My Harvest!

That feeling when you wake up one morning and see another beautiful flower in full bloom in your own humble little terrace, almost a thousand feet above the ground.. Priceless!!!

Reminiscin..

Urghhh!  Work-related stress is too much these days.  That's what I said to somebody just few days ago.  Wish I were back in time when what I was all worried about was not to fall from riding the snow sled.  It was such a great feeling then when, thereafter, I stood up beaming with a triumphant smile on my face and vowed to ride again.  Hayyy..... :(

I wanna go to Easy Street!!!

It's been a long while since I watched a musical.  The last one that I distinctly remember was, "The Sound of Music", which was shown in my alma mater in Cebu.  It was an enjoyable, eye-opener experience and I even had a crush on the Captain then, played by a young priest, who is now married :(

Last November 18, 2016, my colleagues and I went to Newport Performing Arts Theater at the center of Resorts World Manila to watch the musical, "Annie".  I admit I was not able to watch the original (1982) version of the movie from start to end so I was not really much familiar with the story.  I even learned only recently that there were two other movie revivals (1999 and 2014)..

Nonetheless, I was so impressed with the dance performance of the actors when they sang the song, "Easy Street".  It was so cool!  Thereafter I searched for that video in YouTube and voila!  I like the performance in 1999 version better.  I played it countless times even up to this day.  I guess that is my favorite video for now.  :)

While waiting for the show to start..
Credits to the owner of the photo (jojo) and the YouTube video above

Smart No More...

That's it!  I'm done with it!  It's over!  Twice is too much!

Two years ago, I tried to access the net through my Smart mobile data, armed with a P300+ load.  Few minutes after I finished surfing and turned off the mobile data button, I checked my balance, was stripped off less than a 50 bucks, and was okay with it.  Later, I was surprised when I failed to register for a P150 international call promo.  When I checked my balance, lo and behold!  I didn't have sufficient load for that promo!  Thus, I called up Smart and was advised to turn off my phone and take out the sim card.  Thereafter, I checked my balance from a non-internet capable phone and.. surprise to my surprise!  My load balance had been continuously declining!

I called up Smart again and I was told that, according to their system, I was using my mobile data!  But they could not explain how on earth was I able to fully consume my load even when the sim card was already taken out from the mobile phone!

And now, it's happening again!  This time, I lost P1000+!  Smart customer representative said that, according to their system, I used my mobile data few minutes before 6 o'clock in the morning of a Monday.  How could that be?  I usually get up early every Monday morning to hastily prepare for work!  Also, I have a sky broadband at home! Why the hell would I shift to mobile data when I didn't have problems with my wifi connection, particularly for that questioned period?!

Smart, you are so smart...

Free Uber Ride

My first uber car ride was free.  It was about a year ago.  I should say I was impressed!  To find out why, click this link:  https://www.uber.com/invite/2kgzf3urue or use the promo code: 2kgzf3urue when booking a ride.

Happy riding! :)

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!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

From where I'm standing right now, I could see the cars plying along Elliptical Road, Quezon City.  And I'm no longer surprised to find out that, for a few minutes, they were not moving at all. Right now, they have been moving at a baby snail's pace. ;)

And my officemates, who went downstairs, informed me that they just saw several people were already hiking. Probably they were stranded?

Indeed, christmas is in the air! :)

OMG! I'm in!

I just found out that my application to attend the #Blogapalooza 2015 has been approved! I could not contain my happiness at this moment as I thought it was too late for me to be in as I applied just this afternoon (Saturday) and well, the event is hours away from now!

After sending my application, I was checking on the blogapalooza website almost every hour in the midst of working on my office report. You could just imagine the agony I went through while waiting!  My worry then was that, although they announced that October 24, 2015 was the last day of accepting applications, they might just decide to disapprove mine for reasons such as, the number of attendees they have already is enough, etc..  I'm so lucky!

This will be my second time to attend the said event. The first was in 2013 and it was held in SM Aura then. This time it will be in One Esplanade, which, fortunately is just about 10 minutes away from where I live.

Mesmerizing is what I describe my experience was when I attended the event for the first time. They say #Blogapalooza2015 is bigger and better. I am certain of that knowing that it has been two years since that impressive event.

I guess I really have to prepare for my great expectations later. First thing would have to be getting a good night's sleep.

Zzzz!  Sleep tight! :)

My Love for Travelling.. and the blunders of it..

Somewhere in Switzerland..

So much to do right now.. Sad to say, I'm in no mood.. :(

I need to unleash something within me that I've been pondering on since this morning.  That is, my mind is now nagged with the thought of my love for travel.. and well, the spontaneity and adventures that comes with it.  Even just quick hopping from one place to another, just enjoying the view, the sceneries, and the serenity, I would be happy and be contented with that.  Even if I'm alone..

Avenue of the Stars, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Yes, travelling alone is better than being with someone whom you do not share passion for mobility with while expecting and accepting that bloopers might be bumped somewhere along the road.  Things might not turn out the way we expected it to be but it should not have hindered us from savoring every moment of the journey, no matter how perfectly imperfect it may be..

Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon, Vietnam

That's why I just love to travel alone.  If anything goes wrong, I have no one to blame but myself.  And because I so love myself, I don't physically and mentally torture myself, make a big deal out of petty issues concerning it, waste time fussing about it, and eventually ruin everything just because I made a mistake.  Instead, I just laugh it off and continue making sweet memories out of it.

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy

Just sayin'.. :(

P.S.  To set things straight, the person I was with during my trips abroad, such as that in the photographs above, is a great travel buddy.  I am looking forward to our next travel together sometime soon! ;)

I Kept the Change - My First GrabTaxi Experience

No, it's not a typographical error.  It is indeed I, not the driver, who kept the change.  But before you let your creative mind do its job, let me explain first.  You see, I had been longing to go to Noel Bazaar located at the World Trade Center, which is just a few kilometers away from where I live.  I already knew that today is the last day of the event and if I miss this chance, I will have to wait for another year.  Hence, I googled and checked its FB page, and voila!  This ad caught my attention:

Photo Credit

I have never used the GrabTaxi before although I had the app downloaded to my phone about a year ago when I joined the 2013 Blogapalooza last year.  So, as a first time user, I dialed their customer service contact no. at 845-0943 and inquired on how to avail of the promo.  I was instructed that, upon arrival at the venue, the driver should drop me off in front of the GrabTaxi booth.  Accordingly, the GrabTaxi in-charge will be the one who will facilitate with the payment and I could just walk away without paying anything since my estimated taxi fare would be less than the P100 refund.

Hence, when we arrived, we immediately looked for the booth, which were nowhere to be found.  We were already about 15 meters passed the entrance door when we chanced upon the security guard who told us that the booth is, unfortunately, inside the building.  I had no choice but to walk back to the entrance door while the poor driver was being hushed to park at the far end of the area.  When I approached the booth, the in-charge then requested me to show her the online booking.  I was a bit impatient at first as I was concerned of the running taxi meter but I immediately relaxed when I realized that my taxi fare is just a few pesos more than half of the P100 refund.  To my surprise, the in-charge handed me the P100 bill without even asking how much my taxi fare was!  I was so happy that I did not bother "dancing" my way back to the taxi for another 15 meters, gave the driver the exact amount of fare PLUS a tip, and of course, I kept my change. :)

What more, I got a free GrabTaxi t-shirt for downloading the app:

front print

And did I not mention that I availed of the free entrance to the Bazaar because of GrabTaxi?

And as if that was not enough, I was not charged of the P70 booking fee.  I was just instructed to type the word, "hohoho" in the promo code space of the app and got a confirmation of the zero booking fee.

back print

Also, true to the front text print of the Grab Taxi t-shirt, I should say that the taxi was fast enough that it was already parked beside the gate when I hurriedly went out of the building.  I was wrong when I thought that getting a taxi through a taxi app would take much time, which was the reason why I was not able to avail of GrabTaxi last year.

I missed that chanced.  Nonetheless, I am just one happy GrabTaxi rider, for now.

My View of The Legal Wife

Photo Credit

As if anybody cares! ;)

Seriously speaking, I just can't help but speak my mind while watching the 2nd to the last episode of "The Legal Wife" and.. consolidating an audit report. :(

I watched the much-talked-about tv series during its first few episodes but I stopped when Adrian was about to betray his wife.  Don't ask me why. ;)

I only resumed subscribing the show after learning that Monica had already discovered the affair and they were in the process of sorting things out.  But I stopped watching again when the querida was found out to be pregnant.  Unlike Nicole, the mistress I know back then is a married woman and decided to betray again her husband (who, by the way, is from PAF) by having her unborn child bear his surname.  What a pitiful sight..

If I were Monica, I would accept Adrian once again.  That is what an ending should turn out to be.  Ideally, happy..  But sadly, happy endings usually happen only in the movies and in tv series.  In real life, it is not that as easy as it seems to be.  As Kris Aquino pointed out, sometimes you just have to let go and sweep it away rather than pick up the broken pieces lest you get hurt in the process (especially when it keeps on breaking).

Moreover, saving the marriage for the sake of the child, according to Diane Paez, is a recipe for disaster.  I couldn't agree more.  I myself witnessed how a friend had been suffering from her philandering husband just to keep their marriage intact as she was so concerned of their children.

Trust, once broken, can never be the same again.. unless, a miracle intervenes.  By then, perhaps, a brand new life begins..

The Power of Now..

printscreen source: Ms. Reyes' Instagram post

I know this is not the right time for me to update this blog.  Albeit the exit conference had just been concluded, humongous tasks are yet to be done, e.g., finish the annual audit report and organize working papers (agencies of both my regular and special assignments), among others.

It is just that, I could not resist featuring immediately in my blog of what I have been pondering on since I read it from the post of Christine Reyes in her Instagram account just yesterday.  What I was referring about was what I think to be an excerpt of The Power of Now book, quoted below:

"So many of us have acquired and taught of the notion that happiness is a destination that we must work and pay with our bodies hours of work to live and acquire unnecessary material desires that we must work hard for the future with our reward always just around the corner or just up the next step.  Everything was for tomorrow but never came.  Then we realize we never really lived at all.  We are all trained to be racing all the time.  Everything was for the future.  Why wait?  When we can be truly be at peace right now?  Why wait to be forgiven?  When we can forgive now?  Why wait then to be happy?  To be with each other?  And to be alive?  Right now is the best time to love, to forgive, to be with loved ones. To be alive.  Nobody in human history has ever in a death bed and requested to see their diplomas, cars, money or accomplishments one last time!  We always ask to see people for our last request.  Embrace.. Kiss them now.  Your true power is NOW."

Agree? ;)

My Samsung Galaxy Note 3!

Oopps! I did it again..

It's been almost three months had passed and I still could not believe that I, again, allowed myself to indulge in what I call as, "a taste of a lavish lifestyle".  And every time I take a look at my credit card bill, my heart still palpitates.. :(

Well, I just consoled my frugal me that I guess I deserve a treat once in a while.  And the best of it all is that I do not have any regrets with my decision.  In fact, I am enjoying my new phone! ;)

The sad part, however, was, I was not able to avail of the promo for the discounted S View Flip Cover.  Samsung's store outlet in SM Megamall did not have any stocks when I purchased my phone then.  I finally bought my S View Flip Cover at SM North just last month, only after I squeezed myself through Christmas traffic in going to SM MOA and found out that they were out of stocks. :(

But that's okay.  I just wish I had more extra time to explore my Samsung Galaxy Note 3..