Woah, it's almost March and I am not done with my stories from my Hong Kong-Macau trip. Anyway, I would try to conclude the series tomorrow with my last day (Day 6) at Macau.
Day 5 of our trip, we went to spend the day at Ocean Park. When we entered Ocean Park, my tummy was suddenly on the rampage. Thank God there was a toilet nearby. Har har. Our first stop at Ocean Park was the Flamingo Pond followed by the Aviary. We spent a lot of time at the Aviary since it's a big area and there are a lot of birds to see. Anyway, after the Aviary we went one floor up. We skipped the Space Wheel ride and headed to Pier Lane where we rode the Ocean Park Tower. There are just some tourists that annoyed me. They are so unruly. Grrr. After that, we also went to Pacific Pier where we went to see the seals and sea lion up close. That was fun!
Our next stop was the Ocean Theatre where we watched the Dolphin and Sea Lion show. It was a great show but the sun was on its greatest power. After having our lunch at Golden Fried Chicken, we visited Atoll Reef where the underground aquarium was. Again, there are a lot of annoying tourists. Our next stop was the Fling Swing which was fun.
Since we were running late, we headed to the Ocean Express Summit Station to go to the other side of Ocean Park. Too bad the cable car was closed. We then went to the Panda Village, where we got to see three cute pandas. Too bad the other Pandas are very shy. Our last stop was the Bungee Trampoline. It was cool that they allowed us to try even Ocean Park is almost closed. I hope they would extend the closing to until 10 P.M. The park is too big to be closed at 7 P.M.
Apparently, this article was not written by Winnie Monsod. I am not supporting or endorsing any candidates.
This is the whole context of the hoax article:
Villar still refuses to attend the Senate to face questions, and it only reminds me of how GMA used the privilege of her office to avoid questioning. What will happen if Villar wins and more corruption scandals surface?
With Villar catching up to Noynoy in the polls, I am honestly quite terrified of the prospect of him winning. There is a clear case of graft in this instance, and instead of delving into the issues, his allies in the legislative are simply brushing off the allegations as "politically motivated". As a citizen, we should not accept this. If there is smoke, we must see if there is a fire that needs to be put out. Yes, the timing of the allegations seem a bit off. ( Joker Arroyo was pushing these issues as early as 1998). A known crook and political opportunist, Juan Ponce Enrile, is the person leading the censure. However, when the facts are presented, it is clear as day that something is amiss. It just further builds on my strong suspicions that Villar is a businessman simply looking to control the political arena to make a boat load of money.
I have never trusted Villar since day one. I never trust businessmen who enter politics, because in the end, their core value is and always will be profit maximization. It is well documented that Villar's real estate empire ran into some serious financial problems when his overexposure to the real estate market and the Asian Financial Crisis made him unable to pay debts he took out to expand his real estate business in the early 1990s. After the Asian Crisis hit, Capitol Bank, owned by Villar and heavily exposed to his real estate investments was essentially ran to the ground and needed to be bailed out. In 2005, Villar tried to solve his debt problems by hiring a group of investment banks to advise him on how he can consolidate all his assets into one company (Vista Land). With the local and foreign investment bankers, Villar came up with a growth story for investors: "Invest in my company because we need it to fund all these wonderful project!" However, what was downplayed during the IPO roadshow was that instead of financing growth, resources from the offering would be used to finance his debt. To appease creditors, Villar even had his investment bankers pitch some form of a debt-to-equity conversion that raised skeptical eyebrows of many. In 2007, the IPO of Vista Land did not do as well as planned, in part because many investors and brokers were the same people who were burned by Villar's inability to pay back his loans.
Now, as part of a corporate growth (or should I say corporate restructuring) plan, Villar is lusting for the highest position in the land. This scares me because Villar already has a track record of using his political position to gain the upper hand for his businesses. To save his empire and increase shareholder value of his business, Villar used his influence as Senate Finance Chair to shrewdly derail a Cavite road project that was supposed to be BUILD, OPERATE, and TRANSFER. Villar built a longer and more expensive road, the C-5 extension, adjacent to it; subsequently forcing the private investor in the initial project to pull out. The fishy thing is that this new road, longer and more expensive than the previously planned project, passed through all of Villar's land in Cavite. It is a clear case of graft, pointing to Villar use of influence and government funds to substantially improve the values of his real estate properties. To add insult to injury the right of way the government would have to pay in order to complete the project was substantially higher for the land that Villar owned. These funds could have easily been used to build needed schools.
This scandal should be a red flag for all voters. However, the scary part is that Villar is spending billions to keep this out of the picture as he continues his attempt to brainwash our masses that he is their saviour. He convinces the masses that he is one of them. A poor boy from the slums of Tondo. In actuality, he is more like the 5-6 and syndicates, slum dwellers themselves who make a profit out of their poor brethren. Villar's ad agencies are doing an excellent job of maintaining this image as well as doing damage control. TV and radio continues to churn out Parokya Ni Edgaresque jingles that compete with "Nobody, Nobody." Dolphy is Villar's new spokesperson and Wowowee is one giant ad for him. In this process of brainwashing, the masses are not cognizant of how Villar conducts business as a politician. What they do not see is a man hell bent on turning our archipelago into his own personal piece of real estate.
It is sad that the efforts of Juan Ponce Enrile, who is leading the censure for Villar, is actually giving Villar more sympathy votes. People do no trust Enrile, and when Enrile pounces on someone, it is usually met with a high degree of skepticism. I do not blame people for feeling this way. I also think Enrile is a crook who should be jailed for conspiring to implement Martial Law, for coup attempts, and for the human rights abuses during the Marcos regime. If someone with a more respectable reputation were to level these charges on Villar, I am sure the surveys would tell a different story.
I also fear from some credible reports that Malacanang has actually made a deal with Villar (under the table). Essentially, GMA's goons said, "We will help you, in return, leave us alone when you win". Villar's behaviour in recent forums further adds credence to these reports as Villar has been very tame and quiet when it comes to how he will treat GMA after the elections. Appealing to common sense, it makes ALL THE SENSE for GMA to support someone who has a chance of winning, not a person rating at 4% in the surveys. GMA tried to reach out to Noynoy after Tita Cory died. All she got was rejection.
Who can stop Villar in his quest for the presidency?
I am known to be a Noynoy supporter, but to those skeptics and to those who are still undecided, I do concede that he is not perfect. His record as a politician is average and unspectacular at best. He does not have the charisma of his father. Before the death of his mother, he did not get much mileage. But I am going all out in support for Noynoy in 2010 because he stands for clean governance and appear willing to accomplish this. In addition, he has the best chance of preventing a opportunistic businessman, the assured next President of our country before Cory died, from using the Office of the President as a personal growth asset to his business empire.
Noynoy's clean record is a big plus for me. It is a trait that I think should be the most important quality that we should look for in our next president. His appeal is that his track record is not tarnished by corruption scandals and his political debts are minimal. I know that many critics are trying to make an issue over his involvement in Hacienda Luisita, but Noynoy is not even heavily involved in the company. As a shareholder, Noynoy only owns .04% of Hacienda Luisita, a drop in the ocean and hardly in any position to do something about it. The case of the Hacienda does not have the substance that the C-5 extension controversy has a lot of.
In addition, Nonoy also has an incredible legacy to live up to. All the pressure is on him to be clean and stay clean. He can't afford to tarnish the Aquino name and the immense legacy that his parents left behind. Cory and Ninoy practically sacrificed their family for their dream of a better Philippines. For Noynoy, to know that your father and mother went through so much hardship to improve our country is a heavy burden to think about if you do decide to become a crook and destroy everything that they fought for.
We all have to make a choice. In my opinion, it has to go to the presidentiable who has an independent mind, stands up for what he believes in, is clean, and has the legacy his parents to live up to and maintain. For me, Nonoy, with all his flaws, is that candidate. For what this
country needs is a clean president who can set an example top-down for the entire state; it needs a president with the will to change things and stamp out corruption; it needs a President who can set an example and is willing to perfect our dysfunctional democracy.
I want someone who stands for being clean. He does not need a degree from Harvard. He does not need to have a multi-million peso business to show me he can make us all rich. He does not have to speak well. He just has to be clean. Nothing else should matter. He has to prioritize a platform of clean and effective governance and make sure that it delivers on that promise. Policies on the economy, education, energy, environment and health can all follow after the fundamentals are taken cared of. So far, the only candidate who promotes my vision with a clean record to back it up is Noynoy.
Our urban landscape is replete with political slogans that attempt to convince people of certain candidate's ability to lead our nation
Galing at Talino? Sorry Gibo, those were the supposed qualities of GMA, rubber stamped with a Phd in Economics. And what happened? She only worsened our economy. To GMA's credit she did balance our budget at one point, but it has again ballooned to the level where the next president will have to deal with the same economic issues she faced in 2005. During GMA's watch investment in infrastructure was insufficient, poverty incidence worsened, public education deteriorated, our nautical highway is still incomplete, goons like the Ampatuan's flourished in the south, and a culture of corruption flourished in our institutions. Instead of creating jobs, GMA focused on a policy of exporting labor without measuring the social costs of such a policy- thousands of broken OFW families and children of OFW's who do not have the proper parental supervision to teach them the differences between right and wrong. In effect, our next generation is left on their own to figure out how to become empowered patriots who love their country and will fight to defend it. In effect, whatever statistics in GDP growth GMA and her allies love to advertise, non of it trickled down and benefitted the poor..and none of it accounts for the social costs to her policies.
Good speaker? Sorry Gibo, Marcos had that quality and he did nothing good for our contry. In fact, Marcos squandered the opportunity to be our Lee Kuan Yew and Dr. Mahatir. If I want a good, charismatic, and eloquent speaker, let's just run down the list of effective public speakers and vote them in.
Para sa mahirap? Sorry Erap, you had your chance and failed miserably. Your only accomplishment is in convincing our masses that movie roles do not carry over into the political area.
My only concern with Noynoy is how deep he might be in the Liberal Party and whether he has accumulate political debts to Liberal trapos. The Liberal PArty, like any party, has its own share of crooks (including those bandwagon trapos who jumped off GMA"s boat to ride on Aquino's popularity). How much will Nonoy have to give back to the Liberal trapos (and bandwagon Liberals who jumped GMA's ship) if elected? We will never know. However, I am willing to live with that unanswered question if it means preventing someone like Villar from turning the Philippines into Vista Land's next subdivision development. I am also reassured by the fact that he has that "Aquino" name and the ghosts of his parents to answer to if does decide to go down the immoral path.
Nonoy will not solve all our problems. One person can't. But we need a start somewhere and it should be with someone who pushes honesty, reform, and good governance. It will be a tough battle, but I want to give Noynoy the chance to build on what his mother tried to accomplish. And I hope that if Noynoy wins, he will have the courage to make tough decisions and go after crooks, even if it means hurting a lot of friends and colleagues in government.
To give you a better sense on how Villar conducts business, here is also a link to Joker Arroyo's 1998 privilege speech:
http://www.malayanghalalan.com/2010/01/26/joker-arroyo-raises-issue-of-accountability-of-public-officers-against-manny-villar/
Actual notes scanned: http://www.scribd.com/doc/22789941/Joker-Arroyo-Privilege-Speech
I guess "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck.." Well, as the saying goes......
Vote wisely Philippines. And continue to work towards uplifting the masses and freeing them from their state of hopelessness. Defend them from opportunists. DEVELOP THEM (FIRST) SPIRITUALLY AND BEHAVIORALLY; THEN ECONOMICALLY! When we lift up the poor and ween them off the mentality of hopelessness, our country will become first world. Only then will we have the powerful middle class that our young democracy is screaming for.
Winnie Monsod
If you want to see the black and white facts on the C5 controversy, check it here:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/02/01/10/monsod-c-5-road-extension-unnecessary-wasteful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUQDt-sXdlkContinue reading this article...
Last Wednesday, iTunes reached the 10 billionth mark of download songs. According to reports, the person who downloaded the 10 billionth song will receive $10,000 iTunes voucher. Cool right?
Congratulations to Apple and to the artists that made it to the list.
Antway, here is the Top 25 list of iTunes' most downloaded songs:
1. Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling"
2. Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
3. Black Eyed Peas, "Boom Boom Pow"
4. Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours"
5. Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
6. Lady Gaga, "Just Dance"
7. Flo Rida, "Low"
8. Taylor Swift, "Love Story"
9. Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"
10. Ke$ha, "Tick Tock"
11. Rihanna, "Disturbia"
12. P!nk, "So What"
13. Katy Perry "I Kissed a Girl"
14. Beyonce, "Single Ladies"
15. Katy Perry, "Hot N Cold" 16. Kanye West, "Stronger"
17. T.I. feat. Rihanna, "Live Your Life"
18. Plain White T's, "Hey There Delilah"
19. Flo Rida, "Right Round"
20. Miley Cyrus, "Party in the U.S.A."
21. Journey, "Don't Stop Believin'"
22. Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
23. Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody"
24. Owl City, "Fireflies"
25. The Fray, "How to Save a Life"Continue reading this article...
I don't think that I have mentioned that I have been drinking protein shake after my gym workout. My friend introduced me to the Myoplex protein shake brand. I eventually bought seven sachets from him. Before, I only take half of the sachet but now I am taking the whole pack.
Anyway, last Tuesday I have tried drinking Myoplex while working out. I was surprised that it gave me more energy and strength while working out compared on feeling bloated if I drink the whole thing after my work out.
Since that was my last protein shake, I went yesterday to GNC to buy a protein shake. I think it took me a lot of time choosing the right brand. I have checked Myoplex and it was quite expensive. I have computed Myoplex per piece and it only costs 4 SGD compared to the 7 SGD sold by my friend. I don't know now if my friend tricked me to buy from him. Anyway, I have decided to buy the Gold Standard 100% Whey for only 89 SGD for 31 scoops. They have a promo for that brand which is buy one free one. So the two tubs that I have bought can last for 31 gym sessions since I need two scoops.
Wish me luck on my dream to have a model-like body. Haha!Continue reading this article...
Billboard recently released the 50 sexiest songs of all time. It is the 1981's classic song "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. Olivia Newton-John made it sound like a work-out song but in reality its a song about you know what.
Anyway, here is the video of Physical and the top 10 songs that made it to the list.
1. "Physical" - Olivia Newton-John
2. "Tonight's The Night" - Rod Stewart
3. "I'll Make Love To You" - Boyz II Men
4. "Too Close" - Next
5. "Let's Get It On" - Marvin Gaye
6. "Hot Stuff" - Donna Summer
7. "Do That To Me One More Time" - Captain and Tennille
8. "Like A Virgin" - Madonna
9. "Kiss You All Over" - Exile
10. "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" - Rod Stewart Continue reading this article...
1. Shutter Island
2. Valentine's Day
3. Avatar
4. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
5. The Wolfman
6. Dear John
7. The Tooth Fairy
8. Crazy Heart
9. From Paris with Love
10. Edge of Darkness
11. The Book of Eli
12. When In Rome
13. The Blind Side
14. Up in the Air
15. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Continue reading this article...
Last Monday, my friend and I went hiking at Mount Faber near Vivo City. We were supposed to be a group of four but suddenly my two friends backed out. I woke up early that morning since our call time was 9:30 A.M. and my place is one-hour away to Vivo City. I had my breakfast at home where I had scrambled eggs and rice.
At Harbourfront MRT, my tummy suddenly went crazy. My friend is just a minute or two away from Harbourfront so I rushed to the toilet. When I got out of the toilet, I saw her at the bench near the toilet. Anyway, we headed for the bus stop and was in the trail of Mount Faber Park in five minutes time.
On the way up to the trail, I saw this hanging bridge that made me really excited. The bridge is high, approximately 63.46m above sea level and it is just made of wood. Cool, right?
Anyway, the trail that we took was the shortcut and it's just a bummer that our trail was going down the hill. We finished the hike by just 20-30 minutes. At the end of the trail was the Hort Park where I had tons of pictures.
Our last stop was Ikea where we had our lunch. It was my first time to eat at Ikea and the food is not bad at all. By the way, I had the Kids Meal, Chicken wings and a Caesar salad. It just surprised me that you need to clean your table after eating in Ikea.
Here are my Mount Faber Singapore Hiking photos. Continue reading this article...
I saw this video clip on my Facebook wall and Ara Mina was a real disappointment. It is a fact that she is a no brainer (sorry to her fans). If you are running for a public office and getting an interview, try at least to know the current events. It just makes you plain stupid. Better watch this clip to know what I am talking about.
The first day of Lent started yesterday with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. During the mass of Ash Wednesday, ashes are placed in the foreheads to symbolize repentance.
Since I have moved here in Singapore, I have been going to the Catholic service. I am by the way a Born Again Christian since 4th Grade. Yesterday, marked my first Ash Wednesday, literally. I don't know what to do so I asked some of my friends. According to them, during the mass the priest will place an ash on the forehead in a cross sign. Then my friend also told me that I should do a confession. That I have no idea.
Anyway, I left work at exactly 6 P.M. and was in St. Mary of the Angels five minutes before the 6:30 P.M. mass. I was happy by the way that I was back in St. Mary again after many months. There were two priests for the mass and the church was fully packed.
At the time of the placing of ashes, I just followed the flow. I did not know by the way if I need to say Amen after the ashes or just leave. I did not hear anything from the people in my front. I was surprised that the ashes was cold. I did not expect that.
After the mass, I went to the West Mall to have my dinner. I immediately went to the wash room to clean my forehead since people are staring. I just don't get it. Indians have red dots and we can't have ashes on our foreheads.
1. Valentine's Day
2. The Wolfman
3. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
4. Avatar
5. Dear John
6. The Tooth Fairy
7. From Paris with Love
8. Edge of Darkness
9. Crazy Heart
10. When In Rome
11. The Book of Eli
12. The Blind Side
13. My Name is Khan
14. Legion
15. Up in the Air Continue reading this article...
This coming Sunday, the Chinese people will celebrate the Lunar New Year. It is a big event here in Singapore and it is a public holiday until tuesday. Great right?
The only downside is that all shops will be closed. I think they have superstitions regarding businesses operating on new year.
Since it is going to be boring, I have asked my friends on what to do. We have then agreed to do hiking at Alexandra or Bradell. They have tried it before and this would be my first time. I still can recall my first mountain hiking experience in Famy, Laguna. And of course my last hike at Quezon with my office friends in the Philippines. That was awesome!
Anyway, my friends told me that there is also a hanging bridge. I will just post pictures and my rants and raves from that hiking. And oh, we will have our snack or lunch at Ikea. Wohoo!
So, what is your Chinese New Year plan? Continue reading this article...
1. Dear John
2. Avatar
3. From Paris with Love
4. Edge of Darkness
5. The Tooth Fairy
6. When In Rome
7. The Book of Eli
8. Crazy Heart
9. Legion
10. Sherlock Holmes Continue reading this article...
I think I have mentioned it before that I now have stretch marks on some parts of my body. Building muscle mass from going the gym is really a good thing for me but my skin's elasticity isn't taking it well. I actually noticed it late and the cocoa butter that I used did not work for the old stretch marks. I bought by the way the Palmers brand, which targets the pregnant women.
Anyway, when I was in Hong Kong I bought two tubs of cocoa butter from Body Shop since it is quite cheap compared to Singapore. One biggest surprise was when I discovered a new stretch marks on my chest. I applied The Body Shop's cocoa butter and just a day after it was gone. Amazing!
I think cocoa butter only works on fresh stretch marks. If the stretch marks are too old, the cocoa butter can't do anything to remove the scarring. So if you are gaining weight or going to the gym, make sure to apply cocoa butter every morning and evening. It can be a great help with your skin elasticity. Unless you are in your teens then your elasticity is still fine.
And oh, have I mentioned that it smells really yummy?Continue reading this article...
As I have mentioned yesterday, my friends and I watched Everbody's Fine last Saturday. This movie features Robert DeNiro, Drew Barrymore and Kate Beckinsale. This movie surprised me a lot because it was our second choice and the movie poster wasn't that great. This movie by the way is a remake of the Giuseppe Tornatore film "Stanno Tutti Bene."
Anyway, the movie revolves around Robert DeNiro and his quest to build lost connections to his grown up kids. His wife died months ago and to his knowledge all of his kids were doing great. Apparently, "everybody is not fine."
He invited all of his four children for a dinner but all of them cancelled. He then went to travel by train to visit all of his children. One of the kids is not at home while the remaining three kids pretended to be busy or preoccupied. Apparently, they are hiding something from their father. On his way back home, he suffered a heart attack. Maybe because of the fear of riding the plane or his lack of medicines. At the hospital, he finally knew what was happening.
The last scene was on Christmas Day when the whole family was on the same table. That made me sad actually. I'm far from the people that I love.
Anyway, this movie is very heart warming. A movie for fathers and children with father issues. Robert De Niro's performance in the move is great. My only problem is that the other characters doesn't look like they are siblings. I only felt Drew and Robert's chemistry. Maybe they are just acting aloof to their father.
The movie is simple yet has an universal appeal. Indeed a great holiday movie for all. Four out of five popcorns for me!Continue reading this article...
Last Saturday, my two friends and I went to watch "Everybody's Fine" at CineLeisure Orchard. Before that, I started my day at the gym. After a week I finally returned to the gym since my neck is well now. After that, I was on my way to Orchard. I went first to Lucky Plaza to send money to the Philippines. It was payday weekend so the queue was very long.
Since I am in Lucky Plaza, I bought Tortillos, iced tea and a pack of fish cracker. It's been a long time that I had a fish cracker. I remember before that there was an expose on TV about the fish cracker. I just hope the one I bought is clean.
After Lucky Plaza, I went to see my two friends at Paragon. I was hungry so I searched for the Old Chang Kee stall. I bought the chicken and mushroom empanada and the squid on stick. My friends are a bit late. Well, they had a small fight that's why.
We then went to CineLeisure to buy the cinema tickets. We wanted to the watch the movie "New York, I Love You" but the seats are apart from each other. Our next choice was "Everybody's Fine." We bought the 7pm screening and was our way to have our dinner. We ended up at the Youth Park where Mang Kiko's Lechon was. We ordered at Botak Jones instead where I had Sirloin Steak and fries. While we were waiting for our food, a group of energetic people with camera suddenly approached one of the bystanders. Thankfully, they did not approached our table. I think they are from Channel 5.
After the movie, we went to the new mall in Somerset. I think it was called 313. We went to Souperlicious where we had our light snack. After that, we went to Hyatt Hotel. My friend left his bag there where his cousin is working. We went straight to the Mezza9 restaurant to meet his cousin. We then ordered the dessert platter. That was yummy and very sweet. Surprisingly, the cousin of my friend paid for the three of us. Thanks again!
