The Wander Wall

The New Twitter

2010-09-18T14:30:00.000+08:00

new design will be available to all users over the next several weeks. via twitter.com

Call me up when September ends...

2010-09-14T02:31:00.001+08:00

because I will be busy watching all these shows premiering this month...

photos from: cwtv.com
abc.go.com
cbs.com

Awesome Chef

2010-09-02T03:34:00.000+08:00

One of the things I daydream about is myself as a renowned chef. I love watching cooking shows such as Iron Chef, Two Fat Ladies, Barefoot Contessa, The Naked Chef, Oliver's Twist and a lot more. This inspiring story made me jealous but I also thought that if she was able to do it in spite of her condition, what was my excuse to not follow my dreams or even try to take a step forward in achieving this goal or any goal for that matter? Hmmm. tamad lang.

This is the story of Maricel Apatan:

Alive Again

2010-09-02T03:16:00.001+08:00

I've been watching Royal Pains lately and I just love this series. The story is about Hank, a doctor wrongly accused for the death of a benefactor of the hospital he's working for in NYC. When he was dismissed from his job, he had another chance to do what he loves doing. He became a concierge doctor in the Hamptons. It's currently on hiatus as series 2 just had it's mid-season finale on the 27th of August and will come back in January.

One of the regular characters is Boris(Campbell Scott), a rich mysterious German who gave Hank his job and a nice place to live in. Whenever I watch this series, I always wonder where I've seen this actor who plays Boris but too lazy to Google or Bing it. When I saw the finale last week, It suddenly came to me... he's that dying guy Julia Roberts cared for and fell in love with in the movie Dying Young. I remembered how much I love this movie, and not to mention, the soundtrack(some of the tracks have been used and reused by a few Hollywood movies and even Pinoy TV series).

Campbell Scott in Dying Young (1991)

in Royal Pains (2010)

Now here's one of the more familiar tracks:

2010-08-24T03:42:00.001+08:00

from an article in: guardian.co.uk
As reporters on the scene counted the survivors, the London-born anchor James Chau asked: "Has this damaged the international reputation of the Philippines?"

Here's the answer:

It's understandable that they worry about the safety of their citizens.

image from HK Security Bureau website.

Once again, we're famous...

2010-08-24T03:29:00.000+08:00

I love the Philippines but this is just embarassing and disappointing.

The Social Network

2010-08-10T20:14:00.000+08:00

The official trailer of this certain "Facebook movie" has been out for a few weeks now. The film is about how a young university student became a billionaire after coming up with the idea of the now famous social networking site. I love the choice of music (Creep by Radiohead) but there's really nothing promising about this trailer. I don't know how the audience will be attracted and be persuaded to actually go and see it. Oh well, I hope a lot of people watch the movie... what? with over 500 Million users? it will be sad if it didn't become a box office hit.

official movie site: 500MillionFriends.com

While waiting for September...

2010-08-04T00:06:00.001+08:00

It's a bit boring when TV in the States is on its summer hiatus. It means no new episodes of Glee, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, House, The Big Bang Theory, and even Gossip Girl. All these shows start new seasons in September.

For now, check these out:

Royal Pains, season 2:

True Blood, season 3:

And if you like Gossip Girl, you might like Pretty Little Liars too:

One of the lead stars is Shay Mitchell who is born to a Filipino mother and Irish father.

Doesn't she look a bit like Sarah Geronimo?

Literary Mash-ups

2010-05-31T02:50:00.000+08:00

I know how vampires have invaded our pop culture with the growing fan base of Edward Cullen, Damon and Stefan Salvatore, and Bill Compton but these?

What are they doing to our classic literature?

Disclaimer: of course... I don't own these pictures.

Usher! One more time...

2010-05-31T02:48:00.000+08:00

I've seen Usher perform live and I don't mind going to his concert again, even though I'm not so crazy about the Here I Stand album. I think My Way and Confessions are the best albums he ever released. I am yet to listen to all the tracks in the latest album Raymond v Raymond.

When he had the Truth tour in the UK back in '04, my sister and I made sure we didn't miss it.

Now, 6 years and 2 albums later, I'm gonna have the chance to see him perform live again as he is having a concert here in Manila in July 9.

My telephone! M-m-my telephone!

2010-05-31T02:46:00.001+08:00

Cellphones, mobile phones, who does not own at least one? Kids as young as 13 or maybe even 10 have mobile phones. The very first cellphone that I had was a second hand Bosch:

it was previously owned by my brother and he sold it to me when he upgraded io a new one. This was in 1999 and back then, you buy a phone, it will be in use for at least a year or maybe more. Now, I don't know what happened, I can't believe I've changed phones this much:

I'm sure there are a few more that I've forgotten. The cycle was buy, sell, buy, and so on... i realize now how much I could have saved.
The best phone I've had, so far: The HTC Hero

The things I love about this phone: the pre-installed apps(twitter, facebook, youtube); when you view your contacts, you can see their social network updates; GPS; android OS; SMS threaded view

Full specs here.

My niece accidentally broke my no-camera-single band-no-bluetooth samsung 2nd(more like back-up) phone recently, so I have this coming next week:

and I hope the madness ends here... well at least for now and the next few years.

Precious Moments' Cory Tribute

2010-05-18T14:40:00.002+08:00

I remember having a Precious Moments calendar when I was in grade school. My sister had one as well. Those were the very first Precious Moments we had. It had the cutest illustrations and not to mention the quotations were really nice. I'm sure that we somehow grew up with the variety of PM products, notebooks, stationary, stickers.. etc. My nephews and niece even had the PJs.

The creator has now added a Cory figurine to the collection in honor of the late Former President Corazon Aquino.

Precious Moments Inc. was formed in 1989 by illustrator, Samuel J. Butcher, who now resides in Aklan, Philippines. The current CEO of the company is Jon Butcher, Samuel's son.

Eyjafjallajökull Timelapse

2010-05-14T16:43:00.000+08:00

for those who live entirely on a different planet, Eyjafjallajökull is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland that covers volcano that erupted and caused enormous disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe over an initial period of 6 days in April 2010

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

via Buzzfeed

PCOS machine

2010-05-11T03:25:00.000+08:00

There's a new star in Twitterverse...
@PCOSmachine -over 6000 followers 9 hours after account was created - I wonder who's behind this account, very funny, takes away the stress brought by the elections.

Done!

2010-05-11T03:06:00.000+08:00

Congratulations to all of us Filipinos, we survived a historical day amidst election-related violence, faulty PCOS machines, some vote buying, wrong ballots in some precincts, long lines and a few other issues. It turns out, 75% of the more than 50 million registered voters(the highest in history) were able to cast their votes. Not bad at all. In the precinct were I voted, not much irregularities were observed.

long queue at 8:30 am

the same at 2:30 pm

I hope that the candidates who paid anyone, even kids, to distribute unnecessary lists to voters will also pay people to have these cleaned.

At a little past 5 pm, we finally made it.

Icebreaker

2010-05-11T00:23:00.000+08:00

5 hours after the historical election in The Philippines and it seems like everything is really just starting. Counting has begun and because the election was automated, the results are coming in pretty fast. I don't want to put it in my head yet because it's just almost 50% done but I think I'm gonna be heartbroken with the Vice Presidential results. I'm taking a quick break from all the intensity of these tallies to find a lighter side of this political brouhaha... look what I found: The Professional Heckler, my new favorite blog. Check out this funny entry:

Photos of the Weak

Ano ang sinasabi ng dalawang lalaki sa larawan?
A: “Alam n’yo ser, sorbey lang ‘yan. ‘Di dapat iniiyakan ‘yan! Mas masakit pa nga d’yan ang mga suntuk ni Cuttu eh.”
B: “’Di naman ‘yung survey ang iniiyakan ko eh! Si Quiboloy! Pinaasa niya ako sa endorsement. Wala rin naman pala. Hu-hu-hu!”
C: “Tawagan mo nga si Welli Rivillami! Ayaw tumahan eh. ‘Pag ‘di pa ‘to tumigil sa kakaiyak, uupakan ko na ‘to!”
D: “Sobra na Pacman. Hindi ko na kaya! ‘Yung Iglesia, nag-promise din sa akin tapos sabi sa diyaryo, si Noynoy na raw?!? It’s unfair! It’s unfair!”

Ano ang sinasabi ng mga tao sa larawan?
A: “Nabasa mo ba ‘yung psychiatric report ni Guido Delgado? Kinabahan ako do’n mare. Akala ko authentic.”
B: “Quiet ka lang Shawie. May area sa likod ng stage kung saan puwede tayong mag-yosi. Tara!”
C: “Talaga?!? May alam ka sa babae ni Kiko? Sige nga, kwento mo!”
D: “’Wag ka sanang magagalit Sha. Ipinapatanong ng organizers ng rally kung puwedeng mamaya ka na lang daw umakyat ng stage. Baka bumigay eh.”

Ano ang sinasabi ng dalawang lalaki sa larawan?
A: “’Di mo sinabi matulis ka rin pala Jojo! Sino ‘tong kasama mong chick sa picture na nasa diyaryo? Ang kiniiis!”
B: “Eh saan pa ba ako magmamana? Kaya nga tandem tayo eh.”
C: “Alam mo ba ang ginawa ko kay Doktora Ellen nang mahuli niya akong may chiching? Siya ang pinatakbo kong mayor sa Makati! Ayun, tumahimik!”
D: “Ngayon ko lang napansin Jojo! We have a lot of things in common pala! Naging mayor ka, naging mayor ako. Doktora ang asawa mo, doktora ang asawa ko. May naging kabit ka, may naging kabit ako. Naku! Sana naman ngayong eleksyon, pag natalo ka, manalo naman ako! For a change!”

via: professionalheckler.wordpress.com

Wikipedia Now Lets You Order Printed Books

2010-05-07T08:11:00.000+08:00

Wikipedia’s launched a new feature for English readers: The ability to create custom books from Wikipedia’s huge bank of free content. Because of the way Wikipedia’s images and copy are licensed, they’re free for anyone to access, use and share in this way.

PediaPress is a book publisher for wiki content; it’s in a long-term business relationship with Wikipedia to print these books. PediaPress now offers paperbacks and will soon add hardcover books to its catalog, as well.

The price of each book varies, depending on the number of pages; paperbacks start at $8.90. Users can also simply download a PDF of the “books” they create.

he book-creating tools are built into the website. Starting today, users will see a “create a book” button in the print/export section of the left sidebar. Here’s a short demo video explaining how the book creator works:

via: mashable.com

My 90s

2010-05-06T22:21:00.002+08:00

Taking a break from the campaign and election fever...

Last Sunday, Tears for Fears had a concert in Araneta Coliseum. a lot of people, especially those who were in their youth during the 1980s were so happy and the concert was sold out. Even the band expressed how overwhelmed they were(via their twitter pages) by the Manila crowd. This got me reminiscing about my own youth: what I loved watching and listening to. So here... let me share:

Make your vote count.

2010-05-06T21:55:00.004+08:00

It's only 3 days away from the National Elections. The last time I was able to vote was 12 years ago and i'm glad to be able to take part again. Right now, I am still torn between Noynoy Aquino and Gibo Teodoro. All candidates have their own pros and cons... I guess I'm just going to choose the one with less cons and more pros.

President(yet to be decided)

Vice President

Senators:

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote."

-George Jean Nathan

Protect Your Vote!

2010-05-06T20:47:00.001+08:00

10 May 2010 will be a milestone in the Philippines' historical time line not just because we are voting for the 15th President but also because this is the first time that we are getting automated. No more manual counting(although, politicians are seeking a parallel manual count because of the recent problems with the counting machines). It will still be paper-based for the voters, we have to shade an oval located just before the name of the candidate of our choice. Kind of like taking the NCEE exam, only it's oval. As for the teachers and volunteers, they don't have to count the votes manually, the job will now be done by the PCOS machines.

So, what are PCOS machines?

PCOS stands for Precinct Count Optical Scan. It uses electronic technology to tabulate paper ballots.

At the start of Election Day:

the PCOS machines shall print a “zero report” to show that there are no pre-existing votes/ballots in the machine.
The ballot boxes will be made of semi-transparent plastic which can clearly show that it is empty but at the same time make the ballots cast unreadable to protect its secrecy.
The voters can now proceed to obtain his ballot from the Comelec officer who will verify his identity.
After filling in the ballots by shading the appropriate oval, the voter will cast the ballot by feeding it to the PCOS machine.
The ballot is scanned by the PCOS machine on both sides simultaneously and a scanned image of the ballot is taken by the machine and stored in it memory module.
In case of power failure, the machines are certified to operate on back-up power for at least 12 hours.
At the end of Election Day, the BEI will seal and shut down the PCOS machine and will print 8 copies of the election returns. Thereafter, the PCOS will electronically transmit the electronic election return to several servers, namely the Comelec server, municipal server, and the servers for election watchdogs.

Additionally, it will(should) be secured and encrypted using the same standards as what the banks use for wiring money. Hopefully, we will know the results within 48 hours.

Comelec will also be posting the results of the transmission on-line. Thus, the general public may view the results from each precinct or district or province as they come in.

Polls open on May 10 at 7 AM and voting ends at 6 PM.

Mark no more than the exact number of choices. 1 president, 1 vice president, 12 senators (you can vote for less than 12 but not more), 1 Party list, 1 mayor, 1 vice mayor, 1 governor, 1 vice governor. If you vote more than the specified number, that portion of the ballot is invalidated. Do NOT make mistakes, otherwise, you’ll spoil your ballot. Good luck.

sources: computerworld.com.ph
comelec.gov.ph

The Battle of the Social Networking Sites

2010-04-30T13:26:00.002+08:00

These are recently the top 6 social networking sites based on the number of users:

6. Orkut - 100M users; owned by Google; named after its creator, Google employee Orkut Buyukkokten; Popular in India and Brazil; blocked in Iran and Saudi Arabia due to the countries' censorship drive

5. Twitter - 105M users; sometimes described as the SMS of social networking because of the 140-character-only way of updating status or communicating with friends, known in twitter as followers.

4. Friendster - 115M users; founded by Jack Dorsey in 2006; more popular in Southeast Asia; the top subscribers are from the Philippines

3. 51 - 120M users(in China alone); the audience is a nation: China; (facebook and twitter are both banned in China so they have their own)

2. MySpace - 185M users; a sort of virtual audition stage to debut new tracks, share information or arrange special shows for fans of unsigned bands or musicians

1. Facebook - 400M users; founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow computer science students; The idea for Facebook came from his days at Phillips Exeter Academy which, like most colleges and prep schools, had a long-standing tradition of publishing an annual student directory with headshot photos of all students, faculty and staff known as the "Facebook"; it just started as a Harvard thing and became popular in othe universities and colleges; because of Facebook, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (born May 14, 1984) has now a networth of $4 billion.

A book based on the founding of Facebook has been published, The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding Of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal. This book has now been adapted into a movie, The Social Network, which will be released in October 2010, starring Jesse Eisenberg (as Mark Zuckerberg) and Justin Timberlake.

Mark Zuckerberg

funny animated short story about social network war:

sources: wikipedia.org, onlinemarketingblog.com, news.discovery.com, imdb.com

Choosing Your Government Leaders

2010-04-30T00:09:00.000+08:00

Now is the time to vote responsibly. Filipinos need a good leader now more than ever. Here is a guide to all the things the voters should know and some information about our presidential candidates published by the Philippine Online Chronicles website:

Know your beliefs. It's about time we all stand up for something. If you don't have an opinion on some of the critical issues that we face, get the facts through research. Being informed is always the start of our political maturity.
Know our candidates well – their complete profile, their political history, their business dealings, etc. How they achieve their present status can show us how competently they will be able to perform as our national leader.
Know their platform of government. This will be a tool to help our economy grow. Don't be swayed by surveys, by their celebrity supporters, or by their promises alone.
Know that you are the focus of negative campaigning: the undecided, the critical, the careful and deliberate voter. You are the one intended to be manipulated. They just want you not to show up at all on election day. If you stay away, their dirty tricks would have worked. Don’t give them the satisfaction. It’s up to us to break the shackles of ignorance and apathy by educating ourselves and finding out the real score regarding the people we want to vote into office. It won’t be easy but if we persevere, the truth will reveal itself in the end.
Know that surveys do not provide information on platforms. Surveys just say that one candidate is popular at the particular time that a survey is conducted. Let’s not waste our vote by basing it on trending and survey-driven analysis. The real results arrive on election day.

The top 5(according to survey and not in order) candidates and their platforms:

(glennong.com)

Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” C. Aquino III

Noynoy Aquino’s platform is about transformational leadership. An example of which is from a President who tolerates corruption to a President who is the nation’s first and most determined fighter of corruption. He asserts good governance, transparency and prudent budgeting, education and social welfare, and economic reforms as his primary thrust if the nation will elect him as President in the coming 2010 Elections.

Jose Marcelo “Erap” Ejercito

Estrada adheres to the political, economic and social platforms of his political party. For its political platform, emphasis is given to the pursuit of an independent foreign policy; reconciliation with insurgents who take up arms against the government; making the judiciary fair, impartial and efficient; and local autonomy. For its economic platform, emphasis is on the development of the national economy and the countryside; privatization, deregulation and debt reduction for the benefit of the masses; limiting of foreign debt servicing to a certain percentage of our export earnings; comprehensive agrarian reform program for food and production security; implementation of programs that allow Filipinos to own and/or control big business enterprises critical to the national economy; improved tax collection, and requiring Government corporations to pay taxes. For its social platform, emphasis goes to the equitable distribution of wealth, environmental protection, and education.

Richard “Dick” Gordon

The primary platforms of Dick Gordon are best encapsulated in the document entitled “Manifesto for Change” of his party, Bagumbayan. In the manifesto, he identified the problems besetting the country and the group’s guiding principles geared towards the alleviation of the country’s woes. He begins with a focus on the individuals as having primary responsibility for themselves and their fellow Filipinos in the task of transformation. He wants an educated Philippines.

Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo "Gibo" Cojuangco Teodoro, Jr

Teodoro identified basic education reform, health care, agriculture and long-term infrastructure planning as the priority concerns of any administration that he will head. The most important urgent economic issues that would need to be addressed by a new President are infrastructure development and lowering power costs. He said he was also for independent monetary policy, developing power from sustainable energy sources and improving investor confidence in the country. Because of the potential economic benefits of the new Tourism Act, he will also be focusing on the tourism sector. Teodoro pushes for academic excellence and a better curriculum, because he thinks that the current curriculum does not place enough focus on technical skills, mathematics, and English. Teodoro hopes to enable the poorest of the poor to finish college by encouraging them to loan from government. He also intends to increase farm productivity through modernizing our agricultural and agri-industrial sectors.

Manuel “Manny” Villar, Jr.

Manny Villar does not make promises alone. Although he has made poverty alleviation a top priority, he knows this is something that everyone, including the poor themselves, must strive for and work towards. Entrepreneurial revolution and a competitive environment will be the centerpiece of Manny Villar’s program if he is elected to the presidency. Manny Villar stressed that in his first hundred days in office, he will approve on national television all the contracts that need to get done in his six years in office, all above board. Villar believes that this impact will encourage investment, will encourage belief in his government to work. It appears from his many interviews that he thinks it is easy for a candidate to hire speechwriters and consultants to draft platforms and mission-visions on paper. What mattered, according to him, is how an aspirant can validate any claim to a platform with past experiences and records. His plans, he claimed, are backed up by his own past actions, and are not mere promises to deliver.

via: www.thepoc.net

a lot more about all the presidential candidates here!

their detailed platforms here.

The Party-List System

2010-04-27T11:17:00.003+08:00

It's barely 2 weeks until the National elections. I already have a president and vice president and I am also already decided on 6 out of 12 senators but what about the Party List? What about it? Not a lot of people, myself included, have complete knowledge about this Party-list system. The last time I was able to vote was in 1998 and I don't even remember if I had to vote for these sectoral parties at that time. So here's what it's about....

Let's start with the Congress
The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of:
1. the Senate (upper chamber)
              -composed of 24 senators (half of which are elected every 3 years)
2. the House of Representatives (lower chamber)
             -composed of a maximum of 250 congressmen
                         2 types of Congressmen:
                                 a. the district representative (1 or 2 from each province and city)
                                 b. sectoral representatives (represents the minority sectors of the population)

The sectoral representatives are also known as 'the party-list representatives'. They represent labor unions, rights groups, and other organizations. This enables the minority groups to be represented in the Congress. Since 1998, each voter votes for a single party-list organization. Organizations that garner at least 2% of the total number of votes are awarded one representative for every 2% up to a maximum of three representatives in the House of Representatives.

On the 10th of May, each voter will have to choose 1 out of 187 Party-list Groups. To be honest, even with the information I now have regarding the party-list, I still don't have ideas anyway about most of the group candidates. A few comes to mind though because they are very active and you'd often hear about them on news. There's GABRIELA(for women's rights)- represented by Liza Maza; BAYAN MUNA - represented by Satur C. Ocampo; and KABATAAN -represented by Raymond Palatino

Sources: wikipedia.org , senate.gov.ph, comelec.gov.ph
Know more about the House of Representatives by clicking here.

This is a sample/template of the official Ballot. This is available to the public and was downloaded from comelec.gov.ph

Click the image to enlarge.

2010-04-23T01:43:00.005+08:00

Yesterday, CNN came up with this report about the possibility of an earthquake(a strong one) hitting Manila next. The government is saying that Manila is not ready for it.
From GMANews.tv: "The Metro Manila Impact Reduction Study conducted in 2004 by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) found that the capital is vulnerable to a magnitude-7.2 earthquake that may be generated by the Marikina Fault. The study assessed Metro Manila’s preparedness and estimated that there could be 35,000 fatalities, 500 simultaneous fires in up to 98,000 buildings, and 170,000 structures may collapse in the event of strong temblors."
In the above CNN report, they are saying that there can be as much as 50,000 fatalities.
The Philippines is not new to earthquakes, we've had quite a few that we barely felt but I can still remember the strongest earthquake I have ever experienced 2 decades ago. I was 12, school probably just ended as it happened a little past 4pm. I was already riding my bicycle around our village and I was in the area very close to the grade school I was attending. That happened July 16, 1990. The magnitude: 7.8, but even with that high a magnitude, the death toll was 1,620.

Makes you wonder why the number of fatalities are so extreme even if the earthquake magnitudes that occur in different places are close in range.
Haiti(January 12, 2010) - 7.0 magnitude - 230,000 fatalities
Chile(February 27, 2010) - 8.8 magnitude - 486 fatalities + 70+missing
China(April 13, 2010) - 7.1 magnitude - 2,064 fatalities(not final)

How can a country be ready for an earthquake anyway?

Soda!

2010-04-05T19:57:00.003+08:00

I spotted these at SM Department store a few weeks ago. It did catch my attention but not enough to stop me from walking to check out the product. I saw a print ad yesterday and in the ad it said "Enjoy the freshness and convenience of homemade soda and protect the environment at the same time." Pretty cool... I want... So I'll be blogging about more of it within the next few weeks.

The Palm, The Passion and the Roman Catholic Traditions...

2010-04-03T23:04:00.006+08:00

Holy Week - last week of the Lent; the week before Easter; starts on Palm Sunday; ends Easter Sunday. In the Philippines, which is dominated by Catholics, Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday with a mass which include the blessing of palm leaves. It then goes on to a Monday to Wednesday remembrance of the events that occurred between Jesus' entrance to Jerusalem and the Last Supper. There is also the Maundy Thursday(Last Supper), Good Friday(The Passion of Christ), and Black Saturday(silence and prayer which commemorates the Christ in the tomb). These are the days when most Roman Catholics participate in street processions and plays or street re-enactment of The Passion, but of course to some, it's just a start of a very long weekend since Holy Thursday is the beginning of a 3-day National Holiday. To others, it also means a time to head out-of-town to relax and bond with family since malls are all closed and national TV and radio programmes are suspended for 3 days from Thursday. The procession is one tradition that I never get tired of, I watch it almost every year.

Venus, Venus

2010-03-27T22:06:00.002+08:00

Is she wearing a nighty?

Photo from Yahoo! Sports

Tallest buildings

2010-03-26T00:50:00.005+08:00

Speaking of Hong Kong and high-rise buildings... the Two International Finance Centre in HK is ranked the 7th tallest building in the world.... it's height is 1362 feet and it opened in 2003.

2IFC, the tallest one here obviously

another picture of the HK skyline featuring 2IFC, taken from Victoria Peak.

The top 10 (not including the ones that are still under construction)

1.	Burj Khalifa	Dubai	2,716 ft
2.	Taipei 101	Taipei	1,671 ft
3.	Shanghai World Financial ..	Shanghai	1,614 ft
4.	Petronas Towers 1 and 2	Kuala Lumpur	1,483 ft
5.	Willis Tower	Chicago	1,451 ft
6.	Jin Mao Tower	Shanghai	1,380 ft
7.	Two IFC	Hong Kong	1,362 ft
8.	Trump International Hotel	Chicago	1,362 ft
9.	CITIC Plaza	Guangzhou	1,283 ft
10.	Shun Hing Square	Shenzhen	1,260 ft

Some of the tallest buildings in the world(including the ones still under construction and destroyed)
click picture to enlarge

In the Philippines, the tallest is the PBCom Tower located in Makati City standing 848 feet, it is ranked 117th in the world. It has 55 floors used for commercial offices. Naturally, the first 10 floors are occupied by PBCom or the Philippine Bank of Communications.

Still on IFC Tower and HK, I took this stunning night view video of the Victoria Harbour and HK Islands skyscrapers while sat on a bench along the Avenue of Stars just watching ferries crossing the harbour and some lights flicker from the buildings. I could really stay here for hours...

facts from: emporis.com

Quake

2010-03-25T23:47:00.006+08:00

Today, there was an earthquake in some parts of Metro Manila at a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter Scale. I was in Manila but didn't feel it but news reports proved it to be frightening to people who were, at that time on higher floors of a building. Fortunately, no one got hurt. I remember, the day after Chile was hit by a devastating quake, I was in Hong Kong and as I was wandering around the city, I was thinking that I wouldn't want to be there if it got hit by an earthquake(multiple knocks on wood).

From wikipedia.com: Hong Kong is mountainous and there are a lot of steep slopes. According to Emporis, there are 7,681 skyscrapers in Hong Kong, putting the city at the top of world rankings. The high density and tall skyline of Hong Kong's urban area is due to a lack of available sprawl space, with the average distance from the harbour front to the steep hills of Hong Kong Island at 1.3 km (0.8 mi), much of it reclaimed land. This lack of space causing demand for dense, high-rise offices and housing, has resulted in 36 of the world's 100 tallest residential buildings being in Hong Kong, and more people living or working above the 14th floor than anywhere else on Earth, making it the world's most vertical city.
I mean just look at where almost all of them live.

It's like this everywhere, high rise, high rise, high rise.

Sources: emporis.com
wikipedia.com
abs-cbnnews.com

Lent

2010-03-24T23:06:00.005+08:00

When we hear the word Lent, it usually reminds us of a few things: Ashes; Giving something up; Scrutinies: Examining our lives; Penance; Prayer; fasting; Stations of the Cross; and Blessed palms but Lent actually denotes to the forty days' fast preceding Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. It is also a season of soul-searching and repentance... of course lent is not the only time when we can repent but it is in most Catholics' beliefs that these things are widely practiced during Lent. I did not actually give up anything but in so many ways, as was taught to me as a Catholic, I try to keep up with the traditions brought about by this season.

I want to share a story that I have finished reading for the 2nd time. The Shack written by William P. Young. It's a like a prayer book, lessons from the Bible, daily bread, and fiction rolled into one great story that in one way or another will open the readers' minds and hearts. It will give you the reasons for one's lack of faith.

The story is about a father who lost his youngest daughter to a tragedy that made him question the capacity of God to actually save the one's who truly does not deserve bad things. It is not a story that is unusual but what's different about this is how the main character found his faith again. He met God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit who showed and reminded him of how painful, but also amazing life can be. These to me are the best parts of the book:

"Evil is a word we use to describe the absence of Good, just as we use the word darkness to describe the absence of Light or death to describe the absence of Life. Both evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to Light and Good; they do not have any actual existence. I am Light and I am Good. I am Love and there is no darkness in me. Light and Good actually exist. So, removing yourself from me will plunge you into darkness. Declaring independence will result in evil because apart from me, you can only draw upon yourself. That is death because you have separated yourself from me: Life."

"The person who lives by his fears will not find freedom in my [God's] love. I am not talking about rational fears regarding legitimate dangers, but imagined fears, and especially the projection of those into the future. To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe that I [God] am good nor know deep in your heart that I love you. You sing about it, you talk about it, but you don't know it."

"Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive. But should they finally confess and repent, you will discover a miracle in your own heart that allows you to reach out and begin to build between you a bridge of reconciliation.........Forgiveness does not excuse anything.........You may have to declare your forgiveness a hundred times the first day and the second day, but the third day will be less and each day after, until one day you will realize that you have forgiven completely. And then one day you will pray for his wholeness......"

"Each relationship between two persons is absolutely unique. That is why you cannot love two people the same. It simply is not possible. You love each person differently because of who they are and the uniqueness that they draw out of you. "

"Have you noticed that even though you call me Lord and King, I have never really acted in that capacity with you? I've never taken control of your choices or forced you to do anything, even when what you were about to do was destructive or hurtful to yourself and others."

Tron

2010-03-16T16:29:00.005+08:00

I remember watching this over and over with my sister and little brother when we were in grade school in Betamax format. We thought it was the coolest "high-tech" movie at that time.

Now I can't wait to see the new film in December of this year... it will be awesome on IMAX.

A GQ profile of Manny Pacquiao

2010-03-14T21:08:00.004+08:00

The best I've read about Pacman...

by Andrew Corsello:

"I think about how Manny Pacquiao's life is a cyclone of madness and dysfunction and karaoke and tango dancing and fucked-to-death lions and grown men vying to fluff his rice and cut his meat and massage his thighs and sing harmony parts on Beatles songs.

How can he live this way?

Because he is the serene centering Eye. The storm, his life, envelops but does not touch him. The Tysonesque psychopathologies that drive other boxers to the dark side are flung centrifugally from his body and soul, outsourced to his disciples, who carry this burden and lay down their lives for him."

via GQ.COM

Underwater Museum

2010-03-05T15:18:00.005+08:00

On the March 2 issue of South China Morning Post, the cover story was about the underwater museum, located in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. I find it really amusing. It is not just for attraction, according to the website Environmental Graffiti: "The idea is for the sculptures – all made of pH-neutral concrete – to attract algae and marine life and therefore soon take on a life of their own, giving the local ecosystem a boost."

Random pics from my trip....

2010-03-05T12:43:00.006+08:00

I wish some of our public toilets here have this...

or this... (toilet seat cover)

I love how they translate this not just in English but also in Filipino... I guess a lot of hard headed Pinoys over there...

In DreamWorld theme park, they call Snow White.... Snow Whote?

A sign by the entrance of Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. So basically, you cannot do anything. It would have been much easier if they put up a sign saying "NO ENTRY"

I loved seeing some familiar stores...

they don't have Walker's Thai Sweet Chilli crisps here :(

It says "do not walk outside this area"... I wouldn't dare!

Nine...

2010-03-04T17:42:00.009+08:00

On my last full day in HK, I went to a mall called Pacific Place.

almost all malls are nice and spacious like this. no stalls in the middle...

I went to see Nine, which was released in the US last year, I don't think this was ever shown in Manila. I did not read the excerpts nor had I any idea of what the movie was about but my friend and I thought that it was an action film. It was a musical...a really good one, in my opinion. Great performances by Nicole Kidman, Fergie, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz, Daniel-Day Lewis and Judi Dench.

We watched the movie at the AMC Cinema.

in this very spacious movie house...

Can't get enough of HK

2010-03-04T17:04:00.007+08:00

Love, love, love HK... I just had to go back after Bangkok and I enjoyed my stay there so much. As mentioned in my earlier post, one of my favorites is the mass transportation...

just look how much leg room I have here... If I had to commute by bus everyday in the Philippines, I'll always have bruises on my knees.

underground train is also an easy way to get around...

I love how Chinese people are all so well dressed for work...

there's wi fi hot spot in almost every corner especially in the Central area...

Visited Ikea and had Swedish meatballs for lunch...

some school kids in an educational trip...

the hotel I wish I was staying in...

I could stay here for hours on end...

This was like an overpass in Lohas Park that felt like half a mile long...

The MTR(underground train) Lohas Park station...

inside the train, look how clean! why was I alone? it was only 10:30 pm...

Bangkok Day 2 and 3

2010-03-04T01:56:00.006+08:00

On the 2nd day in Bangkok, we went to Dreamworld, it's a character themed amusement park.

my favorite was the house of the giant from "Jack and the Beanstalk"

There was a display of the 7 Wonders of the World... my original plan was to go to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat, but it didn't push through because of time and money limitations, so I'll settle with this for now and see the real thing next time...

this looks scary but fun...

and this one's fun but scary...

my favorite in the park was the 4D experience... it's like watching a 3D movie but it feels more like you are in the situation. For example, if they are spraying water, you also get wet, if air is blown, you feel the air and if there are rats on the floor, you'll feel it on your feet as well. Pretty cool!

more street foods...

We went back to the Night Bazaar after the park... then off we went to the airport for the flight back to HongKong...

our taxi driver kept on talking on his mobile phone while driving about 100 mph... I guess, they don't have laws against this because even the drivers of the other taxis we rode kept on taking phone calls.

some billboard...

the Bangkok airport

with a huge picture of their King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX in front... It's like this in almost all buildings there... they have either his picture or a golden buddha

our nice Kenya airways fight attendants...

Day 1 in Bangkok

2010-03-04T00:28:00.018+08:00

Bangkok is such a beautiful place... transportation and food are very cheap. We flew Kenya Airways and I must say that the travel from HK to Bangkok was the smoothest air travel I have ever experienced, smooth take off and landing too. Hats off to the pilot whoever he was.

The food was great too. My friend and I had fish(very tasty) and red wine.

We got to Bangkok past midnight and stayed at this very clean and nice Hotel called Glow Trinity, which my friend booked. It was very cheap and my favorite part of the stay was the buffet breakfast. We decided to rest and not go out that night since we were already tired walking around HK central the whole day.

The hotel is located in Silom, which is very close to a BTS(Bangkok Mass Transit System) Skytrain station that will take you in and around the city. Getting around is very easy, there are a few types of mass transportation that you can choose from to get to where you want to. They have tuk tuks, taxis, trains, and scooters.

We took the pink Toyota taxis for short distance travels.

On our first day, we decided to visit the temples and markets. We took the tuk tuk, a very popular type of public transportation in Thailand. It's sort of like a tricycle.

This is our very polite tuk tuk driver, he drove us around town to see the temples. The fare was very cheap at 30 baht(about 43.5 in Philippine peso or USD.92) for a ride that lasted almost 2 hours. The only catch was, he took us to 2 jewelry and a clothing store and requested for us to look around each store for not less than 5 minutes. This was a promo, I guess of the store owners...that if the driver can bring tourists to their stores, they'd give them free gas. We said okay since he was very nice and we didn't have to buy anything anyway.

So we went to Wat Pho. In Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, "wat" means school, a Buddhist sacred precinct with monks' quarters.

Me, enjoying taking pics of the beautiful structures...

this is where we had to take our slippers off...

a local praying...

some palace I saw while riding the tuk tuk...

there's a lot of other temples in Bangkok...

they have one whole stretch, selling just these flowers, which people usually buy to offer(if I'm using the right term) to the Buddha

After a morning of temple-visiting, we headed back to the hotel for lunch.

this is what I had at the hotel restaurant called the Foodie... yummy!

but street foods are the best too, not to mention very cheap.

rode the skytrain(Bangkok's version of LRT, MRT) on the way to the shopping mall in the afternoon. The stations/terminals are exceptionally clean.

I love this mall, very big but the shops are well(Versace, Tod's, Hermes, Dior, etc...) so we ended up just window shopping.

but I enjoyed the events outside...

a cultural show...

while watching the show, I spotted red mango... I want!

After trying out the food in the festivities in Siam, we decided to walk our way to a popular night bazaar...

I saw this creepy building on our way to the bazaar, it was dark but at the time I took this shot, it was fully functional --- it's the National AIDS Research Center.

the night market was huge, I was not able to take pictures inside because I was busy looking for souvenirs... and the massive collection of dibidis :)

random: some girls having their dead skins eaten by these fish...

the best way to end a tiring day is to have an ice-cold Thai beer...

at this huge sort of like beer garden...

with battered shrimp for pulutan

I ♥ HK

2010-02-26T03:09:00.009+08:00

It's nice to be back in HK for the third time. Nothing much on the first day... but let me show you the things I love here:

love the huge and spacious airport

with cozy waiting areas

love the clean toilets that the keepers... well clean and reflush as soon as the last person who used it comes out. It's clean I swear!

but there's no smoking...otherwise $5000 fine or about 28,000 pesos. Darn it!

love the roads and the roundabouts... reminds me of the UK

love the bridges

and tunnels.

love the mass transportation,

no crowding inside a double decker bus,

love the food... that's what we had for lunch!

yes, please! I'll have some of those!

but look what I've found, the UK mag Photography Monthly (March issue--out now!)

which featured a photo of 2 people I know! :) taken by that guy on the right, Froi.

this is really cool! Happy Year of the Tiger! That's made out of flowers. If you came close, you'll smell it... quite good.

Back in the airport for next destination. waiting.............

I smell corruption all over NAIA..

2010-02-25T19:24:00.007+08:00

I just realized, of all the airports I've been to (in London, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, HK, Birmingham) the Philippines' international airport is the only one amongst the ones mentioned that charges Terminal Fee. It costs 750 pesos or about $18 and I wonder, what do they use the money for, airport maintenance? I doubt it... the trolleys hardly even move, the toilets are not that clean. It's such a wonder that the airports that are so big and well maintained do not even charge a terminal fee for passengers who use it everyday. Imagine, if 10,000 people pay this fee in each terminal each day, times 750, that's 7.5 million pesos and remember, we have 3 NAIA terminals. Oh well, just saying. My only consolation is that I'm not the only one who pays anyway... Wouldn't you feel better about paying if the airport looked a bit more like these:

Hongkong terminal 1

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

2010-02-21T23:44:00.003+08:00

wala lang... watching Moulin Rouge on this lazy Sunday!

Celski!

2010-02-21T23:05:00.008+08:00

It's that time to once again be proud of a fellow Filipino. J.R. Celski, speed skater, 19 years old , represents the US, has a Filipino mother and Polish father. Eventhough, he's just been disqualified from the 1000m short track speed skating race semifinals in the 2010 Winter Olympics, he did win a bronze medal for the 1500m race. He is a very proud Filipino, who recently showed off a huge 3 stars and a sun tattoo on his chest.

Speedskating experts have labeled J.R. Celski the next Apolo Anton Ohno.
More bout Celski: click here.

I see orange everywhere!

2010-02-19T23:21:00.004+08:00

So, if i told him "Fine I'll vote for you!", Would he get out of my space?

Music for charity...

2010-02-11T12:25:00.003+08:00

Some of the UK's biggest musicians rerecorded R.E.M's Everybody Hurts to raise funds for Haiti victims.

The same thing was done by US artists with the song We are the World.

No official video released yet. The original We are the World was a USA for Africa project and it was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and co-produced by Quincy Jones.

It followed Band Aid's Do They Know it's Christmas?, a UK project in 1984 to raise money for relief of 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia.

This too was remade in 2004, with all money raised going toward famine relief in the Darfur region of Sudan.

love all these kinds of songs but the best for me was "Voices that Care" released in 1991 written by David Foster, Linda Thompson and Peter Cetera, intended to help boost the morale of U.S. troops involved in Operation Desert Storm, as well as supporting the International Red Cross organization.

Jose Rizal on Facebook

2010-02-11T01:35:00.006+08:00

This might be too old but I find this amusing...It made my day! What if there were already internet and Facebook during the time of Dr. Jose Rizal and other heroes? click photos to enlarge...

Disclaimer: I just find this really funny but I have high respects for our National Heroes :)

Poor QC...

2010-02-08T15:21:00.003+08:00

She's running for a position in her hometown in the 2010 elections but would you vote for someone who does not know what's going on in her country?

Best Popcorn...

2010-02-04T18:33:00.005+08:00

When I went to see Avatar, I also discovered the best popcorn I've ever tasted. I always though that nothing could ever beat Tater's Buttered Popcorn, it is really buttered, not just cooked in butter. They pour melted butter on the popcorn upon serving. Okay I've mentioned the word butter too many times. This popcorn I discovered is Chef Tony's Belgian Butter Popcorn. It's yummy!

Chef Tony's popcorn flavors: Original, White Chocolate Walnut, Roasted Almond Mochachino, Caramel, Belgian Butter, White Cheddar, Pesto
They have branches in SM Megamall and MOA.

AVATARD...

2010-02-04T09:30:00.004+08:00

I am now officially an avatard. I love the movie that I don't mind watching it a few more times. This post may be well over 1 month too late since I think most people have seen the movie but I still want to write about it. I just saw it on IMAX theater a few days ago and I was amazed. The story I think is just the icing on the cake. The visual effects, it being a full length 3D film, is what's really worth seeing. Watching it on IMAX is the only way to go if you want to be amazed!

20 International Artists in Manila...

2010-01-14T11:34:00.016+08:00

The date: 06 February 2010
The venue: MOA concert grounds
The show: Then and Now Concert Series
Now, the artists you might say are so 2000 and late. Some of them, we may even consider as really old news.. but NOT their music. This is an all hits concert and this might be the first time that you'd get to watch a show where all the songs that will be performed are familiar and you can just sing-a-long the entire time. The night will be a good good night! The place will be one giant KTV hang out. Here's the partial list of the artists who will perform and the songs I wish they would sing. Click the pictures to watch and listen to their hits.

Tracey Chapman - Baby, Can I hold You?, Fast Car

P.M. Dawn - I'd Die Without You

Frankie J. - Don't Wanna Try

Expose - I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me, As Long as I can Dream

Baby Bash - That's How I go, Cyclone

TQ - Westside

Diana King - Shy Guy, I say a Little Prayer

JoJo - Leave (Get Out), Baby It's You

For full details, click here.

Watch out for...

2010-01-10T02:29:00.001+08:00

2010-01-08T10:21:00.010+08:00

Here are a few examples of how money and fame(?) can change(either a bit or dramatically) how someone looks ...

then...

now...
then... gwapo na rin naman talaga
now...

at drum roll!
then...

now...

Drunk Mariah

2010-01-08T10:09:00.003+08:00

This happened in the Palm Springs International Film Festival where she won the Breakthrough Artist Award for the movie Precious. I bet even her husband was hiding of humiliation while she was on stage. Sean Penn apparently joked and said "Someone's gonna be on YouTube tonight..." and he was right of course!

To see the full acceptance speech, click here.

Busy Sunday....

2010-01-03T21:13:00.005+08:00

Today, all the Christmas decorations in the house are down and kept in the boxes where it will again rest for the next 11 months. How sad...

And as part of my plans to organize a lot of stuff before the first month of the year ends, I started with my PC. I deleted all unnecessary files/programs/documents and organized my pictures, music and videos. My desktop used to be more than half-full of icons, after almost 3 hours... here it is: Yayyy!

Next, my movies... I threw away all the 'dibidis'(I believe, they're all disposable anyway.) and just left the DVDs on the shelf.

The books are now kept in an empty closet, I just left the unread ones out, which is just a total of three--- a Robert Kiyosaki , a Dan Brown and a Paulo Coelho.

Lastly, my BB.. deleted people I'm not in contact with anyway from my phonebook, also deleted old messages.

Tomorrow, my room and my niece and nephews' room.

King of Self Promotion Part 3

2010-01-03T01:58:00.004+08:00

Sorry, I can't get over how Manny Villar invades all types of media... This time, it's YouTube!

In 2010...

2010-01-03T01:49:00.005+08:00

Movies:

TV:

Gadget:

Epic Fail 2009 - Philippine Edition

2009-12-30T21:39:00.001+08:00

Presidential son, Mikey Arroyo, media suicide...

Epic fails of 2009

2009-12-28T20:13:00.002+08:00

Kanye West at the VMA's

Serena Williams at the 2009 US Open

What she said:
“I swear to God I’m f*****g going to take this f*****g ball and shove it down your f*****g throat, you hear that? I swear to God.”
and also, "I will kill you", which she denied.

Read more here.

Bolivian News mistaking pictures/scenes from TV show 'LOST' as pictures taken by a passenger during Air France plane crash.

More from failblog!

Pinoy Love ❤

2009-12-23T11:29:00.013+08:00

These are a few hits of 2009 among Filipinos:

1. The invasion of FroYo!
Froyo, as in frozen yogurt, have been big in the Philippines since 2008 but 2009 saw different stores and more branches opening in malls and other areas in the metro. I've tried Lulu Belle's, California Berry and White Hat and the latter is my favorite of the three.

2. Just BBM me.
Would BlackBerry be the next Nokia? With BB releasing smartphones with a few versions of each model, it is becoming more and more affordable. I think the ability to update Facebook and Twitter status using the mobile is what we love about it. It also has its own instant messenger, the BlackBerry Messenger or BBM. It's more fun than texting and works just like YM or AIM, all you need to do is add the PIN of someone's BB to your contact and you're ready to chat with friends wherever in the globe they may be... fine! not in Samoa or Siberia. It is so popular now that both the biggest local mobile companies, Smart and Globe, have come up with a contract/plan exclusive to BB, called whatelse? the BlackBerry Plan!

3. Twitter much?
Filipinos love social networking, it all started with Friendster(R.I.P), MySpace, Facebook, there's also Plurk, Tumblr and many more... and now Twitter which will let you communicate with your friends or tell the whole world what you are doing in 140 characters or less. Most celebrities (Hollywood or local) have twitter accounts and they are very consistent in updating their status that you'll know whether they are stuck in traffic, reading a book, watching a movie, in the backstage of a concert venue, on a location shoot, fighting with someone, siding with someone or whatever they are doing in that very moment. It's like E! News or The Buzz in real time.
The most followed is Ashton Kutcher, with more that 4 million followers, you'd think that he founded Twitter.
Locally, the following are the most followed on time of writing... as far as I know.
Politician - Mar Roxas - >25,000 followers
Celebrity - Anne Curtis - >82,000 followers
DJ - Mo Twister - >28,000
News - GMA 7 News - >13,000
Musician - Lea Salonga - >31,000
Charity - Philippine Red Cross - >6,000
Filipinos all over the world love to tweet, Cory Aquino became a trending topic when she passed on and also Typhoon Ondoy and Philippine Red Cross during the week after the typhoon hit the metro. Something becomes a trending topic when most number of tweeters mention the topic on their tweets or updates.

4. Hoy! Pinoy ako!
Filipinos love to show their love for their country, and how do we do it? by wearing our patriotism. Statement shirts that says "Filipinos are worth dying for"; "Iniibig ko ag Pilipinas"; shirts with the Philippine flag among others have become famous, but the most famous of them all is the embroidered Philippine map in a collared shirt. The brain behind this is Rhett Eala for Collezione, which is the brand that originally released it. Now, a lot of other apparel brands have their own versions.

Rhett Eala

The shirt is usually visible on TV as politicians and newscasters love wearing them.

More:
Havaianas, Crocs, and now Sanuk
Plaid pants and shorts
Gossip Girl
Glee
Robert Pattinson
Nobody, nobody butchoo
Lady Gaga
Rock Band
Manny Pacquiao
China phones
Siomai and calamares are now street foods

Best Gadgets of 2009...

2009-12-22T10:15:00.013+08:00

For the next couple of blogs, I will be talking about more good stuff from 2009 from other websites' lists and of course my own... this is my blog after all. There's a lot more that I did not include for the simple fact that the prizes are unreasonable and I'd say, at my status, is ridiculous...

From Gizmodo:
Windows 7 - this is in my Christmas wish list... I can't say much about it but it has had very good reviews from testers, users, techies, non-techies... I'd say that 8 out of 10 people say they like it better than Vista.

From SimoncPage:

Nokia 5800 - I've used one of these, my brother sold his unit to me, I used it for about a month and sold and replaced it with an LG Viewty. There's nothing wrong with it but there is also nothing special about it. You can find all the specifications every mid or high end Nokia phones have. It is a good looking touch screen phone and music player.

From The Independent:
Samsung P4600 - a small blu-ray disc player that can be wall mounted.

From Time.com:
The Nook - this is number 2 in their list, an E-book reader from Barnes and Noble, but since this is not available in Asia yet( maybe it is in Japan), I'd still go for Amazon's Kindle. Both canstore hundreds of books, magazines and even newspapers.

From Pocket-lint:
Dyson's Air Multiplier - It blows air without the blades. I've never seen one up close but thought it is worth mentioning since it is included in most Top 10 of the websites mentioned above.

More:
Samsung DualView TL225 / ST550

iPhone 3GS

100 Best Songs of the Decade

2009-12-21T20:20:00.013+08:00

Coldplay's Viva La Vida - one of the best songs of the decade

The list was released by Rolling Stones 09 December 2009, it got so many contradicting reviews and comments. As for me, the ones in green are my favorites; yellow are the ones i have not heard; and red are the ones i don't think should have made the list... then again, to each his own. To see how they came up with the best 100, listen to each song, and read the comments, click here.

Songs of the Decade

Holiday Mixes..

2009-12-19T20:37:00.005+08:00

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and Dark Cherry Mocha

M&M's Mint chocolate

May I just say that these add to the long list of reasons why I love Christmas...!!!!

A Christmas Wish...

2009-12-18T10:10:00.021+08:00

Everyone is praying, wishing and hoping that Mayon Volcano will not go off to destruct a province. As of Dec 17, almost 20,000 people have been evacuated and it has been assured that these people will be spending Christmas and New Year's in the evacuation centers. If the volcano erupts within the next few days as predicted, the province and even the neighboring areas might experience a White Christmas , which the residents will not be excited about as it will be white because of ash falls.

Facts about the volcano:

NAME OF VOLCANO: MAYON

LOCATION: Albay, 300 km southeast of Manila

PHYSICAL FEATURES

Elevation: 2.46 km

Base Diameter: 20 km

Base Circumference: 62.8 km (reckoned from 10-km radius) encompassing the towns of Camalig, Malilipot and Sto. Domingo

Area: 314.1 km² (estimated from 62.8 km base circumference)

Type of Volcano: Stratovolcano

Most Notable Eruptions:

1766 July 20 – 24 (Oct.20 - 25)	Pyroclastic and lava flows towards east (July 20-27); CASUALTIES: 39)
1814 Feb. 01	CASUALTIES: 1200; MOST DESTRUCTIVE ERUPTION
1853 July 7	CASUALTIES: 34
1871 Dec. 8 – 1872 Jan	Ashfall on the SW CASUALTIES: 3
1897 June 4 – July 23	CASUALTIES: 350 Next to 1814 eruption in destructiveness; violent phase lasted 17 hours

For detailed info, visit Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Manny Villar - King of Self Promotion Part 2

2009-12-16T19:56:00.004+08:00

dahil marami syang pera... siya lang sa lahat ng kandidato ang hanggang ngayon ay may TVC na ipinapalabas halos every commercial gap ng mga programa sa Dos, ewan ko lang kung pati sa ibang channel. Sabi sa lyrics:
Si Villar ang tunay na mahirap-- correction, hindi na ngayon! bilyonaryo na sya!
Si Villar ang tunay na may malasakit - sana nga tutal lagi nyang sinasabi na galing sya sa hirap.
Naisip ko lang, yung ibang mga bata kaya dito, talagang mga street children, at kung streetchildren nga sila, sana wala na nga sila sa kalye ngayon at natulungan na ni Villar. tulad ng sinasabi sa kanta nila!
Last line sa lyrics:
Si Manny Villar, ang magtatapos ng ating kahirapan. Isang NAPAKALAKING PANGAKO! pero kung manalo sya, SANA NGA matapos nya ang ating kahirapan(napapakanta ako- syet!)

Globe Broadband

2009-12-16T19:32:00.003+08:00

I just have to give this space to Globe Broadband.. For the past week I've been having trouble with my modem... no connection at all! and after calling globe technical support team everyday for the past 6 days, they finally came to my house and replaced my old modem with a new one. So thank you Globe! Cheers to a good customer service and thank you for putting up with my frustrations. I gotta say the response for technical assistance was a lot quicker compared to what I've experienced with AOL and Orange home broadband(from another country).

my new cool looking broadband modem from Globe

The Best Holiday Films

2009-12-13T19:42:00.011+08:00

What else is there to do when you have 5 succeeding days off but watch movies. I love holiday films coz even if the stories aren't so great or special, it's okay because these movies are sure to make you feel good. Here are a few of the best Christmas films, in my opinion...

1. Home Alone - I think this is the best for so many reasons... when my nephews and niece are a bit older and they appreciate movies other than those produced by a certain Walt Disney, I'd want them to experience the best movies of the 90's such as this:

2. It's A Wonderful Life - working in a nursing home for 4 years and having film showing with the residents once a week made me appreciate old movies. This is one of those movies that keeps getting better each time you watch it.

3. Love Actually - funny, heart-warming, real... one of the few British films that I love.

4. Die Hard - I know, it's not exactly a Christmas movie but... one man winning over terrorists on Christmas eve? you gotta love it!

5. The Grinch - favorite actor: Jim Carrey, favorite time of the year: Christmas. put them together... you get this movie!

6. A Christmas Carol - classic read turned into a powerful movie. Reviews say that the 1938 version is the best adaptation but I have not seen that one, neither the 2009 version starring Jim Carrey... still this one is a must see.

7. The Polar Express - story-good; graphics-good; actor-good... what more can you ask for?

8. Elf - funny, funny, funny...

9. White Christmas - if there is a Father Christmas, there's also a Mr. Christmas... and that's Bing Crosby.
Happy watching and Happy Holidays!!!

99 Presidentiables...

2009-12-02T18:50:00.002+08:00

A record 99 presidential aspirants filed their certificate of candidacy for the 2010 elections. Somehow I can't help myself thinking that some of these people are crazy and that they think Philippine politics is a playground. According to COMELEC, approximately 25 of the 99 are qualified.
I already know who my president will be but because of recent changes in the vice presidential race, I am now torn between 2 candidates.
Learn more about them:

I think these are the only names worth mentioning because people's votes will obviously be divided amongst these candidates.

The King of Self Promotion...

2009-11-28T10:22:00.003+08:00

He even had orange plastic bags, with his name on it, when they distributed relief goods to the typhoon Ondoy survivors. Campaign period for Villar started years ago.

Power hunger...

2009-11-27T19:45:00.003+08:00

We've been hearing, with no confirmation, that GMA might run for lower office in 2010, this is a sick sick idea! Not because she already holds the highest seat in the politics, but because of the things she has done or hasn't done to make this nation better. Why there isn't a law that can stop this from happening, I don't understand! I hope people realize that more than anything else, this is just an act to stay in power.
This doesn't have to do with anything, but just because I love photography... let me share the best GMA pictures on the web.

Music, music and me...

2009-11-26T09:50:00.008+08:00

Anti-file sharing campaigns have become massive, at least in countries like US and the UK. Understandable... since these are where artists who would greatly be affected come from, they release albums or singles worldwide. In third world countries like the Philippines, you can still easily get away with downloading music without any fear that you might receive a letter that tells you to either pay a fine or spend time in jail. Buying CDs or even paying for downloads is just not practical at these times when economic downfall is in its deepest place. I, myself have stopped buying CDs, the last CD that I bought was Usher's flop album "Here I Stand", in 2008. I probably paid for t0 download music twice, meaning all the almost 2000 music in my hard drive is ofcourse downloaded from files shared by other people. Woot to Bitlord! I still go to music stores though, and at times I get tempted to buy new releases but thankfully I have the ability to get out of the store before I actually pull out cash from my pocket. If in anyway, I'd buy new albums again, this would be my list:

Sidenote:
Doesn't this look like a Roxette or Cindy Lauper album from the 80's?

2009-11-22T22:40:00.021+08:00

Today I sold my Canon EOS1000d to upgrade to EOS500d. My 1000d took over 6,300 photos since December 2008, most of it are pictures of my niece and nephews.
This is one of the first few photos I took when my camera was barely a month old, It's not the best, but my first decent night shot. HongKong skyline taken from The Peak in January, 2009.

Here are some of my new favorite photos from flickr:
This is a photo taken by Mohan Gumatay, also known in the Philippines as DJ Mo Twister. I love black and white photography and when the subject involves people, B&W, for me, adds a nice dramatic effect in a picture.

If there is one thing I'd like to learn or maybe even master, it is to take nice photos of fireworks. I saw this in flickr, from Guy Flâneur's photostream.

One of his photos actually got included in a UK travel guide website. I happen to know Froi and his flickr site is really worth visiting.

I hope that I will soon have the time to attend some photography lessons and if that happens, I will definitely enroll in some, if not all of Sir Nicolay's classes.

This is my cousin feeling like a real pro. (Zambales)

by Ryan and Randall Dagooc. You can find the best wedding photographs here.

...and more favorites... all from flickr.(No copyright infringement intended)

Vampires, Werewolves, and the end of the world...

2009-11-20T19:12:00.009+08:00

Since I am on leave today, I decided I'd watch 2 movies. It has been months since I had the time to watch a film. I already missed out on 500 Days of Summer, This is It, Julie and Julia, and many more... and because there's just simply no one to go with on a working day, I went by myself. I'm not new to watching by myself though, I used to do it a lot back in the days but the last movie I went to alone was Lost in Translation, in Oxford. I decided to watch New Moon and 2012, I caught the first screening of New Moon which I thought would be perfect because the cinema won't be crowded yet but I guess I was wrong. I have never seen too many people in a movie theater at 10:40 in the morning on a weekday. I bet all those younger audience either cut or skipped class.
Anyhow, the movie was good. I won't say much about it except there is a scene between Edward and Bella that lasted more or less 10 seconds that was very cheesy and the movie could have done without it. And, I know I was not the only one who cringed. If only for Jacob Black, I'd say the movie is perfect! Haha! How Taylor Lautner turned from this (in Cheaper by the Dozen 2- 2005):
to this:

in just 4 years or so will remain a mystery to me... on second thoughts, who cares how he did it!

and then there was 2012...

There's something about Roland Emmerich and the end of the world, may it be by disasters or alien invasion(he also directed The Day after Tomorrow and Independence Day), I'm starting to think he has visions of the future. The thought of apocalypse is a bit scary but also a reminder that we will never know what's gonna happen and the only thing that is for sure is that every day is a chance to change, make things right and show some love...
The movie was also good except for the fact that you'd need a billion Euros to be spared from death:) I say... just pray and be ready.

Both movies are worth watching.

I'm a watch this!

2009-11-19T20:47:00.001+08:00

Crazy 'bout FLIP!

2009-11-19T11:50:00.003+08:00

Two weeks ago, I bought this very cool gadget. This is the Flip Ultra camcorder. I decided to buy it mainly because of my nephews and niece. I thought I'd take videos of their activities to record their milestones.
Here's a list of just a few things I like about the gadget:
- it's very handy (think iPhone, only a bit thicker);
- it runs with 2 AA batteries, so you don't have to worry about it being discharged when you are out. You just have to bring extra batteries and don't worry, the battery life is very reasonable considering there is a live view while shooting. My first set of batteries recorded videos that last well over 2 hours if I add up the length of all the videos I've taken and that does not even include the playbacks.
- it's very affordable, mine is a first generation Flip, bought it for P3,999 (about $80)
- as seen in the image above, it connects to computers directly through USB, and once connected, it automatically starts up the software which will let you directly upload videos to YouTube
- and more importantly, the sound and video quality is very good

Click here to see sample videos, this is the e-journal I made to share videos of my nephews and niece.

I learned about this gadget from one of my favorite blogs: chuvaness.com

To learn more about the new generation Flip, click here.

Angkor Wat

2009-10-28T07:41:00.003+08:00

One of my shallow regrets is not being able to see the STONEHENGE up close for the more than 4 years that I lived in the UK. It is one of the many wonders of the world that I want to see...not only in pictures. When I go back to visit my sister, Wiltshire will be one of the places I'd go to. Come February, I will be putting on my tourist hat and go to Cambodia with a friend to see another great wonder... Angkor Wat!!! woot!!!

Yabang Pinoy!!!

2009-10-10T09:18:00.003+08:00

This makes me really proud. I have seen documentaries of how he helped young children who couldn't go to school. I think he deserves the prize money as he has done something that only someone who really cares would have thought of doing... To read about all the CNN heroes and the Top 10, click here. To vote for Efren, click here.

Typhoon Survival 101

2009-10-02T08:48:00.001+08:00

This is a re-post... thank you to whoever came up with this... Feel free to repost and share

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A FLOOD

Put together a supply kit or your very own typhoon survival kit including:

Clear drinking WATER. Good enough for a week. Consider having at least 1 gallon per person. Consider: juices in packs, carbonated drinks, coffee.

FOOD Also good enough for a week. Consider:

* Snacks that are ready-to-eat, easy to store and carry (biscuits, cookies)

* Non-perishable canned food (corned beef, tuna, pork and beans, vienna sausage, etc.)
* Candies to maintain sugar in body and keep acidity at bay
* Bread that will last for a few days, for carbo load
* Instant noodles, if you have the means to cook
* IMPORTANT: food for babies and the elderly if you have some staying with you

food utensils (spoons,can opener,etc.)
first aid and medicines
sleeping bags or bedding
personal items you must have for health and safety
toiletries include toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap.
blankets, towels, comforters, pillows. You can put them in large garbage bags to keep from getting wet.
extra clothes and underwear. Put them in plastic bags to avoid from getting wet. If you can, pack something that will last you for a few days.
Jackets, sweaters, socks, caps, rain gear and warm clothing and anything else that will keep you warm and dry.
Emergency lights and flashlights
Fresh batteries, battery-powered flashlights and radio. Have reserves for batteries of different sizes, especially for radios and flashlights. Avoid candles.
Mobile phone. Make sure the battery is fully charge, and that you have a spare one, too, in case of emergency. Also consider walkie-talkies.
Cash. Banks and ATMs might not be available so make sure that you have cash with you.
Keys. Have copies of keys to the front door, back door, garage, car keys, etc.
Items for pets. Consider also having a leash, muzzle, cage and food for your pets.
Umbrellas and tents
Water pails and dippers
Floatation devices like life jackets, styrofoams, old tires, etc.
Rope

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS TO PROTECT

Many people have died trying to go back for these things, so it’s important that you are well-prepared already at this point in time. Keep these documents in a water-proof container:

1. Birth certificates
2. Insurance records
3. Medical records
4. SSS, Pag-ibig and Philhealth records
5. Identification cards
6. Bank account numbers and records
7. Emergency contact numbers
8. Contact numbers of family, friends and loved ones

It is important that you have an ID with you wherever you go. Also, a list of people to contact in case something happens to you. If you can, put your emergency contacts on speed dial.

SAFETY during a typhoon

Stay indoors and keep calm. Secure your home. Keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. If your house is in a flood-prone area, go to the nearest designated evacuation center. Have a flashlight and radio handy, with fresh batteries, a first aid kit as well.

Do not use gas or elctrical appliances that have been flooded. If you do stay home, turn off and unplug electric appliances and equipment to avoid possible electrical shorts and fires. Make sure you have adequate protective rain gear to keep warm and dry in case you need to flee. If you are indoors during the storm, stay there. Going outside may expose u to fallen power lines, flying debris that is extremely dangerous.

In case of flooding, turn off the main sources of electricity, gas and water in your home. Unplug all equipment and appliances. Make sure that the main electrical power switch or circuit breaker is turned off. When you need to touch a switch and the floor is still wet, stand on dry board or carton or wear rubber sole boots.

Avoid low-lying areas, riverbanks, creeks and coastal areas, slopes, cliffs and foothills. Rains can trigger landslides, rockslides or mudslides.Avoid wading through flooded areas. Do not attempt to cross flowing streams. Do not operate any electrical equipment during a flood.

For people whose houses have been submerged:

1. Make sure you use CHLOROX or ZONROX for dirt and not just Lysol to kill molds. Then 2. Spray/Fumigate against mosquitoes, otherwise there will be an outbreak of dengue & cholera may follow.

Allow electrical wires, connectors and other wiring devices to dry completely. Drying may take days, depending on how wet the system is and on external temperature. When all electrical wires and accessories are dry and clean, the wiring system must be checked. The appliance itself must be completely dry, serviced or checked by a licensed electrician. Do not turn on damaged electrical appliances.

A new typhoon called Pepeng might become a super typhoon by the time it reaches Northern Luzon and has already left about 139 people stranded in ports and transportation terminals in Legazpi City.

The Bicol region has been put under Storm Signal No. 1 by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), but forecaster Mario Palafox warns that as it moves toward Northern Luzon, Pepeng could become a super typhoon with its strong winds, saying in Filipino, “Its winds are now 150 kph, near 180 kph, which is the minimum wind speed for it to be considered a super typhoon.”

It is estimated that Pepeng, which has winds that are twice as strong as Ondoy, will reach Manila by Saturday.

Prepare. Inform. Connect. Help. Remain calm. Pray. We can get through this storm.

a day to remember...

2009-09-27T23:48:00.004+08:00

na magdasal....
na tumulong....
na matuto....

If I were rich...

2009-09-24T10:09:00.014+08:00

I'd buy all these for myself as an early Christmas gift:

1. “Not a Point & Shoot. Not an SLR … It’s a PEN.” A cool looking camera, it's like an old analog camera, but really, it's digital. The Olympus E-P1®.

2. I'd love to have a new lense for my Canon SLR.

3. This Samsung Blu-ray disc player will look good on my wall.

4. I've heard good reviews about the Windows 7. The stability of XP and improved features of Vista combined.

5. A new computer station.

Ok now, reality check... I'm not rich. so maybe, just one of these.
But really, this Christmas, all I'm wishing for is... world peace. ;-)☺☺☺

Life List....

2009-09-20T19:52:00.002+08:00

i so agree with these...

The most destructive habit : Worry
The greatest joy: Giving
The most endangered species: Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource: Our youth
The greatest “shot in the arm”: Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome: Fear
The most effective sleeping pill: Peace of mind
The most crippling disease: Excuses
The most powerful force in life: Love
The most destructive pariah: Gossip
The most incredible computer: The human brain
The worst thing to be without: Hope
The deadliest weapon: The tongue
The two most powerful words: Can do
The greatest asset: Faith
The most worthless emotion: Self-pity
The worst thing you can lose: Self-respect
The most satisfying work: Helping others
The ugliest personality trait: Selfishness
The most beautiful attire: A smile!
The most prized possession: Integrity
The most contagious spirit: Enthusiasm

Random thoughts from a 4 by 4 room...

2009-09-16T16:31:00.009+08:00

15-09-09
i really hate hospitals... everything about it, the smell, the noise, and the fact that if you need to go there, most of the time it means that you or someone you care about is not well. If you are not going to see a new baby, it's just not worth it...First of all, the rooms all seem so small no matter how much you pay per night or per day. Staying to care for someone means that you are probably going to sit all day, but hooray, it also means you now have time to catch up on your reading, update blog, watch the tv shows you've been missing some episodes of, and finally opening the envelopes you've been ignoring since you don't really need to see the bills, thanks to direct debit.
Nurses:
My mother needs to have blood transfusion, 4 bags is what she needs. Her vitals need to be checked every 15 minutes during the course of transfusion and no offense to my nurse friends but for Pete's sakes, why do they need to come in groups all the time, 1 nurse for body temp, 1 for blood pressure, 1 for checking if the flow of blood is just about right, and another one who does nothing...what the?!
Meal:
Steamed fish - unsalted and smells like it's fresh out of the fisherman's net
Steamed rice - overcooked
steamed vegetables - not cooked enough
small slice of papaya - why is it still green?
Goodluck eating that mother!
Visitors:
You can't help but be thankful to all the relatives and friends who make time to show that they care. And the more visitors you have in a day, the more food supply you get... goldilocks rolls, fortune hopia ube, cookies, biscuits, mamon, red ribbon to name a few.
Long time:
Sometimes, hospital can also be a place where you'll be reminded that you know a lot of other people... like highschool batchmates who work at the front desk of the hospital, gradeschool friends who are also employees, a distant cousin who is also there for a loved one, and an old neighbor who is waiting for his new baby's arrival. Not a nice place for such reacquaintances...
Still...

amidst all the complaints and these good but fattening food, bottomline: the patient is doing okay.. so thank you OLPMC, you've been good to our family for the past few years...

heartless...

2009-09-15T16:42:00.004+08:00

Indeed! Kanye West once again proved what a stupid arse he is for what he did during the acceptance speech of Taylor Swift at the VMAs. Yes, Taylor Swift is not that good and there's probably another artist who truly deserved that award but that? he just embarassed himself! He's always been like that and this is the case where you can say "...like the music but not so much the person!" oh well! Okay, he's forgiven... next album...

Represent! Aquino all the way...

2009-09-09T14:15:00.005+08:00

Sen. Noynoy officially announced that he is running for President in the 2010 elections... here's hoping and praying that, win or lose, he'll continue to make real the promise of democracy that his father died for and his mother fought for...

stamped...

2009-09-09T00:06:00.002+08:00

i wanna get my hands on these tribute stamps... hope the 70,000 pieces that philpost released today is not yet sold out by the time i'm free to go to the post office.

u-BER excited!

2009-09-06T23:43:00.005+08:00

In some countries, including the Philippines, Christmas can be felt as soon as the ber months start and true enough, malls have started stocking up with Christmas ornaments on this 1st week of September. It doesn't matter if no one really buys anything yet... it's there and it's discounted even. Last year, the Christmas motif in the house was silver and blue, bit boyish/masculine in honor of my nephew's first ever Christmas. This year I'm thinking, it should be colorful, Disney-themed, since all my 3 nephews and niece will be in the Phils. this coming holidays. But that's a few more weeks from now, there's still a Christening and a 60th Birthday party to organize and celebrate before December.

kiyeme...

2009-09-03T10:44:00.003+08:00

2 movies I'm hoping to see this weekend...
I'm not really sure about district 9 but due to unexpected good reviews, it's kind of tempting to go see this movie. Anyway, I can always use the movie theater as a sleeping place, in case the story doesn't maintain my attention span.
Kimmy Dora! :) I'm not losing hope in Filipino comedy movies...

Bon Voyage???

2009-08-30T12:30:00.004+08:00

Just sharing! For the complete article, click here: Manila Bulletin. Wala naman... Excuse me while I sing So Sick!!!!

Mmmm Lemon grass...

2009-08-30T12:03:00.004+08:00

loving thai food... This is the seafood Tom Yum from Jatujak Thai restaurant in Mall of Asia. Unlike other Thai restos, their prices are reasonable. I just love how almost every food in their menu has a hint of lemongrass. Green papaya salad is also worth trying. Gotta stock up on Lucky Me Tom Yum to satisfy these cravings :) goodbye jjampong...

Katy Perry's waking up in Manila...

2009-08-29T20:59:00.003+08:00

never heard of Boys like Girls... but this will be a good show nonetheless...woooot!

Manila, Manila

2009-08-29T14:46:00.010+08:00

I love Team Manila... they have really cool stuff from hoodies to shirts to belts and much much more... http://www.teammanilalifestyle.com/ Also, check out their shirts for the benefit of UNICEF.

De-stress yourself...

2009-08-24T08:20:00.002+08:00

A refreshing Sunday... a stroll along provincial small town backroads with the car windows rolled down to breathe fresh air and smell the scent of rice farms... this.. while eating banana or camote cue and dirty ice cream.