Patrick Stump is HOT without the flabs

HELLOOOWWW CUTIE!

I mean, *ahem*, what is this shit?? Are you trying to get yourself into the Twilight cast or something? Put a shirt on!

Oh, you're wearing a polo. No, no, you're wearing a CARDIGAN. What the F, dude?

I TRUSTED YOU! Now you're pulling a boyband look (which you're doing quite well thank you very much).

EPIC SIDEBURNS WENT WHERE?!

I... I... what now? I feel lost...

Banapple: good, affordable food

Migs Gallabergher (P150.00)
Juicy and herby all beef patty on mixed greens, topped with there special garlic-sour cream-barbecue sauce and lots of sliced onions, and blanketed by melted cheese and gooey mozzarella

Although I'm not a fan of their famous Banapple pie (I prefer old school apple pie), their entrees are definitely above average. I would say that their food is even better than TOSH (The Old Spaghetti House) as long as we're not talking about the pastas on the menu.

Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs (P155.00)
Extra tender country ribs grilled in hickory smoke, glazed with there homemade hickory barbecue sauce, served with corn relish and seasoned garlic rice

Herbed Chicken Rolls with Basil Cream Sauce (P160.00)
Herb crusted chicken breast, stuffed with cheese and ham strips, and smothered with there rich basil white sauce; served with glazed carrots

Funny Filipino Sign: for COSTUMERS only

I wonder what kind of costumes Tully makes.

Japanese Spitz puppy - so cute you'd want to CRUSH IT!

I never knew Japanese spitz look THIS adorable as pups.

This is Cotton, a month old (I think) Japanese Spitz pup. It can't eat solid foods yet, it only drinks milk. Unfortunately, it's a curious little thing -- it went scavenging for food under the table and ended up swallowing a half eating shrimp. It choked on it. Its puke was, aside from the small bits of recognizable pink matter, white and not-so-yucky because of its milk diet.

I know it makes you "awwww" but it makes me go "AAAGGHH!!!"

As sweet as this guy (...gal? I'm not sure) they're said to grow into mean, jealous pets that would kill its competition (your cat, or your bird, or your other dog if it's small enough). Is that true?

Adventure Beach (resort in Subic)

Kamaya beach was our first option. We got there around 8:30am on a Sunday morning. There was already a line of people trying to get cottages.

A personnel saved our time by informing us that all the cottages were taken and all they can provide us were chairs (he helpfully added that we may buy a banig/mat from the merchandise store so we won't have to set our things on the sand).

Thinking that it's already a wasted trip (all because we left the house an hour too late), the same personnel directed us towards Adventure Beach, owned by the same people who brought Kamaya.

Adventure Beach is right beside Ocean Adventure. On your way to Kamaya, there's a right turn that points to Adventure Beach. If you reached Ocean Adventure, you went too far.

Contact Number: 047-2529000 or 047-2528000

The resort was beautiful. Their beach front was a few yards away from the dolphin farm (I don't know what you call that, but it's where they keep a lot of dolphins). We enjoyed watching the dolphins flipping up and diving, horsing around -- I didn't know they were that playful even off performances.

Prices:

P750 for half a havana (what they call their bamboo cottages). You get 1 table and 6 chairs, plus the havan't built in chairs. This is good for 10 people (max).

You can get the whole havana for P1,500.

Authentic Japanese Food int Makati's Little Tokyo

Among the group of Japanese restaurants in Little Tokyo is Kagura: Okonomi-yaki Restaurant.

Guess what their specialty is!

Each Okonomiyaki costs around P300.00

Another must-try is their noodles... I forgot the name but it has kimchi in it.

That above is a grapefruit beer (grapefruit is kinda like pomelo, but it's not the same fruit). I didn't like it. I expected it to be more... fruity. Can't compete against Tanduay Ice.

Okonomiyaki is also called Japanese Pizza. But do not be deceived. It's not anything like the American pizza that we're all used to. It's more of seafood pancake but it isn't sweet. The best description I have of it is flat, over-sized samurai balls (Takoyaki Balls).

Dencio's Bar and Grill (Review) : NEVER AGAIN

My first taste of Dencio's (food and service) was in college. Food was horrible, service was worse and there were cockroaches on the walls. That's probably why they started "re-inventing" Dencio's into Kabisera ng Dencio's.

It didn't do them any good.

Sure, service is better but it's still not good: a server should have been there to help us with our orders the moment we settled. Maybe the servers didn't want to waist time waiting for us to make up our minds on what we want to eat -- but that's what waiters/waitresses do, right? They wait.

So I blame that on the lack of servers employed, which is why I think their service did improve. At least we got our food in 15 minutes instead of 30. Although I wonder why the food wasn't hot, isn't that supposed to be cooked upon order, which is why it takes time for the food to come?

Enough about the service, let's get to the food. Almost all Filipinos would agree that although the food takes forever to get to the table, it'll be worth it if it's good.

Unfortuanately, Dencio's food got worse. I also wouldn't have believed it to be possible; not only was the food bad, but the food serving was small and the price was not worth it.

Here's what we had:

Qty	Food	Price	Remarks
1	Kilawing Salmon(Fresh salmon cooked in vinegar)	310.00	Awesome. But that's because it's salmon.
2	Sisig (Sizzling Pork)	450.00	WORST DISH OF THE NIGHT
2	Eggs	20.00	for the sisig
1	Inihaw na Tiyan ng Tuna (Grilled Tuna Belly)	360.00	Good. You can't possibly get this dish wrong. But only it's two small slices.
1	Prawns Dino (Prawns in coconut milk)	430.00	BAD.
2	Adobong Pusit Buho (Rice in black squid ink)	450.00	Average. Compared to the rest of their menu, this is recommended.
1	Bahay Kubo Gulay (Mixed vegetables)	185.00	BAD. Not for people who don't like shrimp paste.

List of Globe/Smart/Sun starting numbers

Globe [same carrier of Touch Mobile]
0905
0906
0915
0916
0917
0926
0927

Smart [same carrier of Red Mobile]
0910
0918
0919
0920
0921
0928
0929
0930
0939

0999

Sun
0922
0923
0932

0933

I hate it when I'm on a pre-paid promo and sending SMS or calling numbers that belong to a different carrier makes me forfeit the free texts/calls. The same reason why I carry to phones, a Globe and a Sun phone. And I only store Sun numbers in my Sun-sim phone.

Oh, and thank you, Sun Cellular for not requiring a minimum load balance! I hope you someday kick the other mobile carriers' behinds by proving to be a great competitor.

Leave a message if you have more information, I'll update the list accordingly :)

How to care for your (Starbucks) Tumbler

I got my very first Starbucks Tumber today!

No, that's not what mine looks like, that picture actually came from Starbucks' site.

Mine is the more recent eco-friendly tumbler.

With the tumbler are "a few tips to enhance the enjoyment of your new drinkware with sealing lid":

CAUTION

• DO NOT MICROWAVE.
• DO NOT USE WITH CARBONATED BEVERAGES.
• DO NOT OVERFILL - HOT LIQUIDS CAN BURN USER.
• KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN WHEN FILLED WITH HOT LIQUIDS.
• ALWAYS MAKE SURE THAT THE LIST ID SECURED PROPERLY AND SCREWED ON TIGHTLY BEFORE DRINKING.

CARE & USE

• HAND WASH ONLY. Clean all parts with hot soapy water before using. Clean with lid in open position. Rinse thoroughly and turn upside down to dry.
• Do not freeze.
• Do not use cleaners containing bleach or chlorine.
• Move lid closure tab to "open" position while securing sealing lid onto your mug, or when removing lid, to help release excess pressure that may occur with steaming hot beverages.
• Grasp mug firmly around the middle when securing or loosening lid. Do not over-tighten lid.
• This product is not intended to be spill proof or leak proof and is not guaranteed against minor leakage.
• Sealing lid is designed to help delay most spills from accidental tipping.
• The lid that came with your new purchase is designed to fit only this edition stainless steel or thermoplastic Starbucks mug. Not meant to be used on any other product.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: good read, awful movie

Can Riptide slice through wizards?

I finally got a copy of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. That's after I watched it its movie adaptation -- the most disappointing movie of 2010. Watching it over and over again while getting fat every time the movie runs would probably how the Furies would design my eternal damnation if I get there.

Why am I even bothering with these children's books?

Because I like them. I like fantasy novels. Maybe it's escapism, maybe it's literature appreciation. I don't know and nothing has stirred me to care.

I'm still in my pursuit for the "next Harry Potter series". It's no secret that I'm a Harry Potter and I evangelize how Twilight is absolute crap. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a good break, it certainly got me interested and I'm itching to buy the next book in the series: The Sea of Monsters. But it's still no Harry Potter for me.

Why is Harry Potter better?

Let's compare the books, not the movies. Adaptations of the first novels in both series sucked-butt crack (if that's even possible).

Harry Potter is darker (a death in every book? Parents should be more careful what novels they hand their kids) and is therefore less likely to be completely categorized under children's novels. It also has a lot of new things in it since JK Rowling built her Hogwarts universe free of rules, whereas Percy Jackson is highly restricted to the characters of Greek Mythology.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, on the other hand, is colorful and heroic -- even Hades, God of the Underworld, is worth Percy Jackson's sympathy. I know there are Titans looming into the pages and they're different compared to the human-like gods, but still. Take all of the Underworld and compare it against Voldemort. Take the Furies and compare them against the Death Eaters. The Olympians simply aren't scary enough to make you pull an all nighter just to finish the book.

All of those, plus Harry Potter is more condensed in terms of plot. There are side stories, there are twists, there are surprises. Percy Jackson and the Olympians treats its readers like even they are dyslexic; the plots are pretty linear, straightforward and if you know your Greek Mythology pretty well, you can (almost always) guess what comes next.

Laser Tag in Market Market

*pic unrelated*

Market Market in Taguig houses a Laser Tag arena (second to the top most level, whatever that floor is). It's good and it's fun. I just hope you don't get the same guy who fixed our game. (The people on the reception area were nice and easy to get along with.)

15-minute game costs

• Php170 Monday to Friday
• Php190 Saturday to Sunday, and Holidays

I've been there a couple of times. The first time was awesome and the second time could have been OOWSUUM-er if only someone more able was in charge.

What happened wrong?

There were around twenty of us going into the arena, my team consisted of four huge guys + puny little me. We were Red Team. Against us were a same-sized team also in our age group. Then there were 2 more teams, mostly young kids below the age of 12 -- it was going to be an interesting game.

Side story: You see, the first time we went, we thought that we'd be in there committing the unholiest of all massacres: butchering children into pulp. But as it turned out... those young monsters were goooooood. And this second time, we came prepared.

So I got my gun, I was dressed, and when the doors open, I rushed into the arena. Adrenaline pumping. Calf muscles aching (this was our second game) -- warning: crouching for 3 full minutes will turn your legs into jell-o. Then all of a sudden, the four-team clash turned into Blue vs Red.

There was literally a mother and a daughter, supposedly purple team, turned against each other.

After the game, I confronted the incompetent organizer and asked WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED, MORON? (Ok, so maybe I left "hell" and "moron" from the question.... and I wasn't really shouting but was being polite). He said, quite proud of himself, that he did indeed turned it into a two-team game and said, "that's ok".

That's ok?

How the hell would you know if that was "OKEY"?

You weren't playing.

You didn't pay.

You wouldn't even admit that you got it wrong -- I saw you checking out the screen and figuring something out when our game ended.

The next time that happens, I'm going to demand either a re-fund or a new game. If you don't give me either, you'll feel the geek wrath upon you.

I let three days pass and I'm still pissed about it. I still remember your face, so if I think of something really rude, I'm looking for you on Friendster (I know you're not the Facebook-kind).

Clash of the Titans: good movie, why does everybody say otherwise?

I watched Clash of the Titans last night. It was a great movie, according to my standards:

• Dialog was good: I perfectly understood what everybody whispered, screamed, and shrieked in the whole movie.
• Actors/actresses played their roles convincingly. Io (pronounced "ayow") was HOOOOT, even hotter than being a Bond girl. Perseus was hot even with sweat and mud lining his neck and I dare not imagine how he would have smelled in real life
• The effects were really, really good. I know most of the underwater scenes were CGI but even those were rendered better than acceptable.

Most people who watched the original Clash of the Titans were sorely disappointed. To quote Sonny, "I expected more... clashing and more titans..."

Makes me glad I'm not into ancient films. I mean...

seriously?

UCC Meals - not as good as their desserts

First time I went to have dessert in UCC, I was stunned with the quality of food. It was good and it made me decide to come back and try whatever else they have.

The second time, we ordered their entree (that's what higher end restaurants call their main meal dishes, right?) -- it was mediocre and can easily be considered bad given the price.

Bottled Water: "Manufactured Demand"

Story of Stuff Project shows that in the United States, bottled water is actually inferior to their tap water. The only reason that people are buying it is because of "Manufactured Demand".

Manufactured Demand of Bottle Water

• scare consumers: make them think that tap water is dirty
• seduce consumers: associate good images with bottle water
• mislead consumers: bottles are certainly recyclable but that doesn't mean that they actually are. 80% end up "downcycled", which means that they're converted into inferior products then thrown away, instead of being "recycled" which means that used bottles will again become usable bottles

What you can do: make a personal commitment to NOT buy bottle water unless the water in your community is truly unhealthy.

Mekiworks: Help her help you