Rafa Nadal lost the Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic. It was his 5th straight loss against the Serb who has now also replaced Rafa as the #1 ranked player in the world. I'm gutted.
It's a horrific result for any Nadal fan. The sad thing about it is that his recent losses to Novak have been mostly mental. In the Wimbledon final, he was holding serve very well up until 4-5 when all of a sudden he suddenly lost the plot. I thought Rafa would go down without a fight after losing the second set 1-6 must but when he managed to break Novak early in the 3rd set and held on to that break to win a set, I thought he could at least get into the right frame of mind to put up a fight as he normally does against everyone else. Unfortunately, it was the same story in the 4th, with Rafa holding his own up until the tail end of the match where his fight seemed to all but disappear.
It's frightening to think that Nadal's asset throughout his career has been his unmatched mental strength and belief that he can win any match, even when he's down. Rafa now needs to find a way to get back his focus and figure out a way to beat Novak. I just hope he figures it out sooner rather than later.
Monday, July 04, 2011
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Belated Father's Day celebration and an Arcade afternoon
My family wasn't able to go out during Father's day because of scheduling issues so our celebration came a week later. My mom initially thought of having lunch somewhere in Intramuros but it took my family a while to get ready in the morning so it was almost 1pm when we left home. As such, I suggested that we have lunch in Cerchio instead. Cerchio located in the Tomas Morato area has the same owners as Romulo's Cafe and offers similar cuisine so I thought it would be perfect for my family.
I reckoned that since we would get there at around 1:30pm, there would be more than enough tables available and I didn't need a reservation. Sure enough, only a few tables were occupied when we got there so we were seated imediately. We were all quite hungry by the time our order arrived so I didn't even bother taking snapshots to put up in my blog but the food was really good! Despite the size of our meal, we still managed to have coffee and dessert after. You could tell that the owner of Romulo's and Cerchio is the same because both places have excellent service. Cerchio also has a pretty cool patio area on the second floor which seems to be a perfect place to chill out with your friends over a few drinks in the evening.
After lunch, we headed to Shangri-La mall because my grandma wanted to watch the movie of Sam Milby and KC Concepcion (can't remember the title). I was thinking of taking my nephews to watch Green Lantern but when we got there, Green Lantern wasn't showing for another 1 1/2 hours. I offered to take my nephews to watch Super 8 instead but neither of them were interested. My mom wanted to watch it and since she doesn't have a lot of opportunities to watch, I suggested she go see it and I would just take my nephews to Quantum while everyone else went to the cinema.
So we go to Quantum and I purchased P100 worth of tokens before realizing that a lot of the games that we normally play there - like the one where you drop a ball and bowling - were both not operational. There weren't a lot of games available so we just used up our tokens on whatever games felt interesting enough to play then I told my nephews we should just check out Power Station.
It was a pretty good move because Power Station had both games that were not available in Quantum. Plus, it has this 'Go Go Balls' game that was soooo much fun to play. Each game had four levels that would test different skills like accuracy and speed. The great thing about this game was that all three of us - me and my two nephews - could play the game at the same time. In fact, the more people playing it the better because more balls would be thrown at the screen. We had so much fun playing it that we played it a few times (no one was in line so it wasn't like we were unfairly hogging it. :)) This is what Go Go Balls looks like:
video uploaded in youtube by user saintfun0140
By the time we were done playing, both movies had finished. We got some Dippin' Dots for my nephews and I bought a box of silvanas from House of Silvanas before we headed home. Strangely enough, I'm the one who actually wants to go back to Power Station so we can have another crack at the Go Go Balls game LOL.
I reckoned that since we would get there at around 1:30pm, there would be more than enough tables available and I didn't need a reservation. Sure enough, only a few tables were occupied when we got there so we were seated imediately. We were all quite hungry by the time our order arrived so I didn't even bother taking snapshots to put up in my blog but the food was really good! Despite the size of our meal, we still managed to have coffee and dessert after. You could tell that the owner of Romulo's and Cerchio is the same because both places have excellent service. Cerchio also has a pretty cool patio area on the second floor which seems to be a perfect place to chill out with your friends over a few drinks in the evening.
After lunch, we headed to Shangri-La mall because my grandma wanted to watch the movie of Sam Milby and KC Concepcion (can't remember the title). I was thinking of taking my nephews to watch Green Lantern but when we got there, Green Lantern wasn't showing for another 1 1/2 hours. I offered to take my nephews to watch Super 8 instead but neither of them were interested. My mom wanted to watch it and since she doesn't have a lot of opportunities to watch, I suggested she go see it and I would just take my nephews to Quantum while everyone else went to the cinema.
So we go to Quantum and I purchased P100 worth of tokens before realizing that a lot of the games that we normally play there - like the one where you drop a ball and bowling - were both not operational. There weren't a lot of games available so we just used up our tokens on whatever games felt interesting enough to play then I told my nephews we should just check out Power Station.
It was a pretty good move because Power Station had both games that were not available in Quantum. Plus, it has this 'Go Go Balls' game that was soooo much fun to play. Each game had four levels that would test different skills like accuracy and speed. The great thing about this game was that all three of us - me and my two nephews - could play the game at the same time. In fact, the more people playing it the better because more balls would be thrown at the screen. We had so much fun playing it that we played it a few times (no one was in line so it wasn't like we were unfairly hogging it. :)) This is what Go Go Balls looks like:
video uploaded in youtube by user saintfun0140
By the time we were done playing, both movies had finished. We got some Dippin' Dots for my nephews and I bought a box of silvanas from House of Silvanas before we headed home. Strangely enough, I'm the one who actually wants to go back to Power Station so we can have another crack at the Go Go Balls game LOL.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Octavia on Got to Dance UK
This has to be one of the most expressive 7-year old dancers I have seen. Other talented children have come out on shows like Got To Dance and Live to Dance and they may perform with better technique and choreography, but Octavia's expression, in both her face and her movement, is something that I rarely see in other kids. Check it out.
video uploaded in youtube by user GotToDanceSky1
video uploaded in youtube by user GotToDanceSky1
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Mercato Night
I had been hearing about Mercato for a while now but up until recently I hadn't been able to visit. Apparently, if you are fond of going on food trips - which I am, as evidenced by my ever-growing waistline - you need to make your way to Mercato during weekend nights.
So I was out having a whole lot of drinks with my friends one Friday night when we realized we were all quite hungry after asking for the bill. Someone suggested we go to Mercato and since a couple of us hadn't been there yet, we all very quickly agreed to grab a late night snack there before heading home.
We got there and I sort of felt like a kid in a candy store. So many food items to choose from! Caught up in the excitement of being in Mercato for the first time, I ended up ordering 5 or 6 pieces of takoyaki, 8 dumplings, lechon baka, and hmm I am sure I ordered one more thing but I somehow can't remember what it was LOL. I probably ordered twice as much as everyone else (not combined, of course LOL). The alcohol (plus the fact that it must've been about 5 hours since my last meal) made me really hungry and I managed to wolf everything down in a really short period of time haha.
I probably packed in an extra 3 pounds that night but it was a really cool experience having a whole variety of pretty good food at your fingertips. Writing this now actually makes me want to pay Mercato another visit soon.
*****
On a separate note, I still haven't tried Banchetto, which came before Mercato and is located in Ortigas. Maybe next time I can tell my friends to get drinks in the Ortigas area and then we run over to Banchetto to have our post-midnight snack there.
So I was out having a whole lot of drinks with my friends one Friday night when we realized we were all quite hungry after asking for the bill. Someone suggested we go to Mercato and since a couple of us hadn't been there yet, we all very quickly agreed to grab a late night snack there before heading home.
We got there and I sort of felt like a kid in a candy store. So many food items to choose from! Caught up in the excitement of being in Mercato for the first time, I ended up ordering 5 or 6 pieces of takoyaki, 8 dumplings, lechon baka, and hmm I am sure I ordered one more thing but I somehow can't remember what it was LOL. I probably ordered twice as much as everyone else (not combined, of course LOL). The alcohol (plus the fact that it must've been about 5 hours since my last meal) made me really hungry and I managed to wolf everything down in a really short period of time haha.
I probably packed in an extra 3 pounds that night but it was a really cool experience having a whole variety of pretty good food at your fingertips. Writing this now actually makes me want to pay Mercato another visit soon.
*****
On a separate note, I still haven't tried Banchetto, which came before Mercato and is located in Ortigas. Maybe next time I can tell my friends to get drinks in the Ortigas area and then we run over to Banchetto to have our post-midnight snack there.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
600
This is my 600th blog post since I started my blog a little more than 6 years ago. I'm still averaging about 1 blog post every four days. Not bad! Hope I can continue to keep my blog going for at least another 600 posts. :)
Monday, June 06, 2011
"Love you more" by Sunscreem
Old song but I felt like digging it up on youtube and listening to it.
Video uploaded in youtube by user revenant7605
Video uploaded in youtube by user revenant7605
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Light saver
In the spirit of being more eco-friendly, even by just a bit, I made my first purchase of an energy-saving light bulb recently. In the past, whenever I needed a new light bulb, I would get the traditional incandescent light bulbs because I preferred yellow lighting at home and virtually all energy-saving bulbs I saw were white light. That is, until I busted another light bulb recently.
Ever since we started a campaign to reduce the use of paper cups at work, I've been trying to be a bit more environmentally conscious. So when my light got busted, I decided to look for an energy-saving one that emitted yellow light. I went to the supermarket and found the Panasonic Light Capsule.
After installing it, I thought it wasn't as bright as I wanted it to be. But apparently, after having the light on for a short while, it starts getting brighter until it resembles a 150-watt bulb. Wow!
It's about 3-4 times more expensive than a regular bulb but it is supposed to last for about 10,000 hours - longer than your average incandescent bulb - and it saves energy. Another small step in trying to be more eco-friendly.
Ever since we started a campaign to reduce the use of paper cups at work, I've been trying to be a bit more environmentally conscious. So when my light got busted, I decided to look for an energy-saving one that emitted yellow light. I went to the supermarket and found the Panasonic Light Capsule.
After installing it, I thought it wasn't as bright as I wanted it to be. But apparently, after having the light on for a short while, it starts getting brighter until it resembles a 150-watt bulb. Wow!
It's about 3-4 times more expensive than a regular bulb but it is supposed to last for about 10,000 hours - longer than your average incandescent bulb - and it saves energy. Another small step in trying to be more eco-friendly.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Quick Delivery 2121212
I recently got a complimentary copy of a Quick Delivery (2121212) booklet. I didn't use to pay attention to this before but ever since I got the booklet (you don't need it since you can check out their website), I've realized that it's pretty handy to have because it contains the menus of a whole array of restaurants and you just need to dial one telephone number when placing an order from any of them. The drawback is that you have to pay Quick Delivery an extra P10% but that's a fee I'm willing to pay for the service they provide.
Ever since I got this booklet, I've ordered from Bon Chon Chicken, Gloria Maris, and Sentro. I've tagged Cyma and 101 Hawker Food House as potential restos to order from next, and I'm quick excited about it. Obviously it doesn't take a lot to please me LOL.
Read more about Quick Delivery here.
Ever since I got this booklet, I've ordered from Bon Chon Chicken, Gloria Maris, and Sentro. I've tagged Cyma and 101 Hawker Food House as potential restos to order from next, and I'm quick excited about it. Obviously it doesn't take a lot to please me LOL.
Read more about Quick Delivery here.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
A college reunion and some fondue
My schedule since March has been completely out of whack due to my horrific workload. So I am pleased that despite spending so many hours in the office and even sometimes working at home, I am still able to spend time with family and friends. The only downside? This time I spend with the people in my life involves a lot of eating. And with my crazy schedule, my lack of exercise prevents me from burning all the calories that I consume LOL.
Case in point: my friend Maileen was in town with her husband Nick and beautiful baby daughter Tamlin. She naturally wanted to see her friends while she was in Manila so she organized a lunch party at her house and invited our college barkada. Unfortunately, only a handful of us were able to go - me, Lala, Letlet and Gosh (it wasn't just us there though so at least it didn't feel like no one showed up). Despite the lack in numbers, it was still a fun afternoon with a lot of delicious catered food and even some lechon. Tamlin was asleep when I arrived but she woke up just as I was about to depart and I was able to have my photo taken with her and Mai (I haven't seen the photo yet, though).
I had to leave a bit early because I promised my nephews that I would take them to Old Swiss Inn to have some chocolate fondue. A couple of months back, I purchased an Old Swiss Inn voucher that gave me 50% discount on fondue and drinks and since I know my nephews love chocolate fondue, I felt it would be perfect for them.
It was around 5:15pm when we got to Makati but our reservation was for 6pm so we took a brief detour to Bon Chon Chicken for an early dinner. The plan was to eat just a little bit in Bon Chon since we knew we were gonna be eating a lot of fondue. My voucher was for fondue and drinks worth P1,000 and with the Toblerone Chocolate Fondue costing around P400, we ended up ordering two of them. The fondue was really good! The fact that they used Toblerone ensured that the fondue was top quality. My mom was working that day and joined us in Old Swiss Inn for the second order.
Our stomachs didn't feel all that full after the first set, but midway through the second one we realized that the Bon Chon meal and the two fondues were a bit too much. Nevertheless we managed to polish everything off. I asked my nephews if they wanted to have fondue in Old Swiss Inn again and they said we should order just one next time. Sensible.
Case in point: my friend Maileen was in town with her husband Nick and beautiful baby daughter Tamlin. She naturally wanted to see her friends while she was in Manila so she organized a lunch party at her house and invited our college barkada. Unfortunately, only a handful of us were able to go - me, Lala, Letlet and Gosh (it wasn't just us there though so at least it didn't feel like no one showed up). Despite the lack in numbers, it was still a fun afternoon with a lot of delicious catered food and even some lechon. Tamlin was asleep when I arrived but she woke up just as I was about to depart and I was able to have my photo taken with her and Mai (I haven't seen the photo yet, though).
I had to leave a bit early because I promised my nephews that I would take them to Old Swiss Inn to have some chocolate fondue. A couple of months back, I purchased an Old Swiss Inn voucher that gave me 50% discount on fondue and drinks and since I know my nephews love chocolate fondue, I felt it would be perfect for them.
It was around 5:15pm when we got to Makati but our reservation was for 6pm so we took a brief detour to Bon Chon Chicken for an early dinner. The plan was to eat just a little bit in Bon Chon since we knew we were gonna be eating a lot of fondue. My voucher was for fondue and drinks worth P1,000 and with the Toblerone Chocolate Fondue costing around P400, we ended up ordering two of them. The fondue was really good! The fact that they used Toblerone ensured that the fondue was top quality. My mom was working that day and joined us in Old Swiss Inn for the second order.
Our stomachs didn't feel all that full after the first set, but midway through the second one we realized that the Bon Chon meal and the two fondues were a bit too much. Nevertheless we managed to polish everything off. I asked my nephews if they wanted to have fondue in Old Swiss Inn again and they said we should order just one next time. Sensible.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Jesse and Aldwin's birthday
Another weeknight, another gathering. This time around, it was to celebrate the birthday of my friends Jesse and Aldwin. We wanted to have a meal somewhere in the Fort area and since most of my friends have never been to the Piazza at Venice in McKinley Hill, we picked Little Asia as our dinner venue.
The entire gang was there and we ordered a whole lot of food. Tim got a couple of small-sized cakes which we shared after the meal was over (the waiters very kindly allowed us to eat there and even brought out plates and forks. I naturally ordered coffee to go with the dessert. We spent about 2 1/2 hours in Little Asia and would probably have stayed longer but Little Asia was about to close already. This must've been the first birthday celebration we had with this set of friends that didn't involve alcohol LOL but it was a weeknight so we couldn't drink a lot. There will be a lot more chances for that, though so nothing to worry about. :)
The entire gang was there and we ordered a whole lot of food. Tim got a couple of small-sized cakes which we shared after the meal was over (the waiters very kindly allowed us to eat there and even brought out plates and forks. I naturally ordered coffee to go with the dessert. We spent about 2 1/2 hours in Little Asia and would probably have stayed longer but Little Asia was about to close already. This must've been the first birthday celebration we had with this set of friends that didn't involve alcohol LOL but it was a weeknight so we couldn't drink a lot. There will be a lot more chances for that, though so nothing to worry about. :)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Barcino night
My friends Tim and Steph, who are getting married later in the year, were in town - they are both Singapore-based now - to do some early preps for their wedding among other things. Everyone had full weekends so a Friday or Saturday night out wasn't possible. To make sure we all got to meet up while they were here, we decided to meet up for dinner on a Monday night. At least we would get to start the work week on a good note.
We decided to have dinner in Barcino in Burgos Circle because Steph said she had a meal there before and really liked the food. There were quite a few of us there that night - Steph and Tim (of course), Joh, Raffa, Chris, Alvin, Doray, Peegee, and Mike. The food was good and so was the company and the conversation. After dinner, Tim very generously took the bill and we moved to Bar Dolci for dessert. It's not really advisable to have coffee and ice cream (hot and cold) but this is the second time in a couple of months that I have had that combo with the same set of friends. Me-Ann, who had an evening meeting, joined us in Bar Dolci. We stayed there for about another hour or so before calling it a night.
We didn't stay out very late coz we all had work again the next day. But it was fun to have a good evening meal on a Monday night. Maybe we should do this more frequently. Help shake the Monday blues away. :)
We decided to have dinner in Barcino in Burgos Circle because Steph said she had a meal there before and really liked the food. There were quite a few of us there that night - Steph and Tim (of course), Joh, Raffa, Chris, Alvin, Doray, Peegee, and Mike. The food was good and so was the company and the conversation. After dinner, Tim very generously took the bill and we moved to Bar Dolci for dessert. It's not really advisable to have coffee and ice cream (hot and cold) but this is the second time in a couple of months that I have had that combo with the same set of friends. Me-Ann, who had an evening meeting, joined us in Bar Dolci. We stayed there for about another hour or so before calling it a night.
We didn't stay out very late coz we all had work again the next day. But it was fun to have a good evening meal on a Monday night. Maybe we should do this more frequently. Help shake the Monday blues away. :)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Adele's "Someone like you"
Fantastic song, fantastic voice. Performed with just a piano background in front of an audience of thousands without frills or fanfare. This is how it should be done. Adele sings her song "Someone like you" during the 2011 Brit Awards and it is absolutely brilliant.
video uploaded in youtube by user Texhnician
She has many other amazing live performances of this song (such as her more intimate performance on Ellen) and when you consider that she wrote it, it is easy to see why she connects so deeply to words. You can truly feel the emotion and pain in her voice, her face, and her gestures. I really need to get her album.
video uploaded in youtube by user Texhnician
She has many other amazing live performances of this song (such as her more intimate performance on Ellen) and when you consider that she wrote it, it is easy to see why she connects so deeply to words. You can truly feel the emotion and pain in her voice, her face, and her gestures. I really need to get her album.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Celine's wedding
My cousin Celine just recently tied the knot and my family attended the wedding. The church ceremony was held at 1:30pm in the Shrine of Jesus, The Way, The Truth, The Life which is right next to MOA. It was an incredibly hot day so instead of parking my car under the sun, I decided to park in SMX (Philippine Fashion Week was being held on the same day in SMX, and it was interesting to see all those models and photographers getting ready.) My mom was a proxy ninang so we needed to make sure we got there early (we did).
The reception was held at the Diamond Hotel. We arrived at around 3:30pm and cocktails were served at 4pm on the 27th floor, providing us with a fantastic view of the bay. The program started at close to 5:30pm and when people were invited to join Celine and her husband Ian for photo ops before heading to the buffet table, the emcee randomly pulled out table numbers and picked ours second. Amazing! Even more amazing was the food. The buffet selection was enormous and there was even a pasta bar that I didn't get to try.
I also performed one song during the reception. Celine asked me a few weeks before if I could sing and I naturally agreed. I didn't have a lot of time to learn a completely new song so I suggested some songs that I had already performed before, and she picked 'Bless the Broken Road' by Rascal Flatts. I've sung this in two previous weddings, and both times I forgot the lyrics. Thankfully, I remembered all my lines this time although I added a big high note during the instrumental that wasn't hit cleanly - I guess I was really tired and dehydrated that day. In any case, Celine and most of the people seemed not to mind that and I guess for the most part it was still a decent performance.
The program ended at 8pm - it did start in the late afternoon - and while it was a tiring day (the heat in the early afternoon took its toll on everyone), it was great seeing my relatives and being part of one of the most special days of my cousin.
The reception was held at the Diamond Hotel. We arrived at around 3:30pm and cocktails were served at 4pm on the 27th floor, providing us with a fantastic view of the bay. The program started at close to 5:30pm and when people were invited to join Celine and her husband Ian for photo ops before heading to the buffet table, the emcee randomly pulled out table numbers and picked ours second. Amazing! Even more amazing was the food. The buffet selection was enormous and there was even a pasta bar that I didn't get to try.
I also performed one song during the reception. Celine asked me a few weeks before if I could sing and I naturally agreed. I didn't have a lot of time to learn a completely new song so I suggested some songs that I had already performed before, and she picked 'Bless the Broken Road' by Rascal Flatts. I've sung this in two previous weddings, and both times I forgot the lyrics. Thankfully, I remembered all my lines this time although I added a big high note during the instrumental that wasn't hit cleanly - I guess I was really tired and dehydrated that day. In any case, Celine and most of the people seemed not to mind that and I guess for the most part it was still a decent performance.
The program ended at 8pm - it did start in the late afternoon - and while it was a tiring day (the heat in the early afternoon took its toll on everyone), it was great seeing my relatives and being part of one of the most special days of my cousin.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Deals, deals, and more deals!
Deal sites (similar to Groupon) have now become hugely popular in Manila. My friend Walter has been suggesting to me for a long time that I check these sites out to get massive discounts on food, hotel accommodations, and a lot of other stuff but I never really spent any time checking them out. That is, until recently. I saw a deal for a P1,000 voucher in Mr. Jones that cost 'only' P500 and I decided to purchase it. After that, I have become a bit of an addict LOL. I have now purchased discount vouchers (most of them 50% off) for CPK, Old Swiss Inn, Sweet Pea, Mr. Jones, and Murray & D'Vine.
Here are some of the deal sites I regularly visit now:
I've seen a lot of vacation package deals but I don't see myself being able to go on holiday right now. Hopefully there will be some pretty good deals next year so I can get a really good discount on an awesome summer holiday.
Here are some of the deal sites I regularly visit now:
I've seen a lot of vacation package deals but I don't see myself being able to go on holiday right now. Hopefully there will be some pretty good deals next year so I can get a really good discount on an awesome summer holiday.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Running put on hold
This is definitely horrible news for me. I attempted to start training for the July 31 Milo Marathon in early April to give me 3 months to get in proper shape. But two things have worked to my detriment. First: my shift. I'm sort of working mid-shift right now which means my gym is closed by the time I get out of work. I guess you could argue that I should just wake up earlier and then hit the gym before I head to the office. But the second obstacle, my overwhelming workload, prevents me from doing this. I tend to wake up right before I need to head to work, and that leaves me no time to hit the treadmill.
I did weigh myself recently and I gained about 3 pounds. Crap. So even if I don't get to train well enough to run my 8th marathon in July, I should still try running anyways just to make sure I remain healthy.
I did weigh myself recently and I gained about 3 pounds. Crap. So even if I don't get to train well enough to run my 8th marathon in July, I should still try running anyways just to make sure I remain healthy.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Manny Pacquiao for HP Veer
Manny Pacquiao has cemented his place in history with another stellar performance against Shane Mosley to defend his WBO World Welterweight title. With his immense global popularity and international boxing success, it's nice to see that he is now endorsing something that is not sports-related. Check this out. :)
video uploaded in youtube by user bhopisback
video uploaded in youtube by user bhopisback
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
More repairs
I posted a couple of months ago about the few repairs that were required in my place. Even more recently, I needed a few more. My kitchen sink has been clogged for some time now and I was thinking of having a plumber look at it. But while grocery-shopping one day, I saw a Mr. Muscle sink-declogger and decided to give it a go. Thankfully, it worked! My kitchen sink is no longer clogged, which means I didn't need to get plumbing services. Or so I thought.
I later on realized that the fill valve of my toilet was broken. Water kept pouring out even if the tank was already full. To make sure I wasn't wasting water, I had shut the water source and just turn it on every time I needed to flush it. So for this problem, I got a plumber who initially tried to clean my tank. This didn't solve the problem, so he told me I needed to get a new fill valve and some kind of pipe. Everything cost me more than P1000. Ack! But at least my toilet is working properly again.
One additional house issue I have is that some important buttons on my TV remote are no longer working. I think I've used those buttons so much that they don't responding anymore. Thankfully, the remote of my DVD player can be configured to work for my TV as well. As such, I haven't purchased a new TV remote yet. I may give the Samsung service center a call one of these days - I already have the number - to find out how to get a new remote (and find out how much it costs).
I later on realized that the fill valve of my toilet was broken. Water kept pouring out even if the tank was already full. To make sure I wasn't wasting water, I had shut the water source and just turn it on every time I needed to flush it. So for this problem, I got a plumber who initially tried to clean my tank. This didn't solve the problem, so he told me I needed to get a new fill valve and some kind of pipe. Everything cost me more than P1000. Ack! But at least my toilet is working properly again.
One additional house issue I have is that some important buttons on my TV remote are no longer working. I think I've used those buttons so much that they don't responding anymore. Thankfully, the remote of my DVD player can be configured to work for my TV as well. As such, I haven't purchased a new TV remote yet. I may give the Samsung service center a call one of these days - I already have the number - to find out how to get a new remote (and find out how much it costs).
Monday, May 02, 2011
DVD-watching
I've been tremendously busy the last months now so when I manage to watch a few DVDs at home, it was a good sign since it meant I had a couple of hours to spare. I still have a lot of unwatched DVDs at home, but a restful weekend allowed me to reduce that list by three as I finally saw The Bourne Ultimatum, Memoirs of a Geisha, and How to Train your Dragon.
My friends gave me The Bourne Ultimatum as a gift (either for my birthday or Christmas some time ago) and it's only now that I managed to watch it. It's a really good movie that's fast-paced and action-packed, and the fact that it ends positively for the lead characters makes it a feel-good action flick to watch.
I bought my Memoirs of a Geisha DVD a long time ago when I saw it on sale. I'm glad I had enough time to watch it carefully and really absorb it because it is such a brilliant and well-written story. The imagery in the film is equally superb, so it is not surprising that the film won Oscar awards for Best Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design. The acting was also remarkable, with Zhang Ziyi in the lead role actually receiving a Golden Globe best actress nomination.
I missed How to Train your Dragon when it came out in the theaters here, but my friend Me-Ann told me that she liked that movie better than Despicable Me (which I really liked). So when I saw a DVD of this Dreamworks animated film, I decided to get it. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. The animation is great and I love the underlying themes of the film, like how you should not judge something that you don't know understand, or how friendships can be formed in the most unexpected places.
I still have a lot of DVDs at home, and hopefully I can continue to find some quiet time at home to allow me to watch more movies.
My friends gave me The Bourne Ultimatum as a gift (either for my birthday or Christmas some time ago) and it's only now that I managed to watch it. It's a really good movie that's fast-paced and action-packed, and the fact that it ends positively for the lead characters makes it a feel-good action flick to watch.
I bought my Memoirs of a Geisha DVD a long time ago when I saw it on sale. I'm glad I had enough time to watch it carefully and really absorb it because it is such a brilliant and well-written story. The imagery in the film is equally superb, so it is not surprising that the film won Oscar awards for Best Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design. The acting was also remarkable, with Zhang Ziyi in the lead role actually receiving a Golden Globe best actress nomination.
I missed How to Train your Dragon when it came out in the theaters here, but my friend Me-Ann told me that she liked that movie better than Despicable Me (which I really liked). So when I saw a DVD of this Dreamworks animated film, I decided to get it. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. The animation is great and I love the underlying themes of the film, like how you should not judge something that you don't know understand, or how friendships can be formed in the most unexpected places.
I still have a lot of DVDs at home, and hopefully I can continue to find some quiet time at home to allow me to watch more movies.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Family weekend
My mom decided to book a room at the Mandarin Oriental for the weekend as sort of a summer getaway for my nephews. The initial plan was that my nephews would go swimming upon arrival, but due to several delays, my family ended up checking in at around 4pm. My mom wanted us to get something to eat first, so we went to the Ayala Triangle and had a meal in Bon Chon Chicken. I ate here once before and I really enjoyed the food, and as it turned out, so did my family.
On the way to Ayala Triangle, my mom saw a billboard for 'Thor' and asked me when it was showing. I said that it already was. My mom wanted to see it so I decided to head over to Greenbelt to try and get tickets while the rest of my family had some gelato in Amici. All cinemas in Greenbelt 3 were fully booked (next available showing was close to 11pm already) but luckily for us, the old theater in Greenbelt 1 still had a lot of seats. And, since the cinema was older (but still clean and comfortable!), tickets here cost only P120. So not only did we manage to catch the 7:10pm showing, we got good seats and saved close to P400. Cool!
I really enjoyed 'Thor'. Of course, the special effects were amazing. And considering that this was a big blockbuster, I didn't expect that the cast would put in really good performances. Oscar winners Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins (who portrayed Thor's love interest and Odin, respectively) and Tom Hiddleston, who played Loki, were all great (I especially loved Hiddleton's delivery of an enraged and bitter Loki in one of the final scenes of the film). Chris Hemsworth was also very believable as the arrogant god of thunder who later learns the value of compassion and need for peace. I think what made the film an even better watch was the fact that it didn't take itself as seriously as most other films in the same genre. Leave it to director Kenneth Branagh to inject a lot of humor and witticism throughout the film that made it more interesting overall.
After the movie, we decided to have a late dinner in Mr. Jones. I've eaten here a few times but my family haven't, and I know there are lots of items in the menu that they would enjoy.
The next day, I took my nephews swimming while my mom went to the gym. The pool was pretty full and I wasn't really in the mood to get wet so I just listened to my ipod while looking after my nephews. They spent more than 2 hours in the pool before we went back to our room to get cleaned up before checking out. We ended up heading back to Ayala Triangle for another meal in Bon Chon Chicken (which seems to be my nephews' new favorite resto). It was a full and fun weekend, and why would it not be? Any quality time spent with the family is always fantastic.
On the way to Ayala Triangle, my mom saw a billboard for 'Thor' and asked me when it was showing. I said that it already was. My mom wanted to see it so I decided to head over to Greenbelt to try and get tickets while the rest of my family had some gelato in Amici. All cinemas in Greenbelt 3 were fully booked (next available showing was close to 11pm already) but luckily for us, the old theater in Greenbelt 1 still had a lot of seats. And, since the cinema was older (but still clean and comfortable!), tickets here cost only P120. So not only did we manage to catch the 7:10pm showing, we got good seats and saved close to P400. Cool!
I really enjoyed 'Thor'. Of course, the special effects were amazing. And considering that this was a big blockbuster, I didn't expect that the cast would put in really good performances. Oscar winners Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins (who portrayed Thor's love interest and Odin, respectively) and Tom Hiddleston, who played Loki, were all great (I especially loved Hiddleton's delivery of an enraged and bitter Loki in one of the final scenes of the film). Chris Hemsworth was also very believable as the arrogant god of thunder who later learns the value of compassion and need for peace. I think what made the film an even better watch was the fact that it didn't take itself as seriously as most other films in the same genre. Leave it to director Kenneth Branagh to inject a lot of humor and witticism throughout the film that made it more interesting overall.
After the movie, we decided to have a late dinner in Mr. Jones. I've eaten here a few times but my family haven't, and I know there are lots of items in the menu that they would enjoy.
The next day, I took my nephews swimming while my mom went to the gym. The pool was pretty full and I wasn't really in the mood to get wet so I just listened to my ipod while looking after my nephews. They spent more than 2 hours in the pool before we went back to our room to get cleaned up before checking out. We ended up heading back to Ayala Triangle for another meal in Bon Chon Chicken (which seems to be my nephews' new favorite resto). It was a full and fun weekend, and why would it not be? Any quality time spent with the family is always fantastic.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Dinner in Stock market
Raffa celebrated his birthday more than a month ago so when we had dinner in Stock Market in Bonifacio High Street, it was a really belated birthday celebration.
It was good to have most of the gang there - Raffa and Joh of course plus Chris (miracle that he was there and that he was early! lol), Me-ann, Peegee, and Mike. It was technically my second visit to Stock Market but only the first time I ordered anything. The first time I went there was right after the Rihanna-Chris Brown concert a few years ago when the group I watched the concert with managed to get a table there, but the place was bursting in the seams that the expected service time would be about an hour so I ended up looking for another place to eat.
The food was pretty good and I loved the lighting of the place. The interesting thing was that I didn't realize that this was Raffa's celebration, so once I had eaten my main course, I ordered an ice cream parfait and coffee (interesting combo, ice cream and coffee haha). Naturally, when Raffa took the bill I felt embarrassed that I ordered so much food. I left at around 10:30pm, just as the discussion was turning slightly serious with Mike raising some key government issues (wow, we are so adult in our conversation LOL), since I was meeting up with a few friends for drinks in The Keg.
It was good to have most of the gang there - Raffa and Joh of course plus Chris (miracle that he was there and that he was early! lol), Me-ann, Peegee, and Mike. It was technically my second visit to Stock Market but only the first time I ordered anything. The first time I went there was right after the Rihanna-Chris Brown concert a few years ago when the group I watched the concert with managed to get a table there, but the place was bursting in the seams that the expected service time would be about an hour so I ended up looking for another place to eat.
The food was pretty good and I loved the lighting of the place. The interesting thing was that I didn't realize that this was Raffa's celebration, so once I had eaten my main course, I ordered an ice cream parfait and coffee (interesting combo, ice cream and coffee haha). Naturally, when Raffa took the bill I felt embarrassed that I ordered so much food. I left at around 10:30pm, just as the discussion was turning slightly serious with Mike raising some key government issues (wow, we are so adult in our conversation LOL), since I was meeting up with a few friends for drinks in The Keg.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Sagada: final thoughts and tips
Here are some parting thoughts (and a few more photos) from my Sagada trip.
You should visit!
It's a 10-11 hour trip by van (and I think a 12-13 hour trip by bus) but that investment in time is well worth it. If you join a tour like we did and ride a van, expect to have issues with leg room and make sure you get out of the vehicle and stretch your legs whenever your van makes a pit stop. Bring ear plugs and a neck pillow if you can. And make sure you pass by the Banaue Rice Terraces. It would be a shame if you were in Sagada, only 2 hours away from Banaue, and not get to see one of the most famous places in the country.
Go early in the year.
You need to avoid the rainy season, otherwise some of the roads may be rendered impassable by landslides. While May is still technically summer in the Philippines, I've heard that rains do start to come in the Mountain Province around that time. (My mom was actually advised to go in March because last year, it already started to rain in April so we were lucky that the weather cooperated while we were there.)
Bring food and drinks.
You will most likely get hungry on the long drive to and from Sagada. The establishments also close at around 8pm (closing time shifts to around 9pm during very busy periods like Holy Week) so you won't have any place to get food late at night. You will also need a lot of fluids in your adventure trips so bring water or other drinks, or buy them from the town proper and bring them with you during the day.
It was in this trip that I discovered the Cheese and Mushroom Pie of Banapple. My mom brought a couple of these pies to Sagada since (1) they are pretty heavy, which means you can eat about a third of it as a snack and be ready to go, (2) it lasts at least a few days, even with no refrigeration, and (3) it tastes good, even when it's not warm. What I love about them is that they cost only P65. Considering the heft of this pie, I'd say that's exceptional value for money!
Join the Tripinas Sagada Tour!
I've mentioned this a few times already in my past few blog posts but the Sagada Tour of Tripinas should be one of your top options when visiting. It costs P3,890 per head but this fee includes transportation, lodging, entrance fee for the cave, and payment for the guides. You are also saved the hassle of having to book and pay for all these individual items. Plus you get a van that takes you to all the must-see places in Sagada. I read another blog post about a do-it-yourself trip that actually cost more than ours!
My mom was concerned about the payment terms (she had to deposit the payment upfront to someone's bank account) but we didn't have any issues with this.
Visit Tripinas at http://tripinas.blogspot.com/.
Study the itinerary.
If you do take this tour, make sure you study the itinerary. Sometimes, the drivers may not take you to all the spots mentioned in it (we missed a visit to the Lumiang coffins because of this) because they don't have it handy and might not necessarily remember what is part of the package. Also, make sure you remind the driver that the trip home should have a couple of stops for photo opportunities in the Bontoc and Banaue Rice Terraces. The driver told us initially that there were landslides along this route and as such, we would pass through Baguio again on the way home. However we sort of had this feeling that it was because this side trip would use up a lot more gasoline (due to the ascent through mountain passes), and would be a more difficult drive. I think the fact that everyone in our tour group were insistent that we should see the Banaue Rice Terraces eventually led to our driver saying that he confirmed with other drivers that there were no landslides and that we could take the route home prescribed in our itinerary.
Sagada is mystical, beautiful, and adventure-filled, and it ranks as one of the best places I have visited in my life. I'm really happy that I got to experience this amazing place and actually enjoy it with my family.
You should visit!
It's a 10-11 hour trip by van (and I think a 12-13 hour trip by bus) but that investment in time is well worth it. If you join a tour like we did and ride a van, expect to have issues with leg room and make sure you get out of the vehicle and stretch your legs whenever your van makes a pit stop. Bring ear plugs and a neck pillow if you can. And make sure you pass by the Banaue Rice Terraces. It would be a shame if you were in Sagada, only 2 hours away from Banaue, and not get to see one of the most famous places in the country.
Go early in the year.
You need to avoid the rainy season, otherwise some of the roads may be rendered impassable by landslides. While May is still technically summer in the Philippines, I've heard that rains do start to come in the Mountain Province around that time. (My mom was actually advised to go in March because last year, it already started to rain in April so we were lucky that the weather cooperated while we were there.)
Bring food and drinks.
You will most likely get hungry on the long drive to and from Sagada. The establishments also close at around 8pm (closing time shifts to around 9pm during very busy periods like Holy Week) so you won't have any place to get food late at night. You will also need a lot of fluids in your adventure trips so bring water or other drinks, or buy them from the town proper and bring them with you during the day.
It was in this trip that I discovered the Cheese and Mushroom Pie of Banapple. My mom brought a couple of these pies to Sagada since (1) they are pretty heavy, which means you can eat about a third of it as a snack and be ready to go, (2) it lasts at least a few days, even with no refrigeration, and (3) it tastes good, even when it's not warm. What I love about them is that they cost only P65. Considering the heft of this pie, I'd say that's exceptional value for money!
Join the Tripinas Sagada Tour!
I've mentioned this a few times already in my past few blog posts but the Sagada Tour of Tripinas should be one of your top options when visiting. It costs P3,890 per head but this fee includes transportation, lodging, entrance fee for the cave, and payment for the guides. You are also saved the hassle of having to book and pay for all these individual items. Plus you get a van that takes you to all the must-see places in Sagada. I read another blog post about a do-it-yourself trip that actually cost more than ours!
My mom was concerned about the payment terms (she had to deposit the payment upfront to someone's bank account) but we didn't have any issues with this.
Visit Tripinas at http://tripinas.blogspot.com/.
Study the itinerary.
If you do take this tour, make sure you study the itinerary. Sometimes, the drivers may not take you to all the spots mentioned in it (we missed a visit to the Lumiang coffins because of this) because they don't have it handy and might not necessarily remember what is part of the package. Also, make sure you remind the driver that the trip home should have a couple of stops for photo opportunities in the Bontoc and Banaue Rice Terraces. The driver told us initially that there were landslides along this route and as such, we would pass through Baguio again on the way home. However we sort of had this feeling that it was because this side trip would use up a lot more gasoline (due to the ascent through mountain passes), and would be a more difficult drive. I think the fact that everyone in our tour group were insistent that we should see the Banaue Rice Terraces eventually led to our driver saying that he confirmed with other drivers that there were no landslides and that we could take the route home prescribed in our itinerary.
Sagada is mystical, beautiful, and adventure-filled, and it ranks as one of the best places I have visited in my life. I'm really happy that I got to experience this amazing place and actually enjoy it with my family.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Banaue Rice Terraces!
We headed home after two full days in Sagada. The great thing about our Tripinas tour is that on our way home, we passed by the world-famous Banaue Rice Terraces!
We were worried that we wouldn't be able to pass by this Philippine landmark because our driver told us that bad weather in the Mountain province left some roads impassable. Luckily for us, the day before, our driver confirmed that there were no landslides (thankfully) and we would be able to make this detour on our trip home. Yahoo! We left our hotel at 730am on Saturday and made our way to Banaue, but along the way, we also passed by Bontoc. There are rice terraces all across the entire Mountain Province, and Bontoc is no exception.
We stopped by for just a few minutes to take a few photos. Pretty cool that my shirt and shades are color-coordinated with the Bontoc sign. :)
It took about an hour and a half after leaving Bontoc before we got to Banaue. Along the way, we passed through several mountain ranges that featured a lot of amazing rice terraces, some of them pretty massive. We finally arrive at the Banaue Rice Terraces and it looked magnificent!
Can't believe I have now been to the Banaue Rice Terraces and had my picture taken there. Fantastic! There was a shop next to the viewing station where we got a few more souvenirs before heading home. This Sagada tour with Tripinas, while tiring and difficult to make, was definitely worth it.
We were worried that we wouldn't be able to pass by this Philippine landmark because our driver told us that bad weather in the Mountain province left some roads impassable. Luckily for us, the day before, our driver confirmed that there were no landslides (thankfully) and we would be able to make this detour on our trip home. Yahoo! We left our hotel at 730am on Saturday and made our way to Banaue, but along the way, we also passed by Bontoc. There are rice terraces all across the entire Mountain Province, and Bontoc is no exception.
We stopped by for just a few minutes to take a few photos. Pretty cool that my shirt and shades are color-coordinated with the Bontoc sign. :)
It took about an hour and a half after leaving Bontoc before we got to Banaue. Along the way, we passed through several mountain ranges that featured a lot of amazing rice terraces, some of them pretty massive. We finally arrive at the Banaue Rice Terraces and it looked magnificent!
Can't believe I have now been to the Banaue Rice Terraces and had my picture taken there. Fantastic! There was a shop next to the viewing station where we got a few more souvenirs before heading home. This Sagada tour with Tripinas, while tiring and difficult to make, was definitely worth it.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Sagada: Rice Terraces and Falls
Day 2 featured a trip to the Sagada Rice Terraces. The most popular ones are found in Banaue, but practically anywhere you go in Ifugao, you will see these amazing terraces carved into the mountainside. To jumpstart the day, we got up really early to take in the sunrise views in Kiltepan point.
The view here is great. We also had a bit of exercise since we went up a hillside to see the sunrise. It didn't matter though since it was a beautiful walk through the pine trees.
After checking out the views and taking some photos, we have breakfast to get us ready for another physical day. At 830am, we head out towards Banga-an to see the rice terraces and the Bomod-ok falls. It was about a 45 minute walk to the falls from where our driver dropped us off (our tour package provided a guide who would take us there). Along the way, we get to see the amazing rice terraces in Sagada!
It's great to finally see something that I have heard about ever since I was a kid. I can't imagine how much effort it took to actually carve out these terraces. But even better than seeing the them from afar is actually getting to walk through them! The trail to the Bomod-ok falls takes us through the terraces, providing us with a lot of photo opportunities.
We finally get to the Bomod-ok falls. It was a long, hot walk under the summer sun and my brother promptly got into the cold water to cool down. My mom sat down in the shade while I walked around taking photos.
Naturally I needed to have my own photo taken.
Before heading back to the town-proper, we pay a visit to Sagada Weaving.
After a late lunch, we met up again in front of the Ganduyan museum. It's basically a small room that contains a lot of Ifugao artifacts that have been collected by the owner throughout her life. She gives visitors a basic and very interesting tour of the museum: we were all just seated on the floor and she moved around different parts of the room and talked about the different artifacts there, as well as the history and culture of the Ifugaos.
To cap off the tour, we pay a visit to the a pottery workshop. It was quite late by the time we got there so all the workers had gone but our guide still walked us through the workshop to talk about the pottery processes.
We head back to town and purchase more souvenirs before having dinner in Yogurt Place. This is arguably the most popular restaurant in town and even at 6:30pm, we were 6th in the waiting list. Thankfully, there were only three of us in our group (me, my mom, and my brother). When a table for four became available (after waiting for an hour) and every party ahead of us had more than four people, we got bumped up and given a table in the veranda. It was a great meal to cap the night.
The view here is great. We also had a bit of exercise since we went up a hillside to see the sunrise. It didn't matter though since it was a beautiful walk through the pine trees.
After checking out the views and taking some photos, we have breakfast to get us ready for another physical day. At 830am, we head out towards Banga-an to see the rice terraces and the Bomod-ok falls. It was about a 45 minute walk to the falls from where our driver dropped us off (our tour package provided a guide who would take us there). Along the way, we get to see the amazing rice terraces in Sagada!
It's great to finally see something that I have heard about ever since I was a kid. I can't imagine how much effort it took to actually carve out these terraces. But even better than seeing the them from afar is actually getting to walk through them! The trail to the Bomod-ok falls takes us through the terraces, providing us with a lot of photo opportunities.
We finally get to the Bomod-ok falls. It was a long, hot walk under the summer sun and my brother promptly got into the cold water to cool down. My mom sat down in the shade while I walked around taking photos.
Naturally I needed to have my own photo taken.
Before heading back to the town-proper, we pay a visit to Sagada Weaving.
After a late lunch, we met up again in front of the Ganduyan museum. It's basically a small room that contains a lot of Ifugao artifacts that have been collected by the owner throughout her life. She gives visitors a basic and very interesting tour of the museum: we were all just seated on the floor and she moved around different parts of the room and talked about the different artifacts there, as well as the history and culture of the Ifugaos.
To cap off the tour, we pay a visit to the a pottery workshop. It was quite late by the time we got there so all the workers had gone but our guide still walked us through the workshop to talk about the pottery processes.
We head back to town and purchase more souvenirs before having dinner in Yogurt Place. This is arguably the most popular restaurant in town and even at 6:30pm, we were 6th in the waiting list. Thankfully, there were only three of us in our group (me, my mom, and my brother). When a table for four became available (after waiting for an hour) and every party ahead of us had more than four people, we got bumped up and given a table in the veranda. It was a great meal to cap the night.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sagada: St. Mary's, Echo Valley, Hanging Coffins
Next part of our itinerary was a trip to the Echo Valley where we could see the famous Hanging Coffins. Our van brought us back to the hotel so we could get cleaned up and we had a quick lunch before being dropped off at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, the starting point of our nature hike. It was quite funny that the church was actually just a stone's throw away from our hotel and yet our van still drove us there. :)
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin is an Episcopal parish. It has a pretty interesting altar that seems to have been constructed from the limestone that is found all around Sagada. (According to our guides, the limestone as well as some seashell fossils found in the area are proof that the Philippines was once under water).
We then start our nature trek through Echo Valley. We passed by a small cemetery along the way.
I didn't check the itinerary so I wasn't sure where we were going. Our guide told us we were heading down into the valley but didn't tell us what we would see there. Nevertheless, the views while heading down were beautiful.
Finally, our guide brings us to the hanging coffins. She explained to us that the locals have a few choices for their final resting place - it can be the hanging coffins, the Lumiang coffins (which we didn't get to see), or a cemetery. Some of the coffins are shorter than others, but this is because the deceased was placed in the fetal position.
It was around 3:30pm when we returned to our starting point, and we decided to take a few more photos. I believe this bell used to be in the belfry of the church.
Our tour companions decided to return to the hotel for some much-needed rest but my family decided to try out some of the recommended food places in Sagada. I read about "Yellow House" which serves some pretty good pies and suggested it to my mom, so we asked our transport to bring us there. We ended up ordering coffee and five slices of pie: 2 blueberry pies (my favorite), 2 lemon pies (really good), and 1 egg pie (it was just okay). The lemon pie and egg pie both cost P25 per slice while the blueberry pie cost P35 per slice. Very cheap!
We shopped for some souvenirs before heading back to the St. Joseph Resthouse. We decided to just have dinner in the St. Joseph Cafe. It was a very tiring day with all of us severely lacking sleep and we knew we had to be up by 430am so we called it a night at around 9pm.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sagada: Sumaguing Cave
We arrived in Sagada at around 7am. The first part of our itinerary was a trip to the Sumaguing Cave, but before heading there, we had a quick breakfast in Salt and Pepper then checked into St. Joseph Resthouse, our accommodations for the next two nights. At around 8:30am, we make our way to the cave.
What to wear: sandals or slippers that provide good traction and a quick-dry shirt and board shorts as you will get wet. If you can, bring a head lamp, but it's not necessary as the guides all have powerful lanterns. The guides will also suggest that you give your cameras to them so they can take pictures of you as you go through the cave.
I didn't get the memo and wore a cotton shirt and shorts and my slippers didn't provide the best traction. :)
The Sagada guides give us some basic instructions and tell us that our spelunking adventure can be split up into three parts. The first part involves the descent. There's a basic trail you follow heading down the cave but you have to be a bit careful because the bat guano makes the path quite slippery in some parts. As there are no handrails, you really have to hold on to the rocks sometimes (so yes, unless you are wearing gloves, you will end up with bat poop in your hands. :))
The second part begins once the descent is complete. The guides ask us to leave our footwear before going further, but this is no problem since at this point, the jagged rocks are replaced with smooth stones that are surprisingly not slippery at all. There are a lot of interesting rock formations in this area, some of which have been given pet names by the locals. Here, we are sitting on the 'turtle':
and here, our tour group sits right in front of the 'curtains'. (It's too bad we only have a photo up close to the 'curtains' since I've seen fantastic photos of a wider shot of this area of the cave.)
The final part of Sumaguing cave adventure is pretty much the 'action' section. You will need to crouch if not crawl,
wade through waist-deep water, and use ropes to make your way through certain parts of the cave.
While this trip may seem daunting, it is also a lot of fun and not nearly as impossible as it may seem. My mom made it through just as easily as anyone else, which I thought was just amazing because some of the people we were with were not even half her age. I've been through a cave once before but it was more like a nature hike. Sumaguing Cave stands out because it offers a lot of physical challenges and great photo ops that keep you excited and entertained.
What to wear: sandals or slippers that provide good traction and a quick-dry shirt and board shorts as you will get wet. If you can, bring a head lamp, but it's not necessary as the guides all have powerful lanterns. The guides will also suggest that you give your cameras to them so they can take pictures of you as you go through the cave.
I didn't get the memo and wore a cotton shirt and shorts and my slippers didn't provide the best traction. :)The Sagada guides give us some basic instructions and tell us that our spelunking adventure can be split up into three parts. The first part involves the descent. There's a basic trail you follow heading down the cave but you have to be a bit careful because the bat guano makes the path quite slippery in some parts. As there are no handrails, you really have to hold on to the rocks sometimes (so yes, unless you are wearing gloves, you will end up with bat poop in your hands. :))
The second part begins once the descent is complete. The guides ask us to leave our footwear before going further, but this is no problem since at this point, the jagged rocks are replaced with smooth stones that are surprisingly not slippery at all. There are a lot of interesting rock formations in this area, some of which have been given pet names by the locals. Here, we are sitting on the 'turtle':
and here, our tour group sits right in front of the 'curtains'. (It's too bad we only have a photo up close to the 'curtains' since I've seen fantastic photos of a wider shot of this area of the cave.)
The final part of Sumaguing cave adventure is pretty much the 'action' section. You will need to crouch if not crawl,
wade through waist-deep water, and use ropes to make your way through certain parts of the cave.
While this trip may seem daunting, it is also a lot of fun and not nearly as impossible as it may seem. My mom made it through just as easily as anyone else, which I thought was just amazing because some of the people we were with were not even half her age. I've been through a cave once before but it was more like a nature hike. Sumaguing Cave stands out because it offers a lot of physical challenges and great photo ops that keep you excited and entertained.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sagada!
I've been wanting to go to Sagada for a while now but it's not exactly the easiest place to visit. It's about a 10-11 hour drive from Manila and once there, you need to get involved in a lot of physical activities like trekking and spelunking. My family normally stays in Manila during Holy Week. However, my mom saw that Tripinas was offering a Sagada tour that would leave Manila on Wednesday night and return on Saturday night and we felt that this was a good opportunity for us to see one of the best places in the country without having to take any days off.
Some highlights of our Tripinas tour were a trek across the Banga-an rice terraces,
a visit to the Bomod-ok Falls,
spelunking in the Sumaging Cave,
a nature hike in Echo Valley...
...to see the Hanging Coffins,
and a trip to the Banaue Rice Terraces!
I will be sharing details of my amazing trip over the next few blog posts, but suffice it to say that despite the extremely long and uncomfortable drive, this trip to Sagada (with a very quick side trip to Banaue) was definitely worth it.
Some highlights of our Tripinas tour were a trek across the Banga-an rice terraces,
a visit to the Bomod-ok Falls,
spelunking in the Sumaging Cave,
a nature hike in Echo Valley...
...to see the Hanging Coffins,
and a trip to the Banaue Rice Terraces!
I will be sharing details of my amazing trip over the next few blog posts, but suffice it to say that despite the extremely long and uncomfortable drive, this trip to Sagada (with a very quick side trip to Banaue) was definitely worth it.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Rio and Taio Cruz's "Telling the World"
Kid movies seem to have been a big part of my life recently. I watched Rango and Hop in the cinema. I also caught TMNT, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and Flushed Away on DVD. But I did promise my nephews (again) that I would take them to watch Rio. So that's what I did.
Rio was pretty entertaining overall. It has a pretty good storyline, fun characters, a nice mix of humor and romance, and great music. I found it really interesting that the antagonist was a vicious and incredibly strong cockatoo named Nigel who sported an English accent. The fact that the film i set in Brazil make a lot of the scenes colorful and vibrant. The music definitely adds another dimension to the film.
I discovered Taio Cruz's song "Telling the World" as it played during the end credits and I was hooked. It's probably my favorite current song (I'm thinking now whether I should get his album since I enjoy a lot of his other songs including 'Dynamite' and 'Falling in love'.)
uploaded in youtube by TaioCruzVEVO
I hope I can get to perform this song in some future event at work. It's a catchy and uplifting song with some pretty cool instrumentation. Add a few dancers performing with us and it the overall performance could be well-received by the audience.
Rio was pretty entertaining overall. It has a pretty good storyline, fun characters, a nice mix of humor and romance, and great music. I found it really interesting that the antagonist was a vicious and incredibly strong cockatoo named Nigel who sported an English accent. The fact that the film i set in Brazil make a lot of the scenes colorful and vibrant. The music definitely adds another dimension to the film.
I discovered Taio Cruz's song "Telling the World" as it played during the end credits and I was hooked. It's probably my favorite current song (I'm thinking now whether I should get his album since I enjoy a lot of his other songs including 'Dynamite' and 'Falling in love'.)
uploaded in youtube by TaioCruzVEVO
I hope I can get to perform this song in some future event at work. It's a catchy and uplifting song with some pretty cool instrumentation. Add a few dancers performing with us and it the overall performance could be well-received by the audience.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sports roundup
A new tennis record has been set. Rafael Nadal has won the Monte Carlo Masters title for the 7th year in a row. No other male player in the open era has won a tournament seven times, much less in a row. This is his first title of the year, and it's great that he finally snaps his losing streak in tournament finals (he lost his last three, twice against Djokovic and once against Federer). Hopefully he repeats his 2010 success on clay and sweep all the tournaments he plays, including the French Open.
***
Sebastian Vettel finally gets beaten in Formula One this season. A strategic mistake on the part of Red Bull allowed Lewis Hamilton to clinch a win in the Chinese Grand Prix and move up to second. The performance of the race for me, though, belongs to Mark Webber who went from 18th all the way to a 3rd place podium finish. It's unfortunate that Jenson Button briefly held first place for a few laps but ended up in 4th.
***
While Liverpool may not make it to the top four in the Barclays Premier League and thus miss out on a Champions League spot next season, they are at least generally doing well against the top 3. They beat Chelsea and Manchester United recently, but were in danger of losing to Arsenal after they conceded a late goal. However, by some miracle, they snagged a penalty late into injury time which they converted, giving them a 1-1 draw. Even if they don't finish in the top four, at least they are ending this season strongly. Hopefully, that gives them momentum leading in the 2011-2012 season.
***
Sebastian Vettel finally gets beaten in Formula One this season. A strategic mistake on the part of Red Bull allowed Lewis Hamilton to clinch a win in the Chinese Grand Prix and move up to second. The performance of the race for me, though, belongs to Mark Webber who went from 18th all the way to a 3rd place podium finish. It's unfortunate that Jenson Button briefly held first place for a few laps but ended up in 4th.
***
While Liverpool may not make it to the top four in the Barclays Premier League and thus miss out on a Champions League spot next season, they are at least generally doing well against the top 3. They beat Chelsea and Manchester United recently, but were in danger of losing to Arsenal after they conceded a late goal. However, by some miracle, they snagged a penalty late into injury time which they converted, giving them a 1-1 draw. Even if they don't finish in the top four, at least they are ending this season strongly. Hopefully, that gives them momentum leading in the 2011-2012 season.
Monday, April 11, 2011
SYTYCD Season 7
There's a dearth of dance-related reality TV shows on now. Starworld features Got to Dance UK as well as Live to Dance (the American version of Got to Dance which stars Paula Abdul). A lot of my friends really enjoy this show. While it is a great show that displays amazing talent, my favorite dance reality show is still 'So you think you can dance' (SYTYCD).
AXN picked up SYTYCD and has shown all the recent seasons, from season 4 all the way to the most recently completed season 7. Season 7 is different from all the past seasons in that it features all-stars or contestants from past seasons who have been standout performers in their particular style: contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, or ballroom. When the current season's contestants pick out a dance style to perform, they get partnered with the all-star for that particular style.
Unfortunately, practically every recent video of SYTYCD on youtube has disabled embedding. So here are links to some of my favorite routines this season:
Robert and Allison's contemporary number - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnguqsMQmg4 (jump to 0:53 to skip the intro). It's choreographed by Travis Wall who was Allison's co-contestant in season 2. I know Allison was looking forward to working with Travis so it's perfect that they get to do this number which was one of the best performances of the season. I do think Allison completely outdances Robert in this.
Alex and Twitch's hip-hop number - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLtSfYX8tJk.This is probably the most fun routine on the show I have ever seen! It's choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon to the song 'Outta your mind' by Lil Jon and LM*AO)
Adechike and Comfort's hip-hop routine as choreographed once again by Tabitha and Napoleon to Alicia Key's Fallin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5McyQQ29X5A. This is probably one of the most powerful hip-hop numbers I have ever seen. I would never have thought hip-hop could evoke such strong emotion.
Billy and Ade's contemporary number, choreographed by Stacey Tookey - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BePGx_KjvmM. Check out Ade lifting Billy at 2:43! Ade is one incredibly strong man!
Alex and Allison's contemporary dance number to Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah' (choreographed by Sonya Tayeh) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03TjhI40aQ (jump to 0:49 to skip the intro)
Pasha and Anya's hot ballroom number which they themselves choreographed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjb57Zex5SM. Pasha and Anya were both all-stars this season, with both of them being contestants in Season 3. They actually auditioned together but never got to be partners on the show, or at least never got to perform ballroom on the show, so the producers thought it would be great entertainment to have them perform together. And it certainly brought down the house!
I love the whole all-star set-up because (1) it brought back Allison, who is probably my favorite contestant of all time, and who got to perform in some of the most memorable numbers this season, and (2) because it brought back a lot of amazing dancers who all seem to have grown and improved since they were contestants on the show. What I didn't like this season was how the judges judged. It was clear who their favorites were and the pimping was reminiscent of AI. I especially disliked the judges' blatant favoritism and what seems to be a combined dislike of Adechike, who was dissed and picked on so many times this season (in contrast to Jose and Robert for instance who had just as many technical flaws as Adechike, if not more, but who were rarely given any grief).
Nevertheless, I still love the show and will continue to watch it. I do wonder if season 8 will still feature the all-star format, and if so, which all-stars will they bring back.
AXN picked up SYTYCD and has shown all the recent seasons, from season 4 all the way to the most recently completed season 7. Season 7 is different from all the past seasons in that it features all-stars or contestants from past seasons who have been standout performers in their particular style: contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, or ballroom. When the current season's contestants pick out a dance style to perform, they get partnered with the all-star for that particular style.
Unfortunately, practically every recent video of SYTYCD on youtube has disabled embedding. So here are links to some of my favorite routines this season:
Robert and Allison's contemporary number - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnguqsMQmg4 (jump to 0:53 to skip the intro). It's choreographed by Travis Wall who was Allison's co-contestant in season 2. I know Allison was looking forward to working with Travis so it's perfect that they get to do this number which was one of the best performances of the season. I do think Allison completely outdances Robert in this.
Alex and Twitch's hip-hop number - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLtSfYX8tJk.This is probably the most fun routine on the show I have ever seen! It's choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon to the song 'Outta your mind' by Lil Jon and LM*AO)
Adechike and Comfort's hip-hop routine as choreographed once again by Tabitha and Napoleon to Alicia Key's Fallin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5McyQQ29X5A. This is probably one of the most powerful hip-hop numbers I have ever seen. I would never have thought hip-hop could evoke such strong emotion.
Billy and Ade's contemporary number, choreographed by Stacey Tookey - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BePGx_KjvmM. Check out Ade lifting Billy at 2:43! Ade is one incredibly strong man!
Alex and Allison's contemporary dance number to Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah' (choreographed by Sonya Tayeh) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03TjhI40aQ (jump to 0:49 to skip the intro)
Pasha and Anya's hot ballroom number which they themselves choreographed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjb57Zex5SM. Pasha and Anya were both all-stars this season, with both of them being contestants in Season 3. They actually auditioned together but never got to be partners on the show, or at least never got to perform ballroom on the show, so the producers thought it would be great entertainment to have them perform together. And it certainly brought down the house!
I love the whole all-star set-up because (1) it brought back Allison, who is probably my favorite contestant of all time, and who got to perform in some of the most memorable numbers this season, and (2) because it brought back a lot of amazing dancers who all seem to have grown and improved since they were contestants on the show. What I didn't like this season was how the judges judged. It was clear who their favorites were and the pimping was reminiscent of AI. I especially disliked the judges' blatant favoritism and what seems to be a combined dislike of Adechike, who was dissed and picked on so many times this season (in contrast to Jose and Robert for instance who had just as many technical flaws as Adechike, if not more, but who were rarely given any grief).
Nevertheless, I still love the show and will continue to watch it. I do wonder if season 8 will still feature the all-star format, and if so, which all-stars will they bring back.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
A birthday and a movie
My grandmother celebrated her birthday this weekend and so my family headed over to their house for lunch. I got a large mango torte from Dulcelin because I was sure they would enjoy it (after all, they love the mango torte in Conti's and the mango walnut torte in Mom and Tina's). As is always the case, the food was overflowing and I stuffed myself silly again.
The week before, my nephews said they wanted to watch 'Hop' so I promised to take them. Since 'Hop' had already been showing for about 1 1/2 weeks, I knew its stint in the local theaters would only last a few more days. So I took my nephews to see it.
'Hop' is a fun movie for kids. Good visual effects, lots of cute and lovable characters, several fun and funny moments, and a simple story about having dreams and interests that are different from what your parents, or dads in particular, want for you that revolves around the universal theme of wanting to make your parents proud.
Here's a pretty cool 'Hop Featurette' showcasing Phil, the chick who can't stop from dancing, and Taio Cruz's smash hit 'Dynamite'.
uploaded in youtube by user HoptheMovie
The week before, my nephews said they wanted to watch 'Hop' so I promised to take them. Since 'Hop' had already been showing for about 1 1/2 weeks, I knew its stint in the local theaters would only last a few more days. So I took my nephews to see it.
'Hop' is a fun movie for kids. Good visual effects, lots of cute and lovable characters, several fun and funny moments, and a simple story about having dreams and interests that are different from what your parents, or dads in particular, want for you that revolves around the universal theme of wanting to make your parents proud.
Here's a pretty cool 'Hop Featurette' showcasing Phil, the chick who can't stop from dancing, and Taio Cruz's smash hit 'Dynamite'.
uploaded in youtube by user HoptheMovie
Saturday, April 09, 2011
DVD buying
I'm probably one of the few people I know who still goes out to buy CDs and DVDs (most other people just download music and movies). I haven't purchased CDs in a while, but I do tend to grab a DVD every now and then. Movie tickets cost about P200 now and a lot of DVDs tend to go on sale and end up in the price range of about P125 to P299 so whenever I miss a movie in the cinema that I really wanted to watch, I sometimes pick up the DVD.
So recently, I picked up 'Mission Impossible 3' and 'Pathology'. I tossed in a couple of other older movies, including 'I am Sam' and 'The Day After Tomorrow'. While looking for movies, I saw a couple of old Pinoy movie classics - 'Bona' and 'Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos' (both of which star the original superstar Nora Aunor). I know these two are brilliant films, so I decided to buy them as well. I now have a few DVDs of Pinoy movies from the golden age of Filipino film (the 1970s to early 1980s) - I also have 'Ina, Kapatid, Anak' and 'Tatlo, Dalawa, Isa'. I hope I have time to watch them all soon. :)
So recently, I picked up 'Mission Impossible 3' and 'Pathology'. I tossed in a couple of other older movies, including 'I am Sam' and 'The Day After Tomorrow'. While looking for movies, I saw a couple of old Pinoy movie classics - 'Bona' and 'Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos' (both of which star the original superstar Nora Aunor). I know these two are brilliant films, so I decided to buy them as well. I now have a few DVDs of Pinoy movies from the golden age of Filipino film (the 1970s to early 1980s) - I also have 'Ina, Kapatid, Anak' and 'Tatlo, Dalawa, Isa'. I hope I have time to watch them all soon. :)
Monday, April 04, 2011
Running again
I have this bad tendency to rush my marathon preparation almost every year. To avoid another crash-course, I decided to kick of my preparations a bit earlier this year and start running again in April. I am starting slow, and covering only a short distance, but hopefully I can slowly build my strength and endurance better over the next couple of months leading to this year's marathon.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Djoko on a hot streak
Novak Djokovic started this year in amazing fashion, notching his second Australian Open title and thus becoming a multiple grand slam title winner. Not wanting to rest on these laurels, Djokovic has used that AO win to build momentum and steamroll past everyone else. In fact, he has yet to lose a match in 2011. His 24-match winning streak is the best start to a year since Ivan Lendl won 29 consecutive matches to kick off 1986 (McEnroe holds the men's record with a staggering 39 wins before his first loss in 1984). This streak includes three wins over Roger Federer and, unfortunately, two over Rafael Nadal as well.
(That those two wins over Rafa came in finals of Masters tournaments are rather awful for any Nadal fan like myself, but its good to know that Rafa remains immensely competitive on hard courts, especially when you consider the fact that hard courts are Novak's best surface.)
Djokovic's amazing 2011 has allowed him to firmly supplant Roger Federer as world #2. He's now nipping at the heels of Rafa, who is ahead of Novak by less than 4000 points but has a ton of points to defend over the clay court season leading to Wimbledon. Hopefully Rafa can defend most, if not all, the points he won between April and July and thus remain at #1.
(That those two wins over Rafa came in finals of Masters tournaments are rather awful for any Nadal fan like myself, but its good to know that Rafa remains immensely competitive on hard courts, especially when you consider the fact that hard courts are Novak's best surface.)
Djokovic's amazing 2011 has allowed him to firmly supplant Roger Federer as world #2. He's now nipping at the heels of Rafa, who is ahead of Novak by less than 4000 points but has a ton of points to defend over the clay court season leading to Wimbledon. Hopefully Rafa can defend most, if not all, the points he won between April and July and thus remain at #1.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
"Tonight" by FM Static
I had to learn this song last Valentine's Day for our 'harana' activity in the office but no one requested it so it ended up being shelved. It's a really difficult song to sing and if you listen closely, you will notice that vocalist Trevor McNevan has incredible breath control (he takes very short and light breaths and has really long phrasing in the second verse)! Nevertheless, I was looking forward to singing it since it's a good song. Who knows, maybe we I still get the chance to perform it as some point in the future.
video uploaded in youtube by user xaace
video uploaded in youtube by user xaace
Monday, March 28, 2011
F1 season begins
The Formula One 2011 season kicked off with the Qantas Australian Grand Prix. Picking up from where he left off last season, Sebastian Vettel blazed ahead of the pack and won the race ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Renault's Vitaly Petrov. With 18 more races in the season, it should be interesting if both Vettel and Red Bull Racing can build on their 2010 success and win both the drivers and constructors championships this year or if Hamilton and McLaren, or someone else for that matter, can steal the show.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Name a movie that begins with 'R'
I'll give you two: 'Red Riding Hood' and 'Rango'. I got a chance to watch both these movies recently, which is great given that my workload has been immensely hectic. I wanted to see 'Red Riding Hood' because I found the trailer and the concept really interesting, while 'Rango' had a really high rating from critics in Rotten Tomatoes so I thought I should go see it as well.
Strangely enough, my reactions to both films were quite the opposite of the ratings they got from both critics and general audiences. I though 'Rango' was just okay. The story was good and the animation was fantastic. In fact, it is probably one of the most well-animated films I have ever seen, and the man in that scene where Rango talks to the Spirit of the West looked so real that it had me - and still has me - wondering if the man is real or animated. Nevertheless, I wasn't as entertained by it as other people who have seen it. I guess that might be partly due to the fact that I've never really been a fan of Westerns.
On the other hand, I found 'Red Riding Hood' really entertaining despite the film being panned by critics and most other viewers who watched it. I liked the fact that this werewolf film got its inspiration from, and built its story around, a fairy tale from which it took its title. It took several elements from the classic children's story - from the big bad wolf to the grandmother and her house to the actual red hood - and weaves all that into a murder-mystery framed against a love story. I wasn't necessarily inspired by the romantic angle and I correctly guessed who the werewolf was early on. Despite this, I liked the drama, the tension, and the conflict in 'Red Riding Hood', and I thought the period setting, along with the stunning cinematography and visual effects, made it a really good watch. When I think about it, though, I think the solid performances from the cast, specifically Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, and Julie Christie (who played the grandmother) truly sold the film.
I still tend to miss a lot of movies that I want to see (example: Adjustment Bureau). Hopefully I can find time to visit the cinema more often.
Strangely enough, my reactions to both films were quite the opposite of the ratings they got from both critics and general audiences. I though 'Rango' was just okay. The story was good and the animation was fantastic. In fact, it is probably one of the most well-animated films I have ever seen, and the man in that scene where Rango talks to the Spirit of the West looked so real that it had me - and still has me - wondering if the man is real or animated. Nevertheless, I wasn't as entertained by it as other people who have seen it. I guess that might be partly due to the fact that I've never really been a fan of Westerns.
On the other hand, I found 'Red Riding Hood' really entertaining despite the film being panned by critics and most other viewers who watched it. I liked the fact that this werewolf film got its inspiration from, and built its story around, a fairy tale from which it took its title. It took several elements from the classic children's story - from the big bad wolf to the grandmother and her house to the actual red hood - and weaves all that into a murder-mystery framed against a love story. I wasn't necessarily inspired by the romantic angle and I correctly guessed who the werewolf was early on. Despite this, I liked the drama, the tension, and the conflict in 'Red Riding Hood', and I thought the period setting, along with the stunning cinematography and visual effects, made it a really good watch. When I think about it, though, I think the solid performances from the cast, specifically Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, and Julie Christie (who played the grandmother) truly sold the film.
I still tend to miss a lot of movies that I want to see (example: Adjustment Bureau). Hopefully I can find time to visit the cinema more often.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Amazing Race: Kids Edition
CSR, or Corporate Social Responsibility, has been a really huge part of my life these last 4 years. I currently lead the CSR initiatives of my entire company and also of my department. Obviously, the company-wide efforts are more major and our department works on supporting this. However, once in a while, our department organizes our own CSR activities to provide opportunities for more employees to volunteer and to enhance organization-building.
Last March 19, the CSR team of our department organized an event for kids from the Children's Joy Foundation. We fetched 35 kids from their home in QC and took them to the La Mesa Eco-Park. Our activity was inspired by the reality TV series 'The Amazing Race' - five teams composed of kids and adult volunteers had to go through six different tasks before making their way to the pit stop. As such, we named our event "Amazing Race: Kids Edition". All tasks were all simple enough for the kids to do and were designed to maximize interaction and cooperation among the kids and the volunteers. The final task each team had to complete was putting together a simple jigsaw puzzle.
After all tasks were complete, food was served and prizes and loot bags were given to all the kids. I put together the loot bags and made sure that they had items that would help aid in the learning and development of the kids. As such, the loot bags contained pens, pencils, colored pencils, a notebook, modeling clay, an eraser, a sharpener, a small toy, and some biscuits. That way, they could enjoy these items even weeks after our event which would make the impact of our event more long-lasting than just on that day. Before we left La Mesa Eco-Park, the kids surprised us with a beautiful song number that expressed their gratitude to us and left a few volunteers teary-eyed.
It took a couple of months of planning, organization, and execution to pull off this event but in the end, it was a massive success. The 57 volunteers was the most we've ever had for a CSR event for our department and on our way home, I overheard a lot of kids say this was the most fun activity they ever had. One of the adult supervisors from Children's Joy Foundation sent me a text message thanking us and saying this was the first time the kids attended something like this and it made them truly happy. I'm just happy that I have the opportunity to be involved in efforts to give back to the community.
Last March 19, the CSR team of our department organized an event for kids from the Children's Joy Foundation. We fetched 35 kids from their home in QC and took them to the La Mesa Eco-Park. Our activity was inspired by the reality TV series 'The Amazing Race' - five teams composed of kids and adult volunteers had to go through six different tasks before making their way to the pit stop. As such, we named our event "Amazing Race: Kids Edition". All tasks were all simple enough for the kids to do and were designed to maximize interaction and cooperation among the kids and the volunteers. The final task each team had to complete was putting together a simple jigsaw puzzle.
After all tasks were complete, food was served and prizes and loot bags were given to all the kids. I put together the loot bags and made sure that they had items that would help aid in the learning and development of the kids. As such, the loot bags contained pens, pencils, colored pencils, a notebook, modeling clay, an eraser, a sharpener, a small toy, and some biscuits. That way, they could enjoy these items even weeks after our event which would make the impact of our event more long-lasting than just on that day. Before we left La Mesa Eco-Park, the kids surprised us with a beautiful song number that expressed their gratitude to us and left a few volunteers teary-eyed.It took a couple of months of planning, organization, and execution to pull off this event but in the end, it was a massive success. The 57 volunteers was the most we've ever had for a CSR event for our department and on our way home, I overheard a lot of kids say this was the most fun activity they ever had. One of the adult supervisors from Children's Joy Foundation sent me a text message thanking us and saying this was the first time the kids attended something like this and it made them truly happy. I'm just happy that I have the opportunity to be involved in efforts to give back to the community.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Lucky year?
In early February, I managed to catch a ponkan during a Chinese New Year lion dance while I was in Singapore. Apparently that meant I would have a lucky year. Well, it looks like I'm going to get even more good fortune.
I was in church last Sunday but there were no more seats inside so I stood outside, underneath a tree. Then, SPLAT! Something fell on my shoulder and when I look at it, I see bird droppings. Ugh! I had to clean the droppings with what I think was dirty water from a large water container in the restroom (there was no running water from the faucet) but it was the lesser of two evils. I made sure to get cleaned up right after mass. It is said though that having bird droppings fall on you is a sign of good luck. I guess my luck is already starting to show. The droppings could've fallen on my hair and not on my shirt. :)
I was in church last Sunday but there were no more seats inside so I stood outside, underneath a tree. Then, SPLAT! Something fell on my shoulder and when I look at it, I see bird droppings. Ugh! I had to clean the droppings with what I think was dirty water from a large water container in the restroom (there was no running water from the faucet) but it was the lesser of two evils. I made sure to get cleaned up right after mass. It is said though that having bird droppings fall on you is a sign of good luck. I guess my luck is already starting to show. The droppings could've fallen on my hair and not on my shirt. :)
Monday, March 14, 2011
Big eating
Food seems to be such a big part of my life nowadays. A lot of it. Started out with a buffet lunch in Heat on Saturday with my high school friends. Lia, Ferdie, and their son JC were in town and were staying in Edsa Shangri-La hotel so they suggested we just have lunch there. Joyce, Anna, Mitch and Aidan (plus Ferdie's sister) and I joined them and feasted on the wonderful spread of food in Heat. I think the buffet costs about P1,250++ which I felt was a good price for the quality and variety of food there, but lucky for us, Lia and Ferdie took the bill.
Immediately after lunch, I walk over to CPK in the Shangri-La mall to attend Lexi's first birthday party. Raffa and Joh always have really cool parties for their kids, and this was no exception. They had a kid-friendly puppet show with a whole variety of very colorful and entertaining puppets and someone who made the most clever and unique "balloon animals". They also prepared more than enough food for all the guests. I was still full but managed to have some pasta, pizza, and salad.
Later that night, I had dinner with Tim in Empire Deli in the Piazza in McKinley Hill. We opted to split a burger (50/50 I think it was called because it is a split between beef and bacon and it was pretty sizable) and a salmon dish. I had Eggs Benedict in Empire Deli before and I thought it was pretty good. The burger and the salmon were equally delicious. Looks like I will have to try the other items on their menu soon.
On Monday night, Joyce organized a night out with Lia and Ferdie since they were leaving in a few days. The initial plan was to go to Music Match in Ortigas Home Depot but a lot of people backed out at the last minute so it ended up being just Lia, Mitch, Joyce, and Iona (minus Anna who had already left for SG). Mitch suggested we just have dinner in her house and as is often the case, she prepared a lot of food, including lasagna. I love Mitch's lasagna, and I ended up stuffing myself silly with it plus a lot of the other dishes there.
I've said it before and I'm saying it again, I need to start hitting the gym again to make sure I don't start gaining too much weight. Its all talk right now, though, so I need a lot more discipline to make sure I lead a healthier lifestyle despite my very busy schedule.
Immediately after lunch, I walk over to CPK in the Shangri-La mall to attend Lexi's first birthday party. Raffa and Joh always have really cool parties for their kids, and this was no exception. They had a kid-friendly puppet show with a whole variety of very colorful and entertaining puppets and someone who made the most clever and unique "balloon animals". They also prepared more than enough food for all the guests. I was still full but managed to have some pasta, pizza, and salad.
Later that night, I had dinner with Tim in Empire Deli in the Piazza in McKinley Hill. We opted to split a burger (50/50 I think it was called because it is a split between beef and bacon and it was pretty sizable) and a salmon dish. I had Eggs Benedict in Empire Deli before and I thought it was pretty good. The burger and the salmon were equally delicious. Looks like I will have to try the other items on their menu soon.
On Monday night, Joyce organized a night out with Lia and Ferdie since they were leaving in a few days. The initial plan was to go to Music Match in Ortigas Home Depot but a lot of people backed out at the last minute so it ended up being just Lia, Mitch, Joyce, and Iona (minus Anna who had already left for SG). Mitch suggested we just have dinner in her house and as is often the case, she prepared a lot of food, including lasagna. I love Mitch's lasagna, and I ended up stuffing myself silly with it plus a lot of the other dishes there.
I've said it before and I'm saying it again, I need to start hitting the gym again to make sure I don't start gaining too much weight. Its all talk right now, though, so I need a lot more discipline to make sure I lead a healthier lifestyle despite my very busy schedule.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Junior MasterChef Australia
One of my favorite TV shows now is Junior MasterChef Australia. I find cooking shows interesting to watch because (1) I love food haha and (2) it's amazing to see people's creativity and what they can come up with in a kitchen and under time pressure. So when you see kids ages 8 to 12 put together dishes that look like they can be served in a top-level restaurant.
The cool thing about this show as well is that the judges are very positive in their critiques without being patronizing to the kids. It would be so easy to overpraise the contestants because they are so young, and obviously you do get to hear a lot of compliments given out for fantastic dishes. And obviously, the contestants are still in their pre-teens so it doesn't make sense for the judges to give out scathing critiques. Instead, you get to hear the judges provide very constructive feedback to help the kids improve, like "if you had a bit more time and kept the pastry in the over a bit longer, it would've been perfect." The show really does maintain a very positive atmosphere and it focuses on the actual talents and output of the contestants. I wish more reality TV contests would take their cue from Junior MasterChef.
The cool thing about this show as well is that the judges are very positive in their critiques without being patronizing to the kids. It would be so easy to overpraise the contestants because they are so young, and obviously you do get to hear a lot of compliments given out for fantastic dishes. And obviously, the contestants are still in their pre-teens so it doesn't make sense for the judges to give out scathing critiques. Instead, you get to hear the judges provide very constructive feedback to help the kids improve, like "if you had a bit more time and kept the pastry in the over a bit longer, it would've been perfect." The show really does maintain a very positive atmosphere and it focuses on the actual talents and output of the contestants. I wish more reality TV contests would take their cue from Junior MasterChef.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
"Never miss a beat" by The Kaiser Chiefs
Ace tune from an ace band! And the video is pretty cool too. :) video uploaded in youtube by user LiberationMusicAus
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Liverpool beat Man Utd!
Liverpool are not having a good season right now and the odds are slim that they make the top 4 and get into the Champions League next season. Still, this season has had a couple of high points. Beating Chelsea back in Feb was one of them. Thumping Manchester United is another. Woo-hoo! It was a convincing 3-1 win, with Liverpool the dominant team throughout the match. Man Utd managed to score a consolation goal at the 92nd minute but this result is a truly great result for Liverpool. While they may not have been stellar against lesser teams, they've managed quite well against the top tier teams. I just wish they could display a bit more consistency throughout the season. If they played this way most of the time, they'd be near or at the top of the league.
Friday, March 04, 2011
Keeping house
I've been staying in my place now for more than 5 years and I guess at some point things are bound to break down and need maintenance or repair. My flat is no exception. First to "go" was my bathroom sink. It started to get a bit clogged and I tried to de-clog it myself by pulling out stopper and clearing all the stuff that had accumulated there over the years. The only problem was that when I pulled out the stopper, a tiny piece of the pop-up assembly fell into the drain which prevented the stopper from popping up when I needed it to. I had to ask for a plumber to come in and fix it LOL.
Second was my microwave. It stopped working. Thankfully Whirlpool do home service so I didn't have to leave my house for them to take a look. Apparently my microwave keypad was broken and needed to be replaced. Cost including labor would be P1200++. Ouch. But well I guess that's better than buying a new microwave. So I had the defective keypad replaced a few days later.
Then I had to have my washer-dryer cleaned. I found that out when I went to use it one day and realized that the fabric conditioner I put into the tray in my last wash was still there. I had LA Germania service (which once again does home service) check out my washer-dryer and they said that my machine needed cleaning. It would take a week so I made sure I washed all my laundry before having them pick it up. They returned it the week after - cleaning cost P1,850 but I was thankful for the P500 discount since the quoted maintenance cost was P2,250 - and it was great to see my machine cleaning and drying my clothes better than it has in the last couple of years.
I also needed to replace a couple of light bulbs and have my aircon cleaned. So all in all a lot of stuff in my house that needed some sorting out. Took quite a big chunk out of my paycheck but it is nice to have things in order again.
Second was my microwave. It stopped working. Thankfully Whirlpool do home service so I didn't have to leave my house for them to take a look. Apparently my microwave keypad was broken and needed to be replaced. Cost including labor would be P1200++. Ouch. But well I guess that's better than buying a new microwave. So I had the defective keypad replaced a few days later.
Then I had to have my washer-dryer cleaned. I found that out when I went to use it one day and realized that the fabric conditioner I put into the tray in my last wash was still there. I had LA Germania service (which once again does home service) check out my washer-dryer and they said that my machine needed cleaning. It would take a week so I made sure I washed all my laundry before having them pick it up. They returned it the week after - cleaning cost P1,850 but I was thankful for the P500 discount since the quoted maintenance cost was P2,250 - and it was great to see my machine cleaning and drying my clothes better than it has in the last couple of years.
I also needed to replace a couple of light bulbs and have my aircon cleaned. So all in all a lot of stuff in my house that needed some sorting out. Took quite a big chunk out of my paycheck but it is nice to have things in order again.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
My new iPod Touch
The major project I completed with dozens of other people at work a couple of months ago was a huge success, arguably our biggest success last year. It was a incredible effort but the great thing about it was that everyone who worked on it got a pretty snazzy gift. I was one of the dozen or so key contributors, and all of us ended up getting a 32Gb iPod Touch. Cool! I haven't been able to set it up yet, though. Hopefully, I manage to do that in the next few weeks. After all, it'll be a lot easier to use than my current iPod.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
"Bartender" by Dave Matthews Band
One of my favorite DMB songs.
video uploaded in youtube by user mrneonshuffle
The song is a bit long but I love the passion in this song, especially when Dave wails from around 5:43 to 6:50. Awesome!
video uploaded in youtube by user mrneonshuffle
The song is a bit long but I love the passion in this song, especially when Dave wails from around 5:43 to 6:50. Awesome!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Black Swan
Natalie Portman received a whole lot of rave reviews for her performance in "Black Swan" so I wanted to see it. Needless to say, she did not disappoint. And neither did the movie. I know the film plays out in a ballet setting but apart from that I didn't really know what else the story was about. I would never have thought that you could create a very powerful psychological thriller with this classical dance as a backdrop, but "Black Swan" does just that.
Ballerinas move so effortlessly and appear so light on their feet that they can give casual viewers the false impression that what they do is so easy. It's not, and this film does an excellent job of making the audience understand the superhuman physical demands required of ballet dancers. It also showcases the intense emotional and psychological strain along with the sacrifice and rejection that they and their loved ones have to go through as they build their careers and attempt to land leading roles. "Black Swan" manages to combine all these ingredients with superb editing, cinematography, and acting to create a thriller that leaves the audience feeling the same sense of paranoia and claustrophobia that Nina, the lead character played by Portman, feels.
I do have to say that Natalie Portman absolutely deserves every accolade and award she received for her role in this film. She actually performed some of the ballet moves herself (a dance double performed the more difficult routines), and just for that degree of difficulty, she merits an Oscar. But it is her emotionally intense, textured, and ultimately believable portrayal of a troubled ballet dancer that makes this an absolute master class. She successfully and effectively combines vulnerability with ruthlessness, repression with desire, calculation with compulsion, and perfection with self-destruction. Nina's closing line, "I felt it - Perfect - I was perfect", applies just as easily to Portman herself.
"Black Swan" has truly dark and ominous themes that make this movie disturbing yet powerful. While it doesn't make for easy viewing, it is a truly amazing film - one of the best I have seen in recent years - and is definitely worth watching.
Ballerinas move so effortlessly and appear so light on their feet that they can give casual viewers the false impression that what they do is so easy. It's not, and this film does an excellent job of making the audience understand the superhuman physical demands required of ballet dancers. It also showcases the intense emotional and psychological strain along with the sacrifice and rejection that they and their loved ones have to go through as they build their careers and attempt to land leading roles. "Black Swan" manages to combine all these ingredients with superb editing, cinematography, and acting to create a thriller that leaves the audience feeling the same sense of paranoia and claustrophobia that Nina, the lead character played by Portman, feels.
I do have to say that Natalie Portman absolutely deserves every accolade and award she received for her role in this film. She actually performed some of the ballet moves herself (a dance double performed the more difficult routines), and just for that degree of difficulty, she merits an Oscar. But it is her emotionally intense, textured, and ultimately believable portrayal of a troubled ballet dancer that makes this an absolute master class. She successfully and effectively combines vulnerability with ruthlessness, repression with desire, calculation with compulsion, and perfection with self-destruction. Nina's closing line, "I felt it - Perfect - I was perfect", applies just as easily to Portman herself.
"Black Swan" has truly dark and ominous themes that make this movie disturbing yet powerful. While it doesn't make for easy viewing, it is a truly amazing film - one of the best I have seen in recent years - and is definitely worth watching.
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