Tanggera

Videocast on First Day at Bangkok

2009-11-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

We almost forgot about this videocast of crack we recorded live on our (Palawan Gang) first night in Bangkok. This describes how we got around toured around Bangkok with a tuktuk, how we got duped into eating super expensive Thai food and how Thais have a nasty habit of not washing their hands before they handle other people's food! CHRIST!

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Exploring Bohol in 24 hours (part 1)

2009-11-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

If someone asked me if I can experience and explore Bohol in 24 hours, I would tell him - "BEEN THERE. DONE THAT!" So, how did we do it exactly?

Upon touch down, we hired a car for 2,000 PHP (for 8 hours) to take us to all the exciting and tourist-y places in Bohol such as:

Our first stop - the Blood Compact site.

Actually, it's not really a stop, we didn't really wanna go there but it's on the way. I just had to post this really funny photo of my Aunt. LOL.

Then we sampled the famous restaurant by Bohol Bee Farm in Island City Mall, Tagbiliran.

Bee Farm's staple garden salad with flowers. I ate the flower, seriously.

Baclayon Church, about 6 km east of Tagbilaran, one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. It has a mini museum of relics of saints. They also sell rosaries, crosses and other religious items.

Like giddy high school kids, my Aunt and I then proceeded to drive to the Tarsier Sanctuary.

The locals said one of the tarsiers scratched one of the tourist's eye out (just exaggerating), when he tried to pet the animal. That's just gossip, but now they're not allowing anyone from touching the tarsiers. Also, don't use your camera's flash. Tarsiers are extremely sensitive and they're suicidal. Maybe that's why they're an endangered species.

Then, lo and behold, the famous Chocolate Hills! It's not even remotely chocolate brown when we went there though. It's three hours from Tagbiliran and apparently there's another view called the Sagbayan Peak, but it's another 45 minutes.

It's great to have dinner at Loboc Floating River Cruise for about 300 PHP because of the ambiance. Although the food's not that great, stomach fillers really. You can join the cruise fora bout 450 PHP.

Then we slept for about two hours, had this night cap at Lazer Disco in Bohol Tropics Resort, which deserves a separate blog post, believe me. I even have videos.

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Kim Bum in Manila

2009-10-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Kim Sang Bum, a Korean actor, came to Manila this October to promote his new drama "Dream" and to shoot a TV ad with Maja Salvador for RC Cola. When I went to HK with my family, we tuned in to a Korean channel and was bombarded with lots of Kim Bum material. He was voted the hottest new actor in one of the TV shows. His popularity sky rocketed in Manila in the show Boys Over Flowers, the Korean version of Hana Yori Dango and Meteor Garden.

Luckily, a good soul from ABS-CBN gave us passes to Kim Bum's "fan day" yesterday at the Dolphy Theater. I've never been a studio audience before, so waiting for hours was a feat. I fell asleep at the theater, woke up and he still wasn't there! We got there at around 12 NN and Kim Bum arrived at 4 PM. DSLRs and video cameras were prohibited (thanks to EYAGI Entertainment) so I had to be contented to use an Olympus FE-20 to get half-decent photos.

When Kim Bum arrived at Dolphy Theater, the fan girls went wild, more so when Ruffa Gutierrez exclaimed "May pag-asa pa kayo!", after asking him if he had a girlfriend. I thought we actually went there for a Meet and Greet (Mate and Greet LOL) but sadly, we weren't given a chance to actually even go near the stage.

I wouldn't wait in line for hours for another Korean actor, I swear!

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Sen. Richard Gordon made hundreds of Ondoy victims wait hours?

2009-10-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you are a Red Cross volunteer, read on.

The backstory: Volunteers and victims of Ondoy waited more than 5 hours for donations to be given off at the Quezon City Red Cross Chapter. They were allegedly waiting for Senator Richard Gordon to do a speech before the goods can be distributed. Donations were distributed at about 1-2 PM. Gordon did not show up and blamed heavy traffic.

I took the liberty of screencapping Jaristi Reyes' (a member of the UP Red Cross Youth) status update (I asked permission from him) and erased the names on the screencap. He was there, along with other members, during the delay of the distribution of goods. If you're a current member or an alumni, know that the chapter maintains an old and "bulok" system of kissing ass and waiting for protocol instead of using their brains. It won't change instantly, without anyone's help. I'm not saying that everyone in the chapter is like sheep. Red Cross volunteers ARE ESSENTIAL, especially in times like these. I salute Red Cross workers and volunteers who are on the front lines with or without media coverage.

Senator Richard Gordon may deny what happened and put the blame on the Chapter and barangay officials, but he should have at least claimed some accountability. Why were the chapter officials so hell bent on waiting for the PNRC chairman even if it meant making hundreds of people go hungry and letting them wait for more than 5 hours in line? I'm sure Senator Gordon did not order this, but if this is what they call PROTOCOL in the Red Cross chapters, THEN SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG.

Mr. Paul Farol has claimed that this never happened and that there is another explanation, maybe some other person TO BLAME for what happened, obviously not Senator Gordon. He says to wait for an email from a Red Cross worker who was also at the scene. Let's wait for that.

To the Chapter officials, doing some critical thinking never hurts. There were hundreds of victims waiting for more than 5 hours for JUST ONE PERSON. ONE and HUNDREDS. What's more important?

To UP RCY: Don't get frustrated.

UP Red Cross Youth needs the chapter, we are bound to go there no matter how trivial the tasks we need to do may seem. We operate under one banner. People in the chapter started out as volunteers as well, just like you. Don't hate them. Hate the system. I hope we don't forget that.

If you were on the scene while the donations were being held off, please, write your version of what happened. What I wrote is only a second-hand account. This is to prove that this really happened and this is not black propaganda against a politician who didn't even come up in ratings in the presidential race.

There will always be corrupt politicians and ass-kissing officials, not just in the chapter. However, don't let this stop you from volunteering. Always look at the big picture. Don't lose your fire.

Please tag others who might be interested to read this.

Manolo Quezon III's posting on his Facebook

Gordon's answer at Juancountry.com by Carlo Ople

Faith Salazar
UP Red Cross Youth Alumna

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The Ondoy Aftermath

2009-09-27T04:40:00.000-07:00

I won't be making a post about what happened in Metro Manila or the rest of the Philippines for the past 24 hours because of Ondoy. This is a personal post of what may happen in the next week, to me and others who are currently making Pinoy Parazzi, the tabloid, happen. Although we weren't seriously hit, we were flooded a bit but not compared with other people in Marikina who spent 10 hours on their roof. We were lucky.

The Pinoy Parazzi office wasn't lucky though. Our office along Panay avenue was submerged in waist-high water. All our documents, files and computers were destroyed.

Now, I fear that I won't have work to return to tomorrow. I have that fear for the tabloid's 50 or more other employees who will be feeding their families as well. I hope we all get through this.

If you want to donate to Ondoy victims, you can check out donation drop-off points here.

For cash donations:

** Text RED AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)
** Through Paypal (magbayanihan@yahoo.com.ph c/o TxtPower)

Photos by Mica Rodriguez, her blog post about our office here: What Ondoy did to our workplace.

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My Mother Left Me Something

2009-09-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

Warning: This is a very personal post.

My mom has been working in the US for about three years now. She flew there a couple of years after her retirement. She had been working tirelessly for the government for most of her life. Starting out as an elementary school science teacher in an obscure town, she dreamed big and took the exams for NYMC (TESDA at that time). She clinched top two, the batch's top one being a UP Economics graduate. When she told me that story, I believed that everything is possible.

Yes, folks, although I show hate for my mom most of the time on the internet, I really really love her like any daughter in the world would like to. When I was in elementary school, my mom was studying in AIM, then got another course in DLSU when I was in high school. She was studying on Saturdays while working as Division Chief in the Bureau of Labor and Employment. She was still studying God-knows-what even when she got transferred to Land Bank. She never stopped learning. My mother would constantly tell me that my brain would turn into a can of worms if I stopped learning something new each day.

But, the other thing my mom always reminds me of, is to have all your bases covered. Luck favors the prepared. You know how an elementary teacher got top 2 in a national exam? She got everything - statistics, surveys, and related literature - everything about employment, reviewed her ass off, then brought all her notes to the exams. Turns out, the exams was OPEN NOTES.

As she told me about her life (a couple of dozen times), she would always tell me to help people when I'm able but that doesn't mean I would get help when I needed it. My mom's a middle child but acted like the first born. She is assertive and she knows what she wants, even when she doesn't know how to get it at first.

She spent some than a month here in Manila last month. I asked her, during that time, why she was so intent on going to the US? And she was so intent, at first, that we go there and work. She told me of my grandmother, who would always wish that she can bring them all to America, during the 1950's. The U.S.A. then was the land of milk and honey. That was my grandmother's dream and she was fulfilling it for her. I felt my heart pounding with guilt. I thought, what was my mother's legacy to me? What did I have to fulfill for her?

I racked my brain for about 10 minutes and thought of nothing. She may force us to go to Sunday mass, but she defended me when my high school English teacher called her to school because I wrote to the Goddess when asked to make a prayer. She told me it was okay if I wanted to leave teaching and take up marketing. She calls me fat when I wore skimpy outfits but cooks rice for 10 people, even if there were just the four of us.

As cheesy as this may sound, my mother's legacy is pure, unconditional love. And I hope I can do the same for her and for my future children.

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Toti Cerda's Exhibit: Forever Young

2009-08-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

My therapist was a tad late yesterday, so I wandered around Megamall while waiting for her. Luckily, I got to pass by Toti Cerda's Forever Young Exhibit at the Art Gallery, on the 4th floor.

Most of the paintings were of children getting wet and dancing in the rain. There's something about the rain that makes everything so childlike. If I had the money to buy his paintings, I would choose the painting with two kids jousting with their mouths over an apple.

Platonic love, it always knocks my socks off.

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Manila Design Week at Cubao X

2009-08-28T23:45:00.000-07:00

Manila Design Week 2009 at Cubao X (last August 13) was a blast! Too bad I wasn't able to catch the MDW's closing event, Daily Grind, at Team Manila's Jupiter store the next day.

Hover for captions.

I was mostly impressed with the Music Graphics Exhibit at Pablo Gallery.

Bands performed outside Pablo Gallery like Drip, Taken by Cars, Pedicab and Sandwich, with the willing participation (although the audience was, I'm sure, unwilling to listen) of Francis M's other daughter, Saab Magalona. Sorry, she didn't sound that good. That's the downside of bringing Rockeoke Night outside Mag:net Cafe.

Now, I wait for my photos from Rick. Sorry for the really low-res photos, just took them from my phone.

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BOTAK: Street Mile Race Challenge

2009-08-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Date and Time: Aug 23, 2009, Race starts at 6 AM

Venue: AS Parking Lot, UP Diliman

The event will be co-presented by Quezon City Ladies Foundation and shall support its cause, “Violence against Woman”. The Street Mile Challenge is the first Mile Race in the country, with its categories divided it aims to become a family affair. Such categories are; Kids Male and Female, Masters Men and Women, Open Men and Women, Corporate/ Celebrity Men and Women. The different categories will be run by heats to allow efficient tallying of time and results. As well as to give enough time for parents to pace their kids during their race or photo ops of their kids when they finish their respective race heats.

The Street Mile will be run by all its participants once, the time that will register during their heat will be their final time. The deadline for entries for the Street Mile will be on Aug. 19, 2009 so that we can still post the respective ETA per heat of every category online from Aug 20-22, 2009.

The event shall commence after our BOTAK Paa_tibayan Takbo 10 Miler and 5 Miler which shall start at 6am.

Each participant shall take home goody bags from Hershey’s chocolates. Hershey’s chocolate kisses and chocolate bar mascots will also grace the festivities, so don’t forget to bring in your cameras.

The BOTAK Paa_tibayan event is presented by BOTAK and co-presented by Quezon City Ladies Foundation in cooperation with; ROX, Gatorade, HP Computers, Hershey’s Chocolates, Paul Calvin’s Deli, Crocs Prepair, Derm Plus, Salonpas, EAJI Trio Snacks, Fit n’ Right Fruit Snacks, Restaurant of Choice, Guam Visitor’s Bureau, Nissan Navara and Philstar.com. Our media partners Business World, Takbo.ph and thebullrunner.com, Men’s Health Magazine, Women’s Health Magazine, Auto Review, 92.3 XFM, 88.3 Wave and Run Radio. Our event partner, Run for Change and supported by the University of the Philippines, College of Human Kinetics.

Registration fee is at: (inclusive of Race Kit and Singlet)
300 php 10 and 5 Mile Race
250 php Street Mile Challenge

Registration Areas:
BOTAK Kamuning Store
ROX at Bonifacio High Street
Restaurant of Choice ROC in UP Bahay ng Alumni
Paul Calvins Deli at Forbestown
Second Wind Running Store at Maginhawa St. Teachers Village
Alterra Bike Cyclery at Club 650 Libis

You going? LET'S GO!

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World Press Photo 2009

2009-08-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ) at the Ateneo de Manila University is organizing a World Press Photo 09 event at the Atrium of the Mall of Asia on Monday, 17 August 2009 at 6pm.

I happened to pass by the Mall of Asia yesterday and chanced upon seeing the Word Press Photo 09 exhibit. It was inspiring. So, if you're a journalist, a photographer or an enthusiast, pass by MOA from August 15 to 23, 2009 to get a glimpse of the WPP exhibit. I'll try to stop by again this week to get snaps of the exhibit.

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The Ocean Park Hong Kong Experience

2009-08-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the chance to visit Manila's own Ocean Park, but I was lucky enough to experience Ocean Park Hong Kong a couple of days ago with my mom and sister. I thought, "Oh yeah, boring.. Ocean Park, what's there to see other than marine life?" I was dead wrong.

What I saw at Ocean Park HK after the jump.

Okay, first of all, if you're planning on going to HK, don't miss Ocean Park. It's one of the most kick-ass places ever - and I'm not even talking about the marine life yet. The sheer size of the marine-themed park did not even compute in my head, as the tour guide handed us a copy of the park's guide map. The map could be a bit misleading about the distances. Remember to bring an umbrella or a cap, wear rubber shoes or comfy foot wear. It's really hot out there, there's no wind of any kind and you'll do a lot of walking.

Six hours is not enough to explore the entirety of Ocean Park. Visitors who have the energy to spend the entire day there should arrive at 9:30 AM and leave at 8 PM. You may also plan your Ocean Park trip by checking out their website for shows (believe me, you don't wanna miss these) and other performances.

Here's what we did at Ocean Park:

Hover for captions.

10:45 AM - Show: The Illusion Trio at the Amazing Bird Theatre

These three are pretty sneaky. The first 5-7 minutes of the show was so-so, but they actually pulled off this trick that I'm still trying to figure out up until now how in the world they did it. Rating: 3/5

11:00 AM - Show: Tropical Parade at Sky Fair

Dancers dressed like peacocks and high jumpers gave everyone a pretty entertaining 20-minute show. You may also try buying snacks and beverages as shops and other knick knacks are inside the Sky Fair area. Rating: 3/5

11:15 AM - Bungee Trampoline

If the Chinese would have allowed us to make nice poses while we were on the air, we would have entertaining photos, I swear. They might not look like the ones on "Girls Jumping on Trampoline" on the Man Show though. We coerced our mom to try this one out for our own entertainment. LOL. Rating: 3.5/5

12:00 NN - Sea Lion Fun Time Show at Whiskers Theatre

This bit made going to Ocean Park one of the best experiences in my entire life. I mean, this is my first time to see a real, gliding and grunting sea lion! I'm that shallow, sorry, but large marine creatures are fun to look at. I sure hope they can make this one more interactive. Rating: 5/5

12:30 NN - Giant Panda Adventure

The aquarium outside the Panda Sanctuary lies a bad-ass fish

The Sea Lion was completely PWND right after I saw two live giant sleeping Pandas and two very awake cuddly brown baby Pandas. Luckily, I got to shoot the baby Panda while it was going up the tree. I swear everyone leaned against the railing like they wanted to fall off just to get a good photo. I was so naive, I even asked the nice lady out front if what they had were just cartoon Pandas.

1:00 PM - Cable Car Ride

Mum's shit scared

So, we marched off to the Cable car section to go from the Lowlands to the Headlands, where the amusement rides are. I'm generally scared of heights, I just hide the fact that I really really want to scream and piss on the seat everytime I'm on a ferris wheel. So, I thought that a cable car ride wasn't really that scary. Much to my surprise, I discovered that Ocean Park sat right smack in the middle of a mountain while riding that cable car. We were hovering over a god damned mountain, while looking out the ocean - it a nice view alright, but the cable car was so shaky I nearly cursed every damned curse there is on the dictionary.

1:30 PM - Search for food

We were expecting to see Mcdonald's right after we got off the cable car, but it was like 10 minutes away! We didn't wanna eat in because we wanted to get on all the rides before being picked up at 4:30 PM. After walking for an inhumanely long time, we decided to get some weird pseudo-American food because Mcdonald's just had take-aways and had a really long line.

2:00 PM - Coral Reef Atoll

I haven't been to the Ocean Park here in Manila because most of my friends say it wasn't worth the ticket price. Ocean Park HK's coral reef atoll is a huge four-floor (maybe five) glass aquarium with cute little aquariums on the side. Visitors get to see the top floor first, with a view of what looks like a sea with a little island on it. As you go down to the lower floors, you'll see sharks, sting rays and other huge-ass marine life. It was breathtaking. Rating: 5/5

3:00 PM - Amusement Rides

My sister was excited to ride the roller coaster. I was too ~~chicken~~ tired to go on any longer without some refreshments (we bought two bottles of coke for $25 HK each !#@$%!), while she thoroughly enjoyed getting thrown up and about. My sister said there was one time on the coaster when she thought she was going to get gobbled up by the sea. I think it was a good decision on my part to not have subjected myself to something like that. LOL. Their version of the popular Enchanted Kingdom ride, Anchors Away, is called the Crazy Galleon and it wasn't particularly scary. What I appreciate about OP's rides is that they have baskets for your things. We didn't get on the Mine Train because we didn't wanna get wet and we were too tired from walking.

4:00 PM - Bird Sanctuary and the Flamingos

We got a bit lost and ended up at the bird sanctuary. At the foot of the sanctuary, there's a large man-made lake where we got to see about fifty to a hundred flamingos. We even got to see them fight! Ha ha! Rating: 3/5

4:30 PM - Souvenir item shopping and photo-ops

Ocean Park is littered with souvenir shops, but the one near the entrance has almost all the items you can find. They have the staple key chains, bags, t-shirts and stuffed toys. You can buy Panda keychains for $45 to $60 HK and stuffed toys for about $150 to $200 HK.

More photos in my Multiply album.

I don't know if Ocean Park was made for children, but hell, three of us adults enjoyed it thoroughly just like little kids. If I'm going back to Ocean Park Hong Kong, I'd definitely go on the coaster, the raging river, and the mine train. And for $680 HK, I hope I get to go on the Dolphin Encounter.

What's your Ocean Park experience like?

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SMB to stage primetime game show for Oktoberfest

2009-08-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

San Miguel Brewery is attempting to stage yet another grand (-er than last year) Oktoberfest for 2009. In fact, they will be offering everyone nine brands to choose from: San Miguel Pale Pilsen (my personal favorite), San Miguel Premium All-Malt Beer, San Miguel Super Dry, Cerveza Negra, San Mig Strong Ice, Red Horse Beer, San Mig Light, Gold Eagle Beer (err I personally haven't seen anyone drink this) and the limited edition Oktoberfest Brew. So, for 2009, a new show on GMA Primetime, hosted by Michael V., will run starting October 5 (Monday to Friday) where contestants will get cash prizes by just drinking San Miguel beer. That's like double the fun, eh?? I'm sure celebrity endorsers like Manny Pacquiao, Derek Ramsay, Efren Bata Reyes, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes will grace the said TV show.

Of course, San Miguel Beer Oktoberfest will not be complete without its trademark SMB street parties overflowing with the hottest entertainment. Around 30 parties will be thrown to key cities and regions nationwide, kicking off in September 4 in San Miguel Avenue, Mandaluyong City, and September 5 in Ever Gotesco Commonwealth, Quezon City, Plaza Burgos, Vigan City, Ilocos, Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Sta. Rosa, Laguna and NHA Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City to name a few.

Visit www.sanmiguelbeer.com.ph for more updates, or just subscribe to my blog for the schedule!

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Brgy Maginhawa Artists vs. Team Manila Exhibit Launch

2009-07-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

After attending Flippish.com's Launch Party at Fiamma (which warrants a separate post), a couple of us (Coy, Coy's brother, Paris, Fritz, Nan and Rick) went to check out the Brgy Maginhawa Artists vs. Team Manila Exhibit Launch at the Team Manila store, also located along Jupiter St., Makati. I felt the need to don a Sunday dress (with half of my back exposed though) that night, just because I needed to subdue the bitch in me. So, after I soaked up with orange vodka (I think, yes, I was that drunk or my memory's murky) from The Bar at Fiamma's, I again got drunk with Rhum Coke at the Team Manila event.

I saw a familiar face at the launch - my HS classmate and partner in crime, Chris.

Much to my chagrin, combining rhum and vodka on the same hour didn't cut it. I was still pleasantly sober after midnight, probably because they had the lights out and started playing danceable music. The appropriate response when that happens is to dance like ~~an idiot~~ there's no tomorrow. They say sweating and physical activity decrease your chances of getting zonked and I'm not sure if being sober worked entirely in my favor that night.

Rhum coooooke!

See, I stayed and partied the whole night out with this guy, Rick Manzano. I really esteem him for his photography, but I cannot do the same for his alcohol tolerance. He was so pissed-drunk, he was surprised he had this conversation:

Rick's friend: Rick, pinamimigay mo na lang raw ang camera mo ah! (Rick, you're giving away your camera?
Rick: I KNOW, RIGHT!?

So, I had to lug around a hundred-and-eighty-pound man along Jupiter St. in search for some Mcdonald's. To accomplish that feat, I had to remove my strappy two-inch heels and walk barefoot - with a drunk man. AT LEAST NOW I KNOW HOW MY FRIENDS FELT. LOL!

Taken by the same Rick Manzano after sobering up. (with Pau from Anak ng Kwek Kwek and their friend from Team Manila)

Also, sorry for not posting photos from the exhibit. I'll steal some from Rick and post it here!

Photos by Rick Manzano (Project Manila)

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Weight Loss Chronicler #1: Inspiration

2009-07-26T01:34:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, I met with my college orgmates in celebration of our friend's recent acquisition of a love life (hi Pipay!). She got out of the shackles of singledom just May of this year - we were all happy for her, believe me, although most of us lacked romance in our lives (right, Ria? :D). So, meeting up with college friends and drinking is a welcome excuse to take a break from my dieting (which is already made of fail). Although I haven't seen some of them for a while, I was still surprised at how fit (thin!) one of my orgmates has become for the past couple of months. I'm sorry, Raquel, but I just have to post your BEFORE photo.

Her after photo after the jump.

So, I asked her what the hell she was doing to herself that she ended up looking like a freaky skeleton person? No, seriously, her body is the bomb! She just needs a little more padding on her chest LOL. Anyway, she swam three times a week for one to two hours and ate like a mouse. But she has a cheat day when she gets to eat tons of sugar like there's no tomorrow.

Raquel, Grace and myself (20 pounds overweight)

Okay, thanks Raquel, for getting me back on track. My goal is to be an anorexic and look like the undead ready to kill for fresh meat. Just for the record, I still need to lose 20 pounds and more or less 15% of my total body fat.

And also, I'm not eating four bars of chocolate to reward myself because this dawned on me.

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The Supermarketeers Paramihan Challenge

2009-07-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

So, Globe came up with a spiffy contest called the Paramihan Challenge. Since we just had to join this, since its so spiffy, we decided to shoot our own Paramihan video. Thanks SM (I won't say where, we were almost caught LOL)!

Also, we did not make it to the TOP 12 Entries so we suck. LOL. You can go to their website to watch the other entries that are awesome. They pwned us! Anyway, it wasn't my intention to have my chest as preview to the video. Sorry!

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Resorts World Manila: First Deluxe Casino Hotel in the Philippines

2009-07-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that despite the global depression, investors are still pushing to finish the Resorts World Manila, the first deluxe Casino Hotel in the Philippines. The developers are planning to make Resorts World a complex with hotel accomodations, a mall, a casino and a transportation hub so you won't have to go elsewhere! I'm really excited to see the launch on August since the people behind this are also behind Genting Singapore, covering the operation of theme parks, gaming facilities, hotels, seaside resorts and entertainment. They are also behind Genting Highlands in Malaysia. Whew!

Genting Highlands Malaysia

More after the jump.

What's so exciting about Resorts World Manila? Other than being the first casino hotel cum entertainment hub in the country, it is also offering three types of hotel accomodations.

The Manila Marriott Hotel is the first new 5-star international standard hotel to open within the past five years. The hotel has 342 rooms and 3 dining outlets in the Cru Steakhouse, Velocity Entertainment Bar and the Marriott Cafe, all of which promise to set new benchmarks in Manila. It also has multiple meeting rooms, a superb ballroom, Spa and other 5-star amenities.

Maxims Hotel is the first Deluxe Casino Hotel in the country, another luxury lodging brand of the Genting Group, Maxims has a total of 172 all-suite rooms, each assigned with personal butler services and furnished with state-of-the-art facilities.

We were given a tour around a mock room at the Maxims Hotel and yes, it has hi-tech facilities like a huge television where you can access the internet. You don't have to check in at the front desk like other hotels. You can directly go up to your room and check in there after being dropped off by a limousine. The only thing missing is a marriage proposal from Prince William to know how royalty really feels.

Aileen Apolo on the bed

with Winston in the bathroom (wait, that didn't come out right?)

I know they have a budget hotel in the works but I forgot what its called since its not up on their website as of the moment. But, Resorts World has a grand plan of getting people all over the Philippines to have access to the entertainment hub by making transportation in and out of the hotel complex available. The budget hotel is a great place of overnight stays and for people who like to spend their money on entertainment rather than spiffy accomodations.

Another post about the gambling in Resorts World. Also, more updates on August when they launch the hotel officially!

Visit Resorts World Manila's official site here.

Resorts World Manila
Travellers International Hotel Group, Inc.
Star Cruises Centre
100 Andrews Avenue
New Port, Cybertourism Zone
1309 Pasay City

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Gig Run for Ipo Watershed

2009-06-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

Run for the Ipo Watershed and the Padyak Foundation of the UP Mountaineers this coming Sunday! I'm joining the race, after my college orgmate continued to hound me about it for a whole month. I decided to join for the environment, you should too. *wink wink* Leave a comment if you're going! This is actually my first run, so good luck to my poor fat legs. LOL

G.I.G Run 2.2/5/10KM
June 28, 2009 6am
UP Diliman
AS Parking Lot

Registration is P250 inclusive of GIGRUN race singlet. The singlet is so cute, worth the 250-peso registration fee. It looks like this:

Registration starts on May 18. You have four options to register.

1) Go to any Columbia Sportswear outlet to register. However, payments are only accepted in Greenbelt 5, Gateway, and at SM North EDSA.

2) On May 24 during the RUNNEX Marathon in UP Diliman, we will have a registration booth from 6am to 10am.

3) At the UP Information Office Tuesdays to Fridays at the Quezon Hall (Admin Building). Look for Bernz Varona during office hours

4) During the GIG event itself.

For any questions, you can email join[at]thegigrun.org or go to their website here for more details.

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Flippish.com Launch: Television is Dead

2009-06-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

flippish \fli’-psh\ adj [fr. Filipino]
1: anything that has Filipino flavor.
2. fickle-minded or indecisive
3. odd, crazy or weird.

FLIPPISH is a play on the word Filipino. It means anything that has Filipino flavor or could also mean something that is odd, crazy or weird. Flippish.com is the first Pinoy online video channel that produces original online shows that are of broadcast quality. The people behind flippish believe that it is about time that we Filipinos take on the challenge of coming up with online entertainment that is of international standards.

THE SHOWS

Flippish.com pushes the creative boundaries by creating a variety of bite-sized (5-8 minutes) videos that appeal to Filipinos of all shapes and sizes!

Shows that cover diverse genres such as Direk, a comedy about a hot-headed, emotional and over-the-top director who allows you to see what goes on in the world of production when the cameras stop rolling and LSS, which showcases some of the most talented, unsigned Filipino artists, whose songs might be the next big hit playing in your head. Another show is Flippish Specials, which is a collection of featured videos, event coverages, and documentaries made by the team.

Flippish.com will tickle your funny bone, get you up to speed on the latest hotspots and goings-on around and outside the Metro, stimulate you brain cells with thought-provoking reality shows and most importantly, entertain you until it becomes an essential part of your daily internet habit!

BEHIND THE SCENES

Flippish.com is spearheaded by Chris Tan, the Co-Founder and the Managing Director of Ideal Minds and Kring Elenzano, the Creative Director of Ideal Minds and Flippish.com. Chris is also currently the director for the Asian Poker Tour Series and was recognized as one of the Top 10 Entrepreneurs of the Year by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2005. Kring, on the other hand, is one of the hottest young TV directors in the industry with several projects under her belt such as the reality TV show RIVERMAYA: BAGONG LIWANAG! In the blogosphere, she is known by her handle, FunnySexy.

R.I.P., TV

Flippish.com will finally be officially launched on July 2, 2009 at Fiamma at Jupiter St., Makati. With the availability of the internet and increasing broadband speed, more people spend more time online nowadays and for these reasons, the people behind Flippish.com believe that "Television is Dead." and that online entertainment is the wave of the future. Appropriately, this, too, is the theme of the launch party. New shows and talents will be introduced that night and viewers and fans may register on the site to receive special invites for the party.
For more information about the website, its shows and the launch party, do check out www.flippish.com.

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Summer Heat Beater: Selecta Gold Ice Cream

2009-06-12T00:05:00.000-07:00

I would never have discovered Selecta Gold Ice Cream's Gold Series if it weren't for my sugar-addicted sister who brought home Selecta's Chocolate Truffles. There are three flavors - Chocolate Truffles, Hazelnut Brownie and Berry Strawberry. These are sort of Selecta's designer ice cream flavors made especially by Chefs Gamboa, Laudico and del Rosario. I haven't tried the strawberry-flavored ice cream yet because I usually end up hating strawberry-flavored food. They're just too sweet.

Chocolate Truffles was designed by Chef Roberto Laudico and used imported gourmet Belgium chocolate as ingredient. Fabolous! That's why it had a rich and heavy chocolate flavor but not too sweet. My sister, a chocolate addict, marked this one as her favorite. You'll like this as well if you're looking for an ice cream that's creamy and chocolatey.

My favorite's the Hazelnut Brownie flavor, designed Chef Sau del Rosario from ground hazelnut paste and fudge brownies. I love how this ice cream is so moist and fudgie, it even has large chunks of brownies! I paired this with chocolate cake that's a tad sweeter than the ice cream. A perfect combo for a hot laid-back afternoon.

We got to buy these babies for 190PHP at 7-11 stores (I think they were sold exclusively here for some time) but about two week ago, I saw these being sold at Mall of Asia's hypermart for just 160PHP. Super bargain! So, I bought three pints LOL.

Photos taken with a Nokia n82.

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Asia Pay's Ecommerista One Peso Workshop

2009-06-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

I was luckily able to attend Asia Pay's Ecommerista One Peso Workshop last May 7, 2009 (this is an overdue post) thanks to Facebook! I was really interested to hear about e-commerce and this is my first time to actually see an e-commerce workshop that's free of charge. First off, Asia Pay is the first electronic payment provider and gateway solutions provider in Asia. They are affiliated with Banco de Oro (BDO) and devised Pesopay (for merchants) and eBigay (for non-profit organizations). Adrian Lee conducted the workshop, giving justice to the "Ecommerista" workshop title.

(Sitting L-R: Russell T. Ri of Ephilippines Adventure Travel, Faith Salazar of Republika Publishing Inc./pinoyparazzi.com and me. Standing L-R: Alvin Tan, Johann Chua of Odyssey Live, [I didn’t get the name of the girl], Jonel Uy of Letsgosago.net, Peter Allan Mariano of Wong Group of Companies, [the guy behind him is from AsiaPay], Jomar Garraton of NeTVision, Inc., Lea Gomez & her marketing assistant of Transnational Travel and Tours, Inc.and Andrian Lee) Photo courtesy of Jen

What I learned at the E-commerce workshop - read more after the jump.

1. Give the "Best Deal in Town"

Adrian Lee used Cebu Pacific as an example for this. CebuPac is the first to do the seat sale promos online, giving their customers the best deal and the best convenience.

2. Use social networking

Not new to most bloggers, using social networking sites like blogs, Facebook, Friendster or Myspace to sell services or promoting a product has been a major trend in marketing in the Philippines. Multi-national companies don't just rely on TV, radio or print to get their message across. They are now harnessing the power of the internet and combine this with traditional marketing. A good example is Burger King's Whopper Sacrifice where you delete 15 friends on your Facebook account to get a free Whopper.

3. Be omnipresent

Not one social network has been able to gather everyone on the internet. Some people gather in Facebook, some in Twitter, some in Tumblr and other people just lurk on forums. Just like Barack Obama, you need to be everywhere. You can see Obama on Facebook, Twitter, Jaiku and other social networking sites.

I attended the workshop as a web controller for Pinoy Parazzi and we were luckily given constructive criticism on how we present our website. I learned quite a few things like organizing our RSS feeds and strengthening brand image. I suggest you attend Asia Pay's Ecommerista workshop if you're planning on doing internet marketing or if you're managing a website. :)

If you want to check out the slides at the e-commerce workshop, visit Jen's post here. You can also read Asia Pay's blog on internet marketing at Ebiziseasy.

List of Attendees:
Peter Allan Mariano of Wong Group of Companies
Clarissa Concio-Tiglao and Jomar Garraton of NeTVision, Inc.
Johann Chua of Odyssey Live
Jonel Uy of LetsGoSago.net
Juliet Guanlao, Sarah Jane Sy and Anna Lalaine Torrelino of YGC Corporate Services Inc.
Russell T. Ri of Ephilippines Adventure Travel
Lea Gomez of Transnational Travel and Tours, Inc.
Alvin Tan, a freelancer
Jen Juan

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My MRT 24/7 Experience of Horror

2009-06-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm a commuter. I've been riding all three train lines (LRT1, LRT2 and MRT) ever since I started high school. I used to ride the LRT1 from Quirino to United Nations - Manila Science High School is just three stops from our house. I enrolled at UP Diliman during 2002 and started using the MRT from Taft to Quezon Avenue. During my first job as a special education teacher, I often took the LRT2 from Recto to V. Mapa station. In short, I am no stranger to getting squished, kissing the train's glass door or using my bag to literally jab people so I can get good seats. Now, I'm back in Quezon City, so I'm using the MRT to get home from Quezon Avenue station to Taft. That's quite a long ride. After hearing the news that the MRT was going 24/7 as an experiment, I immediately planned on staying late on the first day of the run. BAD IDEA.

I had something to do in Cubao so I was waiting for the train there at around 10:30 PM. The platform wasn't that packed, there were about 3-4 people for each yellow line on the women's section. There were more on the men's section but not much to compare to the rush hour.

Anyway, I started off waiting with two people on the yellow line. At 10:45 PM, the people increased to about 5-6. At 11:00 PM, there's still no train. Six trains have already passed by the side going north and still no train going south. Some train officer as-a-matter-of-factly said that trains are supposed to come in 30-minute intervals during the MRT 24/7 experimentation. But we got there at 10:30 PM, so there trains should still be coming in in less than 30-minute intervals.

I was carrying a lot and standing there for half an hour isn't nice. My feet were starting to hurt and people were starting to accumulate to about 15 persons in a yellow line. I was so bored I started updating my social networking sites, Facebook and Plurk, on how dreary it is to ride the MRT during the 24/7 shift. Note the timestamps.

So, I waited for about an hour to be able to get home that late. On Taft station's platform, I got a chance to take a photo while I was about to go up the escalator. I'm sure a lot of people were restless that night as well.

I should have taken the bus instead. At least there, I would have been comfortable sitting in an air conditioned vehicle. It would take the same time - more than an hour - to get from Cubao to Taft anyway. What's the point in taking the train?

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Samantha Ronson spins at LAX Manila opening

2009-05-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

LAX, a nightclub that started in Hollywood, is famous for its modern interiors with a vintage feel. The club is also known for its sophisticated Hollywood crowd and A-list celebrities. Britney Spears opened the LAX club at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. Now LAX is here in Manila, at the Mall of Asia grounds, by the bay, just beside Hooters. It opened last Friday, May 22, 2009, with DJ Samantha Ronson.

What to expect at LAX Manila? More after the jump.

LAX Manila has its dance floor on a lower part of the club. The VIP tables and chairs overlook the dance floor, that can house about 200 gyrating bodies. The modern and vintage feel is nothing new though - the chandeliers and high ceiling has already been done by Eric Cua's The Manor Club at Eastwood. Both clubs have the same feel actually.

with Kring

Samantha Ronson played mash up, not so famous here in Manila. There was a time when people started dancing but the beat, instead of picking up, went a bit anti-climactic so people started talking and drinking again instead of dancing. I tried dancing to mash up, but I'm not that pumped up with it, as compared to hiphop or trance. I spotted celebs at the opening like Ryan Eigenmann and Mich Dulce in a fab glittery dress. Here's what we danced to at LAX Manila.

Taken with the Nokia N82

Taken with the Nokia N82, on night mode

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Blogging at Sandbox

2009-05-21T01:59:00.000-07:00

Sandbox is Smart's new social networking website which aims to connect people both through mobile and web. This is a great way to communicate locally. Jayvee Fernandez, a tech blogger and also UNO magazine's tech editor, explained it better here.

The problem is, we already have established social networking websites that are far easier to use compared with Sandbox like Facebook and Friendster. I think Sandbox has a lot of potential - after they fix their usability issues.

My two cents on Sandbox after the jump.

1. The interface
The Good: The homepage is packed with content, you will be able to see your photos, inbox, happenings, new mail, notifications etc, all on the homepage. There's also a neat little sticky sidebar to view your friends etc.
The Bad: Once you log in to the Sandbox homepage, the login button requires some thinggamajig that doesn't work when you press enter. And when you go to "your groups", there are only 4 items on the "happenings" sidebar and there is no scroll down or next button. That also applies for other stuff on the sidebar like the "Recent Groupies" or the "Recent Photos" widget.

2. Uploading content
The Good: You can blog, add photos, upload photos both through email and MMS. Very convenient especially for bloggers who want to upload content on the go.
The Bad: Most of the time, my MMS or email uploads don't go through. And I hope they put a WYSIWYG editor on the blogging platform they're using. I can't even embed photos from other photo sharing websites, so I'd have to upload them again on sandbox. Double effort on my part.

3. Mobile Sites
The Good: You can view mobile versions of your favorite blogs through Mostyle and Sandbox.
The Bad: You'd have to log in to Mostyle (another website) to update your blog. This blog is separate from your Sandbox blog. It makes everything so confusing.

I'm just thinking out loud here, and if there are updates to Sandbox's features, I'll update this blog post. I think I'll appreciate Sandbox more once it hits mobile. I'm often bored out of my wits during train rides, so I usually use Smart 3g to browse my social networking websites on the go just to be entertained. And when Smart allows free browsing through Sandbox on your mobile, I think that would explode like crazy - with people both reading and uploading original content.

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Team building activities at Enchanted Kingdom's Magicalympics

2009-05-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Enchanted Kingdom is known for its magnificent park rides - from the famous Anchor's Away to the dreaded Condor, or to the more enjoyable Rio Grande. Recently, we discovered that Enchanted Kingdom is making its park rides more enjoyable through the Magicalympics, a series of activities similar to the popular TV show,Amazing Race, where you have to complete certain tasks by using park amenities like the 4D discovery theater, bump cars and other rides. The Magicalympics is for companies who are looking for team building activities but are tired of the usual out-of-town trips.

More about Enchanted Kingdom, Magicalympics and PHOTOS OF CRACK I SWEAR after the jump.

Hover for captions.

49 bloggers were gathered at Enchanted Kingdom for a taste of Enchanted Kingdom's adventure. Thanks to an ITEX van for transporting us safely and comfortably from Manila to Laguna. There are usually 5-10 stops for the Magicalympics. And for each stop, you will usually have to either experience the park ride with a twist or answer some questions after the activity. I won't tell you the details of each activity, it would really spoil everything, so I'll just give you some clues for each stop:

1. 4D Theater's Journey to the Center of the Earth - involves a lot of water squirting from Lord-knows-where but it was fun and the movie excerpt was worth the wait!

2. Anchors Away - think ships, tomatoes and baskets.

3. Rio Grande - there is a disconnect with the ride and the activity. I think EK has to improve on this part of the race.

4. Bump Car - violence, excitement and flags!

5. Jungle Log Jam - a funky-looking headband and an attempt to balance stuff on your head. Gah! Prepare to get really wet!

6. Carousel - search for the right horse.

7. Flying Fiesta - again, a disconnect with the ride and the activity. Flying puzzles anyone?

8. Arcade room - videoke challenge!

9. Wheel of Fate - one of hardest stops of the race. If you're afraid of heights, better skip this one.

10. The race ends with everyone taking their clothes off. Kidding. But its something similar to that. I swear.

It was one of the best team building activities I attended because we got to bond with a lot of bloggers while we were screaming our heads off either in delight or in horror. Our team, Dinosaur Purple, came in first but ended up in second place because we had lots of penalties. Congrats to Team Swine Blue (the name is making me LOL) for getting first place and accommodations to a Tagaytay Hotel. Our team received shirts from Robinson's Department Store.

After the magicalympics, we still had time to go around Enchanted Kingdom - we even rode the Rio Grande three times, then got on the Flying Fiesta to air-dry ourselves. Not just that, I coerced some bloggers to do sentai poses and jump shots in front of the Enchanted Kingdom facade and the carousel.

Tanggera vs. Billycoy. FIGHTO!
Photo by Nina Fuentes

Eldar's Rangers: Fritz, Poyt, Alan and AJ
Photo by Nina Fuentes

If you want the other super funny Magicalympics photos with the sentai jump shots and the photos I wouldn't want my future husband to see, check out Nina's Enchanted Kingdom Flickr Photo set. And if you want the rest of my photo set, check out my Flickr or Multiply: Enchanted Kingdom Park Photoset page.

The night ended with a spectacular display of fireworks, a staple during Saturdays at Enchanted Kingdom.

Interested in the Magicalympics for your company or organizations' teambuilding activities? Visit the Enchanted Kingdom website for details on booking.

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Marinduque Series: Sta. Cruz Church Photoset

2009-05-12T12:21:00.001-07:00

We were invited by my friend, Bem, to visit their hometown and stay in at their house in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque, last long weekend from April 30 to May 3, 2009. As we got around the town during our first day, we visited the 400-year old town church which has been renovated just a few months back. The exterior of the monastery has been altered drastically from stones to modern-looking bricks. It was raining that day so I was only able to take photos of the church interiors.

Please hover for captions.

More Photos after the jump.

These were photos taken during the mass for the town fiesta at six in the freakin' morning.

I had to do a some magic on this photo, I was able to take a shot of the patrons kneeling during the Holy Eucharist while a nun was looking dubiously in my direction. LOL

View more photos (with me and my friends posing in front of the altar LOL) here.

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