Making people laugh is probably one of the most challenging things to do on a regular basis. Laughter, especially in these jaded times, has almost become a luxury. Perhaps this is why comedians take their jobs seriously, thinking of novel ways to get a hearty laugh from the crowd.

Philippine comedy has always had the reputation of being campy. Some say there’s too much slapstick going around and that humor, for all intents and purposes, need not be low-brow. Whatever your mindset, one thing is for sure: comedy is no laughing matter.

This is why comedians in the Philippines should be given more credit. They are trying to revive an arguably dying art, asking people to open their minds to other types of comedy.

Mr. Joey de Leon, known for his humorous antics in movies and on TV, is a veteran of comedy. He has pursued his passion for comedy in print as well, scribbling away his witty ideas for newspapers. He is also known among his fellow cartoonists as the creator of several comic strips. No, his humor does not stop onscreen.

It seems that Stanley Chi has followed suit, exceling in many fields of comedy. He is a well-known stand-up comic. He is also the creator of Suplado Tips, a humor book that shows the funnier side of being suplado (standoffish). He is a cartoonist for eight years now, giving Tsinoy life a second look through Chopsticks and giving techies something to laugh at through Copy+Paste.

Stanley Chi is also a TV host for Hecklines on GMA News TV. He also hosts his first solo Internet radio show, The Suplado Show, every Monday at 9 to 11 p.m. on Dig Radio.

Tagged as Mr. Suplado, Stanley Chi was recruited by UniSilver Time to endorse the Suplado Watch. He now joins the line of UniSilver Time endorsers such as Sam Milby and Iya Villania:

It then warms my heart that a bigwig comedian such as Mr. Joey de Leon supports other Pinoy comedians, such as Mr. Stanley Chi. Yes, Mr. de Leon has waived opportunities to endorse timepieces before, but he still gamely wears the Suplado Watch to support Stanley Chi’s campaign:

Who better to support comedians than fellow comedians, yes? Kudos to Stanley Chi and Joey de Leon for showing us that indeed, humor has heart.

*Photos from www.stanleychi.net

Imagine a seven-year-old beggar, asking you for alms. Do you give him money?

A lot of people will say yes – and that doesn’t surprise me much. A lot of us are under the impression that giving alms to street children is a way of helping the less fortunate. But are you sure that whatever alms you give will be used for food and necessities, instead of for drugs and vices?

Indiscriminate giving is wrong.

--Saint Vincent de Paul

Before you give any violent reactions, allow me to explain further. All our actions, regardless of our intentions, have consequences. If our intention is to help the less fortunate, we should make sure that our money goes to charitable institutions or individuals who will be responsible with how the money is handled. If we give alms to just about anyone, we might simply be reinforcing laziness instead of actually giving to those who are truly in need.

Perhaps it’s hard to say who is “truly” in need. This is where we have to be more discerning. If you give alms to a little boy in the street, do you actually think of what he might do with the money? Or is the act of giving alms enough to make you feel better, so you don’t really think of what happens after your charitable deed? A lot of people actually give alms to beggars just to make themselves feel better, to assuage the guilt or pity they feel for being more fortunate.

A lot of people actually give alms to beggars just to make themselves feel better, to assuage the guilt or pity they feel for the less fortunate.

Real charity is discerning and discriminate. St. Vincent de Paul, the patron of charitable societies, believed that indiscriminate giving is wrong.

Besides, we don’t want to encourage lazy parents to force their little children to beg in the streets. The more we give alms to little children, the more their parents (or, worse, “bosses”) will think that begging is definitely a good “business”. Instead of giving alms to children, report the incident to DSWD. Children should NOT be begging; they should be in school, studying, being provided for by their parents.

Being charitable should not be done primarily to make yourself feel better for the pity in your heart; your money, although given with good intentions, just might encourage children to commit crime.

The goal of being charitable should not be “to feel better because I feel pity”; rather, it should be “to responsibly give to those who need help in a way that shall not harm them and in a way that shall encourage self-proficiency.” Charity should not be done primarily based on the giver’s feelings, but on the asker’s needs. Being charitable is NOT for your benefit; it’s for someone else’s.

Recently, there are more and more kids mugging cab passengers. These same kids beg when they get tired of mugging. They should not be given money to spend on their own as they are given no guidance by their parents; instead, report these kids to DSWD and give them a fighting chance for a good life. Avoid “feeling better about your guilt and pity” through alms giving; your money, although given with good intentions, just might encourage children to commit crime. When you give alms irresponsibly, you just might become a material accomplice for mugging, illegal drug use, and child labor.

Giving alms mindlessly is encouraging parents to exploit their children. If you really want to help street children, sponsor their education and give them a proper home. Or is that too tedious and you simply want to give coins to make yourself feel better?

Donate to your favorite charity instead. Let’s all follow Saint Vincent de Paul’s example; let us all practice responsible giving.

Addendum: Giving alms to beggars is prohibited by law. According to the PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 1563, any person who abets mendicancy by giving alms directly to mendicants, exploited infants and minors on public roads, sidewalks, parks and bridges shall be punishable by law. Let’s not claim to be above the law – it exists for a reason.

**This is my most controversial post yet. I hope that everyone reads it carefully before giving a comment. Let’s not be suckered into abetting the exploitation of little children through careless almsgiving.

Suplado is the new sexy. This catchphrase is inscribed on the Suplado Watch, Stanley Chi’s exclusive timepiece from UniSilver Time. No, it’s not just some silly slogan. Or maybe it is – and therein lies its appeal.

Suplado Tips, Stanley Chi’s most recent book, has sold thousands of copies in less than three months. As the book continued to exceed expectations, corporate giant UniSilver Time knew better than to shrug it off as a mere fad. UniSilver Time came out with a watch that just might become as iconic as the book that inspired it: the Suplado Watch by Stanley Chi.

The Suplado Watch is a digital timepiece available in black and white, with the tagline “Suplado is the new sexy” stamped on the strap.

To match the brazen humor of the timepiece, the ad poster shows local celebrity Iya Villania chasing after Stanley Chi, apparently made irresistible by his Suplado Watch. Here’s a picture of Iya and Stanley during the photoshoot:

Click here to see the FINAL PRINT AD of the Suplado Watch with Iya Villania and Stanley Chi and to read the rest of the story!

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to install the Related Posts widget for my Blogger (Blogspot) blog. I’ve been scouring the Internet for html code, but because of my customized template, I found step by step instructions for HTML code changes to be ineffective. Fortunately, I found a Related Posts Widget that requires no HTML tweaking at all!

This is how a Related Posts widget will look on your blog (the pic below is a screenshot of my own website with the widget installed):

Having a Related Posts widget allows your readers to stay longer on your page as they browse through past blog posts with a similar topic. If you want to install a Related Posts widget for your Blogger or Blogspot blog, follow the steps below:

1. Log on to your Blogger account.
2. Go to this Related Posts widget website.
3. Fill up the fields with your email address, the URL of your blog, the platform (Blogger), and the number of related posts you want (I chose four because five no longer fits the width of my blog’s body):
   
4. If your blog has a dark background and your text is light in color, check the box beside this statement: “My blog has light text on a dark background.”
5. Then, click the “Get Widget"!” button.

6. You will then find yourself on another page. Click the “Install Widget” Link. On another tab, you will be brought to a Blogger window. To install the Related Posts widget, click on the “Add Widget” button:

   

7. You will find yourself in your blog’s dashboard under the Designs tab. You will see the new widget installed here:

   
8. Drag the Related Posts widget over to the “body” part of your blog for it to install properly:
9. Save the changes by clicking on the orange “Save” button on the upper right corner.
10. That’s it! You are now ready to view the newly installed Related Widgets post on your Blogspot blog!

If you are having any problems on how to install the Related Posts widget on your Blogger/ Blogspot blog, leave a comment below with the URL of your blog and I’ll see what I can do to help.

Believe it or not, women are not the only ones who are seemingly obsessed with finding “the one”. Men, especially when they feel that they are done playing the field, often find themselves fumbling when it’s time to decide on a mate. Yes, the guys also want to know how to find out if she’s the one.

Women are better equipped at finding a suitable partner because of the instincts and relationship skills they’ve honed through the years. Men, on the other hand, tend to be more focused on achievements and work, which is why they are most often clueless about figuring out if a woman is a catch.

Besides consulting with a relationship counselor who has graduated from a top psychology school, there are a few other ways men can know they have found the right person. If you want to find out if the girl you are with is the right one for you, here are a few tips:

• If she’s the one, she will be your biggest supporter. She is someone who may not always agree with your opinions, but she will still be there to support you in your endeavors. Who cares if she hates sports? She’ll still be cheering the loudest when your team wins.
• If she’s the one, she will bring out the best in you. When you find the right woman for you, you are suddenly better at the things you know almost nothing about. You seem to talk better, dress better, and feel better. If you want to know if she’s the one for you, ask yourself this: are you a better man because of her?
• If she’s the one, she will be there right beside you no matter what. There is a reason why marriage vows say “for better or for worse.” It’s not just some vague obligation that women have to follow; it’s something they will actually want to do if they truly love you. Come hell or high water, your woman will be right by your side if she’s a keeper.
• If she’s the one, she will be the brightest star in your sky. Whenever someone mentions the words nice, pretty, hardworking, trustworthy, or any other positive attribute, you can’t wait to tell them about how your woman is all of the above. Her smile, regardless of how many crooked teeth she has, will be the most unforgettably beautiful in your book. Yes, you will become quite biased about your girl if she rocks your world.
• If she’s the one, your closest friends and family will know it, too. Friends and loved ones want the best for you. If they spot someone who they feel deserves you, they will give their thumbs up. They might even like her better than they like you.
• If she’s the one, you’ll have the strangest gut feeling that you’ve finally found her. Yes, even primitive men have these instincts; let’s give the guys more credit. Whether she’s right beside you or miles away, whether you’re kissing or arguing, God knows you will believe with all certainty that this girl you seemingly don’t deserve is there for you because you deserve to be happy.

So, if you want to know how to find out if she’s the one, ask yourself and be honest with your feelings. If you feel you’ve found her, congratulations! You’re one lucky bastard.

Oh no, Yahoo Mail is down for the count! Starting September 20,2011 at 10:30 p.m., Yahoo Mail started experiencing technical difficulties. If you can’t access your Yahoo email, you’re not alone.

Here is a screenshot of my Yahoo email when I tried to open it:

According to DownRightNow.com, Yahoo Mail suffered its latest widespread service disruption five hours ago and, from the looks of it, is still ongoing. Too bad for Yahoo email users (like myself ) who need to access their inboxes urgently.

The error message on Yahoo Mail does not always come up. Sometimes, your connection times out regardless of a good Internet connection. Any which way, you will have a hard time accessing your Yahoo email.

Last month, Yahoo Mail also had a major service disruption, which caused a lot of violent reactions all over the web. Yahoo was vague about why the email service is down, which outraged even more users. The company simply released a generic apology on how they are trying their best to to correct the issue without stating why there was a problem to begin with.

But fret not; soon enough, we will be able to open our Yahoo emails. If you can’t access your Yahoo inbox, try again in a few hours – or stay tuned to my Twitter account for more info. In the meanwhile, let’s all cross our fingers and hope the problem, whatever it is, gets resolved soon.

This post brought to you by Hills Pet Nutrition. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you a dog person or a cat person? They say that dog lovers and cat lovers are different: dog lovers tend to be quite sociable and cat lovers are creative or philosophical. This is based on a study done by the University of Texas.

But in general, being an animal lover means having the responsibility of caring for your pets. If you have been spoiling your dog and he is overweight, his health is at risk. Pet owners should always strive to keep their pets healthy – there is no one else to do it but you.

Here are our puppies. They have ash brown fur and blue eyes!

If your pet dog has been showing signs of sluggishness or if he doesn’t like going out, perhaps it’s time to switch to healthier dog food. Hill’s Pet Nutrition is a provider of healthy dog food that you might want to check out.

According to Hill’s Healthy Mobility Challenge, dog owners are dared to try Hill’s dog food. For thirty days, the dog’s behavior and activity are to be documented and monitored. A dog on Hill’s Pet Nutrition is supposed to show an increase in physical activity.

When you sign up for the Hill’s Healthy Mobility Challenge, you get a Hill's Healthy Mobility Coupon. You also get a chance to be among 30 lucky winners who will get an entire year’s supply of dog food.

Ensuring that your dog receives adequate nutrition and exercise is your responsibility as a pet owner. Pet food providers, such as Hill's Pet Nutrition, should help dog lovers to address weight problems and lack of physical activity in dogs.

You can also find Hill's Pet Nutrition on Facebook. If you do sign up for their challenge, don’t forget to share your dog’s progress. Good luck, and do take care of your dogs – we want them to stay with us for as long as possible, so let’s keep them healthy.

 

It was my first time to attend a Chinese birthday party a month ago. I was slightly culture-shocked; there were a few things I did not expect. Perhaps I’m not the only Pinoy who went through the same thing. Based on my experience, here are a few things you should expect when attending a Chinese birthday party:

Expect your meals to be served in several courses. I was surprised that the food was not served on a buffet table; instead, food was served one at a time. My Chinese friend told me that meals were usually served in a series. After a plate of food has been served for an amount of time, it is replaced by the next plate of food, and so on. The food is usually served in the middle of the table for everyone to share. I couldn’t pace how I ate because I had no idea how many more plates were coming, and which ones I would actually want to eat more. Below are some of the food options served at the Chinese birthday party I attended:

Chili Crab

Peking Duck or Pigeon

Seafood Fingers

Pancit

Do not think that the person seated next to you will understand English or Tagalog. Some Chinese birthday parties have guests who speak Chinese alone. No worries; smiling and other universal hand gestures will do.

If you want to finish your dinner, expect to stay for about two hours. Unlike most Pinoy parties where guests are immediately invited to enjoy the food, there is usually a program to be followed in Chinese birthday parties. Food will not be served immediately. If you haven’t eaten before the party, I suggest a light snack before you head off to the party.

Bring a companion because the hosts will be too busy entertaining hundreds of guests. Chinese birthday parties can get really big, almost as if a celebrity or a politician is hosting it. The last one I attended was the birthday party of a one-year-old boy, but it looked even bigger than some wedding receptions I’ve been to. If you don’t want to get bored, bring someone along to chat with – your friends who have also been invited might already be seated in other tables.

Do not wear black if you do not want to be kicked out of a Chinese party. The Chinese believe that wearing black during a birthday party is bad luck – and even bad manners. You can wear other colors, or wear red instead if you want to impress the host.

There is usually a puppeteer or a magician. Yes, Chinese birthday parties usually hire performers to entertain guests.

These are, of course, generalities. Other Chinese birthday parties will seem not to share the above descriptions. I could only hope that my experience, coupled with my Chinese friends’ advice, will be enough to help prepare you as to what you should expect in a Chinese party. If you feel that the above expectations are inaccurate or if you have tasted other Chinese birthday party food, I am more than happy to hear you share your stories and comments!

This post brought to you by Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.

Everything you need is usually available in one cellphone, given how most cellphones nowadays are Bluetooth-enabled, WiFi-enabled, Internet-capable, and social network savvy. Most phones have built-in calendars or organizers, making the modern mobile phone the go-to gadget. The fact that you can slip it into your shirt’s front pocket or jeans pocket is just a plus factor. But looking at the going rates for mobile subscriptions, opting for postpaid plans might not be for the average Joe.

Fortunately, there are affordable prepaid plans that allow you to send text messages, make calls, and surf the Web. And if you hate having to reload your prepaid plan every so often, Straight Talk actually offers prepaid plans that have an auto-load feature. Using this feature, you can program your prepaid plan to automatically reload, charging it to your credit card. If you no longer need this auto-refill feature, you can cancel the service anytime without having to pay any fees.

Unlimited services also make prepaid plans worth it. Straight Talk offers unlimited text messages, calls, and Internet use for just a monthly fee of $45. That’s about $499 every year, way more affordable than most postpaid plans, especially if you are an avid cellphone user. Call a friend – and don’t ever worry about running out of load! You can also call 411 for free.

If you have loved ones abroad, avail of the International Long Distance services. Hook, line and sinker, Straight Talk’s services are worth taking.

Prepaid mobile plans do not require contractual usage. No need to keep paying a certain sum of money every month for years; you can tailor your cellphone usage according to your budget. There’s no commitment needed; you can stop availing of the wireless service anytime if you use Straight Talk.

If you want brand new cellphones, Straight Talk has tied up with several brands: Samsung, Kyocera, LG, Nokia, and Motorola. If you want Android on Straight Talk, they have several Android phones. If you want reconditioned mobile phones, Straight Talk has those, too. Those reconditioned phones are great for younger users who may want to avail of a camera, mp3 player, internet usage, and Bluetooth. They cost $10, something that anyone on a tight budget can avail of.

Their monthly plan (All You Need) plan includes one thousand call minutes, one thousand texts, and Internet data amounting to 30Mb.

With Straight Talk, you just might get your phone bill to be fifty percent lower than it usually is. For me, having that much savings means getting the chance to spend on something else I might need.

 

I used to like painting. But growing up got the better of me and I forgot about a few things that I used to cherish as a kid.

Perhaps it was my love of self-expression that made me try drawing when I was a kid. I loved how one piece of paper could draw out emotion, provoke thought, and get people to share their opinions. It was like a story told from your point of view, but without the words. It was like opening a door of possibilities.

I never used pencil for my drawings when I was younger - I never really knew why. I started using pencil when I reached highschool.  But when I was in first grade, I would use crayons alone. Maybe I loved the colors so much that using pencil would make me feel like I was raping the hues. Maybe I found the colors so scandalous and I loved it that way.

I was never a great painter. Whatever awards I won were probably just a stroke of luck. I never had the chance to hone what I had. And maybe that was why it was taken away from me.

Or maybe I’m too lazy to find out if it’s still there.

Regardless, I look back at memories of how I used to love drawing. Hopefully, they will remind me that every talent is a gift, but if it’s not given the justice it deserves, it’s bound to fade away.

Do you like playing dress-up? Do you like watching anime or reading manga? Then you should have been at Otaku Expo 2011, held last September 3 to 4 at SM Megamall Megatrade Hall.

It was my first time to attend an Otaku event. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised that there was a lot of interesting merchandise and eye candy at the Otaku Expo 2011. I know it might sound childish, but I just had to buy an Otaku headgear – after all, it was in keeping with the festivities.

Cosplayers abound, populating the venue. I simply had to take pictures with them:

There were stalls selling manga and anime inspired merchandise. Clothes, bags, hats, beanies, pins, mugs, tumblers, DVDs – you name it.

Toys were also on display. Some expensive collections were highlighted inside locked glass cabinets.

The Otaku Expo 2011 also included cosplay band competitions.

Going to the Otaku Expo 2011 at SM Megatrade Hall 3 was like going back in time when I still wore pigtails and watched cartoons and anime everyday. It was a welcome change from my daily routine which, I confess, has become way too grown-up for me.