During my last session with my soul card reader Sandy, she mentioned that I will be part of some form of cause this year.  I was thrilled to hear this. I really thought I’m the person who just exists with so specific purpose. I am starting to experience boredom at work and I cannot think of any form of distraction or motivation that can help define my existence.

As a young kid, I thought my purpose was in music. I thought each song I sung would change the world. It would make the weary experience joy, cure the sick, lighten everybody’s mood and just make this world a better place. Sadly, reality had other plans for me – I turned into a corporate employee, semi-obsessed with numbers and performance – while secretly singing his heart out in karaoke bars and restrooms during free time.

Imagine my surprise when I heard about a group of volunteer artists who came together, their talents in full force, to create a symphony of what I could only imagine: passion, talent and good cause. Aptly called ‘Sing For Hope’, it was founded by two Sopranos Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora. They lead an army of professional artists (musicians, actors, tenors, sopranos, acrobats, directors, illusionists, magicians, etc.) in executing three key volunteer programs in underserved communities. So much has been written in the press about their group. I support this cause 100% because I believe music or any form of art can cure anyone’s physical, psychological and emotional pain.

I usually get my haircut at Bruno's barber in Glorietta. I regularly visit my Barber who does quite a good job in making me look pretty. For 200 bucks. I give him 100 as tip when I feel like a million bucks after my haircut. I bring it down to 50 when I think he did a shitty job. 

Every year, we have absolutely no choice but to watch a couple of Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) movies just because they are not showing anything else. This year's list of entries was strangely similar to last year's entries yet people still went to the theatres to support these 'remakes' or 're-edits' (as what I like to call them). Here's what I thought about some of the movies I've seen so far.

In UP, they trained us to use only one font for projects: Times New Roman 12 points. One professor introduced me to Garamond and my other blog's provider turned me into a Monospace fan. But this, I have to say: I have NEVER really been a fan of Comic Sans. It's sometimes cute but it cannot be used for many documents. It's too fancy/corny to be taken seriously. Heck would you take your boss seriously if he used  Comic Sans in his memo?

Today, I stumbled upon The Comic Sans Project blog on Tumblr. Two French designers (Thomas Blanc and Florian Amoneau) started a movement that will soon change the the way you think about one of the most hated fonts in the world. What if the biggest companies used Comic Sans in their logos?

CHECK THESE OUT! Cute stuff!

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I have a habit of switching from one phone to another. When I get bored with my gadget, I'd find a buyer and get rid of it and get myself a new one. Recently, I've been itching to get my hands on the Nokia N9. I am using an iPhone 4 right now. I'm not really interested in buying an iPhone 4S (Siri doesn't really excite me). The N9, however, is just gorgeous:




And kind of doomed. It runs on the MeeGo Harmattan 1.2 OS - which is basically dead to everyone in the smartphone industry since Nokia decided to abandon it and move on to Windows Phone. Still, this phone is a knockout. The design is beautiful and the software can actually compete with the iOS and Android in terms of UI and overall performance.

The only problem is the lack of apps. MeeGo is fairly new and almost dead. While its creator Intel promised to develop the OS, developers have yet to make more apps for this platform. The App store has hundreds of thousands of apps. Android is slowly catching up. I haven't even checked if they have Angry Birds?

And I am also fully aware that the exact same exterior design that I admire will also be used by an upcoming Nokia Windows Phone - the Lumia 800.

I REALLY HAVEN'T DECIDED YET. But for some reason, I just felt the urge to post an ad on TipidCP.com and eBay PH for my iPhone. In just a matter of minutes, I already received a dozen inquiries from serious buyers.

If you were me, would you sell your iPhone and buy an N9?

I'm usually very picky when watching Filipino movies. I am not really a fan of Pinoy comedy but when a movie ends up being the top grossing Filipino film of all time, your curiosity will have you running to the nearest theatre in no time. Besides, it's a Star Cinema movie, what could possibly go wrong?

On my last trip, I took a cab to the NAIA Terminal 3 airport. I told him I need to get to the airport and his response was - "Magkano binibigay nyo?" (How much do you usually pay to get there?) I told him, to use the meter. He made a "request" for me to add a few more bucks. Silly me, I agreed. Don't blame me. I was in a hurry.

One of my goals is to travel to as many destinations within the Philippines. It's such a shame that at this age, I've only been to CamSur, Boracay, Quezon, and Cebu. I need to travel more within my own country!

I decided my next stop would be Bacolod. My very good friend Karin is based in Bacolod City so she was my tour guide. A few hours after I landed, we took a  SuperCat ferry (450php) to Iloilo. We stayed there on my first night and went back to Bacolod on my 2nd night.

There's really not a whole lot of things to do in Bacolod other than join the Masskara Festival activities. Unfortunately, the main events started 2 days after my departure. That's why we decided Iloilo would be a nice sidetrip so I won't get bored.







The ride was bumpy. I wanted to reach for the discomfort bag twice but I just closed my eyes and tried to sleep. The ride is an hour and a half. We took a cab from the Iloilo port and checked in at the Smallville 21 hotel.









Our room was pretty decent. It's a standard studio room with 2 double beds. The rate we got was P1,500 - cheaper and the room looks much better than the one I had in Hong Kong hehehe...

We spent the day going around the area which apparently is the most popular strip of bars, restaurants and coffee shops. There were a lot of options for music and food too. The best part is that everything is affordable! Your 500php will go a very long way in Iloilo. Not bad!














Note: if you're on a diet, DO NOT go to Bacolod or Iloilo. They have irresistible desserts which will surely make you put on some weight before you fly back to Manila.

We partied all night and went back to bed a few hours before the sun was about to rise. I completely forgot that my friend is a 'normal' person (and does not work in the graveyard shift) so her stamina is weaker than mine haha. We left Iloilo at 1030am and had lunch at the Bacolod Chicken House. I think you've never really  had an authentic Barbecue chicken until you've tasted the way Bacolod Chicken House (main branch in Bacolod) does it.































Calea has all sorts of desserts that will surely satisfy your sweet tooth. I honestly couldn't finish my slice of Choco Mousse because I was already full from our chicken inasal meal. It was a bad idea to go to Calea on a full stomach. You'd definitely need to bring your appetite so you can try a lot of their sweet offerings.

The Bacolod-Iloilo was short just like my Cebu trip but it was so worth it! The best part is that I did not go over my budget!

The first time I went to Cebu, I fell in love with the place. I imagine living there would be like working in the city on weekdays and relaxing in one of the beaches on weekends. My last visit was kind of unplanned and I went with my sister. Hence, the expenses were quite huge IMHO.

This time, I went to Cebu with a friend. This trip was supposed to be much cheaper for two reasons: we were going to stay at a friend's place and the trip's only for two days. Who could possibly spend so much money in that short amount of time? *wink*wink*

The trip started with Cebu Pacific disappointing their loyal passengers (ahem, that includes ME) with a 3-hour flight delay due to 'air traffic congestion' or 'heavy runway traffic'. I thought it was due to the delayed flights of Philippine Airlines. (What's new?) We ended up spending more money at the airport than we planned because we had nothing else to do but fill our mouths with food.

I also realized something: NAIA terminal 3 is still small despite its huge space. The day of our departure was the busiest day I've seen in terminal 3. People were sitting on the floor. All of the seats at the waiting area were occupied. There were people everywhere! This is probably because passengers from all cancelled PAL flights were accommodated by AirPhil Express - an airline which also uses terminal 3.




Anyway, we finally arrived in Cebu and our friends were already waiting for us. I have to say, they were the best hosts! Upon arriving, we were escorted to our rooms and were given a basket of stuff we need - just like  in a triple A resort in Boracay!



On the first night, we had dinner and then hopped from one bar to another. I would definitely recommend this bar called Voodoo. The music was great and the crowd was good. Drinks were also relatively cheaper than rates in Manila.

On the second (and last day) we went to the Crown Regency hotel to try the Sky Adventure activities. My friends were really scared to try most of what they offer. I was able to prove to myself and to them that I absolutely have no fear of heights. (I thought I did!) But before that, we headed to CNT to try their lechon. Little did our hosts know, I don't eat PORK! It looked damn good though:






First, we tried the Edge Coaster. Unfortunately, our pictures were not worth posting so we didn't pay for them. The ride was actually pretty scary. There's a button that controls the tilting of our seats but it was not working! It won't tilt back to its original position, which made the ride extra scary.

Next we tried the Sky Walk where we basically walk on a path that surrounds the building. We're tied to a harness so I wasn't really THAT scared. Walking on the edge of the building was really fun. There were also parts where we stepped on fiber glass. When I looked down, it sort of gave the illusion that I was floating. My favorite part was when the photographer took our picture while we stand on one leg, pretending that we're about to fall off the edge of the building.





Perhaps the most exciting part of this entire trip would be the zip line. I've never tried it before but this one's extra special IMHO. We dangled from one tower to another - 40 storeys above the ground in less than 10 seconds. Then, we sat on the harness and was pulled back to tower 1.





Oh Cebu, I fell in love with you even more. Rumor has it that SM will be building its second Mall of Asia in Cebu? How true is this? That's another reason to go back =D

Today, we lost a great visionary who changed the world, one iDevice at a time.

A big sign that you're getting old: Your high school classmates are getting married one by one.

Last Friday, I was invited to my friend Jessica's wedding. We went to high school together and we were pretty much close for four years. Back in high school, we were kind of obsessed with having small groups and giving ourselves names (as if we're in a talent show). There were groups called 191, Jeunesse, Berzwa, Magnificent 8, etc. Jessica and I were in a group we called Amici (Italian word for friends).






The wedding ceremony was held in the beautiful Calaruega Church in Tagaytay. I believe it's the same church where Judy Anne Santos and Ryan Agoncillo got married.

























Best wishes to Jessica and Jan!

I went on an unplanned hiatus for more than two months. I cannot believe my last post was about my trip to Cebu. That was my birthday post - last MAY! A lot of things have changed: we have a new President,  The Hills and Lost are both over,  iPhone 4 was already released, and Ricky Martin is out of the closet. 

Our third day in Cebu was no doubt the best. I was up all night figuring out whether to go to Cebu White Sands or Maribago Bluewaters Resort. Price was definitely an important factor. CWS Day Tour costs only P500 while MBR's day tour costs P1,500. I opted to go to CWS for obvious reasons.