#58 Getting a collection of the new peso bills

Bangko Sentral has released the new generation bank notes early this year. I've been trying to lay my hands on them for the past few months and so far I still only got the 20 and 100 bills. They are my wallet's taumbahay and I dare not to use them away. Until today the other bills are still shying away from me.  A friend is proud to have a collection of the six peso bills and really stashed them safely.

#57 Having someone who totally understands you

Need to say more? It can be your partner, your bestfriend, a sibling, someone from the support group who goes thru the same situation as you. You talk and they understand. They listen without judgment or don't have the urge to fix things, just listen. With them you don't have try to pretend to be someone else and present a better version of yourself cause they know. I met two wonderful people today.

#56 Going to bed knowing you don't have to wake up early the next morning

Its a long weekend. Its All Souls day or Undas on Tuesday and Pnoy decided to declare Monday, October 31 as non working holiday as it is ipit. Nice one November 1! After a long abstinence last month of September being no holidays, we are treated to a 4-day vacation.

Whether you are enjoying out of town, in the beach, or going home to your hometown to visit your loved ones or going to the sementeryo to pay respects, Enjoy your vacation and your sleep knowing you don't have to wake up early the next morning! =)

#55 Free Wi-fi connectivity at buses

You realized you're a tech geek when whenever you are, you are checking your gadget or cellphone for a wi-fi hotspot. We have become facebook or twitter addicts, or totally internet addicts. Now many business establishments have offered free wi-fi as one of their gimmicks to attract customers. Look who's joining in the fray. It's the provincial buses.

Well I've blogged about here that I usually travel to the provinces. JAC Liner introduced this and recently ALPS and DLTBCO buses followed suit. I am from the south so I have no idea if there are bus lines in the north that offers this gimmick as well =)

But it is cool to be streaming radio, checking emails, doing facebook and twitter, and checking this blog while inside the bus. Nice to be online while waiting stuck in traffic or waiting for the bus to arrive at the destination and best of all its FREE! Astig! =)

#54 When someone returns you cellphone

I've carelessly left my cellphone a couple of times. In the taxi, in a restaurant, in the office pantry. And the god of the cellphones must be smiling at me as luck of lucks, i currently still have my Iphone with me. Many times it was almost lost. Not only is it expensive (for me it is my riches already =) but my cellphone is a big part of my life. All the contacts that I've built over the years, videos, MP3s, photos and podcasts that I've collected until now. I know I can start from scratch but that would be a big hassle.

 I was rushing to catch a bus to Cavite one time and left it on the backseat  of the cab and this taxi driver hollered and yelled that I left my phone. Good guy. Me and my officemate were buying takeout dinner in a fast food and we were waiting on one of the tables. When the order was called, I forgot I left my phone on the table. As we were stepping out of the resto, this group who sat in our tables we left shouted at me that I left my phone. Another grateful moment.

#53 Long baths

After a long day at work, or outside doing errands, or from whole day of travel, or maybe just to freshen up, nothing beats a good long bath or shower, or even better a long warm bath. As you wash away those dirt and grimes, and those smell away, it feels like you were cleanse inside and out. It feels refreshing like as if you have been given a splashed an aura of positive energy, as if it has taken away the stress of the day. You feel the tapping of water thru your skin and lands on the tiles on the floor together with your libag and just relax and breathe. As it envelopes and massages your body.There really is something about water that relaxes and refreshens.

#52 Working all night on computer with the dog snoozing beside you

Simple pleasures in life. It was nice having a dog snoozing beside you as you stress out and do your work from home. Dogs and pets in general, really have this awesome effect on humans.

#51 Listening to good song covers

I've just recently got introduced to a good gem of an artist. I stumbled it upon listening to Mo Twister's podcast. This artist name is Johnoy Danao. He is like a Gray Granada cum Noel Cabangon gone mainstream. Man is he awesome! Here are some of my favorite covers he had done on the show Good Times acoustic. Watch the videos and judge for yourselves:

Crash into Me (Dave Matthews band)

White Flag (Dido)

Just Say Yes (Snow Patrol)

#50 Getting a 100 at videoke

Did you know that Pinoys are attributed to have invented the videoke? 


Heres the a little background story from Ver Pangonilo:

"The Karaoke Sing Along System was invented by Roberto del Rosario, the president of the Trebel Music Corporation in 1975. Despite some controversies on who first invented the karaoke machine, it was del Rosario who first registered the patent of the Karaoke machine.

The first karaoke machine was plainly audio with the vocals removed thus the term "Minus-One". The singer using a microphone will then be able to sing along with the melody of the song.

The karaoke was then developed to include vdeos which was called as Karaoke TV (KTV) or Videoke which became a fad. Video tapes such as Betamax and VHS tapes were then popularized and became a good alternative to the Sing Along system. Filipinos then preferred the Videoke."

And with Filipino ingenuity, we have invented another wonderful innovation, the Magic Sing :

Which made Manny Pacquiao a singer! Sometimes when we tats, the hanesty's two much....


And now, you cannot find any binyagan, wedding reception, fiestahan, plain inuman, or any Filipno occasion  without videoke. Onli in the Philippines. Even the non-singers belts out if given the mic which is irritating to the ear drums.

There is an awesome feature of the videoke, which is giving a grade or rating to the singer. I am not a singer and hardly sing in the videoke but saw many times that 100 is given to the performer. Awesome moment!

#49 Making wish lists

I was browsing thru another blog who posted her christmas wishlist and it feels awesome reading. Thats why I am making my own wishlist of material things:

IPAD

NIKON D7000

MY own bath tub =)

A nice and very comfy COUCH

DINING SET

Sennheiser in-ear headphone

BOSE headset

40" LED TV

BOSE home theater speaker

Wooh.. I just realized i wanted a lot. Thank you universe!

Write your own wishlist today.. =)

#48 LOL moments with Eat Bulaga and Juan-for-all All-for-Juan

Watching Juan-for-all All-for-Juan portion in Eat Bulaga has always been a treat. Jose, Wally and Paolo, who  goes out in the streets, has always been a rolling on the floor laughing moment. Their natural talent to spontaneously spun jokes, make musical numbers, joke with the contestant, do impersonations, has been truly awesome, hilarious and always cracks me up. What's noteworthy is that they have transformed this simple contest into standup comedy act. And they do it almost on a daily basis yet they don't run out of punchlines. Galing!

#47 Watching something download really fast

A long time ago, to connect to the internet, a modem once was connected to a phone, and this modem connects via dial-up to the internet service provider. The sound below is the classic modem trying to dial-up.

Facebook and twitter were a figment of imagination, Google was not a household name or a verb yet. And it would take ages to download just a picture on the screen.

That was the late 90's. Past forward to two decades, and internet has gone a long way. Websites load in a blink of an eye, music and videos in several minutes, and an entire movie in a few hours.

I got this from a friend who is downloading movies off the torrent

Movies download in an hour or less. Yummy!

#46 Riding the magic train

My friend dubbed MRT as the "magic train". Why? Well she was able to travel straight from North Avenue in Trinoma to Magallanes in 30 minutes, and she narrated to me the story in an excited and proud way like a child bragging to her parents like she got a gold star in school.

Well I could relate, as MRT once was a part of my daily life for several years. And if you really try that route and used a car or a bus and take EDSA, and that would be excrutiating and miserable 4 hours or even more of your life. Try that on a rush hour traffic, and you would be cursing and pulling out your hair. Hehe. I did try lately using the bus one time going to my sister's house in Batasan, in Quezon City and it took me three hours to arrive coming from Guadalupe.

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or the ever famous avenue in the country, EDSA, has been labelled the "big parking lot". It is due to the massive volume of vehicles that ply the metro. Without MRT3, a lot of people would be loosing their minds everyday. Consider all those working people coming from the north, working in Makati. For two years, MRT has been my resort daily in commuting from QC to my office then, in Pasong Tamo in Makati.

So if you are going late, try the MRT, as it have direct access to Trinoma, Araneta in Cubao, Shangrila in Ortigas, Megamall and Robinsons Galleria, etc. but then of course be prepare for elbowing, pushing, jostling for position during rush hour.

#45 Getting 8 hours or more of restful sleep

In this day and age, getting atleast eight or more hours of sleep seems to be a luxury than a necessity. You have to wake in the morning early to prepare for work, to commute to work, anticipate the traffic, or have to jog or exercise, or you have to take care of the kids and prepare baon. From spending the night glued to the boob tube trying to finish a movie, or trying to relax those nerves from a whole day of stressful work and unwind. Added to the fact that a lot of people still are also suffering from insomnia, getting a full eight hours sleep is so hard to find for certain folks nowadays.

Most of the health media and publications have always stressed that sleep is a vital part of staying healthy. After a good nights sleep you feel better, thoughts are clearer, and emotions are less fragile. A research even shows that less sleep can cause depression.

Here are 11 benefits of sleep:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/02/sleep-health-benefits-_n_817803.html#s234464&title=Improve_Memory

Get your snooze and shuteye today! I am grateful i have been sleeping more and having restful sleep the past few weeks. =)

#44 Free movies from international film fests

For all Manila residents, there is one thing you should take advantage. Moviegoers and movie buffs of all ages, there is currently an ongoing Taiwan Film festival at Shangrila Mall Cineplex:

Here is a link from clickthecity providing info on the event: http://www.clickthecity.com/movies/?p=12898

Shu Qi from the movie "So Close", which was popular to Pinoy  fans several years back.

It is great watching international movies, as it expands any moviegoers perspective and worldview. And best of all admission is FREE!  And this coming November, put this in your calendar: http://www.clickthecity.com/events/details.php?id=12931

Italian Film Fest !!

Grateful!

#42 A good and no holding back sneeze

It feels good to sneeze. Even better if its with sound. Sometimes I sneeze even with water (shower) and goo pa hehe. I know its gross right? Yeah its not GMRC (good manners and right conduct hehe) and unhygienic to do that in public, so better to to it in private. =)

Here is a slow motion of someone sneezing:

But doesn't it feel great to sneeze loud and without holding back? =) Also sneezing can sometimes be funny. Here are some hilarious sneeze caught in camera. Enjoy

Like this baby panda, enjoy your sneeze... But cover your mouth when you're in public =)

#41 That Puss-in-boots and cat love

Who will not fall in love with Puss-in-boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) in the movie Shrek ? I love that movie especially when Puss shows that kawawa look? LOL moment.

Why did i brought that up. Well i took in a little fellow. Out of nowhere, this little kuting shows up and starts circling my feet as I was waiting for a tricycle. Looking around, I saw no sisters or brothers or even a momma for this little one, so i picked it up and decided to take it home. She was full of dirt and malnourished. I get her a bath, and she looks gorgeous. =)

I love cats, when I was a toddler I remember we have three cats in the house (all pusakals, or pusang kalye). Inay and tatay would allow us to have them in the house, which was great. And i still remember their names, Whitey, Janice (from janice de belen which was so popular  that time), Ka Tere (our cat who was always pregnant and we took the name from a neighbor who was always pregnant) =)

#40 Beating the traffic light

I am not referring to beating the red light. That is dangerous and you might get caught. I am talking about beating those traffic light timer.

Most of the new traffic light sprouting in the metro, has this countdown timer like the one below, that counts how long you stop (if it is red), and how long traffic can go (if it is green).

There is one traffic light timer like this in a main intersection going to the office that i pass by. Traffic stops to a halt in this intersection. There were several instances where, as the taxi  I was riding was passing the intersection, (it was green) but noticed that it is counting down and winding down... 10, 9 , 8 with a few cars in front still. 7, 6, 5.... am nearing the intersection. Will i make it or will i not? I don't want to wait another 60 seconds.. hehe. And just I was reaching the intersection, 2, 1, 0 yes. Sakto!

Galing!

#39 Trying out something on your own and making it to work

How many times have you done a project, activity on your own? There's nobody around who you can go to for advice or spoon feed you hehe. Following a procedure which you have no idea about. And if it worked, great feeling right?

Well, I wanted to make the facebook commenting to be integrated in this blog. So I check out Mr. Google how to do it. And i found procedure here.

I admit I am a techie, but all those HTML codes looks very intimidating. And so, like groping in the dark I followed the procedure. Sure it was straightforward, but one mistake could make the entire blog template to bog down. =)

Anyway, I did it! Galing. I made it to work on my own.

#38 Trying out planking

According to Wikipedia, "Planking" (or the "Lying Down Game") is an activity consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. The hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the internet is an integral part of the game. The term planking refers to mimicking a wooden plank. Rigidity of the body must be maintained to constitute good planking. Since early 2011, many participants in planking have photographed the activity on unusual locations such as atop poles, roofs and vehicles.

I know you must have your own opinion on planking. You may think its cool or you may think its nonsense (gawain ng mga taong mga walang magawa). Even the great Lourd de Veyra has his "word" on it:

Whatever your take on it maybe, I guess it boils down to having fun. Ease up and enjoy life. Try it one time for fun. Walang basagan ng trip. My attempt to plank below.. =)

(Photos were taken from Planking Phils Facebook page)

#37 Buffet food and eat-all-you-can

It is awesome when you are greeted for the day with an eat-all-you-can buffet breakfast. Fruits, yoghurt, cereals, breads, omelettes, ham, bacon,  pinoy breakfast like longganisa, spanish sardines

Station where you can get all the cereals, oatmeal you want

Station for breads, pandesal, crackers, cheese, juices

They have mangoes, watermelon, banana, and yoghurt

I eat fruits first, then yoghurt, then I try the pandesal and have it toasted and stuffed it with bacon and jam. And for the final serving, I eat sinangag with longganisa and bacon. I was so full! Feels good when theres a lot of variety and choices. Abundance is awesome. Grateful.

#36 Kayak fun and more snorkeling

DAY 3: Swimming at the pool then tried kayak.

Still more swimming

Tried kayaking, this is not our photo =)

And reached this island in 20 minutes

They name it Lang aw island (translates to "islang walang puno" in local language), but now there were two trees that have grown in that tiny island.

#35 Snorkeling and swimming with the fishes

DAY 2: From Coron town, we were picked up by Club Paradise shuttle to mini boat pier.

Route passing through river mangrove

Dimakya island from a distance

Finally reaching Dimakya island

Resting from hours of snorkeling, sayang we don't have underwater cam