Now this is one helluva summer movie! I saw 'Wanted' last week before I went to work. It's great! I've seen 'Night Watch', a film done by the same director and he did not disappoint me with his new movie. The film is action-packed and at least the story's cohesive unlike other action films which just focus on the stunts and the fight scenes. Of course, there were moments where one will say, 'That's ridiculous, you can't do that. Silly movie.' But hey, you can't deny the fact that they made one exciting movie.

Well, well well! Thanks to the my bestfriend Ria's Power of Persuasion, I decided to give my blog a total makeover! The truth is, this is like going back to an old design when I still had a blog called The Big Yellow Lane. The theme is heavily inspired by [then] my little sister's favorite show, Blue's Clues. I enjoyed that show too. Sadly, the replacement cannot be compared to Steve so we both easily let go of the show.

I hope you like it! Let me know what you think about the new look, will ya?

I didn't realize that house hunting can be so difficult! Last weekend, my sister, her hubby and I went house-hunting in Makati. We're planning to share a two-bedroom apartment and share the expenses as well. We figured it would benefit us well since she'll have to spend on a lot of other things since she's going to have a baby soon. As for me, I want to get out of my house for 20+ years and finally start MY life.

With a limited budget, we found it very difficult to find the perfect apartment for us. The one we're currently considering is a 2 bedroom apartment on the 4th floor of a building. It looks absolutely nice and the neighborhood is great. We tried to make a reservation but they said they don't do that. We're just going to have to wait until we are ready to give our downpayment and all which is going to happen sometime this month.

Then it just occurred to me: if I really want independence, sharing an apartment with my sister and her husband, with a baby on the way and possibly a babysitter is definitely not a good start. So I've been looking for studio apartments for myself. I already told my sister about it. She asked me to reconsider but I think I'm pretty decided on it. I saw this perfect one-bedroom apartment which is like the ultimate bachelor's pad. I can think of a lot of a lot of steel furniture to fill the place.

Found some interesting pieces on StainlessSteelStore.com:


I think it looks more elegant if there's more stainless steel in the apartment. Once I saw this artist's pad and it's full of stainless steel furniture. He has this office table this is sort of hanging against the wall, supported by huge steel chains. I like that kind of idea. Most of the items on Stainless Steel Store are Blomus-made. I believe this is a popular steel maker. There's tons of stuff available like blomus stainless steel mainboxes, blomus fireplace accessories, and the ones in the photos I've posted.

But of course, before trying to think of all these, I have to get an apartment first!

Once again, I'm writing about some of the places I'd like to go to. A few years ago, I worked for an online travel website. One of the things we offered, which was a huge business for the company, was vacation homes and condo rentals where families can spend the week and just relax. Since I come from a tropical country, I was looking for somewhere where the weather is cold and found Whistler, BC, CA.

Whistler accommodations are perfect for people who would prefer to go skiing along the Whistler Blackcomb slopes. Whistler condo rentals are also perfect since the units are right outside the path where you ski so as soon as you step out of the house, you can start skiing with your family.





Check out the pictures of the properties available. My favorite is the Cedar Ridge 17 which looks very cozy, a perfect place to relax after skiing or just basically exploring Whistler. For those who feel afraid to go skiing, they do offer some lessons before you go out on your own. The best part is that they will also arrange your transfer from the hotel to your condo units. Other than skiing, there are several other activities you can do like going to the spa, going on dog-sled trips, snow mobiles excursions, sailing or water skiing.

Today I met with a friend of mine who is a fitness buff. I asked for his help since I am determined to lose weight. I know I can do this because I did it when I was in high school. I weighed 180lbs and was able to lose 30lbs by diet, I also bought an ab exercise machine, which I thought at that time was very helpful. Now I don't understand why I can't do it anymore. It's probably because of the fact that food has become a stress reliever for me. I eat when I'm tired or when I didn't get enough sleep.

So here's my new diet lifestyle plan. If I can't do South Beach diet or any radical lifestyle changes, I need to take it one step at a time. I need to cut down on the things that are making me fat:

Step 1: Off the sweets and sodas
Step 2: COMPLETELY avoid the fast food
Step 3: Stop the excuses

It starts today: July 2.

Earlier, I blogged about looking for the perfect business for me. A former colleague of mine recently shared with me that he now has a home-based call center. I don't know how the heck this works. Basically, he just hired one person to be trained for a certain product. Most of the products offered to home-based call center owners are specialty products and for every sale, they get a certain percentage of the sale. That sounds like a good business, only if you hire the right sales person.

Putting up your own call center may be VERY expensive for some. I know some medium-size call centers in Manila who've been successful too. Some of them have, say, 50-80 employees and have managed to survive despite the surplus of small local and international call centers. What I don't like about this business is the technology part. Another friend of mine from Dumaguete said she had to learn about switches, routers, network security products, servers, etc -- all in one month. Fortunately, she was able to manage everything. The call center is still operational and has grown from 30 to 150 employees (if memory serves me right).

I guess I just can't see myself talking about IBM, Nortel or Avaya products and get people with Cisco certificates -- this sounds like a huge capital should be gathered before planning to put up one. Or maybe, people like me can start small. We can start with that one agent for a home-based call center and from there, manage it until it grows.

I am a movie freak. I watch every single movie being shown in the city. It's gotten worse this month since there are a lot of good movies out there, be it commercial or independent film. I'd like to share some of my favorite lines. I don't want to sound cheesy or anything. I somehow miss having someone in my life and so please forgive me for writing about this. Yeah, call me pathetic. Go ahead. Just for a day. Go right ahead.

I've always wanted to launch another blog where I can share my experiences in making money online. Well, Pika Bucks has gone LIVE! I have yet to finish my posts. Hopefully they will be very helpful for the greenhorns in the blogosphere. I'll try to make my posts as informative as possible. Meanwhile, BoobooStrider and Boink are also online for your viewing pleasure.

I was in an uncomfortable situation in the past wherein I was asked to pre-interview applicants for an IT post in our company. At first, I asked myself, what will I ask the applicant? They basically know more about computers than I do. And so I was very careful in the questions I asked. I tried not to focus on the technical part and asked more about their previous job experiences.

One thing I noticed is that there were a few applicants who said they are ‘Cisco-certified’. When I asked the IT folks, they grabbed the applicants’ resumes and did final interviews instantly. Apparently, in the information technology industry, this form of certification is a huge deal. This is especially true for applicants looking into being hired by a huge call center as its IT networking engineer or a gaming designer as well.

I did some research and found out that there are actually various types of certificates available. One must choose which one will best help you enhance your skills and help you become more marketable in the job market. Some of their certification programs are as follows: IP Networking (CCENT), Associate
Design (CCDA), Routing and Switching (CCNA), Security (CCNA Security), Voice (CCNA Voice), Wireless (CCNA Wireless) and Professional Certification.

Cisco-certified employees are in HIGH demand especially in Business Process Outsourcing especially those who are using the Voice over internet protocol technology (VOIP), like most call centers in the Philippines.

Cisco certification, just like any certificate program, has a lot of training centers to choose from. They also have a Prep center which can help you prepare by taking practice exams through their site. While Cisco certificates may not be for me, (I am not a tech person) I can assure you that having one can help you land a job better than other non-Cisco certified candidates.

Hello Boinkers!


I'd like to officially announce my first online campaign. Help me make Boink go viral! The campaign is called 'I've been Boinked!' All you need to do is take a fierce photo of yourself with a piece of paper that says 'I've been Boinked in [your city and/or country]!'. Once chosen, I will feature you and your blog here in www.BoinkedPika.Co.nr. All submitted entried must include the following:

- your fierce photo holding an 'Ive Been Boinked' sign
- a short profile
- your blog's URL

The most hilarious, unique and outrageous photos will be chosen. Winning entries will have a li'l something from me. Hint: You have to have a PayPal account

Send those entries to bk_santos@yahoo.com with the subject line 'I've Been Boinked!'

Finally, I've discovered how these SocialSpark sponsorships work. I never figured out if you need to put a code or something on your blog. Apparently, all you need to do is wait for a slot to open up once the opportunity is taken. Here's a clearer, more detailed explanation from an IZEA team member:




When a blogger takes a blog sponsorship this sponsorship will show up in their Taken Opportunities as 'waiting-click to end'. They then wait until there is an open 'spot' and then the sponsorship appears on their blog. As long as they have ITK installed, the sponsorship will just appear on their blog on the day they 'get' their place in the sponsorship queue. All blog Sponsorships will begin and end at the midnight update of their start/end date.

Once a Blog Sponsorship has started, the status of the Sponsorship will change to 'active-click to end'. A blogger is paid each day to their Current Account Balance for each day the Sponsorship runs. A blogger can remove themselves from a Blog Sponsorship queue at any time by clicking the 'waiting-click to end' link and can end an active Sponsorship by clicking the 'active-click to end' link.

Please remember that any change will not be affected until he next midnight update.How long someone might wait in queue is difficult to say. It depends on how many people are ahead of you, how long those people have contracted the Sponsorship to run, how many spots are available per day and how long the advertiser has requested the Sponsorship run. It is possible that you may never see a Blog Sponsorship for which you have queued run on your blog.

At one point, I think we've done it. We've bought a cheap product from the market or the bargain stores. We like buying cheap, even the ones that didn't pass the quality standards. Some of them work for quite a while. Sadly, a lot of them don't and some even explode right in front us. Not a very safe thing to have at home.

Like one time, my mom tried to save money by purchasing a vacuum from one of those sales people who knock on your door and give you a 'special offer'. The vacuum looked expensive. The problem? It's a fake product which exploded when it was switched on. The result: damaged outlet and a scared child sitting in the corner (uhm... that was me some years ago.) Anyway, people do crazy things to save but there's something that's more reasonable for everyone. It's called the new AccuCharge Stick Vac and Hand Vac by Dirt Devil. It's a cordless vacuum that uses 70% less energy -- making it the first cordless cleaning product to earn the Energy Star approval. You save on energy and at the same time, you know this product is safe and perfect for your house cleaning.

Here's a preview of the third Filipino [language] film to make it to the Cannes Film Festival. All I can say is, I'm definitely watching this movie. I've seen Brilliante Mendoza's films and I like them all. At least, for a change, the protagonist isn't a male prostitute. Did you notice that most of the recognized Filipino films are sex-themed?

 

I just cannot stop listening to D'Sound's music. They are a Norwegian band which was launched a few years ago. Their string of top hits include my all-time favorite 'Tattooed on my Mind', the old Nokia ad theme song 'Talkin' Talk' and 'Do I need a Reason.' I love these folks. Too bad I always missed their concerts here in Manila.

The new line of Honda cars are the best they've created so far. And what better way to promote the uber slick car like the Honda Accord than to launch a multi-million pound ad campaign? The new Honda commercial dubbed as Difficult is worth doing features 45 skydivers creating a series of shapes to convey the new features of the Accord.


In their new TV ad, it shows 19 skydivers spelling out the word 'Honda' in three minutes and 20 seconds. It definitely brings the coolness out of all the Honda products. Truly, difficult is worth doing, isn't it?

The video below shows how the skydivers rehearsed for their groundbreaking TV ad for Honda. They used an unlimited time tunnel to practise creating shapes with their bodies in mid-air. Skydiving is an exhilirating sport and it does show how one can easily get excited when riding the Accord.

The entire video can be seen on DifficultisWorthDoing.com.

I've come to realize that I have very little knowledge when it comes to Men's Fashion. For example, I sometimes have no clue as to what to wear to work or even to an interview. A few years ago, I applied for a job in Dubai. The initial screening was done here and my clothes were bashed by the Filipino interviewer.

"Your clothes are wrong. Your shoes are wrong. Everything's wrong!". I frowned and struggled to smile because I knew he was right. I don't even know what my shoes were called. They were some old, leather brown shoes which I picked from my shoerack and there's not much there. I realized I need to have knowledge on corporate fashion so I can avoid wearing clothes 'inappropriately'.


I found some style resources on ShopWiki and found the following: 1. For corporate/conservative setiing, suit, dress shirt and tie are a big requirement. Dress shoes are also a must. Socks must go with the color of your pants and they should not have holes. On the other hand, style demands for business casual dress code are shirts with collars, loafers and a sportscoat or blazer. Denim, flip-flops, sandals are a big no-no. Blazers are a good addition especially for managers. The casual set-up would only require shirts with no holes, no ratty sneakers. Shirts should still look 'decent' and should not have writings on them.



Something tells me I need to shop for clothes soon. The only reason I have not done this is because I am still hoping I will shed some pounds so I can get the right size. Wish me luck.

* Photos borrowed from Beauty and the Bum

Earlier I told you about my friend meeting someone in an online poker room. We talked about it yesterday and she said the date was nice and the guy was funny. Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm talking about the first guy only? Apparently, she was only supposed to meet one member but the others kept texting so she decided to meet them all and just share their love for the game.

It seems that Poker is gaining popularity even here in Manila. I myself found some interesting poker rooms but haven't tried signing up for one. I've learned some of the tricks and I know that some of them give bonuses for both players and affiliates. It would be interesting to see myself play the game one day. Today I bumped into FlopTurnRiver.com where they give players a chance to get either a Pokerstars Marketing code or a Pokerstars Bonus Code. I believe these codes can give you more chances of winning by giving you more credit when you play in their poker rooms.


I've learned that some sites offer what is called a 'rakeback' meaning you rack up more money for dummies. However, I learned that sites like Pokerstars don't offer this kind directly but they do have Pokerstars Rakeback programs where Frequest Player Points are earned and exchanged for some premium items -- even a Porsche Cayman S. The more you play, the more you rack up.

Still have a lot to learn but will surely play soon.

The first time I saw Criss Angel on TV was on his show MindFreak. On the show, he was shown as this eccentric magician who does the most amazing and latest magic tricks. What's more amazing is that he does them on the street, with no props whatsoever. Among his famous tricks are making a Lamborgini disappear, floating between two buildings, walking on water and levitating over the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas.

Criss Angel returns to The Luxor Hotel once again to perform with the world famous Cirque De Soleil performers on a show dubbed as CRISS ANGEL Believe. He's bound to make you go nuts about his magic again. This is different from the stuff you've seen from Harry Houdini or any of the other old but famous magicians. Criss Angels blends magic with dramatic theatrical performances with mythical creatures all wrapped up in a story-driven show that will surely rock your world.

Listen up US and Canada residents. You can win a trip for two to see CRISS ANGEL Believe and meet the master himself, hang out with him, and possibly experience his magic first hand. Text the word 'Believe' and send it to 22122.

Here's a preview of his show:

This is the first time that I will be openly talking about my own debt. I think I've talked about it so many times but I did not elaborate on it. I'd like to share my experience with you so you may somehow be inspired to work on your debts. I did almost four years ago. And now, I am [almost] out of debt. My credit card dues have been [almost] paid. Later I'll explain the 'almost' part.

I was younger then when someone offered me to have a credit card with Citibank. I had no idea whatsoever of how the 'debt industry' works. I just filled out the form and forgot about it. Before this, I was offered a card through Standard Chartered but was later denied due to my age. I realized you must be at least 21 to have a credit card.

Next thing I knew, I was talking to this agent from Citibank telling me something (which is probably not safe to share with you) and asking me to wait for a few days before the card is delivered. I was surprised. With PHP30++ as my credit limit I was on cloud 9!

That was the very first mistake people make. They think that just because they have their cards they can spend on ANYTHING. Very wrong. You have to consider the fact that this is DEBT by every peso or whatever value. Here's the list of the things I purchased and services I availed of:

-bought a Gold's Gym membership (yeah I lost weight but gained back more)
-tried every posh restaurant in the Greenbelt area
-shopped for clothes and shoes
-bought the ultra expensive and--back then--the most fab phone Nokia 7610 (Yes, I was one of the first few people to have it in Manila)
-went to the spa almost every two weeks
-also bought my sister a Gold's gym membership
-bought grocery items regularly

Before I knew it, my debt with Citibank ALONE ballooned to P40,000 (close to 1000USD). Note: For some who are already experts in the debt industry, this may be a small figure. But for a 19 going on 20-year-old guy who is living beyond his means, this is quite an extraordinary amount.

I was only able to pay a pathetic amount per month which clearly does not cover for the outstanding balance.

(To be continued)

I accompanied some friends to a job fair recently. I hate job fairs. I prefer going straight to the companies. The only advantage I see in these events is the availability of all companies in one venue and the chance to drop your resume so they can invite you for an interview.

That's one other thing. If they don't invite you, they will interview you right on the spot. I remember seeing a call center booth on the Metro Station. I saw a bunch of people being interviewed in front of the passengers waiting in line to get their tickets for the train. I'd rather be interviewed in a board room or an actual interview room.


Anyway, this could probably not work for me. I am too 'judgemental' when it comes to the company's truss and banner stands. I always believe that companies who spend on their booths at job fairs are the employers who pay well. (So far, no one has debunked this theory.) Let's face it, job fairs are like trade show displays where you need to attract people with the catchy banners and booths. The more flamboyant (but professional) the more people are inclined to think of the company as a good one. They should visit sites like Camelback Displays to look for the ideal banners before going into war with other companies. For job fairs are nothing but a competition for the applicant's attention. The filtering will follow.

There are a lot of big organizations out there where they need to work with several other companies on a big projects. Outsourcing is one example of this. If the clients were in the US or UK and the outsourcing providers were in the Philippines, they communicate only through the phone or email. Follow-up on projects are done that way.

There's this team collaboration software introduced to my team recently. It's called Pelotronics. Basically, it's a software that makes project collaboration more successful. It has several features that will enhance existing collaboration processes.


The software has a command center or dashboard where each project members and leaders can check every aspect of the project and how things are going. It includes a calendar where the team can check the schedules of tasks to be done so deadlines are met. There's a task page that aids this, where the list of tasks is listed with the people assigned to them. It also tells the members if the task is due, if they need to work double time or not.

Perhaps the most important feature is the time tracking tool of this software. It gives you an idea on how long an individual or group can finish a particular task. This will help organizations track which processes work and which ones need improvement. Also, this may be the basis for employee performance.

Frances, my friend from Davao is currently in Manila. At first, I thought her plan was to visit me but apparently that wasn't entirely the case. She said she's supposed to meet these guys she met in the online poker room. She has been convincing me to join since poker is fun and you get to meet a lot of people.

One of the popular online poker room sites is WalkerPoker.com. I had the chance to visit their website today. I have to say, their website is more user-friendly and professional than the other ones I've visited. The essentials are there, laid out properly so people won't have a hard time looking for them. There's a tutorial (which they call the 'School') for people like me who are not that familiar with the game.The more adept ones, on the other hand, can visit their Poker Strategy page where they can basically enrich their knowledge on the game. They also give Poker Bonus which is more flexible than most. Players get to choose the type of promo or bonus they want to get when depositing into their accounts.

And with the number of people online:

When I came back from CamSur, I saw a bunch of people in front of Ayala Avenue. I was wondering what the commotion was about. The next day I learned they were waiting for the grand opening of a donut shop. The first customer won a year supply of donuts. The second customer got half a year's supply.
 
Now guess who's getting fat by the end of the year. Hahaha! While I love donuts, I think this contest I', about to share would interest more people.

This goes out to my pal Jayvi in Canada. All you pizza lovers should love this. Ristorante Pizza has launched a new contest. You can win free pizza for one year! Well, that's one night a week for you so you won't get too fat. That should be enough, right? Who wouldn't want free pizza!


The Ristorante Contest is open to residents of Canada (of legal age). No purchase would be necessary. All you have to do is go to their website and sign up under the 'contests' tab. The sweepstakes is limited to one entry per person.

There will be 12 winners who will get pizza for one year in the form of 52 Ristorante 356g pizza of any variant. Prizes are not transferable or convertible to cash.

Since I've been blabbing about how much I want to go into some kind of business, I'd like to start writing about some success stories and hope that I'll have my own success one day. For this new series, I'd like to start with Ewing Marion Kauffman, the late entrepreneur and founder of Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City. Kauffman served during World War II. Shortly after, he got into the pharmaceutical industry as a salesman. Soon, he started his own company, Marion Laboratories, where he used his middle name because he didn't want people to know that he's a one-man company.


Soon, his company had sales of up to $1 Billion. He purchased a major league baseball team too. One thing I admire about this man is he gave back to his community by building the Kauffman Foundation which aims to help the community in fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship.

The foundation provides training and business development as well as some initiatives with some of the major universities in the United States, hoping to champion college entrepreneurship in all the schools they've partnered with.