Blogs Galore! 14

WOOOOSH!.. OR NOT

So today, they declared no classes all over Metro Manila for all levels due to supertyphoon Reming. Geesh, I can so feel the rain and the wind right now. As of this writing, I don't know where Reming is, or if she is even strong indeed. One thing is for sure though, she is not in the greater Metro Manila area, for not one drop of rain has fallen. Well, at least here at the UP Diliman Campus. The worst thing the skies can come up with is a very grey and cloudy natural ceiling. And even that is not bad at all. At least hindi mainit. This is one suspension of classes that I didn't like at all. Not to mention that it was in effect, uhm, stupid. I mean no disrespect for whoever suspended the classes, for I am sure they only did that because they had the general public's safety in mind, just because they were informed that there's this threatening supertyphoon .

UPDTATE: I just checked the news. As of 1.17pm, Signal #2 is up for Metro Manila. I don't know if I should laugh or what.

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MORE ON THE TWINS DEATH

Yeah, I still am not over my colleagues' tragic death. Their burial was yesterday. I really feel bad that I wasn't able to visit their wake. Haay. Our high school teacher told me that 5 priests officiated their burial mass, including our former Archbishop himself. O diba, astig! Hehe. And apparently, everyone in the church was crying and they were kissing their coffins. Oh diba, I told you guys so, the twins are, uhm, legendary? Basta, I know you get what I mean. And the tragic news was actually more widespread than I thought. Even my fellow Kapampangan students in Diliman who weren't from DBA knew about it. Apparently, Camille, the twins' younger sister, was a batchmate for many of my orgmates and other Kapampangan friends. And even they had fond memories of the twins. And for more aww-and-sadness factor, I learned that Peter had a girlfriend just 1 week before their demise. Grabe noh? They weren't even able to celebrate even a monthsary. Another interesting observation: people who search for news about their death are actually led to my humble post for them. I actually had 10 hits related to their death. I even had comments from people who knew them from the School of Economics.
To everyone who read my last post and sympathized with me, on behalf of the twins (gosh, as if I've had a recent talk with them eh no? hehe), thanks for the prayers. Though I actually doubt if they need it. They were REALLY GOOD people. They should've been up there with God days ago! Hehe!
To my fellow bloggers who are still in high school, enjoy the company of your batchmates this early. You'll never be sure who among you will not be able to make it to your batch's reunion 10 years or even just 5 years from now. Even those classmates of yours that you never really liked, be nice to them even if they're not. Because how you treated them during your high school years will stay with them for life, especially if you would go to different paths.

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MORE CHRISTMAS CHEER!

I've finished decorating the first floor of our apartment. Here are the pics. Credit isn't completely mine. Thanks to our orgmate Yek, for helping us out. We have trios of falling vines on all four corners of the room, hehe.

Surprisingly affected

Every morning, my phone greets me new text messages not fewer than five. Often it's the usual -- forwarded jokes or good morning quotes. But this one sent by a high school mentor yesterday morning was different, and bad -- she asked me to pray for the souls of Paul and Peter Mendoza (batchmates of mine at Don Bosco Pampanga) for they died in a car accident. When my phone alarmed the signal for me to wake up, I was hesitant because I was still sooo sleepy, but that text message jolted me into complete consciousness with the sad and tragic news that yet another Bosconian and a batchmate of mine to boot perished suddenly. This time, they were even two -- they were twins.

The twins are the fourth and fifth member of our batch to die since we graduated from high school in 2001. The first one committed suicide; the second one was murdered; and the third one was killed in another car accident. And now, the famous twins.

Why famous, you may ask. Well, for starters, they're twins named Paul and Peter, who were born on June 29 -- feast day of St Paul and St Peter. That piece of trivia alone will elicit a lot of attention. They even had angelically handsome faces that matched their quiet and innocent aura. They're effing rich, but not necessarily extravagant or arrogant ala Gretchen Barretto. As a matter of fact, they're quite the opposite -- they are the epitome of simplicity. Everyone wanted to be like them, be friends with them. I, for one, envied them a lot back in our elementary days, hehe. They had this reputation where they could do no wrong. And they seemed to be the apple of the teachers' eyes! Hehe! There was this rumor that for every medal that they get, they are rewarded with a new game piece for their Gameboy. But sadly, I am not exactly close friends with them, I am a mere acquaintances -- simply because they're my staunchest rivals on the academic honor roll.

Yeah, I know, it's silly. But that was in high school (actually, since elementary pa). Naturally, at that time I didn't know any better, I was so high school back in high school. I honestly took the competition seriously. I did hate them -- the academic kind of hatred. But as a person, or as people, I had respect for them for I know for a fact that back in high school, the twins will win over me in the battle for Mr Congeniality.

They're genuinely nice, really. Of course, given our rivalry, I never got to enjoy decent friendly relations with them. But for the times when I forgot they were my competition, like when we were cast in the same teams for different contests in and out of the school, they were a lot of fun. Those were the times when I realized that they weren't so innocent, hehe! In fact, one time back in 5th Grade, I remember Peter encouraging and cheering me on for a singing contest in which I represented our section, "Uy Joeven, galingan mo ah, dapat ikaw ang manalo!" I didn't win, hehe, for I bungled the lyrics for the 2nd stanza of my song. But see, even after 10 years, I can still remember a simple but endearing gesture from someone I never exactly considered a close friend.

In college, all three of us even enrolled at UP Diliman. Paul took up Business Economics while Peter took up Economics. And yes, even up to our college years, they were quite famous for the same reasons -- with their angelic cuteness (times two) as the main. But we never mingled in the same circles, I joined an organization and I was told that they go home to Apalit every single day, that's why they never had time for extra-curriculars. I would see time around campus from time to time though.

And now, they're gone, just like that. (My 1st runner-up is gone, Peter was our Salutatorian). It's a real shame. Once, I even pictured seeing them at our batch reunion many years from now, and laugh at each other for the bitter and stupid rivalry we had for 8 years in DBA. What surprises me really is how affected I am by the tragic news. Sure I was friendly with them, but they weren't exactly best friends or barkadas of mine. But it feels like I've lost a significant part of myself -- it really feels like I have lost actual dear friends.

It's amazingly weird how death can affect you. Here I am, mourning for people I barely cared for, realizing a lot of things which ignored before. I'm like, "God! Why? They're so young and promising." How extremely sad it must be for the family they left behind. I heard their Mom was running amok non-stop that they had to give her Valium. Imagine losing two darling sons at the same time, in an instant without any warning. How ironically funny -- they were twins from birth to death. And their younger sister, damn! Just like that, she lost two dear brothers -- two brothers whom I'm sure would've protect her from anything, especially jerk suitors. Haay, it's really sad, really really sad.

Friends, please pray for these strangers (at least to you). The world lost two really great people. I just hope that somewhere, two would-be angels have been born for them.

Early Christmas Cheer!

For reasons I can't explain, I have been bitten by the Christmas bug quite early this year. Well, for starters, I already started playing Christmas songs since the start of October. Then by mid-October, I already set my message alert tone to a Christmas tune -- The Sound Of Life by Jose Mari Chan. (FYI: I change message alert tones on a monthly basis, often based on the theme of the month). And now, for the first time in my four-year stay in our apartment, I have placed some Christmas decors in my rusty old double deck. Mind you, I used my own allowance to buy these decors because I figured that the Christmasy feeling that these will bring will be worth it. I even already bought more decors for the rest of the apartment! So I guess, you can conclude that indeed, I am looking forward to Christmas this year. And I find it really weird that I do! =p

I only have silver bead garland and a couple of blue flower bouquets.
Simple lang ang design, haller, ano ba naman kasi ang pwede mong
idecorate sa isang double deck bed diba? Haha!

I wasn't exactly a grinch just because I didn't use to look forward to Christmas in the past as much as I do now. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Christmas -- the school break, the food, the gifts and aginaldo, and of course, the general feeling of peace and good will (admit it, come Christmas season, people have extra reasons to be nicer than usual). Add that fact that my family is complete during this time.

But this year is different, so different. Again, for some unexplainable reason, I appreciate Christmas songs more. I still want to do some Christmas shopping but I don't have the same passion for it anymore. It's like the actual superficial Christmas-related material things (eg, shopping, receiving gifts) aren't that much of a priority anymore. I just have this urge to spread the uhm, Christmas cheer? Haha! Sorry, I can't describe it. Basta! I just feel good about Christmas this December, like I have this hunch that this coming Christmas will be more special than before -- special not only in terms of better gifts or more aginaldo and the likes. Ah! It's the kind of special that is more meaningful. Naks! Multiply to that the fact that I am also very excited about my birthday this month! Haha! =p

Top 10 things I haven't done so far in my 6 years in UP Diliman

O ha! Sing-haba ng pila sa pagbabayad sa AS lobby noong Thursday afternoon ang title ko, hahaha! =p So this is the inital goodbye-UP post I was talking about just 2 posts ago. Well, it isn't as dramatic or mushy as I said it would be but I figured I'd save that for a March post, hehe! For now, I'll start with something light and amusing. Presenting:

Top 10 things I haven't done so far in my 6 years in UP Diliman -- which I may or may not do before I graduate anyway. Haha! You see, this list consist of staple things that an iskolar ng bayan would NORMALLY do during his stay at the university. Alas, in the true spirit of diversity in UP, I am not able to do all that is in this list. Heck, I don't even want to do some of the things in this list at all.

10 Join a rally.
While sympathize and agree with some of their causes, I don't like tibaks at all, hehe. I just don't like their style -- complain just about everything without offering any realistic solutions, skip classes. Lastly, I have yet to encounter an open-minded hard-core tibak. And when I say open-minded, I don't just necessarily mean someone who shares my opinion. Basta, throwing eggs is just not my cup of tea. =p

9 Make out in the Sunken Garden, Lagoon or an empty AS classroom.
Haha! Asa pa ko! For those who have no idea, the Sunken Garden and the lagoon are UP's own version of a quickie motel, haha! Go figure. So far, I haven't caugh anyone doing it -- whether on the classroom (well, hindi naman kasi ako parang guardiya na nag-roronda diba?), the lagoon or the Sunken Garden. The 'worst' I have seen is just extremely intimate hugging -- the one where you're not sure anymore where the faces of the couples are, all you see are their backs, haha!

8 Finish my enrollment in ONE DAY.
Since I have finished my last enrollment already, this is something I will never experience. Heck, I doubt if any UP student would experience this in their UP lifetime, haha! Well, except maybe during my 1st ever enrollment when I was a freshie. Back then, we didn't have to bother with the enlistment, because our schedules were pre-determined, unlike the poor freshies these days. Early on their UP life, despite the high priority in the CRS, they are already forced to face the tortured that is the UP enrollment week. (Read: with emphasis on 'week').

7 Get published in the Philippine Collegian.
Nyaks! Kahit extra lang sa picture, wala pa! Haha! Well, not that I have passed any artiks or even comments. So I guess this is simply wishful thinking

6 Be a US** or CS*.
My highest Sem GWA was 1.80, back in the 1st sem of my 1st year. From then on, it's been a rolling-down-the-hill ride, haha! =p
*CS stands for 'College Scholar', an academic award given to students who scored a Sem GWA of 1.75-1.45.
**US stands for 'University Scholar', for those with an Sem GWA of 1.44 or higher.

5 Watch a UAAP basketball game live.
As if UP wins most of the time. I am not a big fan of collegiate basketball anyway. I don't even watch the games on Studio 23. But of course, I still celebrate during the rare times that the Maroons win. Especially with the seasons were UP climbed from a 0-6 to a 6-6 record. That's when I start following the games -- when UP has the momentum and is on a sudden-death situation. But alas, whenever I try to catch their game on TV, UP ALWAYS loses.

4 Buy a UP shirt.
So far, I have 5 EEE shirts, 5 Eng'g shirts (including the now notorious Angas shirts, haha!) and 5 org shirts. I used to have a UP jacket, but I lost it at SM North. Good thing the UP Shopping Center will always be open, even for a (future) alumnus like me. =p

3 Eat isaw in front of Kalay or Ilang.
Now this is one of the really famous gimik spots in UP Diliman -- even students from far-flung campuses trek to the isaw stands in front of Kalay and Ilang-Ilang dorms. Even yuppies go there to chill out -- one would see the line of cars leading to these grilling joints, especially in the late afternoon. Anyway, I don't eat isaw. Yuck Rex, ang arte mo! Haha! It's not because it's kadiri, I just have this personal thing about eating isaw. For a clue, read this.

2 Get inside ALL the major buildings in UP.
Now this is something that borders on stupidity and amusement, haha! I mean, come to think of it, in your entire stay in the university, wouldn't be ironic to not be able to enter all the buildings at least once? I mean, it's not the case in elementary or high school where some places are off-limits. Wouldn't be fun to nonchalantly enter all the buildings you haven't been to? In my case, I have yet to enter AIT, Romulo Hall, CFA, Villadolid Hall, MBB, MSI, CSWCD, and Stat (the new building, which was formerly CSWCD). As for the dorms, I haven't been to the open houses of Narra, Sanggumay and Ipil, hehe! =p

1 Wear a sablay in a ceremony.
This entry was supposedly simply 'Wear a sablay'. But then I remembered, I have already worn one -- during my grad pic pictorial. Hehe! So I edited this entry and added 'in a ceremony'. Haay, I can't wait for the time when I would finally and officially wear a sablay and march down the aisle. Woohoo! Malapit na! But before that, I need to finish my last 20 units. Haay! Snap back to reality! Haha! =p

So there! I am through with my list. Hmm, I think I will check this piece again come March 2007, and do a post Top-10 analysis, haha! =p

Commercial Thoughts! 1: RevewMe

I have always believed that getting paid for doing what you enjoy is one of the best things that could happen to you. Passion is what drives us to do things and the fulfillment we get from it is already enough for us. But it wouldn't hurt to earn even just 'a little' while we're at it, right? Therefore, I wouldn’t mind if I earn from my blogging. At least finally, I have a valid defense whenever Mama would dissuade me from ‘wasting’ time with blogging, hehe!

Kapampangans are well-known for being noisy and opinionated. In a crowd, the Kapampangan would most likely be the noisy one, conversing with his/her seatmate, talking just about anything under the sun. We seem to have a gift for observing things that other people don’t – in short, mahilig talaga kaming pumuna at mang-okray, haha! And I am not an exception. =p That’s why this blog teems with my own personal opinion on the world around me, even the unpopular ones. After all, no opinion is wrong or right.

I have always had sponsored ads when I set up this blog of mine almost two years ago. Well, I never expected to get any from it, because I knew that my blog traffic isn't that high. I tried it out anyway in hope that someday, somehow, I will receive a $100 check, and when that time comes, the check would be a nice surprise. So far, I have $4.16! Haha! =p
I have encountered better ways to earn through one's blog. But recently, I have discovered a way that is most appealing so far -- ReviewMe.

In ReviewMe, you get paid for blogging about things that you like, which is something we always do anyway. Advertisers ‘ask’ you to review and blog about their products and that’s it! No irrelevant ads or links. No futile waiting for clicks. Just blog and get paid – it’s as simple as that. In fact, just for writing this piece for ReviewMe, I can look forward to an early Christmas treat! =p

As of 11/16/2006 11:37:34 AM...

... I am officially enrolled for my LAST semester in UP. Whoopie! =p

I am supposed to write a mushy-mushy reflection on this milestone, but I would have to defer that on another time, for I have a class that will start in 30 minutes. I need more than 30 minutes to come up with a heart-thugging composition, haha!

For the meantime, I'm gonna rant! Haha!

This is my longest enlistment and enrollment period ever! Haha! Imagine, I am a GRADUATING student and yet I had to beat the deadline for the late registration, hehe! (The deadline is today). Oh well, of course, I know the underlying reasons, and they're valid. =p Add to the irony the fact that this is my worst schedule ever! Yes, talk about a fitting finish to 6 years of ups and lots of downs at the premiere Philippine university -- the University of the Philippines Diliman. (Oh diba, ang yabang! Para akong binayaran para mag-plug, haha!)

Save the cheerleader, save the world

Thanks to my friends at EEE, I have another US TV series to watch! Drumrolls please! HEROES!

So for those with no idea, it's a new NBC drama television series where the characters have superpowers. Uhm, yeah, I guess you could say it's much like X-Men. But not necessarily. Well, for starters, the mutants don't wear costumes just yet, the story arc starts where the mutants slowly but surely realize their powers. The title of this post is a famous quote from one of the episodes. I think it's a combination of Charmed and X-Men, which I both very like. Anyway, for more info check its Wiki page.


So whose power I like the most? Naku, it's hard to choose! Each featured power has its own perks. When you can heal yourself, you're almost invincible -- nothing could hurt you. When you can draw the future or read people's minds, well, you'd never be clueless. In terms of usefulness in a combat, telepathy isn't much help. Even if you are aware of your enemy's fight plan, it only helps you on the defense but not on your offense. But since it is most useful in everyday life, telepathy has always been my favorite power. Even in X-Men, I have always admired the power of Professor X and Jean Grey. Haha! Which goes to prove how wussy I am! =p I love knowing things, because it pays to be in the know. Whether it be facts in science or technology or simple gossips from other peoples' lives, haha!

Unfortunately, I don't think any local cable channel airs this TV series so far. It only premiered in the US last September 2006. But for those with high-speed internet connection and are fond of torrents, I highly recommend this! =p

Nagpapaka-health buff

For the guys out there, do you read FHM? Well I do. But do I buy my own copies? I haven't yet, nakikibasa lang talaga ako! Haha! The last glossy magazine that I bought was a UK music magazine called Top Of The Pops and it cost P300 when it's imported here. And even that was eons ago. But last Tuesday, I bought my first copy of Men's Health. Gawd, I could hear the guffaws on your side of the internet already, haha! And for more weird behavior on my part, I jogged around the UP campus last Wednesday. Believe me, that is SOOO not me! =p

So why the sudden health-conscious mode? I am not sure. But what I know is that I've always wanted to get rid of excess tummy fats, hehe. I mean, come on, I don't drink, so I have no excuse as to why I seem to have a beer belly as this point in my life already. Last summer, because of the abundance of idle time, I started doing regular sit-ups. In fairness, I achieved some promising results. But when classes resumed in June, I didn't have time to continue the routine so my dreams of even just a shadow of a four-pack officially went down the drain.

So now, for some weird reason, I bought a health mag. And there's this article that says three 30-minute cardio (walking, jogging, running or swimming or a combination of these activities) exercises a week not only improves my health but my mind as well. Studies show that it improves the performance of our minds, which may help us perform better at work, or in my case, school. And since it I have a thesis and it's my last sem, I figured I need all the help that I can get. So I started jogged the next day, hehe.

It actually felt good. Well, not that I already feel that I lost an inch of waistline already, hehe, but it feels good to be finally taking steps to look out for my health. Because I know that when I am much older, I will be sick a number of times and I don't want to regret not taking care of my health sooner.

I just hope this new health-buff twist to my character is going to be for good. I mean, I don't want to super duper hunky, I just want to be healthy, to be fit. But if it also helps make me attractive, why not! Haha!

Desperate times calls for desperate measures

When it comes to religiosity and faith, I must say that Mama brought us up very strictly, hehe. Even if the Sunday mass cards weren't mandated by my Religion teachers since Grade 3 (I studied in a Catholic School), I will still be forced by Mama to wake up early and to always fulfill my Sunday obligations. Lents for me were the worst, haha! I have to attend all Masses and ceremonies and attend all processions, hehe. Of course, as a kid, I hated it. But now that I am a grown-up, I am proud that Mama imbued us with a strong sense of faith.

Even now that she can't monitor us because she is miles away, I still always feel guilty whenever I miss Sunday masses, hehe. But don't the idea that I am very religious, because I am not. I'd rather call myself as a faithful person than a religious one. Faith and religiosity are entirely two different things. You can be religious but not faithful and vice versa. You can also be both or neither! =p

My faith and my stand on it is a combination 12 years of Catholic school education and 6 years of liberal thinking with UP. As an illustration, I consider my relationship with God as something similar to a relationship between two lovers (of course, sans the sexual part, haha), in terms of values like trust. So my personal take on Sunday masses nowadays is that it is akin to weekly visits or dates with my girlfriend, hehe. Tampuhans and LQs are also present, haha -- because I miss Sunday masses every once in a while. I also believe that I'd rather miss a Mass if something would prevent me from 'enjoying' it anyway.

Anyway, humahaba na ang supplementary post ko! Haha! The reason I am all so religious and holy in this post is because of this:

NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE THADDEUS

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Intercede with God for me that He brings visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly - (mention problem) - and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, oh blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.

May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen. May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen. St. Jude, pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen. Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus, blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary, blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all eternity. (Our Father & Hail Mary)

My Mama sent me my first copy in a letter and I stumbled upon copies of it at the church in UP. I have used it many times and I must attest that I have indeed experienced the power of this prayer. I was in an extremely impossible situation (mathematically impossible, no amount of studying can save me) in one of my major subjects. I prayed this out of desperation na lang talaga. Apparently, it worked! I was given a chance to redeem myself (which rarely happens in UP EEE) and salvage my standing in that subject.

As a way to pay it forward, I should share this with other people (as stated in the prayer, hehe). So here! So for the religious and faithful alike, you should try this out. Traditionally, you should recite this for 9 times a day for 9 days. But hell, ikaw na bahala kung ilan, basta't pray ka lang nang pray! Hehe! But pray with genuine faith, because for me, it is the only thing that can fire you up to keep going despite extremely difficult and impossible times.

For the non-religious and non-believers, well, sorry you had to read this piece. I am not going to convince you try this out, because I know it's futile, ehehe. Just ignore this post and still come back next time, oki? =p

Blogs Galore! 14: Music Edition

THE LOVE ALBUM

Face To Face wasn't exactly a flop, after all there was a week back in November 2005 when Westlife held the UK #1 on both the Albums Chart (with Face To Face) and Singles Chart (with You Raise Me Up) on the same weekend. But realistically speaking, they're not as popular as before. They don't top the countdowns anymore, hehe. I really thought they would soon disband. But lo and behold, when they performed in the Miss World 2006 Final last September 30, I learned that they would release yet ANOTHER album! The question for a loyal fan like me is: am I going to get a copy? I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW, hehe! But I think my answers borders on NO, because after all, I have already downloaded all 11 songs from the yet to be released album, thanks to a British Multiply account, ehehe!

The Love Album, is another theme album for Westlife -- it features legendary love songs from decades past. So yes, it's all revival. No suprise there, hehe. I am listening to the album right now, and I must say, it's actually good. I must confess, I was actually cynical of yet another purely revival album. But now, I am actually really loving most of the songs. After listening for 2 iterations, my favorites so far are Total Eclipse Of The Heart, All Out Of Love, All Or Nothing (a boyband reviving another boyband's hit? I think this is a first, hehe) and Easy. My overall assessment is while this won't birng back the glory days of Westlife, it will be a treat for their fans.

THE HIGH ROAD
Thanks again to Multiply, hehe, I download Jojo's new album The High Road. You must be wondering who the hell is Jojo, hehe. She is the wholesome mirror image of Lindsay Lohan who is actually a far far better role model for teenage girls, hehe. And she has superior pipes to boot! =p Contrary to the teenybopper image she may seem to project, her music is far from being bubblegum pop. Of course, it is still mainly pop, but it's not the kind of pop that would make rock or R&B fans puke. Her latest single Too Little, Too Late, which thank God (because finally, she is getting the credit she truly deserves, more than what Lindsay Lohan gets) is slowly but surely becoming popular in local radio stations was my LSS for two whole months! She is that good. Well, at least for my taste, hehe.

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PINOY DREAM ACADEMY
This show is my guilty pleasure each evening! Even my nephews have noticed and commented how addicted I am to this show. When there was a temporary power interruption this afternoon, one of my nephews teased, "Hala! Hindi ka na naman makakapanood nung pinapanood mong A!" At first I didn't get what 'A' he was referring to, until he clarified it for me, "Yung ano, yung pinapanood mo pagkatapos ng Maging Sino Ka Man". Haha! He was actually referring to PDA and he called it the 'A' because on the show, the green with white spots capital letter 'A' was a prominent symbol on the screen.


Anyway, I prefer it more than Philippine Idol these days. Because you see, when I learned that ABS-CBN would launch PDA to compete with PI, even if I was a Kapamilya, I was pissed off. But with one disappointing result after another on PI, I have officially made the switch, hehe! So why do I like it? Well, I am not after the drama, I am actually after the class discussion, especially with Direk Joey Reyes. In fairness, for us music lovers (even for some of us who don't have the talent, hehe), the show is quite educational. And the marked improvement on the scholars is a testimony to that. At the start of both shows, PI was far superior in terms of talent vs PDA. But nowadays, more PDA scholars are giving the likes of Mau, Gian, Apple and Pow a run for their money. So far, my top bet is Yeng. She hasn't officially nailed the top prize yet, but she is already a certified hitmaker. My other favorites are Chad, Jay-R, Joan and syempre, Nyora Rosita! Hahaha! Panalo talaga ang mga moment at hirit niya. Take for example her comment on their November 1st Yoga treat: "Simply, deeply... relax." O-ha! =p

Unpopular Opinion 4: IPod is just a state of mind

All views and opinion expressed by this blogger does not in any way reflect that of blogger.com or the whole bloggosphere for that matter. Whatever bold statement read her should not be taken as the omnipotent truth. This blogger only wishes to share his opinions of the way things are in this universe, of which he is entitled to. If you don't share his opinion, you are very much welcome to share yours. But don't in any way hate this blogger for whatever opinion he has that is opposed to yours, for he does not in any way imply that he alone is right and that everyone else is wrong. Respect is valued here, as much as your opinion is, whatever it maybe.

Now I know that surely, I will get a lot of flak because many of you are probably IPod users. But hey, kaya nga 'unpopular' diba?

Wiki says IPod has a 90% market share for portable media players. Now that is saying something, right? It is the IT player! I am not bashing IPod because I am so poor and bitter that I can't afford one. Well, technically, I can afford one (yabang!), I just refuse to buy one, hehe. Here's why:

*FUNCTIONALITY. For me, IPods are way too expensive for just being a music player. I prefer the less popular brands like Creative or MPIO or Astone because apart from being way way cheaper and more affordable, these have more functions. With less money, I can have an MP3 player, FM tuner, recorder and a flash drive all in one gadget, without sacrficing the quality of course.

*COMPLEXITY. Well, yes, your IPod can also serve as a flash drive. But when it comes to transferring your music from your computer, I hate the fact that I have to use iTunes. With the cheaper players, I can simply copy and paste my music files. Plus, I hate that iTunes will go bonkers (well sort of) once I insert a different IPod gadget on my computer. A case in point is my roommate's Shuffle and another friend's Nano. My roommate installed iTunes to my laptop so he can copy my mp3s. I didn't mind. But when my other friend inserted his Nano, iTunes was having problems recognizing it. I had to install the iTunes CD that came with his new Nano. And when my roommate inserted his old Shuffle days later, we had to reinstall the old iTunes.

*VALUE FOR MONEY. Like I said, IPods are too expensive. It's not the technology that you buy, it's the name. Of course, IPods are sersyal, right? Hehe!

Would I contradict myself if I confess that given a chance, I would love to have an IPod? Haha! I mean come on, who wouldn't!? Like I mentioned above, admit it, IPods are status symbols. Despite its limited functionality, we still long to own an IPod, because, well, an IPod is an IPod! Haha! It's what the celebrities use as well!

You might be wondering what MP3 player I use. Well, it's a 512-MB MPIO FY600. It cost me around P5000 when I bought it last April. And I am fully satisfied with its service even if its name isn't very popular. At least, it wouldn't attract muggers or stealers, hehe. Plus, it's smaller, it easily fits into the small key pockets in my pants.

So there, I have presented my case. I am not saying that you guys should stop buying IPods. Well, if you have the money, good for you! As for me, the time when I would finally buy an IPod is when I am finally effing rich already, when P12,000 is just piece of cake crumbs, hehe. For now, I would have to contend with my MPIO, because after all, at the end of the day, it's all about the music (or should I say, my mp3 files) and that

IPod is just a state of mind. =p

Go forth and Multiply

Friends in the bloggosphere, http://kingofchocolates.multiply.com is up!

Yeah whatever.

So why did I sign up for a Multiply account? Uhm, to download songs? Haha! Pirata talaga eh no! As I have mentioned in a post eons ago, I use Limewire to download hard-to-find songs. But lo and behold, Multiply is a recent discovery for me! Downloading is straightforward, no extra waiting time or secret code to type in, hehe. Pasensya na ha, natuwa lang talaga ako sa Multiply. Hindi ko kasi masyado pinapansin to dati, I thought having a Friendster and a blog is enough.

Anyway, this will still be my main 'site'. I will only use the Multiply account for music purposes, hehe. Speaking of which, if you want me to upload a specific MP3, let me know. I have 3500+ mp3s (Foreign, OPM, Westlife -- yeah, separate folder pa talaga siya, haha, and American Idol performances from Season 4 - Season 5). So far, I have uploaded five Christmas songs, hahaha! =p