Saturday, February 28, 2009

Liveblogging at SM Marikina (updated)

3:30PM
I'm at SM Marikina right now trying out their Free Wi-Fi. Got here about an hour ago and won a free mini-DVD-RW for my trouble. Let me first state for the record that this is my first time to both liveblog and to actually try out Wi-Fi... yeah, I'm so backward. Special thanks to JC for lending me is Eee PC, since I'm too cheap to actually get one on my own. It's a neat little gadget for stuff like these. I actually thought I'd have trouble using it as it doesn't use Windows and all, but it's really no trouble at all... well except for the really small keyboard. I keep pressing 4 keys at a time, so if you see a few misspellings or grammatical glitches, that's because of the really tiny keyboard and not my personal inadequacy.


So far I didn't encounter any problem connecting. I got a strong signal down here at the Cyberzone, but that's to be expected. I'll have to roam around in a bit to see if the signal is as strong elsewhere. It's a tad bit slow for my liking though, someone here told me it might be because there's too many of us here trying to access it. There's about 30 of us here in this spot. I don't rightfully know if that should be the case seeing as I know close to nothing about Wi-Fi except that it's cool when it's free.


I'd post pictures except I can't see the link that I usually use. I'll just fill those in later I suppose. I'll post again in a bit, I'll be checking out the mall now.

4:30
Wow, time sure drags when the connection is slow. I'm at the 3rd floor now near the foodcourt. Fewer people here, but the connection is as slow as ever. I tried uploading a photo again, but the
I keep getting disconnected.

4:55
I'm back down. I got disconnected again upstairs and couldn't get back on so I decided to come back down for the wrap up. I can't exactly say that this test is a rousing success, but at least they were able to showcase this branch of SM. I probably wouldn't come all the way here for the free Wi-Fi, but if ever I find myself in the area, I'll definitely drop by for bite or 2. The place is quite nice, and the it's pretty accessible, so that's fine.

Laptop's being raffled in 5 mins., I sure hope I get it hehe...

After the event
Ok, I'm writing this a day later, because I was bushed and basically plopped down my bed after dinner and didn't wake up until early this morning. I'm adding the photos as I wrap this up as I couldn't for the life of me upload a picture there. So how did I find the event? It was ok I suppose. I can't say it was exciting--a lot of it was spent waiting for things to load.

Still, I did get interviewed for TV. (What? I didn't mention this earlier? Like I said, half of the time I was waiting for stuff to load, decided to post a short one so I could get on with things.) Just a few questions that I answered quite lamely. I don't know when they're showing it, but it's on QTV, let me know if you see me hehe... I got to network a little and met a few bloggers, none of whom probably remembered my blog url, hopefully they remember Chicken Mafia though. Aside from the few that I've met before like Azrael (who announced the event in the first place), I saw Kel the magician, rocker babes Sha and Karla, and for the first time Raredog, the Earning Student, Bob Reyes and the alluring Flair Candy hehe... Oh, and I finally met Ade--really, more respectable that I would expect from his hilarious entries.

And lastly, the place was nice, I mean really really nice. I've always considered SM to be box type edifices. Not much art and just-the-basics affair. This one is not. Sure it's like most SM's on the outside, but the inside were quite artsy and the ceiling spacious. It looks like a really fun place to go to. Plus the employees were friendly. I had to go to Eastwood after and didn't know if there was an easy commute going there so I asked the guard, and he actually made an effort to find out. I don't know if this is standard, but no guard has ever done that for me before. And did I mention how accessible it is? It's a mere 5 minute walk from LRT 2's Santolan Station! Now if only I could've won the laptop...

So again, I probably wouldn't go there for the Wi-Fi (especially since I don't actually own a Wi-Fi device) but I'd definitely drop by when I'm in the area (or even when I get sick of Gateway). The free Wi-Fi is just a cool bonus.

So who won the laptop? Sha, who was actually celebrating her birthday that same day did.
Now that's a nice birtday gift don't you think?

Photohunt: Thankful



If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.
-- Vincent van Gogh




Oh yes we're thankful! My sister-in-law's expecting. She's about 2 and a half month pregnant now, and we're all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the family's next generation! I'm secretly hoping she takes after me... hehe...


Posted while Liveblogging at SM Marikina.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Potpourri of Stuff including Photohunt for Warm (Up)

Yeah, I've been pretty busy these past couple of weeks. Haven't had a chance to actually post an entry. I've been swamped with work, extra-curricular activities, and lots of other stuff I'm unable to label properly. Even as I type this entry my eyes are starting to droop, and I suppose I'd be unable to post a proper entry. Let me give it a shot anyway.

Here's a run down of things that I've been up to...
  • Got a new phone, and ever since I got this about 3 weeks ago, I've been hooked to FM Radio. Particularly "Good Times with Moe, Mojo and Grace Lee" at Magic FM in the mornings, and Papa Dan in LS FM where they have a Wanted Sweetheart thing in the evenings. Both fun stuff bordering in the hilarious but in a different way.
  • And man man! The injuries this year keeps on piling up. I just lost Nene Hilario and Danny Granger for who-knows-how long on one of my teams, and Amare Stoudemire and Jameer Nelson for good on the other. Sigh! Yeah, I've been busy with a little Fantasy NBA. Lots and lots of injuries make up for an interesting season and a lousy chance at the championship. I'm making the playoff in 2 out of my 3 leagues, but championship is still up for grabs the way big names keep falling these days.
  • Busy last weekend due to an educator's conference we had. Yes, I'm a Physical Therapist and an educator--at least to my interns. I'm a member of the Educators Special Interest Group of the PPTA (Philippine Physical Therapy Association), and one of our goal is to improve clinical instructions. Last weekend's Module 1 was a big step in the right direction.

My PPTA Educ SIG-mates. Pretty cool group huh? (More here and here)
  • Also last Sunday, we had our 9th Walk for Life. This is basically an activity where we invite cardiac patients who graduated from our program from years past to join us for our morning exercise and a walk around the lagoon in the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife. It's a very positive experience seeing a lot of them still healthy and keeping the lifestyle changes we taught them. We're definitely walking for life!
Here's us warming up before the walk.


  • Oh, and finally had a chance to visit some of the blogs I frequented before I became a lazy bum. Looks like I wasn't the only one who bummed hehe... Hey, if you haven't seen funnysexy.ph's Xandy yet, go do so right now. I promise you that it's loads of fun!
  • If you're into the arts, I attended the opening of "Love Deconstructed" a couple of weeks ago which included a collection from Lizz-- and my my, she sure had some lovely works in there!
There's Lizz and JC modeling my favorite painting of hers "You Are My Beginning and My End". (This photo does not do it justice, go check out the link I gave you or better yet, visit the exhibit at Art19b at Cubao X)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Photohunt: Nautical (And diet that's good for the heart)



These photos are not exactly "nautical" in the truest sense, but they belong in the nave of the sea nonetheless. So allow me to present, seafoods!

A diet rich in fish is one of the most healthiest diet one can take on for the heart. Coupled with a diet abundant in fruits and vegetables, and a daily dose of exercise will keep you not only looking young but feeling young as well. They are rich in Omega-3 and low in saturated fat. What more can you ask for? Boneless fish I suppose hehe...

Contrary to popular belief, shellfish is good too! While they may not have the same amount of Omega 3 as the fishes do, that's primarily because of size. Not only that, they're a rich source of calcium too! So be kind to your heart, eat seafoods! :)


Happy Hearts Day to all!



Happy Hearts Day!

Yeah yeah, you call it Valentine's, I call it Heart's Day, big deal. I don't really care much for Valentine's Day because
  1. It's not really a holiday (except during Cory's time when it actually was--a tribute to her daughter perhaps, happy birthday Kris!)
  2. It clogs up the street, the malls, the restaurants, movie houses, and motels (not that I particularly care for motels)
  3. Moms, sisters, and lady friends expect chocolates and whatnots from you because you're single and presumably have no one else to give one to.
Ok, so I made that last one up, but I bet some of you feel that way. Right?

I read someone's blog calling February 14, Single Awareness Day. I can't help but nod in agreement. What other day makes you more aware of your singlehood than today? None. You're supposed to feel alone and sad because you're single. You can't help but envy your officemates who receive flowers and chocolates (which they could easily have had delivered to themselves).

And if you're a guy who's easily pressured, it's easy enoughto get goaded into giving some lady flowers and chocolates and asking them for a date, only to be soundly humiliated, because some of these ladies are too classy for Valentine's Day.
"No, I can't, it's too cheesy to be seen going out on Valentine's Day. Leave the flowers and the chocolates though. It's so thoughtful of you."
I know I'm not making any more sense, but you should hear this people talk! You'd be hard pressed to make sense out of their doublespeak.

So while I detest Valentine's (until further notice), I do like the idea of emphasizing the importance of the heart. I feel that we do not take care of it enough, physically and emotionally. Over the next few days, I'll be writing about things we could do to take care of our hearts. Until then

Happy Heart's Day!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Picole Healthy Ice Pops

Wow! The weather's pretty crazy right now. It's still pretty cool in the evenings, but I can definitely feel summer inching it's way towards us during the day. I was feeling this same heat a couple of weeks ago while I was at the SM Mall of Asia that I went looking for an ice cream of some sort. That's when I saw Picole!


What attracted me to try this was not the strange name, but the claim that it is healthy. They say that it's fortified with fibers and probiotic live culture (think yakult), made from real fruits and low fat. And it actually looked enticing.


And not the least of my considerations is the price. Yummy, and not really expensive (unless you have to buy one each for the whole family). I went and tried the Blueberry Cheesecake yogupop for P35. Though it didn't taste anything like cheesecake, it was refreshingly delightful.

And it actually tasted healthy too! It wasn't too sweet, and it tasted citrus-y and juicy. I'm not really good at describing taste, I'm just a good eater. So just go ahead and try it, if you don't like it, don't try it again hehe... Oh, and do tell me what you think of it.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Photohunt: Bridge (at the Subic Extreme Adventure Park)



I'm doing photohunt early today because I'd be busy this afternoon with a Toastmasters Prepared Speech contest for our Area. I'll let you know how it turns out. Anyhow, these photos were taken at the Subic Extreme Adventure Park when we trooped over to Subic during the long holidays last December. Two things we came here for:

SLIDE FOR LIFE (CANOPY SLIDE)
Here you climb a stairway to the top of a large tree. You secure your harness; your assistant connects you to a cable system in preparation to transverse a distance of over 100 meters of dense tropical jungle 20 meters below. You must surrender your fear on this test of courage as gravity will propel you extremely fast alongside large trees and foliage. If you ever wondered what it was like to be Indiana Jones, this is the challenge for you.


and

THE HANGING BRIDGE
A high-adventure cable and old wooden-slates bridge suspended over lush tropical jungle foliage, at a height of 100 feet at one point. You need to walk over this bridge in order to get to the second canopy slide. The bridges are actually suspended over the canopy slide at one point. The bridge experience is one definitely one out of a Hollywood high-adventure production.


And boy were they worth it! If you ever find yourself in Subic, go up to Cubi and try this. Trust me, it's worth your money!


Friday, February 6, 2009

Star-gazing and the next Cafe Scientifique: Passionate Pasta

Went to the Science of the Heavens edition of Cafe Scientifique! Though I was a bit late, I still did learn quite a few interesting things, and got to look at some constellations from this nifty telescope!

I'm taking a look at the moon.

Professor Ivan Culaba (who turns out to be JC's prof in college) is shown here demonstrating the use of a constellation finder (which he stayed up late the night before to cut out himself!)

You're sorry you missed this one don't you? If so, don't miss the next one. It's this coming Saturday, same time, at the Bonifacio High Street activity area just outside Krispy Kreme. To celebrate Valentine's, they're doing "Passionate Pasta with Margarita Fores". She's the same lady who gave us a taste of her cooking last November.

As usual, it's free and open to the public. Shoot them an e-mail.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Photohunt: Furry (Happy Chinese New Year!)



This one's suppose to be a dragon. Ok, so a real one would probably not be this furry.


This is a "lang sai", used for the lion dance. Yeah yeah, less furry than it should be.

I know this is a late Chinese New Year entry (the lunar new year started last Monday), but I already decided to used this photos for this purpose and was to lazy to think of a different one for the new year hehe... Anyhow, these 2 are common sights during a Chinese New Year celebration. They usually dance around entertaining the shopkeepers and half-scaring the children who would scream in delight. The culmination of their dance of course is when they are reaching for the red packet (which contains money). Back in Chinatown, the shopkeepers would usually place these packets and on the highest part of their ceiling to make it difficult to retrieve... but the lang sai never fails to get it.

Anyhow, I promise to post better photos next year as I intend to go to chinatown to document it then. Happy Chinese New Year again! :)