Hi there! I miss blogging and I miss my blogger friends too! Which is why I'm stepping out of my comfy conch on December 3, 2016 to take part of Cebu Blogging Summit 3.0! 

Last year, I was there too and I was so impressed by the labor of love that came from the core leads of Cebu Blogging Community to put together something this big. 

Cebu Blogging Summit is an annual gathering of bloggers and soon-to-be bloggers in Cebu City to learn anything from the something as basic as how to start a blog to how to live a digital nomad lifestyle.  Professional bloggers also share their best practices in their chosen niche. My favorite part happens when I get to see the endless possibilities of the internet of things and people. 

Every year the Cebu Blogging Summit  organizers choose speakers that take so much pride in what they do. Men and women who are often trailblazers in the industry. They dont just have a fanbase in readers but are admired my us bloggers too. Take a peek at the who's who this time! 

Although I have momentarily placed blogging in the far end of my to-do lists, I'm still joining #CBSummit because inspite of adulting so much this year, I have always identified myself as a blogger- someone who has a glaring digital footprint. 

I’m a blogger with a list of thank yous to publish.  A long overdue litany of thirty fortunate things, events and people I have come across in real and digital life.  Let me start with a few sentiments.

Thank you no.1 is for the Man in the sky where all good things must come from.  Through Him all has been redeemed.  We all owe Him a life lead fruitfully.  Everything I had, have and will hold are graces I work hard to deserve.  Thanks Big Guy!

No. 2 is for the love of family.  My heart may wander in search for something uncertain but the bond of kin can never be substituted.  When everyone else will not understand, my family stands by me to be like a rock that is ready to break my thick head.

No. 3 is for my great friends.  Those I grew up with, who despite any distance, still connects with me and let me in their lives no matter how different from mine.

No. 4 is for the long intimate conversations with my best friends.  I'd rather have a few long and winding talks with you than thousands worth of small shoptalk with those who do not care for me at all.

No. 5 is for the heart breakers.  The run down line "you made me stronger by breaking my heart." is in order.  I smile better now, thank you!

No. 6 goes to the banking industry.  I never thought I'd go back to working in a formal setting but the stars have aligned for me and being where I am now, polishes me to be a better person.

No. 7 is my thank you to whoever put together A Thousand and One Nights.  The story of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves had awoken my curiosity for words and reading.  Writing came naturally after my love for books.

No. 8 is a shout out to booze.  I write better under the influence of rhum and anything over 40 proof.

No. 9 is for the colors red, green and orange.  Without these three I can never express my loud side.  Just because I enjoy books does not mean I cant get on somebody's nerves. 

No. 10 is for the real feminists.  Thank you keeping women empowered as we ought to feel.  We bring forth mankind onto the face of the earth.  Respect shouldnt have to be our battle cry.

No. 11 is for my lucky charms.  You keep my dark compulsion at bay.  Your powers aren’t real but I imagine too many things.

Thank you to lipstick, eyebrow pencils, contact lenses and BB creams.  These babies keep me looking the way I am outside our iron fence.  Without them I'd look very, very different.  My vanity is my armor against the harsh reality that appearance is a currency.

No. 16 is for the books I have yet to read.  Although my TBR list could be a mile long, I am happy I have them to read when then internet is down.  One wall in my room is commissioned as my bookshelf.  Sometimes when I hoard books and add them to my wall, I feel guilty.  At the rate I am going, I may never be able to finish reading every book in my room.  Thrifting for second hand books is an addiction I have no intention of curing.

No. 17 is for the internet.  My horizon stretch as far as the internet could reach.  I am truly the master of my fate because of you.  Life would've been so different and so so difficult.  Now, I cannot imagine life without Facebook or Instagram.  It may appear shallow for some, but truly the internet has uplifted so many lives no politician ever could.  If I really want to, I can learn any language, any profession or any deadly skill just by investing my time and effort on the internet.  At this day and age, ignorance is an active choice we make. Information sows in us empathy and understanding. 

No. 18 is for the very healthy blogging syndicates on Facebook!  You keep Cebu is a Beauty alive!  I never thought there are that many bloggers willing to labor day in and day out just to help others get better.

I'd like to thank the amazing leads of Cebu Blogging Community - Mary Narvasa, Bjornson Bernales, Chanel Imperial, Jeph Flores, Jhanis Vicente, Gay Dumaguing and our prime mover Ruben Licera Jr.  There was a time when I was really set on retiring this blog until you guys inspired me to rekindle the passion to write online again.

No. 26 is for the nature loving entrepreneurs.  Thank you for working hard on your businesses to bring your patrons healthy and safe products.  Since I switched to natural goodness, my disposition and outlook changed for the better. 

No. 27 is a powerful number and I this space of gratitude goes to the only person who can boss me around but never does.  You may or may not be reading this but I thank you for not being bossy.  Your warmth infects me so much it is always a  happy day at work.

No. 28 is for my adorable nephew, Nunki.  You are the star we look at with love and joy.  We steer our lives with you at the center.  We hurry home to be your playmate and provide the answers to your inquisitive blurbs.

No. 29 is for the year 2015.  I am amazed at how much I feel like a different person than last year.  The trials were so real, better than cheap prime time TV.  The defeats and wins were beyond what my old self could have endured.  2015 has marked me for life, for the better.

No. 30 is a solid thank you to Romeo. There is no compulsion here, I was not coaxed nor cajoled into putting together this list of thirty things or unthings I am thankful for.  However, I did get a nudge from ZupRome! and so it is unto him I drop my last thank you!

The big 30 years old is coming soon and Im happy and thankful!

Cebu Blogging Community turned a year old and so we partied!

  

I met a good bunch of strangers online, followed through with a meet up IRL and we became a family of bloggers in less than a year.  What started out as a quest to find inspiration to revive this blog has now become a commitment to blog beyond the personal and the vain.  

Cebu Blogging Community is spear-headed by impressive individuals who have been relentless in building CBC to what it is now and to what it is yet to become.  

Energies were so high during CBC's first anniversary party held in F Cafe.  Cebuano bloggers who you would assume to be resigned to oneself, had shown prowess in the latest dance craze.  Writers can dance and dance the night we did.  I lost count as to how many writer cliches were negated during the event.  

CBC's 1st Anniversary Party (c) KiatCebu

We had so much fun, we forgot our gadgets - our precious blogging paraphernalia.  The company of Cebu Blogging Community is THAT great!

We thank our sponsors for helping CBC's first ever anniversary!

MAJOR SPONSORS- Yamba- Capdase Official Page & Aerophone Cebu- Turtulele- Globe Telecom- Kublai Khan Mongolian Restaurant
MINOR SPONSORS- Yoyi's Pastries & Desserts- Giga Naturally Cebu- Global Hub Serviced Offices- Static Data Hosting 
VENUE- F Café & Bar 

Productive individuals are consequences of productive teachers.

Fact: Public elementary and highschool education in the country are facing challenges. Philippine education is far from fine.  47,000 public elementary and highschools, a meager government budget, a thankless teaching salary and classrooms without walls.  Coalition for Better Education dropped a lot of  reality-check-bombs during the Blogger's Forum hosted by Philippine Information Agency.  

From left: CBE President Jeffery Tarayao, CBE Executive Director Marilou Flores and PIA Cebu Information Center Manager Rachelle Nessia.

While sitting down trying to drink in all the introductions it struck me hard that I am clueless. Education issues I only hear about in the news are one by one becoming vivid and real to me as we got served with the hard facts from mouths of the people who have seen - firsthand the state of our education system.

I cringe, because in my own bubble, education is fine.  I was, for a long time, under the impression that once you get in school you immediately get served your buffet of ABC's and 123's.  When you digest them well, these are all you need to make good in life.  

The issues keep coming but so are the many ways to lift things up for better education.  Although our teacher's salaries and education budget are how much the government says they are, groups such as the Coalition for Better Education materialized to be education's other set of arms to hold on to for strength.

Since 2001 CBE has gathered education stakeholders, unite other groups, individuals and companies to take part in thrusting for better education in the Philippines.  Their vision is to CREATE EMPOWERED LEARNING COMMUNITIES.  They believe, and I agree, that education is a shared responsibility.  We cannot solely blame the government for poor education.  Everybody has to have a hand to lend.

During the Blogger's Forum, CBE introduced to us modules on Project Based Learning Energy Flashcards and Do Energy Flashcards.  This is developing teaching tool that is K12 ready which innovates the standard way of learning.  Personally, I find the method very interesting and engaging.  We all learn in different ways, and I think Energy Flashcards have something to offer for all types of learners.  Imagine giving this resource to our teachers, it is going to change things for the better.  

CBE empowers our teachers, our main educators to produce better ways of teaching.  They get introduced to teaching tools and methods that are attuned with the demands of the present and flexible for what lies ahead in the future.  

For the why's and how's of joining CBE go HERE.
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This blog joins the thrust for better education. #iBLOGforBetterEducation

Yamba.rocks is calling for beta testers! As an awesome treat, they are raffling off three iPHONE6!  Im not kidding.

To join the beta testers list, simply go to www.yamba.rocks and fill out the sign up form! Form is only open from June 30 - July 5, 12mn. There will be no extensions.

Between July 6 - 17, you can go explore the site and its features and be one of the cool kids who got to evaluate and give feedback on whether or not yamba indeed rocks.

The following people will get to win the prize:

• First winner is the one who has the most views post in yamba.rocks
• Second winner is the one who has the most followers by the end of the test.
• Third winner is the one who uploaded the most number of post (photos, links, quotes, texts, etc).

An evaluation form will be sent out to all beta testers on July 20, to mark the end of the testing period.

So sign up today, invite your friends to sign up and follow you, and make sure you’re online from July 6 - 17 to post, post, & post and WIN an iphone 6!

All winners will be announced through Yamba on July 25, 2015. The prizes will be given by the management of Yamba.rocks. Winners need to CLAIM their prizes in Cebu personally.

As of writing, this blog, The ViXeN's LaiR, has exactly 231 published blog posts and this post makes that number 232.  I have been blogging since Multiply days and in retrospect, I am amazed at the person I have become because of blogging.  I used to blog only about myself, now I blog for Cebu and this post brings you the answer to the why's.

Blogging used to be my medium to rant or shout praises.  The earliest posts really showcased my extreme highs and ultimate lows. Overtime, the deeper I got into blogging, the more sociable and interactive I have become in real life.  Blogging heightened my curiosity, cultivated my whimsical interests in various topics and most noteworthy is the fact that blogging polished my language skills into a competitive caliber I am proud of today.

Now, I no longer consider my blog as my own personal virtual private space.  My blog is now a platform I use to effectively shoutout and reachout in an aim to influence Cebuano readers on what is relevant in the current modern day Cebuano lifestyles. 

I blog for Cebu because the island of my birth deserves to be the muse of my writing.  I put Cebu as the centerpiece of my blog because everywhere in Cebu and the Cebuanos too are overflowing springs of inspiration that the whole world ought to know about.

The ViXeN's LaiR is proud to be a member of Cebu Blogging Community a group which mirrors my drive and dedication to make blogging an act of social responsibility.  We'd love for any Cebuano blogger lurking out there to join us and be an open book for anything Cebu.

The Woman in Black is back because she never left.  Eel Marsh has always been her home and whenever there are children, she would always want to take over.

Woman in Black 2 is a sequel to the Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) horror movie of the same name.  Although there is no connection between the two movie's story line except for the setting at the Eel Marsh House.  The movie has a bit of a romantic feel the kind that appeals to all ages.

It was a fine day to have been invited to watch the special advanced screening for the movie "The Woman in Black Angel of Death."  It was nice to be in the cinema with a gathering of movie enthusiasts. You could almost assume everyone was screaming in concert.

I'm a sucker for any opportunity to scream out the air from my lungs.  Watching horror films is my way of freaking the stress away.  Special thanks to Cebu Blogging Community!

The Woman in Black 2 Angel of Death is showing starting today in Ayala Center Cebu.  Go catch it!