Archive for July, 2008
daughtry presscon
Last night, I had the pleasure of going to the Daughtry press conference at Shanghai Bistro in Eastwood City. And although we had to wait for about two and a half hours, it was worth it (the wait).
Chris Daughtry and the rest of the band seemed like they genuinely wanted to be where they were. No airs, no qualms no prima donna attitudes. Plus, they seemed like five quirky and funny individuals, as a couple of the members even gave us a sample of a new dance they came up with — the “Double Dragon”. [Note: Since you can only see a photo in my Multiply album, it's basically a rendition of the moves from that classic Taito video game from the 80s in dance form]
And as an added bonus, I got to meet Mo Twister. No, he’s not my man crush (in fact, I don’t even think I have one), but he’s truly one of the wittiest and most original people in the world of showbiz.
Daughtry will be playing in a few hours in what everyone in the media seems to be calling an “intimate” setting. BS man. For the life of me, I can’t conceive how the term intimate even sprung up. Sure it’s much smaller than a normal concert, but having three thousand fans is far from it (intimate). But nevertheless, props to Eastwood City for coming up with a makeshift stadium.
Anyway, here are additional photos from the presscon.
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[click on image for larger view]funny business names
We all love those witty signs or businesses with humorous names. Here are a few that have been compiled and being sent over the net via email.
- A Cocktail Bar in Ermita “PINDOT NOIR”.
- Parlor in San Juan is named “CUT & FACE”.
- Wholesaler of balut in Sto.Tomas, Batangas: “STARDUCKS”.
- Fast food eatery in Nueva Ecija: “VIOLYBEE”
- Internet cafe opened among squatters named “CAFÉ PINDOT”.
- In Manila , there’s a laundry named, “SUMMA CUM LAUNDRY “.
- Petshop in Ortigas: “PUSSIES AND BITCHES “.
- A pet shop in Kamuning: “PAKITA MO PET MO”.
- Bakery: “BREAD PIT”.
- Bank in Alabang: “ALABANK”.
- Restaurant in Pampanga named, “MEKENI ROGERS “.
- Restaurant in Pasig : “JOHNNY’S FRIED CHICKEN: THE FRIED OF MARIKINA”.
- A boxing gym: “BLOW JAB”.
- A tombstone Cutter in Antipolo: “LITO LAPIDA”.
- A copy center in Sikatuna Village called “PAKOPYA NI EDGAR”.
- A beerhouse in Cavite called, “CHICKPOINT” .
- Laundromat in Sikatuna: “STAR WASH: ATTACK OF THE CLOTHES”.
- Internet cafe in Taguig named, “n@kopi@”.
- Name of a kambingan, “SA GOAT KITA”.
- A salon somewhere, “CURL UP AND DYE”.
- A lugawan in Sta. Maria, Bulacan: “GEE CONGEE”.
- A water refilling station in Dapitan named “WA-THIRST”.
- A store selling feeds for chickens: “ROBOCOCK”.
- Shoe repair in Marikina : “DR. SHOE-BAGO”.
- Shoe repair store along Commonwealth, “SHOEPERMAN: WE WILL HEEL YOU SAVE YOUR SOLE AND EVEN DYE FOR YOU”
- Petshop: “PETNESS FIRST”
- Flower shop: “SUSASN’S ROSES”.
- Taxicab: “INCOME TAXI”.
- A 2nd hand watch store: “SECOND TIME AROUND”.
- A squid stall in a wet market: “PUSIT TO THE LIMIT”.
- A shrimp store: “HIPON COMING BACK “.
- A gay lawyer’s extension office: ” NOTA REPUBLIC”
- A ceiling installer: ” KISAME STREET”.
- A car repair shop: “BANGGA KA ‘DAY?”
- An aquatic pet store in Malolos: “FISH BE WITH YOU”.
- A fishball cart named, “POKE POKE”.
- A beauty salon: “SAUDIA HAIRLINE”.
- A bakery: “ANAK NANG TINAPAY”.
- A resto along Mayon road in Manila : “MAY LISA EATERY”.
- Laundry shop: “WASH YOUR PROBLEM”.
- This mobile massage business name isn’t funny, but their slogan is: “ASIAN MOBILE MASSAGE SERVICE: MASSAGE ONLY, GOD IS WATCHING”.
- Ice cream parlor: “DILA LANG ANG KATAPAT”.
- Chicharon store: “CHICHA HUT”.
- Neighborhood pizza store: “PIZZA HOT”.
- A fishball cart near UST: “EAT MY BALLS”.
- A barbershop in Cagayan de Oro: “PINOY BIG BARBER”.
- A Resto: “THE LAST SUPPER”.
- A goto resto: “GOTO KO PA!”
- A peanut vendor’s cart with a funny name: “MANI NI PAPA”.
- A gym in Malolos: ” GAYMANN FITNESS CENTER”.
- My brother’s party needs business: “BALLOON-BALLOONAN” .
- A Chinese restaurant in Pasig : “LAH-FANG”.
- A store selling fresh chicken, owned by woman named Dina: “DINA FRESH CHICKEN”.
- An actual bait and tackle shop in US: “THE MASTER BAITER”.
- Panaderia: “TRIMONAY BAKESHOP”.
- Salon: “HAIR DOT COMB”.
I hope I run into a few of these shops so I can verify if they exist and take a few snaps along the way.
i love music
It’s not a secret that I love music. All of my friends know I just can’t live without sounds — when driving in my car, when plopped down on my office chair, when just chilling at home.
When my first iPod broke, I didn’t hesitate to get a new one… even if I was strapped for cash. When my second iPod conked out, I readily swiped my plastic friend, once again, burning a hole in my wallet. And yes, I still do buy CDs, even in this age of Limewire and torrents.
Now, because of my semi-obsessive compulsive behavior, I have found a new way to show my love for music…
With iTunes, you can display your music with the album art. And not just any small window, but a large, glossy and reflective display that you can scroll through, making your aural experience more pleasant with some visual eye candy. (see below)
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[click image for a larger view]another case of stealing
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I got a call from my cousin, Nikki, asking for some help, about a week ago. Apparently, a Multiply user was selling my cousins merchandise… Not the originals, but knock-offs. Nikki, along with a few partners own a local fashion boutique here in Manila. It started out as a sell from home type of thing, until demand for their goods rocketed. You’ve probably heard of Sapato Manila, at one time or another or perhaps passed by their store in Powerplant Mall in Rockwell. But, as most good things go, you usually get a few people that will try to ruin it for you, or take advantage in any way they can. Luckily, we were tech saavy enough to get some proof of this blatant pilfering of intellectual property.
I didn’t write anything at the time, as I didn’t want to preempt any legal steps my cousin and her partners were going to take, and we also wanted to catch the offender off guard. But I spoke to Nikki tonight, and found out they already sent their formal letter and are just deciding what course of action to take. Of course, being the curious web crawler (not the Spider-Man variety) that I am, I decided to take a peek at the offending site. Lo and behold, the albums of the merchandise were gone.
But here’s more proof, anyway (thanks to Mozilla’s Screengrab!).
[click on image for larger view]Just a little note though (as a disclaimer): not all of the items on sale in these two albums were from Sapato Manila. The others may be licensed… but, I wouldn’t bet on it.
I’ll post updates, when I hear again from my cousin. But for the rest of us, on the web or even in the regular offline retail, this should serve as a warning. There are people out there trying to make a buck out of our creativity and hard work. There are so many stories of plagiarism out there at the moment. Let’s just hope we can remain vigilant and catch the offending parties.
meetings galore!
This week has been all about meetings… whole day sessions of training, brainstorming and thought tossing. My noggin is full of new ideas and concepts, numbers and digits, and various other nuggets of information. My head hurts.
Thank God for coffee.
kargador sa quiapo
Went to Quiapo with Kan, Karla and Jhon to purchase some stuff for personal use. As we bought in bulk, we had to cram the items into one box. And on the way back to the car, I started sweating profusely, under the weight of the box and its contents, as well as the heat from the mid day sun and sheer volume of people in Tabora. So Lan thought I kinda looked like oe of the “kargadors” (coz I’m dark skinned and was sweating like anything… how condescending ^_^) in the area and decided to take a snap.
There are actually a few more photos, but this one captures the essence of the days experience.
macbook touch?
I just read over at Gizmodo that there’s a rumor that Apple may be releasing a MacBook Touch.
It’s basically an Apple Tablet…
And if you’re wondering what it may look like… “Think MacBook screen, possibly a bit smaller, in glass with iPhone-like, but fuller-featured multi-touch. Gesture library. Full Mac OS X.” [from the article over at Gizmodo]
Oh, and here’s a photo of the rumored MacBook Touch:
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When will Apple stop tempting us with such cool toys?
more Yehey! IDs
One of the fun aspects of working in a dot com is the loose and light-hearted atmosphere. The people are young, creative and game for just about anything. We have Filipino translations for our work designations (like ang Hinete ng Channels, ang Barker ng Marketing) and we also have our creative poses for our Identification cards. Last week, I took a few photos of some of the newer hires, as well as some of the oldies that wanted a retake. So here they are:
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[click photo for larger view]Where's the beef?
If you’re as old as I am (or around that age), you’ll probably remember the old Wendy’s catch phrase “Where’s the beef?”. Decades ago, it was a hit and held a different connotation. Today, I went over to Wendy’s in Gateway Mall, and found myself repeating the catch phrase… but with a different meaning. this time, I really was searching for the meat.
I paid 121.21 pesos for a Bacon Mushroom Melt meal. Why such an odd number? I was told by the cashier that the published price of PhP 120 was exclusive of the local government tax. I was already quite appalled by the price of the meal, but the tax just really threw me off. I mean, what fastfood joint excludes the vat and government tax from their published rates? So I begrudgingly paid up. I gave a five hundred bill. My change: Php 378.75. I was shortchanged by 0.04 centavos. Sure, 0.04 centavos is nothing to get irate about, but if you’re going to ask customers to pay a ludicrous amount of a hundred and some odd change, you better be prepared to give back the exact amount due them. And the last little bit that got me riled up was the food itself. The burger was miniscule, the fries were pathetic and I had to pay an extra sum to get the iced tea.
After a few bites, I was literally asking “Where’s the beef?”. so anyone that’s thinking of going to Wendy’s for a quick meal, you may want to think twice. Unless, of course, you’re going for a Frosty (those are great).
uaap 2008
[click on image to go to site]The UAAP basketball season has started once again, so collegiate rivalries have once again ensued. No matter which team you’re rooting for, I’m pretty sure you want to keep abreast of all the latest news, the most up to date scores and other bits of trivia and info you can get your hands on.
Yehey! has come up with a website to provide you with all the info on the UAAP basketball tournament you need. So if you’re a UAAP addict, you may want to check this site out!
the dark knight returns
I have never really been a big fan of Batman. In fact, I have always been more of a Spidey fan. But Christopher Nolan’s takes on the Caped Crusader have lured me to the “dark side,” so to speak. And with his newest installment of the Batman in “The Dark Knight”, I have truly come to appreciate the mystery behind Gotham’s (in)famous superhero.
Of course, I don’t want to give any spoilers, especially for the true fans that are going to hit the cinemas in anticipation, but I have to give my fave points on the flick:
- Heath Ledger’s swan song performance is awesome. Instead of a loony Joker, Ledger breathes new life into a sadistic, cold blooded killer in the guise of the primary villain.
- I love the fact that the movie stays true to the Frank Miller-esque treatment of Batman… not the Adam West portrayal. So the “Dark Knight” monicker is really given justice.
- True to most Batman flicks, there are a lot of gadgets and gizmos. However, I appreciated the fact that it was not overdone.
- Gary Oldman is Gary Oldman. Again, another great portrayal of Commissioner Gordon.
- The casting of Aaron Eckhart was perfect. i couldn’t imagine anyone else playing Harvey Dent / Two-Face.
- The prosthetics in the movie are amazing. Just wait til you get a first glimpse of Two-Face.
All in all, I believe this movie will appeal to the die-hard Batman fanatics as well as the casual movie-goer that has no pre-conceived notion of the Bat, except from the previous (and crappy) versions [Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney].
watsons men's zone
Make-over and men. Two words that you don’t often hear uttered in the same breath, let alone associate together. However, in this day and age of the emerging metrosexuals, men have started to take care, not only of their bodies, but also their personal appearance — grooming and hygiene. And Watsons is aware of this.
For the whole month of June, Watsons, the premiere “Personal Store” gave men a few more reasons to pamper themselves with discounts, freebies, customized hair stylings, massages and many more activities. And as an added treat, 25 lucky men were chosen to get the “complete makeover,” clothing and accesories included.
As a culminating event last Friday, at the Hard Rock Café in Glorietta, Watsons held a mini fashion show featuring the 25 lucky men. Strutting their stuff onstage, the men paraded their new looks and showed what a total makeover can do for one’s presonal appearance, as well as their confidence and self-esteem.
Of course, the night would not have been complete without the comedic stylings of the Brew Rats — Ramon Bautista, Angel and Tado of 99.5 Campus FM, as well as a musical performance by the Itchyworms.
multiplayer Patapon?!
Wooohooo. One of my all time faves for the PSP, Patapon, is going multiplayer, according to PSP Fanboy.
One of the most addictive music / adventure games just got a major upgrade. According to Hiroyuki Kotani, we can expect more bosses and mid-boss enemies, as well as double the amount of content to explore (in terms of stages alone). And with a customization option Kotumi states further that “to be honest, you may never get to fully explore every bit of it.”
Patapon 2 is set for a winter release in Japan. Surely, the US version will follow shortly after that. I can’t wait to get my hands on the game and test out the ad-hoc multiplayer function.
You can read more at 1UP.
wedding in lomo
I haven’t really been posting a lot this month — partially because I’ve been busy with a lot of other stuff, and also partly because I have been bitten by the “lazy bug”. I have a few Drafts waiting in the wing, but most of them are written half-assed, so I probably won’t even bother editing (much less) publishing them.
However, as a bit of a “get-up-and-go” post, here are a few photos from a lovely wedding I attended last Saturday with a bunch of friends. The bride is Francesca [Babits to friends] Guadarrama and the groom is Graham Russell.
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[click on photo for larger view]wanna meet Chris Daughtry?
Grammy nominated, singer / songwriter cum American Idol 4th placer (2006) Chris Daughtry is coming to town. And Yehey!, along with Eastwood city is giving you a chance to meet and greet Chris Daughtry and the rest of the band! Simply log on to Yehey! for more info on hot to catch the hottest ticket in town this July.
