Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Happy New Year!!!

I'll be spending New Year (again) here in Manila. Happy New Year to Everyone! Cheers!!!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

What's the Best External Hard Drive?

I’m planning to get an external hard drive. This is after my laptop crashed twice, and losing important files which I call precious photos. I started saving my photos in CDs since then. I have a stack of CD in my room and I want their contents to be transferred to a single, handy storage.

 
I was at the mall looking for external hard drives today and I couldn’t decide which one to get. At around 4000-5000 pesos with a 500GB storage capacity, I am choosing between the following brands:

GoFlex
Buffalo
Hitachi
Life Studio
Western Digital


Me thinks the best one is Buffalo, but I haven’t decided on that yet. Anyone using an external hard drive? Which one would you recommend?

Monday, December 5, 2011

1 Year and 7 Months Later, I Finally Got My SSS ID Card

I just received my SSS ID card early this morning. It arrived, or I mean I arrived at the Philippine Postal Office in Quezon City at around 7AM because I had to catch the karteros before they leave to deliver mails. Two hours later, I was already holding my SSS ID card - finally, after almost two years of waiting.

I checked the envelope and it looks like they started releasing the cards a year and a half after my application. This must be for all those who applied in 2010 (I guess?). They attempted to deliver my card in my old address last October 14, 17 and 18. Of course, I was not there to receive it.

Yes, I actually read the enclosed letter and it sounds promising:

"Your Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) Card has a micro chip that securely stores your personal information and pertinent SSS data. We are also pleased to inform you that your UMID Card can also be used to transact with other government agencies such as the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Pag-IBIG Fund and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC)."

Anyway, the first thing I checked was the information printed on the card. I could remember very clearly that I chose the option NOT to print my birth date on it. Obviously, no one checked the application form that I filled-out because my birth date is on the card. And had I known that they will also print my address on it, I would have used my home address instead.

I don't live in Quezon City anymore.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Panabenga 2012 Shedule

I didn't make it last February, so I am quite excited to be in Baguio this 2012 for the Panagbenga Flower Festival (note: it's PAnagbenga not PInagbenga). I was a Baguio resident for 8 years, so I have always been in attendance in the past.

My favorite part is when Session road is closed for at least a week (imagine outdoor dining, street foods, souvenir shops, street partying, etc. etc.!) If you love all of these, make sure to be there on February 27- March 4, 2012.

 
The 2012 Panagbenga Baguio Flower Festival Schedule:

Panagbenga 2012 Launch and Concert     November 14, 2011

Panagbenga Opening Parade                    February 1, 2012

Market Encounter                                        February 1- March 4, 2012

Let a Thousand Flower Bloom                    February 11, 2012

Handog ng Panagbenga sa Baguio           February 12, 2012

Fluvial Float Parade                                   February 12, 2012

Chinese Spring Festival                             February 21, 2012

Grand Street Dancing Parade                   February 25, 2012

Grand Float Parade                                   February 26, 2012

Session Road in Bloom                             February 27- March 4, 2012

Pony Boy's Day                                         March 2, 2012

Panagbenga Closing Ceremonies             March 4
 and Grand Fireworks Display


Sunday, November 20, 2011

End Impunity: NUJP's Countdown to Ampatuan Massacre's Second Anniversary

Two years and still no justice: A call to bloggers, Twitter users and social media activists

by End Impunity: NUJP's Countdown to Ampatuan Massacre's Second Anniversary

On November 21, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, in cooperation with other media groups, is launching a Blog Action Day in connection with our commemoration of the second anniversary of the November 23, 2009 Ampatuan massacre and the first International Day to End Impunity.

As today, only two Ampatuans have been arraigned. Only 93 of the 196 accused have been arrested. Prosecution and defense lawyers have listed 300 and 320 witnesses, respectively, which, according to Senator Joker Arroyo, a veteran human rights lawyer and courtroom litigator, may take 200 years to present.

Meanwhile, the families of the 58 victims continue to suffer from the loss of their loved ones, most of whom were family breadwinners. Some of the children continue to innocently wait in vain for their murdered parents to come home.

On this day, we would like to invite all of you to use the power of communication and the Internet to speak out for justice and against the continued impunity with which those who wish to suppress freedom of expression impose the ultimate censorship – death – and how the apathy and inaction of government has made this so.

Let this be the start of a meaningful partnership as we forge onward together to realize the full expression of our rights and freedoms as communicators and as citizens of our country.

Below are some links that provide background information on the Ampatuan massacre and current status of the 57 counts of murder filed against the 196 accused:

“End Impunity: NUJP’s countdown to the Ampatuan Massacre’s second Anniversary” on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/End-Impunity-NUJPs-Countdown-to-Ampatuan-Massacres-Second-Anniversary/199834376758733)

NUJP (@nujp) on Twitter (http://twitter.com/nujp)

NUJP on Tumblr  which features artworks of children of the victims of the massacre and other media killings. These artworks express how they are coping with the death of their slain parents (http://nujp.tumblr.com/).

Let’s do our share in not forgetting the fallen victims of the Ampatuan Massacre.


References:

Rowena C. Paraan

Secretary General
0910.495.0095

Nestor Burgos
Chairperson
0917.725.6333

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Excellent Analysis of the recent Pacquiao-Marquez Fight!

Was Juan Manuel Marquez robbed? Here's a very interesting analysis from Bryan Armen Graham of Sports Illustrated:

It was close.

That much everyone can agree on.


Manny Pacquiao beat back an improbable, heroic effort from an aging champion to retain his WBO welterweight championship on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, eking out a majority decision over the magnificent Juan Manuel Marquez in a fight that was just as close as their previous two ring wars. In doing so, he narrowly avoided a seismic upset.


One ringside judge scored it 114-114, with the other two giving it to Pacquiao at 115-113 and 116-114. SI.com had it 114-114.


Call it a lot of things, but don't call it a robbery.

A heavily pro-Marquez crowd rained boos on the floor after Michael Buffer's announcement of the outcome, hurling bottles and cans toward the ring -- a far more vehement reaction than Floyd Mayweather experienced after his ungentlemanly knockout of Victor Ortiz in the same room just two months ago.

But the outcry was not commensurate to the injustice.

Yes, most of the media at ringside scored it a draw or a narrow victory for Marquez. But most of the rounds were very close. How close? Not once after the sixth did all three judges score a single round the same way.

Fact is, Saturday's fight could have gone either way. There have been far more egregious iniquities in boxing -- this year alone.

Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KOs), a 7-to-1 underdog who'd appeared vastly out of his depth in his only previous fight above lightweight, looked better than anyone expected from the opening bell, staying away from Pacquiao's power in the early rounds and peppering him with well-timed counterpunches. The Filipino champion had trouble getting inside and landing shots, finding his hyperkinetic flurries thwarted regardless of his tack or pace. Marquez even managed to rock Pacquiao several times, most notably by gigantic right hands in the fourth, fifth and seventh.

During those the middle rounds Pacquiao was as apprehensive as he's looked in years, wary of the counters, as confounded by the Marquez riddle as he was when they met at featherweight in 2004 and super featherweight in '08. (They fought Saturday at a catchweight of 144, or 14 pounds above their most recent fight.) He was doing enough to bank a few rounds and keep the Mexican challenger from running out too far ahead, but it was clear the more disciplined Marquez was in control. After nine rounds, the fight was there for Marquez to take.

And then he took his foot off the gas.

So you can say what you want about Saturday's result, but Marquez can only blame himself. All three judges scored two of the last three rounds for Pacquiao -- and SI.com gave him all three.
Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) showed great heart, and an even greater chin, to absorb Marquez's best shots and keep moving forward through the first three-quarters for the fight. Then as the reality of his 38 years became manifest -- as the Mexican's crisp, exquisite combinations began to lose their bite -- it was the 32-year-old Pacquiao's superior finishing kick that made the difference.

"The fight was there for there for Marquez," Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said. "But he chose to stay in that counterpunching mode and not come forward, and if I'm going to give a close round to someone I'm going to give it to the aggressor."

Throughout the buildup to Saturday's fight, Pacquiao had talked endlessly about the desire for a definitive conclusion to a trilogy that's now spanned 36 rounds over seven years and three weight classes. This was not that.

Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum was first to float the idea of a fourth installment for May, a reality even Roach grudgingly agreed with.

"It's a fight I kind of don't want to do again, but I think we have to," Roach said. "He's given us problems three times now and he's very good at what he does. He deserves a rematch."

For now, it appears the dream of a megafight between Pacquiao and Mayweather is on hold. If Pacquiao had this much trouble with Marquez's counterpunching, how could he expect to fare against a guy who's almost identical stylistically, only bigger and faster and far closer to his prime?

"Commercially speaking it will be huge fight," Marquez said through an interpreter. "But boxing is about styles, and the style of Mayweather will get very complicated for Pacquiao."

The workmanlike Marquez will never run for president. He'll never star in an action movie or cut a gold record or make Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people. He will never have his own branded hand sanitizer or cologne like Pacquiao (both of which were available Saturday at the merch stand, for $5 and $50, respectively).

But he will always have Pacquiao's number, the Ken Norton to Manny's Ali.

"I have to accept that it's not too easy to fight Marquez," Pacquiao said. "He's always backing off, he's waiting for me to create action. It's not easy."

Monday, November 7, 2011

Someone from Beverly Hills, California is frequenting my new blog

I’ve been getting lots of clicks from this visitor since last month. S/he visits my new blog at least five times a week, and when s/he does, s/he clicks on the links leading to my other posts. I don’t know if s/he actually reads them as s/he seem to open at least 20 entries in one minute! Strange. Is s/he a spammer? If yes, why isn’t s/he leaving spam comments? 
 
Regretfully, I couldn’t tell his/her identity. The only think I know, as per Feedjit, is that s/he uses Internet Explorer and that s/he is located in Beverly Hills , California , U.S. of A! 

Friday, September 30, 2011

Boracay, for the First Timer

I should have posted this last month. I just thought Boracay is an overused topic; hence, I was not excited to blog about it. And then I realized, why not write about Boracay from a first timers perspective?

Last August, my friend, Joi, bought plane tickets for us without my knowledge. It was her birthday gift to me (sweet!). I didn’t know we were Boracay-bound at least two weeks before our flight. The weather was not good when we arrived. It was actually raining the next day when we woke up, but we enjoyed our stay nonetheless. Here are some of the things that I will remember about Boracay:

1. Boracay is the name. B-O-R-A-C-A-Y. Don’t you dare remove the last three letters. It doesn’t sound right unless you’re talking about Bora Bora, a world-famous island beach somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Note that for some foreigners, Bora Bora is better than Boracay so stop promoting what’s not ours by saying “Borahhh” with a fake accept. Not cool!

2. White sand beach, indeed. No questions asked.

3. Crytal clear waters; I enjoyed it the most. I thought it’s gonna change when it rains. It doesn’t.

4. Some bars are closed as early as 1AM. Boracay was unusually crowded last August, but I was surprised that the bars were getting emptied by 3AM. I would have been seen dancing until sunrise. Perhaps the scene is different during peak seasons.

I highly recommend Paraw and Epic!

5. People in Puerto Galera are friendlier.

6. If you’ve got the money, get a hotel room at Station 1. For the budget-conscious, go to Station 3. To be safe, stay in Station 2, it’s where everything happens anyway.

7. No sleeping on the beach. And strictly no sex on the beach!


8. It’s cliché to climb up that grotto on the rock and take pictures.

Boracay is a paradise - that is true 20 years ago. Over the years, it has become heavily commercialized and sadly, it looks like there's no stopping them politicians from destroying its beauty. So expect Boracay to self-destruct in 10 years. By then, the world's attention will be on our neighbors whose natural tourist's attractions are well-preserved - Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Which means, the best time to go to Boracay is now, while it is still considered beautiful.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Wi-Tribe or Globe Tattoo?

I am planning to get either a Globe Tattoo or Wi-Tribe modem, but I am not quite sure if they would work in my place. Anyone using any of these broadband in Pasig, specifically Kapitolyo area? I am not expecting for a very fast internet connection as I know all broadband in the Philippines are slow. I just want to be able to at least open and post on my blogs, chat on Facebook, YM and watch YouTube videos at anytime of the day. Kapiltolyo Pasig, anyone?

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

How to Switch Back to the Old Facebook Chat

So you logged in to Facebook, saw a pop-up window, clicked on it and voila, your Facebook chat box has turned to a sidebar. Most Facebook users are not liking it. But you can get your old chat box back by simply following these two simple steps (only works for Mozilla):

1. Download this addons from https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/greasemonkey/
2. Install userscripts from http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/107159

Once installed, log out then log back in to your Facebook account. You can complete this in 3 minutes!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Viral Video: Pinoy Twins Dancing

 found this in Yahoo the other day but I ignored it. I just got curious again when I saw it on TV Patrol. I didn't realize they were actually Pinoys. They're so cute and fun to watch.

Here are the famous twins, Justin and Jeremy Garcia dancing "Hey Ya!":

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Pilipinas Got Talent Season 2 Winner

If Jovit Balvidino was the clear front runner during the first season of Pilipinas Got Talent, there seem to be no act this season that could match his popularity. I thought it's gonna be a close fight between Buildex Pagales and Marcelito Pomoy, but based from all the performances that we saw during the grand finals last night, there are at least 5 other strong contenders for the top spot.

Last year, I made a list and declared Jovit as my winner. I was right.

Here's my wild prediction for this year. My formula is the same: talent+popularity+sympathy votes+Pinoy mentality = the Winner!

 

1. Marcelito Pomoy
- If we pick a winner based from the number of views of the contestant's YouTube video, Marcelito will surely be bringing home that huge check. Last night, he showed that he can sing both as a male and, err, female. 

2. NeilBeth - Second place? Just a wild guess. They look amazing on stage. I thought I was watching So You Think You Can Dance!

3. Rico the Magician - He's got a huge number of supporters. I won't be surprised if he'll end up winning it all tonight.

4. Buildex Pagales - Now known as Bruno Earth (did you know that Bruno Earth was trending in Twitter worldwide last night?). I agree with Mr. FMG when he said that Buildex is the Jovit Baldivino of this season when comes to the number of supporters. Buildex earns the votes of his mostly screaming girls fans.

5. Angel Calalas - She was so good during the semi-finals, better than last night. She is nevertheless talented and very beautiful. And she seem to be really humble. I expect to see her in the top 5.

6. Happy Feet - My sentimental favorite. Their story is so touching and so genuine. I hope they'd place high. For guys to dance like that even without a professional training at tap dancing, they define raw talent.

7. Jem - Is he the one from Cebu? If the whole of Cebu is voting for him, then he might give Marcelito a ran for his money.

8. Freestylers - They are good dancers but fans seem to prefer acts of smaller groups. That was a strong act they showed us last night, but text votes? Not a very strong contender.

9. Madrigal Siblings - Ok. I didn't like them at first but their performance last night is phenomenal. But the fact that voters chose the magician over them during the semis, I don't think they'd place higher than Rico tonight.

10. John - The pride of Pangasinan. No further comment.

11. DJP - So pretty and so talented. ABS-CBN will surely keep them as talents.

12.Skeights - Nothing special.

13th and 14th place: B4 and Filogram
- The problem is that we always get to see two representatives from Baguio every season. The Baguio votes are therefore divided, so I don't think these guys will bring home that big check up to the City of Pines.

Anxiously waiting for the results. Good luck to the 14 finalists!

Update: Freestylers is a surprise! What happened to NeilBeth and Mang Rico? Anyway, I'm so glad Marcelito won, I got it right again this time.
But I was even more excited to learn that Happy Feet placed second! Congratulations!!!

Official Results:
Pilipinas Got Talent Season 2 Grand Champion: MARCELITO
Second Place: HAPPY FEET
Third Place: FREESTYLERS

Friday, June 17, 2011

Internet to sawa

I just saw this ad when I logged in to my Yahoo mail today. It's the newest service from PLDT, called Internet To Sawa, with a speed of up to 5mbps. Anyone who has tried this already? I was a BayanTel subscriber before and I never had any problem with their internet service.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Wi-Fi from my phone!

I was disconnected from the world wide web for almost a week. The WiFi at my place just decided to quit working, I could only go online through my phone. And Globe isn't charging me cheap; it's eating up my prepaid credit! Plus, I really am not into mobile surfing. I can't surf and blog like I do on my pc.


I didn't know I could use my phone as a modem! LOL. I learned about this through my officemate who gave me the instructions. I just downloaded Barnacle WiFi Thether last night. With this application, my phone emits WiFi signals and I could connect my laptop to it no sweat! Visit the http://szym.net/barnacle/ for the free download or if your phone's got Android OS, just search and download it from Android market.

Guess which Philippine lake made it as one of the World's most beautiful?!

Budgettravel.com included the Taal Lake in their "12 Most Beautiful Lakes in the World" list. Now that's good news, after the recent fish kill in the area which made headlines last week.

PHILIPPINES
Taal Lake
This dangerous beauty, situated just 37.28 miles south of Manila, has two distinct claims to fame: It is the deepest lake in the Philippines, with a depth of 564 feet. It is also home to one of the world's smallest but most active volcanoes, the Taal Volcano, which sits within its waters on the island of Luzon. The lake itself was formed when a larger volcanic crater here collapsed; now seismologists spend a lot of time monitoring this spot for tremors, and sending out frequent eruption warnings through the country's Department of Tourism. Plenty of tour groups offer trips to the natural wonder—in spite of the fact that it has been declared a permanent danger zone. A safer way to see the volcano is by taking a drive along the Tagaytay-Taal ridge in nearby Tagaytay City.
Nearby: Adjacent Tagaytay City offers some well-priced accommodations, in addition to the best views of the lake.
Glad to see a Philippine tourist spot in their list, for the first time. For one, I never read any recent article from a foreign travel magazine which features Boracay as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. If not because of the massive online and text voting (which Filipinos are known for), I would have never heard of the underground cave in Palawan. So the inclusion of the Taal Lake to this list is quite a surprise.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Say NO to Mining in Palawan

Let your voice be heard. Sign-up now!


Please visit www.no2mininginpalawan.com to sign-up.

As of this writing, 1,220,053 signatures have been submitted! Let's show the local government of Palawan, the politicians, and these huge mining industries, that we are not letting them continue destroying our environment.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Taytay Falls Once More

I got to see Taytay falls January of last year (click here for the story), so when I learned about Dalitiwan Resort, also in Majayjay, I said yes to my friend's invitation to go there last weekend.

We left Manila at around 4PM. It's quite late already, and the heavy traffic from Calamba to Los Banos is not a surprise. We were in Sta. Cruz at around 7:30PM. For 350 pesos, we hired a tricycle to bring us to Dalitiwan Resort. It was raining and my pants were already soaked wet when we arrived at the resort more than an hour later. I got so tired that I fell asleep immediately after dinner.

The next morning, we tested the cold waters running along the resort.

We decided to visit Taytay Falls, it's still about 20 minutes away.
en route to the falls

The water here is (still) twice as cold!

 

Friday, June 3, 2011

Samsung Galaxy 5

I got my Samsung Galaxy 5 last December. It's quite cheap compared to most smart phones in the market. But I love it! It has everything I need.


Except for one thing: it gets detected every time I passed by the sensors of the stores where I shop. It's quite embarrassing especially when I'm alone. I first experienced it when I entered this shop in Megamall with my phone in my pocket. I was surprised when the alarm went off. I wasn't carrying anything, not a shopping bag, and when the guard discovered I had this phone, he realized it must be it. To check, I went in and out of the store, with and without my phone at hand, and he's right! Without the phone - no alarms!

Since then, I would hold my phone and raise my hands up when I enter a store. It's funny and still embarrassing to hear the alarm going off if I don't get to raise my hands high enough for my phone not to be detected. 

Anyone experienced the same???

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Transient House in Bokawkan

Staying in a transient house is a better option when going to Baguio in groups. It's cheaper and you can even get discounts especially for groups of 10 or more. You'll have the freedom to do things which you aren't allowed to do if you stay in a hotel.

From our last team building in Baguio, we stayed at the Mountain Side Inn along Bokawkan road. It's just a 10-minute taxi or jeepney ride away from Burnham park.


Terrace at the back.

View from the terrace.



At night.


Us, at the hallway.


The front yard, along Bokawkan road. The lights at the background are from Las Marias and Kinnoboyan country bars.



Rooms

For inquiries, contact:
Mountain Side Inn
51 Bokawkan Road, Baguio City
09209087180

I forgot to bring my camera at that time, these shots aren't mine. Thanks to my officemates Joi, Sarah and Adrian for the photos.

Transient Houses in Baguio

Since my officemates found out that I was a Baguio boy, I instantly became a "tour guide" everytime they plan to visit the City of Pines. They would ask me for the best hotels, transient houses, restaurants and bars. That has been the case for over 4 years now. I am happy to have been able to direct them to the best places in Baguio.

Here, I made a list of the transient houses in Baguio. I haven't been to all of these houses, so I may appear biased on some of my notes. Nonetheless, I have provided a link to their websites, if there's any, and contact numbers.

Miles Home
88 Gibraltar Road
(074) 424-2014; 09173645288
www.mileshome-baguio.com

My friends just stayed here this summer, and I didn't hear any negative comments from them so far. Miles Home is just a few steps away from the Mine's View park. Their rooms are very affordable, although from the outside, the house already looks old. Give them a call or visit their website for more information.

North Pine Transient House

117 Scout Barrio, Baguio City
www.baguioresthouses.multiply.com

They seem to have a number of apartments for rent/transient but I have never been to any of those. Check their page at baguioresthouses.multiply.com. Nonetheless, Scout Barrio is a good location as it is just beside Camp John Hay. Expect to see lots of pine trees in this area. Scout Barrio is about 15-20 minutes away from Session Road and is accessible by jeepney and taxi.

Baguio Transient House
214 Mission Rd.
Crystal Cave, Baguio City
www.baguiotransient.com

Baguio Transient House is found in Crystal Cave which is located along Marcos Highway. It is about 15 minutes away from the Baguio central business district.

INNSISON Apartelles
Naguilian cor Dominican Rd, Baguio City
09175084500
www.innsison.com


This is a new building found near the welcome arc of Baguio at Naguilian road. You can see the steps leading to the Lourdes Grotto from here. Their rates are quite affordable, a good alternative to getting a hotel near Session road.

Atenara House
40 Navy (C.M. Recto) Road
Saint Joseph Bgy 2600
Baguio City, Philippines
63 (74) 446-9808
63 (933) 365-7352
www.atenara.com


I once lived at St. Joseph back in 2002-2003 but I never noticed this transient house. I realized, they only started in 2005. Check their website for the details. St. Joseph is located near Wright Park, Botanical Garden and Teacher's Camp.

More to follow.

If you want me to include your place, leave a comment and give us the details.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Giving credit to whom it's due



My post about Mt. Clitoris has suddenly become the most viewed entry in my blog today. Most of the visitors are coming from Facebook, so I thought some guys may have shared a link of my post on their walls. But I was surprised to see visitors redirected from FHM.com.ph. I got curious so I checked:


Oops! I don't own this photo of the sexily named mountain. I'm glad to have had included the link of my source in my original post. I copied this photo from baguiomidlandcourier.com, and this photo is taken by Mr. Harley Palangchao.

I don't know Mr. Palangchao personally but I know that he's a respected photojournalist. His works are regularly being published at the Baguio Midland Courier. I look up to him as a photographer.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Blasphemy!

Did the world end yesterday?

If yes, then I must be one of the evil guys since I'm still alive! See? As per Harold Camping's blasphemous predictions, all those who will be left behind will go through hell on earth for the next five months, until October 21st!

Harold Camping -Source-

Ok. So now that the doomsday didn't happen, where is Harold Camping now? Missing???
Harold Camping is "mystified" and "a little bewildered" today that the Rapture did not go as he predicted, an associate of the California preacher told ABC News.

Tom Evans, a board member of Camping's Family Radio International, said today that Camping's wife told him her husband is at their home in Oakland and has no intention to speak or issue any statement today or Monday.

Camping's wife described him as being "somewhat bewildered" and "mystified" that events did not unfold on May 21 as Camping had predicted, Evans said.... - continue reading

Saturday, May 21, 2011

For humanity's sake!

This is hilarious!

I just posted a new photo in my photoblog yesterday. I few hours later, I received one new comment. I thought it's from Fufu who use to leave comments there despite me not updating it regularly. It turns out to be from a fellow stranger blogger...


I thought it was just another spam comment. This one's different. He wants me to "for humanity's sake" visit his blog and click on the ads. Huh?!?

My friend, if you want to earn money through blogging, or Adsense, in particular, you need to work hard for it. Start publishing quality posts. Learn the basics and study how Adsense works. All the tips you need were already provided by Adsense themselves, and you simply have to thoroughly read through them and follow.

You may earn something from this trick but, no, it won't last. You can't be doing this all the time to be able to earn a cent. It's all about hard work, and no one can do it overnight.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

When will I receive my SSS ID card?

So, after long years of convincing myself to get an SSS ID card, I finally got the courage to go to one of their offices and bear the long excruciating hours of waiting for my turn.

That was May of last year. That's right, one year ago, but I haven't received my card yet. Where did my SSS ID card go?!?

I made an online inquiry and look what I found:

Remarks: FOR CARD PRINTING

How long would it take for them to print my card? More than a year? Ahh... I expect to receive a wood-laminated ID card in the mail.


UPDATE: After 1 year and 6 months, the ID cards have started to arrive! If you applied during the first and second quarter of 2010, you should have received your ID card already. Otherwise, you may need to claim it from the SSS main office mailing department (along East Avenue, Quezon City). 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Scream 4

It got me bored after 15 minutes. And the next 70 minutes is a total waste, I can't even believe I actually stayed and watch. Definitely one of the worst movies of the year; very deserving of a Razzie!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Quezon and Laguna Day Tour

I've been hearing about Pahiyas Festival since I was a kid. I've seen stunning photos of their heavily decorated houses and colorful festivities. But I've never been to Quezon, so when my friends planned to join a day tour with the Pahiyas as the main itinerary, I thought I shouldn't miss it.

I don't know where my friend got her contact, but we paid Php1100 each for the fare (back and forth). Our meeting time was scheduled at 3AM at the SM Makati parking lot. There, we joined about a hundred others who were also part of the tour. We took van number 6 (out of 17). All cars left at exactly 3:30AM.

We arrived in Lucban, Quezon at around 6:30AM. We parked at the Lucban elementary school ground about less than half a kilometer away from the Lucban church. We had to walk from there.


If you go to the festival in your own car, you won't be allowed to enter the town proper. You will either walk, or hire a tricycle to bring you there. By bus, there are no buses from Manila to Lucban. You will have to take a Manila-Lucena bus trip from Cubao and get in to one of the jeepneys from Lucena to Lucban.

The Lucban church.

The church interior.

Random photos I took as we walk along the busy streets of Lucban:




I didn't get to really enjoy the festival because the town was so crowded. We left at around 2PM to visit the churches of Laguna.

Before leaving, I thought I should violate some rules...

Sorry, can't hold it!



Thursday, May 5, 2011

MyBlogLog: Discontinued

"MyBlogLog will no longer be in service from 24 May 2011"; that's the notice that Yahoo has been sending to its members.

I can't help but check my visitors whose photos appeared in my MyBlogLog widget:

To all of you, thanks a lot for visiting! Without MyBlogLog, I might not see your faces here again.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Friendster is deleting my account?

Yes, I still have a Friendster account. But wait, by May 31, 2011, all my Friendster photos, testimonials, messages and blog posts will vanish... forever! This is part of the suppose upgrade that Friendster is doing. Nope, they won't delete our accounts. We can still login after and view our empty profiles.

My account (the second and last), was created in October 2004. The first one was made six months earlier until some internet cafe user stole my password. Well, my Friendster contains quite a number of memories. Not really the old photos (which I've actually deleted a long time ago), but I value the messages and testimonials more. Imagine reading a friend's message six years ago and someone's impression on you back then? :)

Anyway, I just moved my Friendster photos to Multiply. How to do that? Just look for the Friendster Exporter app when you login to your account. You can transfer all your photos to Multiply or Flickr.

With Facebook now dominating the social networking community, I guess, this is Friendster's first step to saying bye-bye...

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Holy Week Effect

Traffic around Metro Manila is never heavy during Holy Week. It's a phenomenon that happens once a year. Look:

Shaw Blvd. at anytime of the year:

Shaw Blvd. during Holy Week:

Road going to/from Pasig:

The same road during Holy Week:

Ortigas Center:

Ortigas Center during Holy Week: