Got mixed feeling about today’s personal event. I don’t know what to expect.

Things are running wildly in my mind, priorities are all scuttled. Thinking what future may hold and how the past molded me. I’m thinking did I lend a hand to others that needed me? Have I ever made someone happy?

I have been asked about my plans for this day for a couple of weeks already by family and friends, but I cannot think of doing something worth relevant. Spending my time with them is all I can think of.

I just remembered my post last year. I read it again to see how I fare, and I think I am much happier right now. You may read it again through this link:

http://www.melvindiaz.com/2009/02/26/seize-the-day/

Today is February 26 and the date of my birth and I have a lot to thank for. My family and how their guidance has shaped me. My friends and how they managed to provide support every time I needed it. I will also thank all the trials and difficulties I experienced; for those circumstances have assisted me and made me what I am today. But most importantly is my ever loving and considerate girlfriend that never ceased in loving me even if all are already lost.

I am feeling these all sounded like I’m making a speech in an awards night hehehe!

I fervently hope that as I grew one year older, wisdom will also follow. Together, age should accompany wisdom. And with wisdom, anything can be possible. Things are not rushed and decisions will be wisely made. Regrets are but a thing of the past.

Well, I may have age a little bit, but still have more to prove.

I rarely admire Indians unless he or she is an extraordinary individual with a capacity to change the world. But Pranav Mistry is not just any normal individual. Genius is what I can describe of him with an extreme appetite for innovation.

I thought this would happen in the next 20 or 50 years, but watch how this genius showed the world that everything is possible. He already holds the key in probably the greatest invention of the millennium.

Please watch the entire video…

Yeah you see it right and I am not dumb to misspell it. The new Apple tablet has just been unveiled by no other than Mr. Steve Jobs and it is like an oversized iPhone in size and in its features.

The 9.7 inch display and half an inch thick and just weighs one and a half pound comes with the same 16 and 32 GB of flash memory storage. It boasts of 10 hours of battery life and a month for standby time.

It has a built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities for Internet usage and a nearly full-size keypad. Basically it can load and run any application that you can run on your iPhone.

It is a tablet PC which is just larger than the iPhone but smaller than the normal laptop.

The price is the real attention grabber. You can purchase one for only $499! Yes you see it right, only $499 for the 16GB model and $599 for the 32GB model. Also a 64GB model is expected to cost $699.

3G models are also expected to be released which is much pricier than the basic models.

It is also announced that AT&T will offer units with data plan.

Experts says that there is nothing much to expect than getting a larger screen for an iPhone or iTouch. Also, some missing features are the built-in camera and Flash is still not supported for the Web browser.

The only thing that may lure consumers in this new innovation from Apple is the price; which for many may or may not be a big factor because features are better weighed than the price tag.

Nexus One might be the only smartphone in the market that could beat iPhone in the next couple of months or years. Search Engine giant Google released the Nexus One on January 5, 2010 and critics are anxious on how well it could fare with the iPhone.

There are many advantages and disadvantages this new rival phone has with iPhone. But the very prominent now is the Nexus One comes unlocked. Whereas in iPhone, it is locked with AT&T. Many would-be users will certainly be enticed in checking out this phone because they do not need to sign a contract with AT&T.

The Internet Search Engine giant’s Android operating system real advantage is being an open-source platform, application developers can simply write a program and see it run instantly; whereas in Apple, they needed approval for up to 15 days.

Nexus One also boasts improved speed. The camera capabilities are also enhanced by a 5-megapixel resolution with built-in flash. IPhone only has 3.2-megapixel camera.

The speed difference lies on the latest SnapDragon processor from Qualcomm runs on 1GHz. Apple only runs at 600MHz.

Other hardware features are as follows: 512 MB of RAM, 512 MB internal storage, 4 GB microSD card, light sensors, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi capability and GPS receiver. Also noise cancellation is greatly improved by two microphones. It is also noted that the screen of Nexus One is much larger than that of the iPhone. It has a trackball that illuminates on different notifications.

It works on GSM network, so it might not have any issues on other carriers worldwide.

Initially, it was released on January 5, 2010 on Google’s new web store at $529. You may also sign for a two-year contract with T-Mobile for $179.

I’m very much excited with this new smartphone rivaling the undefeated lord of smartphones, the iPhone. I cannot wait for its release in my area.

Lots of new things came my way and I welcome change with open arms. I went from one account in our company to the other in just the same year. I rarely travelled these days due to schedule constraints, but I’ve been able to go to places I’ve have never been before. New opportunities arise and some money making ventures were tried.

2009 is a good year for me and I know for most people also.  Tragedy struck our country and countless lives were lost. But we are still able to move on. The election is creeping in this coming year and candidates are slowly making their moves. We hope that the new officials that will be elected will be matured and responsible enough on their new responsibilities in leading the country to a more prosperous year.

I thank god for all the blessings that He showered me on this year. Good health, my family is still bonded together. My relatives and friends are still there supporting us on all of our endeavours.

But what I really thank God for is my one and true love that is constantly supporting me all the way…loving me in each and every way she could. I pray for the Almighty that our relationship will be much stronger than before.

Happy New Year to you all!

Manny “the Pacman” Pacquiao is now the new WBO Welterweight champion after he overpowered Miguel Cotto in the 12^th round by technical knockout in the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada USA.

Cotto is now added to the list of elite boxers that succumbed to the might of Pacquiao together with Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya.

The Welterweight title was now added to six titles he had already gained: Flyweight, Super Bantamweight, Featherweight, Super Featherweight, Lightweight, and Light Welterweight.

It is clearly seen that Pacquiao dominated the entire game and he demonstrated again his prowess through pure strength and agility inside the ring.

Cotto could not anticipate the lightning punches that our very own threw out against him.

The Puerto Rican trembled by two separate knockdowns. Pacquiao first floored him in the third round by a right hook and again landed a left uppercut in the fourth to send the ex-champion on his knees crawling. From then on, round by round the fight was dominated by Pacquiao.

Filipinos all over the world is ecstatic now about the recent fight. Crowds in cinemas, bars, restaurants, basketball courts and even in their very own homes gathered to see our hero hammered the hell out of the former champion. Thunderous cheers and applause was all you can hear after he landed those punches accurately in the Puerto Rican.

In the Philippines, the fight was scheduled on November 15, 2009, Sunday morning until early afternoon. Whenever Pacquiao is on a head-on for a major fight, public roads are definitely clear of traffic and the crime rate was almost none. It is as if the whole country was frozen on their daily tasks while sticking their eyes on the TV or listening to the radio.

Manny helped a lot in providing Filipinos the needed boost in confidence, inspiration, hope and a reason to celebrate after most of us still sulk over the disaster that recently hit the country.

No doubt he is indeed the greatest of all time and the pound-for-pound king. It is without saying his crowning glory and he deserves it!

It is a glorious day for us Filipinos and I’m really proud to say that!

Mabuhay ka Manny!

It’s been a while since I last wrote an article. I actually scheduled myself to write immediately but wasn’t able to because of the mess that the flood left us from Typhoon Ondoy last September 26, plus the fact that we don’t have electricity for a couple of days and no telephone service and internet connection up until today.

I wanted to write something about the distressing tragedy that befallen our country before the end of September and still felt the heavy ordeal that this has caused on our countrymen.

My family too is one of the victims of the onslaught of this disaster. Water is everywhere, it is waist deep inside our house and you can actually dive and swim outside because it is more than 10 feet and the current was strong. Some of our appliances are destroyed. Our car was submerged, but thank God no one was hurt.

Biblical type of flood never before experienced in our history swept the metro by a single typhoon that fateful Saturday morning that lasted for several days for and weeks in some areas.

Words cannot describe the devastation that these two typhoons brought. Numerous lives were lost. Countless homes were shattered. Incalculable worth of properties were simply washed away.

Writing something to describe what really happen will go on and on and might take several articles, and probably it will take weeks or months to express the full ravage of the two typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” that devastated our metropolis and country sides.

]]> http://www.melvindiaz.com/2009/11/01/ondoy-and-pepengs-fury/feed/ http://www.melvindiaz.com/2009/09/14/teambuilding-phillip-sanctuary/ http://www.melvindiaz.com/2009/09/14/teambuilding-phillip-sanctuary/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:24:24 +0000 admin http://www.melvindiaz.com/?p=1358 A really delayed post about adventure and team camaraderie.

Fostering team solidarity is one of the objectives of our trip to Phillip’s Sanctuary and is also what the owners are promoting in this eco-recreation park. Of course, we’re also here to have fun and relax our hearts out from the hustle and bustle of city life and the nerve shattering work at the office.

The trip started late afternoon on August 29-30, 2009, a little late because of some delays and the usual city traffic, but when we are already outside the city, the feeling of going out of town is in the air, all are excited and we filled our rented vehicle with laughter and hilarious jokes.

It’s quite late when we arrived at the site, and we are not aware that the place does not have electricity. Well, given the remote location, it is expected. There is an electric generator beside our log cabin that provided just enough light in the lodge and will be off before midnight. We did not waste any time and we started unpacking and set to cook. No gas stove or whatsoever but just grills. Well, no problem because we really intend to grill pork barbeques and fish and have an already packed lunch so the food that we grilled was our “pulutan” for that evening’s main event!

We enjoyed the rest of the night unwinding with a couple of alcoholic drinks and lots of stories and pictures to be reminisced after our teambuilding.

The only downside that evening was the nonstop pouring of rain since we got there. Without electricity before we sleep will be a real hassle for most of us who are not used to staying outdoors, but the rain that night is also a good thing because it kept mosquitoes from pestering us and the cool breeze acts as nature’s air-conditioning.

Come morning, and everyone is anxious what await us. We took a light breakfast and off we go to the real adventure. First, we are introduced with the owner’s grandson Steve who will be our facilitator. He mentioned a brief description of the place and the amenities and activities. We are also grouped into two and we need to cooperate with our own team and compete with the other.

The first thing we do on our adventure package is the zip line. Everyone had their share of screaming and excitement. Lots of pictures were taken already. I actually tried it twice because I could not get enough!

Then, we tried to squeeze ourselves in a series of holes in a web-like rope structure. It really busted our brains and physically challenged us on how we can transfer ourselves to the other end without touching the rope structure.

The other obstacles are net climbing, mud crawl, tight rope walk, river log balance, hanging bridge, and lastly is the tarzan jump. Personally, I like the mud crawl because it brings out the beasts in us! No more hesitation on our female teammates and we all crawl like pigs and bathe in mud like water buffalos!

I will not elaborate more how we managed to do all of these but laughter and lots of photos are not missing on any of these activities!

I will definitely endorse this place. If you are all bored of the usual venue for teambuilding like swimming, videoke and drinking sessions, then this is for all of you!

We are at first uncertain to try, but we are not at all disappointed of what came out because we really enjoyed our short stay at the sanctuary.

You can see the album of our teambuilding at my facebook, multiply and friendster accounts at

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=100634&id=691877087

http://mlvnz.multiply.com/photos/album/14/Team_Ian_TB_at_Philip039s_Sanctuary_082909#

http://www.friendster.com/viewphotos.php?a=295914535&uid=3201165

For inquiries, you may also visit Philip’s Sanctuary at http://www.phillips-sanctuary.com

I saw Miss Philippines Pamela Bianca Manalo from the background of the hosts and my heart suddenly jumped because I thought that she was one of the 5 finalists, but to my dismay she was not even placed in the top15 semifinalists.

I only managed to watch the last 5 finalists, and then Miss Universe 2008 Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza was called to walk, I don’t know the term when the last winner was called to walk and have her own prepared speech. Man, she was so damn hot beautiful!

1st runner-up was Miss Dominican Republic Ada de la Cruz and it made history when the crowned Miss Universe of 2009 was also from the same country of the outgoing Miss Universe!

The rest of the top five were from Australia, Puerto Rico, and Kosovo.

What’s with Venezuelans and the whole Latin Americans beauties that they never missed to smitten us with their gorgeousness!  Congratulations to Stefanía Fernández, Miss Venezuela and the current Miss Universe 2009!

Can you believe this? This is one great leap in the innovation on the camera technology. This is the world’s first camera with built-in projector. It is really unexpected in a camera. Usually, customers will start checking how many megapixel the resolution is, but what I did not expect is this fantastic feature that up to now I cannot imagine that it is possible to integrate.

Below are the awesome features:

• 12.1 megapixel
• 5X zoom
• 2.7-in. high-resolution LCD monitor with anti-reflection coated cover
• 16 handy scene modes for optimized shooting in various settings
• D-Lighting and Active Zoom
• Four movie modes with sound
• Approx. 36 MB of internal memory
• Faster shutter speeds when shooting in low light or capturing fast-moving subjects.
• Face-priority AF helps produce more satisfying portraits by adjusting focus and exposure for as many as 12 faces in the framed shot.
• Skin Softening function detects and analyzes a framed subject’s skin, and then adjusts smoothness to produce enhanced results.
• Smile Timer automatically releases the shutter when the subject smiles, while its Blink Proof function shoots two sequential frames, then saves the one in which the subject’s eyes are widest open.
• Blink Warning presents an alert when it suspects that someone in the shot has blinked. In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically corrects any perceived red-eye effect before saving the image to memory.

When you are using it as a projector for the images, image size can be up to 40 inches and the projection distance can be up to 2 meters.

Available color is black and warm silver.

What more can I say…I really want this baby!