Best job in the world!!

I chanced upon this article on Yahoo! news today. "Best job in the world!"

The link can be found here but I also pasted it below if you're too lazy to click on the link.

Australia offers 'best job in world' on paradise island

SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian state is offering internationally what it calls "the best job in the world" -- earning a top salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months.
The job pays 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) and includes free airfares from the winner's home country to Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland's state government announced on Tuesday.

In return, the "island caretaker" will be expected to stroll the white sands, snorkel the reef, take care of "a few minor tasks" -- and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.

The successful applicant, who will stay rent-free in a three-bedroom beach home complete with plunge pool and golf buggy, must be a good swimmer, excellent communicator and be able to speak and write English.

"They'll also have to talk to media from time to time about what they're doing so they can't be too shy and they'll have to love the sea, the sun, the outdoors," said acting state Premier Paul Lucas.

"The fact that they will be paid to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel and generally live the Queensland lifestyle makes this undoubtedly the best job in the world."
Lucas said the campaign was part of a drive to protect the state's 18 billion Australian dollar a year tourism industry during the tough economic climate caused by the global financial meltdown.

"Traditional tourism advertising just doesn't cut it sometimes and we are thinking outside the box by launching this campaign."

Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said some people might question whether it was risky to let an unknown person become an unofficial tourism spokesperson for the state.

"I think the biggest risk will be that the successful candidate won't want to go home at the end of the six months," she said.

"This is a legitimate job which is open to anyone and everyone."

Applications are open until February 22. Eleven shortlisted candidates will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process and the six month contract will commence on July 1.

Job-seekers can apply on Islandreefjob.com.

Wouldn't it be cool to have that job? Unless you hate the sun, the sand and the sea.

A New Year!

A Blessed New Year to everyone!!

2008 is over! It's the first day of 2009, the year of the Ox (or cow/carabao for some). The Ox is the most appropriate animal for the year 2009. From the looks of it, with the global economic crisis, we'll have to work as hard as the Ox to earn our keep.

Read from Yahoo News! that a lot of billionaires lost their money and are now no longer billionaires. One lost everything while the others were demoted from billionaires to millionaires. Well, the more you have, the more you lose. At least, the poor have no such problem, they have nothing to lose in the first place. =p

The fate of the world, as far as the global economy is concerned, rests in the hands of Obama and his team. I'm sure everyone will be watching his every move and how he'll turn the economy around. I hope he succeeds.. for everyone's sake!

Anyway, I'm excited and really looking forward to what lies ahead for me and my family in 2009. I have faith in GOD and I know He is in control! So why should I worry?

The Dunkin Donut Ad is Bad Influence!

You know how kids these days try and copy what they see on TV? Well, Trisha is like that. She tries and copies almost all of the advertisements she sees on TV which brings me to this one ad that I think has a bad influence on children.

Surprisingly, it's an ad about donuts. Specifically, the Dunkin Donuts ad. The one where the little girl was yelling non-stop because she was trying to figure out who ate her donut (I think it was a boston creme) only to find out that it was her mom who was eating it.

I believe this sends a wrong message to children. They might find such behavior amusing and may think that it's ok to imitate. And without parental guidance, they may get the idea that shouting is ok and can be a way for them to get attention or to get what they want.

Going back to Trisha, she did copy what she saw on the donut ad. So we had to tell her that it was not right to shout.

Media has to be responsible with what they show on TV especially the impact it has to the children watching.

my fear

Last night, Trisha and I had a heart to heart talk. With a serious face, I told her that she should promise me that she will not marry early. She's 2 years old. I know, I know! She's too young for the talk and she would probably not remember it. I couldn't recall what her answer was. She was too busy trying to go back to playing. I know I sound silly, maybe even weird. But the thought of her getting married at an early age just scares me! I know any dad with a daughter feels the same way at a certain point in their lives. Mine was just early, a little bit too early. Hehe..

So Trisha, when you're old enough to read this. Be warned! =p

Urbanathlon or Powerrace?

Bought my October copy of Men's Health Philippines today and found out that the annual MH Urbanathlon coincides with the New Balance Powerrace. The 2 runs are among my favorite road races so I am torn between which event to join. Of the many weekends, why did both events choose to be on the same day? Well, I'm sure they didn't plan this. And I don't think either will change their dates. Oh well, guess I'll just have to flip (a coin that is) for it.

iamninoy

iamninoy. areyouninoy? doyouknowninoy? Saw this ad on TV today and immediately checked out the website. Following are excerpts from the "iamninoy campaign background" which i got from the site:

"The year 2008 marks the 25th death anniversary of the martyred national hero Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. In tribute, the Benigno S. Aquino Jr., Foundation (BSAF), together with friends and supporters, will hold a year-long celebration of his life and legacy through a campaign entitled: iamninoy

The core message of the Campaign is the selfless giving of the best of ourselves for our countrymen and women and the advancement of the country as a whole. Hence, the campaign is designed to create innovative mechanisms and systems for the participation of corporate brands and their customers in schemes that contribute to causes and projects that enhance the welfare of the poor and marginalized Filipinos."

If you want to know more, you can check out their site, iamninoy. It contains a lot of stuff like information about ninoy for those who don't know him and since this is a year long campaign, they have several events lined up. And one the events is the Ninoy Aquino Photo Exhibit that features the Willy Vicoy Collection organized by the Ayala Foundation in partnership with Hewlett-Packard. :p

There are lots of other events being planned but what got me excited was the word "marathon". I hope this pushes through because I'm sure a lot of runners will be excited to join it.

My Miracle Run

This is my 100th post and I will write about my recent run, the Men's Health Miracle Run. It's a miracle that I was able to finish the 10K run. I normally wouldn't have a problem finishing a 10K run but not this time. It took me over 15 mins more to cross the finish line than my average finish time. Good thing this run was all about just being able to finish in order for MH to donate P200/runner to the GMA foundation.


But the real question here is "Why did it take me that long to finish the 10K run"? There's only one answer. Blame it on my injured knee. Yes, it's the same left knee that I injured during the rush to infinity run last June 29. After getting that injury, I stopped running to let it heal. Problem is I didn't go to the doctor like I said I would to have it checked. I was hoping it would heal itself and that I would be back to normal by the time I run again which is why I skipped running for more than a month. And a day before the run, I even bought a Phiten UPS Titan Tape roll hoping that it would help prevent any pain.

I was psychologically ready for the run. I woke up early and was at the venue an hour before the run would start. I made sure that I did the proper stretching and was able to do a few laps around the parking lot for my warm up. But even during the warm up run, I started to feel a little pain on that stubborn knee. I would later learn that the pain was only the preview of more pain to come.

I was relaxed and was chatting with Wa when the run started. Since we were positioned at the back of the crowd, we had to walk for a while but eventually started to run when the crowd started to disperse and there was more room to run. I thought that if the pain would reoccur then it would probably be around the 5K mark. But no, my knee has its own mind. I started to feel the pain even before I reached 2K. I had to slow down but that would not stop me from running. I almost reached 5K without walking or stopping. I tried as hard as I can to forget about the pain until I could no longer take it which eventually forced me to walk a few hundred meters before reaching 5K. And it was downhill from there. While the others were running, I had to walk and walk I did for more than half of the remaining 5K. It was frustrating! Nevertheless, I am still thankful that I was able to finish.

A big lesson learned here. An injury cannot heal itself. I have to go see a doctor. I have to run regularly. I have to! I have to!

A big thanks to Wa as well for accompanying me during my walks. Hehe..