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Emerging Influential Bloggers 2009: My first blogging event It was my first venture into the land of the bloggers (hehe) and I was quite anxious about it: My first ever blogging event! Sure, I've had my blog for quite a while, but I've actually only really started blogging last January 2009. Would any of them even know my blog? And besides, who knows what these bloggers are like? Wah! After some "boyfriend duties", I rushed to Casino Filipino on Sucat Road in Paranaque (I was an hour late! doh!). As I pulled in the parking area, curiously eyeing the huge PAGCOR sign and thinking to myself, it says Casino Filipino, not PAGCOR in the invite...is this really Casino Filipino? Why does it only say PAGCOR? Lol. I realized later that it was common knowledge that they were one and the same. Hah! Anyways, I worked my way through the reception, the metal detectors, up the stairs, through registration and into the Forum Hall. With cold and sweaty hands, I opened the door...

Video Format Converter! I've finally gotten a hold of a video format converter so now I can convert AVI to MPEG to make the file size smaller and easier to upload on Youtube! I now know how to make vids and convert them to mpeg > upload to youtube and then post on my blog. So, I got excited at the prospect of making video blogs or vlogs...but then I realized I still have to get a video editing software and learn how to use it. Heheh. But at least I've made progress right? SO, I've made a test post! "To Where You Are" by Josh Groban Last week (July 31), on my way home from Batangas, the traffic was horrible on C5 that I got bored and started singing to the songs on the radio to entertain myself. I saw I had taken my Canon Ixus 90IS with me in the car, so I snatched it up and decided to take a short clip of me singing in the dark. Hehe. Since I have zero knowledge about editing, this is raw unedited footage... :D Still looking for a mentor to teach ...

On Saturday, August 1, I woke up to an sms from my co-UP Concert Chorus Alum, Ging, that our dear former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino or Tita Cory, had passed away. Her message was quickly followed by another one, asking if I was willing to come over and sing for the 8pm mass set that evening in La Salle, Greenhills where the late President's body was brought for public viewing. It was going to be the first mass for the wake of Pres. Cory Aquino... I knew there was going to be a lot of people, tight security because of all the VIPs coming, parking was going to be difficult, not to mention I haven't sung with the UP Concert Chorus in a long time...but there was no hesitation when I replied: Yes, I will go. After some errands in Makati and a light KFC take-out dinner in the car, Liz and I made our way to La Salle, Greenhills. Along the way, we could already see the yellow ribbons on the vehicles around us, on the branches of trees along Ortigas Ave, even on lamp posts and r...

Next week, I will be attending my first ever bloggers meet - the awarding ceremonies for the Top Emerging Influential Bloggers for 2009, and I am at a loss for how to prepare for it. But being the (mild) OC that I am, I have decided to make a list of things to do, to bring, to internalize and externalize (lol) for the bloggers meet. Feel free to add your suggestions and your advice in the comments section below! What to bring: - Bring a pen and a small notebook, in case you have to write down names and blogs. - Bring your blogging card with your blog's name and website on it. (lol! I did not know how to call it - it can't be a calling card right?) - Bring your camera! - Bring enough cash for taxi and coffee. (Because people will probably be having coffee after that!) - Bring an ID in case you need to "authenticate" your identity. Or to prove that you're above 18. (we'll be in a Casino after all, you might want to try some slot machines) What to think about bef...

I have edited this post (7/11/09) because I'm happy to announce that I have finally (FINALLY! yes..) completed my noms for this year's uber awesome, uber prestigious top emerging influential blogs. I started out with just two nominations, and begged my readers to send me links to their favorite newbie blogs (and this explains why most comments here are suggestions!) and in the process, I have made several new blogger friends (and some jedi masters), improved my readership (to a staggering 30 visits per day! lol..), and most importantly, connected with people who share a true passion for blogging. Without further ado, here is my uber awesome and eccentric list: http://www.adaphobic.com/ http://tunaynalalake.blogspot.com/ http://ka-blogs-tugan.blogspot.com/ http://videochops.com/ http://www.pataygutom.com/ http://writingtoexhale.com/ http://zorlone.blogspot.com/ http://goodtimesmanila.com/ http://www.millionaireacts.com/ http://thestrugglingblogger.168center.com WOOT! CONGRATUL...

It wasn't a total solar eclipse in the Philippines, but nevertheless, the partial Solar Eclipse today (July 22) still elicited some excited giggles from my female colleagues, some expressions of awe and wonder, and some feelings of minisculity. I half-ran back to my office after a meeting, glancing at the sun, but just hurting my eyes in the process. I stopped and squinted to see if there was anything happening up there, only to be betrayed by my eyes, tearing up from the glare. When I got to my office, I found a couple of my colleagues had taken out some x-rays of pipelines (I work in a refinery) and were using those to watch the ongoing eclipse. When I got my turn to look, I was hugely disappointed! It was already 830AM by then and all I could see was a small chip on the upper-left portion of the circle that was the sun, so small it was virtually unnoticeable! Bah! But I was sure that it was going to be amazing. So sure in fact that I did not, could not, stop watching, waiting fo...

Bring your solar filters and cameras, a Total Solar Eclipse, one of the rarest celestial events on Earth is happening on Wednesday, July 22, 2009! It will be visible between around 8AM and 9AM on that day (at GMT+8hrs, just compute for your own country's time! ;p) in the following countries: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. The moon's shadow will then blot out our sun in Japan's Ryukyu Islands before hovering over the Pacific Ocean and eventually disappearing. The solar eclipse will be partially visible for the most of Eastern Asia (including the Philippines! woot! woot!), Indonesia and the Pacific Islands. Packaged Tours are available in places in the world where the eclipse will be completely visible, like in India , where they will witness the "100% solar eclipse with diamond ring." It is only the third total solar eclipse to be visible in India in the past 15 years and one has to wait for another 78 Years, to witness such a spectacle again....

I am a fan of Michael Jackson. And I'm devastated that he's dead. If you've seen the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus" in the scene where the lead character finds out over the radio that John Lennon of the Beatles had been shot - that's exactly how I felt like when I found out about MJ. "...the King of Pop, his heart has stopped..." I found out through a text message from Liz, and I actually thought it was another one of those so-and-so-is-dead-hoax things, but when I checked, it was all over the news. On all news websites, on Twitter, on Facebook, on all TV channels, on all radio stations, they were talking about nothing else: "the King of Pop, his heart has stopped". Yes folks, the Jacko is dead. Everywhere you go they were playing Michael Jackson songs, you could even listen to "Thriller" in the mall in broad daylight. They've stopped playing David Cook's version and opted for 80's style "Billy Jean". In my c...

"I was born on a syzygy." "And what is a syzygy?" I have been asked several times already, so here's a quick explanation! Where did the word come from? Pronounce as [see-zee-jee], it is late Latin syz ygia conjunction, from Greek, from syzygos yoked together, from syn- + zygon yoke. And If you've seen the musical " The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ", it's one of the first words they spell. :D Haha! "...a syzygy is basically an alignment of celestial bodies." Syzygy definition : In Astronomy, a syzygy is basically an alignment of celestial bodies. From earth, when we see a solar or lunar eclipse, it means the moon, the earth and the sun are in alignment or in conjunction, hence the shadow of one on another. This is not limited to the sun, moon and earth, solar eclipses and lunar eclipses. Syzygies may be made up of the different celestial bodies in a gravitational system, e.g. our solar system. So which one w...

I received this note in my email twice, so now I feel compelled to blog about it. Hahaha! Around 5 years ago, I would have auditioned, if just for the heck of it. I did for Miss Saigon Korea, and actually got a callback. :p I sang "Why, God, Why?" I did well enough, I guess, but couldn't impress the panel for the dance auditions. Hehehe... Now, the first time I auditioned for a play outside of UP and of the UPCC was for Repertory Philippines' "The Secret Garden." I sang "Lily's Eyes," a duet. For that, I also got a callback and a semi-compliment from the late Bibot Amador (on my way out of the theater she asked me if I was going to the "callback", and I said yes). Too bad I did poorly at the callbacks, forgot the words both times I sang it. :p Haha! Even if I never fulfilled my dream to be a professional thespian (see Profile: "...frustrated thespian") I had tremendous fun auditioning for these plays, and now remember fondly...

_____________________________________________ If you have inquiries about the Tali Beach private resort featured here, text or call the owners at 361-7091 or 0917-8828760 or email them at talibeach[at]gmail.com - Tell them you got their contact info from Reyjr.com! :D ************************* It was Liz's department outing, and I was one of the designated drivers! Hehehe. The tradeoff: 2 days on a private resort on Tali Beach, Nasugbu, Batangas, with hotelier people who have great taste, great skills in the kitchen, and a ton of hilarious hotel stories. The 2 hour drive up was worth it. :D Squeezing in some Tali Beach time It was my first time in Tali Beach , and actually also my first time on a beach resort in Nasugbu. I know Nasugbu only for the wedding chapels, haha; a whole lot of my colleagues have gotten married in Caleruega, Chapel on the Hill and thereabouts, so I was pretty familiar with the place. :p We were there on June 12 and 13. A sl...

Sure, we want the best of both worlds: we want lots of money and musical independence. But can you have both? Being an indie band offers freedom to decide what musical direction to take, which songs to release, how and where to promote your music. The advent of internet sites like iTunes, MySpace and YouTube have also allowed more indie artists to "earn from their living rooms" than ever before. So as an indie artist, you should first as yourself, do you really need to be under a major label.. Read the full post on the MTV.com site by clicking here: Indie artists: Pragmatism in the face of adversity! and please VOTE for me by clicking the THUMBS UP symbol on there. Hehehe! Thanks in advance! :D Subscribe in a reader

A Theme Thursday post We used to play this hilarious game where we replaced words in movie titles with the word "itlog" or "egg" in English. Now, let's try it for the word "funk", replacing words in the worldwide top grossing movies of all time (as of end June 2009!) #1 (1997) " Titanic Funk" - hm.. it's one word! #2 (2003) "The Lord of the Rings: Return Funk of the King" - hahahaha! #3 (2006) "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Funk" - he's dead already! #4 (2008) "The Dark Knight Funk" - why is it dark? on second thought, I don't want to know... #5 (2001) " Harry Funk Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" - can you imagine if J.K. Rowling named the lead character Funk instead of Harry? #6 (2007) " Pirates Funks of the Caribbean: At World's End" - or Punks. hahaha, maybe the writer had a bad case of "P & F syndrome". #7 (2007) "Harry Potter ...