Stephen's posts with tag: mygimiks
Posted by Stephen on Jul 19, '08 10:06 PM for everyone |  | A big yearly event in Dayton Ohio, 1 1/2 hours away from Cincinnati is happening this weekend. The birthplace of aviation hosts the Dayton Air Show and Roman and I decided to take a look and i'm glad I did.
I've been to the Chicago air show but this one was much better. They also had "shows" on the ground with various planes and other military or police vehicles you can get near to, get inside and explore.
But the best was we saw the 5th generation fighter F-22 raptor in action. You can find more pictures in http://picasaweb.google.com/sqlocarinas/QS20080719DaytonAirshow |
Posted by Stephen on Jul 9, '08 10:33 PM for everyone | | It was a long weekend last week with the US Independence day falling on a Friday. I decided to spend it with my brother and sister-in-law so I flew to Phoenix... to drive to Las Vegas. It was a 5 hour drive... through the desert.
The drive there was part of the trip... wierd cacti, interesting rock formations, endless highway, and oh... Hoover Dam was along the way.
Once in Vegas... the very first thing we did... went to Jollibee for some Chickenjoy. :) Walang ganun sa Cincinnati at Phoenix...
Checked in to Planet Hollywood afterward and later booked for a French Cabaret show "Crazy Horse" at the MGM Grand. A classy... yes topless show. It was entertaining... I recommend it if you can't spend hundreds on Cirque du Soleil shows.
That night, we went to Bellagio for what Vegas was known for... BUFFET! Hehe.
The next morning... we woke up early to.... eat again! Breakfast buffet! After we checked-out we went for some outlet shopping then to the Rio Casino where the World Series of Poker was happening and took the chance to take pictures.
On our way home... we bought "take-aways" from Chowking and Red Ribbon. Yes... a little bit of home... we miss it. |
Posted by Stephen on Jul 6, '08 11:32 PM for everyone  World Series Of Poker main event 2008 is going on right now in Vegas and yesterday I was there to see it in person again. Driving from Phoenix where my brother lives, we went to Las Vegas for the US Independence Day weekend and made it a point to drop by Rio Hotel and Casino where WSOP is happening.
I had a chance to see (and yeah, take pictures with...) the "celebrities" of poker. First, a picture of me and last year's WSOP main event champion... Jerry Yang. No... not the CEO of Yahoo... same name... different person.
 The crowd and the players joining the event is growing each year. On the right, is a snapshot of a small fraction of those playing on the 3rd "1st day" of competition. The place is full of poker tables full of poker players and the sounds of chips being played around can be heard all over the big venue. It's mostly quiet except for the "chirping" sounds of the chips. Definitely not a spectator sport...unless it's the final table.
Less "sightings" this time compared to last year where I saw almost all the big players playing the HORSE tournament. The main event is much bigger and thus harder to spot any of the pro players. This year, I mostly saw the pro players outside signing authographs such as Greg Raymer, Annie Duke, Jamie Gold, Esfandiari, Johnny Chan, Dan Harrington and Sam Farha. It has grown to big industry now with accessories being sold left and right, dozens of online poker sites, new poker magazines, and even a "deep blue" type of man vs. computer poker tournament.
 The will try something very different this year though. The main event itself will stop when they've completed the final table players this July then the final table players will wait for 3 months and play the final table LIVE in ESPN on November. Being the first time they're doing this it obviously draws concerns that it would simply be too long a time in between that the players themselves during the live finals.
I think it is a good idea where the viewers can watch the actual finals as it happens just like in any other "sport". But the editing on TV does add a lot more drama to the game v.s. what one can see live... for one.. you can't see their cards! So let's see how it turns out.
Posted by Stephen on Jun 11, '08 10:16 PM for everyone | | On my 2nd EBT in Cincinnati I ended up in Mason. The area is more suburban, family friendly area compared to downtown where I used to be. No surprise my new apartment is very different. Staying in a place called Twin Fountains Apartment which is a good place from what I could see so far. Like most apartment communities here there are lakes and fountains in the area and pool and other facilities. I wished it had a tennis court though. |
Posted by Stephen on May 23, '08 11:09 AM for everyone Just a few weeks before I left Manila, Rose lost her passport in Costa Rica and those close to her know what a trying and frustrating experience that was. I almost sufferred the same fate. OFF TO THE US AGAIN
Early last week I travelled to San Francisco to stop over enroute to Cincinnati. I was holding a new work visa for my extended business trip. Bracing for a long and lengthy process of getting through immigration with the new work visa I was happily surprised that it was virtually painless! I got through without any other secondary document checks! That was quick! WHERE IS MY PASSPORT!!!
Then it went downhill from there.... Having passed through immigration I didn't think so much anymore of my passport and documents. Then my ride came and was so much in a hurry that I didn't notice I LEFT MY PASSPORT! This was a Monday afternoon and I didn't realize I didn't have it until I was about to leave for Cincinnati later that week Friday night! I went about enjoying San Francisco confident that my passport was in my bag and it never dawned to me that it wasn't! I wasn't nervous at first but later I became paranoid and went crazy looking for it. Suffice to say, I never slept that night. It must be in the airport!!! BUT the lost and found was only open Monday to Friday workhours! Shoot! I have to endure the weekend waiting to know if they have it or not!!! Aaargh! STUCK IN SAN FRANCISCO?!?
Oh, and I also needed to leave San Francisco for Cincinnati and I don't have an official identification. I don't know if SFO airport security would accept my Philippines driver license as an ID!! I could get stuck here in San Francisco with no place to go!!
And even if I get to Cincinnati, how do I get a new passport! What about my US Visas! It took so much effort just to get the visa! And all those travel stamps! That's virtually my travel diary!
But I kept thinking positive... one thing at a time... I have to get to Cincinnati first and worry about my passport on Monday. Saturday morning came and i'm about to fly out of San Francisco... I'm able to check in... It was separate domestic terminal... that's a good sign... security check... gave my boarding pass and PH driver's license... security was trying to figure out what ID it was... it lasted 5 seconds but it seemed longer... He let me through!!! IN CINCINNATI!
Phew! Safe! I slept all throughout the flight and got to Cincinnati with no further problems. Before I left SFO I emailed SFO security and lost and found sections to ask about my item. Sunday, I received an email back from SFO security... they don't have my passport! Oh no! But later I found out that they only cover the security checkpoint areas... and that's not where I lost my passport! So there is still a chance! MOMENT OF TRUTH!
Monday... I waited for 11am when the SFO lost and found opens and called them up. Can't get through! Left a message. Tried again, and again, and again... and finally... "Hello SFO Police Lost and Found..."... I described my lost items and gave my name and details. She them placed me on hold... ... ... At this point I visualized what I want to happen next... I was praying so hard that i'd hear "Sir we found your passport how do you want to claim it?"... i was on hold for a good 5-7 minutes. You can imagine the torture! "Sir, yes someone has surrendered your passport to us would you be able to come here and pick it up?!" .oo(HOLY S****! YES!!! THANK GOD!) I had my passport shipped to Cincinnati and now I have it back!!! Phew!!! What a way to start my EBT!!!
Posted by Stephen on May 14, '08 9:40 PM for everyone | | Jojo and Sherwin visits home. For Sherwin it was his first return for 9 years! Went to Subic with other friends Jojo, Richard, Ariel, and Arnold for an overnight stay. |
Posted by Stephen on Apr 14, '08 12:24 PM for everyone | | Coming from a business trip in Cincinnati, I decided to visit my brother in Phoenix Arizona for the weekend on the way home to Manila
I visited Old Scottsdale one more time and see more of the city and the expensive art galleries ($4,500 for a painting is the usual price I saw!).
I also had a chance to return to Sedona... a tourist destination 1 1/2 hours drive from Phoenix. I had a chance to hike and enjoy the scenary one more time. Sedona is definitely a place you'd want to go to and return from time to time. The weather was great and being 4,000 feet above sea level, it usually is cooler there. This time of the year is the best time to go... just cool enough for a hike and enjoy the clear skies.
Returning to Phoenix, me and my brother went up Pinnacle Peak, a popular destination for tourist and locals alike. Joggers or folks out for a leisurely walk would go up this hill and have a grand view of Phoenix and Scottsdale all the way! Aside from the huge sequoia cacti, we also saw rattlesnakes along the way... nice!
Unfortunately, I did not have my DSLR camera... so took all these pictures using my trusty SD600 point and shoot. |
Posted by Stephen on Feb 18, '08 10:32 AM for everyone This was the AVP wedding presentation I made for my good friends Mark Casquero and Rose Bina who got married last sunday! It was a wonderful wedding and I was more than happy to be part of it and doing my share to make it more special. What made it work as well as it did was the fact that they also made an album of songs they recorded where they played all the instruments and they along with some of their singer friends sang the vocals. I was left to match the music with the theme and the pictures they had available. I also had the pre-nup pictures by Dave Fabros to cap of the presentation. The pictures were fantastic and I thought to be the best way to end the presentation. Mark told me about the AVP a week before the wedding! And I had a business trip that week which makes it more difficult to find time to work on it. Fortunately it all worked out and I thought it could have been better but I think it came out great. How I made this? Well... suprisingly Vista's new Movie Maker works fairly well. Thanks to YouTube, Paint.Net and all the other free services and tools, I didn't have to spend more to get any other software (and I didn't have to resort to piracy either). UPDATE: The original video below abruptly stops at the 10min mark. Here is the complete presentation split between part 1 and part 2. If you've seen the video below, you only need to view part 2 which was the part that was cut. Part 1: http://sqlocarinas.multiply.com/video/item/22Part 2: http://sqlocarinas.multiply.com/video/item/23Enjoy
Posted by Stephen on Dec 17, '07 9:51 PM for everyone  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
Posted by Stephen on Nov 29, '07 11:31 AM for everyone We had some fun times with the Wii here in Cincinnati. I posted a video before on the newest game I had... DDR for the Wii.
But I could only share then some trailer videos of the game and not us playing it. Well, here it is... it was tons of fun just to goof around playing DDR... in the privacy of our homes. DDR Wii Session_0004.wmv (12.1 MB)
Posted by Stephen on Nov 15, '07 5:41 PM for everyone | | On our trip to New York, we met up with some stars. Here are some of the best pictures we had with them... |
Posted by Stephen on Oct 30, '07 11:50 PM for everyone 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
Posted by Stephen on Oct 30, '07 12:48 AM for everyone | | It's fall again and the peak season for leaves turning colors. We went to nearby Sharonwoods to spend the day having a picnic, hiking and taking lots and lots of pictures along the way. |
Posted by Stephen on Oct 1, '07 9:58 AM for everyone
Posted by Stephen on Sep 18, '07 11:18 PM for everyone | | Last weekend, my brother Sherwin and sister-in-law Bhonna visited me this time in Cincinnati. They joined me and my Cincinnati pinoy friends for P&G's Dividend Day celebrationin King's Island! Although i've been to King's Island before, it's my first time to go when P&G has reserved the whole park. Here are some pics from our theme park visit along with some pics of downtown Cincinnati and Newport. |
Posted by Stephen on Sep 11, '07 1:05 AM for everyone | | It's Football Season time again here and as I write this I just watched our hometown team the Cincinnati Bengals win their first game this season against division rival Baltimore Ravens! We wish we could watch that game but it was simply too expensive if at all available. But I was able to watch my first live football game with the Bengals in pre-season game against defending Champion Indianapolis Colts 2 weeks back. And these are some of the pics taken then. |
Posted by Stephen on Aug 21, '07 12:15 AM for everyone 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!
Posted by Stephen on Aug 15, '07 1:05 AM for everyone  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
Posted by Stephen on Aug 1, '07 10:20 PM for everyone  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
Posted by Stephen on Jun 25, '07 10:32 PM for everyone  I came for an SAP seminar, I met some stars! For those of you who'd been playing poker and have watched some of the tournaments on TV @ ESPN2, then definitely you'd know this guy! Phil Hellmuth, one of the best players in the world and the record WSOP bracelet holder with 11 (he just overtook Doyle Brunson in this months events).
Made my week to see them there in Las Vegas in action. Not only Phil but also all the big names - Greg Raymer, Daniel Negranu, Doyle and Todd Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Mike Matusow, Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Barry, Mike Sexton, Menn "The Master", John Juanda, and Scotty Nguyen.
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