Today, I decided to come in late since I have a late night call and would be in office late. I knew it was risky and I paid the price.There's no more parking!

The guards didn't even want me to go in the building anymore! So how do I "get to work"? Well... I went to my nearest starbucks and got a 5hr internet access card.... and started to take to work from the comforts of my local starbucks.

Interesting to ponder how things have changed. From dedicated office spaces with doors, to open workspaces, to hotelling... they basically are removing the office building for those working! And you virtually connected through your company VPN and wade through tons of emails, get pinged left and right from your IM while you sip you sip your latte.

Well back to work...

Finally, I was able to make a photobook for the P&G Photograhic Society. The photobook mostly contained pictuers from the "Lenses" exhitbit. The exhibit featured photos from P&G employees who have taken part on the monthly photo challenge.

You can browse virtually through the link "share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Act3Dhi1cs2Lxg". For those in P&G, feel free to drop by the SNS area in 23rd floor for the actual photobook.

Interested in making your own photobook? Visit sites like Shutterfly or Snapfish. I'd be glad to help as well.

Since I got back in Manila, i've been trying to furnish my condo at the Fort. Pity, it has been available for me to use for more than a year but I've been in the US and thus wasn't able to put any time on it.

And as I try to shop around Metro Manila for what I need... I realize how people in Singapore or in the US have it "easy". They are lucky enough to have IKEA.

If you are like me who have been looking at home and decor magazines, i'm sure you'd understand what I mean. I've visited IKEA in Singapore last February and just recently the new IKEA in Cincinnati, US. And I can only wish I can bring home what I saw.

IKEA has all you need for furnishing your home... with all the key essential elements... Form, Function and Affordability!

The IKEA stores are huge. It starts at the 2nd floor where you go around showrooms of living rooms, bed rooms, bathrooms, etc where everything inside the room you can buy in the store!!! So, if you see a nice design idea you like? List down the parts and shop for them there or at the marketplace found in the 1st floor.

SMART! The layout casually leads would be buyers throughout the store making you see everything they offer then makes it very easy for you to find them on your own and put them on your shopping cart.

When I was in Cincinnati, I had a chance to shop and even with the criteria of: it must fit my luggage, it must be something I need, it must be something I can't find back home... I ended up with a full shopping cart! And leaving the store wishing I could bring that one nice corner office cabinet or that nice bed!

I wish we had IKEA in Manila. It would have made my life much easier and furnishing my condo much more fun.

Woohoo! Amanda is finally out! I wasn't expecting it... but i'd take it nonetheless! She hasn't been in the bottom since but this week she was out! It only took one comment from Simon saying that she had to show versatility... and she basically said she won't do any other way of singing! I didn't like her from the start. If you see my previous AI blog, I wanted her out of there much earlier. All she does is shout the songs she did.

With her out the top 10 is set! And my core choices are still around! I fear for Ramielle though... although his top 12 performance i thought was really really good vocals... the judges comments really swayed people the other way and it would take some extra effort to lure them back to the fact that she has one of the best vocals in the competition. She has to do good this week or I fear she'd end up in the same boat as Camille Velasco :(

I got a copy of their live performances plus the studio version of the songs from the top 12 week. Some surprises... Syesha's studio song was amazing! I guess being first that week did her in :(  And now she'd have to fight extra hard everyweek to get to the top. Chikezies was just ok. Kristy's Eight days a week was even catchy! Carly wasn't good... very far from her live performance. Even with the studio version, David A's "We Can Work It Out" still wasn't good. Thus, even if he didn't messed up the lyrics, it wouldn't have been a good song for him.

With the exception of Kristy Lee, everyone else i'm having a hard time to say I want them out. Really speaks of the talent this year. But despite that, here is MY ranking which is different from my prediction (as of date).

My top 10 (my choices)

1. David Cook - this guy caught my attention during the semi-finals weeks and hasn't disappointed me yet.
2. Ramielle Malubay - granted, partly ranked high due to my pride to the Filipino talent... but I really love the quality of her singing voice. If only she improves on her on-stage performance!
3. Jason Castro - like Brook, his style of singing I enjoy. But unlike Brook, when he didn't have a great performance, he still did good
4. Michael Johns - quickly losing steam, I still like this guy. I still believes he'd be a great singer!
5. Syesha Mercado - really really great vocals. Hope she gets a chance to go further. Her top 11 performance was a start to the right direction.
6. Brook White - she had chosen good songs until the top 12. I like her style though when she sings the right songs that suits her voice. But her top 11 performance was simple horrible. Great singers don't get that bad.
7. Carly Smithson - originally one of my top bets... after hearing her studio performance, I don't think she had that much of an amazing voice anymore.
8. David Archuleta - honestly, to me he's good but his vocals is not as good as the judges and fans say it is
9. Chikezie Ezie - i initially wanted him first to go but he suprised everybody with his top 12 performance.
10. Kristy Lee Cooks - for me she's got good vocals... good enough to reach this far... but only this far
    

But of course, the reality is, I probably wont have it my way. It would depend on everybody else voting in AI, the performances (past and future) and the pre-conceptions or biases people already have. Thus I think (as of date) it stands this way:

My prediction:

1. David Archuleta - damn! this guy only has to do a little to win the judges over and he already has a horde of fans
2. David Cook - he's great! he's leading most of the polls right now so i definitely see him in the finale
3. Jason Castro - very very good performances thus far making me believe he can go all the way to the top 3
4. Michael Johns - when he's good, he's really good. i think he'd get he's bound to get his second wind
5. Carly Smithson - judging from the fact that she got to the bottom 3 this week, it seems she doesn't really have a good fanbase.
6. Brook White - her string of good performances upto the top 12 would be hard to forget
7. Rameille Malubay - the Filipino texting power can only take her this far... she has to win the judges quickly or she might be out earlier than this
8. Chikezie Ezie - his bluegrass style is a fad and should wear of soon enough unless another surprising performance comes along
9. Syesha Mercado - If she doesn't have another magic moment like last week, i'm afraid she's gone.
10. Kristy Lee Cooks - unless this week was country week and she does well, she's next to go

Those who dive know that the ultimate goal for diving in the Philippines is to dive @ Tubbataha Reef in Palawan. Diving there is only available for 3 months of the year (compared to most of everywhere else in the Philippines which is open all year for diving!) and is a prime destination for local and foreign divers alike. You'd live aboard all that time and experience a whole day of diving.

When I saw this article in Inquirer "Vote for Tubbataha in New 7 Wonders of Nature poll" , I immediately did! Wouldn't it be great that it gets to the final list! Foreigners like Japanese and Koreans have long enjoyed this great local wonder of Tubbataha. Highly recommended for all pinoys to see.

Here's the write up on Tubbataha:

"Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef in the Sulu Sea that belongs to the Philippines. It is a marine sanctuary protected as Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park. The reef is composed of two atolls, North and South Reefs. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel 8 kilometers wide. Over one thousand species, including many that are endangered, can be found at on the reef. These include manta rays, lionfish, tortoises, clownfish and sharks"

See this quick poll we saw on our company intranet site... hmm... hard choice. I guess i'd take "n/a"

Hehe.

I've seen the original in broadway but I was curious enough and enjoyed the show the first time that I had to see the local production!

One thing was evident... the quality of singing is a notch better than the original! Especially with Rachel as Kate. The puppetting could have been better since in the broadway original I hardly notice the real actors as I was focus on the puppets all the time. Here, I saw some lapses in puppetting... or maybe that's because i'm much closer to the stage this time :)

The production was comparable although I felt the broadway show was more "grand". The local production has made up for it with small changes in scenes and timing of lines.

The cast were great! Everyone was a step up on singing. Performance-wise, it is a split for me with some doing better than the original while the others not but definitely comparable. I definitely enjoyed it and for those who haven't seen it yet... you still have a chance! Don't miss it!

They've posted these samplers of Rachel Alejandro singing. These are not from the show itself since recording is obviously not allowed inside.

Rachel as Kate Monster: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjrFVEs6Yi8

Rachel as Lucy the Slut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v97PmRL2Sxs&feature=user

Being in P&G, (as most "P&Gers" can attest) sometimes we just travel too much. I'm not complaining but it does saps one's energy. The luggage packing... hours of wait in the airport... stripping down for security search (and in NAIA, you have to go through it 3 times!)... and having to stay seated for hours on the plane and hope you don't get the seat beside an irritable seatmate or be right next to the lavatories. So whatever helps make your air travel more bareable would help, right?

That's where SeatGuru.com comes in. It tells you the best seats and which seats to avoid on most planes. Airlines have different sitting configurations for each plane and they are not created equal. Some areas are reserved for families with children while others have much more leg room. If you're a frequent flyer, take advantage of preferred seating reserved for members.

So take some time in choosing your seats!

http://www.seatguru.com/

Happy trip!

Has it been a year already?!? The picture here was taken just last year when I visited my brother in Arizona on Thanksgiving. This holiday is big in the US... it is the time when the family get's together kind of the same tradition that we have back home on Christmas holidays.

But after all the merry making and family get-together... all of US braces itself for BLACK FRIDAY! The day when every store goes all out to give the biggest discounts and the best deals! And they can become ridiculous!

It all starts on Friday... early morning. And I mean early!!! As early as 4am! For the more popular stores like Best Buy, people camp overnight to be in line first and get that $300 dual core laptop or that $750 42" Plasma TV or a 100DVD spindle for $1 before the stock runs out. Part of the fun is the hysteria... you and the mob goes shopping all fighting for that great deal! Just like eating together fiesta style for dinner... it is a lot more fun to eat when you have to compete to get more from the table than the next guy beside you.

The ads only come out on Thursdays newspapers on what would be the items on sale in each store. But of course, with the internet, spoilers abound. Sites such as BFADS.NET and BLACKFRIDAY.INFO have posted the ads (leaked) weeks or even months in advance. People have been busy making their Christmas shopping list since!

You can find videos of the madness in youtube: http://youtube.com/results?search_query=black+friday+shopping

Just watched Avenue Q in broadway, NY and it was great! I'm glad that we watched it when we did cause the very next day they went on strike (ala WGA).

Here's the complete soundtrack: http://bleau72.multiply.com/music/item/92/Avenue_Q_Soundtrack

Update: I've just watched the local production here in Manila last Saturday. I wish they had a local version of the album as well... cause they sang it better :)

New toy! Rodney recently got the much awaited Guitar Hero III for his PS3... I've been debating if i'd get one for the Wii... maybe not now but before I go home for Christmas.

Tried it out and it was a blast! Here is the video from Tintedjourneys of Rodney playing it.

Link

It's halloween again! We had yet another costume party here in Cincinnati. Here are the pictures of each of us during the party. Who do you think had the best costume??? 

Noname - Terror teacher

Sadako - Ofel

May - Cheerleader

Angel - Vivien

Tin C - Innocent Witch

Jason - Alex

Julissa - She Devil

Darth Vader - Rodney

Penpen - Frankenstein

Butterfly/Masquerade - Ivy

Tin B - Evil Witch

Dracula - John

One thing i've been enjoying lately is Shutterfly. An online photo service where you can upload, share and print your pictures. They deliver it to your house and i'd surely miss this service when I get back to Manila.

But what i've loved about it lately is their photobook. You can easily design your own photobook using the many themes, layouts and formats that they have to offer. And the all important question... how much?!? Price ranges from $29-$39 depending on the cover but who pays retail these days? Every so often, Shutterfly offers discounts and coupons even for a FREE photobook! Recently they offered several of these to entice people to move their pictures from the closing service of Yahoo Photos or Sony Imagestation or even for tie-ups with upstarts like Codi.  You just have to wait around for these offers! They even have special offers to individuals or even coupons for free shipping (so you're don't spend a dime!) Even if you pay the full price, it is very much worth it in my opinion. As a gift, for your own collection, coffee table top book, or even as a portfolio of your best shots!

So, if you're a photography enthusiast... bring life back to your pictures. Get them printed on a photobook! I hope there was a similar service in Manila or maybe a way to deliver these there.

Here are examples of the photobooks i've made so far:

My UK Trip     http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Act3Dhi1cs2Lm4
Fireworks       http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Act3Dhi1cs2LoA
Mother's Day  http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Act3Dhi1cs2LqI

After years of not buying a new PC, I finally bought a new notebook quenching my thirst for a dual-core, Vista OS, 2GB RAM, 200GB HD, entertainment machine! So far so good. I haven't completed my setup yet. It has most of the bells and whistle I find useful. Webcam, fingerprint reader, memory card slots, 15.4' glossy screen, Altec Lansing sounds, DVD Lightscribe drive and a TV tuner to connect it to the TV/Cable and record shows/videos!

Trying hard not to spend countless hours on setting it up though... surely, i'd have the time one of these weekends. Not a big problem yet but Vista and IE is having issues already. The dangers of being online really requires good spyware and virus protection. I didn't have to deal with that with my office PC which is fairly well protected.

Net! Good buy for me so far. I've been looking for this kind of an entertainment inclined notebook. It is not for those who want a light and portable notebooks though. HP's TX1000 is your alternative which I also considered given that it was ultraportable and can be a tablet PC.

I went again to Chicago this weekend... this time with Marge, Alex, Dennis, Bondz, Ermel and Shar with our ever gracious hosts My and Bai (former P&G collegues). We had a great time even the bummer rainy weather during that weekend. Here are the best pics from our trip!

This past weekend, we decided to spend it in Chicago. We went to the Wizard World which was a comic convention where anything sci-fi participates - comics, shows, movies, card games, anime, etc. It was my first time to attend such an event and I really was there to see attendees who come in costumes! We weren't disappointed as we saw a lot of people in costumes... and some of them i'd say were really good! Shared some pictures in the link below along with other pics of our stay in downtown chicago.  http://sqlocarinas.multiply.com/photos/album/5/Wizard_world_chicago

Last night, just went to the Third Eye Blind concert in Covington KY (near Cincinnati). It was a good show! Eventhough i'm not a die hard fan, their old songs were very much familiar that i'm able to sing (more of shout) along at some point. Well worth the $27.

We did notice there that almost all were white... no blacks eventhough the Cincinnati area has a large black population... and we are the only Asians there.

Still, it makes me want to watch other concerts!

3EB Concert Pix and Vids