intelligent person. That although I haven’t met you yet, we’re going to get along well in real life based on what I perceive as your likes and dislikes. And I’m happy that we’re now sisters through Miss Iggy.

Q: Kamusta, kabayan? (from Jeff Arigo, a reader from Abu Dhabi)

A: Okay naman, kabayan! (In the UAE, most of the Filipinos call each other “kabayan”. On my first week here, I was really uncomfortable with syllabicating the term. It felt like we were referring to former Vice-President of the Philippines and now back to being a news anchor Noli de Castro’s “Magandang gabi, bayan” line and he, the kabayan himself. Now the use of the term is already a hard habit to break.)

Q: This is also a “suntok sa buwan” question: would you like to be a Miss Iggy correspondent, our first in the Middle East? (from fortuitous faery of Writings on the Wall)

A: Yes! (And I happened to be the 9th sister in the Sisterhood of Traveling Igorotas. We’re not necessarily true-blooded Igorotas, but our dolls are. Please follow our adventures in this link.)

CURIOUS (Plenty of related questions about this!)

Q: Bakit di ka nagpapakita ng mukhaaaaaaaaa? (from maan of The Gray Spots of Life)

A: I already did! Not just once, but many times. Hahaha.

Q: I’m looking forward to your posts with pictures of you. But I think you are the shy type. the first thing/question I am going to ask you if we ever get to meet in person (this is quite personal) is are you married or single? =) (from yummybite of Rubbish Ramblings)

A: Married.

And I’m anticipating follow-up questions, so here it is. I already have my little (she’s actually already a grown-up and appeared on few posts) bundle of joy. And we are all in the UAE. But just as it is, I might stick to my being non-descriptive approach of blogging after this post. Would that be fine?

Q: Personal question I’d like to ask when i meet you: May boyfriend ka ba? Seems like i have not read this in any of your posts.(from Sheng of Anything Goes)

A: Please refer to the response above.

Q: Hmmm….so who’s the lucky guy? (from Nebz of Isla De Nebz)

A: Someone I met from college.

Q: Nakailang BFs ka na? (from redlan of Redlan’s Book of Life)

A: One.

Q: Pwedeng magpa-picture? (Gaya dun sa ft) with matching autograph. It would be a memorable remembrance from you. (from redlan of Redlan’s Book of Life)

A: Oo naman.

Q: Kelan ka magsusulat at magshare ng iyong love story? (from Eds of Love and Life)

A: Hi Eds! That, I can’t tell.

THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS

Q: Where did you learn to write so well?” hehehe (from Daphne of My Little Moments)

A: I do, really? (*blushes*) Seriously, I don’t know.  But I guess it’s a mixture of being adventurous in sharing my thoughts whether it’s unpopular or not + the editorial experiences in high school and college (although I considered those as purely extra curricular activities just to keep the balance life of being a student) + the love for reading (I guess that when you love to read it follows that you’d want to dissect thoughts and reason out; but when you have no audience at that minute you find yourself writing down your random babbling instead) + just plain love for writing.

At my day job, I get to write a lot of technical reports and it’s amazing that  blogging helps me in a way. There would be times I’d be too overwhelmed to finalize something but when I apply the approach ” yes, you can do that, it’s like drafting a blog post!”. But for blogging per se, I think that I still have a lot of flaws in my writing, but most of the time I don’t care about it. I opine that while it helps that a writer is articulate, in certain occasions some writers are considered better because of their imperfect writing. Being too polished is not good in some cases, in my opinion. While I try to improve through baby steps, I don’t really put too much pressure on myself. At the end of the day, I just enjoy the entire process of writing a blog post (from drafting to hitting the publish button, reading your thoughts, learning that readers/google searchers from different sides of the globe benefit from the information shared in this humble space).

Q: I’m not sure if you have blogged about this already, but I’ll probably ask you: how does it feel like to maintain a blog that’s being followed and read religiously? No seriously, I’ll ask your real name. (from Doc Gelo of Beyond Toxicity)

A: Thanks for the kind words, Doc Gelo. While I’m not really statistics conscious, getting a share of readership is really a bonus. That makes me happy, of course. It’s not being competitive but when a reader returns to my blog periodically, for whatever reason he or she has, I view it as if a friend is getting in touch and saying hi even if he or she doesn’t leave a comment. That’s why naturally my “tone” when I write is like I’m speaking to a friend, most of the time. And of course, the sense of accountability for the information I share also kicks in. Especially for those who accidentally land in witsandnuts.com through searches (which is actually the major source of readership, who would have thought?!).

As for my real name, I believe you finally knew about it when I blogged about my guest blogging for the Singapore’s community page. I find it funny though when people who really know me call me “wits” or “witsandnuts” and the people I haven’t really met yet call me “Jo”. But either way, it’s wonderful because I have a name. LOL.  :)

And….?

Finally, no more questions! Hahahaha. For additional and follow-up questions, please wait for the next giveaway which might have the same mechanics after 5 years. Of course, I’m kidding. But seriously, I think that this was a fun yet very difficult post!

Have a great day and after this, we’re back to regular programming.

Alright. I started another blog and tried another blogging platform (i.e. through blogspot). I decided to keep it to myself until it gets a month old. I  can’t believe that as of today it already generated 134 views, most of which came from Google search (clicks were from US, Germany, Russia, UAE and Philippines). And the most viewed post happened to be my babbling on Go Xi Fa Cai and Butse Kik. It’s an exciting phase when no one’s reading you (and when more people are reading you). But there’s a consequence when a blog goes public. Then I remember why I started Pandesal ni Jo in the first place.

If you also like pandesal, I invite you to count with me– that’s where I do an inventory of my random sources of cheer.

The first GeekFest in Abu Dhabi is happening tomorrow at 6:30 PM at The Auditorium, Mezzanine Floor, Lime Green Building, twofour54. I’ve not yet decided if I’d be attending or not. But the basic fact that it’s a first is appealing enough. Add to that my interest to listen up close to Ali Al Saloom, the brain of Ask Ali, a portal of interesting information for newcomers and old timers in the UAE. Reported to be attending tomorrow, too, is Mark Makhoul, the author of the popular Kuwait blog 248AM.com. Yes, he’s the blogger sued for writing his honest opinion about the newly opened (franchised) Benihana, a Japanese  restaurant.

More details about the GeekFest can be found here. If you’re coming from Dubai, the GeekFest bus is available. Registration is required.

Thank you for your comments and response as I trimmed by anonymity last time to a certain extent. Here’s another article from me as a guest blogger in Singapore’s community page, a project by Ministry of Information, Culture and Arts (MICA) of Singapore. Apparently, it has been published on the colorful day of Valentine’s Day. While I did not write about the V Day, I spoke about some of the vibrant attractions in the Lion City.

Click the links to read (and leave a comment) about Colour Me Happy, Singapore and How to map a culturally enriching Chinatown experience?

Happy reading!

I was invited to be a guest blogger for Singapore’s blogger community webpage, one of the recent projects of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Arts (MICA). While I am not a Singaporean nor a resident of this charming country, my previous entries spoke how much I liked doing the tourist-y and non-tourist-y stuff there. I do join five other bloggers who would share about working in Singapore (Peter Breitkreutz of AussiePete), events (Kenny Sia), food (Leslie Tay of I eat I shoot I post), expat living (Neil Humphreys), and arts and heritage (Nicole Frank).

(How to map a culturally enriching Chinatown experience? I invite you to read the entire post here.)

When I was about to draft my first article, the corners of its Chinatown zoomed on me and I guess that just goes to show that it is one of my most memorable spots there. Later on, I realized that it is just in time to write about it for the Chinese New Year.

As you visit the blogger community webpage, you will notice the red and green (empty) thumbnails along the existing guest bloggers. Apparently, an exciting contest is up for all Singaporeans and non-Singaporean permanent residents. At stake are all expenses paid stay in Singapore, iPads, and a chance to be our co-blogger in www.BlogFriends.sg. More contest details here.

Related post:  Colour Me Happy, Singapore!