[Share-worthy] Plants vs Zombies media

If you wish to have the audio file (mp3 format) and music video (mp4 format) of the Plants vs Zombies theme, 'Zombies on your Lawn,' you may grab it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?zmmdnyjl2jt

Enjoy! Ü

Avatar

A miracle happened today. I missed all of my chances to win Avatar premiere invites from RX, but this afternoon, one of my bestest friends, the_netski, sent me an SMS that made my entire week. She'll be sending me a pair of tickets to the Avatar block screening for this Thursday (same day as the RX Monster Movie Premiere) at SM North Edsa. I nearly fainted.

I was in total disbelief when she first told me she has a pair of tickets. I then asked her how much they are. My jaw dropped when she said 'Advanced Christmas gift for me and PiNkR0b0T' and that she's been seeing my tweets about the movie so she figured to give me the tickets.

You see, I'm a very simple girl. Nothing huge ever happens to me. I'm unlucky with raffles, although I have to admit I've been quite lucky with radio promos recently. When Avatar had a 20-minute preview in August, I was ecstatic when I got invites. I cannot believe that I can ever be part of something so big. I vowed that I have to watch the full-length movie in a 3D theater when it comes out in December. Now that RX is doing a premiere, I feel very disappointed that I can't even catch the Avatar promos. So one can just understand how I was in total amazement when I received the_netski's message. Something like this almost never happens to me.

So to the_netski, thank you so much for the wonderful surprise. I wish I can do something as fantastic for you someday. You're a really great friend.

Share-worthy: 100 Things I’ve Learned About Photography

I found this today from the Digital Photography School website and thought it's a good read. It's very inspiring and very true. I'm sure all shutterbugs -- both newbies and pros -- will learn a thing or two from this list.

This article was originally written by Martin Gommel and was posted on DPS by Darren Rowse. Martin Gommel is a photographer on Flickr who has a blog called KWERFELDEIN (German) and has generously offered to translate one of his photography articles for DPS. Darren Rowse, the editor and founder of DPS also made a few edits and translations to this list. Rowse lives in Melbourne Australia and is also the editor of the ProBlogger Blog Tips and TwiTip Twitter Tips blogs.

1. Never do photography to become a rock-star.
2. Enjoy what you are shooting.
3. Prepare well for your shooting, realizing that your battery isn’t charge when you’re setting up for that sunrise shoot is too late!
4. Always take one warm garment more than you actually need with you
5. Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions while you are shooting
6. Set goals you can achieve
7. Write tips about photography, because writing is also learning
8. Never go shooting without a tripod
9. Be pleased with the little prosperities
10. Build relationships with potential photo buddies
11. Watch the place you want to shoot first with your heart then with the camera
12. Always stay calm
13. Know that you tend to overestimate yourself
14. Perspective is the killer
15. Dedicate yourself to photography, but never browbeat yourself too much
16. Take part in a photography community
17. Keep your camera clean
18. Never compare yourself to others in a better or worse context
19. Find your own style of photography
20. Try to compose more and to hit the shutter less
21. Seek out and learn to accept critique on your images
22. Do something different to recover creativity
23. Get inspiration from the work of other photographers
24. Criticize honestly but respectfully
25. Get feedback from your lady
26. Don’t copy other photographer’s style
27. Be bold
28. Take care of the golden ratio
29. 10mm rocks!
30. Take selfportraits
31. Read books about photography
32. To give a landscapephotograph the extra boost, integrate a person (maybe yourself)
33. Every shooting situation is different than you expect
34. Pay attention to s-curves and lines
35. Always shoot in RAW
36. Keep your sensor clean, so you can save some work cleaning your image in post production
37. Discover the things you think are beautiful
38. It takes time to become a good photographer
39. The best equipment is that what you have now
40. You can’t take photographs of everything
41. Break the rules of photography knowingly, but not your camera ;)
42. Pay attention to the different way that light falls on different parts of your scene
43. The eye moves to the point of contrast
44. Clouds increase the atmosphere of a landscape
45. Start a photoblog
46. Accept praise and say “thank you”
47. ‘Nice Shot’ is not a very useful comment to write
48. ‘Amazing!’ isn’t useful either. Try to describe specifically what you like or don’t like about an image.
49. You are not your camera
50. Ask a question at the end of your comment on a photo to get a ping-pong conversation with the photographer
51. Do a review of your archives on a regular basis, the longer you photograph – the more diamonds are hidden there
52. Always clarify what the eyecatcher (focal point) will be in your image
53. No image is better than a bad one
54. Everyone has to start little
55. Your opinion about photography is important!
56. Leave a funny but thoughtful comment
57. Speak about your experiences with your photo buddies
58. Limit your photograph to the substance
59. Participate in Photocontests
60. Post processing = Optimizing your image to the best result
61. Shoot exposure latitudes as often as possible
62. Use photomatix as seldom as possible, HDR’s always have a synthetic flavor
63. Always remember what brought you to photography
64. Never shoot a person who doensn’t want to be photographed
65. Always turn arround, sometimes the better image is behind you
66. It’s who’s behind the camera, not the camera
67. Mistakes are allowed! The more mistakes you make, the more you learn!
68. If you have an idea and immediately you think : No, this is not going to work – Do it anyway. When in doubt – always shoot.
69. Understand and look to your histogramm while shooting. It delivers very important information about your image
70. Know your camera, because searching the menu button in the night is time you don’t want to waste
71. Shoot as often as possible
72. Believe in yourself
73. Don’t be afraid of getting dirty
74. Pay attention to qualitiy in your image
75. Your photographs are a personal map of your psyche
76. Re-check your ISO-Settings. It’s aweful to detect the wrong settings on your screen.
77. Be thankful for long and thoughtful comments on your images
78. Never trust your LCD. Normally it is brighter and sharper as the original image.
79. Provide for enough disc space, because it’s cheap and you will need it.
80. Learn to enjoy beautful moments when you don’t have a camera with you.
81. Always arrive at least half an hour earlier before sunrise / sundown, composing in a hurry is a bad thing.
82. Try to amplify your mental and physical limits. Takes some extra shots when you think “it’s enough”
83. Pay attention to structures in the sky and wait until they fit into structures in the foreground
84. Visit the same place as often as possible. Light never shows the same mountain.
85. Print your images in big size. You will love it.
86. Calibrate your monitor. Working with a monitor that is not accurate is like being together with someone you can’t trust. It always ends badly.
87. Don’t think about what others may say about your image. If you like it, it’s worth publishing.
88. Never address reproaches to yourself. Learn from your mistakes and look forward, not backward.
89. Fight your laziness ! Creativitiy comes after discipline.
90. Ask yourself : What do you want to express in your images ?
91. Always try to think outside the box, collect new ideas about photographs you could do and ask yourself : Why not?
92. Search for a mentor.
93. Photography is never a waste of time.
94. Every community has it’s downsides. Don’t leave it out of an emotional response.
95. There will always be people who will not like what you are doing.
96. Henri Cartier-Bresson was right when he said that “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”
97. A better camera doesn’t guarantee better images.
98. Always have printing in mind when you postprocess your images.
99. Photography is fair : You gain publicity with the quality of your images. Unless the images are stolen, there is no way of cheating yourself higher.
100. Write a 100 things list

Vote for URBANATION as Best Urban Band on Wave 89.1

I know this is a little overdue, but I would like to thank everyone who retweeted and reposted messages about voting Urbanation on MTV Emerge.

Guess what, with our undying support and their pure, unadulterated talent, Urbanation was among the seven winners in the competition, performing their song, 'Tick Tock' live on the MTV Emerge stage at the SM Mall of Asia on 27Nov09 and taking home the much-coveted prize of a one-year contract with Jeepney Music with no less than Apl.de.Ap as their mentor.

Once again, I would like to call on everyone to support Urbanation in becoming the Best Urban Band on Wave 89.1's first ever Urban Music Awards. To vote, just text:

WAVE 891 UMA URBANATION

and send to 2968.

To show more Urbanation lovin', join the band's Facebook fanpage or visit their official website, www.urbanationbaby.com.

Test Shots

A couple of weeks ago, I was finally able to purchase the much-awaited Canon Powershot D10. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to really read through the manual, though I've been able to play with the familiar settings, which I remember from my first Canon Powershot A430. Here are a few test shots that I've done last week.

Lego Matrix Trinity Help

I saw this video yesterday on 'Attack of the Show' and figured it's worth sharing. Personally, I'm not a Matrix fan, but I'm definitely part of the Lego generation. Go figure what that means... LOL Anyhoo, enjoy the vid! ü

The "First" Day

The weekend has come to an end once again. Yeah, I'm sad that it means going back to work, but with the kind of weekend we had, I'm all good.

Last Saturday, PiNkR0b0T had to do some overtime and asked me to come with her. I figured, I can use some day-long R&R in a public place. For some reason, there's something relaxing about hanging out in a mall. ( I know, right?! Of all places?!)

In recent years, I've associated 'going out' to doing errands. Yes, the wife and I would do some shopping here and there, or go out for lunch or dinner, but we haven't really done either one without having to buy something for the house or coming from/going to somewhere else. Well, I guess it's all part of being a grown-up -- multi-tasking, time management, priority management... Ulch! =S

As it turns out, Saturday became a day full of 'first-times' for PiNkR0b0T and myself. And hell, was it loads of fun! I can't help but remember that nice TV advert of Emirates, which has the tag line, "When was the last time you did something for the first time?" True enough, there's something magical about being in the same place, doing the same things and being with someone familiar, yet looking at everything in a whole new light. Anyhoo, here's our list of "first times" this Saturday:

* It was Taffy's first day out (Taffy=laptop) - I've always wanted to take her somewhere, but I never had the opportunity to do so until now. Ironically, I ended up tweeting from my mobile phone since there was no free Wi-fi where I stayed, which didn't matter because I ended up writing a bit then playing Plants vs Zombies almost half the time I waited.

* It was our first time to dine in Momo Cafe - We always see it, but we never checked out their menu. We figured it's just a cafe with no 'real food.' You know, some heavy grub for volume eaters like us. LOL Guess what, we were so wrong! They have real food and large servings too! We're so going back there -- and hopefully soon! I saw their list of desserts and I'm looking forward to trying their cupcakes!

* It was my first time to hang out in Starbucks Eastwood Mall - We've only been there once or twice and it was just for a quick coffee-and-donut-to-go. I used to hang out in the Citiwalk branch a lot. I find the new location very quiet and cozy, which I liked a lot. I was fortunate enough to sit in one of the comfy couches, which was perfect for waiting.

* It was my first time to have my nails done in Dashing Diva - Another place I always see but never really checked out. I've always assumed that their prices are ridiculous. Well, I was wrong. Their prices aren't cheap, but they're definitely reasonable. I've always been a Gloss girl, but I think that's about to change. (Sorry!) It was so cute when I first dropped by to grab a flyer. There were six little girls (prolly in the ages of 8 to 10) having a Little Diva party! I felt so old! LOL

* It was our first time to watch a movie in the Eastwood Mall's Ultra 7 Cinema (with the recliner and unlimited popcorn and drinks) - Finally! PiNkR0b0T and I saw 'New Moon'! It was extra fun watching in the fancy movie house. I thought we got the lousiest seats in the corner, but as it turns out, they were prolly the best seats in the house! It felt as if we were the only ones there! That was really helpful, especially when I had my embarrassing 'cougar moment.' Yeah... when Taylor Lautner removed his shirt for the first time, I blurted out, 'Ayun o!' (There you go!) Hahahahaaa!!!

Light Painting

I know, i know... I haven't been posting on my blog again. Oh well, it's been very busy at work and yeah, Plants vs Zombies has been keeping me busy at home. So to make up for lost time, here are some cool videos on light painting, which is starting to be my new fascination. Enjoy! ü

The Weeks That Were

The past couple of weeks have been C-R-A-Z-Y. Work has been hectic, but nonetheless, I was able to squeeze in some of the good stuff here and there.

First off, let me just gloat and say that I was able to finish Plants vs Zombies in 4 days, playing a maximum of only 2hrs per night since I started playing last Sunday. If that isn't brilliance, I don't know what is! LOL What's even more surprising was the fact that I didn't purchase a lot of upgrades. In fact, I didn't use the ones that I bought like the upgraded sunflower. It was pure strategy in choosing the right combination of plants, plus where to put what during the actual gameplay. So there, I guess I just professed my geekiness once again. How can I always expose myself like this?! LOL

My hun, PiNkR0b0T has a new look. I can't wait to get Cherry out from the Canon hospital so I can take lots and lots of photos of her and her new hairdo. It's really frustrating because a lot has been happening and we don't have a decent camera to document these things! Ugh! I'm planning to get a Canon D10 and I'm starting to get nervous that I might not be able to afford it because of previous shopping sprees I've done earlier this year. Heehee! Oh well, need loads of positive vibes to make sure I get my much-awaited (and coveted) D10!!! After all, Christmas is coming up and as we all know, that means lots of par-tehs! Then of course, summer is coming in a few months, which means hitting the beach! After my Bohol and Anilao experiences this year, I'm so getting ready for summer next year. Who would've thought, right? =)

PiNkR0b0T and I have a new project!!! It's pretty huge so we're keeping mum about it for now so we don't jinx it or anything. LOL Nonetheless, I'm really hoping we can make it happen 'cause it's really important to me I make it happpen for her. Yup, this is me being mum about it! I guess I better shut up before I reveal anything else!!! LOL

So there you have it. That's pretty much what's going in with me (and the missus) for the past couple of weeks. 'Till next time. TTFN! =)

Plants vs Zombies

Reposting this video from Blue Ritz.

Plants vs Zombies appears to be our new addiction... and to think I just started playing today, while PiNkR0b0T does a lot of coaching. When I say coaching, I mean telling me what plants to bring, where to plant them and what stuff to buy first.

So to everyone, who's been kept busy all day and up all night by this exciting game, here's nice music video that I'm sure you'll enjoy.

A Wonderful Weekend

I've always thought that if I have more money, my weekends would've been more special. Weekend trips to the beach or maybe to Tagaytay, shopping sprees with PiNkR0b0T, fancy dinners with friends -- I've always imagined that these are the things that an exciting weekend is made of. Yeah, we've done some of these splurgings at some point, but this weekend, I discovered that with a little planning and well, a little determination, you can have a fun-filled weekend without leaving the comforts of your own home and without spending a lot of money. Now don't get me wrong, we have done something like this before, but I don't think we've done all of these in one weekend.

Last Friday, we ended up coming home late from work. Yeah, we've been both very busy and haven't really reaped the benefits of the 5AM-2PM schedule. So anyway, we were so beat when we got home that we hit the sack by 12MN. If you know us well enough, you would've figured that this is a tad bit early for a Friday evening. We normally stay up until the wee hours of the morning during the weekends, watching TV or surfing the net like there's no tomorrow.

We then woke up at around 1PM Saturday afternoon. Not bad... when we really want to catch up on our shut-eye, we can stay in bed until 3-4PM or until our heads hurt like crazy. Since I planned to do some work at home (online courses), I managed to drag myself out of bed, while PiNkR0b0T decided to catch up on some mathwork for the house. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), the online courses won't load (in fact, I'm still trying it as I write this) anywhere (i.e. on both the desktop and the laptop) so we decided to start early on our TV shows marathon. By dinnertime, we were done watching the latest episodes of Heroes, CSI:NY and Grey's Anatomy! While doing a little net-surfing, I also burned 'Paranormal Activity', which we planned to watch with my Mom. However, by the time it was done, she's got other plans so we decided to watch it by ourselves.

Again, as if by clockwork, we crashed by 12MN. Surprisingly, we were up by 9AM this morning! Amazing, right? So we started the day with a yummy serving of my Papu's spicy spaghetti and as if that wasn't enough, PiNkR0b0T and I had some taho shortly after. You see, we don't often catch the Manong Magtataho so we grabbed the chance today even if we just ate. LOL Anyhoo, by midday, we finally pushed ourselves to do some workout and I'm so glad we did! Today's yoga practice was fulfilling. Trust me, when you're this fat, shifting from plank pose to down dog and back isn't easy. But today, I think I'm finally getting it! Woot! A few more weeks and I'm sure, my knees are in tip-top shape again and I can do some serious, bad-ass cardio. Until then, I'm happy practicing yoga.

After working out, we just grabbed a light lunch, after which I took a long, relaxing, warm shower. By 2PM, our regular massage therapist arrived for a 2hr massage and tada! I was in heaven! So now, as I write this, PiNkR0b0T's having her turn (almost done, I think). Afterwards, we'll just have dinner and cap off our weekend with a couple more feel-good movies.

This weekend has truly been amazing. We were able to do a lot of stuff we like and realy took care of ourselves at the same time. Most importantly, PiNkR0b0T and I were able to spend some quality time with each other, which is ironically difficult even if we're living and working together, especially now that we've been both very busy in the office. Thank heavens our weekend turned out the way it did. Now we're both ready to battle another hectic work week ahead!

Paranormal Activity

Ok,so I'm NOT a fan of scary movies. I used to enjoy watching Stephen King movies and yeah, even the Poltergeist series of films as a kid, but I don't know what happened. One day, I just found myself being a scaredy cat grown-up! It may have started with the popularity of such movies as 'The Ring' or whatever, all I know is that scary movies with those unforgettable characters and images haunt me! As in they linger in my thoughts until I have trouble sleeping. So you can just imagine how uninterested I was to watch 'Paranormal Activity.' But hey, a promise is a promise and I told PiNkR0b0T that we will watch it this weekend when it's all dark and spooky.

To my dismay, the movie didn't deliver. Amidst all the hype and all the talk that it's like the scariest movie since 'The Exorcist,' it was a disappointment. To start off, the pacing was too slow. All the good parts were in the last half hour of the movie. Prior to that, I nearly dozed off. The other thing is that the brand of horror was more of the 'gulat' kind. However, it doesn't have any haunting images or sounds that would linger in your imagination when you're all alone in the dark. Lastly, we ended up waiting and waiting for something to happen, and then it'll fade to black and it's daytime again and we figure, 'That's it? Oh, ok...'

Now some might say that's the whole point of the movie -- it leaves you with your playful imagination so you would be afraid of what you cannot see. Yeah, maybe. That's lame though. If that's the concept, then I would've just stayed alone in a dark room and imagine 'Sadako' and that Japanese girl from 'Shutter' crawling towards me. That would've killed me instantly.

So, no offense to the fans, but it did look like a $15,000 indie film, reminiscent of our college film productions. The sound effects were cheap and even the fire effects when the Ouija board burned was just blah. Let's just say, it didn't incite much of a reaction.

So there you have it. Another hyped-up movie tried and found to be overrated.

My Holiday LSS

So I haven't been able to post around here, no thanks to Facebook and Twitter! LOL

Anyway, I've been thinking about what I can share here so I figured, I might as well share the latest object of my Last Song Syndrome.

Just in time for the holiday season, I present to you, Phoebe Buffay's Christmas Song for her Friends... Enjoy!

(Sing along if you want to. Since I'm sure you've already heard it before, I reckon it's fine by her! LOL)

I went to the store sat on Santa’s lap.
I asked him to bring my friends all kinds of crap.
He said all you need is to write them a song,
Now you haven’t heard it yet, so don’t try to sing along.
So don’t sing along...

Monica, Monica, have a happy Hanukkah,
I saw Santa Claus, he said “Hello” to Ross.
And please tell Joey, Christmas will be snoweeeyyyyyy!!!
And Rachel and Chandler…(mumbles)…handler!!!

ABOUT ME

I’m a lesbian and a Filipina
I’m my parents’ unica hija
I’m a Renthead and a Rusher
I’m a certified geek and once a chatter

I can be sweet and really bad
But you might not like me when I’m mad
I’m funny and loyal and oftentimes, humble
I’m short and fat, but hey, I’m flexible

I love cats and food and video games
I love spending time with my bestest friends
I write and sing and sometimes dance
And watch lots of TV when I have the chance

I am all these and so much more
Like little parts that make me whole
I am all these, but not just that
The good, the ugly, and the bad

My Birthday Wishlist

It's that time once again, when I'll be queen for a month. LOL Yup, that's me being bitchier than usual. Here are some of the stuff I'm hoping to acquire within the next 12 months:

* Lady Gaga Concert Tickets
* Original DVD of The Simpsons Movie, 23, Rent: The Final Performance, Face/Off, Finding Nemo, and so much more. I just can't remember them all now!
* That hardbound book about FRIENDS that I saw in Power Books several years ago
* 1T external hard drive
* iPod Classic
* PSP
* Big flat screen TV
* Olympus Underwater Camera
* Complete set of Harry Potter books
* Interesting books -- I just want to bring back my passion for reading BOOKS
* 1 yr subscription to Reader's Digest
* A new Sony Ericsson mobile phone -- preferably a walkman phone or the one with a large screen and QWERTY keyboard
* Big LCD monitor for the computer
* Comfy pair of jeans
* More girly top
* Have my hair done!

That's all for now! Will add more if I can! =)

Versions: Mad World

I'm not a big fan of revivals, but sometimes, you do find some that actually work. Here's a good example -- I have three versions of 'Mad World.'

'Mad World' was originally sung by the British band, Tears for Fears in 1982 and was included in their debut LP, 'The Hurting,' which was released the following year. The song turned out to be their first international success, making it to the Top 40 between 1982-1983.



In 2001, a slower, ballad-like cover by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules was used in the movie, "Donnie Darko." The song was such a big hit that aside from being released in 2002 as part of the movie's soundtrack, the two had to release it as a single in 2003. This too became a big hit, being the Number One single over the Christmas Holiday in the UK. It's music video also became very popular in the word wide web, garnering over 13 million views in YouTube as of 2009.



Fast forward to 2009, 'Mad World' once again gained worldwide popularity when American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert sang the slow Gary Jules version on the Top 8 performance night featuring 'Songs From the Year They Were Born.' He again chose this as his encore for the May 19th season finale. As of this week's Billboard Hot 100, Adam Lambert is at last place, dropping from previous week's postion of 44.

On a personal note, I love this song for a variety of reasons and I'm very glad that because of these artists, I am able to enjoy it in different ways. I love the Tears for Fears version because being an 80's kid myself, hearing it really takes me back to my time. However, the lyrics of the song had more meaning to me when the slower Gary Jules version was featured in CSI's Season 6, Episode 2 "Room Service." Lastly, though I'm not a big Adam Lambert fan, I enjoyed his American Idol performance as I find it very haunting. To experience that from a reality show where hopefuls sing their hearts out for a shot in the mainstream, that was magical and it obviously worked for him.

*If you don't want to watch the videos, you may just listen to all three versions either below or through my Multiply Playlist.

Tears for Fears (1982)


Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules (2003)


Adam Lambert (2009)

Top 10 Fictitious Celebrity Email Addresses

I'm so stoked! I had a long day at work. I got home a bit later than usual, turned the laptop on and guess what I saw -- my beloved Rusher friends raving on Twitter about my entries for this week's Nokia/Ovi Mail promo for The Morning Rush Top 10! Can you believe that? My own peeers, sending me all these wonderful comments about my entries being "nice" and "great" and how "they rocked today's TMR." They're even hoping that I win the prize! Awwwww, it was really touching. And trust me, I'm talking about the popular-and-notorious-topic-and-entry-senders of the Top 10! I'm talking about boknoi, PurpleRose and sashapurse! Oh my gawd, right? Oh well, I guess in spite of my best efforts to reinvent myself from BadGirl`JeL to Abernathy™, at the end of day, I'm still one hell of a smart-ass bitch! LOL

Anyway, here are all the entries that I've sent for this week's topic, Top 10 Fictitious Celebrity Email Addresses. I'm not sure if I marked everything that was read on-air today. Also, take note of the 'email sets' as they are related with one another. Too bad though, Chico didn't read the other parts of the sets that did make it to the Top 10. Anyway, I'm hoping to get hold of today's recordings and of course, keeping my fingers crossed that I win the much coveted price, the very sleek Nokia2330 Classic. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the bitchy fruits of my creative juices.


************************

Jennifer Aniston: *Top 10 Material*
ihatemrssmith@bitterexwives.com

Angelina Jolie:
harharhar@whogetstheguy.com

************************

Britney Spears:
oopsididitagain@againandagain.com

************************

Billy Ray Cyrus: *Top 10 Material*
mydaughtersarockstar@daddyhasbeens.com

Miley Cyrus:
daddysgirl@morepopularthandad.com

Trace Cyrus:
hitchinaride@imacyrustoo.com

************************

Paris Hilton: But of course, she deserves to have her own list! LOL

thatshot@couldvebeendiana.com
prettybutskanky@pornprincess.net *Top 10 Material*
icanbeanything@cozimahilton.org
mostoverratedcelebrity@guinnessworldrecords.com

* The last one is actually true! She made it to the world record as Most Overrated Person/Celebrity in 2007. Check out this TMZ article (among others) for more details.

************************

Manny Pacquiao:
nothingpersonalan@mannypacquiao.com.ph
youknow@pacman.net
afterKO@politiko.org

************************

EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR THE GUTIERREZ FAMILY:

For Ruffa Gutierrez:
miss-kumukutikutitap-world@gutierrezfamily.com
* In spite of the Ms. World title, she became popular with her 'Kumukutikutitap' advert first

For Richard Gutierrez:
salamatsamulawin@gutierrezfamily.com
* Probably his breakthrough role... as a bird LOL

For Raymond Gutierrez:
transparentcloset@gutierrezfamily.com
* In light of the 'gay' rumors

For Annabel Rama:
mamamahadera@gutierrezfamily.com
* 'Nuff said!

For Eddie Gutierrez:
mukhangtakuza@gutierrezfamily.com
* Due to the email address above

************************

Nora Aunor:
walanghimala@nunal.com

************************

Shia LaBeouf:
ShiaLaBeouf@oedipuscomplex.com

************************

Adam Lambert:
ImGaySoWhat@idol-runner-up.com

Clay Aiken:
TerritorialDiva@idol-runner-up.com

************************

Megan Fox:
HeyTalkAboutMe@publicity-hungry.net *Top 10 Material*
MayGoEitherWay@AJolieWannabe.com
GayagayaSiMegan@KSP.com.ph

* Just browsed through some of her photos and I think she's trying oh-so-hard to 'emulate' A Jolie's aura. She even has some sort of text tatooed on her back just like Angelina. Bitch! LOL

************************

Anne Heche:
crazyanne@wasbian.com

* wasbian = was lesbian

************************

Chris Pine and Audrina Patridge:
ChrisAndAudrina_ParangTubig@LangisKayaDiNagtagal.com

************************

Tom Cruise: *Top 10 Material*
WentCrazy@OprahsCouch.com

My Favorite Beach Photos - Anilao, Batangas

More beach photos!

I'm very thankful that even though I've only been to two beaches (I mean, now that I'm a grown-up), I was fortunate enough to see probably two of the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines. As far as I've heard, both Bohol and Anilao are popular destinations for snorkeling and diving. I hope to see more in the future, especially the ones in Palawan and of course, my Mom's province, La Union. Maybe then, I'd be more daring to try new and exciting things like spelunking (that is, if I don't die on-the-spot becaue of claustrophobia) and we never know, perhaps even surfing! Yeah, right! LMFAO

Part 2: Anilao, Batangas

"Salubong"

"David and Goliath"

"The Perfect Rays"

"My View from the Deck"

"Looking Up"

"My Memory of Anilao"

My Favorite Beach Photos - Panglao Island, Bohol

I really didn't like going to the beach. That was until January this year when my partner, Millie, my best friends and I went on a five-day holiday in Bohol. Since then, I'm officially a convert.

Last month, four of us headed out to Anilao, Batangas this time, for a rather short, over-the-weekend double-date R&R.

If only Millie and I have more time and well, much more money, I can just imagine us going to the beach every chance we get and just swim and snorkel and sunbathe, and of course, take beautiful photos.

Here are some of my favorite beach photos that automatically takes me back to those wonderful places and moments every time I look at them...

Part 1: Panglao Island, Bohol

"Panglao Hangout"

"Floating Lamyaan"

"Japan! Japan! Underwater"

"My Memory of Panglao"

A Question, A Pet Peeve and Another Question

The question:
How come it's ok to say "Are you lesbian?" or "Are you a lesbian?" or "I am lesbian." or "I am a lesbian." but it's not grammatically correct to say "Are you a gay?" or "I am a gay."?

The pet peeve:
Hearing people say "I'll just get a coffee."

The other question:
How do you remind a close friend about the rules of past tense verbs? Did you got what I mean?

My Thoughts About Adam Lambert

I'm not an Adam Lambert fan.

I've been very vocal about this since the beginning of American Idol's 8th season. I admit to even mocking his shrieking banshee perfomances not once, nor twice throughout the competition. Though I am a Danny Gokey fan, I don't mind about other contestants. For me, it's all a matter of preference and Adam's style simply doesn't appeal to my taste. Nonetheless, I'm not blind, nor deaf. The man can undoubtedly sing his face off. He's a true performer and let's face it, his level of showmanship may well compete with that of mainstream artists, perhaps, he may even do better. His background in theatre obviously worked to his advantage, allowing him to make the most out of hair, make-up, costumes, lighting, sometimes even effects, and of course, the way he sets the mood of his performance through his larger-than-life gestures and poignant facial expressions.

American Idol is more than a singing competition. Through the years, the talent/reality show has evolved from a nationwide popularity contest to a worldwide phenomenon. Season after season, people all over the world have become more and more passionate about their Idols -- forming fan clubs, putting up fan sites, coining catchphrases to identify themselves or their Idol, probably even designing merchandise showing off who they proudly support. It's amazing, really, how even a country halfway across the globe can be so passionate about the show. With Season 8 probably having the most talented batch of contestants, fans were fiercer like never before, promoting their American Idol every chance they get, putting everything on hold to catch the earliest possible broadcast.

This evening, out of curiosity, I started looking up photos and videos of Adam Lambert and I was just appalled. I cannot believe how people will go out of their way to pull someone down. Yes, one's sexual orientation may affect one's decision to support someone or not, but nooooo, these people are not content by simply "not liking" him or supporting everyone else except him. They've decided to convince others to the same by launching a smear campaign against him. I was surprised at the effort these people put into faking photos and uploading them to popular sites just to defame someone, as if they don't have anything better to do. Define "faking photos"? Well, let's just say that they label practically anyone with eyeliner and Adam's trademark hairstyle as Adam Lambert. There was one photo with the title "ADAM LAMBERT WAS GAY EVEN AS A YOUNG BOY! PROOF!" showing two black-haired youngsters dressed like him kissing. As it turns out, Adam's hair was blonde until High School. They've also referred to certain drag queens who are way too covered with make-up and elaborate costumes to be recognized as Adam Lambert. Apparently, anyone gay, wearing a costume, a wig and all covered with over the top make-up or at least an eyeliner is Adam Lambert. How pathetic is that?

First off, Adam Lambert being gay or not is irrelevant. American Idol is, after all, a SINGING competition. Second, Adam Lambert has a life prior to American Idol. Do these people honestly think his family and friends do not know how he looked like when he was in High School? Third, American Idol is a TV show! It's meant for entertainment. I wonder how much better the world is if all these energy being put into destroying another person is being put into good use. Lastly, does he look like he cares? He doesn't.

As for him losing the title of American Idol, no comment. Honestly, it doesn't matter! With lots of people rooting for him and yes, even taking the time to diss him, he obviously has a bright career ahead of him.

A Couple of Funny Vids from Cracked.Com

Thanks to my friend, Chris for introducing me to Cracked.Com! Crazy website! Anyway, enjoy watching these funny videos. =)

The Easy Way to Make Your Cat Fun Again

The Easy Way to Make Your Cat Fun Again -- powered by Cracked.com

Why Having Wolverine's Claws Would Suck

Why Having Wolverine's Claws Would Suck -- powered by Cracked.com

Random Blah of the Day: Rejection

Topic courtesy of Oscar dela Hopia

*************

Several years ago, I wrote one of my most bitter 'Jelaineisms' that says:

"The problem with choices is when you're one of the options and you didn't get picked."

It's human nature. We like having options. We feel as if it's our God-given right to be able to have our say on things, or at least have something to choose from. We feel violated when we're "forced" into embracing something like it's being shoved down our throats. Well, that's fine. As I've said -- it's human nature. However, try being on the other side of the buffet table and it's an entirely different story.

Oh yeah... I'm talking about rejection. When it comes to being "one of the choices," different people react differently. Some get into combat mode -- all out and fierce, it has to be ME. Some, on the other hand, allow their insecurities to eat them alive and just throw in the towel before the fight even starts. Either way, one may assume that both reaction is because of fear of rejection. When we talk about rejection, we often think about how we handle it. However, I think our feelings towards rejection in general affects the way we handle various situations so we wouldn't have to bother actually facing it.

Looking back at my own experiences, my fear of rejection may have kept me from a lot of things. How can you blame me? I'm probably a poster child for "Most likely to be rejected." I'm a minority in a minority. I'm Filipino, I'm a woman, I'm lesbian, and I'm fat. Though I'm not that insecure to say that I'm ugly, let's face it, I'm no head-turner either. This might explain why, aside from Millie a.k.a. PiNkR0b0T, I have a rather short list of exes with a population of 1 and why I never did any sort of dating, flirting, courting, more so have any flings. In school, I chose not to audition for the theatre or the glee club because I was too shy. I felt that there are ten other students who are better than me. Even in my professional life now, I hate applying for promotions. I prefer waiting for "opportunities" to open up, like a transfer or a special assignment. If I ever apply, I need to be certain that my chances of getting it are high and that I'm as prepared as prepared can be. Otherwise, nah, I'm happy where I'm at. Though some people may disagree, I don't do well in interviews. I have issues about selling myself and all that stuff. But yeah, whatever I say, I think it's all because I'm scared of being rejected at the end of the day. LOL

Hmmm... Sometimes I wonder how my life would've been different if I didn't care about being rejected. Nonetheless, I have no regrets. I am what I am because of all the experiences I had and missed. In that respect, rejection probably even helped me to be more cautious, content and probably even encouraged me to learn to make up for what I lack. So I guess rejection isn't such a bad thing after all! LOL

It ended before it even started

I can't say I hate the beach. The only time I went to the beach as a kid was when I was nine and my Mom took me to her hometown in La Union. That was a brief stay and I didn't really have time to enjoy it. The beach was practically in our backyard, it was probably just a 3-5min walk away. I can barely remember this, but my Mom does. Apparently, I was kinda scared every time the waves crash onto shore, washing away the sand. Looking back, I reckon that's the typical reaction of a city kid who grew up in an commercial aparment along a national highway.

Early this year, my partner and I went to Bohol with our best friends. After 28 years of harboring a lot of fears and inhibitions, I finally travelled by sea on a ferry, a "medium-sized" boat and by my standard (and size), a really tiny one. One of the highlights of our holiday was of course, the snorkeling. It was an amazing sight! It was obviously my first time, but I was a bit surprised at how comfortable I felt throughout the whole experience. Everyone was teasing me when I said I want to go to the beach again some time. My partner, who knew I was reluctant about the whole "sea thing" can't believe her ears. She was so stoked because she loves the beach and except for the Bohol holiday, we've never gone anywhere near any beach for the entire eight years we've been together.


This weekend, we're all set to go to Batangas, again with our best friends. It's a much-needed break for all of us. I've been looking forward to this trip particularly because it's my first beach trip after developing a new-found love for the entire concept of beach bumming and all that. I can just imagine myself lying in the sand, my skin burning under the hot summer sun, the sea crashing onto shore, washing away the sand beneath my feet, but I wouldn't care and I wouldn't be afraid anymore. *Sigh* Now that's a holiday! Unfortunately, it remains to be a dream sequence in my mind because of typhoon, Emong. Currently, both Manila and Batangas are under storm signal number 1 and this news has made me really pissed and bitchy.

Considering how the Earth's seasons have gone out of whack (Duh? Three weeks of summer and it's typhoon season already???), I ain't expecting another beach holiday for summer next year (or prolly even the year after). Oh well, what a real shame, my love affair with the beach has ended before it even started. For now, I'm still hoping that Emong goes someplace else and for Manila and Batangas to see some summer sun this weekend. I mean, come on! Please?

Fireworks 2008

I just saw these photos in one of my backup discs and figured they're worth sharing. These were taken in SM Marikina last December with my Canon PowerShot A430. I was really surprised with the results as this was the first time that I used the 'Fireworks' scene function.

Fireworks make such amazing subjects as each shot is definitely different and they make great desktop wallpapers too! I'm so looking forward to this year's Christmas/New Year season so I can create another set of fireworks photos. =)

Lightbulb Moment: I have a new dream -- host TMR with C&D

Someday, I hope I’m good enough to join Chico and Delle in The Morning Rush.  I’d looooove to exchange witty, oftentimes, green comments with them.  I'm sure I'll have a blast!

Aaaahhhh... I wonder how that'll feel... One day, you're just listening to them over the radio then another day, you're sitting with them in the booth doing boardwork, laughing, reading requests, greeting the Rushers, tweeting, doing the Top 10, promoting chicogarcia.wordpress.com, delamar.wordpress.com and well, badgirljel.blogspot.com...  Haaaayyyy...

Times like these, I certainly regret not trying out for Radio One when I was in college.  I remember being jealous of my friend, Bailey for having the confidence and obviously what it takes to be with Radio One.  Oh well, in Tagalog, "Laging nasa huli ang pagsisisi," and true enough, I have lots of regrets when it comes to stuff I was too-shy-to-try.  But then again, a girl can dream!  Who knows, rrrriiiggghhhtt??? =p

I haven't Tweeted The Whole F*cking Day

Breakthrough! I haven't done any sort of tweeting whatsoever even until now. I don't know what happened, I mean, it did cross my mind a couple, well, several times today but I sort of just took it upon myself to resist the temptation. Next thing I know, I'm already here at home and I haven't even peeked at any version whatsoever of Twitter and here I am, blogging about it! I haven't even opened my TweetDeck, nor the Twitter site on my browser! This is indeed a miracle!

Well, I did have a lot on my plate today with reports and all, but I have to admit, I've been thinking about my cyberlifestyle lately and I think I need to pull back a little. I haven't been as productive as I normally am and I've noticed how much I constantly think about jumping online to do all sort of stuff (and I never seem to run out of things to do online!). Seriously, I think I need help.

The one sign, which I finally cannot ignore was last Friday, when the topic for Chico and Delle's Top Ten was 'Signs you're addicted to the internet.' It was funny at first, how they seemed to be talking about me and my life, but for some reason, it got me thinking, 'Hell! I think I am addicted!.' So, here I am, trying to get back that balance between having a normal and productive life both in cyberspace and in real life. Having said that, I'm trying to do a bit of cyber-rehab and detox and I'm glad I've reduced my Twitter-dependence today! Just reduced, ok? I'm still going to tweet at some point... well, right after I post this. LOL

I believe in signs and how the universe sometimes talk to me that way, but with the cosmos talking to me through Chico and Delle (who I both love dearly, by the way), I know I just have to listen! LOL *Wink*

Justice for Tengteng, the hapless victim of the U.P. Cat Killer

You may have heard of the U.P. Cat Killer, Joseph Carlo Candare. I'm thinking that a lot of things may have already been said about him in the blogosphere. Now, it's time to talk about his victim, Tengteng.

An online petition is currently waiting to complete 1,000. As of writing this entry, this cause now has over 940 signatures. If you wish to support this, please sign here. Below is a copy of the entire petition letter for your review.

This goes beyond what happened to Tengteng. This is for every stray animal that was hurt by any so-called human, who should have known better considering the so-called higher intelligence that he or she was given.

JUSTICE FOR TENGTENG
Target: Faculty of the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
Sponsored by: Ted Teodoro.

There are over half a million stray animals in the Philippines, and this is the story of just one of them. Tengteng was a month-old stray kitten who lived precariously on the grounds of the University of the Philippines at Diliman. Those who knew her spoke of a kitten who benefited from random acts of kindness including handouts of food, water, even a new collar to make herself look pretty. She enjoyed fleeting but happy moments with students who gave her a scratch or two, a tummy rub, and pats on her head. The only known photographs of Tengten are the ones you see on this site. One can say that Tengteng was not as hard up as other strays in the Philippines, but she was without a regular source of food, a home and a family to protect her.


Tengteng, like all animals, was God's child. But her life came to an abrupt end when on April 13th a second year physics student named Joseph Carlo Candare took her life and bragged about it on the web. On his blog entry for that day, Mr. Candare mockingly called Tengteng's death " an accidental Crime." However, by other accounts, Tengteng's killing was a deliberate and blood-thirsty attack fueled by Mr. Candare's visceral and sadistic hatred of cats.


How much hate, you might ask?


Mr. Candare was described as taking a running start, leaping into the air, and then landing on Tengteng with the full force of his weight and momentum. Tengteng, who could not have weighed more than two pounds, was crushed under the grown man's weight. This was a conscious act, and Mr. Candare had ample opportunities to change his mind. Whatever life was left in Tengteng's body, the last few ounces of strength she had, enabled her to seek shelter in a hovel where she ultimately died moments later, alone. The imagery is horrifying, but we have been spared the deathly sounds that must have been blood-curdling. The agonizing scream of a kitten, the crushing of her bones, the taunting of the victor over the vanquished, it was a triumphant moment for one but unnecessarily tragic for another.

Why should we care?

Some have argued that we care too much about a kitten who did not belong to anyone. Some said tha there are many strays; why care about this one? All animals deserve respect. When we disrespect an animal, that says more about us than the animal. It is not how many animals are abused, but it is the knowledge that a most heinous crime was committed on a defenseless and sentient being that behooves us to act. Such acts, however singular, offends our sense of decency and righteousness. If there is one abused animal, then that is one too many. When we are confronted by cruelty, we must address it. Acts of abject cruelty towards animals, like Tengteng's killing, are simply unacceptable. It is up to the enlightened and the compassionate to stand up and speak in behalf of those on the receiving end of humankind's brute force.

Why take my word for it?

You do not have to. I am reproducing Mr. Candare's blog entry for your perusal. Here, you can read his own words, his self-confession as a serial killer of cats, his disingenuous pang of conscience, and his not-so-veiled threat to kill more in a month ( English translation in brackets) :

"An Accidental Crime. First day sa supercon. Lunch time came. On our way out of old NIP I saw the cat I almost killed last Tuesday. Now everyone knows I hate cats. It's an unexplainable feeling towards them. Like some internal hatred. Hindi ko talaga alam kung bakit pero anumang pagpipigil sa sarili ay hindi sapat upang mapangibabawan ang panggigil ko sa mga pusa. [ I don't really know why my self-control is not enough to overcome my hatred of cats ] I pulled it on its tail and threw it. Then like some pro wrestler I jumped on it and my feet landed on it's torso. Slam! Felt good! But the cat didn't die, well not yet. It ran for its life and just as I was about to catch up on it somebody yelled: " Pwede bang pabayaan mo yung pusa?!" [ Can you leave the cat alone? ]. It was instant and involuntary. I stopped on my tracks. Nobody ever stopped me when assaulting cats. Well I guess there's always a first time for everything. The cat got away. Or at least that's what i thought. So we went to lunch Mel, Jayson, Tracy and me. After lunch, balik na sa kung anumang naiwang gawain [ we went back to whatever unfinished work we had ]. Then Tracy and Mel told me " Hui Jc napatay mo yung pusa" [ Hey, JC, you killed that cat ]. Hours later, habang abala sa XRD [ while busy at XRD ], a guy came in. Tanong niya: " Sinong pumatay dun sa pusa?" [ He asked, who killed that cat? ] Bang! Dat was me boi. Guilty as charged. I didn't see it die pero sabi ni Myles [ but Myles said ] it coughed up blood or at least something like that daw. Didn't realize I gave it a fatal hit. This isn't the first time I've killed a cat but this time it's different. It didn't occur to me back then that the cat had a leash. So I think somebody owns it. Well it's very well loved in NIP from what I heard and I just ended it's life. So there you go I'm sorry. And I wont be striking another one for maybe about a month. It feels good when your beating it(a cat) up but you suddenly feel something strange when it turns off permanently. That's how I feel right now. And maybe for the next days. Dang, am I a cat serial killer? "

To Whom Should We Appeal?

We are appealing to the high officials of the University of the Philippines at Diliman (U.P.) namely Dr. Sergio Cao, Chancellor of UP, Dr. Arnel Salvador, Director of the National Institute of Physics at UP, and to Dr. Caesar Saloma, Dean of the College of Science UP.

These gentlemen, in their respective capacities, have the authority to set things right at the university. They can condemn, reject, and punish those who practice animal cruelty within the ranks of the university. They are gatekeepers to the long and illustrious history of the university. The conduct and safety of the student body are under their purview. We, therefore, are calling upon these gentlemen to apply the only just and appropriate punishment for Mr. Candare which is immediate expulsion from the university and to assist in seeking proper medical attention for Mr. Candare.

I am asking for one thousand signatures. If you agree with the spirit of this petition, please sign it and offer your opinion for the benefit of these learned gentlemen. I will post updates when new developments occur. I thank you for helping engender a more compassionate Filipino society.

Addenda: There were questions about criminal charges. The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is in the process of gathering affidavits from eye-witnesses. Yes, Mr. Candare violated the provisions of the Philippine Animal Welfare Act, Republic Act 8485. PAWS' volunteer lawyer will be mapping our their legal case against Mr. Candare.
05/02/09 I had Mr. Candare's name as John C. Candare in the initial post because he presented himself as such on another blog, but someone corrected me. His real name is Joseph Carlo Candare.

05/02/09 You may express your outrage but please no personal threats against Mr. Candare. I have to submit this petition to UP officials, and I want it fair and clean. Substantive comments will greatly help the impact of this petition. Thanks.

The Poker Face Video with Baby Gaga

Yup! You read it right! It's Baby Gaga and not Lady Gaga. Watch this little boy as he rocks it out while listening to Lady Gaga's popular song, Poker Face. I just can't help myself! just needed to share this to the world. I really won't be surprised if it becomes one of those viral vids because it's really funny. =D

I'm just worried though... a little boy enjoying Lady Gaga's music at such a young age? Hmmmm... promising... LOL

The Rushers EB at the RX Booth - 25Apr09

Abernathy and PiNkR0b0T finally meet their online family and friends and spent some good quality time with the great Chico and Delle! Super duper fun! More photos to come when we start grabbing them from other Rushers! =)

Please Don't Leave Me by Pink

I LOVE THIS VIDEO.

Reminiscent of Stephen King's novel turned into movie, "Misery." This is both funny and well, morbid. :p

I'm addicted to Twitter

It's official. I'm addicted to Twitter!

I can't stop tweeting! I've already installed Tweetdeck on both my desktop and my mom's laptop and installed Jitter on my mobile phone. I tweet practically all day and seriously, I'm kind of disappointed that my friends are not into it. How crazy is that???

I wonder how long this addiction will go on. In the meantime, I'm enjoying it a whole lot! :)

Onli in da Pilipins: The Filipino Ingenuity

Over the years, I've been collecting photos of signs and billboards that are well, funny -- mostly because of spelling or grammtical errors. Over the years, I was also lucky enough to catch a couple of photos, which feature how good we Filipinos are in the art of improvising. Enjoy...

* I apologize for the quality. Both were taken using a camera phone, and the car I was on was even moving when I took the first photo, so please bear with me. :)


Car chair?
Taken along Barangka in Marikina using my old Nokia 6600, 24 June 2006

Side pocket mirror
Taken along Julia Vargas using my Sony Ericsson K610i, 03 March 2009

Snapshots

I love taking pictures... but it doesn't mean I'm good at it. LOL I'm only using a humble digital camera with very basic specs. Nothing fancy, just aim and shoot.


Hairy Balls

Out of place

I was feeling wicked that day

My Daddy's Girl Chucks

Bohol Trip 2009 - Day 5

13Jan09, Day 5 - It's back to Manila, baby!

Once again, an amazing view of the skies. The downside, this marks the end of our holiday, which means it's back to reality. LOL

Bohol Trip 2009 - Day 4

12Jan09, Day 4 of our Bohol Holiday: Punta Cruz Bay and Watch Tower for some nature-tripping, plus a quick peek at the Loon Church.

By this time, it's just me, Millie and Amor since Des, Tang and Gem flew back to Manila by noon.

Bohol Trip 2009 - Day 3

11Jan09, Day 3 of our Bohol holiday: Ferry to Cebu to visit Fort San Pedro, Magellan's Cross, Basilica del Sto. Niño and the highlight -- get on the Edge Coaster at Crown Regency Hotel and Towers! And by the way, we also had a bit of drinking in the evening.

Now this was a big day for me... I had to overcome my fear of heights because everyone decided to ride on the Edge Coaster! LOL Too bad, we're the only couple without any photos while on the automatic 30-degree tilt... Ok, so I clucked! I can't help it! Getting on the ride itself was like, hello? Already a biggie for me! Can we have the tilt some other time??? LOL

Bohol Trip 2009 - Day 2

10Jan09, Day 2 of our Bohol Holiday: Dolphin-watching and snorkeling at Balicasag Island in the morning and petiks time at Panglao Island Nature Resort and Spa for the remaining part of the day...

Love the underwater photos! They're to die for... thanks to Amor's underwater cam! =)

Bohol Trip 2009 - Day 1

I've been meaning to share these photos here on my blog but never got around to fixing things. Anyway, here we are! These were from our Bohol trip just this January 2009, when our friends Des and Amor came home from Dubai for a three-week holiday. It was our barkada's first time going on a major trip and it would've been more fun if our other best friend, Danet was able to join us. Well, maybe next time. :)

Highlights of Day 1 include our outbound flight from MNL to TAG, lunch at Loboc River, a quick visit to the Tarsier Farm, an ATV adventure to the Chocolate Hills, and dinner at Sagbayan Peak

Check out the cool shots from our ATV adventure. It was a blessing in disguise that it rained! Otherwise, it wouldn't have been as crazy, dirty and scary! LOL

I'd be uploading the photos for Days 2 to 5 tomorrow. :)

Day 1, Part 1 (From our camera)

Day 1, Part 2 (From Amor)

Improv Everywhere: Suicide Jumper

After several months, I finally found some time to browse on Improv Everywhere's videos. Here's one that gave me mixed emotions... It was a bit funny and super silly!

The Climb - Miley Cyrus (from The Hannah Montana The Movie)

Ok, I admit... I'm the one who keeps on requesting for this song on the Morning Rush. Funny how my wife, Millie is the real Hannah Montana fan and I was even teasing her about it. The darn kid sorta grew into me so here I am. Well, I'm still not a super Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus fan but I really like this song and yeah, yeah... I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. LOL Shet! Whatever happened to me???

Miley Cyrus - The Climb - Official Music Video (HQ)

Finally won something today

When I first joined the TMR Forum, one of the first threads I read was "what i won from RX thru TMR is... " Grabeng dyahe! The last thing I won was a pair of concert tickets... to the Eraserheads album launch of Natin99! Jusme! 1. Ilang taon na ba silang nagdededmahan? 2. Kamusta naman at nakadalawang reunion concert na nga! I was green with envy as I read the entries of my fellow Rushers... concert tickets, movie premier tickets, gift packs... and seriously, it's not even the prize, I'm just jealous of the thought that they won something. You see, I'm not very lucky with contests, especially with promos or raffles, while a lot of them even won several times already! Grabe! Kakainggit talaga.

Today, it was a holiday. The streets were empty, commuting was a breeze but it didn't matter 'cause truth was, I didn't want to go to work. All I wanted to do was stay in bed, cuddle up with my little pillow, Stwipy, and curl up under my warm blankie. But no, I only have four days of work this week, I can't miss another one. I need to guarantee the 4-day weekend that's waiting for me. So I dragged my ass off the bed, my eyes half-closed.

As I was getting off the cab, I can hear Del saying that caller number 3 gets to join the Tekki Shomen promo. I dialled in. Busy tone. Bad timing... After all, there's no signal in the elevator and I have to go up and login. Nah... maybe next time. I was so surprised though that by the time I reached my desk and logged in, Del said that she doesn't have anyone yet for the promo! I hurriedly picked up my mobile phone and redialled. It rang! Oh my gawd! It rang again... I checked on the number just in case -- it was right. Then she picked up! I asked if she still needed someone for the promo and the rest, as they say, was history.

So much fun! So reminiscent of my high school days... calling RX, going on-air... nostalgic! Finally winning something... priceless! Dahil d'yan, I'm glad I went to work today! LOL

_________________________________________________________

*To win the promo, I just had to cite an instance when I forgot something important. The instance I gave was from a couple of years back when I was still an agent and I had my shift moved to an hour later. After our team meeting, which ended on my usual logout time, I went down the building with my teammates and waited for my ride. After waiting for a few minutes, wondering what happened to him, I called and asked where he was. That's when I realized (actually, he told me) that I don't get off work until an hour later. Then of course, I had to say the tag line, "Tekki Shomen cup noodles... Sa sarap, makakalimutan mo ang lahat!" Winner!