Name the Souvenir Magnets Contest

Collecting Souvenir Refrigerator Magnets

I'm a confused collector. Whenever I travel, I always try to get a Souvenir Refrigerator Magnet, but I also get snow globes, keychains, T-shirts, mugs and whatever else I can afford. :p Well, so far, my ref magnet collection is the biggest one.

Below is a photo of our old refrigerator door with the Souvenir Magnets I've collected over the years. It is a mix of local and internation travel destinations. There are 32 magnets here - can you identify where all of them come from? (Not counting the black GE logo!)

Identify all 32 magnets! Click the photo to view full size.

Join the contest...

Book Launch of “Balik-Tanaw: The Filipino Movie Stars of Yesteryears”

The Filipino Movie Stars of Yesteryears, a book launch

Mark your calendar, on May 22, the movie icons of the Golden Era of Philippine Movieworld will descend upon the Traders Hotel, Roxas Boulevard for an afternoon of singing and dancing, and most of all, reminiscing of about the lives of these elegant men and women of the Philippine movie industry.

Lets us join in celebrating the launching of a book, “Balik-Tanaw: The Filipino Movie Stars of Yesteryears” a compilation of snippets of the lives of actors and actresses who illuminated the silver screen from the 1930s to early 1960s.  It was written by Dr. Romy Protacio, an aficionado of Philippine movies who had the rare chance of sharing friendships with most of the stars in his book....

NBA player BJ Armstrong meet & greet at Velocity Bar

Last week, thanks to Marriott Hotel Manila, I got the rare opportunity to meet one of NBA's legends, former Chicago Bulls basketball player, Benjamin Roy Armstrong Jr., or B.J. Armstrong, also referred to as "B.J., The Kid."

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The event was held in Marriott's Velocity Bar, the Philippines' first and only 5-star sports and entertainment bar.  The meet and greet was relaxed and casual, with people taking turns asking for autographs and taking photos with the basketball star. It lasted about half and hour and was adjourned with B.J. Armstrong giving an autographed basketball as a gift to Marriott Hotel.

Wonderful Family Movies from Disney Exclusives

Growing up to Disney Movies

I've always love Disney movies. As I child I enjoyed movies like "The Lion King" [Oh I just can't wait to be King!], "Alice in Wonderland" [the animated version - and then later on the 3D version!], "The Little Mermaid" [The seaweed is always greener...], "Alladin" [A whole new world...] and "Beauty and the Beast" [Tale as old as time...].

Then came more wonderful movies like the "Toy Story" series, Quasimodo as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "Monsters, Inc." lovable characters, "Mulan" a wonderful story set in China, the incredibly entertaining "The Incredibles", these are movies I've watched over and over again that I've half memorized the lines.

Even as an adult, I still enjoyed Disney movies like the "Pirates of the Carribean" franchise, "Up!", "Chronicles of Narnia", "High School Musical", and so many others.

Disney's Movie Treasure Trove

And so I invite you to dig into the treasure trove of Disney movies, with a huge library of features and short films available though Disney Exclusives.

There is a long list of Family friendly movies like "Condorman", which tells the story of a comic book writer who, by a twist of fate, lives the life of the characters he wrote about.  I also recommend "Ducktales the Movie", a fast paced adventure featuring our favorite ducklings Huey, Dewey and Louie.

Just in time for Mother's Day, get "A Mom for Christmas" a heartwarming tale about Family and Love, and stars Olivia Newton-John.

Quality time with the family is priceless, and I always enjoy watching Disney movies with mine. What is your favorite Disney movie?

Lyrids Meteor Shower!

Lyrids Meteor Shower peaks on April 22

Figure 1. Photo credits to meteorshowersonline

I have featured several meteor showers on this blog, like the annual Perseid Meteor Shower in August, and the November Leonids Meteor Shower.  This time around, another faithful meteor shower, the Lyrids, invites us to make a wish upon a falling star.

From the PAGASA Website, it explains...

How will you choose your next President?

I am reposting this blog post in preparation for the coming Elections. I am hoping you all have internalized how you will choose your next President.

How to choose the next President...

Different people would have different basis for choosing a President.  Some base it on a candidate's opinions on issues relevant to them, some base it on character, personality or even religion. Some base it on popularity, plain name recall or even looks. Some are in denial about that last one. :p Haha. Then again, c'mon really - who wants an ugly President?

Kidding aside, since I am voting for the very first time in the last decade that I have been qualified to vote, I really want to put a lot of thought in this process of choosing who to vote for. I refuse to vote for a Presidential candidate with nothing but empty promises and motherhood statements. I want at least a hint of a detailed plan - a strategy if you may - of handling this huge undertaking. 

Being President is a tough job no doubt: you have millions of stakeholders who need assistance and support, you are accountable for their lives, their security, their access to health benefits, you are accountable for the economy, and you need to find the money to fund all of your plans. Aside from that you also need to be a shining symbol of hope and prosperity for a country constantly battling poverty.

In an ideal world, the following are my criteria in choosing who should be my next President...