I knew you were there..

(Video credits to the owner)

For the past few months I had been grieving for the loss of my mama (and still am..) while dealing with a mryiad of workload.  And now that I am halfway done, I've been spending my weekends taking a break including watching movies in the comforts of my home sweet home.  Then I came across with an article posted in Facebook that had something to do about 10 best romantic movies.  When I checked, the movie entitled, "An Affair to Remember" was not even there!  Albeit my other favorite romantic film, "The Notebook" was listed in the article but it just didn't seem right that the movie of one of my most adored actresses, Annette Bening, wasn't!  (By the way, we have the same birthday!)

I'm sure I have a copy of the original version of the movie but I don't like it as much as I do with the 1994 version.  Since I was too lazy to check my external drive and watch again the entire film, I just settled for 3-5-minute unforgettable scenes in You Tube (why don't they just post the full movie so I can watch it?!).  And mind you, I've been watching the final scene for countless times already while writing this post!

Click the video link above to see why I'm so into it right now.. ;)

Mama and me..

Picture was taken when I was still in nursery school..

I So Terribly Miss Mama..

Wish Mama was still here.. Was browsing through my blog and bumped into the following posts which I wrote about her.  May you rest in peace, Mama..

As I had repeatedly told you before I bid my final goodbye, I love you very much, mama..

http://guiamadelo.blogspot.com/2010/05/tribute-to-my.html

http://guiamadelo.blogspot.com/2010/03/oh-my-mama.html

http://guiamadelo.blogspot.com/2010/08/papa-visited-mama-and-zhea.html

Starry-eyed over Starmobile phone..

Photo Credit

Now that my three alternative phones are already resting in peace, I have decided to go ahead with my plan of buying another, but better one.  I could have tried to revive my old phones, e.g., replacement of battery and/or charger but then, for now (read: temporarily), I just seem to grow tired of saving a few hundred/thousands bucks at the expense of my inconvenience.

In the spirit of Christmas (read: another excuse), I deserve a little bit of splurging, don't I?  Well, I'm still trying to control my spending and I hope, this time, I will succeed.  I've been goggling for the best tv phone and just recently, I came across with Starmobile's Up Max, which specs are as follows:

Screen Size: 5-inch IPS Multi touch

Scratch Resistant DragonTrail Glass

Sim: Dual SIM (Regular + Micro)

WiFi: Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Hotspot

Internal Memory: 16GB Internal Storage

RAM: 1GB RAM

Card Slot: Expandable Up to 64GB via MicroSD

Camera: 13.0 Megapixel Autofocus Main Camera with Sony IMX 135 Sensor and LED Flash

Front Camera: 5.0 Megapixel Autofocus Front Camera

OS: Android 5 Lollipop OS

Processor: 1.3GHz Quad Core ARM Cortex-A7

GPU: Mali-400 MP2 GPU

Chipset: MediaTek MT6582 Chipset

ISDB-T Digital TV Tuner

Radio: FM Radio

Battery: 5000mAh Li-Po Battery

I like that the phone has a digital tv tuner, fm radio, and a 5000mAh battery, which is almost twice the life of my primary phone's battery.  And per their website, it costs P6,490 only, which exceeded my targeted expense of P5,000 by P1,490.  Nonetheless, the price is still cheap compared to the better but pricier Knight Spectra's P14,990.  The downside, however, of Up Max is that its connectivity is only 2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 / 3G UMTS/SCDMA: 850/1200 / HSPA+ compared to Spectra's 2G / 3G / HSPA+ / Download upto 21.1Mbps / 4G LTE.  In other words, there might be connectivity issues that is expected to be dealt with concerning the use of Up Max.

Urggh!  I am so into internet!!!

But I am not willing to shell off P14,990 just for that.  No!!! I must remind myself that I am buying an alternative phone, and that means, going for the second best.. :(

Eyeing for another mobile phone...

Photo Credit

It was only about more than two years ago when I blogged about my plan to buy a new mobile phone.  And now, I'm planning again. :(

Don't get me wrong.  My smartphone is still in excellent condition.  It is just that, the phone I was using while I was in HongKong (especially!) and is using still is about to bid adieu.  And I'm having a separation anxiety already, for sentimental reasons.. :(

Nevertheless, I would want my next mobile phone to have a digital tv feature (fyi, it's more than a year since I've been TV-less).  And because I'm almost always mobile, I would want the inexpensive type, probably P5,000 or less.  But P10,000?  Hmm, I'm thinking..  Is it practical?  I'm not even sure if I'm going to maximize my use of the phone (fyi again, I have been using my old phone mainly as my alarm clock).  And I'm not also sure if TV signal would still be good when I'm at my condo unit, which is about several floors up from the ground.

Please help me decide... :(

Never Again!

Today is the last day of voters' registration, unless COMELEC would decide to extend the deadline for a few more days.  That is, if they would consider the recent influx of prospective voters at the registration centers such as what I saw in SM MOA yesterday.

I almost got myself unregistered because of that.  If not for the declaration of half day work yesterday, my chances of going to SM MOA for that purpose would have been nil.  And mind you, I felt like a ping-pong ball being tossed by the guards when I asked for directions to the satellite registration center.  I was already worried then as it was almost 5pm and I knew the registration center would be open only up to 6pm that day.  Alas, when I found the place, the door was already closed as they only accommodated a maximum number of 800 registrants.  I was advised to come back early the following day.  I asked how early, and the lady guard answered that there was already a queue as early as 4am.  What?!  And to make matters worse, the giving out of priority numbers starts at 830am, while the processing commences at 9am. Que horror!

No, I'm not going to make a sacrifice just like that.  Never again!  I would have registered long time ago and not waited for a few days before the deadline, if not for the hectic schedule.  I didn't had the chance to register when a registration activity was scheduled right within the convenience of our condominium as I was just leaving for Rome then.  Nor was the time when the same was also previously scheduled in SM MOA.  Blame it to my confusion with the date.  And when I learned from the local COMELEC office that  they will have another schedule in SM MOA on the last week of October, I just waited for that.  And the half day work yesterday would have been the perfect time for me..

While I was staring at the signages, a man approached me and asked if I would want to register.  When I said yes, he then gave me a piece of paper, which says "357".  I realized it was a priority number!  He then advised me to immediately go inside the center and do my thing.  So, I flashed the paper at the guard and he then let me in.  Inside, the line was looooong!  I wanted to back out as I remember the traumatic experience I went through when I registered in Taguig six (6) years ago.  I just held on knowing that this would be my only chance..

VICTORIA COURT #VPARTYSERIES MIDNIGHT MYSTERIES: CAN YOU SURVIVE?

Manila, October 29, 2015— Mark your calendars for November 7, 2015 and get ready for the ultimate Halloween event of the year! FOX International Channels and Victoria Court are partnering up with Breakout Philippines, the country’s premiere escape room game, to bring you an immersive horror experience like no other!

Ever since 2014, Breakout has been providing a unique experience to thousands of players by trapping them in different themed rooms for 45 minutes. They are given an interactive game where players have to team up to find clues and solve logic puzzles based on various storylines. Participants are encouraged to PLAN as a team, SOLVE puzzles collaboratively in order to ESCAPE before time expires.

This Halloween season, the game is about to change as it is no longer enough to BREAKOUT… you must now also SURVIVE! You and your friends will be trapped in a room and will have 45 minutes to try and survive the horror set before you.

There will be scare actors that will enter and exit the room as they please. Some will be nice and try to help you by giving you clues, while some… are not. Be prepared as they invade your personal space, tell you bone chilling stories, separate you from your friends and sometimes, even leave you alone in the dark. Be ready to be pushed out of your comfort zone.

This is still a BREAKOUT event so there is still puzzle solving involved. You will still choose among the 5 Super-thematic Rooms of Victoria Court Malate, which will determine the style of the overall puzzle you will have to solve:

1.    The Asgard Room

2.    The Casino Royale Room

3.    The Bat Cave Room

4.    The Candy Land Room

5.    The Marakkesh (Sex in the City) Room

If the scares get too extreme for you, there is a safe word… screaming “I want my mommy” will signal our actors to back off and bring you back to your friends. Though be warned, doing so will forfeit the clue you may receive by surviving the scare. Missing out on 1 clue won’t make it impossible to solve the puzzle, but it will make it very difficult. So wear your brown pants and as much as you can, brave up!

To add up to the scare, there will be a free fear flicks marathon happening at the Victoria Court grounds from 6PM until 12PM.

The breakout rooms have limited slots, so be sure to register now through www.breakout.com.ph.

You can also visit Victoria Court’s facebook page (facebook.com/VictoriaCourtPH) or  follow their Twitter & Instagram (@victoriacourtVC)) for more updates about this event.

Prepare yourselves for a scare that you won’t forget. See you there!