Yahoo! Philippines Answers blog

 Photo by HAEROLD PHOTOGRAPHX

Let’s do this YAPpers!  Many thanks to everyone that left a comment and shared their thoughts regarding the possibility of a meet up of the Pinoy community here in Yahoo! Answers!  Because of your feedback, we’re making this a reality.  Let’s have a Pinoy Answers Community Meet Up next month!  Here are the details:

Who: Yahoo! Philippines Answers Users
What: Yahoo! Philippines Answers Community Meet Up!
When: July 18, 2008, 7:30pm
Where: Makati City (specific place to be announced later)

Anyone who wants to attend, just email me the following:

1. Full name:
2. Yahoo! Answers ID:
3. Mobile number:

You can email me at jonasdelosreyes@ymail.com.  Feel free to leave a comment as well if there’s anything else you want to share to me and the community (like venue suggestion maybe, if you’re willing to assist in organizing this, etc.)

Btw, I think YAPpers as a name for Pinoys in Yahoo! Answers is so cool!  Thanks for informing me about it Japs!  And thanks to all the YAPpers!  Hope to see all of you soon!

Photo by lumaxart

Actually, it’s a question that every Pinoy here in Answers should answer.  Is it time for us to have a community meet up or not?  I’m just starting to meet all of you online but I’m sure it will be more exciting if we have an offline event, a meet up of the Pinoy Community in Yahoo! Answers!

Of course, this question raises a string of related questions.  When do we schedule the meet up?  I’m thinking July, but is it too soon or just right?  How about August?  We can have dinner in a restaurant, which leads to the next important question.  Where can we have our meet up?  I’m thinking in a restaurant in Makati City?  If not maybe Ortigas or Quezon City?  Any particular restaurant you have in mind?  Of course, I also want to have a meet up in Cebu (lived there for three years!), and definitely in Davao (can’t forget my Dabawenyo friends, hehehe), definitely in succeeding meet ups.

So share me your thoughts on this as we organize our first Pinoy Answers Community Meet Up.  I’ll make sure to book the place for the event, ensure there’s food and drinks for everyone, prepare an exciting and un-boring program, and bring lots of Yahoo! giveaways to give away!  Hope to see everyone soon!

UPDATE: There’s a big chance I’ll be in the Philippines this July 17 and 18 (a Thursday and a Friday), maybe we can set the Meet Up on the 18th of July, a Friday evening maybe?

 Photo by jay.tong

In case any of you haven’t heard of this yet, Yahoo! is serving 2 new email addresses just for you!  Aside from being able to use the “@yahoo.com” address, users can now sign up for a “@ymail.com” and “@rocketmail.com” as Yahoo! email address options.

Yahoo! Mail is the most popular web-based email in the world and according with approximately 266 million users.  Adding new domains not only contributes to its growth but also gives users a chance at better email choices.  Free email addresses are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, which means users who sign up now have a better chance of getting your name in your email.

For more info, check out this link now (http://mail.promotions.yahoo.com/newdomains/ph/) and sign up for a new Yahoo! email account!  I just did and made sure I got my name as my email.

Hi everyone, please take note of this important announcement.  The Answers engineers are scheduled to perform regular maintenance on Thursday, June 19 at 2pm.  We expect the work to last for an hour so Answers will be temporarily inaccessible during this period.

Sorry for any inconvenience.  I’ll keep you posted if there are any changes to the schedule.  In the meantime, if you are looking for something else to do during this time (aside from reading my previous posts in this blog, hehehe), why not check out some of our other sites and services, such as:

• Flickr (now with video!)
• Yahoo! Pinoy Connect (Find new ways to stay closer to your family and friends, wherever they are.)
• Yahoo! oneSearch for mobile (Discover this cool mobile service and try it now!)

….or maybe you can check out what’s the latest in the news.  Thanks for bearing with us!

Photo by hellochris

Thank you to everyone who gave an answer to the question I posted last Independence Day.  It was a simple and yet profound question that all Pinoys should ask themselves – “what is the one thing that makes you proud to be a Filipino?”  And I’m so happy to say that 118 of you took time to answer it!

I really had a great time reading all the answers and one thing I noticed which made me realize something, I only asked for one thing that makes us proud to be Pinoys and yet a lot of you gave more than one answer.  It’s not that you didn’t follow instructions, but I believe it’s more because there was really more than just one reason for us to be proud of who we are!  We really should learn to always count our blessings.

Speaking of blessings, I would like to congratulate Sparkspill for getting the best answer (since it was for Independence Day, I decided to be democratic and let everyone vote for it).  I didn’t announce this before but I’m feeling extra generous lately so for giving the best answer, I’m sending Sparkspill some Yahoo! gifts as prize for his answer!  Congrats Sparkspill, make sure you reply to my email and I’ll send the stuff right away.

To everyone else, don’t you worry because this won’t be the last time this happens.  I’ll be giving away prizes every now and then and will keep you informed about it.  Again, thank you so much for all your answers.  So let’s all continue to be active in asking and answering questions posted by our fellow Pinoys.  The successful Independence Day feature only goes to show that the Pinoy community is really growing in number and in activity here in Yahoo! Answers.  Which makes me think, is it time to have a Pinoy community meet up soon?  Hmm, what do you all think?

Photo by shioshvili

I was catching up on news about all things Superman (obviously I’m a Superman fan) and just read an article from Newsarama.com which published their Top 10 list of Best Comic Book Dads in honor of Father’s Day.  Their number one pick is Jonathan Kent, the fictional dad of Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent.  According to the article, Pa Kent’s “gentle nature, constant optimism, and wisdom make him the only choice for #1 on our list of the Best Dads.”

I wonder what you remember most about your dad?  My dad is a humble, hard working family man who is best known by everyone around him as optimistic and jovial.  If not for him, I won’t be where I am right now.  I remember it was my dad who got me into computers as a very young kid because he knew this was the future, even though he only learned how to use one a few years ago when his company gave them laptops as mandatory tools of their trade.  It was like sowing and reaping because eventually I was the one who taught him how to use his computer, use the various desktop publication tools and even surf the web and send email.

I’m talking about my dad because last Sunday, June 15, is Father’s Day and even though the event doesn’t have as much hype as Mother’s Day, it’s equally important and should be celebrated as well.  One of our community members, korah, asked Answers for some ideas on what to give her dad on Father’s Day and Kawaii gave the best answer - men’s cologne or tie.  Obviously it’s not very hard to please our dads. :)  Zahra however had a different dilemma since her dad doesn’t like the typical Father’s day stuff people give.  Good thing JessicaMarie suggested that she can take his dad out to lunch or dinner.

Again, nothing beats spending time with our dads as a gift.  I hope celebrating Father’s Day only served to remind us that we should never fail to show our love and thanksgiving to our dads for all things super that they have done and continue to do for us.  To all the tatays here in the Pinoy Answers Community, Happy Father’s Day!

Photo by jrac2002

Today we celebrate our country’s 110th Independence Day. More than a century has already passed since our forefathers fought against foreign oppression, tyranny and persecution. Blood sweat and tears were shed because they firmly believed in freedom.

Freedom – a word that has so much meaning in our nation’s history and yet sometimes, taken for granted by its people. In spite enjoying independence for the past 110 years we have continued to fight for freedom because we know that freedom will always be under attack. Not necessarily by foreign rule but by corruption, by dictatorship, by crab mentality, or by indifference to uphold what is good and what is right.

Our nation today continues to face various trials and challenges, but this shouldn’t bring us down or divide us. Instead let us start putting our petty differences aside and let us be united toward common goals. And let us all be thankful to God for the many blessings we have received as Filipinos, always bearing in mind we should always be hopeful, always be optimistic and always see the best and brighter side of being Pinoy!

To all my kababayans, Happy Independence Day! Mabuhay and Pilipinas!

Photo by eriwst

To everyone who had to wake up early yesterday morning to beat the traffic and be in school early, I welcome you to a brand new school year! The start of classes officially opened yesterday and whether yours already started last week or just about to start tomorrow, there’s no denying the inevitable, it’s back to school for all students.

It’s been eight years already since my college graduation (that gives you an idea of my age, hehehe) and I have to admit, I miss going to school and being a student. I miss the campus, the excitement of the first day, seeing again old classmates and meeting new ones, the nervous expectations on new classes and teachers. And, as my friend Marc mentioned in his blog, “it’s that time of the year when your blood turns either yellow, red, green, blue or maroon.” Yup, there’s no denying school spirit, even here in Answers! Community members like Anton, red june s, and jc all asked what’s the best school in the Philippines, and among the many replies given, I will have to go with Felicity’s answer – to each their own.

Many in the Answers community are also asking for tips on what school they can go to learn certain skills. Skyphoenix asked if there are any beauty schools in our country, may may wanted to know where she can learn how to be a barista, freyman was looking for the best foreign language school in the Philippines, and cabby asked where he can find a sign language school for non-deaf people.

If you’re in school right now, you should consider it a blessing to be able to study, especially in these times of rising prices when even the cost of studying in a public school goes up year after year. Work hard and study hard so you can finish your schooling and be more prepared in life. But don’t forget to have fun and enjoy learning, because as the famous humorist and writer Mark Twain once said, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

The Philippines lost one of its exciting and recognized personalities last June 7, 2008 when movie star Rudy “Daboy” Fernandez succumbed to periampullary cancer in his home in White Plains, Quezon City. Daboy, as he is fondly called in the movie industry, was only 56 years old and is survived by his wife, actress Lorna Tolentino, their two sons, and the eldest son (with actress-politician Alma Moreno), actor Mark Anthony Fernandez.

A multi-awarded actor and producer, Rudy Fernandez made his film debut when he was only three years old, appearing in the film “Luksang Tagumpay” (1956) which was directed by his father, actor-director Gregorio Fernandez. He later became active in the film industry while in college, appearing in various teenage parts but it was the film “Bitayin si Baby Ama” (1976) that catapulted him to stardom and in the action movie genre. Known for portraying true-to-life characters, he won two FAMAS Best Actor awards for the action films “”Batuigas…Pasukuin si Waway” in 1984 and “Victor Corpuz” in 1988. Also, he received the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) 2008 Ulirang Artista Lifetime Achievement Award at the 24th Star Awards for Movies and the Film Academy of the Philippines FPJ Lifetime Achievement Award.

Many Pinoys mourned the death of Daboy who is indeed a great loss to the Philippine movie industry. He became famous as an action star but is more importantly remembered by his family and loved-ones as a loving husband, a devoted father and an outstanding friend. As a tribute to him, we ask the Pinoy Answers Community to share their thoughts and memories of Daboy where we all saw him first and where we will always see him – in his movies. Click on this link and tell everyone what your favorite movie of Rudy Fernandez is and what made it unforgettable for you.

Why do I ask? Well, I was checking some Answers statistics this morning and discovered some very interesting figures about Pinoys in the Answers community. The first and probably the best thing about the data is the growth of Pinoys in the Answers community has been phenomenal! It’s true, ithe graph that represented our growth rate was like a challenge to mountaineers, there was no way to go but up. This surely reflects the fact that Yahoo! is the country’s leading Internet company, reaching 85% of all online users in the Philippines.

The other thing about the figures that’s very noteworthy is not all Pinoys in the Philippines access Answers from the Yahoo! Philippines Answers website. This means they still go to the original Answers website which is, well, primarily for US users. Ever since Yahoo! launched Answers in 2005 as a community-driven knowledge market website, its users have grown exponentially and internationally. As the audience became more global, it was only fitting that local versions with a local voice that featured local flavors and local points of view are launched to cater to specific countries. Hence, Yahoo! Philippines Answers was launched in 2006 (along with other local versions around the world). This is a huge development but it seems to have been overlooked by many Pinoys.

Which brings us to the following questions: If you’re a Pinoy at home in the Philippines, where do you usually access Answers? From the Philippines website or the US website? If your answer is the latter, why go there and not the Philippines Answers site? If you’re a Pinoy living abroad, do you access Answers from the Philippines website or the local version where you are based? If your answer is the latter, why go there and not the Philippines Answers site?

Please take time to answer in the comment section below and do help me spread it around the community as well. Your answers will be very valuable in helping us improve Answers and ensuring that we all have a Pinoy-centric, indispensable online experience every time we log on to Yahoo! Answers.