Personal: Another Friend's Wedding

Beverly Ann Gallardo-Perez, a good friend of mine, got married last November 27. Cherry's wedding invitation last month was already a short notice, but Bevs' invitation was even shorter. We were informed about the wedding just a week before, so we had to immediately organize everything: file work leaves, who will buy the gift, who will be able to come, things like that. Fortunately, most of us (her college barkada) were able to attend. This time, no flat tires, so we were able to attend the wedding ceremony. Lol. Oh, and that morning, Bebang (what we usually call Bevs), sent me an SMS saying (saying, not asking) that me and Aireen will set up the laptop and projector for the Audio-Video Presentation on the wedding reception. Being the good friend that I usually am, I agreed. Do I have a choice? Just kidding. Which reminds me, Aireen, re-format that *#$*&$^%$ laptop! :D

Few guests were able to attend the ceremony. I was not surprised though when the population doubled during the reception. Pinoy attitude. :D

I was only able to take a couple of pictures before the wedding ceremony because I am not sure if taking pictures during the ceremony was allowed. I've last attended a wedding when I was like grade school. And during that time, I didn't even care to what was happening. I was just waiting for it to be finished so that I could already eat at the reception. Typical me. *grin*

The wedding reception was held at Cabalen's in West Avenue. Food was good enough. I was not able to take more pictures though since set-up of the laptop and projector took a lot of time due to the beard-growing boot-up time of the laptop. Again, Aireen, re-format that *#$*&$^%$ laptop!

Next wedding, Ichor. I'm not yet sure though if the guy already knows that he will be marrying Ichor. Lol.

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Personal: Tagaytay

It has been a long time since I last went to Tagaytay. If I remember it correctly, that was when I was still in grade school. So, that would be...about 10 years ago. And, I don't even remember having photos when I was there then. Poor me...

Well, that long gap was finally filled-in...sort of. Also, I have a couple of photos to bring home this time.

Yesterday, Nov 24, the entire family went to Tagaytay to attend a relative's birthday celebration. I was actually hesitating to go since typhoon Mitag/Mina was on its way to pass by the area. However and fortunately, not a single drop of rain fell the entire day. Later that day, we heard the news that the typhoon changed its course. Lucky us.

And so, with the weather cooperating with us, I was able to take some photos of the Taal Volcano during our stop (on the way home) at Starbucks beside the Taal Vista Hotel (formerly Taal Vista Lodge). Nah, I'm not endorsing Starbucks. And, my Starbuko shirt doesn't mean anything as well. :) But this branch is, by far, the best Starbucks branch I've seen so far. Well, in terms of location and the building itself.

Anyway.

Here are a some of the photos I took while having a sip of my Iced Caramel Machiatto. Iced as if it's not yet cold in Tagaytay. Well, at least I didn't have frappuccino like my parents and sister have. Lol. It's foggy that time, that's why I didn't have a clear shot of the volcano. This is the best I could being a noob photographer having an ordinary digital cam. I guess if Ron would sell his old cam for Php 2000, as he buys the Php47k Canon 30D, I could shoot some better photos. :P




Maybe, I should change the title of this post to Starbucks having Tagaytay City as its subtitle huh? :D

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Web: Guitar to Get Laid

Just stumbled upon this ;)

Click the image to see it clearly.

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Personal: Happy Birthday to Me!

Damn! I almost forgot that it's my birthday today... Cheers!

I hope someone would send a Wii at my house today. *hint* *hint* ^_^

Thanks to those who already greeted me, but I do prefer cash. Really. :P

Edit:
The family had dinner at Gerry's Grill to celebrate my birthday. Now my nape kinda hurts, I guess it's because of Kare-Kare and Sisig. Ooohh.. Finally, Bige was able to come. She was not able to join us for dinner on my parent's anniversary and mom's birthday because of work.

Also, thanks to Gem and Coni for giving me a delicious chocolate cupcake, a puppy cookie-on-a-stick, and a puppy magnet. :)

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Personal: Music video stills

Below are some pictures taken during our music video shooting last Saturday. I didn't write nor sang the song, I was just chosen to play as the main character in the video...a consequence when you're dad is one of the sups of the production, you're always into consideration.

Anyway, shooting this music video was a lot harder than my first on-screen appearance for a drama flick in Net-25. Well, I was just an "extra" that time, reason why it wasn't that hard.

Shooting this music video was hard because we traveled back and forth, from one location to another; I had to change clothes a lot of times; I had to ride at the back of a vehicle while raising my electric guitar; did the shoot for 13 hours; and I had only 4 hours of sleep. I was really exhausted after, but it was, at the same time, fun. Jacob, one of my childhood friends, is also in the video. I just wish that the outcome will be good. I'll probably post the music video here once editing is done.

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Personal: Bonus = Expenses

Last pay day, like all other employees, I was excited that I was about to receive my 13th month pay. All the hard work(?) pays off(?)...But I have to admit that I got really frustrated at how much tax was deducted (could've bought another gadget with it! Darn!). Moving on... Darn!

Along with the bonuses are the expenses....My oh my... It didn't even took at least 2 days, and I got to spend almost every peso of my bonus... Paid some debts, paid other household bills, but the gravest of all, impulse buying...again. Well, at least I got to buy the Transformers Movie DVD that I promised myself that I'll buy, and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' album (Don't You Fake It). And as a plus, Eagles' new album: Long Road Out Of Eden, haven't listened to it yet though.

The Transformers Movie DVD's packaging is nice. I love the way the DVD case was done. It has a black, glossy, metal-like finish with the Autobots' metal-like logo embossed in the front and the Decepticons' logo embossed at the back. The only thing I didn't like about the DVD is that the physical appearance of the discs (2 discs) are not so "original DVD-ish". It's just like the typical pirated discs: monochrome, plain design, nothing special. Content-wise...Well, I haven't watched the additional features yet since my weekends, until January, are fully-booked.

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' album is one of my current favorites. So, the moment that I saw their album on the racks, I immediately bought it. Been listening to their music since a friend of mine introduced Your Guardian Angel and Face Down to me. RJA has other good songs, such as: Cat and Mouse, Angels Cry, False Pretense. IMO, this album is a good buy, that is if you're into Rock (Emo). Our band (NME), was able to cover the two first mentioned titles but were not yet able to record it yet (due to schedule conflicts). Check my Imeem account for our messy cover of Your Guardian Angel (you've got to have an Imeem account to be able to listen though).

As for the Eagles' album, I would probably post a review about it once I get the chance to listen to it. Lol.

And those are some of the expenses that I had for the past 3 days...Darn! I have to open a savings account right away! Would someone strictly remind me of this!? Or better yet, invest on something, a business perhaps? Just like what I've read in an article somewhere: that I should spend on assets, not on liabilities. Well, noted. Just noted.

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Tech: MyAccess Prepaid SIM Turned 1

Net-25's MyAccess Prepaid SIM celebrated its 1st year anniversary last week, at Greenhills, San Juan. MyAccess Prepaid SIM card was initially launched last year at Hard Rock Cafe in Makati (I was there but didn't make it on time to see the program, but I had free dinner. *grin*). The SIM card is powered by Globe which basically offer users all the capabilities that the typical Globe prepaid SIM has to offer plus more (About Net 25, Jobfair, Marketplace, and Rewards and Promos).

· Discounted intra-community SMS/Text rates (Net25 MyACCESS to Net25 MyACCESS) = PhP0.75/message plus:

o Sim type: 64 k

o 500 Phonebook Capacity

o Stores up to 80 messages

o NDD (National Direct Dial) capability and

o IDD (Int’l. Direct Dial) capability

· Pre-loaded with FREE PhP50.00 worth of SMS/Text messaging use (to avail, please load a minimum reload of PhP25.00 immediately upon purchase of your Net25 MyACCESS)

· Save PhP135.50 for a 25-minute call! Just dial “2250” + the 10-digit mobile number (subscriber will be deducted PhP25.00 for every call made even if 25 minutes is fully consumed or not. No registration needed). This is exclusive to MyAccess SIM subscribers (not sure though if this is still active...hehe).

· PhP0.10 per second call! Just dial “232 + the 10-digit number (no registration needed)

· GLOBE UnlimiTXT: unlimited SMS/Texting for the whole day! Registration via “2870”

I still have 2 MyAccess Prepaid SIMs and I'm willing to give them to anyone. Just send me a message. ;)

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Personal: Bailey's Mint Chocolate

I was able to spot this new addition to Bailey's "flavours" in a liquor store at Robinson's Galleria. The impulse buyer in me strikes again as I immediately, without any hesitations, grabbed one box (the bottle is inside a box because it has a free cocktail shaker). The next day, I realized that my allowance is Php 690 short...Darn!

I'm not sure though if Mint Chocolate is the one that we had before. I was actually looking for that sweet and "chocalate-y" Bailey's the family had a few years back when our relatives from the US celebrated New Year's Eve with us at Frasers Place in Makati. Last New Year, my family celebrated New Year's Eve with a bottle of Bailey's again, but that time we bought Irish Cream, which all of us, after a couple of sips, don't want to try again. We were not actually sure then if it was the one we had before. Damn, our guess was wrong.

Ron, a colleague and friend, told me that it was something like Creme de Cacao. I tried looking for it, but failed. Well, I'm hoping that this one will taste good, if not better.

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Music: Endless, A Silent Whisper by Urbandub

Lyrics:

The night belongs to us
We're caught in a world of our own
We cling to the hope it would change for us
Is it in vain? Is it too late?
Why did it have to be you than I.
I heard the news today.

Is this the beginning of our last dance?
Once around the floor, can we do it again?
I feel the thrill from words we say,
I love you.

Embrace so much tighter
This could be our last together
Heaven sheds tears for the wounded hearts
Our forever has been torn apart

Our vast religions
Won't help us answer
What was pre-destined for us to have
Since long ago.
It's hopeless

The world it turns with us
Hold me in closer, don't let go of me
Now we close our eyes and let go to the night
The night we feel alive.

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Web: Some Internet Trick

Just something to do...It won't bring you any good nor harm if you try it or not. :)

1. Open a browser and go to the Google homepage.
2. Click the IMAGES link, and search any image.
3. Once the browser has finished loading the search results page, enter this in the address bar of your browser:

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI= document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i<DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5; DIS.top=Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5}R++}setInterval('A()',5 ); void(0)

This is what would happen if you've done this [link].

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Tech: Asus EEE PC

Last Tuesday, I bought the T3 Magazine Philippines - November 2007 issue. I'm a regular buyer of this mag, as well as other gadget mags which is my way of getting updated on the latest gadgets and gizmo's (well, that's what I always say to myself...). Anyway, T3 Mag's Featured Article is the 100 "Greatest" Gadgets Countdown having, ahem, Christine Reyes as the cover/gadget girl. Moving on, I assume that the gadgets are randomly arranged. But for some obvious reasons, the iPhone is on the first page of the article. However, I won't talk about the now "common" iPhone. Lol.

I continued reading, ignoring Christine's pictures. On page 3, there's the Asus EEE PC. I actually didn't know anything about it but when I saw the price (~$399), I suddenly got interested. I remember seeing it at Engadget, though I really never read the article since I don't have plans of buying a laptop...yet. I started researching about the UMPC, reading reviews and stuff. Asus EEE Pc is a very basic laptop basically made for word processing, surfing the net, IMs, few games, but not for your regular media stuff due to its processor (Intel Celeron), low hard disk space (4Gb SSD), 7-inch LCD screen, and graphics card (Intel UMA, equivalent of Intel GMA 900, not sure about it tho). Oh, and it uses Linux as its OS. It is fairly priced, IMO, at $399. I was thinking that this would suffice my surfing needs while on the go since I already have my PSP for gaming, and Ipod for music/video (and this could also serve as my external HDD). Though, I still have to see and hold it personally before I get conviced that I'll buy it. :)

Click this [link] to see the specs of the Asus EEE Pc.

Asus EEE PC reviews links:
@ CNET.com
@ Engadget
@ Gizmodo
@ EEEUser.com
@ TweakTown.com

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Personal: Wakeboarding by Cable

The 1st Muhlach Wakeboarding Championship was Sports Unlimited's feature story last night. The event was launched and hosted by Aga Muhlach himself. It was held at Lago de Oro at Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines.

While watching the show, I can't help but recall the excitement it brought to me when I first wore the orange lifevest, kneeled on a beginner's wakeboard (first timers were encouraged to do "thing" while kneeling), grabbed the cable, and splashed-tumbled-splashed into the water. I can say that this water sport is very addicting even if I've only done it for an hour since I can't just simply wait for my turn (me and my (office) teammates were on rotation). In that entire hour, I was only able to make a complete round twice, and that was during my last 2 runs. But I can say that that 2 complete rounds were very very fulfilling. If only time and money was not a factor, I've probably done it for the entire day. The feeling it gave me was very similar to the first time I've done scuba diving. Ironically, I still haven't perfected the art of floating on water. I also have a slight fear of doing water sports since I've almost drowned more than a couple of times. Too bad...

Another resort that offers wakeboarding by cable here in the Philippines is the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) situated at Camarines Sur (located in the central part of the Bicol Region, south of Metro Manila).

My dad wanted to go to CWC. Of course I said I also wanted too, hoping that he is serious about it. When that time comes, I'm going to make sure that I have pictures taken as remembrance.

To make this long story short, Wakeboarding is a must-try water sport. :)

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Web: The 2007 Weblog Awards

Nah, I'm not a nominee...but maybe someday...someday... ;)

Well, you might discover some interesting blogs in the Weblog Awards site , just like I did. And if you happen to like a blog, might as well vote for it. Ayt? Polls will close November 8, 2007.

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Personal: Why Guitars Are Better Than Women

Got this from the MadStratter's blog. Ladies, no harm intended. :)

• Guitars don’t get pregnant.
• You can play your guitar any time of the month.
• Guitars don’t have parents.
• Guitars don’t whine… unless you want them to.
• You can share your guitar with your friends.
• Guitars don’t care how many other guitars you’ve played
  
• Guitars don’t care how many other guitars you have.
  
• Guitars don’t care if you look at other guitars.
  
• Guitars don’t care if you buy guitar magazines.
  
• You’ll never hear, “Surprise, you are going to proud father of a new guitar!” unless you go out to buy one yourself.
  
• If your guitar is flat you can fix it.
  
• Your guitar doesn’t care if you never listen to it.
  
• Your guitar won’t care if you leave up the toilet seat.
  
• You don’t have to be jealous of the guy who works on your guitar.
  
• If you say bad things to your guitar, you don’t have to apologize before you play it again.
  
• You can play your guitar as long as you want and it won’t get sore.
  
• You can stop playing your guitar as soon as you want and it won’t get frustrated.
  
• Your parents won’t remain in touch with your old guitar after you dump it.
  
• Guitars don’t get headaches.
  
• Guitars don’t insult you if you’re a bad player.
  
• Your guitar never wants a night out with the other guitars.
  
• Guitars don’t care if you’re late.
  
• You don’t have to take a shower before you play your guitar.
  
• If your guitar doesn’t look good you can refinish it or get new parts.
  
• You can play your guitar the first time you meet it, without having to take it to dinner, see a movie, or meet its mother.
  
• The only protection you have to wear when playing your guitar is a decent thumb pick.
  
• When in mixed company, you can talk about what a great time you had the last time you played your guitar.
  

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