Don't Stop To Ask... I'll Be There

This is a simple tribute by Swing Out Sister to the late Michael Jackson. I never thought two of my idols would be mentioned in one song, since they reside from two completely different genres. Nevertheless, I love the Swing Out Sister sound and their medley rendition to Michael Jackson's "I'll Be There".

Thanks for the memories MJ.

A Puto-flooded Birthday

It's a delayed post but I was really planning on making a birthday post.

So how did I spend my day ?

Well, I woke up as early as 5am cause I usually start my birthday by going to church. My parents decided to join me. I guess I also mentioned that breakfast afterwards is my treat. After mass, we headed to Rocha's to buy some special puto. Their puto is so soft and tasty that it can virtual melt in your mouth with minimal chewing.

Then we passed by the Marikina Sports Center to check if my tito and tita were there exercising. If they were, I wanted to invite them for breakfast too. Luckily, they were there and so we all headed to McDonalds. I chose the McDonalds branch which had a McCafe so I could order a slice of cake to serve as my birthday cake. Unforunately, parking was full so we moved to the other McDonalds branch just across the street. This branch was brand new that it was freezing cold inside. But with the morning rays penetrating the glass, the temperature was just fine.

So after all of us ordering a big McDonalds breakfast, we whipped out the box of puto to complement our coffee. I think one of the crew members was guessing where the box of puto on our table came from. Since we got a complimentary newspaper (and refillable coffee), I went straight to the Horoscope section of the Inquirer to find out what special message was in store for those born on that day. And here it is:

"People easily are enamored of you. You are clever, witty and charming. You also have a delightful romantic streak that can seduce others. (Romance is paramount to you!) You're a shrewd judge of human character; you love to share your views about humanity with others. Work hard to build or construct something this year. Your rewards will soon follow."

I think I like my horoscope... very much.

After breakfast, we all headed to my tita's house cause I mentioned that I needed a coat for an upcoming event. And it's a good thing that one of her son-in-laws left his coat in their house before migrating to Canada simply because it didn't fit him anymore. And guess what ? It was a perfect fit on me ! My tita also honestly thought I was 7 years younger than my age. I love my tita ! :D

When I got home, I replied to the many people who greeted me via my mobile, e-mail and over the phone. Thanks everybody ! Every year since 1995, I've been getting birthday greeting cards and less of them as the years gone by. This year, I guess everything is now digital. Cause I didn't receive any cards anymore. Oh well, any which way the greeting gets to me is much appreciated.

Since I started my day early, it was still morning by this time and I decided to get some tasks done. So I went to the dry cleaners to have the coat cleaned and passed by the bank to settle some bills. Right across the bank was a Tunay na Pancit Malabon branch. I figured that since this year, I didn't plan of any noodle dishes for the day (for long life), I'd get pancit malabon. And since I love the taste of their miniature puto, I bought a pack of them with the pancit.

I just realized it when I got back home that I already bought a box of puto earlier. Oh well, puto and pancit for long life !

After lunch, I didn't have any plans of going out since I had some work to finish. That's when the day went downhill for me. It suddenly became gloomy. Then it started to rain. I wasn't surprised because every year, it rains on my birthday. It never fails. I'd be surprised if it didn't rain. What I didn't expect was the weather to turn into violent winds and heavy downpour. And so after almost 2 hours of non-stop rain, the inevitable happened, we got flooded. In Marikina, that's common. But we were caught unprepared and so we had to lift up our things and place them somewhere elevated all while flood water was rushing in our house. Luckily, only our kitchen, sala and dining room where mildly in water. I say luckily, cause it was just about an inch. The worst we've experienced was waist high inside the entire house. So this wasn't a challenge for us. It was just a hassle since the rest of my birthday afternoon turned into general housecleaning when the water subsided. To make matters worse, we didn't have electricity for 4 hours during that time.

More of my friends were greeting me on my phone and asked how I was doing. When I told them that there was heavy rains here, they said, that's a blessing. If that's so, I think I'll be expecting overflowing blessings since it flooded here.

And so by the time I finally got to rest, clean myself up and go online, it were the people from the other side of the world who were awake and greeted me online. Thanks!

I usually don't celebrate my birthday as most people do. I'd like to be alone, reflect more on the year that has passed and give thanks as well as wishing for another great year ahead of me. And that's more important than an unexpected turn of events for the day. Cause looking back, the greatest event that happened to me in my past year was becoming engaged. And before my next birthday, I'll be married.

Happy Birthday to me !

Cutting Edge Scissors

I'm not surprised when new gadgets come around at such a fast turnover. Based on Moore's law, circuitry doubles every 2 years. And it holds true for processor speed, data storage, bandwidth and the like.

Then on the other hand, there are common things that you wouldn't expect to go beyond what it has been for all time - take office supplies. I guess you could argue that pens used to be feathers with ink on the tips, a far cry of what the ergonomic ballpens are of today. Pencils used to have lead... and they still do until now. Paper has been sold in more forms and colors now, but it's still paper. Paste and glue are still sticky as it was decades ago. So what could possibly push these common office supplies to a higher level ?

That's exactly my question until I found this in my e-mail. Hi-tech scissors. These two scissors have their own unique features. The first one isn't fancy... just your plain 'ol pair of scissors. But it has a built-in laser beam to serve as a guide for cutting. Now that's pretty impressive. If it would make my crooked cutting straight, then, the laser would come in handy !

The 2nd pair of scissors is more of a shredder. If you need to destroy important documents, this 5 stainless steel blade scissors will make 5 shreds in one cut. It's like using 5 scissors at once !

I haven't seen both of these yet but I'd like to take a look at them first hand.

Just when you thought scissors couldn't get any better, they do. Now ain't that on the cutting edge !

Michael Jackson - My Idol, Dies

I woke up today excited that it's a Friday and I'm attending an exciting event tonight. As I went online, I was surprised to find out people on twitter and plurk scampering for confirmation whether Michael Jackson was dead or not. I was hoping it was just a rumor and wasn't true.

However, minutes after, CNN showed breaking news of Michael Jackson and announced that his death has been confirmed. It's so sad.

He was my idol both for his music and dancing. I grew up to his music. I would watch his dance moves in awe. I would attempt to try out his dance moves. I would listen to his songs endlessly.

When Michael toured and visited the Philippines, I was determined to watch his concert. I even brought a sequins-bedazzled glove to the concert as tribute and to show my support.

As a musical arranger, he was also an influence to my compositions and arrangements. He made me appreciate Pop so much more. His beats, whether as simple as Billie Jean's catchy baseline to the Dangerous' complex multi-track arrangement was all inspiring.

When youtube suddenly became a hit for video on demand, the first videos I watched were all Michael Jackson videos. I'd watch performances of other fans do the moonwalk. His songs are permanently on my mp3 player and mobile.

It is such a tragic loss and sad day for the entertainment world today.

A great dancer, a talented musician, a legendary performer... a total entertainer.

Rest in Peace Michael. Thank you for the inspiration. Thank you for the memories. I will always remember you.

TV Jargon and a Jarhead

I had the unique task of accompanying my parents to buy a new TV. I thought it would be that simple. I was wrong. And I guess that was the very reason why my parents requested me to help them shop for one.

The simplest of tasks was to go to the appliance stores and scout out the TV section. Then look at all the brands and prices and choose from there. Simple right ? Wrong !

First of all, there are a myriad of brands now of televisions. What used to be only a predominantly "Sony" market is now filled with equally good brands like JVC, LG, Samsung, Phillips, Pioneer, Toshiba, Sanyo, Sharp and the less popular ones and never-heard (by me) brands like Devant, Konka, Rainbow, Sansui, Chongwang, Pensonic and the list goes on and on.

All I knew was that my parents wanted a flat screen TV and they depended on me to give a recommendation based on features and price. As I carefully looked and read each TV specifications, the respective salesmen also gave their sales pitch on features and why their brand is the best. This is where the hard part began.

Suddenly, I was blasted with terms like Trumotion, Bravia Engine, Series 4-7, T, V & W Series, HDMI, 1080HD, 720p, pixel ratios, megapixel rates and many many more terminologies that I had the salesmen explain cause I was at a lost.

To make matters worse, each brand have their own terminologies and models making it difficult to just compare and contrast each TV with the other brands. Heck, I even had a hard time comparing different models of the same brand !

So when I was asked by my parents which was the best TV, I couldn't give a direct answer. I said it simply wasn't that easy. It really depended on which factor. Like if it was in terms of parts, I'd choose Sony or Samsung. If it was in terms of price, I'd choose Samsung or LG. If it was in terms of top of the line features, I'd choose Sony or Philips. If it was in terms of sound clarity, I'd choose Sony or Pioneer. If it was in terms of energy efficiency, I'd choose LG. And the if's would go on and on.

In the end (around 2 hours of deliberating), we finally agreed to get the LG 32" flat LCD for its picture quality and discounted price. And our choice didn't disappoint.

What was disappointing though was that finally after choosing the TV we wanted to buy, this salesman representing another brand, kept on badmouthing the particular brand and model we got. It was like a desperate move on him for us to change our minds and buy his brand instead. I hope that despite the competitiveness of salesmen to sell and push their brands that they don't resort to sabotaging their colleagues' brand just to make a sale. After all, it's the customer who's right and it's our right to choose whatever appliance we want.

Ayos Dito !

I'm always on the lookout for new websites and new things to do on the web. It's kinda hard sometimes to discover a new website simply because it stays unhidden. But thanks to websites like www.AyosDito.ph, the catchy site's name makes it interesting to learn exactly why it is "ayos dito".

AyosDito.ph is the newest Pinoy buy and sell website. Post anything you need to sell and while you're there, check out anything you might see worth buying. The searching process makes it easier since their ads are categorized by region. So there's no need to go through the painstaking process of finding a car you like and wanna buy only to find out that the car and it's owner is in Zamboanga.

Being a musical enthusiast, I immediately checked for some musical instruments up for sale and found a long range of electric guitars of different brands and models including a lot of guitar accessories.

Looking for something not available in stores or in the market anymore ? Hunting down that collector's item CD you always wanted but couldn't find it for its rarity ? Or simply looking for a great deal you can avail on. Check out www.AyosDito.ph. They have new items every day.

Caution: May be addicting.

3G Now Affordable For Everybody

I remember 2 years ago, while I was making the leap from dial-up to broadband, there was a waiting period for my DSL application.  And since I needed fast internet access immediately, I opted to buy the cheapest 3G enabled phone in the market.  Unfortunately, during that time, the cheapest handset from any brand capable of fast speeds cost a little close to P10,000.   But since I needed the connection,  I got it anyway.  

Since then, I've been checking out prices of 3G phones and if the market prices would lower.  Last year, LG released one for around P6,000.  But just recently, Red Mobile released the cheapest 3G phone in the market for only P3,290.

Along with their new handsets, Red Mobile is also rolling out very affordable usage rates.  They have the cheapest call rates for only P0.50 per minute for inter-network Red Mobile calls.  That's like a 10 minute call only for P5.00, even cheaper than a landline call on a pay phone.   What's even more spectacular is that their video calls are also priced at P0.50 per minute.  With those rates, you can make a video call and have someone virtually attend a birthday party any other momentous ocassion for a cheap price.

And with Red Mobile's various affordable new mobile handsets to choose from, your 3G experience will be complemented with your new mobile phone's experience.  Red Mobile recently released 4 new 3G capable phone models, Verzio Duplii, Nokia 3120 C, Red Mobile SPARK and Red Mobile FLAME.

Among the four, the Verzio Duplii seems to be a new brand not familiar with majority of the public.  Verzio is a Singapore-based manufacturer which introduced its new Duplii phone, the first dual-SIM handset.  The phone features a "simultaneous dual mode standby" and is able to handle two incoming calls from both SIM cards.   It also includes a 2 Megapixel camera, a 2.2" QVGA TFT screen, a microSD slot, and an integrated media player.

With all these new offerings from Red Mobile, using 3G is as cheap as sending text messages.  Experience 3G now with Red Mobile.

Sky Garden In An Ever-Evolving City

I have very fond memories of SM City North EDSA.  When it newly opened in 1985, our family visited the new mall and even back then, we were already fascinated at how big the mall was.  I was still a kid then and we loved going to the amusement center where we would play, win and collect tickets which I even have till this very day.  I remember catching glimpses of celebrities, both local and foreign, who would visit the mall to perform and hold autograph sessions at the SM Entertainment Plaza.  I was even able to catch a live episode of Family Kwarta o Kahon hosted by Pepe Pimentel when it used to tape there.  And snacking at the food court and rest was a must after all the excitement afterwards.

When I was in college, my classmates and I would go to SM City North EDSA to watch a movie during our breaktime.  I even remember that we watched two movies straight at the SM Cinemas when we learned that we had a 6 hour break in between classes for that day.  When I graduated from Ateneo, my very first job was a musical arranger and I had to collaborate with my co-arranger who lived in Valenzuela.   We would regularly meet over merienda at Wendy's at the SM Annex to talk about our next song.  And after a heavy brainstorming session, we'd relax by playing some rounds of bowling at the SM Bowling Center.  When I needed to buy computer parts, I'd go to Cyberzone which used to be located where the carpark is.  I bought my very first hi-tech mobile phone there too.  I guess in a way, I grew up with the City as it evolved during the years.

And now that SM City North EDSA introduces The Sky Garden, the newest addition to its ever-growing city, I couldn't let the opportunity slip to learn and experience this new addition.  After all, it's because of this newest addition that SM City North EDSA is now the largest mall in the Philippines.

The entire Sky Garden is an elevated structure connecting SM's The Block, the City Center and The Annex as well as the overpasses crossing EDSA and North Ave.  Living up to its name, the Sky Garden is beautifully landscaped with trimmed grass, green tress and groomed bushes. I later learned that the Roof Garden has fifty five botanical species which grow on lightweight garden soil.  I couldn't help but notice that simply strolling around the Sky Garden leaves very few traces that you're actually beside a very busy highway.  It actually takes you away from the busy metropolis and gives you a feeling of serenity without having to go far away.

In addition to the tranquil green scenery, there are various ponds and fountains spaciously spreaded out at the Sky Garden.  There's the calm and soothing pond surrounding the soon-to-open Starbucks Coffee, multiple mini fountains parallel to the walkways, and the most spectacular waterfall leading from the Sky Garden to the ground level.   The waterfall is a 2-storey drop from the Sky Garden to another pond at the base near the bus terminal.  Who would've known that EDSA would gain such a scenic waterfall courtesy of the Sky Garden ?

Cafes, grills and eateries are conveniently positioned along the walkways.  You could snack, dine, or simply have a cup of coffee at the Sky Garden.  And even if the mall closes, you can hang out at the Sky Garden because they offer patrons extended hours.   

At the heart and center of the Sky Garden is the Sky Dome.  This is the newest venue for events which can accommodate more than a thousand people.  Half of the dome-shaped top is transparent.  You may even be able to see the moon and the stars on a bright night even from inside the Sky Dome.

The main artery of the Sky Garden are the well lit and covered walkways leading to different parts of the Garden as well as to and from the malls.   I was also impressed by the sound system for the entire Sky Garden as state-of-the-art Boss branded speakers are placed in each section of the covered walk's stretch.  Whether playing relaxing music or a making a public service announcement, everybody within the Sky Garden will surely hear it.

Another thing I noticed is that the entire Sky Garden is curved.  From the covered winding walkways, to posts and establishments within the Sky Garden including the Sky Dome, everything is curved.  It breaks out from our notion of malls being square or rectangular buildings  with stores in them.  most of the artistic structures also follow that fashion.  It's another reason for its uniqueness.

Take a stroll with your loved one.  Hang out with your friends.  Watch an event at the Dome.  Or simply admire the surroundings.  

Overall, the Sky Garden is one beautiful sight.  I'm thrilled with SM City North EDSA's newest addition.  A city never stops evolving and the Sky Garden is a perfect addition for people in a busy city.  After all, what would a city be without a garden ?

Latest Addition to The SM City: Sky Garden

Here's a photoglimpse of the Sky Garden and Sky Dome, the newest attraction of SM City North EDSA.

(My article to follow)

What Happens When Letters Fade Away

This sign kinda read "Wac Afakan Ng Jhuran"

It sounded kinda like gay linggo.

The actual, unerased sign is this:

"Wag Takapakan Ang Luhuran"

(Don't step on the kneeling area)

Another SM Mall Wifi-ed

Last May 15, bloggers were invited an afternoon at The Block, SM North EDSA for a wifi testing event.    I was present during their first wifi testing at SM City Marikina and so it was interesting to find out how fast and stable the connection was.

The bloggers registered at the 4th floor (cinema level) and was free to roam around the mall to check the signal and go online.    I was equipped with a wifi-enabled PDA and my laptop and tried to connect at KFC.  Unfortunately, my PDA couldn't detect the signal.  My laptop did though.  After having a snack, I went back to the bloggers area were chairs, tables and sockets were available for bloggers assure everyone they and their laptops would make it through the afternoon.

I did a bit of blogging, chatting and surfing plus checked some business e-mails and didn't encounter any difficulties in connecting.   Some bloggers mentioned that the speed is fast.  When I heard that, I opted to see it for myself and so I downloaded a podcast and watched a video on youtube.  The speed was like my DSL speed at home.  That's pretty impressive considering I'm within a range of bloggers all equipped to use the bandwidth simultaneously.   The video buffered a bit but I also think it was because I was heavily multitasking on a slow laptop.   

I saw some people accessing the internet via their PSPs or mobile phones... pretty convenient to access the net when you're in a hotspot as big as The Block.

Overall, the wifi testing was interesting.   Nice to see the bloggers and each of their colorful, customized laptops in different shapes (ok, all of them were rectangular) and sizes.   

Congratulations to the chicken who won the laptop !  I was just behind you ! hehehehe!

Buy One Take One CD & DVD Sale !

Universal Records always has these great warehouse sales every few months. That's why I never fail to go to each of their super sales.  This time, it's a buy one take one CD & DVD Sale.  They have wide selections to choose from.  Looking for those expensive CDs you never got to buy cause you couldn't afford them ?  Well now's your chance to complete your collection !  For prices as low as P40. and up you can get 2 CDs !   There are lots of genres to choose from, jazz, pop, rock, opm, instrumental, disco, classic, standard.. you name it, they have it.

There are also lots of movie and video titles to choose from.  Even boxed sets of popular TV series' like Monk and Las Vegas are available at discounted prices. 

I was there on its first day and there were already lots of people buying CDS in the bulk.  Everybody had a box as their shopping cart and slowly each customer filled their boxes up with CDs to buy.   I bought 10 CDs for a total of P260.   I was also surprised to see cassette tapes being sold for two pesos each !  That's even cheaper than a blank tape ! 

The sale will be on every Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from now till June 7.  So that's May 15,16,17, then 22,23,24, followed by 29,30,31 and on June 5, 6 and 7.   The sale is at the 10th floor of Universal Tower, 1487 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.  The building is also where the Smart Wireless Center is.  It's almost across Crossings Department Store.  

I'll definitely be going back again to check out the other titles.  Hurry and buy a ton of CDs at cheap prices !

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