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This is my first ever year-end blogging recap, a tradition a lot of bloggers do annually. I do realize it is important to always take a step back and look at what has happened in the year that has passed - remember the bad with the good, learn from mistakes and grow because of them. I also think it is important to have a plan at the beginning of the year. The plan may not be as clear-cut or complete, but at least there is a something to measure your progress against. That way you can gauge if you did better or worse - and reward or adjust accordingly. Here we go then...

Dreaming of a European Holiday Getaway? Reyjr traveling in Europe I am too.  Ever since I got the opportunity to travel around Europe - to countries like Italy, Germany, Spain, and France - I've always wanted to go back, hopefully next time around, for a real holiday vacation (or maybe for our Honeymoon!) I am dreaming of visiting centuries old buildings and structures in Italy, walking on the cobblestone street, staying at  villas in Greece with fantastic views of the coast, and marvel at the majestic Temple of Hephaestus in Athens.  I am dreaming of the ever interesting Gaudi architecture all over Barcelona and how I'd love to visit all of them one by one. I've been to Paris, France but do want to go back. I never had the chance to go up the Eiffel Tower or visit Mona Lisa inside the Louvre. I'd love to try backpacking around Brittany or Corsica in France, find some nice  cottages to rent  and just enjoy the peace and quiet a...

Inception What can I say? Sometimes there are just things that take a hold of us - a thought, a concept, an idea - and sometimes an idea is grand and defines your life by the choices you make because of this idea, but often it is a simple idea, mundane even. Even so, this idea captures us and it seems we cannot force ourselves to take any other option. Well, since I am really not in the mood for fantastic philosophications, let's forgo the former and talk about the latter. Here's one idea I can't seem to shake off.  Tell me, do you have the same thoughts and feelings about this idea? I'd love to hear what you think...

Earning 10 in 2010 - Online Earnings Update I'm terribly late but still, hello everyone and welcome to the November 2010 edition of my Online Earnings Update . November was not a good month, and it doesn't seem like things will be looking up soon. I'll tell you why in a bit... For this month, I earned only about $7.34 , mostly from Google Adsense.  It seems I've unwittingly relaxed after I received my first $100 on Google Adsense! Wait.. you don't know what the heck I'm talking about? If it is your first time reading a post from this series, here's a quick background...

Has it been 10 years? Yes, indeed it has! But even though we feel it in our muscles, the panting after every choreographed number, the added padding around the waist like cushions every time the movement requires us to bend, the additional effort to hold a sustained note a steady pianissimo...even though it's been a decade past, the passion is not lost on our years and careers, the energy to the fingertips, the performance bravado, stage presence and the beautiful harmonies still blend together perfectly... "...lumilipad ang puso ko sa awit na aking tangay..."

10 Year Anniversary - The UPCC Batch 2000 Batchmates (from left) Josette, Raisa, Liz, Reyjr, Shaina, Roger, Emily, Ging and Deo. The UPCC concert  is in 2 days and I still haven't fully recovered from my cough and colds.  I am still a little hoarse, but hopefully my voice will be well enough to hit those high notes.  We will be singing and dancing 4 songs: three Filipino songs and one English gospel song...

Tweet World AIDS Day 2010 I recently "Liked" a Facebook Page for UNAIDS , a non profit organization that seeks to help raise awareness and understanding about the virus and how it can be prevented and eventually eradicated.  You can too, if you want.  Just visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/UNAIDS . According to a report published in 2009, there may now be up to 5,500,000 people in Asia living with HIV . Up to 29,000 of those are children. In 2008, an estimated 330,000 AIDS-related deaths occurred in Asia alone.  Please, if you think you are exempt from this, stop and think again, because if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem...

Friday Madness! F riday grips my attention. R estraining, increasing the tension I n my chest. My mind is already D ancing away from my body A nd skipping with glee down the hallway Y es, obviously happy it's Friday. Nov 30 is Bonifacio Day ps. It's going to be a long weekend - with the November 30 " Bonifacio Day " moved to be celebrated on November 29.  Let's take some time this weekend to stop and remember one of our Nation's heroes, Andres Bonifacio . pps. To those celebrating it... Happy Thanksgiving !   Click this to Subscribe to Reyjr.com

Tweet Parasailing in Boracay If you've never gone Para-sailing before, Boracay is the perfect place to try it - with the breathtaking view of the island, the wonderful warm breeze and the accommodating crew to assist you, you will surely enjoy the experience. We sure did! Excited to fly Para-sailing style for the first time! We were leaving Boracay the next morning and were feeling adventurous enough to try either the "Helmet Diving" or "ParaSailing" , and eventually decided on the latter...

Tweet Pacquiao defeats Margarito! With speed and agility, Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao has defeated the taller (by almost 5 inches) and heavier (by up to 20 lbs) Antonio Margarito to capture his 8th world title, WBC Welterweight Champion.

Tweet Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree My room in Batangas needed some cheering up for the coming holidays, and so I went and got myself a Christmas Tree . :D I found just the Christmas tree I needed at Ace Hardware in SM Batangas. It is small enough to not crowd my small room but big enough to cheer it up, plus it's easy to set up - no other connecting parts save for the stand.  Aside from the tree, I also got some blue and silver frosted decorations, and of course, some Christmas lights...

Earning 10 in 2010 - Online Earnings Update October 2010 Online Earnings Update Hello everyone and welcome to the October 2010 edition of my Online Earnings Update . For this month, I earned about $19.00 , and I also reached my first $100 on Google Adsense! If it is your first time reading this, here's a quick background...

Tweet Reyjr and Michelle sing "When God Made You" by Newsong feat. Natalie Grant After over 2 hours uploading, I'm glad to finally be able to share with you the video below of me and my colleague Michelle Agas singing "When God Made You" , a song by Newsong featuring Natalie Grant. We performed it during the wedding of our former choir's pianist, Joy to her now husband, Mark at the Greenhills Christian Fellowship in Ortigas...

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Tweet Introducing Roxie the Yorkie Nothing like some cute puppies to cheer you up. :D

Tweet Dear friends, You may have heard about the new case filed by the Bureau of Customs (Customs) against Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation . Below is an article published today by Shell in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star to provide the public more information. I encourage you to read more and know more about the issues before making your conclusions about Shell and its employees...

Tweet It was the sudden passing of Paul, one of our elementary school batchmates that convinced us to push through with a grand reunion.  He was 28. Paul is the first boy from the right on the front row. Someone had posted one of our class pictures on Facebook , tagged everyone and began a riot reminiscing spree. Soon a reunion party was being organized virtually. Paul was one of those who really wanted to have a reunion party.  He was even egging me to help him organize it.  A few weeks after that, we heard news of his passing...

Tweet Give a Gift to Nourish a child To commemorate its 18th anniversary, Virlanie published an 18-month calendar which runs from July 2010 to December 2011. The calendar features 18 engaging photographs by Sebastien Cuvelier and Mark Quisquirin which show a glimpse of the lessons Virlanie learned from the children they care for. This calendar is the perfect Christmas gift that would surely brighten up the day of your friends and family. Proceeds will help nourish street children. Call Dana at (02) 895 3460 to get a calendar! See the ad below...

Tweet A House is not a Home "I am a city boy who works in the province", goes the first line of my blogger profile.  That means on top of the stressful days and nights in the office writing reports and beating deadlines, or working under the scorching heat of the sun especially during plant maintenance shutdowns, I go home to an empty room , have to cook for myself and eat while having a one way conversation with the television. Blah. Bleh. Blah. Because of this, my weekends have become all the more focused not only on recharging and relaxation, but more importantly, spending quality time with my loved ones. The 2-hour rush home is always a build up of increasing excitement... and the best way arrive Home is with some awesome " pasalubong ", of course! Awesome Pasalubong! Häagen-Dazs Caramel Biscuit & Cream I don't know anyone in my family who can resist some rich Häagen-Dazs ice cream, so when I heard that there was a new flavor out - Häagen-...

Tweet Earning 10 in 2010 - Online Earnings Update Monthly Online Earnings Chart  Hello everyone and welcome to the  September 2010 edition of my Online Earnings Update . For this month, I earned about $26.00 - not bad for passive income! If it is your first time reading this, here's a quick background...

Tweet Jet into the Sunset Part 1 11/1/2008 - Sunset in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia taken while in a Taxi en route to the airport and bound for Manila, Philippines.

It has been one year since the tragedy called Ondoy struck Manila. And it is typhoon season once again. Should we be bracing for another disaster? Tweet Remembering Ondoy One of the many horrifying photos from last year's Ondoy devastation. We were fortunate to be one of the residents of Pasig City whose house was not ravaged by last year's tropical storm Ondoy , but our neighbors, friends and families were - some had vehicles completely submerged in flood water , others had their houses flooded so quickly there was no time to salvage anything.  I recounted my personal experience with Ondoy in this blog post I published last year - Trauma in Ondoy's wake ...

Tweet I feel my eyebrows twitching in anticipation. Wishing I was done with these remaining reports writing... telephones ringing... In my mind I am shouting "Friday! FRIDAY!" Neverending. Oh my tired mind is trying... but it's failing. Failing. Failing.   Click this to Subscribe to Reyjr.com

Tweet "Who turned the lights off? I can't see a thing!" Aviator Shades will never go out of style... just sayin'! So, who doesn't have a mandatory photo with-Aviator-shades-on as a child? Hahaha!   Click this to Subscribe to Reyjr.com

Tweet Sawasdee Khrab! I would love to go back to Thailand and go ride an elephant, or get an elegant yet affordable Phuket hotel booking and have a Thailand vacation on Patong Beach, revisit the royals in Bangkok 's Grand Palace, watch the sunset at one of the vantage points on Promthep Cape, maybe catch a Muay Thai fight or a buy some Thai gold for my girlfriend. Memories of Thailand My first time to travel outside of the Philippines was in 1997, to celebrate our mom's birthday via a trip to Thailand with my family. I was 15 at the time, and still in high school - I had to miss a day or two of school, but it was well worth it...

Tweet Who are the new American Idol Judges? JLo? Steven Tyler?? There have been a lot of speculation about who the new American Idol Judges are going to be following the departure of Simon Cowell .  With season 9 judge Ellen Degeneres saying she thinks it "didn't feel like the right fit" for her and the apparent sacking of Kara DioGuardi, so far, Randy Jackson remains as the lone veteran Idol judge...

Tweet Earning 10 in 2010 - Online Earnings Update Monthly Online Earnings Update Hello everyone and welcome to the August 2010 edition of my Online Earnings Update . If it is your first time reading this, here's a quick background...

Tweet Singapore Reflections - the river cruise Singapore River Cruise, Clarke Quay More Photos below...

Tweet Duìbùqǐ ("I am sorry") - to the families of those who were hurt and killed in today's hostage taking near Quirino Grandstand in Manila by ex-Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza . - @ Reyjrdotcom

Tweet Driving from Manila to Batangas I have been driving between Manila and Batangas City weekly since April 2005 and one of my frustrations about it is the wasted time - imagine around 5 to 7 hours a week (depending on how bad the traffic is) is unproductive time, just sitting on my butt, going from point A to point B. There was even one time I traveled from Batangas to Manila for 5 and a half hours ! Batangas - STAR Tollway It was even worse during the episode when the "Bridge of Promise" was out of service. That bridge collapsed during the typhoon season of 2009, it was Typhoon Santi that destroyed it, taking the life of Romulo Soriano and his 3-year old son, Nicolo. His wife Malou who was also in the car when it crashed into the water, survived...

Because since I moved to my current quarters I've had a lot more time to watch DVDs, I've decided to include mini movie reviews on this blog . And what better way to kick it off than with this classic, award winning film?  Tweet Now Showing on Movie Night: "The Godfather" Part 1 (1972) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Screenplay by Mario Puzo Paramount Pictures Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton. "The Godfather (Part 1)" Believe it or not, it was the first time ever that I saw this movie - but it is crystal clear to me now why it deserves it's Oscar wins and all the praises and accolades it received. Heck, I even think this mini movie review cannot bring justice to this epic. :p

Watch a video of Roy singing his song here: http://youtu.be/-sG9pXw3Fps Roy is a widower from Angeles City. He maintains over 10 blogs including Roysville dot Com, The Struggling Blogger , Short Stories Blog, Travel To Angeles City, and Kapampangan Blog , and sees blogging not as a hobby but as a way of life. Read the lyrics of his song and my short interview with Roy below about this new song and how music affects his life...

Tweet Earning 10 in 2010 - Online Earnings Update Hello everyone and welcome to the July 2010 edition of my Online Earnings Update. If it is your first time reading this, here's a quick background. I've decided to blog about my monthly online earnings via my Twitter account , and my Personal Blog .  I am not actively pursuing this earning online business - I'm posting around twice a week about things I usually blog about, receiving around 100 to 150 unique hits per day, and am only spending at most 1 to 2 hours daily writing and promoting my blog because of my busy work schedule. If you are in the same situation, I invite you to share what you know and how your efforts have been fruitful. If you are a newbie like me, then read on and join me on this journey! Here's the updated chart for July 2010...

The Aberdeen International Youth Festival 2010 The Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF) in Aberdeen, Scotland " brings together and presents the best young performers and performing companies . It is a unique multi-arts event and has a reputation for attracting some of the finest young dance companies, classical dance academies, youth orchestras, bands and music ensembles from around the world. " It is an annual festival that I have been privileged to be a part of twice - in the years 2000 and 2003. :)

Tweet Formspring.me? Formspring, you! No, I do not have a Formspring.me account, and I do not intend to create one - I do not think I have the time nor the energy to manage another online account. But I do realize why Formsping has become quite the phenomenon - people just cannot resist answering a question. Questions are in fact a key tool in Learning. When you are giving a lecture or even just presenting a report, a question triggers the audience's brains to answer even when you are not addressing them directly. The whole concept of the lie detector test basically hinges on this particular human necessity - your body answers the questions for you even before you actually say anything...

PSP Games UMDs for SALE! My cousins wouldn't like this much (harhar) but here goes. Anyhow, as they say, one child's trash is another's toy (whoa, that suddenly reminded me of Toy Story 3 , did you watch it?) SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE! 100% WORKING used Sony PSP UMDs For SALE! 

If you are ever in Port Dickson in the state of Negeri Sembilan, about 90 km from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on holiday or business trip, I suggest you book yourself at Avillion Hotel Port Dickson for a wonderfully relaxing time...

ReyJr at Franchise 2010 Franchise 2010 Yesterday, Liz and I visited Southeast Asia's Biggest Franchise Event, Franchise 2010 : The 18th Philippine International Franchise Conference and Expo at the SMX Convention Center. It was our first time to ever attend anything related to starting a business and we were eager to go around, talk to people and, of course, learn about how to start a franchise.  The event ran from July 14 to 18, featuring over 330 exhibitors of various business opportunities...

The UP Concert Chorus are coming home They're back from their international concert tour and are gearing to show everyone what makes them awesome...

What the Emerging Influential Bloggers Writing Project did for me Last year , I met a lot of my now good friends via this annual "writing project" that awards new and emerging influential blogs making an impact in the Blogosphere. Several of them went on to be recognized as the most influential emerging bloggers of 2009. :) A few weeks after that, I was invited to join PatayGutom.com - a group food blog and one of the awardees as well. The Emerging Influential Blogs Writing Project  is now on its 4th Year, and if you are a newbie blogger, I would most definitely encourage you to participate. :) It has helped me ease into the uncharted Philippine blogging territories and am happy to declare now that I am, indeed, a Blogger. :p woot! So, which blogs do I think are the most Influential Emerging Blogs for 2010...?

Tweet Earning 10 in 2010 - Online Earnings Update Welcome to the June 2010 edition of my Online Earnings Update. :) It is an interesting month for my online earnings, first because of the dramatic drop of my Google Adsense earnings and what caused it, and second, how much can you actually earn via the new service of Sponsored Tweets. Click image to view full size If it is your first time reading this, I've decided to blog about my online earnings monthly on my Twitter account, and my Personal Blog .  I am not actively pursuing this earning online business - I'm posting twice a week about things I usually blog about, receiving around 150 unique hits per day, and am only spending at most 1 to 2 hours daily writing and promoting my blog because of my busy work schedule. If you are in the same situation, I invite you to share what you know and how your efforts have been fruitful. If you are a newbie like me, then read on and join me on this journey! See how much I earne...

On May 22, the inimitable book of Philippine Cinema's stars was successfully launched at the Trader’s Hotel, Roxas Boulevard - an afternoon of nostalgia, reliving the glorious days of Philippine cinema  Many of the artists whose lives were vividly remembered in the pages of " Balik-Tanaw: The Filipino Movie Stars of Yesteryears " were in attendance... “Balik-Tanaw: The Filipino Movie Stars of Yesteryears” _____________________________________________________ Author Romy Protacio signing copies of his new book

Gmail Help Spam I just received an email titled " Precaution " from a supposed " Gmail Help ". The email address is servinusers@gmail.com To make it look real, it listed Google, Inc. and the address (which can be found on Google) and proceeded to request for the user's ID, Birthdate, Country and, get this, your Password. Doh! It follows through with a threat of consequence of non compliance.. "Comply in 7 days or you will lose your account... PERMANENTLY!" Lol! Well, the weird thing about it is, it was not captured by Gmail Spam. They should maybe reconfigure their spam tracker to be able to capture these posers too. Anyway, to anyone who will receive this, please don't fall for this stupid sh*t.   Click this to Subscribe to Reyjr.com

The Disney Tween in You Admit it, you loved the High School Musical series: the class geek transforms into school "it" girl, the basketball jock can sing, and the uber mushy love story between them gives us all goosebumps. For teens and tweens alike, it gives them something to look forward to and dream about. For the tweens at heart, it brings back memories of your high school sweetheart, your high school crush. If you missed the last of that trilogy which was shown on the big screen, Disney Tweens now offers the High School Musical 3: Extended Edition along with numerous other Disney movies just right for the Tweens and the Tweens at heart...

  This post is covered by a Creative Commons License. Charice on Glee Reyjr.com has been following Filipino singer and International Pop Star Charice Pempengco's performance on the Billboard Charts , and so it comes as a pleasant surprise (albeit already half expected) that Charice will be joining the Second Season of Glee. Several weeks ago, a false report came out that Charice was to join Glee. She, her mom, and her US Manager Marc Johnston denied it vehemently, saying Charice's Philippine Manager might have been "confused". This time around though, it came straight from the Johnston's mouth...

Following up on my "vintage" celebrity photos series are, not one, but two celebrity photos taken in the year 2004, during my last tour with the UPCC.   Reyjr at the Louvre in Paris, France The last stop of the tour then was Paris, France - and the last concert on November 13, 2004 was at the American Church of Paris, Quai d’Orsa. With a standing ovation - it was a great ending to our 3-week tour of Germany, Italy and Paris. It was made a bit more special because we met 2 celebrities there - and Nope, the Mona Lisa in the Louvre was not one of them! :p Look Who I Met in Paris...

Part 1: "The Mystery of the Child and the Ice Cream Jingle" *Selecta Ice Cream Jingle plays in the background* Baby Keisha : (with eyes widening) Mommy... what's that sound? Mommy : (sweetly) Nothing.... *Selecta Ice Cream Jingle continues to play* Baby Keisha : (ears twitching) What's that sound Mommy??? Mommy : Nothing.... Baby Keisha : (jumping up and down) Mommy! Mommy! What's that sound, Mommy?! Mommy : Nothing! You're FAT ! -end- What's the moral of the story? Part 2....

The inspiration for this post came from an exchange on Facebook - one of my Facebook friends Status read: "I can almost smell the weekend!" This led me to wonder what MY weekend actually smelled like... if I was to describe it... ...my weekend smells like Liz's perfume, and Cream silk on her hair, and when she just got out of her car - a slight scent of that Australian car perfume I gave her (pasalubong from my sister's fiance)...

Tweet I f it's your first time reading this post series, let me explain briefly - I've decided to blog my journey of Earning Money Online - with a monthly update, a target amount, charts, the whole shebang. (Hehe.) As a disclaimer, I will say this series is meant to share my experiences in this venture - but mine is a personal blog that does not receive a whole lot of traffic, I do not have a lot of time to blog, but do want to earn a little bit from it. If you are in the same situation, I invite you to share what you know and how your efforts have been fruitful. If you are a newbie like me, then read on and join me on this journey! Earning 10 in 2010 Click image to view full size It has become apparent that I will probably be earning more than my target $10 per month every month until the end of the year. My Adsense earnings have been growing (albeit slowly) in the past 5 months or so - and this month, for the second month in a row, it actually earned enough to cove...

Last March, my birthday gift from my parents was a new cellphone - a Nokia N900 Touchscreen Mobile Computer .  My phone before this one was also a Nokia, model N73, which makes for a huge jump from a semi-retirement age phone to now a top of the line touchscreen phone.  My Nokia n900 Nokia N900 features The N900 is Nokia's latest offering. It uses a Linux-based Maemo software.  If you wish to read more about the full Technical Specifications of the Nokia n900 , hop on over to Nokia's website , they have the whole thing there. Putting it all here seems a bit redundant. :p Here's my personal review of my cool new gadget....

Tweet Charice Billboard Watch 2010 Billboard Hot 100  - 2 weeks Week of May 29, 2010 - "Pyramid" feat. Iyaz entered and peaked at #56 Week of June 5, 2010 - The single dropped to #93 on its second a final week. Billboard 200 Albums  - 8 weeks Week of May 29, 2010 - Charice's self-titled US album entered and peaked at #8 Week of June 5, 2010 - "Charice" slides 20 spots to #28  Week of June 12, 2010 - "Charice" slips further to #55  Week of June 19, 2010 - "Charice" is at #81 Week of June 26, 2010 - The album drops to #162 Week of July 3, 2010 - The album moves 9 spaces down to #173 Week of July 10, 2010 - "Charice" rebounded to #139 following the announcement of her guest appearance on "Glee" Week of September 18, 2010 - After a 2 month absence on the Billboard Albums Charts, "Charice" re-entered at #160 following a replay of her appearance on Oprah  Dance/Club Song s - 9 weeks The remixes of ...

Welcome to the archives of Charice's Billboard Charts performance and other snippets of news. Read on and don't forget to Like this page! For corrections, please email me at admin[at]reyjr.com. Tweet

Jejemon Encounters ei0w p03Hwz!! So, we've all had encounters with them Jejemons  - from random text messages, Friendster friend requests (back in the day, you remember?), Facebook status updates, and other Social Networking site - and now they have conquered mainstream media - with a fast growing viral popularity that rivals MelaSon or OchoOcho. They are now (unfortunately) part of Philippine Culture and even in other parts of Asia . Tweet ___________________________________________ Anti Jejemon! During the Philippine Presidential Election campaigns, we saw Jejemon being used as a campaign tool - like this photo of Sec. Gibo Teodoro. I also heard VP Candidate Jejomar Binay was turned into Jejemon Binay. Because of this though, I have begun having this nagging feeling that I need to learn how to write in Jejemon  (or Jejenese)  so that at least I will be able to understand it, if eventually it takes over our normal language. :...

Dear visitors, I have stopped updating the numbers on this blog post. For real time results of the 2010 Philippine Presidential Elections, please head on over to the COMELEC website   or the PPCRV Website . Thank you.