CMABLOGS.COM

Komikon 2010 - The 2010 Gathering of Filipino Comics, Artists and Enthusiasts

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:43:00 +0000

Komikon or Filipino Komiks Convention is one of my most highly anticipated local event yearly but sadly I missed last years Komikon but this time I will not! Featuring the most talented mainstream and independent Filipino Comics artist, Komikon hass slowly became an underground tradition for Filipino artists, comic enthusiasts, and art people alike.

Comics were once the main source of entertainment of the Filipino people before there were actually good Philippine television shows (well, if you'll observe these days looks like there isn't much of a change). This has given birth to the popular Pinoy comics superheroes which on the other hand was consistently ruined by television giant corporations with their television versions and lame screen writing. This is why it is time to revolt and bring back or help revitalize the Philippine comics industry by supporting the summer Komikon this April and the main Komikon at around October-November.

KOMIKON SUMMER DE AVANCE
April 17, 2010, Saturday, 10am - 8pm
UP Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City
Entrance Fee: P50.00 (NO PRICE HIKE!)

Yours truly will be there to cover everything like what I did last Summer Komikon 2009 (An Aftermath of the First Komikon Summer Fiesta 2009) and hope that my digicam will soon be fixed.

For more information about Komikon visit their Official Websites at"

www.komikon.org
www.komikon.deviantart.com

Dumping Disqus! Adapting Intense Debate and Proper Blog Comment Managament

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:25:00 +0000

If you have been into my blog a couple of days (or weeks) ago then you might have noticed that it will almost took you an eternity to see the whole content of my blog, CMABLOGS especially if you are browsing this on Mozilla's Firefox. The reason is the faulty Disqus blog comment management system.

So I began to look for problems on why my blog doesn't completely load all its content (including the rest of the posts and sidebar). My initial suspicion was my layout could have been at fault or probably one of myBlogger Gadgets might be the one causing the slow loading time of my blog. So I have disected my Blogger gadgets look at the html codes and javascripts I applied on my blog and noticed that all is fine with them. So my next suspicion is that the problem might lie on the blog layout itself.

I have tried changing the layout of the blog a couple of time in hopes that it would just be a problem with the layout, but in the end I was frustrated that all my efforts were put to waste because my blog still has the same problem. Just a couple of days ago I've noticed that I don't see the Disqus comment management system at the bottom of my blog posts, so what I did was visit the website and to my surprise the Disqus website also loads abysmally slow. This is when I finally found out that the root of all of my problem is located on Disqus' lame comment management system that I have incorporated on my blog for so many months now. Well I am half to blame this for not sticking to the default Blogger/Blogspot comment system, but if you are a Blogger/Blogspot user then you should already know how lame the comment management system offered by Blogger. This can be quite funny especially when Google have been expanding and offering so many new features to enhance the convenience of blogging and connectivity, but they completely neglect their free blog hosting comment system on Blogger. Well, maybe they will eventually enhanced that feature in the future but for now it won't really suffice the need to personalize and properly manage the all the comment one's blog receives from its readers. This is why I ended up using a third application comment management tool like Disqus which also failed for influencing the time a blog takes to load.

I gave them a still a day or so to fix the website for the site may probably just be temporarily done, but after a day or two the problem was still the same. No e-mails or announcements. Disqus has definitely a problem! And they should have released some statement, apologies via e-mail (or some other website because their site is down itself) to their users regarding the inconvenience of the failure of their comment management service but there isn't a single one, as we speak (as I blog).

Disqus is Down! Disqus has a problem! so I have switched to Intense Debate so Intense Debat do not let me down!

Thank goodness I have located the root of the problem, so what I did was erase every word/code with the word Disqus on it on the root html/XTML layout of my blog and finally adapting a seemingly more popular name in comment management system, Intense Debate. If you visit Disqus official website then ready your self for countless of wasted minutes before the site partially loads. I think Disqus will be shutting down or have been attacked so if you are having the same problem as I, then by all means revert back to your old comment management system (Blogger default) or adapt to a new comment management tool. A blog's comments section is an important part of a blog especially if you want to connect with your readers, it also gives your reader a mind-setting that their voice and opinion matters to you blog, which will also be good to a blogger to keep them coming back and attracting more potential readers.

Alice in Wonderland Philippine Digital Premiere and Pinoy Movie Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:34:00 +0000

March 03, 2010 was the official Philippine movie premiere of Walt Disney and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and yours truly (plus one, my brother) was there, together with the rest of the Metro bloggers. I will also introduce my new movie review blog which I named Pinoy Movie Blogger.

I invited my brother to watch the Philippine digital premiere of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland in SM Megamall in Ortigas. Actually I asked a couple of girls to watch with me but eventually was turned down because of their work and the drive back to Cavite, so I ended up asking my brother to accompany me. It is his first time to see a movie in 3D so I am a bit excited for him (but the IMAX Theatre is a still the best choice if you are to watch 3D movies).

After leaving from Dasmariñas City at around 4 in the afternoon we managed to arrived at SM Megamall at around 6:30 which is just right for the ticket says screening starts at seven but as usual it was moved until 8:00 pm.

The quality of the photos are a bit shaky and poor because I used my cellphone to take some snapshots of the premiere. The rechargeable battery has reached its limits plus my digital camera is already busted. Hope it could still be fix.

Me with the lovely Miss Sharon Yu. According to Azrael, Ms. Yu is the brand ambassador of SM Cinema so yours trulay (though mesmerized as he was back then) manage to take a picture of the lovely face of SM cinema.

I was also reunited with some of my Metro blogger acquaintances and was secretly happy because they commented that I am gaining weight (my target this year). After chatting for a short time we decided to proceed to the cinema. After handing us the 3D glasses we found a nice spot on the upper area of the theater and waited... and waited, until the hosts arrived to start off the premiere.

Eventually there was this raffle game and luckily my ticket number was drawn and so I was able to claim a t-shirt printed with Alice in Wonderland text with the image of the 10/6 Mad Hatter hat at the back.

We finished the movie and was entertained with its overall visuals and story but my review will be seen in my new blog which you can visit later. After taking some group pictures together with fellow bloggers we called it a night and went home. I believe it was around 12 midnight when we arrived home... and now my review and my movie blog...

I am the Pinoy Movie Blogger

I have always been fund of watching movies (aren't we all?) and finally after quite some time I have finally managed to make a blog dedicated to my favorite past time which is watching movies. May they be on the big screen or official movie DVD/CD/Blu-ray Disc if I am in the mood to watch a movie (which is most of the time I am) then I will do so. If only I can share my sentiments and opinion about the classic and new movies that I've watched and this is where Pinoy Movie Blogger comes in. You can find my movie blog at pinoymovieblogger.blogspot.com, I know movie blogs are nothing new in the blogosphere and I am not that much of a film experts but as a common person who can relate with the rest of the movie going netizens I think my review about movies could help them in some strange sort of a way (hehehe Check the Pinoy Movie Blogger FAQs here).

So it is (blow-by-blow account of the) events and personal blog is to CMABLOGS and for my movie review you can read it at Pinoy Movie Blogger and for my very first movie review entry here is Alice in Wonderland (2010) Movie Review.

Alice in Wonderland Tickets and Avatar at SM North Edsa Plus Texas Roadhouse Grill Dining Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:05:00 +0000

On March 4, 2010 one of the most anticipated movie of the year will be shown in theaters all around the Philippines, Alice in Wonderland. Yourstruly was invited to be one of the people to see the premiere screening of Alice in Wonderland in the Philippines this coming March 3, 2010. So here is my adventure that February 27, 2010 as I left Cavite and travel all the way to SM North Edsa to get those prestigious Alice in Wonderland Digital Cinema premiere tickets.

I left for Cavite at around 3:00 in the afternoon after a visit to my goddaughter. I arrived at SM North Edsa at around 4:00 in the afternoon. There was a small photo op booth set up in front of the IMAX Theater in the second floor of the SM North Edsa. Enthusiasts and passers-by were given the chance to take pictures with the Alice in Wonderland Cosplayers after they have subscribed and followed SM Cinema's Facebook Fan Page. For Facebook Users try following the SM Cinema's Facebook Fan page to know the latest movie screenings and more.

SM Cinema's Facebook

The SM Cinema people handed me two premiere tickets for the March 3, 2010 Premiere of Alice in Wonderland. Shelly clarify that Alice in Wonderland will be showing at all SM Digital Theaters and at IMAX North Edsa but not in IMAX Mall of Asia. Oh well, too bad for the movie goers near SM MOA, but I guess they will make a way to screen it eventually.

I was guided inside the IMAX Theater in SM North Edsa to experience the ambiance of the prestigious and popular movie section of the mall. Lucky for me I haven't actually seen Avatar in IMAX so I took the leisure of watching it in SM North Edsa's Digital Cinema in the IMAX Theater. I can't believe that James Cameron's Avatar is still being screened at SM North Edsa Digital Cinema together with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. all great movie peeps!

After finishing Avatar and taking snapshots around the SM North Edsa IMAX Theater area I decided to drop by the Texas Roadhouse Grill in Ortigas Center. You can see last year's blog event here:

Pinoy Bloggers Steak Out! The Texas Roadhouse Grill Experience

This time (all alone again) I ordered Wrangler's Pork Steak, Watermelon Shake, and Mango Cream Delight. A complete meal itself, I find myself full and satisfied with these delectable Western-based cuisines:

Texas Roadhouse Grill Wrangler's Pork Steak

Finally, after that I went home to deliver the good news that I still have an extra premiere tickets. My sister immediately nabbed the tickets but too bad for her she has a work that day so my brother will accompany me on the movie premiere of Alice in Wonderland in March 3, and will be released all throughout the country by March 4 on all SM Cinemas.

Bloggers Come and Join the iBlog: The 6th Philippine Blogging Summit

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:15:00 +0000

Blogs are like stars in the bright clear sky, numerous! Each having their own place in the vast depth of cyberspace. Others are shining so brightly while some have just began its life. iBlog has been an annual event for new and established bloggers in the Philippines to cross paths to share and learn from each other about blogging. Whether you are a personal, photo, family-oriented, music, money making, general, entertainment, literary blogger etc. iBlog will help you get acquainted and become an effective blogger based on the category of your blog.

Join the iBlog: The 6th Philippine Blogging Summit for two days this April 16 and 17, 2010 at the Malcolm Theater, UP College of Law, UP Diliman, from 8 am to 5 pm. Registration is free. All you need to worry now is the transportation and managing your schedule for any/both of the two day learning summit. Listen from fellow established bloggers as they share the different aspects and responsibilities of blogging in this age of information and technology.

To register and learn more about the key speakers for the two-day event you can visit iBlog's Official Website here:

iBlog: The 6th Philippine Blogging Summit
http://iblogph.org/

This would also be my first iBlog Summit experience so I am really excited to enhance and develop my skills and knowledge in Blogging. I wasn't able to atend the 5th Philippine Blogging Summit because of some issues but this year yours truly would be on both the events. So hope to see you guys there!

I think it is the right time to make contact cards. Numninumninum

Buddy Gancenia Video Services in the Philippines

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:34:00 +0000

Don't you just love celebrations? Besides photos one sure way to archive and keep those cherished moments with you is through a video service. If a photo tells a thousand words then what more is a video. This is where Buddy Gancenia comes in.

Buddy Gancenia is one of the best corporate, events, wedding videographer in the Philippines who have his credentials and experience to prove it. With Buddy's expertise one shouldn't wonder why every wedding video he craftily create is a masterpiece which holds every single authentic and unforgettable memories.

Besides such celebrated wedding events, he also offers corporate video services and coverage. A man who seemingly lives and breathes video production. When you are seeking top-notched quality video coverage services then Buddy Gancenia is the right man for the job.

A February 13 2010 Mini-High School Get Together at Fisher's Eco Farm Paradise Resort

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:06:00 +0000

It is all about reconnecting bridges. Even though time and career has separated us apart, we should still find ways to reconnect and reminisce those happy days of goold old clean camaraderie and friendship. Last Saturday February 13, 2010 (a Day before the much commercialize Valentines Day and Chinese New Year celebration), we went to Fisher's Eco Farm Paradise Resort in Burol Main, Dasmariñas Cavite, Philippines for a mini high school reunion and here are some of the photos I "BORROWED" from their Facebook (I will ask permissions to them tomorrow for it's already late to ask) hahaha.

The Terrific Trio strikes Again! This time we wreck havoc at the Fisher's Eco Farm Paradise Resort or locally called Fisher's Farm Resort.

If a picture tells a thousand words then this series has a billion (oh come on! you don't have to do the Math!?!)

Let me rewind to the afternoon before the actual reunion as me, Dante, Alvin, and Diana have planned on what to bring the next day. So we (Dan, Vin, and I) decided to go to the public market to do some market errands. My first time going to the wet and dry market with them with out me spending a single cent! Harhar

As we went back to Dante's place we have agreed that the call time would be before 5 in the morning so that we can settle the reservations on the resort earlier, to avoid conflict of reservations with other families. It was a Saturday and it was expected that the resort would be full of them.

So I went home and slept through the entire evening and was woken up by both my cellphone alarm and my mother. It was 4:30 in the morning (I hate being late with these kinds of things). So after gargling, and tidying up I proceeded to Dan's place and arrived there at exactly 5 am. And guess what Alvin (the sponsor for the entire outing was nowhere to be found!) and Diana was the only one awake that time. A high school classmate and friend Richelle sent me a text message confirming that she was on her way to Dan's place. So by pass 6:00 am she was already there. Dianne, Dante and Diana's daughter was already awake playing with me. We watched various Disney shorts in Youtube which I later realized that I haven't seen some of the Disney movies which includes sleeping Beauty, Mulan, and Alladin. I teased Alvin, who later arrived at 7:00 in the morning (imagine that!) for not considering the call time, but eventually we have no choice but to accept his lateness for he was the one paying for the entire thing! Hahahaha

We six arrived on the resort and were the few people there on the resort. We took some first shots then the gang later followed as the day went through.

A small family resort hidden in the outskirts of Dasmariñas Cavite. It features nice cottages and five different sized pools.

We are the terrific trio of friends who have been classmates and friends since 5th grade and high school which has been extended up to the present. To infinity and beyond! Christopher (Chris A.), Dante (Di-an), and Alvin (Vin)

They are the latest addition to the Terrfic Trio, Dianne (my God-daughter) and Diana (Dante's wife). Of course that's me looking with much amazement in a swampy green pond surrounding our cottage hehehe.

Of course the event with out be complete without a little "cam whoring" (a term so much hugged and used by people these days) on the side.

Here is the Terrific Trio plus one... my God-daughter Dianne

Later more former classmates and friends joined us and here are the photos to tell it. World, meet my friends whom I so proud to introduce to you.

Richelle, Diana, Dianne, Me, Dante, alvin and Irish

The place isn't call Fisher's Eco Farm Paradise for nothing. Here is Rochelle with her partner on camera fishing on the resort.

Dante, Alvin, Andy, Christopher. Andy later joined us in the outing. He is my oldest classmate and friend because we go back as old as the first grade in elementary school. He was online the night before the outing and Alvin invited him over. Once there we did a lot of catching up with each other. It is great to see an old friend doing great.

Around 2:00 in the afternoon, Francis and Alvin bought two bottles of The Bar. I knew it right then and there that I will be a hard time time later which indeed later happened.

Francis, Alvin, Dante, Andy, Me and Duds (Rochelle's partner). I don't recommend drinking and swimming for younger people or those who can't control their alcohol especially when swimming with friends. Let's just say this was just some sort of a little get together and get to know small booze to lighten up even further the environment.

This is me after two bottles of the bar with five friends taking alternating shots. I am not the heavy drinking type so what usually happens to me when reaching my limit is I either my perception is altered (dizziness and sleepy eyes) or throwing up. Eventually, the throwing up state was postponed up until I reached the house. Thank the gods for that.

Around 3:00 pm we finished the two bottles which made me sleepy, I still manage to go to the pool for a last dip but I can feel my eyes are getting heavy. By 4:30 I went back to the cottage and wait for our time in the resort to be up. During that time, I really can't help my eyes but to drop and take a short nap.

Rochelle teasing me while I am down for the count. Luckily that being sleepy is the only effect of too much alcohol in my system, my reasoning is still intact. I know other people who technically loose it when drunk and I am glad that I am not that type. I am the throwing up type hahahaha

We finally decided to call it a day and went out of the resort to meet a former schoolmate and their classmate, Christine as she tried to at least showed her presence in the last minute of the mini high school get together.

It was a great pre-Valentine celebration because I don't have someone to spend the Valentines Day with so the mini reunion was enough to make me thankful for having such loving and great bunch of people whom I consider friends. Hope they can take the chance to comment on this post (nagpaparinig? hahaha).

Facebook and Fizzer: Somethings New in the Social Networking Scene

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:11:00 +0000

Well there are somethings new in the social networking scene. Well besides the new 2010 look of Facebook's Homepage, there is also this new and promising social networking website, introducing Fizzer

Fizzer - A New Social Networking Site By a Filipino for the Filipinos

Thanks to a fellow blogger, I got the chance to know this new social networking website, Fizzer. At first I thought "Fizzer, sounds like that old Filipino company that has brands to treat wounds" but then again it is a completely different thing. I think this is a promising website since it is developed here in the Philippines and tends to focus more on the Filipino-based users I can also see it as a promising and effective media for advertising locally (for businesses and organizations that is). To learn more about Fizzer and the community then why not sign up and experience this new network yourselves by signing up here

Facebook's New Homepage Layout for 2010?

I have seen various plurks and twits regarding the new Facebook layout but I don't usually go on wild with these buzz until I have seen and experienced it myself, and guess what that is what recently happened.

This info is seen on top of the Feeds section of your Facebook homepage signifying that your account has been upgraded to this new look and feel.

I have logged in at around 4:30 in the morning February 09, 2010 to check the status on the facebook game I am currently playing, entitled Three Kingdoms Online and was a bit surprise to see this new layout. I immediately plurked this which was later responded by some plurkers in my network saying that their facebook's homepage haven't change a bit. I thought to myself that they shouldn't worry and that it is just a matter of time before everyone using the most popular social networking site has adapted this new lay out.

I had a friend online at this hour and said that the new facebook layout sucks, so I suggested to him to try other social networking website if he doesn't like the new layout (just like what he did when he shifted from Google to Bing just because he didn't like Google's new hover menu layout). Well, I received no response meaning that eventhough he didn't like the layout, he has no choice but to stick with it especially as we have a mini high school reunion this February the 13th.

Th Review on the New Facebook Layout for 2010

Let me go back to the new Facebook layout, I think the new facebook layout has a slicker design removing that long spacey toolbar on the bottom screen and cutting it to just a short one that holds the chat menu bar and the notifications menu. The quick bookmarks section have been moved on the upper left most part of the sidebar which is a good idea to actually save screen space. Well over all I find it the new layout likeable and slick.

So there you have it two things new on the Social networking scene this February 2010. There will be a double celebration this coming February 14 as the world celebrates Valentines Day and the Chinese community will celebrate the Chinese New Year, but that is a completely different blog entry.

Blogging Tips for Bloggers Running Out of Ideas To Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:59:00 +0000

February 04, 2010 (Thursday) - Today I am helping out newbie and fellow bloggers who often experience mental or writing block on their blogs. This is how I manage to successfully overcome a "blogging block" with out straying away from the genre(kind) of my blogs.

Blogging Tips for Bloggers To Avoid Mental Block
Blogging Tips for Bloggers Running Out of Ideas To Blog

Post relevant blog posts or do not post at all - This tip applies to niche blogs or topic-specific blogs. For example you have decided to make a blog dedicated to food, isn't it weird if you post an irrelevant topic like car post? A good tip is to not stray off from your chosen genre of blogging. If you can't seem to blog anything regarding your topic then by all means do not post irrelevant posts. If you are a food blogger then stick to blog posts related to food, fahion is to fashion, etc. In CMABLOGS's case since I have chosen a more wider genre, which is a personal and events coverage blog. I may post freely any topics which is interested to me like hobbies, favorites, experiences, perspectives, and anything personal but to a certain limit for it is still indeed a public material and we do not really want the world to know our every action (though there are some whom prefer to do such spectacle). The second and majority of the post as well here in my blog are topics related to the blogosphere which I belong to, mainly blog events which I have been invited. This does not not mean that I will only blog about blogger related events, but some important community events which is worth blogging and sharing. Thus, being loyal to my chosen genre of personal and events coverage blog.

Set aside or prepare relevant blogging materials - One good way to avoid a writer's block or mental block in blogging is to set aside blog-related materials like magazine and newspaper articles for tangible materials. You can also bookmark a website that you find related to your blog. This isn't called cheating or copying other people's work but try to recreate or spice up these references as much as possible, or better yet recognize them as a source on your blog post. This is what I usually do on my infotainment and magazine CMAQUEST. I collect or use materials from websites I subscribed in and reshare them on my blog but with more relevant photos, trailers and information which is the signature of CMAQUEST.

Keep a note or any portable storage device in reach in case of ideas randomly comes in - The brain "is like a box of chocolates, you'll never know what you're gonna get" (ain't that sound familiar?! hahaha). You will never know when an inspiration for a new material to be blog will be coming in, and in case it dod what wiill you do? This is why it is important to have a pen with pocket notebook or piece of paper to jot down those instant and random ideas which suddenly pops in. If you don't have any pen and paper, you can always save such ideas on your mobile device for reference when you finally arrive home.

Be in the Mood. Stay Fit and Healthy - How can you successfully put up the words and thought on your blog when you aren't even in the right mood or health to blog at all. Try to have the proper amount of rest, exercise or any means to stay fit and healthy. The brain can't fully function on a stressed out body so prioritize your health as well.

So there you have it! My first blogging tips series for fellow bloggers running out of ideas. Hope you liked and learned from this little sharing of knowledge which I impart with you guys. Thanks for reading and if you like and want to receive regular updates on my blogs, you can always subscribe to my RSS feeds or via e-mail.

Pinoy Bloggers Steak Out! The Texas Roadhouse Grill Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:35:00 +0000

Another year of exciting events and promotions awaits bloggers this 2010 but before yours truly experience them again let me give back to one of the most mouth-watering food events I've experienced last year. Let me rewind to the last quarter of 2009 when I attended the Texas Roadhouse Grill food event for the bloggers.

This event is another one to add to my "First's lists". Firsts time digging in on a Texas country bar type of restaurant and digging on a delicately prepared steak. I am not a big steak connoisseur (but after this event I might eventually become one) so I was all ecstatic to whatever they throw at the dining table. So to best way to describe my Texas Roadhouse Grill food event experience is through the series of photos which yours truly has taken back then.

Texas Roadhouse Grill let's you experienced an old Western inspired dining experience at the heart of the Metro in El Pueblo, Ortigas Center and here are some to best describe the ambiance:

This photo brings back memories when cigarette commercials where infamous... two words "Marlboro County"

Texas Roadhouse Grill provides perfect ambiance for any group of friends or people on the go. Surf all you want for Texas Roadhouse Grill is a WiFi hotzone.

The event started out with the officials of Texas Roadhouse Grill giving us all a warm greeting and introduction to the modern cowboy-inspired restaurant and steak house, Texas Road House Grill . They talk about the different choice cuts and what Texas Roadhouse Grill has to offer...

TEXAS ROADHOUSE GRILL
Texas Roadhouse Grill, the first modern Western saloon in the Philippines, opened its swinging doors to the public in March 2007 at the Bonifacio High Street to cater to urban cowboys in the Philippines. In Nov 2007 it opened its 2nd branch in El Pueblo Real de Manila, Ortigas Center. Now, there’s no need to go back in time for that authentic Old West experience. Just ride on to Texas Roadhouse Grill and delight in its lip-smackin’ grilled dishes in a modern version of a Wild West saloon.

Get everyone ready and mozzy on down to Texas Roadhouse Grill in El Pueblo, Ortigas Center. It is open daily from 11 am to 12 mn Sundays to Thursdays and from 11 am until 2 am Fridays and Saturdays (tel. nos 635-6715 to 16). Its branch in the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig is located at Bldg 1, Bonifacio High Street and is open daily from 11am to 12mn Sunday to Thursday and until 2am Fridays and Saturdays (tel. Nos. 856-1547 to 48)

While the appetizers were serve a group of selected bloggers were chosen to enter the kitchen for a demo on how the Texas Roadhouse Grill do their masterpiece.

Of course the main event arrives after the kitchen demo, the actual dining experience. Ladies and gentlemen dig your eyes to the best of what Texas Roadhouse Grill Philippines has in store for you:

"Lazie en gentemen, Ze isteyk vefohr ze kheyos"

"You're mine! Mahy presshyusssss!"

My first time tasting a well prepared medium rare steak and it was unforgettable. From then on I promised myself that I will come back at Texas Roadhouse Grill with my friends to let them experience the best steak in the Metro.

Texas Roadhouse Grill is definitely "my cup of coffee" and will forever remember this event by Texas Roadhouse Grill Philippines, teaming up with Yehey.

Beyond Elementary! A Sherlock Holmes Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:45:00 +0000

January 12, 2010 (Wednesday) - I just got home from watching my most anticipated movie of the year (for 2009 that is), Sherlock Holmes and here is my movie review.

For those who haven't seen it or aware of the movie (which I doubt) then here is my CMAQUEST feature on the Sherlock Holmes Movie.

I grew fund of the various exploits of the 221 B Baker Street sleuth back in my high school days which all started on a novel reading project we had. Eversince I have tried looking for more of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective but failed back then because of the lack of resource and time to do so. Fast forward to 2009, I have finally got the complete Unabridged Audio Book of Sherlock Holmes which I listened to with utmost interest. Even when I was in the Let's Go Sago Anniversary Surfing Clinic (which I stilled haven't completely finished posting) I made it to a point to bring it with me. So hearing upon the movie as it was curretly on shooting made me ecstatic and the movie set to be released by December made me shout for A'Last! Sadly the showing here in the Philippines got moved from December 2009 to January 2010 to give way for the annual Metro Manila Film Festival bbut that's alright. I promised myself that by hook or by crook I will definitely see it on the big screen.

The movie does not start off with the introduction of the characters for it would definitely eat much more time than Avatar or lord of the rings. The movie assumes that the movie goer already had the basic knowledge of how the dynamic duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson came to be. But even so, the movie didn't fail to explain the extent of the friendship of the two.

It also feature Irene "The Woman" Adler, the only woman who outwitted Sherlock Holmes in the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' - The Bohemian Scandal case. The movie played with the idea that Sherlock Holmes had the deepest admiration to Ms. Adler and portrayed it as a love tandem. Adler was also seen talking to some more devious and evil villain in the shadows. A highly effective foreshadowing method to make a sequel for the film.

I liked how the movie applied the "prognosis approach" of Sherlock Holmes on dealing with certain situations on the film. I usually find myself laughing at how Holmes talks to Watson and Lestrade. Lestrade is usually portrayed in the novel as the usual clueless yet proud detective who ends up asking the aid of Holmes which was also seen in the movie. I believe Lestrade finally pull a good one on Holmes as an unexpected blow was delivered to the seized detective. I still don't know if that was part of the act or there was a little Lestrade grudge going there but it all went out great. Moriarty was also seen in the shadows as he plays a hand in the progress of the story, and all roads eventually lead towards him as the main villain in the sequel of the film which is now currently in production. Dr. Moriarty is the first real arch-enemy/nemesis type who can go hand-in-hand with Sherlock Holmes as depicted in the novel. So the Sherlock Holmes movie bridges the events which happened before the final showdown of the two rivals which resulted in the "death" of Sherlock Holmes.

So there you have it my spoiler free movie review and some possible predictions of the upcoming sequel. I also liked the upcoming movies shown before the film. It was a good 20 minutes showing some of the great movies lined up for this or the first half of the year.

My Online Entertainment Remedies for the Boring and Repetitive Philippine Television Programming

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:52:00 +0000

January 12, 2010 (Tuesday) - I do not know if my taste for quality programming has evolved or what but these days I often find myself either being disappointed or bored with what the local television stations has to offer. Well, I am following what is usually people would comment on such scenarios "If you can't stand the heat, then get out of it", thankfully there is the internet to fill in with that entertainment cravings.

Let me list down some of the entertainment websites which I often visit and are bookmarked on my browser. I think I should have posted this on my other blog CMAQUEST but since this is more of a personal post then it is just justifiable to post this here (of course I can post tons of movie posts linbe up for this year there). So here are my online remedies for the bored out Pinoy television viewer:

Watching Anime Online

One of my favorite past time (or waste time - instead of working I usually waste it on watching, how productive can I get? Hahahaha) is watching anime online. Besides the fact that it is FREE (Oh! The magic word!), visiting and watching free anime online via livestreaming websites is better than watching it in local Philippine television because of some common factors:

(1) Up-to-date episodes especially if that anime is still ongoing in Japan.
(2) No boring and repetitive commercial breaks and uhm... hypnotic LSS-ing political ads!?!
(3) If you're finished with one series or bored out with it you can just move to another series.
(4) "Replayability". If you missed previous episodes or have a favorite episode then you can play it over and over again. Plus you can watch or share them with friends.
(5) It's Free! (well except for the internet and electrical bills that is).

So here are the websites where you can watch anime online for free:

Large collection of past and ongoing anime series
Watch Anime On
Chia-anime
Dubbinz - English Dubbed Anime Series
Just Dubz

For exclusive anime livestream series there are...

Websites where you can watch Naruto and Naruto Shipuuden Episodes
Naruto Get
123Naruto

Watch Bleach Episodes Online
Bleach Get

Watch One Piece Online
Watch One Piece

If you have already seen all the latest episodes but wanted to see what will happen to your favorite ongoing anime series, or just want to read the latest English translated Japanese comics then reading manga online is your next target and there is one prominent website when it comes to that and that is ONE MANGA

If you are not into manga or anime, then why don't you try to watch Asian horror movies for free online. This one is one of my favorites because of the massive collection of Asian horror movies available via livestream:
Asian Horror Movies

Looking for your favorite jdorama, kdorama, or super hero or tokusatsu series then here is were you want to go to watch them via livestream:

Crunchy Roll
Large collection of anime, kdorama, jdorama, and tokusatsu series and movies
Drama Crazy
VEOH
Search for your favorite anime, jdorama, kdorama, tokusatsu, US show/episodes here and hope they have it. Requires a third application to watch every series.

So here are the major websites which I consider my major source of entertainment and cure for the bored out television viewers out there. Well there are some requirements to be able to use these websites a decent and working computer, internet, and patience (for they may take time to load depending on the duration of the series or your connection speed).

So enjoy!

My 2010 New Year Resolution Is No New Year Resolution at All!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:01:00 +0000

January 08, 2010 (Friday) - My 2010 New Year Resolution is No New Year Resolution at All!.

The common mistake of almost everyone is making up a long list of New Year Resolution but eventually failing to fulfill them. Just like crossing one's fingers when lying, you're telling the person in front of you (or the world) about your New Years resolution but crossing your fingers at your back which symbolizes you lacking the initiative to follow up on that list and ultimately failing to fulfill a single one of them.

Well, that was kind of absolute, huh? Another year has passed and we can not avoid the fact that we aren't getting any younger so change is eminent. So we usually make a list of things to do or things to change within the coming of a new year. The only mistake we usually commit over and over (New Year after New Year) is making a list of things we should do. Though I am not saying that it is oh so wrong to do. The important thing is the will and the dedication to pursue those endeavors, not how long the list goes.

This is what I have personally observed from some of my other peers and based from my own experiences in the past. Making up a list of things to do but eventually failing to fulfill them will later make them feel bad about it. So my 2010 resolution is no making of list of things to do, things to change, nor broadcast them on public so that if I can't fulfill them later then I won't feel about it. This is just a personal opinion and this doesn't mean that you shouldn't have a New Year resolution, only that if you will have a list don't be too ambitious to change everything about you in one sitting. Take it one step at a time, one negative trait a year... slowly but surely.

May everyone have a happy and prosperous new year ahead.

Twenty Four at Twenty Ten - Another Year of Chris A.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 04:49:00 +0000

January 02, 2010 (Saturday) - a Happy New Year to everyone. I've been invisible lately in the blogging and the online scene so hopefully I will make a regular comeback anytime soon. Need to prioritize my life and career first then hopefully all will fall into place, specially I am twenty four and all... and yup, today is my twenty fourth year of existence on the third rock from the sun.

Yours truly was born on the second day of January at around 8:00 pm (time according to mom) so this 2010, I just turned 24 and what could that possible means. Hopefully this age signifies that I should get serious with my life and career (which I haven't) in order for my aspirations to come in full circle. I will not broadcast or make any resolutions because (to what I have seen through out the years) they don't usually come true so instead I'll just do them. Actions are way better than words.

A Happy and Prosperous New Year of 2010 to everyone.

My look on my twenty forth birthday. Gaining weight and looking more older.

No Major Christmas Parties For Me - But Still Am Thankful

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:29:00 +0000

December 21, 2009 (Monday) - Yes it is the season to be jolly (Falalala lala lalaaah). Living in the only Catholic nation in Asia (well most of it), a festive mood surrounds everyone. When life was a bit easy back on the days we usually have major Christmas gatherings or Noche Buenas but as time passes by it gradually fades down because of financial issues but at the end of the day it is not the feast and the gifts that define Christmas but rather the celebration of the TENTATIVE or CANNONED (by the Roman Catholic Church) birth of the savior Jesus Christ.

Well as you may notice I usually use Roman Catholics and cannon, wellit is a long story but let me just say I had a change of faith a couple of years back... not technically though, I am still baptized as a Catholic but deep inside I know better. But even if my loyalty doesn't solely belong to the Catholic church, the culture and tradition planted within me will never be taken out anymore.

It has been also a while since I've posted here in my personal blogs regarding Philippine related blog events, believe me there are so many Pinoy blogger Christmas parties happening all around the Metro, it is just that I missed out most of them because of some financial and management issues. I can still only look at some photos and wonder what it would be like if I was there, slightly envious (one of the deadliest sin I am guilty of) but not sour graping. It is a move of mine so no one elese is to blame but myself. So no major Christmas parties for me but I am still thankful for the blessings of our dear God and we're still alive to celebrate another festive holiday season.

Still a Merry Christmas to everyone and specially to the Pinoy blogging community I belong with.

Paypal Wishlist on Facebook - Can Earn You As Much as $100 Simply by Sharing and Recruiting?

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:04:00 +0000

December 09, 2009 (Wednesday) - I am a big social networking person. Through this social networking websites I am allowed to have the opportunity to stay connected with friends, meet new ones, playing casual flash games, or just simply promote anything I do (Well, in most cases my latest blog posts). Facebook is one of those simple yet feature packed interactive social networking websites on the worldwide web and through this online social venues companies and organizations like Paypal can promote their services.

This merry month of December, Paypal wish to know your wish list in this interesting promo named Paypal Wishlist on Facebook (Log in to yourFacebook first before viewing the page to see its full details, don't worry it is not bugged and totally malicios "ware"(s) free) which can earn you as much as $100.00.

Sounds good eh? If you are well acquainted with the interface of Facebook then you probably know that allowing access to this Facebook application would just take you seconds to finish. But then again like most of you it made me wonder if Paypal Wishlist on Facebook true?

Well, most reviews and search engine results I've been to all gave it a thumbs up, meaning Paypal Wishlist on Facebook is legitimate. It would be so much shame and would create a negative impression about the reliability and management of Facebook if it is not (and allowing such large scams, if the promo ended up that way). since all flags are raised up and waving oh so boldly, I would really hope that this money making opportunity is not in a large form of scamming or phishing.

But hold on a moment, before you get all worked up regarding this and if you though you can just jump into the bandwagon you better read the Paypal Wishlist on Facebook's Terms and Conditions:

Description of this Promotion
During the Promotion Period (as defined below), download the PayPal WishList application on Facebook (“PayPal WishList”), create your own PayPal WishList, and we will pay $1 USD into your PayPal account. In order for us to pay you the amount you earned pursuant to this Promotion, you will need to provide us with your PayPal email address via the PayPal WishList. To submit the PayPal email address you would like linked to your PayPal WishList, go to the home page of the PayPal WishList at www.paypalwishlist.com and click the link below to the 'submit your email address' in the upper left side of the page.

In addition, share the PayPal WishList with your friends via Facebook, and for each friend who downloads and creates his or her own PayPal WishList from your invitation, we will pay you an additional $1 USD (up to the maximum total sum of $100 USD per PayPal account).

Timelines
This Promotion begins at 00:00:01 Singapore Standard Time (“SST”) on November 16th, 2009 and ends at 23:59:59 SST on December 31st, 2009 ("Promotion Period").

Eligibility
In order to qualify for this Promotion, you must:

1. successfully complete registration for a new PayPal account within the Promotion Period or already have an existing PayPal account prior to the Promotion Period;
2. submit to PayPal via the PayPal WishList and within the Promotion Period, the email address to which your PayPal account is linked;
3. be at least of 18 years of age, and have a PayPal account with a valid registration address in relation thereto located in India, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia or Singapore (“Eligible Countries”);
4. have a PayPal account in Good Standing, with current contact information throughout the Promotion Period. In order for an account to be deemed in Good Standing as that term is used herein, the account must not have a hold status and/or be suspended or past due as of December 31st, 2009; and
5. complete the downloading of the PayPal WishList, and use the same to create a PayPal WishList, within the Promotion Period.

You will be entitled to $1 USD for your own PayPal WishList, plus an additional $1 USD per friend who uses your invitation to create his or her own PayPal WishList, provided your friend has a PayPal account. Each person is only entitled to create one (1) PayPal WishList. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event your friend receives more than one invitation, only the person whose invitation is used to create the former’s PayPal WishList, will be entitled to the $1 USD.

If you reside outside of the Eligible Countries, you may be permitted to download the PayPal WishList; however, you will not be eligible to participate in this Promotion. Additionally, you will not be entitled to receive an additional US$1 or cash back for those PayPal WishLists created by a person(s) outside of the eligible countries, even if the sum stating ‘you’ve earned’ on your Facebook page may indicate otherwise. This means that at the end of the Promotional Period, you may be entitled to less earnings than stated on the ‘you’ve earned’ counter on your Facebook page.

Prizes
You may receive up to the maximum total sum of $100 USD, through this Promotion.

How Prizes will be Awarded
You will be notified by PayPal no later than February 28th, 2010, via email or any other method as PayPal may from time to time determine, of how much you have earned.

Prizes will be credited to your PayPal account as per your submission to PayPal via the PayPal WishList, no later than February 28th, 2010. If you do not provide us with this, we will not be able to deposit your earnings. To submit the PayPal email address you would like linked to your PayPal WishList, go to the home page of the PayPal WishList at www.paypalwishlist.com and click the link below to the 'submit your email address' in the upper left side of the page. Any cash prizes to be paid to your PayPal account, will be credited in the currency as set out herein and currency conversion fees (if applicable) or any other related fees, will be borne solely by you.

In the event of any unclaimed or unaccepted Prize(s), PayPal may in its sole discretion decide on the disposal of the said Prize(s). For cash prizes paid to your PayPal account, you would have to log into your PayPal account within 30 days of payment, to accept the prize. If you do not claim this within the 30 day period, the amount will be returned to PayPal.

Other Terms and Conditions:
PayPal Pte. Ltd. ("PayPal") reserves the right to make all final decisions regarding this Promotion, and no correspondence in relation thereto will be entertained.

This Promotion is subject to all the terms and conditions contained herein, and by participating in this Promotion all participants will be deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by these terms and conditions.

Employees of PayPal, and of all its subsidiaries, affiliates, and their immediate families (spouse, parents, children, siblings and their respective spouses) and individuals living in the same household as such employees are ineligible.

Limitation of Liability:
PayPal reminds participants of the nature and limitations of the Internet and is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any communications network, online system or computer hardware or software failure that may affect entry to this Promotion or reaching the specified targets.

PayPal shall not be liable, in contract or tort (including negligence) or breach of statutory duty or in any other way, for the loss or damage howsoever arising suffered by the participant resulting directly or indirectly from this Promotion, provided that nothing in these terms shall limit PayPal’s liability for death, personal injury or fraud. PayPal is not responsible for printing or typographical errors in any materials related to this Promotion; for stolen, lost, late, misdirected prizes; or for transactions and/or emails that are lost, misdirected, fail to enter into the processing system, or are processed, reported, or transmitted late or incorrectly or are lost for any reason including computer, telephone, paper transfer, human or other error; or for electronic, computer, or telephonic malfunction or error, including inability to access any web site associated with this Promotion, or process any transaction thereon. If in PayPal's opinion, there is any suspected or actual evidence of electronic or non-electronic tampering with any portion of this Promotion, or if computer virus, bugs, unauthorised intervention, fraud, or technical difficulties or failures compromise or corrupt or affect the administration, integrity, security, fairness, or proper conduct of this Promotion, PayPal reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, to modify or suspend this Promotion, or to terminate this Promotion. In all matters relating to the interpretation and application of any rule or phase of this offer, the decision of PayPal shall be final. PayPal reserves the right to cancel, amend or revoke this Promotion at any time due to reasonable business consideration or circumstances beyond its control. Any attempt by a participant or any other individual to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operation of this Promotion is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, PayPal reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any attempts by an individual to access any web site associated with this Promotion via a bot script or other brute force attack or any other unauthorised means will result in the IP address becoming ineligible. Use of automated entry devices or programs is prohibited.

No Combination or Transfer of Promotion.
This Promotion cannot be resold, transferred, or combined with any other offer, discount, or promotion. No cash alternatives will be substituted for prizes and no alternative prizes will be offered.

Governing Law
These terms and conditions will be interpreted, construed and enforced in all aspects in accordance with the laws of Singapore and all participants hereby submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Singapore.

Promoter
The promoter is PayPal Pte. Ltd., of 89 Neil Road, Singapore 088849.

Consumer advisory: PayPal Pte Ltd, the holder of the PayPal™ payment service stored value facility, does not require the approval of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Consumers (users) are advised to read the terms and conditions carefully.

So if you think you are good with the terms and conditions, have the network to grow and promote then try out this interesting Facebook application... The Paypal Wishlist on Facebook.

Yes to Dasmariñas City! I Became A Part of the History of the Cityhood of Dasmariñas

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:23:00 +0000

December 03, 2009 (Thursday) - Last November 25, 2009 - Wednesday, a local holiday was implemented Dasmariñas Cavite to give way to the plebiscite regarding the cityhood of Dasmariñas in Cavite.

From the Municipality of Dasmariñas Province of Cavite to Dasmariñas City - The Official Dasmariñas History courtesy of Wikipedia...

Cityhood

1997-1998

HB08931 was filed by Congresman Renato P. Dragon with other cityhood bills of Imus(HB 08960) and Bacoor (HB (08959). It was filed last February 11, 1997 and read last February 13, 1997. Committee Report N0. 01361 was submitted on December 17,1997. It was approved on the third reading by the House last January 10, 1998. It did not push through as a Republic Act and no plebiscite happen.

2000

HB099883 was filed by Congressman Erineo Maliksi last March 13,2000. It was first read last March 13,2000. It was approved on the Second and Third reading of House last March 15,2000 and March 27, 2000. It was transmitted to the senate on March 28, 2000 and received on March 31, 2009. It did not push through as a Republic Act and no plebiscite happen.

2008-2009

The idea of converting Dasmariñas into a component city was again proposed after failure in 1997 and 2000. Recent unofficial surveys have shown that the municipality's inhabitants are now willing to push forward with cityhood.

House Bill no. 5258 converting the municipality of Dasmariñas into a component city was filed by Congressman Pidi Barzaga last October 03, 2008. It was read last October 06, 2008. It was approved by the House on Second and Third Reading on October 7 and November 17. It was transmitted and received by the senate last November 17 and 20 of 2008. It was passed by the senate on Second and Third Reading last October 28 and November 05, 2009. It is received by the President of the Philippines last October 14, 2009 and signed as Republic Act 9723 last October 15, 2009.

COMELEC Resolution No. 8682 in connection with the November 25, 2009 plebiscite to ratify the conversion of the municipality of Dasmariñas province of Cavite into a component city pursuant to Republic Act 9723 dated October 15, 2009.

Republic Act No. 9723 was ratified by the registered voters of Dasmariñas through a plebiscite conducted last November 25.2009, converted the municipality of Dasmariñas in the Province of Cavite into a component city to be known as the City of Dasmariñas. There were about 44,000 voters who cast the plebiscite ballot in the town’s 1,508 polling precincts. The yes votes won overwhelmingly. The yes votes got 36,559 while the no votes got 8,141.

Lone District of the City of Dasmariñas

The city of Dasmarinas shall have its own legislative district in the 2010 elections.

A bill was filed by Congressman Joseph Abaya with co-authors Congressman Pidi Barzaga and Crispin Remulla. The bill is supported by Senator Panfilo Lacson, Senator Richard Gordon and Senator Ramon Bong Revilla. It was approved by the president of the Philippines as Republic Act 9727 last October 22, 2009.

However Republic Act 9723 (Dasmariñas City Charter) section 64 also includes the City of Dasmariñas shall have its own legislative district to commence in the next national election after the effectivity of this Act.

More about Dasmariñas City here...

I have noticed banners about the plebiscite of the cityhood of Dasmariñas and was curious on how will it happen... and on this date I've first exercised my right to vote (Yup, I am one of those first-time voters) and all my questions have been answered. Just when I thought that my first time to exercise my vote is on the upcoming 2010 election, came this Dasmariñas wide plebiscite.

We got up at around 6:00 in the morning because mom thought that it was gonna be as chaotic and crowded as the previous national elections, she was wrong. The whole process only took minutes and the prescint was't even that crowded. We went there together with the wife of the former barangay captain to exercise our vote. After a short meal (rice soup) courtesy of the barangay (I do not know what is the meal for, whether it is to bribe us to vote yes, but my vote would not be affected by such gimmicks... I will stick vote "Yes!" hahaha). We were able to get to the local voting prescint (local elementary school) via the public utility jeepney which was also commissioned by the new barangay captain who was the daughter of the former barangay captain.

We were guided to our voting prescints which only took us some minutes. Once there, we were ask to sign the voters registration sheet and place a thumb mark on it. The nail of my right index finger was tainted with a blue indelible ink and was handed out by the election marshal with the official voter's paper. There was a blank box where we could either say "Yes" or "No" to the cityhood of Dasmariñas and I wrote a big...Yes.

The whole process just took 5 minutes and we all head back home. After a day or so, I found out through a friend who called me that Dasmariñas is already a city. I know I am sloppy for not knowing the outcome of the plebiscite too soon for I may have ask mom or the barangay captain for the results, but hey! I was still enthusiastic and happy about the transformation of the municipality of Dasmariñas to the City of Dasmariñas. I became a part of the history of Dasmariñas, Cavite and probably the Philippines. I lived the day that I came to see the progress of our hometown Dasmariñas.

Plans Before The Year Ends - Pile with Ideas and Concepts

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:56:00 +0000

November 06, 2009 (Friday) - Ahoy there fellow bloggers and readers of CMABLOGS. November is finally here and one month left to go before year ends, so I am doing some a little reflecting on the things I wanted to achieve before the year ends.

First off is a weekly web comics - an ambitious blog project...

I have one of this stories stuck into my head which is itching to come out and probably the time is just ripe to finally publish it online. The characters above are from my story "After Earth" (the working title) which I created as early on 2004. I have already set up the plot and the main protagonist and antagonist of the story in my head but the only problem is the execution. Execution in terms of how will I allocate my freetime for it (So help me God). Like any other webcomics out there, mine will be published on a weekly basis (either one or two page a week). I am still in the process of script writing and conceptualizing so this will probably be out really soon (or most probably by next year).

Another webcomics project (yup, not once but twice hahaha) would be a weekly short humor comics which is about my world and views on particular Philippine and international issues. I plan to make it a comical satire if my intellect allows it but it is going to be one of my baby blog comics project which probably be published by December this year.

And of course who wouldn't forget those piled up blog events which I haven't covered yet here at CMABLOGS. Though nobody is pressuring me about it, I think it is only fair to cover everything which happened this year before the year ends. It is probably my aspiration to finish pending tasks for me to finally take a breather.

So there you have it, some of the updates and plans which I hope will not be like the rest. Hope you can follow my new blogventures in the international and local blogosphere here at CMABLOGS. Do subscribe to get periodical updates and events that I've attended. So have a great day everyone. Chris A. logging off.

My Personal List of the Top Scariest TV Shows Locally Aired in the Philippines

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:33:00 +0000

October 31, 2009 (Saturday) - A day before Halloween, and two days after my one month "blogcation" (blog free vacation) I am back this time enlisting my personal list of the top scariest shows of all time (or probably my time). So let's compare our list and see if you have your favorite creepy show on my list.

The Crypt Keeper from the Tales of the Crypt Keeper a special character feature on CMAQUEST: Character Special Feature No. 03: The Crypt Keeper from The Tales of the Crypt

The Outer Limits

I could vividly recall some of the episodes of this shows but one thing is certain that time, it gave me the chills in watching some of its episodes back in the late 90's to early years of 2000. It was locally shown here in the Philippines back then via ABC 5 (popularly known today as TV5).

Here is the intro for The Outer Limits

The Outer Limits was a popular sci-fi tv series remake of the same title from the 60s and feature the paranormal and beyond. Good doesn't usually triumphs over evil in this series as seen in each episodes twisted endings.

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction

This popular US TV series was locally aired here on the Philippines at around the early 2000 (as far as I recalled) and featured bizarre and scary cases which ask the audience if whether the cases they've shown per episodes are based from actual events or just from the creative minds of their writers.

Here is the intro for Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction which summarized what I've stated earlier:

The X-Files

"I want to believe" and I believe that this is one of the best of the best there is which have become a cult classic and favorite. An inspiration to many new US sci-fi shows today. The X-files deal with wel the x-files, mysterious cases from the archives of NBI. This series had run and rerun locally through RPN 9 (popularly known today as C/S 9) and its last season on Studio 23. Of course who can forgot this nostalgic opening theme for the X-Files:

Tales from the Crypt

Tales from the Crypt features different horrific stories narrated by the undead named the Crypt Keeper. Each of his tales teach moral values in a horrific fashion that there are deadly consequences on one's decisions. While the stories may give you the chills, the Crypt Keeper usually gives comedic breaks after each commercial breaks.

Here is the Tales from the Crypt Intro:

Tales from the Crypt was shown on late 90s locally on RPN 9. The series have given birth to the already dead Crypt Keeper. The popularity of the show has created two movies and an animation based on the franchise. I own a game and watch of the Tales from the Crypt back in the 90s as well. One of the first games I officially had.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Each of us just wanted to be the scared out of our pants and that is why we usually want to hear other people's personal tales or encounters of the beyond. This is what the premise of Are You Afraid of the Dark? is. A group of teenagers called the Midnight Society gathers every night to tell each other tales of horror. Though not really based on actual events, some of its episodes sure was scary (well, probably because I was just a kid and all that time)

Are You Afraid of the Dark was locally shown in ABS CBN (Kapamilya Channel) and is considered to be a fantasy horror television series for children like the next one on my list...

Goosebumps

Was also a good horror fantasy children TV series back in the 90's. It was locally shown in GMA 7 (Kapuso Channel) together with the live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV Series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.

Well, this is all I could recall or what I've watched back then that gave me the chills. I didn't place a ranking as this may caused a debate onto fans or followers of a specific series so there are the list of the top scary TV shows aired in the Philippines. If I didn't include a specific series it is probably because I haven't seen or followed that series or completely forgotten about it. So what are the scary shows in your list?

Happy Halloween of 2009 guys.

Back from a Blog Vacation - Back To Basics

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:25:00 +0000

October 29, 2009 (Thursday) - Ahoy there frequent visitors, followers and readers of CMAQUEST and CMABLOGS! It's been a while since my last post in both my blogs, well this is probably because I am in the path of self-discovery and to rekindle my passion for blogging (or most probably I just got lazy hahaha). Well after a month of inactivity, I am back with more eagerness to blog and more surprise under my sleeves (Uhm, wait I minute. I don't wear sleeves).

I am also planning to have my own web comics or comics blog where I will feature all my stories which are itching to be drawn and published. You see, one of my first love and hobby back in younger days was sketching and making comics (as seen in my DeviantArt Page). My first love became one of my greatest frustrations as I failed to take an art course back in college but I'm still not giving up and would still want a shot on it. Well, not maybe in a professional level like being an artist to multibillion comics companies but rather having my own domain where I can express my ideas and creations. One of my greatest fear back then (to why I never did that before) is art thief and concept theft. Art culprits who'll browse your art, comics, or concepts only to be stolen and claimed as it was their own. Imitation is the best form of flattery but theft is in a completely different level. But since I will not be able to professionally produced my own comics, to heck with the fear. I am taking the risk and will put my creations online. So bye for now and expect more updates from yours truly, Chris A. - Personal, Entertainment, Movie, Comics Blogger.

Typhoon Ondoy's Devastating Effects in the Philippines x A Call for Help

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:35:00 +0000

September 28, 2009 (Monday) - I have mixed emotions regarding the effects that Bagyong Ondoy or internationally known as Typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines. A feeling of relief, pity, and concern took over me upon seeing the Typhoon Ondoy updates.

I found this video about Typhoon Ondoy on Youtube and put here for it links to various organizations that will help the victims of the typhoon. Click the video to see the numbers to dial and let's help rebuild the lives of the hundreds of Filipinos whom the Ondoy has devastated...

Be sure that you are not being scammed. Investigate and assure for yourself that your donations aren't scammed. Make your donations count.

Make your help count. Help our fellow Filipinos overcome this darkest chapter of their lives yet.

On Ondoy - A Feeling of Relief

Here in Dasmariñas Cavite, we also have experienced the continuous rain that Ondoy has brought for almost a whole day but never imagined that it has taken and ruined the lives of so many Filipinos. First, I felt relief that Dasmariñas Cavite was unaffected by Ondoy. This is what made me feel thankful that in all places in the Philippines that we can live on with our lives, our parents decided to get a house in Cavite.

On Ondoy - A Feeling of Pity

As I've watched the news updates on Ondoy, see the images of dead bodies after the other being rescued from the flood, properties ruined, and the families in utmost grief over the loss, I can't help but to feel pity for them. I know this could make some eyebrows raised on me but this is only natural for me to feel such emotion over the case. Later, I've decided to help in my own little way here as a blogger by posting about the Typhoon and sharing the contact numbers of organizations so we can help (through cash donations or pledges) the victims of Ondoy (See the video above).

On Ondoy - A Feeling of Concern

Being an active blogger who usually go to the Metro Manila area for events, I can't help but to feel worried and concerned about the welfare of the bloggers I'm usually with. I can only hope and pray that they were unaffected or the damage would be minimal (especially to those living in the Rizal and the Marikina area). Hope you guys are alright there.

-

At a time like this, where everyone is helping out each other, showing concerns over their fellow Filipinos, temporarily forgetting their political indifference, it makes me feel happy that the Filipinos are still one people and can be reunited with one greater cause. Hope this can be maintain in a long run without sacrificing lives.

English Interview with the Wonder Girls : Get To Know The Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:25:00 +0000

September 18, 2009 (Friday) - It is without a doubt that yours truly is one of the many avid followers of the all-girl Korean pop group Wonder Girls. My fandom began late September of 2008 which can be read from my first Wonder Girls blog post: Wonder Girls' "Nobody" Last Song Syndrome, and during that time there where only a few people outside Asia (or here in the Philippines) who knew about the Wonder Girls and their upbeat music, but look at them now... a rising international sensation.

If you haven't heard of their music yet let me share you the Wonder Girls NOBODY US Debut Single. Yup, it is Wonder Girls' Nobody in English Music Video

Let me also share to you this English Interview of Each Wonder Girls which I stumbled upon over the Wonder Girls Official Youtube Channel. Get to know Yubin, Ye-eun (Yenny), Sunye (Sun), Sunmi (Mimi), Sohee here:

Sunye's Interview - About Sun

Sohee's Interview - About Sohee

Sunmi's Interview - About Mimi

Sunye's Interview - About Yenny

Yubin's Interview - About Yubin

For latest updates, and official videos you can visit the Official Wonder Girls Channel here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/wondergirls

Bloggers Retreat To Cavite: A Town's Delight in Republic of Cavite Restaurant Bloggers Event Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:35:00 +0000

Last September 05, 2009 (Saturday) yours truly together with the rest of my Metro Manila blogger peers traverse the road of Aguinaldo Highway to Governor's Drive for the Town's Delight Bloggers Event in Republic of Cavite Restaurant in Trece Martirez Cavite.

I woke up that day at exactly one in the afternoon, which means I am dreadfully late for the event. It was supposed to start at 1:00 pm so I panicked and felt hopeless that I may not be able to attend it. Luckily, after a split second, I gathered my guts again and decided to still attend the event (even I am that late). Funny thing was that the venue is just some half hour drive from our hometown Dasmariñas, Cavite and there I was, betrayed by my own body clock hehehe.

It was drizzling that time because of some aftereffects of the storm has just left the country. While on the road to Trece Martirez, Cavite, I kept in touch with the bloggers already on the venue and they have already started which adds up to the pressure and made me think that I may probably be too late but thank goodness I am not. I arrived there to find two bloggers who were invited and in the same situation as I am and we three proceeded to the venue, Republic of Cavite behind Trece Martirez City Hall.

What was noticeable is the similarity of the venue for the Town's Delight Blogger event to that of the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit Cavite. See for yourself here:

The Aguinaldo's Shrine in Kawit Cavite

This obviously is the reason why the venue was named Republic of Cavite... from the original seat of power of the first Republic of the Philippines lead by the First President of the Republic, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo

Some familiar faces greeted us on the venue and mentioned that they were warmly welcomed by the people of Town's Delight and Republic of Cavite. We were also welcomed to the Bulwagang Cuenca of the Republic of Cavite.

We later, helped ourselves with the very fine cuisines served at us on Town's Delight Bloggers Event at the Republic of Cavite Restaurant.

While dining we discussed a few things about Trece Cavite, some blogging concerns, and the latest technology and movie buzz. We were offered to try the Cafe' Amadeo, black coffee from Amadeo Cavite which was really strong. I haven't tasted any black coffee for a while now but it can really awaken one's senses once you take a sip or two of the strong coffee.

We also tried the Salabat Iced Tea (Ginger Juice) which was kinda unique. Besides the fact that it was served with ice (I usually drink it hot), it was also sweet and very tasty though it still retained that distinct soothing ginger feel on the throat aftereffect.

We also sampled Authentic Filipino delicacies and desserts.

After trying out all those wonderful dishes by Town's Delight and Republic of Cavite, we went on a tour and was directed to the Republic of Cavite's Showroom.

Town's Delight The Caterer is not your typical caterer for they have been professionally celebrating 35 years of culinary expertise and food services, and still counting. When you are looking for Elegant yet affordable catering services with top-notch food services, Town's Delight is definitely your pick. You can visit them at their official website here:

http://townsdelight.com/

We still have some time to spend by then, so why not see the rest of the Republic...

We visited the actual Republic of Cavite Restaurant below the Bulwagang Cuenca which goes towards the direction of Munting Tagaytay...

The Munting Tagaytay area resembles the scenic view of the actual Tagaytay Picnic Grove in Tagaytay City. We took a snapshot or two from that venue.

After that small excursion to the Republic of Cavite's version of some of Cavite's most popular destinations (Kawit Cavite and Tagaytay City) we called it a day and was sent home with a bilao of Town's Delight Desserts...

To put it to our own language...
Isang bilao ng pasalubong ng pagkasarapsarap na kakanin handog ng Town's Delight at Republic of Cavite ng Trece Martirez Cavite.

The History of Trece Martirez (Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite)

Thirteen well-knowned citizens of Cavite who were captured by the Spanish Government for the alleged conspiracy and aiding the revolution in Cavite on August 31, 1896. Though the thirteen were innocent, they were still sentenced to death by an unfair trial. The thirteen were shot in the afternoon of September 12, 1896 in the San Felipe Camp in cavite. The name of the Thirteen martyrs were:

Luis Aguado, Eugenio Cabezas, Feliciano Cabuco, Agapito Conchu, Maximo Inocencio, Maximo Gregorio, Jose Lallano, Severino Lapidario, Victoriano Luciano, Alfonso De Ocampo, Francisco Osorio, Hugo Perez, and Antonio SAn Agustin.

Our last stop was the Trece Martirez Monument at the side of the Governor's Drive and took some pictures before calling it a great day at Trece Martirez, Cavite. Together with the Metro Manila Bloggers we went home with a great Trece Martirez experience thanks to Republic of Cavite and Town's Delight The Caterer.

A Once in a Lifetime 999 Blog: CMABLOGS.COM - New Name for Life On A Pencil

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:09:00 +0000

September 09, 2009 (Wednesday) - This is a very special blog post because for some reasons. Well, this is posted on one of those once in a lifetime dates... the 9th day of the 9th month (September) of the 9th year since the millennium (2009) simply A Lucky 9.

What better way to celebrate this momentous date than to acquire a new URL name or address for my beloved personal and events coverage blog Life On A Pencil. Life On A Pencil now turns to CMABLOGS. Yep! You can now reach my blog via...

www.cmablogs.com

So why CMABLOGS.com?

If you don't know yet my very first blog dates back as early as 2007, and that is CMAQUEST which is my infotainment and magazine blog. CMAQUEST's name came from my Initials, Christopher M. Aquino and my Quest. That time I was just started blogging and it generally is a personal blog but after some personal issues I left that blog but the "call of blogging" was inevitable and so with a new found spirit I made Life On A Pencil back at 2008. This is where the real challenge began, maintaining a personal blog and an entertainment blog while I was studying back in college. We don't even have our very own computer that time, so I have to go to an Internet Cafe just to blog.

Fast-forward that to today, I am a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a home-based internet job and have (I guess) established myself as a good (that's one better way to put it) blogger. I have finally bought and gave CMAQUEST its own domain name and I promised myself that not long enough Life On A Pencil will soon follow. Finally the right time has come.

www.cmaquest.com

There are two reasons why I consider September 09, 2009 lucky. Well, the first one is like what I said earlier (the 9-9-9 thing), and the second is that two of my blogs can finally be easily accessed through their new (hopefully "catchy") shortened URLs of CMAQUEST.COM and CMABLOGS.

This is just one of those milestone but not necessarily mean the end.
Expect more blogging from yourstruly, C.M.A. a.k.a. Chris A..
For we've only just begun...

Hahaha sorry can't help but to play this song after that last statement. Featuring The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun". Makes me also recall the 1408 horror movie.

6cyclemind with Duster Chicks Mall Show at SM City Bacoor Front Row Access

noreply@blogger.com (Chris A.) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Last August 30, 2009 (Sunday) after the SM City Bacoor WiFi Testing and Bloggers Event the marketing team offered us front row seating for the 6Cycle Mind mall show at SM City Bacoor, and we gladly welcomed the idea. Famous Filipino Band 6Cyclemind in partnership with SM City Malls have gone on a series of mall tour and shows to promote their latest album entitled Project 6cyclemind.

Looking back in the days, I often just pass by these Artist mall shows because I don't want to trouble myself brawling with the crowd just to get good view of the performance, though I don't really need to because of a height advantage. Nevertheless I am not that fund of watching mall shows but when the opportunity opens up, why not grab it? So after the Wi-Fi Testing event on the same ground of SM City Bacoor me, Az and two new acquaintances got a front row seat courtesy of the warm management of SM City Bacoor.

The all-woman band Duster Chicks was with the Project 6cyclemind mall tour to also promote their music...

Duster Chixks: Katwo Puertollano (vocals), Kris Gorra (guitars), Myrene Academia (bass), Ristalle Bautista (drums)

Listen to their music, know the members, catch their gigs, visit Duster Chicks online @
Duster Chicks on Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/dusterchicks
Duster Chicks on Multiply
http://dusterlab.multiply.com
Duster Chicks on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/duster.chicks?ref=search&sid=746623360.3054593094..1

After the band played some of their hits. A short game for the audience was played first while the 6Cyclemind team sets up their instruments.

The crowd raved upon seeing Nhey, 6Cyclemind's vocalist entered the stage.

6cyclemind mainly comprises of Ney Dimaculangan (Vocals), Rye Sarmiento (Guitars), Chuck Isidro (Guitars), Bobby Cañamo (Bass), Tutti Caringal (Drums)

SM City Bacoor was covered with deafening cheers as 6Cyclemind plays some of their single on their latest album Project 6cyclemind. They also played popular hits of Eraser Heads and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face".

After wrapping up one helluva mall show members of 6cylclemind attended to their loyal followers and fans by signing autographs on the cds and posters of their latest album.

See more Filipino Band (like 6cyclemind and Duster Chicks) information, and Gigs here:

Soupstars Entertainment
http://www.soupstarentertainment.co