Information : PPUR Now Officially One of the New 7Wonders of Nature

This news is one big reason for us Filipinos to celebrate. Now that  the Puerto Princesa Underground River is officially declared ( not provisional anymore ) as one of the New 7Wonders of Nature, Palawan and the Philippines will be permanently etched in the eco-tourism map of the world. I remember when I was in grade school when we were required by our teacher to memorize the 7 Wonders of the World and where they are located. When I am abroad I would always remember them and want to see them. I have seen the Great Wall when I worked in China, and  the Leaning Tower of Pisa when I went to Italy to visit a cousin.

I almost saw the ancient city of Petra. I had an assigment in Amman, Jordan and had to travel by car from Amman to the port city of Aqaba on the Red Sea ( where you can see Israel from a distance). We passed by the town where Petra is located and my Jordanian-Palestinian co-worker told me that the ancient city is just near the place where we were driving. I told him that we just go there to see it when we travel back to Amman. Unfortunately due to our  hectic work schedule we had to travel back very late at night and my chance to see the Petra was never realized. I really regretted that.

Now that we have one of the  New 7 Wonders of  Nature right in our country, we Filipinos should never miss the opportunity  to see it. Let's all be proud of it but first we must see it. Let's go! 

Riding a boat in the Philippines is more fun at the PPUR!

Puerto Princesa Underground River

Source URL  : PhilStar.com

Related Link : http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=200&articleid=772133

Trivia : How the Ilocanos Cook "Tupig"

Tupig ti Ilocos

"Tupig" is a popular  Filipino native delicacy of  Northern Philippines. Basically its ingredients are : glutinous rice, coconut milk, young coconut meat and brown sugar or raw sugar. Depending on the region or town where it originated, "tupig" has different variants and add-on flavors. Some are sweeter than the others, some are portioned bigger or wrapped in different forms. But all kinds of tupig are wrapped in banana leaves which give the delicacy an unique aroma or flavor, and cooked on fire, hot stones or "earth ovens".

In Ilocos Norte, "tupig" is normally added with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds.  Here's a video of how they cook "tupig" in Ilocos :

Information : CPE and PRC Real Estate Broker Examination Review for March 2012

PAREB Marikina Valley Realtors Board is holding  a 12-unit  Continuing Professional Education ( CPE ) Seminar 


and 


60-unit  PRC Real Estate Broker  Examination Review for the March 18, 2012 PRC Examination.


Schedule :    Fridays and Saturdays  8 sessions


Venue : 
MVRB Office  
Rm 217 Citiland Condominium, Pinoneer St., Mandaluyong City 


For Inquiry and  Registration please contact :
Mike Caparros  
Mobile : 09228996453

Update : PhilRES Annual Membership Payment Extended

PhilRES extends payment of Annual Membership until further notice to accommodate more Real Estate Service Practitioners across the country.

PhilRES Official Announcement

People : The Korean "Invasion"

Literally, the Koreans have "invaded" the Philippines. Anywhere you go there are Korean communities and stores-retaurants : Quezon City, Manila, Baguio and even as far as the southern parts of the country. If you have been to the vicinity P. Burgos St and Kalayaan Ave. near Rockwell in Makati,  almost the whole block is resided by Koreans. Some people call it "Korea town". They are migrating here in throngs. Ideally, the Philippines is not exactly the most livable country (we're the friendliest though) in Asia for expats according to surveys. Why their preference for the Philippines?

I just read in the newspaper today that our President P-noy is dating GMA 7 Korean TV host Grace  Lee. There's a possibility that the Philippines will have its first foreigner First Lady, rather a Korean First Lady. I think there would not be any problem in accepting her among the Filipinos, since she is already a popular TVjournalist here. Also, we are a very open minded  nation when it comes to mix-marriages and very tolerant of foreigners. I guess it has something to do with our colonial past, and  also due to the fact that a lot of Pinoys have foreign bloods running in their veins in varying dilution.              ( specifically Spanish and Chinese ). Anyway, Ms. Lee is a very gracious lady and very popular to the Filipinos.

Speaking of the Koreans as a nation, I personally admire them a lot. From their rise from poverty and war devastation in the 1950's to their present status as one of the riches and most developed country in the world, they are admirable in their unity and discipline as a nation. Another admirable character of the Korean people is adaptability. I am awed with how Korea changed from a generally Buddhist country to a Christian country. In fact it is considered the biggest Christian nation now in Asia. ( Do I hear Filipino Catholics protesting?)

Korea has invaded a lot of fields and is triumphant globally : car manufacturing, electronics and communications, ship building, entertainment and music, etc, name it. I think the Koreans had learned a lot from its neighbor country Japan. They seem to have the same pattern of success and development. But I wish  the Koreans learn more of the humility of the Japanese people. Somehow success has gone up the head of some Koreans. Despite of this, still I admire them and I wouldn't  mind having Ms. Grace Lee as our First lady if ever.

GMA 7 Host Grace Lee

Related News :

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/43431/more-koreans-coming-for-its-more-fun-in-ph

Reminder : PRC Oath-Taking Ceremonies for All Real Estate Service Practitioners on January 31, 2012

To All Real Estate Service Practitioners :


The Oath taking ceremonies of the Real Estate Service practitioners for Consultants, Appraisers and Brokers, wii be held on January 31, 2012 at the Fiesta Pavilion, Manila Hotel, One Rizal Park, Manila at 1:00 o’ clock in the afternoon. Those who were included in the prior approved resolutions may opt to attend the oath taking.

Trivia : The 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs In the Year of Dragon 2012

A lot of searches  on this blog this week were about the 12 chinese zodiac signs. Maybe they were directed here by google search because of the blog posts I did about zodiac signs as a job requirement in China and  another on feng shui, but this was about  house design and arrangement. 

Anyway, it's the Chinese New Year so I'm giving in to readers' whims at the moment and posting a link where they can go and check the 12 chinese zodiac signs.  Please do this (horoscope reading) for fun and don't take it too seriously. Hard work and a positive attitude are still the touchstones of a good future and fortune. And prayer helps too.

The Year of the Black Water Dragon

Find out what is in store for you in the year of the water dragon. 

Please click link below to see the 12 Chinese zodiac signs :

http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2012/2012Zodiac.htm

Source :    http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/

Greetings : Kung Hei Fat Choy 2012

喜發財

Kung Hei Fat Choy

The Year of Black Water Dragon

 Happy Chinese New Year 2012  

In Chinese Astrology 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. The Year of the Dragon will start on 23 January 2012 and end on 09 February 2013.

" The dragons begin to speak.

Ying and Yang are commingled."

                            
  The Yuan Kien Lei Han

Source :    http://www.squidoo.com/year-of-the-dragon

Trivia : Funny T-Shirts

Truth in Advertising.

But this one is brutally honest!

Want to see more of these funny T-Shirts?

Go to this site :
 http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/12/25-funny-t-shirts-for-designers-and-developers/

Source :      http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/

Update : SOPA Dies, PIPA Stalls

While the article I have reposted below basically concerns the US, the Americans and the internet regulations in the US, it is inevitable that whatever the outcome of their concerns will have direct bearing and impact on the internet users here in the Philippines and other parts of the globe. Majority or practically all search engines, social networking services and major websites, computer networks and other internet related infrastructures that we are using now are based in the US or are US-registered companies. And knowing these facts we do not need further explanation or convincing why we should be concerned of what's going on in the US now concerning internet regulations. It is for these reasons that I have been updating the readers of this blog on these matters. 

      

                               SOPA Dies, PIPA Stalls       

It’s official, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is dead! Following a wave of online protests on Wednesday, including the unprecedented blackouts of websites ranging from Wikipedia to Imgur, Congress has wasted no time in backing away from a bill that was once being fast tracked. Yesterday, in the aftermath of the protests, SOPA’s support was already visibly dwindling as politicians on both sides of the aisle moved to distance themselves from the bill. While Wednesday’s protests clearly made an impact, it wasn’t until today that the true extent of that became apparent. Specifically it was early this afternoon, when Lamar Smith, the Congressman who introduced SOPA, announced that he would pull the bill from consideration. While Smith’s statement made clear that the death of SOPA will not mark the end of Congress’s anti-piracy efforts, he also noted that the approach to the problem needed to be revisited; and it’s important to remember that ultimately it was SOPA’s heavy-handed approach that created the lion’s share of the bill’s problems.

Of course, those of you who have been following the situation (or who have read my previous piece on the matter) will know that SOPA was only half the battle, the remainder being the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), the Senate’s counterpart legislation. Well there’s good news on that front too! Today, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the vote on PIPA (originally set for January 24^th) would be postponed, with the new date not yet specified. Unlike Smith, Reid seemed less willing to acknowledge the bill’s specific problems in his statement, instead attempting to frame the issue as one of American jobs.

I have to admit, I’m impressed. While the enormity of Wednesday’s blackouts was plain to see, I honestly thought it would take longer for Congress to react, particularly with the then-looming Senate vote on PIPA. In fact, while I had every hope that SOPA would fail, I didn’t expect that to happen until after discussion resumed in February. That remained the case even when it started hemorrhaging supporters and sponsors in the wake of this week’s protests. But here we are, barely two days later, with not one, but two major victories firmly in hand. Though the battle, as of this writing, is still not over, the progress we’ve seen in the past few days has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Finally, I’d like to take a minute to thank everybody who did something to fight SOPA, whether you signed a petition, wrote to Congress or even blacked out your website. This truly would not have been possible without each and every one of you. While PIPA is merely on the backburner for the moment, it too will soon be finished if the public continues to pressure the Senate. So sign a petition and write your Senators. The only way to make sure it dies is to keep fighting!

Remember the words of the late protest singer Phil Ochs: “You’ll never really know how far you’ll go ‘til you join together and try.”

Source Acknowledgement  :      
Written by Nick C.        http://www.comicbooked.com/sopa-dies-pipa-stalls/

Note  :   This is only a repost of the original article

Project Review : An Analysis of this Blogsite

I was googling some words the other day and when the results came I saw in the results list a name/words similar to the title of this blog.  Not unusual, because the title of this blog is very generic.   When I checked the link, to my surprise it was an analysis of this blogsite : the project review, it even had a picture. Who made the analysis and why was it analyzed? It was a site named StatsCrop.com that made the analysis. Why? I do not have any idea. I don't even know that websites and blogsites are being analyzed so I am sure I didn't submit it for analysis.  I do not know if this is an accurate or reliable analysis. But interesting enough for me to read the contents and review of this blogsite. Here's the analysis :

                  Yes! Site Theprojectreview.blogspot.com now

Rating:

  

2.0 out of 5 by StatsCrop

Theprojectreview.blogspot.com it is ranked #4,603,931 in the world, a low rank means that this website gets lots of visitors. This site is worth $1,388 USD and advertising revenue is $0 USD per day. This site has a good Pagernk(0/10), it has 48 visitors and 82 pageviews per day. Currently, this site needs more than 50.48 MB bandwidth per day, this month will need more than 1.53 GB bandwidth. Its SEO score is 49%. IP address is 209.85.143.132, and its server is hosted at Mountain View, United States. Last updated on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:43:32 GMT.

Site Title:	THE PROJECT REVIEW
Alexa Rank:	#4,603,931
Pagerank:
SEO Score:	49% (How to optimize theprojectreview.blogspot.com?)
Daily Visitors:	48
Daily Pageviews:	82
Daily Bandwidth:	50.48 MB (1.53 GB/month)
Daily Revenue:	$0 USD
Website Worth:	$1,388 USD
Theme Colors:	#   #   #   #   #
IP Address:	209.85.143.132
Server Location:	Mountain View, United States

            Keywords Ranking at Good Position on Google Analysis

Keyword	Position	Domain	Title
1. philres	2	theprojectreview.blogspot.com	THE PROJECT REVIEW:PhilRES-AIPO OFFICIAL PUBLIC ...
2. aipo	29	theprojectreview.blogspot.com	Information : Documented History of PhilRES-AIPO

Click below for updated analysis of this website :
http://www.statscrop.com/www/theprojectreview.blogspot.com

News Update : Chief Justice Impeachment Trial

Several years ago when the "coups d'etat" were the everyday "fare" of Filipinos, a fellow RESP member in our association was called by the authorities because during the investigation of those involved in one of the coups, it was found out the she brokered the house that they used as hide-out. Apparently, she was being suspected of being part of the coup. Her face and name was all over the tri-media. This is one risk of being a RESP. Sometimes unknowingly, we are transacting/brokering and treading on dangerous grounds.

I just remembered this story because of what is happening now in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona. Now they are presenting real properties as evidences against him. What if you were the one who brokered those properties?

Anyway, here's a news update on the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona :

Land Registrars : CJ, kin own properties

By Cristina Mendez  ( Philippine Star )

Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona

Please click link below for complete news article :

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=769478&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Source :   Philippine Star

Information : What is SOPA? What is PIPA? If you are an internet user you must know them.

SOPA and PIPA, two words that people across the globe love to hate

Friday Reflections - By B.K. Sidhu

SOPA and PIPA are two words that people across the globe love to hate.

Social media networks such as Twitter andFacebook are buzzing with comments from people all over the world, all expressing their frustrations over SOPA and PIPA.

Over 7,000 websites have joined Wikipedia to strongly protest against SOPA and PIPA by blacking out their content for 24 hours on Wednesday. Their reason create awareness so that people know the new legislation is designed to curb online piracy and the impact it will have on Netizens. Any infringement of piracy can land someone in jail for three, four or even five years.

That explains why the tweets on Twitter have gone berserk, some saying “imagine a world without Internet; Urge Obama to veto #PIPA and #SOPA if they make it through Congress; SOPA and PIPA have nothing to do with piracy, it's to do with The Arts' companies losing money to Internet content; Tell the US congress to stop Internet censorship and reject the #SOPA #PIPA bills-Sign the urgent petition; Some people still think that SOPA is something to wash yourself with and PIPA is the sister of a princess.''

SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act and PIPA, Protect Intellectual Property Act, not Prince William's sister-in-law Pippa Middleton.

Google said over 4.5 million people signed its online petition to Congress, voicing displeasure at the legislation; and Twitter said more than two million posts against the legislation. Wikipedia said 162 million saw its blackout landing page, and in the United States, eight million looked up Congressional rep to protest SOPA and PIPA.

What has got all the people worked up?

SOPA and PIPA are “two bills currently in discussion in the US Congress with an aim to strengthen copyright law''. The lobbyists for the two bills are the “powerful supporters, including lawmakers, the movie and music industries, and the US Chamber of Commerce''.

The lobbyists had expected a huge victory but not a backlash from the public.

Though the intention may be good, what worries people is that the “language used in these bills are seen to be vague'' and if any “intellectual property owner feels its copyright has been violated, they can have the site taken down without the normal due process of law.''

If the United States gets its way, this could set the example for other countries to follow suit, and that worries the rest of the world. As it is, China has a cap on content.

The Internet is the best thing that has happened to our lives; imposing unreasonable laws will only stifle the growth of businesses and individuals alike.

The Internet is now a social, business and economic tool as it educates, entertains and informs. You would not have been able to buy books online from Amazon without the Internet, nor could you send e-mails to your children if not for the Internet.

Taking that away will impact your life. But like everything else, there is the good and bad side. The bad side is often related to piracy and creators and aggregators want to protect their rights so that they get royalty for what they've created.

The question many are asking is, should we allow a few individuals to control the seven billion population of the world by pushing through this legislation or should it be refined?

By 2015, over 80% of the world population will have mobile phones and that means they will have access to all sorts of information. So, should that evolution be stopped?

This anti-piracy legislation will not only violate freedom of speech but stifle growth of nations and people and it could, as someone pointed out “break the Internet''. Are we heading in that direction or should the Internet remain a domain that is “free to use, explore and express”?

Source  Acknowledgement  :  

Article by :

Note : This is only a repost of the original article.

Announcement : PhilRES 1st National Election

Click poster to enlarge

Information : PhilRES Official Logo

Here is the PhilRES Official Logo. How do you like the design fellow RESPs?

Information : Recommended Business Books

Looking for some good book titles to read? Here are some recommended business books  that might whet your interest. One is authored by a Pinoy. Read the synopsis of the books below :

3 Business Books to Start the New Year

By Carlo P. Mallo

Entrepreneur.com.ph gathered three books which will not only help you become a better entrepreneur but also fun to read.

Passion & Purpose

By John Coleman, Daniel Gulati, and W. Oliver Segovia

This book is best for those who do not just want their business to earn profit but also want to make the world a better place through their business. The book is a compilation of stories that shows how one small business can change the outlook of a community or even that of a nation. Also, the book shows the growing trend among young entrepreneurs who think beyond profit for themselves but see business as an opportunity to actually alleviate poverty, and not just to enrich themselves.

Productive Pinoy

By Yeng Remulla

What makes a Filipino entrepreneur different from other entrepreneurs? It’s what Yeng Remulla answers in this book. An entrepreneur himself, Remulla talks about some of the Filipino traits and values that shapes how business is done here in the country. From the infamous Filipino time to takaw-mata the book takes you through wit and humor about the Filipino entrepreneur.

The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR

By Al Ries and Laura Ries

Discover how you can launch your brand or product, or even revive it without actually placing an advertisement. Learn how brands like Zara, Coca-Cola, Tide, Viagra, and many others became what they are now with the help of well-planned and masterfully crafted public relation skills. Also, understand why PR is actually better for your brand than a multi-billion ad placement.

Source :              entrepreneur.com.ph

Related Links :  http://www.productivepinoy.com/p/about.html