Change is Coming (a.k.a. if Duterte wins)

This is one of a few notes I posted in Facebook a week before the Philippine Elections. Duterte has since won the elections - although an official announcement has yet to be made, and his opponents have since conceded victory to him.

In less than a week, this political ‘Game of Thrones’ that the Philippines is currently in will finally end, and as the dust settles, one person will eventually be victorious. Who will it be? If polls and the some of nation’s pulse are to be believed, it seem to be a tell tale sign for said change. Having asked a few people from differing walks of life, these people would proudly say they are voting for Duterte. When asked why, they respond that he will introduce change - one that will be beneficial to those in the lower class.

Let’s explore this a bit, shall we...

Many people believe that a Duterte win will change the status quo; that discipline will ensue; that drugs will be wiped out; that crime will be eradicated. That the inactions of the current administration, and it’s seeming insensitivity to the plight of ‘many not belonging to the ruling political party’; the ones seemingly ignored, will finally be addressed.

One the other hand, those supporting other candidates are not shy in saying the man is a dictator, he won’t respect the rule of law, nor will he shy away from killing. They even go so far to say that a win by Duterte will mean a return to Martial Law - raising the fear of losing all the gains this country has won, after the dictator was ousted.

Sounds like a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ situation - right?

Let me play Devil’s Advocate for a while snd say this... I wish Duterte would win. Here’s why...

No Drugs: The proliferation of drugs will ground to a halt. Remember the Marcos years? All FM had to do was to have one drug lord executed, and suddenly, everyone get the message. Drug dealing will lead to your death... no Bilibid vacation with all the perks and continuous VIP treatment. Nada. Just a cold, shallow grave. Oh yeah, might as well suspend the Commission on Human Rights for a year - after all, during his honeymoon period (and beyond), they will just be a lone voice against the necessarily violent whirlwind of change. We could use the funding and energy for something else.

The law won’t allow this, but what the hey... why did we vote for him anyway, fi we won’t allow this to happen? It is part of his prerequisite to Peace and Order promise, right? It’s a small price to pay for a better, safer future for our kids (take note, Kris A. after all, your commercial says you’ll vote for someone who can make the Philippines safe for your kids.)

Medical Marijuana? Good luck convincing the man about it.

Limit Crime via Curfew: Since a lot of crime happens in the evening, why not use declare curfew. I’m sure a lot of parents will breath a sigh of relief knowing their kids will be home instead of partying until the wee hours of the morning. So will wives (or husbands) like the thought that their spouse will be home instead of enjoying themselves elsewhere.

it won’t be a problem for BPO employees since they’re working anyway... so long as they don’t go out and cross the streets to buy cigarettes - besides, the stores will most likely be closed anyway.

How about the hospitality business? Casinos, Pubs, Bars, Pleasure places? Sorry kiddies... closed by 12 - and for employees taking the public, even earlier, lest they get caught out in the street on the way home. Unless... like the BPOs, they keep their captive audiences until Curfew ends. There can always be exemptions given to certain locations, say like the Casino rich Pasay area - that is, if Duterte will allow gambling to prosper. Then again, he does not kowtow to the Catholic Church, so who knows?

Focus on the Nation: I mean, let’s face it... the man isn’t diplomatic. Already, there are worried concerns of being ostracized by other nations like the U.S., Singapore, Australia... and he hasn’t won yet. What happens if he does? Well the worry is that many non-resident workers will be forced to go back home.

Well, that’s good, right? Duterte will solve the brain-drain that is happening. And if people are out of the country, and get told to go back home by a country no longer welcoming them?Well... serves them right for unpatriotically leaving the Philippines, right? Never mind that they did it to help give a better life for the loved ones they left back here. And had they not left, we wouldn’t have too many broken families and delinquents.

Oh yeah... that better life? Goodbye. That Condo unit they’re paying for? Goodbye - and maybe because of that, the Condo industry will now have a more socialized pricing structure, rather than those ridiculously sky high prices that only the rich, the expats, or those working abroad, can afford. Okay, scratch out the last one, as they’ll be losing their jobs. But c’mon... it won’t be that bad. After all, how can these countries survive without the Filipino workforce? How can a lot of countries afford to lose their highly skilled, highly professional, highly diplomatic and service oriented workforce? What’s that you say, there are other countries willing to fill the void? Nonsense. The Filipino is world-class!

If he doesn’t win, others will claim to have a revolution. Interesting...

The problem is, revolutions primary movers are the people with money - and ones willing to risk some to win a lot. Such has always been the case. And the losers are mostly the poor. You’ve watched Les Miserables, go figure... who will suffer the least? The rich who are in position to protect their interests by hiring people to do just that. The poor will end up fighting the poor.

Duterte is not above receiving gifts. He finds nothing wrong with it. Guess who can give the gifts? The poor? So guess whose interests will continue to be protected?

You really want to get rid of the man? Let’s all support his trip to Spratlys with intent to plant the flag - let him be the hero.

I’m sure I can think of other ideas... but I think you get the picture. All these sacrifices acceptable to you? Are your interests aligned with this possible vision of the future? If yes... by all means, vote for change. After all, the current situation sucks, right? Right? Tell you what though... it really is tempting to go the Détente route.

Of course, I’m just rambling... what do I know?

Now... if I’m still around by tomorrow, I’ll focus my sights on other candidates as well. Until then, think about who you’ll vote for.

Boy... it's been ages!

Yeah. I mean, as the title says, it has been ages since my last blog.

Funny thing is, I had an excuse back then. I was busy. Now? Not too busy. So I plan to try reviving my blogs (not just this one; assuming I can remember their passwords. :) ) starting with this entry right now. Short and sweet... but I play to export a few other 'articles' or notes that I've written recently. I just need to get around to writing them.

The Nancy Gambit - a What If...

As partial and unofficial results of today's Senatorial elections have started to trickle in, people will start seeing trends... it matters not if those trends represent less than 1% of the votes. I guess Filipinos love seeing a race, and are curious to see if horses (er... I mean Senators) they've placed their bets (for this nation's future) on will be part of the magic 12. And though it will definitely be premature to declare any sure trend at this juncture, one thing seems to be evident: many people voted for Nancy Binay. Normally, this would not even consider a second look... so what? One might ask, isn't she as qualified as the others? Well... that is the big debate. She has neither political background, nor the seeming resolve to run for the position of being a Senator.

Why do I say this? It's not as if her background is unknown... specifically a glaring lack of having served in any official capacity as a Councilor, Vice-mayor, Mayor or even as a representative of Congress. Nope... none of the above. And yes, despite this, she is still in the leader's circle - whether she can sustain it, we shall see... Then, of course, there was the famous line that got people wondering just how serious or committed she was. You see, in one of the supposed interviews, she did hint at the fact that the decision to run did not even come from her, but from her father... the nation's incumbent Vice-President.

Did she present a platform, at least? None that the media has presented. You see... Nancy's campaign trail can also be cited for her refusal to enter into any 'issues' debate. And if she really did not have any preparation, nor any convincing thought about running, maybe steering clear of any debate was a good idea. After all, it seems that this nation still puts a high premium on image... and not necessarily on intelligence.

But let's get down to the one possible and real reason for Nancy's joining the Senate race.

What If... this were a test for 2016? People might say many things... I'm sure among them will be, it's too early to even think about that. But what if I say, on the contrary... if you're not even thinking of 2016 at this point, you're sure to lose.

The matter wasn't really if Nancy would win or lose... well, if she won, it would be icing on the political cake that is the Binay political machinery. After all, what if this were a test to see how solid the Binay support would be? If any family had the greatest clout right now, I would say it's the Binays. And I don't know if anyone knew this? But Vice President Jejomar had his eyes on the Presdidency as early as 2010 (at least). Why do I say this? Because he has been building his political clout way beyond Makati for some time now.

Think about it... how many Sister-city programs has Makati been a part of... let's not count the City sisterhood pacts abroad (though they too help a bit), but just the ones... most specially the ones in our country's provinces. Through these sister-city memorandum, the local government of Makati would be able to help in their less advanced sister city's development. This in turn, gives VP Binay and his family, political deposits, as the mayors and other officials would be thankful for Makati's help in building/improving their resources and capabilities... be they in knowledge or skills exchange. By virtue of this program, more so when he was still Mayor of Makati, and could relate to his peers in a more direct manner, he gained a lot of Political clout (and what if these included political favors?).

The fact that Binay went this route shows how much of a planner the man is... and more so, how great a political strategist he likewise is. This became the man's grassroot campaign. A campaign that was set up for his use as early as 2010. If this were true, why didn't he run for President in 2010? Hindsight can tell us a lot... but again, without proof, I can only give What If's. Yes he could... and who's to say he wasn't contemplating on it. If he did, he would have faced off against Gibo Teodoro, Manny Villar, Erap Estrada and Mar Roxas. I would speculate that Binay saw this as a crowded race with all candidates having national exposure and political machinery.

What made him decide to go the VP route instead? I could say practicality... of the names mentioned in the list, Erap still seemed the viable popular vote, and despite all his clout, Binay wasn't sure of a win against  the former president. I could also say a form of political payback... specially when it came to supporting the son of the woman who first gave him said position in Mahe inside track, Jojo was one of the first to run for VP - even endorsing Noynoy for President, despite the fact that Mar's Liberal Party was the official party where Noynoy would be running. Of course, I could also say, it was a great political move. A risk? Maybe... but one that got him on the inside track to a more viable position. Did anyone notice how Binay wore the color yellow (a color highly associated with the Aquinos) more than Mar? Chiz Escudero's last minute endorsement not withstanding, Binay had the advantage with a mix of clout, machinery and public sympathy.

Now... forward to the present. With Nancy, think of it as VP Binay flexing his machinery muscles, in preparation for 2016. He is looking at the results quite eagerly. You see, running and winning in Makati would be a shoe-in for any Binay... but a Nationally elected office like the Senate? Now that would be a test indeed with the results telling him where adjustments need to be made for his goal... adjustments he has at least two years to focus on... and with a Senator on his side (he may have more than one, mind you), he can implement - through Nancy, programs that will make the Binay name well remembered come next Presidential election.

Who should he be looking out for? Take a look at the Senatorial results. It would make for a lot more What If analysis.

Blogging on the go... hitches experienced

Yes, I've been trying to blog on the go with Blogger.com and my iPad. Unfortunately, it seems that there is a glitch in the Blogger application when launched in the iPad... specifically, when I'm typing out my blog - and when it gets to be several paragraphs long, I find it difficult to scroll down to the end, so that I can type my next paragraph.

For some reason, and this is what I find frustrating, there is no page down or (go to the) end button, so I can continue typing where I left off. I always end up at the top, and since there is no down button, or end button and there is no scroll bar (to scroll down either), I find myself trying different ways to go down, and when I reach the end - again, for some strange reason, it automatically brings me up to the beginning again. It's utterly frustrating!

Then there's another thing... uploading pictures. It only allows pictures from the blog (meaning those I've used at one time or another), or some that have been uploaded in a webpage... but no allowable way to upload a picture from my iPad library for the first time - oh yeah, it may allow uploading from a smartphone, but not the iPad. So much for wanting to add pictures.

It's mostly because of these two frustrations that I find blogging on the go (meaning using my iPad) frustrating... and greatly limiting. Hence my not going at it full swing. I don't know if I should look for an iPad specific version of the Blogger apps, or just switch to Wordpress or something else.

My death in a dream

This one's a woozy... last night, I dreamed that I died. The reason wasn't even clear - it seemed to have started with the fact that someone (also unclear) told me I had died and I did not believe it. To even prove it, I touched a pillar and felt it... sort of showing that they were wrong and I was not dead.

This changed with the next thing that happened - namely my being able to pass through a door... and I thought, crap... it's true. The next thing I know, I see relatives (alive, and for some reason, they were mostly my in-laws) and start making an effort of talking to them - and for some reason, though they did not see me, they felt me and heard me, but not collectively... rather more as a one-on-one communication, as I had to stay close to them for them to somehow feel me.

The culmination of this dream was after having talked to my in-laws and extended family, I then entered a room where my family was - I even made the winds open the doors and sort of part the curtains... thing is, this seemed to be a separating door between hotel rooms, so where'd the wind come from, right? I knew that, and was counting on it to sort of announce my presence. Yeah... apparently, even when dead, I have this knack for the dramatics.

I then have this one-on-one conversation with my daughter, Bernice, embracing her - trying to tell her all the advise I can give in so short a time. Advise I did not  bother giving while I was alive and around, but suddenly... due to limited time on my part, and wanting to counter the frustration of not being around to help her anymore, said set of advise was one of the most important things in the world to me for her, right then and there. The gist of it all? How she should believe in herself, listen to her heart, not just trust anyone, and rely on family - now just her mom and brother, plus her extended family for help.

I next gravitated to my son, Bryce, to do the same thing... and one thing struck me. As far a legacies go, I had nothing to give them. I just had my comics collection - which I told him was his now that I was gone... theirs' actually, since I did not want to not give my daughter anything. While thinking this, I realized (belatedly in the dream, anyway) that I was leaving my family in a not too good position... though I also, someway realized that if one parent had to go - better me than Barbie, for she could care for the family much better than I could.

My dream ended before I could have my conversation with Barbie.

Needless to say, I was left thinking about my mortality, and my current health state - and though as I said earlier, the reason for said death was not apparent, it still made me do a quick assessment of how healthy I was. Though lacking in the exercise department, I do make sure I have a healthy diet. It also reminded me of how much I have helped my kids in the past - and how incomplete such a mission was at this point. After all, I guess, I assumed I'd always be around to help them when they asked... that I would always be there until they were settled with their own family.

I still have to figure out why I suddenly had this dream though... and it was important enough that I even looked it up in a dream interpretation site. Here's the link to said interpretation, though I've also copied a portion that I feel was significant.

dreammoods.com

"To dream that you die in your dream symbolizes inner changes, transformation, self-discovery and positive development that is happening within you or your life. You are undergoing a transitional phase and are becoming more enlightened or spiritual. Although such a dream may bring about feelings of fear and anxiety, it is no cause for alarm as it is often considered a positive symbol. Dreams of experiencing your own death usually means that big changes are ahead for you. You are moving on to new beginnings and leaving the past behind."

There's more, but as I said, I think this is the more significant portion. Does this mean anything? Who knows? After all, how do you react to something that is not yet happening? Anyway, if there is anything I've resolved to do, it would probably be to be a bit more participatory, and less hands-off with my kids lives. I mean, I do this to signify I trust them... but who knows, it wouldn't hurt if I ask to be involved in their thought processes, once in a while.

Cebu airport... In real need of upgrading.

Cebu's International airport lead a lot to be desired. As far as airports go, this one is so small. It hardly has any selection for food kiosks or restaurants - at least, ones that offer a wide variety of selections. It's basically an airport that lacks a lot of the usual amenities and technology that most international airports have.

Granted, I don't really care for the size... So long as it has the amenities. After all, if one is expected to check in about two hours before their flight, the least the airport can do is offer comfortable amenities to their regular (and not just their VIP) guests... Heck, even their VIP lounge is 'wanting'.

Still, if I were to count my blessings... few as they are, regarding this airport, at least I can say they've one decent coffee place (Bo's), and it has WiFi - though even this can be sluggish. The airport tries to have WiFi for others, but one can hardly log in to join.. and mind you, this is a Wednesday, when the airport is near empty with little passengers.

Yeah... when will we see something somewhat resembling a more decent and proud to have airport here in Cebu? I mean, after all... Manila's domestic and international airports are at least presentable ( though they too woefully lack concessionaires serving inside the terminals.

Bernice's dance recital (a long delayed post)

I was unable to post this before... I guess you could chalk it up to having been too busy before. Now that I'm not too busy, it becomes a matter of recalling an event that happened close to 9 months ago. So this also needs a little recall.

It started with Bernice having her summer vacation, and asking us if she could join a dance workshop - one that I would later find ot be organized and handled by the Power dancers (at least, that is who I think they are). Needless to say, this took the better part of the entire summer, and we were lucky that she had a friend/school mate (Ella) who was attending the same class, so she could go with her friend whenever they went to the practice.

Naturally, as most of these workshops are wont to do, they would have some kind of recital as proof of how their nearly months of practice helped their students. Well here is my assessment of such... at least, form the part of how I saw Bernice.

The recital was held in the RCBC theater, in Ayala avenue. It started about an hour late - not very professional, and we (that is, the audience) was getting antsy - finally, when the show started, it opened with each student doing some moves - giving them a very brief (roughly 5 seconds) spotlight exposure. As Bernice took to the stage, I noticed that her moves were slightly reserved... yes, she was dancing, but she still had some obvious stage fright. Not surprising, after all... this was her first time.

Bernice then participated in three more dances, interspersed across the rest of the show. I still noticed how she would mostly go with the flow... be in the background and be an almost invisible part of the dance numbers. It was nice to watch her, and even two of her friends watched and were elated to see her (and Ella) do their moves. I even got to tape the dances using the iPad... and posted at least one in YouTube. At the end of it all, Bernice said she wanted to do things again come next summer vacation. I believe her, after all... performing on stage can give you a rush (as I used to feel when I was part of the ADB chorale - an experience I did at least twice). So I know she'll do this again, and come next time, I know she'll show a bit more confidence in her performances.

Too bad I had no pictures as I listened to and complied with the message of cameras not being allowed. Hnh... almost half the audience brought cameras... so I know better next time.

A very unexpected Jolibee drive through

Chalk this one up as a brief and wonderful happening. You see, I was driving along Ortigas on an early Sunday evening. With me was my family, and we had just come from Greenhills shopping center, having done some groceries in Unimart. I was not trying to find the most convenient route back home. Barbie also needed to stop by an ATM machine to get some allowance money for Bernice - which meant going in another direction.

I thought that since Ortigas avenue was not allowing cars to do a U-turn (and I though one convenient route was to do a U-turn, I decided to take a right at the next corner (where there is a Jolibee and Cafe France eatery) - the street itself is a sort of dead end... being a closed gate to a subdivision. I had the intent of using this dead end, and making a U-turn in it to allow me ot make a left witht he help of the traffic light, thus being able to go to the other side of Ortigas without having to make the U-turn in Ortigas - from there, I could take a service road leading straight to Wilson street, which was basically my intent as it represents the most convenient way home. Unfortunately, the dead end was busy with some kind of repair, so I went into the car park of  Cafe France to execute my U-turn.

It was at this point that barbie noted the Jolibee drive through menu and candidly mentioned to the kids (technically teens now) of how in years past when they were much younger, there would not pass a weekend without our going to Jolibee because it was what they wanted most. Well... suddenly, this discussion went to barbie realizing (and possibly voicing out what everyone was thinking) that it has been some time that we've had Jolibee - and suddenly, before we knew it, we were asking each other if they wanted Jolibee.

Needless to say, we all agreed and I maneuvered the car into the drive through. Barbie, Bryce and I had the Joli-hotdog, wich Bernice had the Cheese burger. Each of these came with Cokes (regular for the kids and zero for Barbie and me) and fries. And as I was driving home, we were enjoying our food - me whenever I had the chance to grab and bite my sandwich and fries while carefully driving.

Imagine that... just out of nowhere, we were reliving our old days as a family enjoying Jolibee. I guess the memories and experience of enjoying Jolibee as a family has been ingrained into our DNA, deeper than we realize... or it's just the act of wanting to experience the same feeling as before - even if just by a drive through. Needless to say, we weren't really hungry - but we enjoyed our meals. In fact, for some of us, it became dinner (or part one of our dinner).

Maybe this should be a possible plot for Jolibee's next commercial.

Blogging on the go...

This is the third blog post that I did on the fly, using my iPad 2 as the device to record my thoughts, ands though the other two did not appear here (they were more training and teaching related, hence their being placed in my training related blog), they and this particular entry signify a shift in my blogging habits.

I now get to blog in a more immediate (some might even say a more timely) manner. Should an idea come across, I can whip up my iPad, and type things out - like what I'm doing now, and just type away my thoughts. So yeah, I've said it before that I will find the time to make more blog entries.... and I did not get to really do it. Well, now, it becomes more a reality.

Downside to this (for now, anyway) is the fact that I've no way to place pictures I've taken from my camera directly into blogs I've posted via the iPad. Still, I can take pictures with the iPad, so that shouldn't be an insurmountable problem. More like a situation I have not yet resolved - but resolve it I shall.

Meanwhile, it looks like this particular blog will see a whole lot more minutiae musings from me, as it was meant to be.

My Piazza Food Adventure - 19-Jan-2012

Thursday evening was dry - which was good news, it meant we need not have worried about getting rained out, specially since the event was happening at the Piazza open grounds, with just a large tent pitched up and tables with chairs arranged to give an outdoor dining experience mood.

I'd just come form my training (a walk away from where this event was happening - which is a definite plus factor for me) and went through the motion of introducing myself to the organizers with the help of Jinky. Apparently, I arrived just in time as the entire place was already set-up; ready to accept their invited guests. I was given my passport, a wristband was placed on me and settled down to my table, I was then approached by some helpful people representing their respective establishments, with he intent to help kick start my Food Adventure.

As this was my first experience participating in such an event I was definitely excited to jump into tasting mode. I started out my getting an 8oz. Moroccan Mint Hot Tea Latte from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, as this was something I would occasionally order with them, it helped me get into the right, relaxed mood. As always, this beverage had a relaxing effect on me. As I normally get this product, I did not bother to rate it - after all, I would have been biased. SO lets just say that I was happy this was one of the six items offered - the others were Chai, English Breakfast, Tropical Passion, Match Green and Apple Pie - in hindsight maybe I should have tried these others... but I tend to be a creature of habit. Maybe next time, I'll try the Apple Pie, I mean, who wouldn't want to try out such a flavored tea latte?

My first dish, courtesy of Little Asia, was their Vietnamese Spring Rolls (the alternative was their Shrimp Curls with Mango Dip, which I tried at a latter time, courtesy of a friend who ordered this option instead), and what I can say about the spring rolls is the fact that they really tasted great... it had the right crunchiness, and I'm a bit embarrassed to say that what started out as a taste test ended up with me consuming the entire serving (even if I had to contend with the hot food - luckily I did not scald my taste palette, but this was my fault and not the food's). We tend to have vinegar as condiment for the spring rolls, and Little Asia's vinegar dip had the right combination of being mildly sweet and sour. Out of five stars I would give this dish a strong 4-stars!

After this, I tried out the Karaage and Kakuni buns from the Ramen Bar. I must say that the Karaage (chicken in this instance) was one of the best tasting dishes of the night - I could have wanted seconds on this; as for the Kakuni buns, they came across as not that spectacular... I guess, by themselves they would have been good - but placed beside the Karaage, they were just easily disregarded (not that I disregarded mine - after all, I still loved eating them. If I were to rank this dish as a whole, I'd give it a 3.5 stars, only because the Karaage - which to me deserved a five star, got dragged down by its side dish.

My next two samples came courtesy of Kuse, Traditional Filipino Cuisine and Old Vine Grille, Kuse's choices were their Lechon Kawali or their Chicken Relleno - I gave into temptation and and got the Lechon Kawali a.k.a. Bagnet, with rice and some pickled unripe papaya strips (a.k.a. atchara). Simply put, the skin was crunchy, the pork was tender, and I had to definitely trim down the fat - even if there was not too much of it, for health food-conscious me. Still, it was nice to indulge a bit. I would suggest that next time, Kuse would try giving the traditional lechon sauce to further emphasice the 'Filipino' experience. I ranked this dish with four stars.

From Old Vine, the options were Grilled Fish Fillet with Lemon Butter sauce or Chicken Barbecue with Fries and Red Beans - I opted for their Grilled Fish Fillet which came with some vegetable salad and rice. Did I say I was not anymore taking the rice that comes with the dishes? Nope, I was concentrating on the dishes themselves. That being the case, I got to enjoy the dish better - and realize that there were some slightly saltier portions. For this dish, I will have to say I loved the fish, and the salad was nice too - but gave it a three and a half stars for the uneven saltiness. Personally, I'd lessen the saltiness - I don't mind a relatively bland dish where I would add the condiment to better fit my taste.

At this point, I needed to slow down, so I opted to take one of the desserts, namely the Yo Swirl yogurt - specifically their Vanilla-flavored version with some chocolate toppings. This would give me a breather, and hopefully reset my taste palette. Now, I have to say that I know how the vanilla yogurt tastes like, as its a regular item I order - though I've yet to try it with some chocolate toppings (as opposed to the usual strawberry toppings I take with my orders). The Yo Swirl break hit the spot, and I was ready to continue my adventure. Next time though, would it be possible ot get more Yo Swirls? No star rating here for the same reason I gave earlier regarding the tea.

The adventure continues and this time I ordered Pho Hoa's Pomelo salad and Red Crab's Dory Fillet with Honey Mustard Sauce - its other option was Fried Stuffed Bean Curd with Crab Relleno served with Garlic Chili sauce. The Pomelo salad is, once again, something I've regularly ordered when I dine in Pho Hoa, and though it is considered an appetizer, I needed it to help make sure I had something to counter any dish that I might be tired of. In other words, 'pang alis nang umay'.

The Red Crab Dory, I'm sorry to say, had that effect on me. I felt that it had too many extenders (flour) and not enough fish in the dish to sort of lose the fish taste - granted that Dory is not a strong tasting fish, something had to be done ot make the fish taste rise up - and tasting the extenders instead gives one the thought, likely or not, that the dish was made with scrimping in mind. So I guess it was just proper that as I was trying out the Dory, I had the Pomelo salad. It is with this concern that I have to rate the dory dish a two stars. In hindsight, I should have ordered the crab relleno - after all, the place will not be called Red Crab if their specialty isn't crab dishes, right?

It was at this point that I felt the need to end my adventure, after all, I was full... really full, and any further adventuring would be less appreciated. But I was not yet ready to leave the venue - not without dessert and a coffee drink. Saving perhaps the best for last, I got my scoop of gelato, courtesy of Sol Gelato. I always was curious as to how their mint flavored, chocolate shell topped gelato tasted like, and this evening was a perfect chance for me to try things out. Now, Sol Gelato is another place I frequent when at the Piazza; in fact, I was just there right after lunch to get some dessert. So I knew that ending the day with a Sol Gelato was the perfect way to cap my eating adventure.

I also ordered my 12oz iced coffee (decaf) from Figaro (another place I frequent for their Barako blend, so no review for this as well... lets just say I liked it, and the fact that it was Decaf meant I wold not be awake in the middle of the night. Also note, that the decaf option was my preference - you can order regular. This drink I milked and sipped as I drove home. There were definitely some other dishes I was unable to try - believe me, I tried trying them all in one sitting... maybe in my younger days as a college student, I might have been up to finishing every dish in the resto hopping adventure - not now though.

Just to let you know what I missed, I'll just make a roll call:
- Empire Deli and Restaurant's options of Grilled Tuna or their Empire signature salad. My colleagues swear to the Grilled Tuna, so that's what I might have ordered.
- Pinchos' duo of Buffalo Chicken Fillet with Chips and Salsa (I like Buffalo wings - thus I'm curious about this as well.
- Blackwood Bistro's Penne Puttanesca (looked tasty, but I was just too full)
- KBOP's Chap Chae (glass noodles) or their Seafood and Vegestables Pancake (this one sounds like its worth a try).

Four dishes left out... man, maybe if I wasn't weight conscious.

So the bottom line... is this adventure worth its Php600 price tag? I'd have to say DE-finitely. You have to try it. It might be too pricey for a family to get individual passports, so maybe in the future Megaworld can consider a family version of the passport. This way, even the members who don't really eat a lot (and in my family, I'm the one who eats a lot) can likewise partake of such a food trip without feeling guilty that they aren't consuming their passport's worth. This allows the possibility of enjoying the adventure Then again, remember... when the adventure is done (it only is valid for the Saturday it was purchased - unless you bought is late Sunday, in which case you can continue using said passport the following Saturday.

For more information, call the Megaworld Lifestyle malls concierge at 7099888, 7090888 or 09178380111.
They have a website: www.megaworldlifestylemalls.com
Like their Facebook page for more updates.

Venice Piazza's Food Adventure

If you happen to find yourself hanging out in McKinley Hill, you'll not miss the Venice Piazza food court in the heart of McKinley - and if you happen to be a 'foodie' (translated as food lover - or lover of food), then this new adventure will be to your taste palette's liking.

Starting January 7, all the way until March 31 - every weekend will see the Piazza transform into a place where food lovers will experience food mecca with 14 participating restaurants offering specially prepared dishes to tickle the fancy of anyone brave (and hungry) enough to participate in said adventure simply dubbed 'Food Adventure'. This is apparently the Piazza's second year in offering this adventure, and they are proud to bring it back for everyone's enjoyment.

The mechanics are simple... each adventurer will be given a passport and wristband - the first will allow them to partake of said dishes prepared for this adventure as it acts as a sort of map to which establishment to try and what dish (or dishes) they offer in this adventure - while the second acts as their identification to the 14 establishments. Armed with these two items, the adventurer can then hop from one restaurant to another; experiencing, not just the food/drink, but the ambiance of each establishment.

These 14 restaurants collectively offer a complete range of appetizers, main courses, desserts and coffee/tea. For establishments offering two meals, the adventurer can choose one of the two options available. By sampling these best-selling dishes, one will be treated to a representation of international cuisine. The 14 establishments are Blackwood Bistro, Empire Deli, KBOP, Kuse, Little Asia, Old Vine Grille, PhoHoa, Pinchos Bar and Restaurant, Ramen Bar and Red Crab Alimango House. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Figaro offer the drinks while dessert will be coming from Sol Gelato and Yo Swirl... all these, for just Php600. Just take note that the passport is non-transferable, and should you find it difficult to finish all the dishes in one day (Saturday), you can return the next day (Sunday) to finish your adventure.

Should you find yourself finished with your restaurant-hopping adventure, your passport also offers special discounts and freebies any day of the week, so your experience continues on. That said, if you've got nothing planned for your weekend, and you would really like to go on a Food Trip - then simply head on over to the Piazza at McKinley Hill, and start your Food Adventure.

I've been privileged to be invited to sample the adventure as part of an advanced blogger group to help market the adventure, and I have to say that I had a hard time finishing the food - but soldier on I did, so I could review the dishes. I shall post these in a separate blog entry, as I will need to refer back to my passport where I jotted down my crude ranking system for each serving. For now, this is to just announce the adventure and of course to thank my friend Jinky Umali for making my experience possible, and likewise my appreciation to Andrea Ruth Padla of the Megaworld Commercial Division for inviting me to the launch of the Food Adventure.

For more information, call the Megaworld Lifestyle malls concierge at 7099888 or 09178380111.
They have a website: www.megaworldlifestylemalls.com
Like their Facebook page for more updates.

Facebook's new Timeline - any good?

I've been using Timeline for the better part of a month now, and frankly, I like how it allows me more control of the page - how it gives a webpage like look, and how it gives an easy to view two column layout.

For my part, I've selected as my timeline profile a picture of the moon (in eclipse mode) - a minimalist view... and why did I choose this? The moon picture gives an aura of mystery and simplicity... two traits I carry. If you've met me, you might agree.

In a way, I'm more open in Facebook than, say, when we meet personally - but you have to realize that this openness has percolated for months... years even, hence it looks like I share a lot more in FB, than I would in a party or social gathering. Not to mean I shun discussions - just that I choose what discussions to join and who to have it with. I envy those that can jump in a present a ease of opening up and sharing discussions with others. On my part, if I'm not talking, its because I would really like to listen.

I don't mind sharing... after all, some would even say I share too much info in FB - and forma security perspective, that may be true. But if you don't share... or if you're too afraid to share in FB, then why bother with it to begin with?

To me, this last idea is akin to people becoming xenophobic due to terrorism. If you change your life because of them - then they win. If, on the other hand, you choose to be open despite their actions, then they do not influence you (or me) and they don't win. So there it is... my real answer to why I share (sometimes too much) in FB.

This is the reason I love Timeline too - it allows me to organize my life - to share my milestones and memories. Lord knows I've a lot of blanks in Timeline... which makes me more appreciative of having a camera with me daily. Call it a vanity... but I don't want to leave this world without even a ripple. FB's timeline is my ripple. If only for that, I would say it is definitely good.

Revitalizing this blog

Yes, its been a while since I wrote something here - not because I have nothing to say, but I've other blogs that I write to... and yet, when I think of it, this is the place I should be placing those short thoughts. Maybe not Twitter short, but short none the less. I will definitely do this starting now. After all, I wouldn't want an ode to a past friend to be the last item ready by anyone visiting this site.

Goodbye Manny A.

I've known him since my high school days... long before he etched an image of himself as advocate for what is right and just for all... long before he earned his rep as a musician, I knew Manny Amador as brother to Ditto Amador. Back then, they were just a pair of Ateneans, and what most probably kept us connected was a shared passion for reading comics - that and a mutual friend, Maxi Fernandez.

In a seeming day and time when the rivalry between Ateneo and La Salle would prevent us from talking civilly to each other, we respected and even welcomed each other's interest in reading comics - and yes, even up to the point of discussing in near impassioned manner, what was happening in the comics, with the characters... just plain old discussions on what is... what if... what are the repercussions... in this imaginary universe filled with heroes.

Manny would play the younger, dutiful brother to Ditto - and they would hang around in the Manila and Makati night life... I would bump into them there as well, though I suspect they spent more time there than I did - but then again, that's the advantage of having a car - and Ditto, being the eldest, was the designated driver.

One thing that struck me was their use of nicknames - not necessarily their own... for example, Ditto was called 'Coach' by Manny - thus indirectly espousing the fact that he looked up to his older brother and sought some form of guidance. Ditto (or Deke, as we now call him) would call Manny 'Canon' - I never did get to ask them why they did that.

One particular time, I contracted the chicken pox - so naturally, I could not go to school - this despite my being a supposed DJ for the school disco... and since this was basically pre celular phone days, I just has no way of contacting friends. Well, Ditto - for some reason called - apparently wanting to read some comics that Maxi did not have... he was asking if it was okay ot drop by. I told him I had Chicken Pox and he just said no problem - they've had theirs already. So it was to my mom's surprise that I had my only visitors while in quarantine, and they were Ateneans to boot.

I really appreciated them for that visit.

From comics and night life, our interest seemed to have shifted to Role Playing Games, and though Ditto as very active in this, Manny on the other hand, was steering clear of the games for their known association with some devil worship - hence the start of Many becoming independent of his 'Coach'. Because of this, I would have lesser mingling time with Manny - in fact the only time I'd see Manny was when I'd visit the Amador home in Sta Ana and catch him there. He'd look at what we were doing and just be on his way, civilly keeping to himself.

This is not to say that Manny never tried role playing games - he just avoided the Dungeons and Dragons milieu- I know this for a fact, because when our group had a Vietnam-milieu RPG, he was one of the first to want to try it out. In fact, this was one of those rare games he and I were part of a game, and I remember a few instances when my character wanted to do something (you see, I was playing the demolitions expert) to his character's chagrin - who was our patrol lead. If I remember correctly, Ditto was the sniper and the GM for this was Allan

I first discovered Manny's musician side when Johnny Alegre and I watched a concert - and Manny was the guitarist... he performed a lot of Police hits, and whether Johnny will admit it or not, he felt like Manny was upstaging him... a fellow musician, albeit a semi-retired one at that point in time. I never got to see Manny play again - and I guess part of that is because I was not too keen on live and loud bands - of which Manny seemed to enjoy doing. So yeah, he was the Rock God-worshiper back then, something strangely considered as a viable combination.

I'd be seeing less and less of Manny - simply because our circles would not be the same. Even if he was Deke's brother, I don't think they were as close as before. Manny was doing a lot of things in his life and Deke was now the underachiever of the family. But I would read about Manny in the news - leading seemingly Quixotic battles for what is right against PLDT, Microsoft and yes... even the government. So as the public knew more of him... I got to know less of him.

Last I saw Manny alive was in - of all places, the grocery. I was with Bryce and we were getting some items for spaghetti (I think), and when we bumped into him, I introduced Bryce to him. Not missing this as a possible opportunity, I asked Manny to give Bryce a bit of advice in IT and Manny gamely gave Bryce his viewpoints. I know Bryce found Manny entertaining - and I wonder if this likewise put some impression on Bryce regarding IT.

So... that was Manny to me - an acquaintance, almost a friend, a good (some would argue 'great') guitarist, a man wiht a mission - be it against population control, metering of phones or the Microsoft juggernaut. But always a man with a smile. One who'd readily call you Dawg, even before I heard it from an American Idol judge, and he'd call himself (sometimes even declaring it to the sky) how handsome he was (Ang pogi ko!!!). Yup, definitely a character - but a sharing soul as well.

Manny died a few days ago - apparently of cardiac failure. The news was sudden... and definitely unexpected. That it happened in Cebu made it hard for us to help him. His remains lie in state at Don Bosco now... and I feel that I should see him for the last time.

Rock the heavens, Manny. I'm sure you shall be missed. Too bad we never had another conversation before you decided to clock out of here.

Wassup with me... oh, busy me...

Ever since I've moved my photoblog elsewhere, this particular blog has not been as active as it used to... and for that matter, it's not because I've little to talk about... okay, maybe I've little to talk about sometimes, but that's beside the point. What I see as the more obvious culprit here is my lack of time to blog what I want... when I want.

It's just that ever since I've shifted jobs, I've found myself really busy - easily filling up my day with work and when I get home, I'm just tired to do anything else... aside from wanting to spend what little waking time I have with my family before it's sleep and rest... only to repeat the process again.

SO that's what's up with me. What's worse? Things look like they will further escalate in - oh, say... three months down the line. So busy as I feel now, things will be even more hectic later.

Security prevents me from being more specific... but let me just say that I'm involved in the latter stages of a system's implementation project... and leave it at that. Maybe when all this is done, I'll talk further about it... or at least, weigh in what I can talk further about.

So where's Year 2?

In case you are one of the few who frequent this place to look at my Photoblog, and you've read my 365th entry where I said I'd do a Year 2, you probably wonder why I haven't started it yet here - or assume I'm awaiting the weekend before I start posting here... both are valid assumptions by the way, but hardly the right answer.

I've decided to dedicate the Photoblog into a separate site - and in case you're curious to see where this is, well... all you need do is follow this link:Butch 365 and you should find my ongoing photoblog. I'm returning this site to it's original intent of having minute ideas that I would like to share - not necessarily revolving around photos. Oh I'll still be posting photos in this site, of course I will... but not to cover 365 days of photography practice.

So there you have it folks... I am doing Year Two. Enjoy it via the link.

Photoblog - Day 365 Apr 09, 2011

Project 365 done.

Yup! I can't believe it's done... and I so look forward to reviewing the year that was.

So did I accomplish what I set out to do with this little experiment? Let's see...

Document the year - oh definitely... in fact I always joke about my having documented the year to remind me - in case I get Alzheimer's at some point in time... knock on wood that I don't, of course.

Use this exercise as a venue for enjoying my hobby? Yup!!! It taught me to take better pictures... maybe I could still improve - who am I kidding? I can still improve a lot - but as it stands, I really like a lot of what I took, and I can safely say that I learned a whole lot about photography in this one year... simply by exercising the skill. As documented, I've bought books (and read them occasionally too), magazines on the stuff - and will continue to do so.

I've learned to do macro shots... and can now do better macro shots, now with my reverse lens ring. I definitely know the rudiments of lighting, focus, shutter speed, ISO and even Photoshop, Lightroom and Microsoft Picture Manager. I've recently gotten a zoom lens, and know how to better use it now... and can capture decent shots for parties, occasions and more the usual roving eye - seeing something mundane, yet taking the shot and making it look anything but mundane. So yeah... definitely strides in the learning, shooting and cleaning/cropping department.

Learn to blog better? I hope so... I'm still far from being a regular blogger - I mean, after all, work can be tiring, or I may get distracted or I may nto be able to use the Laptop - bu I did get to finish this project! Because of this, my other blogs seem trivial in terms of content when compared to this. But on the more technical side, I did learn to re-use (or is that relearn how to use) HTML commands to spruce up my sites.

SO... I guess the question is, will I go for year two? Oh definitely... I'll just decide if it's going to be at once or in a while - after a few days rest, that is. But what I'll definitely do is change venue - maybe put this in my other blog - or create a different one just for this... the project could warrant such a move.
in fact

As someone said, it's the journey - not the destination, that counts... and now that I've completed this one, I can reminisce about it - in fact, I'll do just that, soon as I post this. Meanwhile - cheers to Photoblog Year 1 - 2010-2011. I was a great trip, with great learnings, counltess experiences and captured memories. I shall continue letting people know about it... make them think about doing it... and willingly show them what it can give.

Photoblog - Day 364 Apr 08, 2011

Morning grind:

This is a picture of constructions workers at a building a few lots away from where I sometimes teach - which is at Robinson's Cyber3 building... home of a few Accenture offices, and more importantly, HQ of the publishers to our local FHM magazine. Once again, I'm using my zoom lens to get a closer look.

Time of this shot is approximately 7:45am (yes I sometimes come in that early - though not always), and the workers are just getting ready for what promises to be another long day of labor. These guys have the concrete pillars in place... which is approximately their 20th floor (our building stands on higher elevation), and yes... they too are getting into the working groove - in fact one of them seems to be in the mindset of working already, while the other is still enjoying the sun's not too hot morning rays.

As for me, I'm in this place to conduct another Analysis training... which won't start yet. In fact, if we're lucky, we can start by 8:30am. Ah well... another day, another 8 hours. Man's gotta work after all. Even the rich ones - it's either that or they degenerate, wither and eventually die. Why do I say this? Less people may admit it - but work gives them a reason for feeling needed... relevant. Yeah, it may suck at times... and others may genuinely hate their work (or some aspects of work - like the boss, for example), but give them a week - or two to just stay home, and I bet they'll be raring to do something... anything... to alleviate the boredom.

Photoblog - Day 363 Apr 07, 2011

How many?

What's different about this picture? Did you count how many dogs there are? (not counting Ben, for all you smart alecks out there) If you said four... you'd be right.... after all, I'm not yet that good a Photoshop user to insert something into the picture like a chihuahua.

His name is Pepot (I think) - and he has been passed on to Ben by Ben's friend and Pepot's owner, to care for him while his owner does an Indonesia trip. Meanwhile, since Ben is closer here, he brings Popot here and hope that the dogs won't fight him.

Apparently they didn't. Oh sure... there was the customary smelling and awkward approaches - bt they all accepted him into their fold real fast... plus Buffy had found another playmate... who's size is not so far from that of a kitten.

Man... this place is getting to look like a half-way house for dogs. Lucky for me, Pepot (if that's his real name) isn't the really noisy type... and I had to restrain Buffy whenever she played with too much gusto. I mean, Bruce gives up on her when they're playing... so I think she forgets her strength and weight when sometimes playing with said chihuahua.

Photoblog - Day 362 Apr 06, 2011

Heeee's Baaaack!

It was seemingly only yesterday that Pepper was gone and things would get back to seeming normalcy in this place with just two dogs, when lo and behold... Bruce comes to give us a visit again.

Yup! This not always pugnacious pug has returned to color our lives... how long he'll stay? Well, not too long, I hope. I mean, yeah... I welcome him here - more so now that he's learned - by tagging along with both Bubble and Buffy, to do his business outside and not inside. But I guess, the real reason Bruce is welcome is to sort fo let Buffy have some other things to focus on instead of feeling bored and star chewing on anything she fancies.

Aside from that, who'd guess that this critter from Men In Black can actually pose in a cute manner (yes, that is his cute pose, right there). Oh yeah... MIB is not the first time - it seems, where Pugs were used as other worldly creatures. I recently got a DVD of the original Dune - the one with Sting as a Harkonen, and apparently, The Emperor Shadam IV (or was it the VI?) had Pugs (or at least, one pug) as his royal mascot. So yeah... it seems like Bruce has Hollywood SciFi potential.

Photoblog - Day 361 Apr 05, 2011

New Books!

I really should watch myself whenever I enter a bookstore... these were definitely unplanned purchases, but of there's anything I've learned form these serendipitous moments, it's that these bookstores are fickle when getting inventory, and they don't stock a lot, so if I don't get some promising books then, I may never see them again... or at the more favorable situation, I could reserve them - but this is only good for a week. Needless to say, I decided to get these now than risk fate's fickle favor that should I return another time, these would still be here.

Two books in particular were really hard to let go - the first is a book on design patterns... and not just focusing on one industry, but patters that are universally acceptable, regardless of industry... so wow... definitely useful in IT design considerations... and wherever else I get into. And while we're in the subject of great design...

The next one is a fanboy's dream... specially if that fanboy grew up enjoying the exploits of a certain Female alien who just happens to be a natural born Vampire - and not one converted by a bite. I naturally refer to Vampirella - who probably has the best iconic costume... or if not that, the best one many fanboy's enjoy looking at, should any worthy female model said costume.

The other two don't really figure into the bookstore treasure hunt... the Imag is a photography magazine with lots of tips, while the Teen Titans is, of course, a comic book. I still am wondering where this particular title is going... so I was just curious. Art wasn't bad... story, well... like I said - see where it's going. This issue, they intor a new character, hence my curiosity.

And now it's back to ogling Vampirella artwork for me. One I really enjoyed way back as a high school student... and still enjoy - specially the painted ones, up to now.

Photoblog - Day 360 Apr 04, 2011

Practice:

This was taken at the SM Mall of Asia's Ice Skating area. As I was scanning the activities within said oval, I notices this girl practicing her moves, her form and her skills with the help of a trainer/coach. I did not want to intrude by obviously taking in-your-face shots... so I just took them from afar.

I was hoping she would do aerial maneuvers like a jump or split - btu I could not find the right moment; after all, this was not a set up studio shot... but more like a roving reporter shot. Again, this was made more possible with my zoom lens - and I'm glad that the lens and I are getting more acquainted - in the manner that I'm learning hos to better use my camera with it to avoid shakes.

I was hoping to capture a moment when she's be in air... but I got a few pics of her doing this and turning... the turning pics are okay too - but noting quite shows a skater's elegance as this pose would.

Photoblog - Day 359 Apr 03, 2011

Second stack for April:

Remember that big load of comics I recently got? Well, most of them were March releases - these here mostly represent April releases, and of special mention in this batch is the new FF#1. Yup... from Fantastic Four, we shift to Future Foundation - a bold move for Marvel, through it's innovative team of Johnathan Hickman and Steve Epting.

The issue - as first issues go, is still a build-up. It starts pretty much with Spider-man joining the team, the introduction of the new costumes as well and a very surprising ending... though albeit a bit expected when one looks at the previous issues. But Val, has asked Doom to join said Future Foundation. So imagine that... Three of the original FF with Reed, Sue and Ben; Spider-man, and the FF's ages old nemesis now working as one team... Sorry for the geek moment folks - I guess to appreciate this all, one would have to have been following the old FF's exploits. Needless to say, I can't wait for issue two.

Other than that, it was mostly a Captain America list - what with nearly four issues dedicated to Steve Rogers. This is obvious preparation - and possible marketing for the character as his movie release approaches. Heck, even Secret Avengers was more about Cap than the team.

What made it non Marvel exclusive was my getting newer issues of Sherlock Holmes Year One. After having bought the first arc's compilation a few months back, I liked how Dynamite's creative people were treating Holmes, so was curious to see this new arc - and it's currently in it's third issue. Naturally, I'm still wondering where this is going - after all, it is a challenge to show Holmes with his deductive reasoning on the comic's visual medium... but let me say that it seems that getting these in trade may be a better idea.

Photoblog - Day 358 Apr 02, 2011

Bay Birds:

The title sounds tacky, like a B-quality TV series... but I just happen to be in the Cultural Center of the Philippines area - specifically the Starbucks at the bay area, and spotted these little - but fast flying birds swooping around the waters, near the boats. Dipping, diving up to the water's surface, catching food for them.

What was I doing here? I came - with Barbie, straight from La Salle Taft, where we made the proper reservations for Bryce's entrance to said University, and after which, we decided to enjoy some coffee and relaxation time - hence returning to the Starbucks at the bay area - Canon DSLR in tow (as usual), but this time, I was armed with my zoom lens (just your simple 55 - 250mm), wanting to take some pics of boats and the marina.

Well as it turned out, boats were aplenty - although moored at the far docks - which was fine, since I did have my zoom lens which was good enough for the job... after all, I just wanted to get cluster pictures and not need to see the faces of the people on said boats and yachts... would be nice if I could, but I'd need a lens that can see farther for this.

Anyway, as I was taking the boats into view, I did notice the birds (don't swooping in and out of my lens's view. So I thought, how about taking pictures of these birds as well? Buoyed by my earlier successes with capturing McKinley Plaza pigeons in motion, I gave it a try.

Seems like ther guys were harder to pinpoint - I did mention they were fast right? Well I tried getting a few shots - and since they were some distance away, I needed quick reactions from my camera and it's zoom. What I got wasn't exactly picture perfect... but they did show birds. Ah well... I hope that I';; get better shots next time.

Photoblog - Day 357 Apr 01, 2011

Large Batch!

Yup, as I've indicated in the past, my pull list (jargon for the comics I regularly buy), by virtue of customer service form my usual store, gets set aside for me to pick up every end of the month. This means that at times, I am behind everyone else on reading what is the latest adventure of my favorite heroes... on the other hand, it is a clear indicator that often enough, even if I don't show up for a prized issue that everyone must have and troop to the stalls to get one, I am sure to have it set aside... so long as I indicated it in my pull list.

Well this week represents nearly three weeks of comics pile up, so it's but natural that I have a lot of reading to catch up on, and although I got these when I had cashed my check, I was unable to fond time (believe it, or not) to read them until today. I was just too busy.

So what else is new? I got a letter of mine printed in one of the issues, specifically, this month's Iron Man - as a fan, I find that real cool... and so do my 'like-minded' friends. How was this possible? Email, baby... email.

Aside from this, the highlight of the bunch happens to be the Green Lantern issues, the above-mentioned Iron Man, Captain America and the Finch drawn Batman.

Photoblog - Day 356 Mar 31, 2011

Serene Fountain:

I'd like to think I've an eye for the artistic things in life... plus the fact that I'ma firm believer in the 'simple is more elegant and therefore classy' axiom, so it's no surprise that when I saw this fountain (if it can be really called that) in the lobby of Medical City, I was drawn to it's simplicity - it's artistic design and it's serenity.

You see, unlike most fountains that play with water spouting from some place to rise up and fall with artistic angles and maybe even some play with colors (and piped-in music) this simple... yet elegant fountain promotes peace of mind. Each pillar actually has bubbles flowing up with the water, and when it reaches the top, it simply slides back down... with hardly any ripple and noise, from the glass casing's outer wall.

The result is a series of pillars, showing bubbles going up and water seeping down to the fountain's surface, with hardly any noise at all. As you can see, people like sitting in the general vicinity as the place is shaded, cool and really peaceful to look at. I should know, I was sitting at a Starbucks chair, sipping some hot tea, and enjoying the view myself. The pillars with their bubbles reminded me of aquariums... and despite my rather long wait for Barbie, I hardly got tired of looking at those pillars and the relaxation it brings.

One day, I'd like to have something similar in my own large mansion.

Photoblog - Day 355 Mar 30, 2011

Batirol Once Again!

Even if it seems to be a near impromptu moment, it seems that some of us get to see each other during month-end times, which is not so surprising, since it coincides with our getting our paychecks. Thus most of us are indeed in the Makati area, and for those who are in no rush to proceed elsewhere, there is always Tsoko-nut in SM Makati to meet and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with other dishes.

In this particular case, we may have not been too many - just the people in the picture, namely Benj, Gina, Mon and Fiel; plus the photographer - me. But we still did enjoy each other's company, cheers, jeers and yes... even shamelessly talking about colleagues not around.

These get togethers last about two hours and stretch from lunch until mid-afternoon snack time; but they do make for great quality bonding time.

Photoblog - Day 354 Mar 29, 2011

Bryce Graduates!

This is it! Bryce steps out of High School and the corridors of O.B. Montessori - a school he has been attending for the better part of 10 years. He has proven that he can handle what High School has pitched at him, and nearly finished with an ease that shows that despite how he may be spending a lot of times playing computer games, he can definitely handle the challenges.

Now, however, the challenges will be greater - and not just because it will be a very different environment... but he will be with strangers. I don't know how many of his classmates he'll be seeing in his new school - but it really won't matter. He'll have to work harder.

I'm proud of what he's accomplished, and as the picture shows - so is Barbie... and all I can hope for is that we'll both still be able to help him in any way we can, so his new challenges will be surmountable.

Photoblog - Day 353 Mar 28, 2011

Fire:

This happens to be the insides of a baking oven - particularly, one where pizza can be cooked. I was contemplating on whether to get the over - both in and out... or just concentrate on the inside. Obviously, I opted for the latter because I also wanted to capture the texture of the flames against the logs... though obviously, the logs can't be seen here... just their silhouette.

The other thing different about this picture is the fact that I used my zoom lens for this. You see, I had to take this from across the dining area to the work area of the restaurant - plus I had to content with a glass wall - hence the need to make sure the glass was near-invisible, to look like it was not there at all.

So, basically, I wanted to capture the flames... to make sure they're recognizable as flames... and the rest can be left to everyone else's imagination. But I really liked how the flames emphasize the shape of the oven mouth top - with it's near Moorish-inspires shape; while the walls almost just give a hint on how the rest of said oven mouth's shape actually is.

Photoblog - Day 352 Mar 27, 2011

Earth Hour again!

First of all, as the title might give the wrong impression, I'm not complaining about Earth Hour, as more likely celebrating it - in fact, I've been helping celebrate it for three years now.

I understand that some see this as a publicity stunt... that the energy crisis that many carp about... or that the heating up of our weather as a supposed result of using too much fossil fuels, may be just a figment of someone's imagination.

Setting any political agenda aside, I still think that conservation - in any form, is a worthy effort to exercise. At the very least, it can help lower the bills... and I don't see anything artificial or crazy about that idea.

SO as part of this celebration, I had the dining table set up for some people who still have not had dinner... and well, why not? Isn't dinner by candle-light classy? Obviously, I did not want to use any flash photos here. I want to just use the natural lighting - and cumulative shadows that an evening celebrating Earth Hour can offer.

Photoblog - Day 351 Mar 26, 2011

Boni Bacardi 2011:

This happens to be the latest in a supposedly monthly (if possible) get together of friends - with special mention to the Boni group, since it's normally easier to get a smaller group together... specially when they live near each other.

Case in point, we've been trying to organize the larger Bacardi group for the past two months, but for whatever reason, things just did not push through. So, I guess we in the Boni Bacardi group are lucky that we can do this.

Apparently, the concept has been going around - I know that Brian and Jingo have friends who call them Bacardi people, since they know that they, with the rest of the Bacardi or the Boni Bacardi people, do have Bacardi Nights - maybe from our pictures.

Hahahaha.... are we actually starting a trend? Who knows?

Thor Movie Poster Giveaway!

Thor Movie Poster Giveaway!

It may not say much... but it shows power in a minimalist manner.

Also, admit it... Mjolnir (Thor's hammer for all non-Thor fans) looks awesome!

Lastly - if you're part of the curious but uninformed regarding who Thor is (and naturally, by extension, what his capabilities are), might I suggest watching a few Avengers cartoons - even Ultimate Avengers will do. That way, you'll get a one hour update regarding who these heroes in the Avengers initiative that's been hinted in the Marvel movies of Iron Man and Hulk are.

Photoblog - Day 350 Mar 25, 2011

New Accessories:

With the help of my sister-in-law, Bea, I was able to purchase - at very reasonable prices, two particular accessories for my camera. Accessories, I might add, that I had not thought I could use... and in some case, one's I hadn't thought existed for my camera.

The first one (upper left black metal ring) is a macro lens adapter - let me explain. A photographer can, by way of removing the camera lens and placing it in reverse - come up with a makeshift macro lens that allows one to look at objects at very close range... much closer than possible when using the lens in the regular manner.

However, doing this means you have to manually hold the lens still while focusing and clicking the camera - a feat not easily done. Yet, I had done this at least twice within this very photoblog. This ring allows the attachment of the lens to the camera - so one need not hold the lens in place... thus releasing the other hand and helping hold the camera steady.

The other accessory is a set of diffusers - one white, plus a blue and yellow colored version - with it's camera attachment at the upper right of the picture. I thought diffusers were just for flash attachments (read as not built in) - but these ones were actually designed for use with built-in, pop-up flashes. Lucky me.

Photoblog - Day 349 Mar 24, 2011

Thirteen!

It's official, Bernice turns into a teenager! Congratulations!!!

She already had a chance to treat her school friends this lunchtime, and since we were all out (working), she did not think we would have a little private celebration at home for her.

But have that little celebration we did - complete with her favorite dishes ordered from Amici. We had pizza lasagna and seafood pasta for afternoon snacks cum early dinner... and boy, were we stuffed. The cookies and cream cake came from Cara Mia, which is Amici's dessert partner (at least, in Greenhills), but we were too stuffed to eat it.

Attendees to her little private celebration were of course us - her family with her uncle Ben and aunt Bea.

Photoblog - Day 348 Mar 23, 2011

Book Marker:

This book marker was a gift to me from Bryce for my recent birthday, and aside from the fact that it is (at least to me) a very practical gift, it also happens to be a very simple but powerful validating tool to me as a father.

See, the marker has a message for a Dad, and Hallmark moment it may read like - but the fact that it was given to me by Bryce gives me assurance that I'm doing something right, and more importantly, my efforts are being recognized and appreciated. Again, yes... it can be a generic message - but I'd like to think that Bryce chose it for a reason, and did not just pick up the first book marker he saw about a father.

So yeah... I'll definitely cherish this. If you look closely, this is not just an ordinary thick or glossy paper marker either - you seem it's metal; and the message is actually printed on a sticker. So yeah... though the message may fade with time (and use)m the marker will last long. Hmmm... on second thought, maybe I should just preserve the book marker?

As an addendum: since I'm talking about Bryce's gift, I felt the need to mention that Bernice also gave me a very personal gift... a letter letting me know how she also likes and appreciates me - and how amazed she is at realizing I was already 50... wow (as she put it).

Photoblog - Day 347 Mar 22, 2011

Training companions:

What does one do when done with their speaking parts in a training - yet said training is not yet officially over? Well I can't answer for everyone else, but as for me, I usually bring a novel that I can read while passing the time.

In this particular case, I've decided to start reading the Jesus Inquest. The book's premise is simple - the author (a barrister) will argue both for and against the Resurrection of Christ. Timely reading for Holy week, don't you think? I thought so... hence this was the next book I asked to read and review for Thomas Nelson.

Should I find the experience or the afternoon droll, then there's the bottled frapuchino by Starbucks. This should perk me up... should the need arise, that is... ans as you can see, the fact that it's open and in a cup means I do need the perker upper.