- eat less junk food (gotta!)
- exercise at least twice a week (I'm getting there)
- learn or relearn the following: guitar, Photoshop, photography, video editing, Spanish (just wishful thinking), Math, tennis (please! anyone?) and
- (this is the hardest) think before you speak (in other words, zip! I used to be good on this one when I was a kid. Why not now?)
Sunday, December 30, 2007
New Year’s Resolutions
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Outsourcing Disadvantages
India's outsourcing industry faces growing health problems, from obesity to depression
These are the results of a survey in India, but I'm sure it can be applied to the Philippines. It's true that the long term benefits for employees of these companies (I think home-based workers like me are not excluded) are just not good. In the long run, your health will be your investment. What would happen to us if we're already not fit to work in our 30s? I tried this graveyard shift (from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.) and it just does me no good. They mentioned my health enemies: "facing sleep disorders, heart disease, depression and family discord". Add to that my ever growing eyesight problem...
Waaaahhh! I need to think...
Monday, December 24, 2007
Merry Christmas!!!
P.S. And those who love Math, Maayong Pasko! (Merry Christmas!)
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Amazon purchased The Tales of Beedle the Bard
Amazon has purchased J.K. Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard at an auction held by Sotheby’s in London.
You can read Amazon's reviews and summaries of the five stories in the handwritten book in their web site. Here's the link: http://amazon.com/beedlebard
Photos of the book are also shown. Have a great read!!
The Dark Knight Trailer is out!!!
Alright! The full length trailer is finally out!! Two days ago I watched this six-minute clip from Youtube entitled My Safari Trip To Antartica when it actually was the first six minutes (I think) of The Dark Knight. And the comments were hilarious. They all said something like "What a great trip!", "I want to go there!" LOL. Well, the video's deleted now. =)
See Heath Ledger's Joker in action!!!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Great Talents: Charice, Arnel and Emile
First I'll post my new discoveries of Filipino talents. (I love my own LOL)
Filipinos are known for their love of music. Hence a lot of us (ehem) can sing. And a good number have excellent singing voices. I just found out that 15-year old Filipina Charice Pempengco is making waves in Korea, the United States and the world. Was it just recently that she was a finalist in Little Big Star? Maybe this is the prize for not winning that contest. Search for her in youtube and you'll find several videos of her performances. She also came out as a guest in the Ellen DeGeneres show last December 18.
Then after that big discovery, lo and behold, another big one popped up. Cover band The Zoo singer Arnel Pineda was just hired to be the new lead vocalist of The Journey. Now isn't that cool or what? Just like how Ellen discovered Charice, Arnel was discovered by Journey via cover videos of Journey songs posted on Youtube. Wow, the world is really getting smaller...
Emile Hirsch
Emile Hirsch, whom I just recently saw in the movie Lords of Dogtown, was nominated for a best actor SAG award for his work in Into the Wild. Although he wasn't nominated for a Golden Globe, the SAG's choices supposedly have more chances of being nominated for an Oscar. Let's hope Emile gets an Oscar nod. And let's hope the cinemas here get to show that film.
If you haven't seen any of his movies yet, go find one. People say he's got the intensity of Leo and/or River Phoenix (looks like them, too), which you will eventually observe. It's hard to find a good actor his age these days. (I would like to mention he reminds me of Whitfield Crane, Ugly Kid Joe's vocalist.)
=====================================
P.S. Quentin Tarantino wore a barong Tagalog in Golden Globe's nomination night. Astig! Hahaha really, really makes me proud!!!
Peter Jackson to produce 'The Hobbit'
Source: Council of Elrond
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Songza: Music Search Engine
It loads fast and has several functions to share the music. You can email it to a friend, link to the song, embed it on your website, and watch a corresponding video linked to Youtube! Very convenient eh?
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
ayre
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Magallanes Street
Magallanes St. is part of Davao City’s old world. Though old buildings are slowly being replaced by new ones, the memories of this street marks its every corner. It is where the City Hall, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, City Engineers office, a new Museum, a hospital and a hotel is located.
One particular block was an interest of mine as a child. It wasn’t occupied by a structure then. The whole year, this small portion of land would be a field of grasses except in times of festivities like the Araw ng Dabaw, Kadayawan and Christmas. Either way, it was a playground for kids. Whenever there was a celebration in the city, they would put up a ferris wheel, booths and some other small rides. You would know this place because the Grand Men Seng hotel rests on top of it.
The old Brokenshire hotel once stood there, too, before the great fire which engulfed San Pedro and Magallanes Streets. Hmmm… I’ve heard there were ghosts in GMS hotel.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Monte Cristo vs. Jean Valjean
Setting: 19th century France
Both were imprisoned. Monte Cristo was not guilty. Jean Valjean was guilty.
Both got out of prison.
After prison, both got rich. And both had hidden treasures to support them.
Both were influenced by a priest (and faith).
But while Jean Valjean was aiming towards reform and his salvation, Monte Cristo was plotting revenge against his enemies.
This was the part that got me confused. This hero (though more of an antihero really), played god. With his knowledge, power and wealth, he destroyed all his enemies, though he planned it so he himself would not do the act. You can say he was disguised as an angel. Then after all the evil he has done, he sought for a sign from God that what he did was right. Should I admire this character? Well all I know is he's no Jean Valjean.
Pope John Paul II
The movie was very informative and, quite unexpectedly, fun to watch. I liked the portrayals of Cary (who was always the prince and now a Pope) and Jon Voight, whom I'll always remember as a villain in movies (wait, I recall he played a President). The Pope's transformation from healthy and athletic to someone who can barely move, walk and talk was impressively captured by Voight.
From that movie, I realized that JP II is somewhat similar to our beloved companion, Gandalf: the old age, wisdom, a playful or childlike nature and, of course, a staff (hehehe). He's a real-life Gandalf, someone you can always turn to for teachings, support, companionship, courage, adventure, love.