GoGet: Why Own When You Can Share?

Every morning, when I walk to work, I walk past a parking slot that has been painted a bright green with the words "CARSHARE". It was something curious for me because it was free while all the other non-painted slots were always taken.

As I found out later, these slots were marked by the city council to reserve them for carsharing vehicles. Its own way of encouraging people to "share" cars instead of buying them (and adding to the congestion in the city). I think it's a great idea. It's both traffic and environment friendly. A lot people don't use their cars to go to the city anyway.

From the owner's point of view, they don't have to carry the huge burden of a mortgage and car insurance for a second car. Businesses can avoid using capital on buying cars and just.

The slot that I always see seems to be always occupied by a car from GoGet.The car looks new. From what I can understand from the website, you will pay a reasonable membership fee. Afterwards, you only pay whenever you use the car. All cars come fitted with a GPS and members can check the website for available cars in the area.

Bike Lanes in Sydney

When I was a kid, I used to marvel at news clips of China because of the number of bikes in the city. In some clips of Beijing, I couldnt even see any cars! Back then, and I hope you would forgive my naivete, I though it was a sign of backwardness. In the eighties, issues such as climate change were not the main focus in people's consciousness. Progress was equated with cars and tall buildings...Fast forward twenty years later and we now see large cities trying to do the opposite to become more bike friendly so that people will use their cars less.

There may be many cities in the world that are more bike friendly than Sydney but I think it is still better than most. The mayor, who goes by the unique name of Clover Moore, made it one of her priorities to redesign roads to make it more enticing for people to dump their cars in favor of their bikes. I'm not going into the debate of whether she spent too much or too little, but more and more of these green bike lanes are sprouting within the CBD. Here are pictures of one of the first bike lanes created here.

As you can see, there are now stoplights for bikes. The lanes have been marked a distinct Green so that people will recognize them.

There are shared lanes with cars or pedestrians.

I hope to see more of these lanes get built as I think it enhances the city's beauty.

And yes, I now think that China should have stuck it out with bikes.

iPhone Apps : Seize the Day

"Seize the day boys, pick the rosebuds while ye may". Everyone knows where that came from :) Anyway, i've been looking for an app to manage my "To do" list and I think I've found the right one.

Seize The Day is a free app which you can download off iTunes.

It's easy to enter new tasks this app. I like the reminder function which is easy to set and which appears on my screen just like the normal iPhone calendar reminder.

The interface is simple and easy to read. The Today category allows me to see all the tasks I need to do for the day which is all I want to see.

And best of all, I don't need too many clicks to add a new task...or to close it.

I can hundreds of apps on my iPhone but I will use no more than ten frequently. This app is now one of them.

Gmail motion: What Will They Think of Next?

Saw this link on my Gmail page today. Are you guys going to try it? :)

Online shopping: AVENT spare parts

We've been looking for spare parts for the AVENT electric breast pump that our cousin gifted us last month but none of the Pharmacies or Groceries had them.

We finally got lucky by buying it online. BPM Childcare keeps them in stock and in two days, they got the parts to us!

We'll definitely keep looking here for hard-to-find AVENT parts.

How to Protect Your Precious Comic Books

Back when I was collecting comic books in the early 80's, FILBARS (my favorite comic book store), did not sell accessories to help me protect my collection. This has certainly reduced the value of my collection and I have no hope at all to sell them at their listed prices.

Now that I have gone back to this hobby, I've made the move to protect my assets. I now have the necessary packaging to ensure that my comicbooks will last for years:

• Bags for the current sizes of comic books


• Backing boards


• Boxes

I get all of them from King's comics where I also buy my books. They are a little expensive but they will help preserve value so I consider them as an investment.

The PlayTV is Superb!

I bought a PlayTV bundled with my PS3 console last month. Aside from the great joy that I get from playing NBA 2k11, the PlayTV has been the real clincher. We love it very much because we can finally catch all these shows we've been missing (we don't have cable). Sony hit a home run with this product because along with the kick-ass gaming experience, you've also got a great entertainment system to go with it.

You don't need a Tivo anymore as it allows you to record shows even when the unit is switched off. It's got a great interface for searching for shows that you like. It comes with an EPG (electronic programming guide) where you can set your favorite channels and pick out which programs you want to record.

It's easy to check which programs have been scheduled and even has a short description of what the program is about (see picture below). Plus an indicator of how much memory is left in your HDD storage.

We actually use the PlayTV much more that any other software on the PS3. For young husbands out there, it will help you win over your wife to finally let you buy that PS3 console you've always wanted.

Somethings to watch out for: Video performance may suffer if you choose to play a game at the same time when PlayTV is recording. Performance issues come about when you have too many programs in your library. Try to have some discipline by not allowing your shows to gather some cobwebs.

Baby Accessory: The Perfect Playmat

It took us a while before we found the right playmat for our baby. We've always wanted to let her play on the floor, to help her develop her reflexes and strength, but the mats and throws we used previously seemed to irritate her skin. She just didn't seem to enjoy being on the floor with them. The Tiny Love Super Mat from Baby Zone Superstore was a good find. Baby likes it. She's got her favorite tile which has a material that rustles like paper when you touch it. underneath it is a teether which baby loves to munch on. The mat covers a good sized area too so she can roll around without getting off the mat easily. There's a stand-up mirror too which she likes looking at. Best of all, it's good on her skin. Yep, definitely one of the best purchases we made for our little princess!

Kindle works on the iPhone and iPad

Just like everybody else, I was skeptical of e-books as a medium. After all, books have always been on paper. Besides, the LCD screen looked like it could be harmful to my eyes. My wife told me about the Kindle app on the iPad and iPhone and I thought of giving them a go. I downloaded a free Sherlock Holmes book but never got around to reading it.

I really wanted to read Stieg Larrson's Milleniium Trilogy but I didnt want to spend too much on it. We went around the book shops here like Big W, Borders and Dymocks but they all cost from $16 to $26 each. We felt it was too much (yeah right, I sometimes spend that much on comicbooks every week). No luck with book sales too as people snapped them up as soon as the doors opened (a pity because they sell books from $2 to $10). So I went online to my favorite online store, Amazon. The cheapest book was an e-book at $7! Since I wouldnt be true to being Mr. Cheap, I went for it.

It was so easy to read. It was convenient on the bus and bus stops, in the lounge and while doing your "business". Best of all, i could read it easily while lying down on the bed without switching on my reading lamp.

A lot of people will still buy paperbacks. I'm sure they will be around for many years. But having these e-books around is just great for money conscious guys like me who want their books cheap and easily accessible.

NBA 2K11 : Head and Shoulders Above the Competition

I wasn't a part of the PS2 generation. During my pursuit of a higher education, I had opted not to get a console in those years. I decided that I would just play games on my PC where I discovered Civilization II, III, and IV (which by the way are all excellent!).

NBA 2k11 was too hard to ignore though. Friends were posting about it and saw some videos on Facebook. The graphics really intrigued me and there were a lot of feedback on how good the gameplay was.

Four weeks ago, my wife gave me the go-ahead to get a PS3. And I can definitely say that this game was worth it. I got it on sale at EB Games here in Australia and I am really happy. The gameplay is much better than NBA Live! 08 by EA Sports (which I played on the PC) especially the action underneath the basket. In 2k11, the players have fluid movements... while in NBA Live, the players were stiff such that after a while you just got bored.

I also love the Game highlights during halftime and at the end because it feels very much like the NBA TV coverages in real life. The atmosphere during gameplay is also very lively and does a good job of capturing the feel of a real NBA stadium.

Overall, this is a solid buy and will provide hundreds of hours of entertainment for hardocre basketball fans. Good job by 2K Sports!

Taytay in the early 80's

Taytay is only 12 kilometers from the Greenhills Shopping Center. But in the early 80's, it already took us more than an hour to get there on normal days. Normally we would start at Ortigas extension at Taytay then pass Junction, Rosario, Marikina river bridge, Meralco, EDSA, then reach Greenhills.

The problem was that the volume of cars coming from Rizal was increasing while Rosario was still one lane on either side. At the same time, the construction of the Manggahan floodway was started around 1981. So the same bumper to bumper jams that you see now were actually there since 1980 (so don't feel to bad hehe).
To get around this, my dad would sometimes make a detour around Valley golf - exit through Sumulong highway (where Seven Suites Hotel and Grilla are located now) then drive through Marcos highway -turn left at Ligaya - drive 5 kilometers along A. Rodriguez avenue - then exit through Rosario. Marcos highway was empty back then. None of the subdivisions had been constructed (no Q-mart, Sta. Lucia) and only farmlands could be seen all around.

I would know that we were close to Rosario because I would see the big "FUMAKILLA" insecticide factory along A. Rodriguez. I think this factory is at the intersection of Industria street with A. Rodriguez (there's a Jollibee there now).

All these roads are much busier now and Taytay and Antipolo's population have increased significantly since then. And Unimart is not the only destination that's near Taytay anymore. Good to remember those times. Too bad I don't have any old pictures of the places I mentioned.

Power Outages Galore in Rizal and Metro Manila

Below is an explanation for the power outages today in Metro Manila and Rizal...

TRANSMISSION TROUBLE CAUSES POWER OUTAGES TODAY
October 8, 2009 as of 3.pm.

Customers in certain parts of the Meralco franchise, mostly in the eastern part, are experiencing at least three hours of power outages today (Oct. 8), as the company implements manual load dropping (MLD) due to the technical trouble at the power transformer bank of Dolores Substation, owned and operated by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

The series of power outages began late Wednesday night (Oct. 7) in several parts of Metro Manila and Rizal after power was cut off to 13 Meralco substations including those situated in St. Anthony, Manggahan, Parang, Masinag, Marikina, Santolan, Cainta, Shangri-la, Mandaluyong, Hillcrest, Dolores, Cubao bank no. 2 and New Teresa. This resulted to outages in various portions of Mandaluyong, Pasig, Marikina, Taguig; parts of Quezon City including Cubao. Outages were also experienced in Cainta, Angono, Taytay, Binangonan, Antipolo, San Mateo and Montalban.

As of 11:40 p.m., Wednesday evening, power has already been restored to most of the affected areas after Meralco opted to shift load or transfer sourced power to operational substations. Only Dolores 44XM and portions of Dolores 47 XM were not restored.

At 6:39 a.m. today, Meralco resorted to MLD affecting circuits served by Cubao and Marikina substations in order to ease the critical loading of Araneta-Kamuning 115 kV line. Three-hour rotating brownouts may also be implemented today during noon-peak and three hours during the evening-peak periods. Meralco, though, is doing its best to shorten the duration of the brownouts

----------------------------
AREAS AFFECTED

MLD---(0900H-1100H) (1500H-1700H)

AREAS AFFECTED

412VZ—PASIG—UGONG, BAGONG ILOG, ORANBO,

42VR—ORTIGAS COMMERCIAL CENTER, PORTION OF WACK-WACK GREENHILLS

44VR—WACK WACK

45VR—UGONG. ORTIGAS COMM’L CTR,

46VR—CORINTHIAN, ARCADIA SUBD, ORTOGAS AVE

51VR—PASIG—SAN ANTONIO VILL, PORTION OF ORTIGAS COMMERCIAL COMPLEX, KAPITOLYO,

413VR—ORTIGAS COMM’L, SAN ANTONIO, MERALCO AVE, KAPITOLYO,

414VR—ORTIGAS COMM’L CTR,

415VR—ORTOGAS COMM’L CTR. PORTION OF WACK WACK, HIGHWAY HILLS, MANDALUYONG, PORTION OF KAPITOLYO

416VR—ORTIGAS COMM’L CTR

41VD—WEST GREENHILLS, LITTLE BAGUIO SAN JUAN, BGY VALENCIA, NORTH GREENHILLS, PASADENA SAN JUAN, STA LUCIA SAN JUAN, BGY CORAZON DE JESUS

44VD—WACK WACK GREENHILLS,

45VD—PORTION OF EDSA, WACK WACK, GREENHILLS MANDALUYONG

53VD—PORTION OF PLEASANT HILLS, MANDALUYONG, ADDITION HILLS, HIGHWAY HILLS, GREENHILLS EAST, 9 DE FEBRERO,

54VD—HIGHWAY HILLS, MANDALUYONG, PORTION OF GREENHILLS EAST,

AREAS AFFECTED (1200H-1400H) / 1800H-2000H)

HILLCREST 413VZ-PASIG, BAGONG ILOG, PINEDA, KAWILIHAN VILL,

415VZ—BAGONG ILOG, GREEN VALLEY, VALLE VERDE 1, JULIA VARGAS,

416VZ—BRIXTON, KAPITOLYO, ORANBO, PINEDA, PORTION OF SHAW BLVD, PORTION OF HIGHWAY HILLS, MANDALUYONG,

ROCKWELL 433VV – MANDALUYONG, BARANGKA, ILAYA, PORTION OF HIGHWAY HILLS, BGY MAUWAY, RIVERFRONT (PASIG) BGY MALAMIG (MAND)

436VV—MAKATI—BGYS POBLACION, BEL-AIR, LA PAZ, KASILAWAN, TEJEROS, VALENZUELA, SINGKAMAS, OLIMPIA,

441VV—ROCKWELL CENTER,

442VV—MAKATI --PORTION OF GUADALUPE VIEJO, GUADALUPE NUEVO, PORTION OF HIGHWAY HILLS,

444VV—MAKATI CITY—SALCEDO VILL, DELA COSTA, PORTION OF GIL PUYAT,

445VV—MANDALUYONG CITY – HIGHWAY HILLS, BARANGKA ILAYA,

AREAS AFFECTED (0700H-0900H) (1300H-1500H)

CUBAO 48VQ – CUBAO, BONI SERRANO, NORTHEAST GREENHILLS, PORTION OF WEST GREENHILLS, MURPHY, PORTION OF EDSA,

51VQ—MURPHY, ST IGNATIUS, WHITE PLAINS, BLUE RIDGE A

52VQ—QUEZON CITY—BGY KAUNLARAN, PORTION OF ARANETA CENTER, NEW MANILA, BALETE, TUAZON, MURPHY, AURORA AVE, PORTION OF VALENCIA,

41VQ—QC—BGYS, MILAGROSA, BLUE RIDGE, MURPHY, KATIPUNAN, BAYANIHAN,PROJECT 3, 4, PORTION OF LOYOLA HEIGHTSDUYAN-DUYAN

MARIKINA 42VG—QC—PORTION OF KATIPUNAN, LOYOLA HEIGHTS, E. RODRIGUEZ

50VG – LOYOLA HEIGHTS,

53VG—PORTION OF STO NINO, NANGKA, CONCEPCION, MARIKINA CITY

PORTION OF GUINAYANG, MALY, MALANDAY, SAN MATEO RIZAL

PORTION OF SAN JOSE, RODRIGUEZ, RIZAL

54VG—QC---CENTRAL, LOYOLA HEIGHTS, MALAYA, PINAHAN, TEACHERS VILLAGE, UP VILLAGE, SIKATUNA VILLAGE,

44VG—PORTION OF KAMIAS, PINYAHAN, BGY CENTRAL, LOYOLA HEIGHTS, E. RODRIGUEZ, XAVIERVILLE

45VG—MARIKINA—PORTION OF STA ELENA, BARANGKA, MAJ. DIZON, JESUS DELA PENA, TANONG, BARANGKA, INDUSTRUAL VALLEY,

46VG – QUEZON CITY—BGYS. MARILAG, BAGUMBUHAY, TAGUMPAY, MILAGROSA, PROJECT 4 – PORTION OF LOYOLA HEIGHTS

48VG – LOYOLA HEIGHTS, KATIPUNAN, UP CAMPUS, MWSS CPD, BGY PANSOL,

SANTOLAN 413RE –PORTION OF SANTOLAN, DELA PAZ, PASIG CITY, MAYAMOT, MARCOS HIGHWAY, ANTIPOLO, MIDTOWN, MARIKINA CITY, PORTION OF SAN ISIDRO, CAINTA

414RE—PORTION OF EASTWOOD, LIBIS KATIPUNAN, QUEZON CITY SANTOLAN PASIG CITY,

415RE—PORTION OF MARIKINA –BGYS. CALUMPANG, STA. ELENA, SAN ROQUE, TAYUG, BARANGKA AND PORTION OF SANTOLAN, PASIG CITY

CAINTA 42XG – PASIG CITY—STA LUCIA, MAYBUNGA, ROSARIO, FLOODWAY, JENNYS

44XG - -BGYS. SAN ANDRES, STO DOMINGO, MARICK SUBD, MIDTOWN SUBD, BUENMAR, GREENLAND SUBD, SAN JUAN, CAINTA RIZAL,

46XG—BGYS. SAN ISIDRO, TAYTAY RIZAL, ST. ANTHONY SUBD, MARICK SUBD CAINTA, GREGORIA HTS, STO DOMINGO, SAN JUAN CAINTA,

47XG—PORTION OF ROSARIO AND CANIOGAN, PASIG CITY

48XG—PORTION OF STA LUCIA, ROSARIO, PASIG CITY, STO DOMINGO, CAINTA,

421XG—PASIG CITY – PORTION OF STA LUCIA, UGONG, RIVERSIDE, ROSARIO, VALLE VERDE 4, FONTERA VERDE

422XG—TAYTAY –MAPANDAN

CAINTA—BROOKSIDE, SAN JUAN, VALLEY GOLF,

ANTIPOLO – VICTORIA VALLEY

(1000H-1200H) / (1600H-1800H)

CAINTA 423XG – PORTION OF GREENPARK VILL, MAYFIELD, DELA PAZ, OCTAGON ESTATE, PASIG,

SAN ISIDRO, STO DOMINGO, KARANGALAN, VISTA VERDE, CAINTA

SAN ISIDRO, TAYTAY RIZAL

424XG – PORTION OF SAN ISIDRO AND STO DOMINGO CAINTA RIZAL

MASINAG 43WN – MAYAMOT, ANTIPOLO

45WN—PORTION OF STO NINO, STA. ELENA, NEW MARIKINA SUBD, MARIKINA /// ALONG SUMULONG, MAYAMOT, ANTIPOLO CITY

46WN – ANTIPOLO CITY – BAGONG NAYON, INARAWAN, MAMBUGAN, SITIO KAMIAS, SITIO PUTTING BATO, FOREST HILLS, SITIO KAPATAGAN, SITIO RIZZA, SITIO ABUYOD, TOWN AND COUNTRY HILLS, PORTION OF BARRAS, RIZAL

PARANG 412YL – PORTION OF MARIKINA AND SAN MATEO RIZAL

MARIKINA – LA COLINA SUBD, PARANG,

SAN MATEO – GUITNANG BAYAN CARRIELAND, AMPID 1, STA. ANA, BANABA, MALANDAY, SAN MATEO-BATASAN RD

413YL – PARANG, MALANDAY, BAYAN BAYANAN, CONCEPCION,

MARIKINA,

414YL – PARANG MARIKINA

415YL—CONCEPCION, BAYAN BAYANAN, SSS VILL, MARIKINA HEIGHTS, ORDONEZ

MANGGAHAN 41ZM – QC- BGY BAGUMBAYAN, LIBIS, KATIPUNAN, VALLE VERDE 6 PASIG – UGONG,

43ZM – PASIG—CANIOGAN, MAYBUNGA, ROSARIO RIVERFRONT, SAN MIGUEL, LUMANG ILOG, TAYTAY, RIZAL

45ZM – PASIG – MANGGAHAN, SANTOLAN, DELA PAZ,

46ZM—GREEN MEADOWS, ACROPOLIS,

DOLORES 42XM—SAN ROQUE, DALIG, ASSUMPTION SUBD, SITIO MALANIM, DELA PAZ, BANKERS VILL, MAMBUGAN, SAN JOSE, FILINVEST EAST, ANTIPOLO,

PHILEC, DOLORES, TAYTAY, RIZAL

43XM – SAN ISIDRO, BALTAO CPD, PALMERA HILLS 1, DOLORES

TAYTAY, RIZAL

44XM – SAN JUAN RESETTLEMENT, KAPALARAN SUBD, MANILA-EAST, SITIO BATO-BATO, SAN JUAN, SITIO BUROL, TAYTAY

45XM – SAN JOSE, DALIG, CIRCUMFERENTIAL , SITIO PARUGAN, SITIO HINAPAO. SITIO MAGUEY, SAN ISIDRO, ANTIPOLO

KAYTIKLING, DOLORES, TAYTAY

47XM – SITIO BANGIAD, SITIO SAN ROQUE, MUZON, MERALCO HOUSING, SITIO BUROL, TAYTAY

BINANGONAN - CALUMPANG, LIBIS, SITIO SAN JUAN PAGASA, T AYUMAN, LIBID,

ANGONO – SAN ISIDRO, STO ROSARIO, STO NINO, SAN PEDRO

48XM – SAN JUAN, CAINTA

TAYTAY – DOLORES, SAN ISIDRO

KAMUNING 42VP-QUEZON CITY 43VA

BGYS. KAUNLARAN, SOUTH TRAIANGLE, WEST TRIANGLE, SACRED HEART, LAGING HANDA, NAYONG KANLURAN,

43VP – QUEZON CITY – SOUTH TRAIANGLE, SCOUTER’S AREA, BGY CENTRAL, ELLIPTICAL RD,VASRA, AGHAM RD, MOTHER IGNACIA, PANAY AVE

A cool panoramic 3D view of Cory Aquino's funeral

3D VR Panoramic shot of the Aquino funeral cortege as it passes Quirino Station

click here

Ninoy's letter to His Eldest Daughter in 1973

Forwarded by a brod to me...A sample of Ninoy Aquino's writing. A letter addressed to his eldest daughter Ballsy.

August 18, 1973

FortBonifacio
Makati, Rizal

Ms. Maria Elena C. Aquino
25 Times St. Quezon City

My dearest Ballsy,

I write you this letter with tears in my eyes and as if steel fingers are crushing my heart because I wanted so much to be with you as you celebrate your legal emancipation. Now that you have come of age, my love, a voice tells me that I am no longer young and suddenly, I feel old.
An old poet gave this advice very long ago “when you are sad, remember the roses will bloom in December.” I want to send you bouquet of roses, big red roses from my dreamland garden. Unfortunately for the present, my roses are not in bloom, in fact they have dropped all their petals and only the thorns are left to keep me company. I do think it is fitting to send you a thicket of thorns on this memorable day!

I am very proud of you because you have inherited all the best traits of your mother. You are sensible, responsible, even-tempered and sincere with the least pretenses and affection which vehemently detest in a woman. I am sure like your mother, you will possess that rare brand of silent courage and that combination of fidelity and fortitude that will be the life vest of your man in the tragic moments of his life.

During my lonely hours of solitary confinement in FortMagsaysay, Laur, Nueva Ecija last March and April with nothing else to do but pray and daydream, with only my fond memories to keep me company, I planned a weekend barrio fiesta for you in Tarlac for your 18th birthday. I fooled myself into believing that my ordeal would end with the fiscal year. I planned to invite all your classmates and friends and their families for the weekends.

The schedule called for an early departure by bus from Manila and the first stop will be Concepcion , where lunch will be served by the pool. And after lunch, you were to visit the Santa Rita Elementary School to distribute cookies and ice cream to the children of that public school where you were first enrolled.

I guess sheer nostalgia prompted me to include Santa Rita. We were only three then: Mommie, you and I. Those were the days of happy memories little responsibilities, tremendous freedom, a great future ahead and capped by a fulfillment of love.. You are the first fruit of our union, the first proof of our love and the first seal of our affections.

From Concepcion we were to proceed to Luisita for the barrio fiesta. I intended to invite a friend who could roast an entire cow succulently. Swimming, pelota, dancing and eating would have been the order of the day.

Sunday morning was reserved for a trip around the Hacienda and the mill and maybe golf for some of the parents and later a picnic-lunch on Uncle Tony’s Island . Return to Manila after lunch. I am afraid this will have to remain as one of the many dreams I had in Laur.
Our future has suddenly become uncertain and our fate unknown. I am even now beginning to doubt whether I’ll ever be able to return to you and the family. Hence, I would like to ask you these special favors.

Love your mother, whose love for you, you will never be able to match. She is not the greatest mother in the world, she is your sincerest friend.

Take care of your younger sisters and brother and lavish them with the love and care I would like to continue giving them but am unable to do so.

Help Noy-noy along and pray hard that he will grow to be a real, responsible man who in later years will protect you all.

You are the model for your three younger sisters. Your responsibility is therefore great. Please endeavor to live up to our highest expectations. Be more tolerant to Pinky, more accessible to Viel, our little genius-princess, and more charitable to Krissy, our baby doll, and make up for my neglect.

Finally, forgive me, my love, for not having been an ideal, good and thoughtful father to you all as I pursued public office. I had hopes and high resolve of making up, but I am afraid my destiny will not oblige.

I seal this letter with a drop of tear and a prayer in my heart, that somehow, somewhere we shall meet again and I will finally be able to make up for all my lapses, in the kingdom where justice reigns supreme and love is eternal.

I love you,

Dad

Toilet in the park

Found this Fancy toilet while walking in a park in sydney. Didn't check if there was tissue paper

Go Negosyo Book Launch: 21 Steps on How to Start Your Own Business

Book Launch

"21Steps on How to Start Your Own Business "

JULY 22, 2009 6:00 PM
and booksigning with Go Negosyo mentors and entrepreneurs

National Bookstore Archaeology Wing Powerplant Mall, Rockwell

Attire: casual Please wear your GoNegosyo shirt.
PROGRAM FLOW

Message by Joey Concepcion

Interview with Authors: Dean Pax Lapid and Ping Sotto

Talk/short message by Go Negosyo trustees and partners

Interview with Entreps mentioned in book, those who gave testimonials, VIPs, Sponsors, Go Negosyo team, etc.

Booksigning with Go Neg mentors and entreps

Unveiling of Go Negosyo Angelpreneurs + Photo Op

Cocktails & mingling


To ask for more details, Contact:
Myra Dorothy S. Lorredo
Programs Development ManagerPhilippine Center for Entrepreneurship
02 637 9347 0917 885 8052Fax: 02 6377873

Pisay the Movie!

Pisay the movie will have special screenings at the CCP. Please see the sked below.

I recommend this movie for the wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, parents, etc... of all Pisay alumni. It might help you understand their neuroses.

PISAY by Auraeus Solito (Cinemalaya 2007)
19 July/Sun, 10:00AM at CCP Silangan Hall
25 July/Sat, 12:45PM at Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)

No DVD's of this movie yet so better go for it now.

Mommy Thai Returns!

Click to read a related article from "Ivan About Town"

I didn't visit UP regularly at one time. But once, I visited a joint which was recommended by a friend. It was along Katipunan avenue in front of Balara. A small shack and I didn't remember any sign announcing its name.

Once inside, I saw an old lady wearing a "daster". Just like my lola's :) It seemed like an ordinary place until you notice that the old lady was reading a Thai magazine! Talk about subtle advertising. It convinced me that this was the real thing!

Anyway I ordered the "mixed" stuff which must have been worth 75 pesos only back then. I enjoyed it!

But my visits to UP were rare and I never got to see the place again. It's great to hear that she's back!

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Maxim Comedy Night - Maxim Philippines June 13 2009

Maxim Hot Comedy Night

Laughs, Ladies, and Lingerie

Host:	MAXIM Philippines
Type:	Party - Bar Night
Network:	Philippines

Date:	Saturday, June 13, 2009
Time:	9:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:	Fiamma
Street:	Jupiter Street

Description

Join us on Saturday, June 13 at Fiamma bar, Makati for a night of laughs, lovely ladies, and lingerie.

The luscious--not to mention red-hot--Daiana Menezes is celebrating her birthday and Maxim Philippines is throwing her a party. The first 100 Maxim Philippines readers with a copy of the June issue (which will also be available at the venue) can get their magazines autographed by our lovely cover girl.

Plus, there will be a lingerie fashion show with hot babes showing off the latest in women's, uhm, "clothing." (And if some ladies show up in lingerie to the party, we won't be objecting.)

Hope to see you there!

Second Handers

One of my all time favorite fiction novels is "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. I must have read this book four times! I even saw the movie starring Gary Cooper.

The story talks about an architect called Howard Roark. An architect who refused to follow what the crowd wanted. Choosing instead to make designs that fit the personality of his clients and the function of the structures being ordered from him. Although his clients loved his work and appreciated his genius, he incurred the ire of the general public ("who does he think he is? Better than the rest of us?").

In contrast, there was the publisher Gail Wynand. He was rich and famous. He provided what the crowd (what is also called the "mob") wanted: gossip and sex. He exploited the baser instincts of people to sell more newspapers. It was never about "truth" or making a contribution to humanity. Who wants to read that anyway? He gives the public what it wants.

Ayn Rand calls people like Gail Wynand "second handers"...because they were never the prime movers of mankind.

I'd like to relate this to the emerging candidates for presidency of the Philippines in 2010...who are the "prime movers" and the "second handers"? Is it the one who let's you hear what you want to hear? Or plays to the applause of the crowd?

...Or is it the one who has proven, time and again, that he will defy the "popular" will to do what is right?

Among all the candidates for 2010, it is only Bayani Fernando who has proven that he will not let himself be swayed by demonstrations of "false compassion". Beyond doing what is necessary to clear the streets and impose discipline in Metro Manila, he has created a transformation that was unthinkable ten years ago: that it was possible to impose the rule of law in Metro Manila to protect the rights of many.

A victory for Bayani Fernando in 2010 will show that the FIlipinos are ready to be governed the right way. Let's not wait for another 6 years...please.

Jay Araullo