Discount voucher king :)

With my birthday coming up soon, I realized that I should start investing in online discount vouchers so that I end up with significant savings. After checking out many of the deal sites online, I decided to get 20 vouchers from Little Asia, 7 vouchers from John and Yoko, 3 vouchers from Marciano's, and 6 vouchers from Barbara's in Intramuros. While this may seem like a lot (36 vouchers in all!), I did a quick check of all the sets of family and friends I celebrate with during my birthday and this is actually just the right amount.

I decided to count the vouchers I have purchased online and right now, it stands at 108. Wow! I'm not sure anyone else I know has purchased this many. I do however get to use practically everything that I purchase. Of the 37 vouchers I bought that have already expired, I used all but one of them. (And the one I missed was P175 so it was one of the cheapest deals I bought.) That is a pretty solid batting average. :) I guess it helps me that I purchase vouchers from restaurants that are really close to where I live or work, or from my favorite places to eat. Makes me now wonder how quickly I can get through the rest of the vouchers I have. :)

Check out these sites!

http://www.cashcashpinoy.com/
http://www.beeconomic.com.ph/
http://www.ensogo.com.ph/
https://www.dealgrocer.com/
http://www.metrodeal.com/
http://www.localroam.ph/
http://www.megadeals.ph/
http://www.crazydeals.ph/
http://www.buyanihan.com/
http://www.pakyaw.com.ph/

Missed movies

Clearly, the recurring theme here is my crazy workload. It keeps me from doing a lot of things I enjoy doing. Like exercising. Or sleeping. Or watching movies. I think the last movie I caught in the cinema was Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. Prior to that, I had a good run at the cinema, being able to watch X-Men: First Class, Kung Fu Panda 2, and Super 8.

Unfortunately, things got a bit crazier from July onwards and I haven't been able to go to the movie theater anymore. There are a lot of films I wanted to see like Hangover 2, Green Lantern (yes, this flick was panned by critics and viewers but I still wanted to see it), Captain America, and the last Harry Potter movie. Guess I just have to wait 'til the DVDs come out. Or for those films to be shown on HBO or Star Movies or something.

Jam-packed weekend

It was a really busy Thursday to Sunday, but despite it being totally exhausting, it was certainly a lot of fun. I had maybe 2 hours of sleep on Wednesday night (or well, Thursday early morning) before heading to Batangas for our leadership development seminar. It was a really good session that provided some key insights on how to use different influencing styles in different circumstances. Unfortunately, while the rest of the folks there just chilled out the rest of the evening, I had three meetings to attend. That, combined with the difficulty - nay, impossibility! - of getting connected, left me on my phone and my laptop from about 6:30 until 11:30pm. Almost everyone was asleep by the time my last meeting ended, so I capped off the evening with a glass of wine before going to sleep.

Thankfully I had a good rest that night since the next day was the teambuilding event of our department - all 800 of us! Or well, maybe just 600-700 since not everyone attended. It was a full day but thankfully I was assigned as a game marshal which meant I didn't need to around the resort all afternoon trying to compete in the different games. The downside was that, unlike almost everyone else, I didn't know what the different activities were and I couldn't relate to the stories most people were sharing about how much fun or tough certain games were. I begged off of the band performance because I was incredibly busy - first time ever I didn't perform in a teambuilding event - but I did participate in my team's dance number during the evening program LOL. The after-party was probably the highlight of the event, with everybody just letting loose and having fun.

Too much alcohol combined with dehydration and a few hours sleep usually equates to a hangover, which is what I had when I got up at 8am the next day. This did not bode well for me since it was the championship of our volleyball tournament at work. Thankfully, I was on the bench for the entire game but it was good for me to be there to provide moral support for the team. It was a very, very tight contest, with both teams splitting the first two sets. It was then down to the fifth and last set and unfortunately, we weren't able to clinch it, narrowly losing the set 12-15.

I got cleaned up after our game then I headed to Hotel H20. I got a discount voucher for an aquarium room in Hotel H2O from ensogo.com.ph and since it was my nephew's birthday, I thought it would be good for us to stay there overnight then visit to Manila Ocean Park early the next day. The see-through restroom was not very family-friendly - we had to tape my nephews' raincoats to the glass doors to give everyone a bit more privacy - but the aquarium was a big hit with my nephews as I expected.

my nephews named this puffer fish 'Fatty' and it was their favorite in the aquarium

We got up early on Sunday morning to have breakfast before cleaning up and checking out of our room. By the time we headed to Manila Ocean Park, the queue was quite long but it was still manageable. It was my first time in Manila Ocean Park, and despite it being smaller than some of the other similar parks in HK and SG, it is still worth a visit. The entrance fee is also pretty affordable.


When we were there, I actually got so pissed off with everyone using flash photography so I actually told a lot of violators to turn off their the flash. I am sure everyone I scolded was muttering under their breath or thinking to themselves, 'who the hell does he think he is?' but since the flashes were stressing out the fish, I didn't care what they thought. And at the end of the day, no one really spoke back to me when I told them to follow the rules. LOL I'm crazy!

look ma, no flash!

By the time we left Ocean Park, the queue was incredibly long. Our plan of staying overnight in Hotel H20 to ensure we got to the Park early really worked out for us! On our way home, my mom bought a few souvenirs from the shop as well as an Angry Birds' board game as a gift for my nephew. Thankfully, it was a long weekend, with both August 29 and 30 (Mon and Tue) being declared non-working holidays. So even if I was really tired, I knew I had a couple of days to regain my equilibrium.

Amazon purchases

I've had quite a few items in my Amazon shopping cart for the longest time - possibly more than a year, 2 even - so when I had a friend agree to bring a whole lot of those items to Manila for me, I purchased a lot of the items immediately.

I just got my package of stuff and it includes the following:

1. Miss Saigon (Original London West-end Cast recording) CD
2. The Phantom of the Opera (Original London West-end Cast recording) CD
3. Les Miserables (Original London West-end Cast recording) CD
4. Wicked (Original Broadway Cast recording) CD
5. Masters of the Universe DVD (this is an old 1987 live-action movie starring Dolph Lundgren which is based on the cartoon series 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe')
6. Panda and the Magic Serpent DVD (an old Japanese cartoon, I watched this as a kid and I somehow felt sentimental recently so I thought of buying it, am guessing I will most likely not enjoy it LOL but it was worth then nostalgia :))
7. 100mL Bulgari Blu cologne (it cost about half the price in Amazon when compared to how much it costs here so I just had to buy it online)
8. 100mL Aqua Quorum cologne (this cologne is no longer available in Manila - or if it is, I don't know where to get it. It's the first cologne I ever bought and started using and I like its scent so I thought I'd buy it online)
9. The Back Room CD by The Editors. I have their other CD (An End has a start) and I really like their music so I thought I'd get their other album.
10. 21 CD by Adele.

I have been having a blast listening to all my new CDs and I am mostly satisfied with my purchases. My only regret is getting Adele's 21 CD. And no, it is not because I don't like her music. In fact, I totally love this album! The regret here is that when I purchased '21', Adele's CDs were not available in Manila yet. And after making the purchase, it became available here. While the price in Amazon and in Manila is the same, the album here has 3 bonus tracks, including a live performance of 'Someone like you'. Argh! I guess I will have to get another copy of Adele's CD. I reckon the bonus tracks will be worth the price of the CD anyways LOL.

Christine Bianco channels the Divas in "Tomorrow"

Check out Broadway artist Christine Bianco singing 'Tomorrow' from the musical Annie.



Not only does she have an incredible voice but she also does an amazing job mimicking Broadway and music legends: Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Bernadette Peters, Celine Dion, Kristen Chenoweth, Julie Andrews, and Eydie Gorme. This performance is truly brilliant. :)

Medical exam results are in. Uh oh.

I just had my annual physical exam recently and unfortunately, the results are not good. It seems that I am anemic and my cholesterol level is high, among other things. This is the first time that I have negative results in my annual physical exam. Crap.

It seems that my issues here are more diet-related than exercise (although of course exercise is always necessary to remain in good shape). Apparently I need to eat food that is rich in iron and low in sodium and fat. I also need to drink a bit more milk as my calcium level is low. Yikes. If I didn't have enough motivation to get healthier before, these not-so-good medical exam results have just raised an alarm flag. Time to start living more healthy!

Rest in Peace, Mama Guading

My family is in mourning as our long-time helper, Mama Guading, passed away last August 5. She was with us even before I was born so she is truly part of our family. 

Life will forever be different without Mama but I take solace from the fact that she did have what I think was a good life with us. She reached the good age of 72 years, although it does hurt a bit more that she passed away shortly before her 73rd birthday. We used to celebrate her birthday with my mom's and my grandfather's - and in the last few years, with my cousin's as well - and I will miss her lumpia with its special sauce and her molo soup, which were staples in any family feast. I will also miss the giniling she used to cook for dinner, the fried banana with sugar she would prepare for merienda, and the ice candy she would make and sell to students of the school across the street from my grandparents' house. She had her own room with its queen-sized bed - my brother and I used to share that bed with Mama whenever we'd stay in my grandparents' house as kids - and more than a decade ago, we got a TV for her room.

Most importantly, she was deeply loved by our family. And she loved us back. I think back to the numerous times when I was sick as a kid and she would take such great care of me. I will miss seeing her walk through our gate whenever she would visit because we needed an extra hand at home. Or seeing her tend to her plants and trees in my grandparents' backyard. I will miss her strong, vibrant and distinct voice, and the way she would say my name: Chris-YAN. I will miss her kind face and her honest eyes. She may not be a candidate for Miss Universe, but to me she will forever remain one of the most beautiful women in my life.

She was truly a part of my family, and I still find myself reeling from sorrow in the many quiet moments that I think about her. A friend of mine told me that I should try not to think about her but it is a great disservice to Mama if I try not to remember just because it makes me feel sad. She devoted her entire life to the well-being of my family and made sure we were comfortable and taken care of. The least I can do now is to always keep her in my mind and in my heart. I am dedicating this song, "In loving memory" by Alter Bridge, to our beloved Mama Guading. The first line of this song is very appropriate to what I would like to tell Mama: "Thanks for all you've done".

   

uploaded in youtube by user LuisCArenas  

Eternal rest, grant unto Guadalupe Nabayra, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon her. 

May she rest in peace. 

We love you and miss you, Mama Guading. You will always be in our hearts. :(

Family birthday

It's that time of the year again when my family celebrates the joint birthday of my mom and my grandfather. We were supposed to celebrate my cousin's birthday as well but unfortunately he had exams the coming week so he was unable to join us. The initial plan was to have lunch at my grandparents' home but we ended up just going out. I was thinking of bringing my family to Cafe Juanita in Burgos Circle but we left home quite late so it was around 1:30pm when we got to Edsa. Since we weren't sure if Cafe Juanita was open for lunch even in the mid-afternoon, and since everyone was quite hungry already, I decided to take my family to Lugang Cafe in Connecticut (Greenhills) instead.

I had eaten in Lugang Cafe once before with my high school friends and I thought the food, especially the xiao long bao, was pretty good. The ambience makes dining here even a more pleasant experience. As we were eating, we saw this humongous dessert called the Bellagio Breeze, which is kinda like a towering Taiwanese version of our local halo-halo. My nephew was interested to try it so we ordered it despite all of us being quite full from our meal. We actually had a couple of celebrity sightings while we were there - in the middle of our meal, we saw Ruffa Gutierrez head into some kind of function room with a lot of other people, and as we were going through dessert, we saw Miguel Zubiri and his family head out of the restaurant (apparently they were dining on the second floor).

We headed to Powerplant mall after our hefty lunch and after going around the mall a bit, we caught the 4:45 mass. Everyone was still pretty full from our late lunch so we decided to skip dinner and just head home. Since my cousin couldn't join us, we stopped by Red Ribbon and my grandmother got an ube cake which we brought to my cousins house.

Throughout the day, I ended up playing some of the CDs that I had just purchased, including Nina Simone, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and my 'Unforgettable' compilation CD (which featured classics and standards from legends like Nat "King" Cole and Ella Fitzgerald). As I expected, my grandfather was extremely pleased with the music I played, saying stuff like "this is the kind of music I like" or "this was the music in my younger days".

I ended up forgetting to give my mom the two GCs I got her from The Spa; the fact that my nephews just got one puppy each recently had left my mom stressed out all the time cleaning up after them so I felt that a few trips to the spa would help. I also had just a light meal in the evening since I was still quite full from the heavy late lunch earlier in the day. All in all, another great day spent with the people I love.

No Marathon-for-a-Cause this year

This is the first time since 2003 that I was Manila-based yet unable to run my annual marathon-for-a-cause. (The only time I didn't run was when I was working in Sweden back in 2007.)

Knowing that the annual Milo Marathon is usually held in July, I attempted to train back in May. I did manage to run a few times a week for a couple of weeks but then work got in the way. When I learned in early June that this year's Milo Marathon was scheduled on July 31, I realized that, given my inability to train and the fact that I am in poor physical shape, I would be risking my health (and even possibly my life!) if I forced myself to run 42km. It can be argued that I successfully ran marathons in the past with little training, but the difference is that I wasn't as busy or stressed out before as I am now. I am at my all-time heaviest and, apart from my weekly volleyball games, I have not had any real regular exercise.

Hopefully I can get things in order at work so that I can start running again. Not just for charity but for my own well-being.

Libero

I played the role of libero for the very first time in my life in my volleyball game today. According to wikipedia, a libero is a player specialized in defensive skills who cannot block or attack the ball when it is entirely above net height. When the ball is not in play, the libero can replace any back-row player, without prior notice to the officials. This replacement does not count against the substitution limit each team is allowed per set, although the libero may be replaced only by the player whom they replaced.

While the libero is generally the most skilled defensive player on the team, my assignment to this role came about because most of the other players in my team are much, much better attackers than I am LOL. Since our attackers have to jump a lot to either block or spike, the team felt a libero was needed to give at our attackers some rest each time they rotated to the backline.

The bad thing about the libero, apart from the fact that you cannot attack the ball, is that you cannot serve either. Interestingly enough though, I ended up playing a lot in each of the three sets we played so the fact that I never served is not really bad given the amount of time I spent on court.

Hoppípolla by Sigur Rós

This song was written years ago but I only discovered it recently, though a friend of mine. The lyrics are Icelandic (Sigur Rós are from Iceland) but while you may not understand the words, it's still a great song to listen to. Check it out. :)


video uploaded in youtube by user hollowpapa

Takoyaki in Hana

I love takoyaki and Hana in Little Tokyo offers some of the best in town.


If you are a takoyaki fan, you need to make your way to Little Tokyo along Pasong Tamo and visit Hana. A set of six costs P120 but the takoyaki is authentic and really good.

Maid service bungle-up

I got a maid service to clean my place recently. Back in the day, I used to do my own cleaning until I realized that (1) maids can do it better and more quickly than me, (2) I actually give more people jobs when I hire a maid service, and (3) it's just an overall more efficient use of my time to get someone else to clean my place.

The only problem was that my maid service broke one of my glass candle holders. They told me they will replace what they broke - they even took a picture of the similar candle holder - but the only problem is that this was purchased years ago and I'm not sure that it is still available. They may end up finding something similar but it won't be exactly the same. While it will certainly throw off the symmetry I have in my pad, I guess I can just look at this as adding personality to my home by having mix-and-match decorative items LOL.

Time to replace my phone

I think I need to get myself a new mobile phone. My current one, a Sony Ericsson K770i, doesn't seem to be working properly anymore. There are times when it just keeps hanging and rebooting, other times people can't seem to reach me even if my phone is on, and sometimes I can barely hear the person I'm talking to on the phone. While this phone has been with me for just about 2 1/2 years, I think I may have dropped it too many times that I've worn it out faster than any other phone I've had in the pst.

My last two phones have been Sony Ericsson (prior to this, I had the K750i) so I'm tempted to stick with the brand. However, my main problem with these phones is the charging. The slot where you put the charger tends to degrade a bit easily (especially when my sweats gets in it and mucks it up). I'm personally not a fan of phones with a lot of functionalities so I don't necessarily want to get an IPhone. I may have to switch back to a Nokia (I was a Nokia user prior to 2006). I took a quick look at a Nokia store and I'm thinking about getting a C3, C5, or X3.

The main thing I like about my Ericsson phones though was the fact that they have this pretty powerful light. It helps when ordering food or drinks in dimly lit restaurants. Funny that most people look at really edgy and cool features when getting a phone while I look for one that has a good light LOL. I'm such a dinosaur. :)

Denz's bday

My friend and ex-colleague Denz celebrated his birthday at home, similar to what he has done each of the last few years. He invited me along with several of our other friends, and while a lot of people confirmed that they would go, it stormed very heavily that day. This resulted in most people backing out at the last minute. Shobie was there with Rodski but when the rains started pouring, she got concerned that the roads would be flooded so she left promptly. This meant that the only person I knew who was still in the party was Denz. I decided that I hadn't seen Denz in more than a year so even if I didn't know anyone there and despite the heavy rains, I would still go.

I got to the party a bit late because I had a volleyball game early that afternoon. Thankfully, there was a whole lot of food when I got there (as is always the case whenever Denz celebrates his birthday). I ended up having getting about three platefuls of food which means I ate more calories than I burned during our one-hour game LOL.

I stayed in the party for about an hour, listening to everyone else belt out standards and oldies over the Magic Sing and getting in a bit of airtime myself LOL. Too bad our other friends weren't able to make it or stay around. Nevertheless, it was great catching up with Denz. He says his party next year will be massive since he's celebrating a milestone year so I am looking forward to that.

Varekai!

Varekai is amazing!!! I watched it with my mom and needless to say we were blown away. I have seen other Cirque du Soleil shows on TV before so I knew what it was about but it's different seeing something like this live so when I saw the Varekai commercials on TV, I knew I had to watch it.

The ticket prices were not that accessible but I saw some front row seats still available in the second-cheapest section so I ended up getting those even if they cost more. I mean, it's not everyday you get to watch a show like this. (In any case, the show was definitely worth the price!) I think it's great that Cirque du Soleil actually brought their own tent because it gave the show a very authentic feel to it. The vendors with popcorn and hotdogs walking all around added to the great atmosphere.


Of course, all that accounts for nothing unless the show lives up to the hype. And it certainly did! Those Cirque du Soleil artists have nerves of absolute steel and are in perfect physical condition! Just watching them do a stunt is exhausting, so I can't even begin to imagine what it feels like to do what they do and to prepare for it! A lot of the stunts were so dangerous and extreme that it was sometimes tough to clap because you were holding your breath too much and were worried that someone could get seriously injured. There was one stunt, in the Icarian games act, that wasn't completed successfully, but the audience was very supportive and cheered the artists to give them encouragement despite the miss. Here's a video of that sequence (the stunt they were unable to complete is at 5:57 to 6:14).


video uploaded in youtube by user Icarusangel27

There were quite a few comedic moments and slapstick bits with the clowns and faux magician, but I felt they are sort of needed because when something is as intense as this show, you need enough light moments to balance things out and to catch your breath. I've heard from people who have seen other Cirque shows comment that the stunts are not that original, but I don't see a difference between watching "unoriginal" but spectacular stunts with listening to your favorite song or re-watching a good movie. I can listen to my fave songs dozens of times in a row or more, so if someone can swing from a hoop while using just the back of their neck to hang on to it while dangling several meters in the air, I think I can watch that over and over again too. :)


I really hope that Cirque du Soleil found this trip to the Philippines quite profitable. I would absolutely love to have more of these shows brought to Manila for more Filipinos to enjoy.

Sick again. And a couple of sad but brilliant films.

My crazy schedule recently has left me working a lot of long nights in the last few months, and it finally caught up to me. I woke up one Tuesday morning with a terrible headache and a painful throat. I could barely get out of bed, and even after I tried getting a couple more hours of sleep, I was still in a lot of pain. It was the same story the next day. I couldn't even turn on my laptop to set up my automatic out-of-office replies to tell people I was out sick.

Since I was practically bedridden, I decided to just put on a couple of DVDs that I had for a already but haven't been able to watch. Unfortunately for me, the two films I selected are both not the ideal choices for someone who is sick. One was "The Kite Runner" and the other was "Atonement".

(Spoiler alert: I will be taking in some detail about the plot of these two films so if you haven't seen them and don't want to be spoiled, please stop reading here.)

Don't get me wrong, both films are brilliant and very deserving of the rave reviews they got and the awards they won or were nominated for. However, the thing about these two films is that both of them have a lack of redemption in at least some of the main characters, and that somehow makes them difficult and depressing to watch.

Take Atonement for instance. There is a lot of sexual tension building up between the two leads, Robbie and Cecilia (played by James McAvoy and Kiera Knightley), and when they finally openly admit to the attraction for each other, their love is cut short by Cecilia's sister Briony, who is secretly in love with Robbie. Rather than lose Robbie to her sister, Briony accuses him of raping her cousin and he is subsequently sent to prison. Robbie is then given the choice of staying in prison or becoming a soldier (the film is set in World War II) and he chooses instead to fight in the war. He and Cecilia, who has now become a nurse, manage to meet briefly before their lives are forever parted by war, a war which ultimately leads to their tragic and separate deaths.

The Kite Runner is just as, if not more, depressing. It is set mostly in Afghanistan and the lead character, Amir, is the son of a wealthy man named Baba. His best friend, Hassan, was the son of their servant. Despite the difference in class, the two best friends are inseparable up until a gruesome event: Hassan is molested and raped by some bullies. Amir, who witnesses it, does nothing to stop it and is consumed by guilt to the point that he drives Hassan away. When the Russians invade Afghanistan, Amir and his father are forced to flee to the US where their lifestyle changes dramatically - Baba now works in a gasoline station and Amir studies in a community college and works part-time in a flea market. Once Amir graduates and then marries his love interest Soraya, Baba passes away from a terminal illness. It's at this point that Baba's closest friend, Rahim Khan who is now living in Pakistan, asks Amir to pay him a visit. Rahim Khan tells Amir that Hassan is actually his brother from a different mother. Hassan eventually got married and had a son but both he and his wife were killed by the Taliban, who also take his son away. Amir successfully attempts to take Hassan's son away from the Taliban and then brings him to the US to live with him and his wife.

While it is a positive ending - Amir manages to save Hassan's son from the Taliban - I can't get over the fact that Hassan was raped as a kid, driven away by his best friend, and when he manages to have a family of his own, his son is taken away and is killed. I keep thinking how Hassan's last thoughts before dying were that his son would be taken by the Taliban and how hopeless he must have felt when taking his final breath. The fact that Amir is not even able to tell Hassan directly that he is sorry for driving Hassan away makes it even worse.

Despite the timing of me watching these two movies not being the best because I was sick, I am happy that I did get to watch both them. Two thumps up and definitely worth watching.

Linkin Park perform "Rolling in the Deep"

Didn't expect this one bit. But Linkin Park do a fine job of covering Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". Chester is one awesome vocalist.


video uploaded in youtube by linkinparktv

Disappointment

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.

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.