THE ROYAL WEDDING

All people were glued to their TV sets or are watching feeds from the net or keeping track of their twitters and facebook as we all witness the wedding of the year and possibly the decade.

Friday 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey, Prince William and Catherine "Kate" Middleton has officially tied the knot and exchanged their vows in front of thousands of people who kept their eyes on the biggest worldwide event for 2011. Dubbed as the Royal Wedding of 2011, news were all over for most of that day and even the succeeding weeks. The newlyweds now most commonly known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were a picture of happiness and ecstacy. The couple were all smiles on the entirety of the wedding ceremony.

What I liked about this wedding is how simple the gown of Kate was. Simple yet elegant and chic. Didn't I mention about the diamond studs. Man, they were many. Kate kinda remind me of Princess Diana back then with her ever simple and down to earth attitude coupled by the great smiles. And another talk of the town were the head dresses and head pieces worn by the lady guests during the event. They were all there raning from lovely, eelgant and even some tacky.



It was indeed a remarkable world wide event. And while the world was tired of the bad news on calamities, economy and corruption, it is a pleasant news to have a story of great love be shown to everyone.

NATION MOURNS OVER FILIPINO EXECUTION IN CHINA

The whole nation mourns over the execution via lethal injection of 3 Filipinos in China. The three -- Ramon Credo, 42, Sally Villanueva, 32, and Elizabeth Batain, 38 -- were arrested separately in China in 2008 for smuggling heroin and sentenced to death.


The execution made by the Chinese government has drawn several reactions from different set of people citing the Philippine government as not doing much to save their lives. The Catholic church and Amnesty International has both been very vocal of their disappointment with the Aquino administration. But while saving the lives of these Filipinos seem to be task, ket us not forget that they did something bad as well and they did it on a foreign land. We can't expect the government to flex its muscles and get in the way of anothe nation's legislation and laws.

What we can do now is to remember that wherever we are, we should always put in mind to do only what's just and what's right. But as for these 3 souls, all we can do is pray for them and their families.

EARTH HOUR TODAY

Once more, the entire WORLD including the Philippines will embrace darkness. Today, March 26, 2011, Filipinos all across the country and even the world will once again join the Earth Hour. It will be the 5th year for this event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature and this will be the 2nd year I would be actively participating on this drive.

I'll join hundreds of people or maybe even thousands at the Mall of Asia Grounds and turn off the lights for an hour starting 8:30 PM. This campaign is driven towards awareness on the need to take action with the climate change all over the world. Last year, billions joined the Earth Hour in support with the movement. I am proud to say that for the past 2 years (2009 and 2010), Philippines has topped Earth Hour participation. In 2009, 10 million Filipinos in 647 cities and towns joined and 15 million in 1,076 cities and towns switched off and turned pitch black. (Yey, I'm part of the 15 million last year)

It has become one of the biggest event in the world and will continue so. I hope people would not see this only as a yearly thing. Instead we should look on how we can actively support this endeavor on our daily lives. We can save mother nature in our own ways. A small thing done from each one of us could be collectively doing great measures.

PRAYERS FOR JAPAN AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE

Just this Friday, March 11, 2011 an earthquake (magnitude 8.9) followed by a tsunami hit Japan - and it hit them really hard. As of now news accross the globe has pegged the death toll to exceed by 1000 people. While the quakes and tsunamis are not expected to hit the country any time soon, there are still numerous threats being posted in the Japanes region of Tokyo. One of which is the government warning about a small radiation leak from a nuclear reactor whose cooling system was knocked out by the quake.

While Japan has been one of the powehouses in the world, it is well known for having a prett good disaster coordinating system. Yet, the tragic quake and tsunami still found its way in destroying Tokyo and reaping lives away. It was a scary moment the more that it was being shown on TV and news feeds. Even if I am not there, I can feel the horror and fright. During these times of natural disasters, we can only pray.

To all the people accross the globe, all we can do is continuously pray for better days in Japan. The world specially the Japanese people are still at mourn. Hope these days would pass.

Photo Credits: Reuters Kyoto

CHILEAN MINERS: STRENGTH AND WILL TO SURVIVE

The human spirit was again tested and yet has been proven to withstand any obstacle.

69 days after their disastrous trapping in one of the mines of Chile, miners are now one by one being rescued and extracted from the mine that collapsed. Truly amazing! It makes me wonder once more on the real power of mankind. These guys have shown great strength and will to survive. They have been pure examples of hope. For others, being down there for that long might be the end already but these miners have their hopes high and their beliefs that they will be rescued. As of writing, 4 miners out of the 33 has been successfully rescued already.

The scenes on TV are emotional and heartwarming. It uplifts spirits and it actually brought me to tears. Struggles are but part of men's life and that there are times like this when everything seem to have crashed but one should not lose hope. There is still light at the end of the tunnel though sometimes you don't know how far the end of tunnel may be. These Chilean miners are great examples of men's strength. May all of those trapped in there be rescued already for their lives to return to normal.

FORBES LISTS 2010'S POWERFUL WOMEN

Late last month, Forbes has released a new list of the most powerful women in the world for 2010. The collection of the Top 100 is quite an interesting bunch. We have CEOs, newsmakers, music icons, sports athletes, TV and media moguls and of course first ladies all over the globe. This year is perhaps their most diverse list ever.

Michelle Obama

Now just want to note on some who did land in the Top 100. Topping the list is US First Lady Michelle Obama who has changed the landscape of being a first lady. She combines her charity work and her wonderful sense of fashion into a great mix. CEOs have also made the list. Two of which are in the Top 10. Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld (No.2) and PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi. (No.6). And who could not forget US Secretary of Stat Hilary Clinton who is at No.5.

Those are expected to actually land in the Top 10 with their positions, wealth and influence but the Top 10 also has some faces that are truly buzz-worthy. Music icons Lady Gaga landed at No.7. For most of the people used to seeing the Forbes List, it's a complete surprise but for me, nah. She has been in the airwaves since 2009 and has been grabbing sales here and there. And she's a regular fixture in the news as well. At No.9 is singer Beyonce. Her earnings and popularity is also one to be noted in the past year.

Lady Gaga

TV personalities can never be outdone. Oprah Winfrey who's having her new network soon is at No.3.  Plus she is so rich. See her mansion? Need I say more? Also joining the foray is Ellen Degeneres who lands at No. 10. Known for her TV shows and her humanitarian efforts, Ellen is also one of the more influential people on TV.

Rounding up the Top 10 are Germany's Angela Merkel (No.4) and Westpac's Gail Kelly (No.8). Other notables in the Top 100 are Sarah Palin (No.16), actress Angelina Jolie (No.21), singer Madonna (No.29), models Heidi Klum (No.39) and Gisele Bundchen (No.72), Twilight author Stephenie Meyer (No.49), tennis sisters Serena Williams (No. 55) & Venus Williams (No.60) and fashion designers Vera Wang (No.91) and Donna Karan (No.99).

MARK ZUCKERBERG MAKES BIG DONATION

Fresh from being included in Forbes 400 as No. 35 richest, founder and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg is donating a huge paycheck this Friday.

Zuckerberg is expected to announce the donation of a whopping $ 100 billion at the Oprah Winfrey Show. He is set to donate it to troubled schools in Newark, New Jersey. The gift is coinciding with the premiere of "The Social Network", a film that is based on him but gives a connotation that he is power-hungry, a stealer of ideas and a genius of awkward proportions.

Many insiders have been specualting that the donation is part of Facebook's drive to eliminate the bad publicity being thrown to Zuckerberg. The oftentimes too private CEO is now finally reaching out to the public and showing who he truly is. Well, the donation was a good one for Mark who has actually raised Fecbook's net value to $ 23 billion.

Facebook has become a global phenomenon and it is but ordinary for him to get bad publicities from time to time. And for me the gift to the less fortunate ones is a big move from his camp to silence some of his critics.

REMEMBERING 9/11

It has been 9 years since the tragedy that saw the once mighty World Trade Centre crumble like Uno Stacko. As we remember the nightmare from that 2001 event, let's take a minute of solitude to continuously pray for the people who lost their lives and to keep the fire burning of one wonderful thing in the world - world peace.

I was only 17 years old back then and for me it was a horrific experience. All the video footage has been gloomy and shocking to the senses. You see the once big landmark fall into pieces. There was a huge smoke after the collision of the plane and the building. And after the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of the majestic World Trade Centre.

The event was one of the saddest instances in the history of mankind but somehow it has taken out the best within each people. It united a nation and the world was awakened and valued peace the more. It's almost a decade now and yet the stigma of the 9/11 incident remains. But the good thing is that people are slowly learning. Peace and love still reigns. The world will always remember the 9/11 but each person now has a stronger sense of country pride, peace, love and hope.

CHINA VAULTS TO NUMBER 2 IN THE WORLD

Just this year, it came to no surprise that China finally catches up with Japan and finally overtakes the latter as the number 2 biggest economy in the world (behind USA).

Several economists have already forecasted such change in the leaderboard but not all are impressed. Yes, China may have scored and landed the number 2 spot worldwide but they are constantly plagued with several issues still to be addressed. The big boost in the economic growth has been continuously questioned to have just made the rich richer and leaving the marginally oppressed still behind. Second quarter of 2010 shows that China's valus is pegged at $ 1.28 billion, way behind US who is at $ 14 billion and just slightly above Japan at $ 1.22 billion.

Another thing to consider is that while China vaulted in terms of overall country growth, its economic output remains to be a question. A very low GDP and a per capita ratio still puts a shadow in doubt to its real value - showing that the country is rich but it's people not so.

WHY DO PEOPLE REMAIN UNEMPLOYED?

There are several reasons I see on why people remain unemployed. First of which is the most difficult truth - there is no job matching one's qualifications. There are a lot of companies hiring for several different positions but it does not mean they would hire you. First they would take a look if you are a fit to that position. Considerations are field of specialization, degree in college, length of experience and a whole bunch of items.

Yes, you fit the qualifications for the job for a single company, but why do you still have no job? This would point you to the next issue. Attitude. They would invite you for exams and you would pass them with flying colors so you're bound for the interview. But come interview time, they don't like what they see (not the physical aspect - unless you're applying to be a model or a showbiz figure). Manners, etiquette and personal well-being are of course being considered. You may be the brightest from all the other aspirants but if they see you're a bad-ass individual who just thinks about himself, then say bye-bye to your application. If they see you have the traits that would fit you to work within their organization, then you're up to the next level.

Okay, so you're done with the 2nd barrier but why still unemployed? You would now look into the compensation package (although I know a lot look at this at the first point). You tend to ask for more. In today's financial crisis, taking something relatively lower in value would be better than having no job at all. Having a scrape of about 10% of your asking salary might be able to seal the deal in your job hunting. Fine, you saw that the gross pay is good, but what about the other benefits? Make sure if you accept a job, you're looking for the further time ahead.

Those are the 3 big issues I am seeing on why you remain unemployed. 1. Job Fit; 2. Attitude; 3. Salary. What you have to do is to check a balance of the three. You might not get all the ideals on the 3 aspects but make sure you know how to play the game. Leverage your strengths. Don't be afraid to admit weaknesses but make sure you assure them that there are other things in you that could easily overshadow those flaws.

Happy Job Hunting!!!

Fran Tarkenton still angry with Brett Favre

Fran Tarkenton still angry with Brett Favre: 'I didn't like it then ... and I don't like it now'

Fran Tarkenton is willing to admit that Brett Favre is playing well. But that's as far as the Hall of Fame former Vikings QB will go towards complimenting the man he believes is a traitor for donning a purple uniform.

Tarkenton told Bloomberg News he stands behind his comments from last year that Favre, the longtime Packers great, joining the Vikings is "despicable":

"I didn't like it then -- he's a Green Bay Packer -- and I don't like it now. I could never imagine me retiring from the Vikings and playing for the Packers. So, it didn't sit well with me and it still doesn't."

Tarkenton touched off a controversy with his comments last May and at one point challenged ESPN analyst Marcellus Wiley, who had called him a "grumpy old man."

But stuck in his original criticism of Favre was this line, three months before the QB joined the Vikings:

"I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail."

That hasn't worked out the way Tarkenton hoped. Favre, 40, had one of his best years with 4,202 passing yards, 33 TDs and a career-low seven INTs.

Tarkenton conceded that Favre's play has been "remarkable":

"I'm just amazed. This is the best he has ever played. He's throwing like he's 25 years old. He's moving around like he's 25 years old. It's unheard of. No quarterback in the history of time -- we all break down over the age of 35 -- (Johnny) Unitas, (John) Elway, (Dan) Marino, (Joe) Montana, Tarkenton, (Roger) Staubach, we've never seen this happen ever, ever before, so it's remarkable."

Glasgow fly-half Dan Parks returns to Scotland squad

Glasgow fly-half Dan Parks returns to Scotland squad

Dan Parks has won a recall to the Scotland squad, while there are places for uncapped Glasgow Warriors team-mates Richie Gray and Ruaridh Jackson.

They are included in Andy Robinson's 30-man squad for the RBS 6 Nations games against France and Wales.

Parks was left out of Robinson's first Scotland line-ups, for the autumn Test series, but has been in fine form.

Fellow fly-half Jackson and second-row forward Gray have also helped Glasgow lead the Magners League.

The 20-year-old Gray made his Scotland A debut in the triumph over Tonga two months ago.

Meanwhile, Jackson, a year older and who has recently returned to action following a shoulder injury, helped the A side to victory against their French counterparts in the IRB Nations Cup in Romania last summer.

Baltacha defies the odds

Baltacha defies the odds
British No.1 topples 30th seed in Melbourne

British No.1 Elena Baltacha produced one of the best performances of her career as she toppled 30th-seed Kateryna Bondarenko at the Australian Open.

Baltacha, who reaches the third round of a Grand Slam for the third time in her career, fired off 35 winners as she recorded a 6-2 7-5 victory in one hour and 34 minutes.

The 26-year-old, who qualified for the last 32 at Melbourne in 2005 and at Wimbledon in 2002, made light of the gulf in the rankings to dominate from the off.

Baltacha, who rose to a career-high ranking of 83 earlier this month, broke Bondarenko twice to lead 3-0 in the first set.

The Ukrainian threatened to claw her way back as she made it 3-2, however Baltacha rattled off three games on the bounce to take the set.

Bondarenko showed signs of her class in the second set as this time she worked her way into a 3-0 lead.

However Baltacha battled back to win the next four games to steal the initiative and although Bondarenko was able to break back to level, her serve was constantly letting her down.

And Baltacha got the vital break in the 11th game, allowing her to serve out for the match - with the Brit recording only her fourth victory over a top-50 player.

National Enquirer Get Tiger Woods Sex Photos

National Enquirer Get Tiger Woods Sex Photos

The National Enquirer claims to have photographed Tiger Woods at a sex-rehabilitation clinic in Hattiesburg, Miss., and will run the photos in this week's issue. One grainy photo was published today on Radaronline, a web site owned by American Media, which also owns the National Enquirer.

Is it really him? Take a look and decide for yourself.

Last week, several media outlets reported Woods was at Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services in Hattiesburg, but officials at the facility would not confirm those reports. Woods is on a sabbatical from competitive golf since his Thanksgiving night car accident and subsequent revelations of extramarital affairs.

Bengals’ Marvin Lewis is AP NFL Coach of the Year

Bengals’ Marvin Lewis is AP NFL Coach of the Year

Marvin Lewis had much more than game plans to deal with this season.

Lewis won The Associated Press 2009 NFL Coach of the Year award for guiding his team to the playoffs during a season marked by tragedy.

The Bengals won the AFC North with a 10-6 record, just their second division title since 1990, both under Lewis. They did so despite the deaths of wide receiver Chris Henry and Vikki Zimmer, the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Several players’ families also were directly affected by the tsunami in the Samoan Islands.

For holding his team together under such circumstances and leading a turnaround from a 4-11-1 record in 2008, Lewis earned 20 1/2 votes Saturday from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. He beat Sean Payton of New Orleans (11 1/2 ), Norv Turner of San Diego (9) and Jim Caldwell of Indianapolis (7). Andy Reid of Philadelphia and Ken Whisenhunt of Arizona had a single vote each.

“I’m flattered,” said Lewis, whose seventh season as Bengals coach ended with a 24-14 home loss to the Jets in the wild-card round. “I never took any credibility to it, that it could occur, but I am flattered. I would trade it to still be playing.

“To me, this is more a recognition of the organization, for the coaching staff and the hard work they’ve done, and for the players.”

Few coaches have dealt with such a season of grief. Vikki Zimmer, who used to bake treats for the players, died unexpectedly in October. Two weeks earlier, defensive linemen Jonathan Fanene(notes) and Domata Peko(notes) and rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga(notes) struggled to contact family in American Samoa after the tsunami devastated the region.

In December, wide receiver Chris Henry, on injured reserve with a broken left forearm, fell from the back of a pickup truck after an argument with his fiancee and was killed.

So Lewis was as much a therapist and psychologist for his team as he was a strategist.

Serena Williams & Dinara Safina win Sydney openers

Serena Williams & Dinara Safina win Sydney openers

AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Venue: Melbourne Park Date: 18-31 January
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button (streamed on BBC website) and Radio 5 Live sports extra daily from 0830 GMT, text commentary daily from 0000 GMT on BBC Sport website

Williams is using Sydney as her only Australian Open warm-up

Serena Williams and Dinara Safina won their opening matches of the new season in very different style at the Sydney International.

Williams, the world number one, thrashed Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-1 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.

Former number one Safina lost the opening five games against Agnieszka Radwanska before winning 7-5 6-4 in the Russian's fist match since October.

Third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova lost 7-5 6-2 to Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova.

"Definitely I'm very worried about the match today, and I have to improve and practice a lot before Australian Open but that's not the worst thing in the world," said Kuznetsova.

Curtains up for new year

Curtains up for new year
Kim Clijsters defeats Belgian rival Justine Henin in the battle of the comeback queens in Brisbane, coming through an epic battle to win the final 6-3 4-6 7-6 (8-6)

Pete Carroll goes to Seahawks, leaves questions behind at USC

Pete Carroll goes to Seahawks, leaves questions behind at USC

LOS ANGELES — On Pete Carroll's last day as a Trojan, students, football players, professors and administrators at the University of Southern California, where Carroll in the past decade restored glory to one of college football's most successful programs, had different takes on the iconic coach's decision to leave for the Seattle Seahawks.

Some were understanding, viewing it as Carroll taking advantage of a great opportunity.

"We all understand it's a business decision," Trojans fullback Stanley Havili said. "You can't blame him.

PGA TOUR Leaderboard:Sony Open in Hawaii

PGA TOUR Leaderboard

Sony Open in Hawaii
(Jan 14 - 17, 2010)

Michael Allen

Robert Allenby

Stephen Ames

Stuart Appleby

Woody Austin

Briny Baird

Rich Barcelo

Ricky Barnes

Chris Baryla

Cameron Beckman

Rich Beem

Shane Bertsch

Matt Bettencourt

Henrik Bjornstad

Kris Blanks

Justin Bolli

Jonathan Byrd

Angel Cabrera

Mark Calcavecchia

Chad Campbell

USC targets Del Rio

USC targets Del Rio

There are reports that USC has sent a contract to Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio.

Del Rio still is owed $15 million on his Jaguars’ contract. It is believed the two parties would reach some type of settlement, clearing the way for Del Rio to replace Pete Carroll as Trojans coach.
More From Tom Dienhart

Del Rio, 46, was a linebacker a USC who has compiled a 57-55 record with two playoff appearances as Jacksonville coach since 2003.

Del Rio denied the reports to Jacksonville media Tuesday.