2009 CNN Hero of the Year

This just in! I am currently working on a new post about my current emotional state but I have to defer writing about it because of this great news! This is worth posting than my “emo” rants.

Credits to CNN.com

Efren Peñaflorida, Jr., the pushcart educator from Cavite, Philippines, has been named early today (Nov.21, 2009 US Pacific Time) as 2009 CNN Hero of the Year, besting 9 others. The award is given to ordinary people having extraordinary impact in society. Efren will receive $100,000 as a prize to continue his work with the Dynamic Teen Company. He was selected to win the award after seven weeks of online voting at CNN.com.

Efren has been championing education for the youth since August 1997 when he and three other teens from Cavite National High School founded Dynamic Teen Company. The group has been teaching unschooled, labor-exploited and neglected street children. The group also conducts weekly feeding, first aid treatment of scabies and wounds, and values formation activities through their K4 Project (Kariton Klasrum, Klinik at Kantin- [Pushcarts, Classroom, Clinic and Canteen]).

Congratulations man! You deserve all the prize, the honor and the accolades you are getting. This kind of news makes me more proud that I am a Filipino.

Last Sunday, it was Manny Pacquiao. Today, it’s Efren Peñaflorida Jr. Next Sunday, hopefully it will be my turn… hehe.

Source news here.

The heat is on!

The rumors between Manny Pacquiao and his wife, Jinkee Pacquiao and the third wheel, Krista Ranillo are spreading like  wildfire. Again, I know a lot has been said already but it’s not yet late to jump in to the issue. I’m not a fan of a home-wrecker but for fun sake, who will you root for? Welcome to “Wifepower“, a spin-off of Pacquiao’s bout against Cotto, “Firepower“.

Team Jinkee or Team Krista? Cast your vote below!

Jinkee vs. Krista

Blockbuster Mashup!

With November 20 just around the corner, I can say that “New Moon” (second installment of the Twilight saga) fever is totally on! Tickets for its premiere night and for the start of its regular screening on Friday are fast-selling, if not yet sold-out. Blogs and social networks are already infested with this excitement. I know this is crazy but I’m excited for it too. The frenzy is really contagious, blood-sucka!

Just the same, Manny Pacquiao has been relevant this week too as he conquered new heights in his career after beating Miguel Cotto last Saturday (Sunday, Manila Time). He is everywhere too. Landing on TIME Asia Magazine as cover for their November issue, appearing on American TV show (Kimmel), doing concerts in Las Vegas (Mandalay)… these are only few of his sightings this week. I’m so proud to be a Filipino because of him (I just hope he won’t run for Congress in 2010).

That being said, Filipino fans of both Manny Pacquiao and the Twilight franchise have come up with a mash-up that I think is so genius and hilarious at the same time. How would the movie look like if Pacman landed the vampire role of  “Edward” in this franchise?

Need help in stretching your imagination? No need to look further for below are some of the wacky pics passing around the internet this past few days. Enjoy!

Manny as the vampire Edward. Who is better?

Speed is mightier than size!!!

Perfect jab!

If  I am going to sum up the thrilling bout early today between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, that would be my statement.

Landing 336 punches, almost double than Cotto’s 172, Pacquiao outperformed and outclassed the reigning WBO Welterweight Champion in the 12th round via TKO. I know so much has been said already but I just want to be part of every Filipinos triumph and joy today.

By the way, I got four shots from the fight that I think are priceless.

2012: Noah’s Ark 2.0

I really tried my best not to give a spoiler in this post but I guess the title itself was a giveaway. My bad. I’m sorry.

The fuss over 2012 was really something. And I’ve witnessed it myself last night. It’s either they want to know how is Hollywood going to depict another “end of the world” scenario or it’s just a payday that Friday.

As early as 3:30pm, I was already in Glorietta to reserve some seats for 2012’s premiere. I thought I was early enough to get the best seats for the 7:00 pm screening. But I was wrong. Going up to the 4^th floor, there were already swarms of people lining up at the ticket counter while some are watching the video boards for schedules. And at that time, they are already selling seats for 9:00pm and that our preferred time has only 4 seats available. By the way, I’m reserving seats for 6 people. Yep, I learned my lesson well. I’m going to see “how the world will end” with my colleagues. And when I tried my luck at Greenbelt, the situation is worst. They are already selling the 12:00mn screening and mind you, seats left were the front rows- the worst seats you can get as it is like watching a giant TV under your nose. Left with no choice, I went back to Glorietta hurriedly hoping to catch seats for the earliest time left. When I arrived there again, I was gasping for breathe ‘coz I almost run from GB going there through Landmark. Sure enough, I got the 9:45pm screening. With the movie running for 158 minutes (a little over than 2 and a half hours), I’ll be going home early Saturday. But was it worth it? Was the clamor proper?

Lesson Learned

Before you take a plunge into this blog, you are highly advise to read the post “Dare: All By Myself” as this is just a sequel to it. You wouldn’t have a clear picture of the situation unless you read it. But in case you’re done, please indulge yourself with the rest of the post.

The Experience

When I told you being single sucks at times, well watching a movie alone indeed is one of those times that knock you out to that reality. Add to that the fact that movie wasn’t that masculine in genre. I was too blinded by my excitement to watch 500 days of Summer that I didn’t know that I was doing a “manliness suicide”. Though the stunt I did was a personal history, being my first, I don’t think it will happen again anytime soon. (One thing though, the movie was awesome! And to catch it 2 days before it ends its playdate is rewarding. Got to have the original DVD!)

WT: Sesame Street invades Google

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In line with the 40th anniversary celebration of Sesame Street last Tuesday, November 10, 2009, Google paid tribute to this well-loved children TV series by creating “google-doodle” and adding it to their search engine since last week. In case you missed seeing them, you’re lucky enough that you landed here because I’m posting below the seven “google-doodles”.

 

Sesame Street Ensemble Cast

 

Big Bird

 

Dare: All by myself

Sometimes, being single sucks! (Emphasis needed) You ought to do things on your own even if it shouldn’t be done alone. Or even if it is possible to do it by yourself, it would be too boring to do so. You can try to invite friends but most of the time they’ll fail you. What can you do? You don’t own them. You cannot compel them to do what you want them to do. That list includes best friends too, especially when they are in a relationship. If only you can grab somebody that easily to go out with you… sigh. If only you can buy someone to date… loser!

That being said, I want everybody to know that later today, I am about to embark on a new height of my being single. Call it desperation or whatever but I really have to do this. Yes tonight I will try to catch (500) Days of Summer in Glorietta.

In case you didn’t get it, I will see a movie later tonight.

Alone.

For the first time.

You see, my officemates and I have already planned to see this film prior to its premiere last October 21. But two weeks have passed and the plan never pushed through. I tried convincing my other friends but to no avail. Well, I guess when priority comes in, some things have to be neglected, including fun and friendship. But I cannot let a good movie like this just pass me by. DVD won’t work for me so I really have to see this in theater tonight though it would mean going solo. I don’t think it would be a problem for someone to see a movie by himself. I just hope that few people will show up later so that only few will notice my solitude.

I wonder what the attendant in the ticket counter would think of me buying just one movie pass or why the hell I am going watch a romantic comedy alone. Anyway, I’ll blog about my reasons after the movie and of course my review of it.

Now, I dare you to see a movie alone too and tell me how does it feel spending an hour or two in a dark cold room watching a chick flick without someone to flirt with or just beside with. Don’t worry I’ll blog my experience too afterwards.

Part 2 here.

Online farmers on the loose

Subtitle: Top 10 Facebook Games

After MySpace tumbles to number 2 in the US, Facebook had another victim of its domination. It has now outrun Friendster as the most visited social networking site here in the Philippines, that’s according to Alexa.com. Friendster used to rule that category I think for 5 or 6 consecutive years, I’m not quite sure of the period but really Friendster is like a necessity for the Filipinos before. It’s more like a census to us. Sadly, the pioneer of social networking online in the world has lost its grip in its largest market. (Facebook has yet to conquer China from Qzone.)

But why is Facebook a success? Well for me, aside from its chat capability and Twitter-like microblogging service, it is probably because of the applications, particularly the games, that made online social networking a fun. Not only do we get to communicate and share music and videos online, but we, Facebook users, also get the chance to play with our friends without leaving the site or downloading any software. Connectivity was further enhanced by Facebook through these applications. Annoying at times because of the nonsense and spam-like news feed in our home pages, these applications gave more fun and color to networking.

And with its 300 million users and still counting, more than half of them play the games application, either with friends topping each others’ scores or alone trying to kill boredom. A proof to this fact is the monthly stats of the Top Facebook Applications. Of all the categories of FB applications, games lead the numbers. Below is the list of those games which are very popular right now rank chronologically based on monthly activity (I’m betting here that you play at least of the games mentioned below):

Top 10 Facebook Games

(As of November 6, 2009)

Rank 10

10. MidJolt Games. I am not sure if I am part of the 14,836,619 monthly active users of this application but I guess they don’t need me to make it into the list. I have no idea what MindJolt is but according to its description in its Facebook page, the application has 500 games on its sleeves ranging from arcade, puzzle, strategy and sports games that you can play alone or with some friends. Kinda familiar to me ‘coz I do sometimes play some strategy games in FB. Maybe I’ll check later if I have allowed the application before to access my account.

Rank 9

9. Restaurant City. They say that the only business undertaking that is least likely to fail is the food business. I believe so. Why? Filipinos love to eat. A manifestation of this fact is the existence of restaurants, food chains, carinderias, turo-turo and Jolly Jeeps (as we call it here in Makati) everywhere. And the love to eat and the proprietary desire to run a business are even translated to the online world. RC, acronym for Restaurant City, is one of the two games in the list that dealt with food service business. Between the two, this game created by Playfish is the version that lives up strictly to the policy of “customer satisfaction” and precise cooking. The moment you fail to deliver, your customer dies. Dedication and more time are needed as a longer period of playing is required to level up. The game has about 18,049,949 monthly active users.

Rank 8

8. Farm Town. The pioneer game that started online farming is in rank 8 with 18,387,753 monthly active users. Its popularity can be attributed probably to everyone’s idea of living in countryside away from the fast-paced life of the metro. Though it has lesser players compared to its rival, the game can really boast off its interactive platform. It has its own chatbox, separate from FB, where gamers playing at the same can talk to each other even if they are not yet connected as “friends”. It has also a virtual market where gamers get to trade their farm products and even offer services to help other farmers in sowing or reaping their products. This I think is Farm Town’s competitive advantage. Its only downfall, which is very vital in online gaming, is the graphics.

Rank 7

7. Texas Hold’Em Poker. The name of the game has been mentioned in Lady Gaga’s hit song “Poker Face” and at first I thought that it is where it derived its name from. I’m wrong. Lady Gaga has nothing to do with its popularity. The game is really just the online version of an existing poker game. Most likely the contributing factor for having 18,775,796 monthly active users is having this poker game contest in TV, even attracting celebrities to play. There’s also a World Championship going on that really spreads the word and interest to it. Well, the best thing about this online poker game is that you get to play and gamble without the fear of losing huge amount of money, (but also the nil possibility of winning a fortune). Just so you know, I don’t gamble nor bet in the lottery and I don’t know how to play any card games except for those silly child card games like “1-2-3 pass”.

Rank 6

6. YoVille. The advent of “The Sims” in the PC world probably gave the idea of making a Facebook application too. With 19, 754,481 monthly active users, YoVille found its place in sixth rank of the list. This is FarmVille’s sister game that offers a more chic and modern way of living. Why is it a hit? Like “The Sims”, the charisma of the game came from people’s aspiration of creating the world as it pleases them. Utopia seems to be very still alive in everyone’s consciousness.

Away from them all

Not that I’m obliged to explain to anyone my whereabouts during my absence but I feel like sharing my experience “away from them all”. I really needed that time off since I’ve been terribly becoming so stubborn about my work, getting pissed off too with some friends’ indecisiveness and from the dilemma about career options I’m struggling with.

So I took a leave from office last Friday despite the nearing deadlines for some clients. Apologies to all people whom I cause trouble but I just can’t attend to them at the moment. To those doubting the timing of my leave, the vacation leave credits were filed and approved beforehand. Anyway, the main reason for the vacation was really due to the 9th death anniversary (October 30) of my grandmother father-side. It is an important date for the family since according to beliefs, it is on the ninth year that the dead’s soul leave Earth to go to heaven. So my dad, my mom and my youngest sister flew to Leyte to commemorate the anniversary.

This will be the first time I’ll be visiting our place in the province since 2004, I guess, and I’m so excited. Though the province of Leyte is considerably a rural area still, malls, restaurants and food chains have been built there and with that I know I can survive a week stay there. Moreover, the “ancestral” home of my grandfather has been renovated, making it less creepy and way modern than most houses in the neighborhood. Take a peek.

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A house with 5 rooms, 2 toilet and bathrooms, 2 kitchens, 2 living rooms, 3 TV sets, 1 LCD TV (two of which have cable connections), 1 PC, 1 laptop and a car, who wouldn’t want to stay in a place like that. Much better than our home in Cavite (it’s not even 100% completed). Driveways there are full of trees, traffic is only cause by people crossing and the people, though I hardly understand them, are friendly and hospitable (very Filipino like). The food were good too- the dried fish, local dishes (except for goat’s meat) and the delicacies (e.g. muron). I could almost live in there for good.

Yeah… almost. There’s no internet! The PC and laptop there at home are useless! (I have to use the exclamation mark to emphasize my belief that without internet, a computer is close to futility.) The technology is available but there’s no modem (it got broken) to run even a dial-up internet connection.  Bringing my laptop felt useless. I thought I would get sick after a day of being offline. But I did and it went on for four days. I was able to make myself online again on Tuesday when I visited the Town Hall where some of my relatives work. My delight came not from meeting my relatives, but because of the sign that says the building is a Wi-Fi hotspot area. And there it was, for like an hour, despite the sluggish connection, I was able to send email to my officemate, check out my blog, update my Twitter account (ultimately my FB account too) and view my inboxes for my 3 email accounts, showing at least 200 messages. Yup, just view the inbox and never got to read it because of the slow connection. It was an achievement for me not to be active online. Though I’m barely surviving the lack of internet for four days, I think I can manage inactivity for awhile. But I missed some peeps online and those Filipino bloggers I recently knew. Will catch up soon!

My stay there was short enough to gain new friends as I waste my time catching up with TV. It’s like I finished seeing at least 5 documentaries (from NatGeo, Discovery and History Channel), “Bones” series and 2 movies in HBO and Star Movies. Besides, people there seem to be busy while some people of my age are kinda indifferent. But it’s okay. I’m really not in the mood to go out since it’s hot and very humid outside.

While I’m in Leyte, I had a chance to meet Douglas Macarthur and some heroes during the World War II.

Yep, that’s me soaking my feet in the stagnant water. Kinda eww. Mind you, I’m in my rubber shoes that day so I have to bare my feet first out of my socks then dry it after the photo op. I have to do it ‘coz it may take me a long while to go back there or they may put a fence around the monument in the future. It was a good souvenir despite the slight itchiness the water brought to my right foot.

Overall, the trip to Leyte gave me the rest I needed (though I did some work there). It was really a break away from them all- the stress, the negativity, the pressure and the pollution. Our trip even contributed something to the economy. It did not solve, however, the dilemma about my career options but my stay there reminded me to take things one day at a time; that the dilemma is not yet 100% existing, that I should focus on what I have right now and do well; that I should cross the bridge when I get there, not when I caught a glimpse of it (will be blogging about this very soon).

Hopefully I’ll be traveling to Palawan or Bohol in Summer 2010 or even outside the country- like Hong Kong or Singapore. For now, I have to save money for those planned vacations.