Carlo B's Notes

Together As One: Love, Courtship and Marriage

2012-02-26T21:20:00.001+08:00

February 26, a photo by carloborja on Flickr.

Held at Word International Ministries, Mr. and Mrs. Valencia (both doctors) delivered a very inspiring and moving testimony on how God brought them together as a couple.

Their testimony, from courtship to being in a relationship which led to a successful marriage was a source of strength and inspiration. I was so much blessed tonight.

As what was stated in 1 John 4:19, I love because God first loved me. He is the one who has control over my life and the only way for me to have a successful relationship with others is to be sensitive of His voice and commands. I wouldn't be able to achieve that if I would not spend more time with Him and love Him more than any other in this world. Everything else, including relationships would then follow.

There are a lot more things I learned tonight. It was not an accident that I was able to attend the talk upon the invitation of my girlfriend. I know that God has brought me there and I was so much blessed. I really felt that God was not only talking to me but also to us, as a couple. :)

UnOfficially Yours

2012-02-21T21:20:00.000+08:00

John Lloyd Cruz stars in another Star Cinema Valentine offering this time with Angel Locsin. Expect no usual mushy romantic comedy you would normally think of getting from a Filipino movie love story because this one proves to be different. Rated R-13, this movie is daring and has a bit of a western taste to its story.

It might not appeal to kids and some teenagers because of its explicit sex scenes but overall, the movie was fun. Story wise, it was just common. But, John Lloyd's charm never fails and Angel Locsin's hot and sexy appeal was just right. Expect sexy and daring scenes from both actors, a few laughs in between and some presentations of relationship realities.

This movie shows how Filipino stories are starting to step up and becoming more like the daring western romantic comedy movies we've seen. I would give this an 8.

Red Velvet Cake

2012-02-14T20:36:00.022+08:00

Weeks ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the Red Velvet Cake. There is this certain person who makes these delicious made to order cakes at their subdivision. Valentine's Day was fast approaching so I took the opportunity of ordering one to give to my girlfriend. I believe it would make a great Valentine's gift. She and her family loved it. It was perfect.

I ordered this cake for 800 pesos and it was very much worth it. It made my Valentine's Day sweet, romantic and very memorable.

I'd surely recommend this to anyone who loves delicious cakes with just the right amount of sweetness. It could go well with different occasions. By the way, I actually just asked it to be heart shaped because of Valentine's Day. Normally, you could order it as a regular round cake.

Dahilayan Adventure Park

2012-02-08T21:06:00.000+08:00

February 8, a photo by carloborja on Flickr.

Today, we conquered Asia's longest dual zipline at Dahilayan, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

I am no adventurous person but zipzone was a very intense yet enjoyable ride. 600 pesos for all the three rides - the longest was 840m.

It was breathtaking. Plus, the place was cold and very lovely. This was truly a memorable experience.

Typhoon Sendong

2011-12-29T02:28:00.001+08:00

On the night of December 16, 2011, typhoon Sendong (internationally known as Washi) hit Northern Mindanao, Philippines really hard.

We thought it was just another storm that brought heavy rains and strong winds. But, at midnight to around 1AM on December 17, we were all surprised how powerful and devastating Sendong was. Our town (Balulang, Cagayan de Oro City) was flooded with rushing muddy water from the river. It was so quick and scary that the water reached the rooftop in less than 5 minutes. If you could just imagine, at that rate of time, there are no material things to save, only lives to secure.

Indeed, we weren't able to save anything. We lost all our possessions. We lost all that we worked hard for. It was painful and hard. I even lost my two dogs. They are nowhere to be found at the moment. However, seeing that all the members of my family are alive though injured is already such a great relief for me. It's something to be really thankful for. After all, we can recover those possessions in time. We only have one life and we're thankful we are all alive.

That one night changed everything. Our once peaceful and happy town is now more like a ghost town filled with cars that went upside down, wrecked houses, mud, garbage and even buried dead bodies. I am still in a state of shock and even on a post traumatic stress.

Sendong was destructive and scary. That never happened in the 21 years of my existence. I just hope it will never happen again.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

2011-11-19T03:14:00.001+08:00

Before anything else, I'd like to make it clear that I am not a die hard fan of the Twilight series and I watched the movie as a regular movie goer who never read the book and doesn't even have an idea of what's going to happen in the movie.

Anyway, the first part of Breaking Dawn was honestly not a 'good' movie. By good, I mean having an epic story that would leave a lasting impression on me and even give me insights that I would carry on after watching and understanding the whole story.

It was not a good movie. I could even close it out to just an ordinary or a so-so movie. BUT, (there's a big but here) nevertheless I still enjoyed watching it. Despite the weak story, it still had some very intense, passionate and even humorous moments that would still make it a nice movie.

All I could even remember at the moment are vampires, werewolves, sex (vampire-human at that) and some gruesome moments. What makes this movie successful is probably just the fan base and the hype it creates. I wouldn't be surprised if this will NOT win an award. I wouldn't also be surprised if it WOULD. Fans would do anything anyway. lol.

It's just a 6. More like a 5 but plus 1 for the enjoyable moments and the good soundtrack!

Praybeyt Benjamin

2011-11-15T19:15:00.001+08:00

Named the "Highest Grossing Filipino Movie of All-Time," this movie starred no other than the funniest comedian in Philippine television today -- Vice Ganda! and backed up by big names like Derek Ramsay, Jimmy Santos, Eddie Garcia and a lot more.

Though the story is typical and the values it exposes in the end are predictable, the movie guarantees tons of laughter and it did not disappoint. It proves that Filipinos love comedies and despite all the tough times we experience with our economy, we still spend a bit for anything that would make us laugh.

You will enjoy this movie. Really.
8/10

iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World

2011-10-27T14:54:00.001+08:00

Need I say more? The title already says it all.

This is the first documentary that aired after Steve Jobs passed away. If you don't know him, it's worth watching to have an idea of how one man changed the modern world. If you already know him (like I do), it's great to reminisce all that he has done in the field of technology and the consumer market.

One striking line that was said in the documentary that could probably summarize everything about it was:

"He never really invented the computer, the music player or the smartphone. But, he transformed our thinking from 'Do I really need this?' to 'I can't live without it.'

The legacy of Steve Jobs will continue to have a ripple effect for the years to come. Long live, iGenius!

Thank You Steve Jobs!

2011-10-09T02:43:00.000+08:00

I woke up to a gloomy Thursday morning here in the Philippines last October 6, 2011. Aside from the rainy weather at that time, the first thing I read on Twitter when I opened the computer was "BREAKING: Steve Jobs has died." Following that were a great number of tweets confirming the news and different reactions.

My reaction was not at all that different from everyone. I was literally shocked and affected. Yes, I was affected. In fact, the sadness I felt was far from what I expected it to be. For me, it was sadder than the death of Michael Jackson or even our ex-president Cory Aquino who were also great people of their time. The death of Steve Jobs just hit me on a personal level. It may sound a bit exaggerated but it's true.

He was a visionary, a great leader, an innovator, a genius and one of the few people I sincerely look up to. I got my first iPod last 2006. It was this first generation iPod Nano.

I got so amazed by such brilliant product that it actually made me care about technology more. In a way, this was the start of me becoming such a techie person. Two years after that, I got the iPhone 3G as my first smartphone. I still think and can boldly say that it was one of the best 'gadget' decisions I've ever made. I fell in love with the integration of the iPhone and the iOS. I became an iPhone fan ever since. I've explored the technology and even studied it. I wanted to make the most out of the phone that I even studied how to jailbreak it and modify the OS. I currently have the iPhone 4 and after 3 years of becoming an iOS user, people even come to me for support like I'm an Apple staff. I give them free support anyway because I simply just loved what I'm doing.

On a personal note too, I look up to Steve with the way he lived his life. I followed his life starting from that day I became interested with the iPhone. Aside from giving mind blowing and effective keynotes and being an optimistic perfectionist, he basically just taught every one to "follow your heart" and as cliche as this may sound, it's the only way to truly make you happy and successful. Although this was how I already lived my life even before, he actually gave more sense and meaning to it. I still live by it through his inspiration and I am really happy with where I am at right now.

Thank you very much Steve. You changed the world. Your existence mattered like that of Einstein and Edison. You left a very great influence on every one including me. You will always be remembered.

Audio Engineering Hands-On Workshop by Audio Solutions

2011-10-09T01:46:00.000+08:00

Audio Solutions, headed by Engineer Mark Anthony Yulo conducted an Audio Engineering Workshop last Thursday, October 6 at Word International Ministries, Corrales, Cagayan de Oro City.

Fortunately, I was one of those who were able to attend the said event. It was a great privilege because there were only 8 of us (only 8 were allowed) during the hands-on workshop. Plus, the speaker totally knew what he was talking about. He has been in the industry for about 13 years already and he has been providing 'audio solutions' to big and notable places. Not to mention his consultancy fee is already at Php250,000 on average.

Basically, we were taught how to use the mixer and the corresponding processors properly. As an audiophile and a musician, this got me excited because it meant an opportunity to improve my musical skills -- technical this time. As the head/facilitator of the music ministry at our church, this training is also important to improve our overall audio setup.

Indeed, the training was successful. Low, Mid and High frequencies sound clearer to me this time. I became more particular with sound produced by speakers and more importantly I was able to apply it at our church. The microphones never sounded that good before and they noticed it.

I still have a lot to explore though. I'm glad the training really helped and also opened a lot of great opportunities for the development of a skill I'm passionate about. Shout out to Sir Mark Yulo of Audio Solutions. Thank you sir! I'm looking forward to seeing you again on the next training here in CDO.

The iPhone 4S

2011-10-05T21:14:00.000+08:00

Tech geeks, Mac geeks and Apple fan boys got busy earlier today as they anticipated the announcement of the new iPhone. The hiatus is now over. 15 months after the iPhone 4, we now have the iPhone 4S. Because it's an 'S,' the design is similar to that of the iPhone 4 but the internals have been drastically improved.

The new iPhone 4S carries the dual core processor A5 chip that the iPad 2 has. Because of the powerful and efficient processor, the graphics is 7 times faster than that of the iPhone 4 (which already had a really good graphics) and the battery life has also been improved.

One of the major improvements for this iPhone is the all new and greatly improved 8 megapixel camera. Knowing Apple, they are not just concerned about the number of megapixels. They totally improved the optics. The custom lens now has 5 precision elements to make your image look sharper and allow more light. Add to that the larger aperture (f/2.4) for a brighter picture. It has also an advanced Hybrid Infrared Filter to keep those harmful light (usually sunlight) to destroy your photos, a Face Detection feature, 1080p HD video recording and an Image Stabilization feature (utilizing the phone's gyroscope) to make your videos look still even with your shaky hands. So, what good is your point and shoot digital camera now? Mind you, the sample pictures and video were really mind blowing.

Lastly, the most notable and probably what makes this iPhone revolutionary is "Siri." Siri is the iPhone 4S' humble personal talking assistant. You can literally just talk to your iPhone now. It will not only listen. It will understand you. Think of questions or commands like "What time is it in Paris?", "Remind me to grab my grocery bag when I get home." or "Will it rain today?" Also, when you receive a text and you are on your headset, it will read the message for you. You can reply by just telling Siri what to reply. It can even set appointments for you. The possibilities are endless!

All in all, I could say that the iPhone is trying to maintain its status in the smartphone industry. It has revolutionized the way we think about phones and it will continue to be. I respect their decision to go with the 4S instead of the 5 yet. The iPhone 4 was still so perfect. It just needed the spec bump that's why we have the iPhone 4S. It's probably overkill if they go the iPhone 5 route. It would probably be over designing or something like that. I'm just happy that it's getting better and better every year. Way to go, Apple!

Here is the iPhone 4S video:

No Other Woman

2011-10-02T22:47:00.001+08:00

Cristine Reyes and Derek Ramsay take on the role of a happily married couple whose relationship was tested by a happy go lucky and carefree woman played by Anne Curtis.

Story wise, it was typical. The movie even had unresolved conflicts. However, you would definitely trade such downside for the very well written and memorable script. Seriously, you'll hear a witty exchange of lines from the actors. Also, the cinematography was really good. One of the best I've seen for a Filipino movie.

The real gem here was Anne Curtis. She was brilliant and she spiced up the movie. This is probably her most mature role and she delivered it well - excellently perhaps.

I'd say it's a must watch especially for those who are in a relationship. It's very relatable regardless of whether you're married or not.

I'd give this a 9. It's a quality Filipino movie.

Instagram 2.0 - Major Update

2011-09-21T14:43:00.001+08:00

The best iOS app for photo sharing, Instagram has just released version 2.0 and introduced a lot of changes and new features that make it more powerful and interesting.

As this is a major update since its first release, the whole UI was redesigned. The most notable new features are the change in icon (picture below), support for hi-res images, real-time use of filters and tilt-shifting (this is my personal favorite), option to turn off borders and some new awesome filters.

There still are a lot more new features to discover. I'm still currently playing with the app because I have just updated mine. But, so far it's really better and faster now.

This update is already available on the App Store. If you still don't have the app, you can also download it for free!

OS X Lion on iPhone - Jailbreak Tweak

2011-09-20T12:43:00.001+08:00

It is now possible to have the look and feel of OS X Lion on your iPhone.

You only need to have Dreamboard installed on your jailbroken iPhone. You then need to download "OS X Lion Ultimatum for Dreamboard" so you can load it as one of the themes on your Dreamboard application. Installation is fast and easy.

Both of them are free so every jailbroken iPhone can try. It's fully customizable. You can even drag the finder, hide/show the dock and even access the menu like how you do it on your Mac. Isn't that awesome?

It's still on beta so it may have some bugs but overall it already looks neat and i love it.

Because of these things, I always prefer to have my iPhone jailbroken. It opens a lot of great opportunities. Big thanks to the developer of this one for his hard work!

Acer Aspire One D257 Netbook

2011-09-20T02:19:00.006+08:00

Acer Aspire One D257 Netbook Specifications:

Intel Atom 570 (1.66 GHz dual core)

2GB Memory

500 GB Hard Disk

Intel GMA 3150 Graphic Chip

6 Cell Battery

10.1 inch monitor size (1024x768 resolution)

Great netbook for regular office and everyday use. Elegant design and really portable. It's also incredibly fast compared to the other netbooks available in the market (thanks to the fast Atom processor coupled with the 2GB RAM). It took me no significant time to boot it up which I think is really sweet.

It's also a good buy. Here in Cagayan de Oro City, I bought it at AcroTech in Limketkai Mall for only Php18,500. That came with a free Acer external Optical Drive, a genuine Windows 7 Starter and a 1 year warranty.

Been testing it out and I think it's really worth buying. I recommend this to those who are seeking for an ultra portable and not so expensive netbook that is good for traveling and the usual office use. This maroon model looks really classy too.

Live at PunchBowl, Cagayan de Oro City

2011-09-18T02:22:00.005+08:00

I recently came across this video of 4 of the Philippines' best in the music industry performing in one gig.

Jay Durias, Ebe Dancel, Raimund Marasigan and Gabby Alipe were at PunchBowl last September 13, 2011 here in Cagayan de Oro City.

I can't believe I actually missed that! Ugh. But anyway, enjoy this YouTube video of them performing their version of Eraserheads' "With a Smile" during that gig.

Credits to JedidiahdelaCruz for uploading the video.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

2011-09-18T01:59:00.006+08:00

This is not the typical romantic cheesy comedy that normally only makes you feel good for one night.

You're in for some treat with Crazy, Stupid, Love. It's an intelligent, fun and and certainly great romantic comedy film that will leave a lasting impression (at least for me though). I personally think it's one of the best romantic comedy films I've seen so far.

The entire movie was a string of wonderfully written stories about love and relationships. But, if I have to go to the bottom line, it only says one thing:

We all go crazy and stupid with romantic relationships and attachments. But, love remains that single most important thing worth fighting for.

8 out of 10.

Blogger App for iOS

2011-09-09T21:04:00.001+08:00

Finally, after the long wait Blogger has released an app for the iOS devices.

It makes blogging very convenient and on-the-go. It still lacks some key features (as expected because it is still on its first release) but it works well already.

I've been exploring it and so far, I'm actually enjoying it. In fact my last 4 blog posts were made all on the iPhone. That is just great. I would never have done that much if I was on a desktop PC.

Looking forward to more improvements on Blogger's app for the iOS, my personal choice of mobile OS.

Rio

2011-09-09T20:52:00.001+08:00

Even though the movie presents a typical story about romance, adventure and life, I just can't help but be blown away by the amazing visuals and the lingering, excellent soundtrack which helps in the overall tropical, refreshing and fun feeling of the city for which the movie was named.

I'd give this an 8.

Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi

2011-09-09T20:39:00.001+08:00

It's no surprise this movie is going to be good. Director Joey Reyes has already proven how he has mastered making comedy films that present society's current issues with his previous films. I'm talking about Judy Ann Santos's Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo trilogy. They were a hit because they had this element of truth and reality in addition to the humor in it.

Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi perfectly fits the director's type of films again. It's another wedding movie too and it never disappointed me. It's a great addition to his line up of comedy films.

What surprised me in this movie was Toni Gonzaga's portrayal of a typical demure Filipina who went abroad (Japan in this story) and came back a totally different person. She nailed the character and she was really good at it.

There's a lot to look out for in this movie. For its great story and good laughs, I'd give it a 9.

Zombadings: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington

2011-09-09T20:15:00.001+08:00

I rarely get to watch Filipino indie films. It turns out they are a real gem and I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of them.

I got to watch Zombadings on an advance screening at SM City Cagayan de Oro last August 18. I really did not expect much from it. I was just excited at the thought of being able to watch it in advance.

I was totally surprised at how good it really was. It's a story about homosexuality and its implications to the society presented in a very humorous and light-hearted way.

I love the story, the cast and the script. It's definitely worth watching and without a doubt greatly deserving of a rating of 10.

Long live these kind of good Filipino indie films!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 3D

2011-07-31T03:47:00.001+08:00

This is a long overdue review.

I was able to watch the epic finale of the Harry Potter series on the 2nd day of its worldwide release. It was probably one of the most anticipated movies of this year. I even had to reserve a ticket a week before just to make sure I could get a decent seat.

Anyway, I could not help but compare this movie to its first part which was released last year. I think the first part of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie was more intense and more action packed. Plus, it ended with this feeling of strong anticipation for its second half.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 seemed to have a different overall feel than that of its first half. I totally could feel how it tried to close down all the excitement and intensity by focusing more on the emotional side of the story. It gave more attention to the characters and how they have developed since the first movie. It was good because for me it completed the whole Harry Potter experience.

The whole story and movie was good but I personally think it was not that great. I'd give it a 7 because I'll probably remember the whole series itself than this last movie of the franchise. However, it still think it did not fail as an epic finale for an amazing series.

Harry Potter was a good 10 years of my life by the way. That is already half of my life as of this writing. Thank you J.K. Rowling for a writing a wonderful story that became part of my life. Thank you, Harry Potter.

Jollibee's Flavored Fries

2011-07-03T23:35:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: I was not in any way paid for this post. I wish I was. Haha

Last June 15 (if i'm not mistaken about the date), Jollibee launched their new flavored fries - Four Cheese and Sour Cream.

My initial reaction was that it was some kind of an idea taken from McDonald's. McDonald's usually has these flavored shaker fries from time to time. The last time they had those was during Kung Fu Panda 2's release. I was vocal about how much I loved the shaker fries ever since and I never really miss out every time they appear on the McDonald's menu.

Anyway, going back to Jollibee's flavored fries, I immediately gave both of those fries a try. Surprisingly, both fries were really good! But, Sour Cream is way tastier than Four Cheese I should say.

Almost all of my friends know that this is my current addiction. I seriously can't get enough of it. I tweet and post about it all the time. I'm actually over advertising it because it's really that good. It fits my taste well.

This was actually a good move by Jollibee. I believe both those fries are a hit judging on the comments I've read and heard. I'm glad this is permanent too unlike McDonald's shaker fries that appear on special occasions only.

Again, I'd say it one last time. Jollibee's Flavored Fries, particularly the Sour Cream flavor, are a must try. It's quite addictive. I even find myself in Jollibee fastfood chains now more often than I was in McDonald's just weeks ago.

Johnoy Danao - Someone Like You (Adele Cover)

2011-05-31T11:58:00.000+08:00

Named "The Philippines' best kept secret" by DJ Mo Twister, Johnoy Danao sure has the voice that could soothe your soul. He is one great talented acoustic artist. Aside from his wonderful original songs, he makes brilliant acoustic covers.

Here's a clip from his regular Sunday night podcast with DJ Mo Twister, Good Times Acoustic. On May 29, 2011 he sang one of Adele's best songs. He gave justice to the song and a refreshing sound to it.

Thor in 3D

2011-05-15T01:57:00.000+08:00

Fortunately, I was able to watch Thor at SM City Cagayan de Oro's 3D Cinema on the last day of its screening. I expected a lot from this movie and it did not fail me.

I had to emphasize the '3D' in the title because that made all the difference. The visuals were seriously breathtaking. It was a great 3D experience. The cinematography was really good and the editing was done well.

The movie presents the story of 'Thor' , a very powerful yet arrogant hero played by Chris Hemsworth. He was the real gem to this movie. He owned the character. I love how he played it with sincerity and attitude. The story progressed as he was banished from his world named Asgard and went to earth powerless meeting humans and eventually learning to be a real superhero.

Though some would say the story was kind of predictable (to which I would agree), the overall experience is what matters to me. I've already mentioned the breathtaking visuals. On the other hand, the storyline, considering it wonderfully showed the evolution of the superhero's character was still great. The humor was there also and more importantly, the story contains really good lessons for young and old ones alike.

This is one of the best 3D movies I've ever seen so far. It's not like I've seen a lot though. LOL.

I would give it an 8.

CDOKADA's 1st Anniversary Tumblr Meetup

2011-05-05T10:36:00.002+08:00

May 1, 2010:

May 1, 2011:

Who would have thought that it has already been a year since the wonderful bond of CDO tumbloggers (cdokada) was formed?

Yes. Time flies fast. We just had our Anniversary Tumblr Meetup last May 1, 2011. Held at Jollibee Gateway, we had another fun-filled and fulfilling meetup. Fun-filled because there were lots of games, food and getting to know each other more. Fulfilling because we were able to participate in We Save Life Foundation's cause. Each participant of the meetup gave his/her donations (clothing, school supplies, etc) to the foundation. After all the blessings we received as a group in one year, it is but right to give back. That was what made this meetup really memorable.

I'm really happy to be part of this group. I never thought I'd meet awesome people online. It goes to show how social media does its part by connecting people and forming valuable, memorable and lifetime bonds. Cheers to more years cdokada!

I'll leave you with this video of how cdokada was formed. This was made by our very own Ish Regodos.

New Modus Operandi of Thieves (Beware)

2011-04-27T08:39:00.001+08:00

Someone approaches you and pretends to be a dealer of some good yet relatively cheap ‘touch screen’ phones.

He explains the features and lets you try a unit.

After a long and very effective sales talk, normally you would return back the unit you just tested and get money from your wallet after deciding you would purchase it thinking it was a good deal.

The dealer/thief puts the unit back inside a pouch.

After receiving the payment, he will give you the pouch, say thank you and quickly go away.

Since your mind was conditioned to think that you are already holding the ‘touch screen’ phone you just purchased, you probably would not check it immediately.

But, look at this…

What’s inside the pouch is now a bar of laundry soap wrapped in an electric tape.

Slick move by thieves. It’s like doing the classic magician’s diversion technique, eh?

Anyway, beware of these things. Better yet don’t buy from anyone who just approaches you from nowhere.

Toy Story 3

2011-04-24T02:36:00.001+08:00

Better late than never, I finally was able to watch Toy Story 3, the movie everyone was talking about last year.

Anyway, I could not really compare and tell something about the continuity of the film because I was literally too young to understand movies back when the first and second Toy Story movies came out. But, this one right here was probably one of the best animated stories I've ever seen. It's such a heartwarming and fun movie.

More importantly though, I learned that in life it becomes hard to let go of things that actually made a difference to your existence. Those things that actually once made you innocent, free and happy. This lesson goes out to everyone - kids and adults. Talk about aging, growing up and moving on. They are all there in the movie. I myself could not imagine crying over toys as I watched the movie. Really awesome.

For the entertainment and magic the movie gave me, no doubt I would give this the highest 10.

The Script - Science & Faith

2011-04-16T11:17:00.001+08:00

Currently one of my favorite albums, Science & Faith still never failed to showcase the musical talent of The Script!

They never strayed from the style of their debut album. They preferred to sticking with their excellent signature alternative pop rock with heartfelt and very poetic lyrics.

This is definitely one great album to check out if you've already heard and loved The Script.

Beats by Dr. Dre - Tour

2011-04-11T12:04:00.003+08:00

As a musician, sound matters so much to me. I always play music on my iPhone and iPod and I hate it when the audio becomes crappy or terribly low in quality because of some bad earphones.

That is the reason I bought these Beats by Dr. Dre - Tour in-ear high resolution headphones. It goes really well with playing music on my iPhone. It can play really good bass with clear mids and highs too. Plus, I love the non-tangle design of the red cable. I just can pull it off anytime without the hassle of untangling it like all the other earphones.

So far, so good. I can enjoy really good and high quality music anytime and anywhere i want to. I have never been much happier listening to music on any earphones. It's really awesome.

Family Movies Over the Weekend

2011-04-04T02:21:00.004+08:00

I actually had the time to just chill out at home and do a bit of relaxation from all the stresses of life over the weekend. So, like what I always do, I ended up watching movies -- family movies.

First up, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

I admittedly am a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia movies. I am not sure if it is already the finale but this in my opinion is the best among the three! Visually stunning and entertaining, the movie was so action packed and full of adventure. Most of all, I admire the way the christian allegory was presented in the movie. C.S. Lewis was really a genius. With or without the christian allegory, it still remains a great tale by the way.

This would be an 8.

Next was Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.

Though I enjoyed The Chronicles of Narnia more than this one, this movie still was good enough to give me the inspired and entertained feeling.

It's a story about friendship, family, greatness and adventure. It really had a good script in my opinion. The animation and film techniques used especially during the fight scenes were really awesome too.

A fair rating of 7 would be appropriate for this one.

Love & Other Drugs

2011-04-01T02:28:00.000+08:00

A pharmaceutical salesman meets a free-spirited young woman who is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Their relationship which started casually started to evolve in the process. To their surprise, this relationship actually changed each other's lives, personality and even perception about love and relationships.

During the early parts of the movie, I actually thought it was just going to be another romantic comedy that would make me feel good and such. However, during the end part, the sincere romantic part of the story actually came about. For me it was a surprise how it started wild and all messed up but then came to the conclusion of how unconditional love really matters in relationships.

Jake and Anne was good on screen. Both played their characters really well too. Jake had this natural charm which fit him really well. Anne was totally surprising here. She was wild and it's not at all the Princess Diaries/Ella Enchanted character we all know. It was totally the opposite and she handled it really well.

For the romance, the funny moments and the great lesson I got from the movie, I would give it an 8.

Adele's 21

2011-03-31T22:15:00.001+08:00

So I recently discovered Adele and her music. I actually heard of one of her songs before but I wasn't able to dig into her music that much back then.

However, upon seeing that her 21 album (named after her age when she released this album. Her debut album was 19) has been on the top charts of iTunes for the past few weeks already, I decided to listen to the whole thing.

All I can say is she really is a true musician and singer. Lyric wise, the whole album is already awesome. There's a deep poetry in most of her lyrics. The words are accompanied by wonderful piano ballads and some brilliant arrangements that made every song heartfelt, emotional and just plain relaxing.

She is actually one of those artists who could really make music in the truest sense of it. I really love her album by the way.

Here's one of my personal favorites from the album. It's a song originally done by The Cure. 311 has a wonderful version. But, Adele made the song better and sexier.

Here's Lovesong performed live at the Tabernacle in London. Enjoy!

Catch Me... I'm In Love

2011-03-28T23:39:00.001+08:00

The blockbuster movie makers of Star Cinema and Viva Films collaborated to make another Filipino romantic comedy hit... Catch Me, I'm in Love.

Roan (Sarah Geronimo), an average working Filipina falls in love and later on becomes the girlfriend of the President's son, Erik (Gerald Anderson). Their relationship started off really good and romantic. However, reality sinks in when they finally realized that they live in totally different worlds. Differences, personal issues and even insecurities start to come up and the only way to save the relationship is to deal with all of them.

It was another typical Filipino romantic comedy. I do not intend to compare it to other American movies as this is solely directed to the Philippine masses. The story was just plain and straightforward but it never failed to emphasize the romantic part of the story which I believe is what Filipino audiences are up for. It gave me a lot of smiles and a number of giggles at some scenes by the way.

The Gerald-Sarah tandem worked really well too. They had this good chemistry which I believe was pulled by Sarah Geronimo's light and bubbly personality. This was also the most mature role I think Gerald Anderson ever played in a movie.

Overall, this movie is not for those with high expectations on romantic movies. It was just a feel good movie and it's worth watching if you need a break and would like to get a few giggles from some romantic moments you could ever possibly remember or relate to. On a good note, the movie also presents some good lessons in relationships though.

And for that, since I think it was still good anyway, I would give it a fair rating of 7.

Golden Mom

2011-03-27T23:50:00.003+08:00

It's my mom's 50th birthday today.

Since it was a Sunday, we spent the whole day at church, bought food afterwards then had a great dinner at home with the family.

Here's one really clever food that caught my eye by the way. They call it the beef in pineapple. Interesting, huh?

Anyway, today was a great day. It was just a simple celebration of Mom's golden birthday yet I can see she was happy. That's all that matters anyway.

She's been a great mom and person. She's been a blessing and inspiration to a lot of people. I am a proud son and I love her all the way.

Happy birthday, mom!

Megamind

2011-03-27T02:01:00.001+08:00

Megamind was the story of a super-villain whose plans never really work out well. He seeks to defeat Metro Man (the superhero) with his evil ways but ends up learning and applying some of life's important lessons along the way.

I never really expected that much from this movie before watching it. However, it turned out to be one of those animated movies with a really great story and I enjoyed it all throughout.

The movie was very well-plotted. It had its own surprises. The story was well-written with a lot of funny parts and was backed up by incredible voice talents. I wish I had watched it in 3D though because the animation was really great.

It would be a 9 out of 10.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love (aka First Love)

2011-03-22T14:30:00.000+08:00

I finally was able to watch the movie that everyone was raving about. I still am confused as to what the real title is. The subtitles say it's "A Little Thing Called Love." From the trailer it was "First Love." But, I think I'd go with how everybody calls it -- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

It's a Thai movie about the high school love we all have experienced. It's the typical romantic stuff that makes everyone all giddy and the likes. The feeling of having your first love, your super crush, your friends who tease you, etc. etc. It's all high school. The good times that everyone can relate. Plus, Baifern and Mario really had this awesome chemistry in addition to their fresh faces that made the whole movie interesting.

I must admit it. I was smiling most of the time watching the movie. It was more like a reminiscing of the memories I had back then when I was still in high school. Those were some really good memories I would never really trade for anything. haha. It kind of brought back the feeling of being young again... back when love was not that serious even though you were crying about it and all that stuff. I just laugh about those memories now but it was great reminiscing them through this movie.

The story was straightforward. It's kind of predictable. It was not meant for serious viewers. It's just what you're looking for if you want to relax and just feel the happiness and relive the memories you had with relationships back when you were still young. It still is good though.

I probably would give it a 7.

Awesome Kinetic Typography

2011-03-21T22:49:00.002+08:00

I have always been amazed at the wonders of kinetic typography. It's such a powerful form of visual art that it can even make or break a mood.

So, I recently bumped into this video by the Black Eyed Peas. It is for their song Light Up The Night which is included in their recent album The Beginning. Aside from the fact that I love the group and their new album, this video made the song more interesting. I have always loved the Black Eyed Peas. I was never wrong when I said how passionate they were about their art and music. This video explains it all.

Enjoy some awesome kinetic typography 8 bit style.

Life As We Know It

2011-03-20T02:55:00.001+08:00

The movie was all about two single adults who became instant caregivers/parents to an orphaned baby girl after their best friends die in an accident.

It was fun and entertaining. It gave me some good laughs in some scenes. At some point, it even made me emotional. The chemistry of Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel was surprisingly great. Both of them look good and fun together.

For me, the movie is not that brilliant. However, I guess it is still worth watching for it teaches us about some of life's important lessons. Parenting, responsibility and relationships to name a few. For that reason alone, I think the movie is good enough already.

I would give it a 7.

Nikon Lens Mug

2011-03-15T22:00:00.003+08:00

Everyone knows I am an avid coffee drinker. It's part of my every day life. It's been more like a routine than an addiction.

Just recently though, I came across a very interesting and fancy looking mug. It was this 24-70 mm Nikon lens mug.

I bought this one off eBay from a very reliable seller at a fair price. I finally have one now. It really looks great. It even has this travel bag that will make me bring my coffee anywhere! How awesome it that?

This will sure make my coffee experiences more interesting!

Cheers!

The King's Speech

2011-03-14T03:32:00.002+08:00

I only heard of this movie after watching the 83rd Academy Awards and seeing how the movie bragged a lot of awards. It must be that great of a movie. Indeed, it was.

The King's Speech was about the story of King George VI of Britain and how he managed to battle through his own personal struggle with the help of a speech therapist to prove that he was worthy of the throne.

The story was predictable. However, the script was very well written. The casting was perfect as it showcased great performances by different actors like Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter. But, the main man here was Colin Firth. He was superb and truly deserving of the award for best actor. Firth did an amazing job of bringing the character into life. In fact, I could say that this movie was totally about him. As they said, this was one of his best performances in movies if not in the entire cinema history.

I've never really been into the lives of those royalties. However, in this case the story was presented in a more personal way. It could spark the royalty present in each one of us. The story was not just about them or King George VI. It could also be about us and our own personal struggles in life. That made it more interesting and worthy of watching.

Overall, I'd also give this movie a 10. That is because I can do away with the predictability of the story with an excellent script, a playful cinematography and superb acting. The King's Speech is one of the best movies of 2010.

The 3 Idiots

2011-03-05T03:32:00.001+08:00

Because I am naturally a busy person at this moment of my life, I really don't have that much time to watch movies anymore. But, whenever I get the chance to do so, I really make sure that aside from making me feel relaxed, the movie would be something worthwhile - something worth sparing my time.

The 3 Idiots never failed me. It was one of the best movies I've seen in a while. It's not just the typical wow-this-is-great-it-inspired-me movie. It is life-changing. Yes it is. There is so much wisdom in the movie that I think every person in this world should watch it. It's a relevant movie about friendship, relationships and life in general. Watching it was really more than worthwhile.

It's been hours since the movie ended but it has really left a lingering feeling of evaluating my life in general. I have to constantly remind myself that I have to make my passion my work and that I should not chase for success. Instead, I should strive for excellence and success comes afterwards. Life is good. I hope I would not waste it by making decisions I would regret later on.

Undoubtedly, I'd give this movie a shining 10!

The iPad 2

2011-03-05T03:15:00.000+08:00

Apple recently released the predecessor to the ever successful and famous iPad. They named it the iPad 2! It's 33% thinner than the original, 15% lighter, much faster since it's now on a dual core processor (the A5). It's got tons of other new features too like the 2 new cameras for FaceTime and HD videos and also the gyroscope in addition to the accelerometer.

The iPad 2 is really amazing as I happened to watch the announcement online. I must admit it though that when the first iPad came out, I really wasn't into it. I even mocked its name before. It just wasn't the time for a tablet I guess. However, I really did not expect that in a year's time, it would change the world. It changed the whole computing technology! It even paved the way for copycats.

Today, tablets rule the market. The iPad 2 is Apple's frontline for this industry. They boldly claimed that 2011 will be the year of the iPad 2. With the already huge app store, brilliant feature-rich product design and some awesome marketing, I'm sure they will be able to achieve this.

Way to go Apple!

The Black Swan

2011-02-28T16:39:00.000+08:00

After I watched the Black Swan, I immediately fell in love with the movie. It may be dark and even disturbing but how the Me vs. Myself conflict was perfectly delivered in a movie made it totally brilliant.

The director managed to combine art, emotion, passion and talent into one single movie. Natalie Portman finished it with a stunning performance which makes her winning an Oscar award unquestionable. I could not help but immerse myself with how she is undergoing all the psychological battle in her head as she tries to loosen up her self by straying away from her White Swan image as she is striving to perfectly portray The Black Swan needed for her role as Swan Queen.

The cinematography and sound perfectly fit the overall horror and dark feel of the movie. Everything was brilliant. It kept me holding my breath until the last scene of the movie.

I would give it a 10.

Lady Antebellum's Need You Now Album

2011-02-22T13:25:00.002+08:00

I'll try to explain why this is my current favorite album.

I think the whole album is about moving on. The tracks were well arranged so you could see the progression of how one would go through in dealing with such circumstance.

It starts with the wonderful “Need You Now” song. It obviously states how hard it is to deal with a lost relationship. We all know how this song hurts because at one point or another we’ve experienced this. lol.

Tracks 2 & 3 (Our Kind of Love & American Honey) support the first song as they basically reminisce everything you had with the relationship.

The next three tracks (Hello World, Perfect Day and Love This Pain) show how the character is already trying to face the situation even at the point of loving the pain (ugh). This I believe is the point where you really are trying to move on already.

Tracks 7-10 (When You Got A Good Thing, Stars Tonight, If I Knew Then, Something Bout A Woman) is the part where realization kicks in - the turning point I should say. It’s when you realize it should have been this or it should have been that after you’ve tried to help or cheer yourself up from such situation. It’s also the point where you get to find someone new.

The last song “Ready to Love Again” is as brilliant as the first one though on a different context. To quote the lyrics of the song

“Yeah, I’m ready to feel now. No longer am afraid of the fall down. It must be time to move on now without the fear of how it might end. I guess I’m ready to love again.”

This whole country album is filled with such relaxing and excellent melody coupled with beautifully crafted lyrics. This is a masterpiece. You can never go wrong with this one.

Way to go Lady Antebellum!

This review was originally posted on this blog.

The GIFVid App!

2011-02-10T12:06:00.001+08:00

I recently discovered the GIFVid App on the App Store. It's a 2 dollar app which could create animated GIF pictures using an iPhone/iPod Touch. I happen to have the iPhone 4 which as a bonus would also allow me to create a GIF from a video I recorded using the iPhone camera.

I was able to test it and it works really well. The animation is smooth and you can even manually remove and control the frames and animation. This is a big deal for me because GIF pictures have become the trend nowadays anyway. Useful for websites, blogs and social networking sites and even just for some good laughs.

I love this app. Here are some sample GIF animations I made using the front-facing camera of the iPhone 4.

21st Birthday Celebration!

2011-01-19T20:56:00.001+08:00

It started on the 4th of January (my exact birth date) with a simple get together with my family. My uncle gave me a cake that has magic candles - the hardest to blow candle ever. That actually gave us a good laugh.

On January 6th, I celebrated it with my awesome CDOkada friends! We had a blast at Willsbar as we turned the place into a mini-bar!

The next day, on the 7th, my high school friends actually gave me this surprise party! They prepared a lot and it totally wrapped up my really memorable birthday week!

I wouldn't have the best birthday week ever if not for my family and my awesome friends. It was indeed a very memorable and happy one!

I am now officially 21 years old! Cheers to more years of happiness and blessings!

3rd CDO Tumblr Meetup

2010-12-11T20:26:00.001+08:00

It was a whole day of fun, laughter, games, making new friends and creating wonderful memories! It has been the biggest and most successful Tumblr meetup yet. What a great way to end 2010!

2nd CDO Tumblr Meetup

2010-06-23T23:57:00.000+08:00

Just 2 months ago, I blogged about how successful the first-ever Tumblr meetup done in CDO was.

Last June 15, we had the 2nd Meetup at Score Grill and Chill and it was again a blast! It was really really fun and was a big improvement from the 1st. To say it was successful is an understatement. I met new friends and they are some of the most awesome people in the world.

We only talked, made chika, got to know each other, ate and sang our hearts out for around 5 hours but we immediately made ourselves comfortable with each other for that short period of time. I love these people and I can't wait to meet them again.

The third meetup will probably be on December by the way :) I'm sure it will again be successful and bigger this time!

Czarinah at 18

2010-06-23T23:56:00.000+08:00

Last June 14, 2010, I was invited by Czah to attend her debut. She actually asked me to do something for her on her party. At first, I was really hesitant to do it but I just couldn't resist her sweetness and charm. LOL. She has been a good friend too so, why not?

Talking about that favor, she asked me to sing on her debut. I said I was hesitant to do it at first because it has been years since I last did that. However, I already said yes and "a yes is a yes." It made me kind of nervous at first but then everything went well and I enjoyed it.

Here's a pic:

After that, I actually missed singing, performing and all that. I really love doing it. It's my passion but I just don't have the chance of doing it always. Well, what's important is I was able to do it again and it felt really good.

Anyways, Happy Birthday again Czarinah Hearty Bacarro! Thanks for being such a good friend. Stay happy, sweet, charming and pretty. :)

For The Past Few Days

2010-05-31T00:57:00.000+08:00

I noticed I have been going out a lot lately. I'm enjoying it though. I rarely find the time to blog and note everything so I will try to make a quick update.

Last week:

Tuesday (May 18): Videoke night with Redan, Maui, Edd and soon to be lawyer Miguel. hehe

Saturday (May 22): went out with Veah and Quarren. It's been years since I last saw them so it was really great. We also watched The Last Song. :)

Sunday (May 23): I am learning how to play the violin and then had Pizza night with the family. Really fun bonding. hehe

Monday (May 24): was able to try the newest Pizza in town, AMiCOS Pizza with Red Soriano. No pics. We just ate. lol.

Tuesday (May 25): Missy Bon Bon with Regina and Red. :)

Friday (May 28): Went to Ketkai with my brother to buy some stuffs and then went to Missy Bon Bon again.

Earlier (Sunday. May 31): Was at McDonalds with mom for our super late lunch. It was already 5 in the afternoon at that time. haha. So, it was like dinner already.

Anyways, that's just about it. I mentioned it was just a quick update, right? I just feel like I haven't updated for years already. haha.

Looking forward to more night outs with friends. I'll probably be watching Prince of Persia tomorrow so til next update. :)

CdeO Tumblr Summer Meetup 2010

2010-05-03T01:18:00.002+08:00

Cagayan de Oro's first ever Tumblr Meetup was a success.

It was great meeting such amazing people and making new friends! I was even more delighted to know that CdeO is blessed with such welcoming, friendly and fun people which made the meetup more memorable.

The idea of a meetup is indeed really fun. It made me realize how awesome it is to be on Tumblr especially if you get to see the people behind every wonderful posts, be it random pictures, quotes, gifs or even rants.

I hope this will be the first of the many meetups to come. :) Tumblr has really captured the essence of social networking with Tumblr Meetups. With all the fun, laughters and memorable moments, I sure would never look at any social networking/blogging site the same way I did with Tumblr.

Thank you CdeO Tumblr friends. You just made my day. til next time!

- Carlo Borja (carlobee)

This is a reblog from The Kagay-anon Tumblr page

First Time in Cebu!

2010-05-01T03:16:00.000+08:00

I went to Cebu for the first time last April 26 (Monday) to 28 (Wednesday) with my brother. Not only was it my first time there, it was also my first time to travel out of Northern Mindanao, my first time to check in a hotel (seriously), my first time to ride a big boat, my first time riding a plane, and my first time to spend a lot of my hard earned money for traveling. haha. Amazing, huh? Nah. Those firsts just made everything memorable.

Anyways, if I would blog about every single experience I had in Cebu, it would be the longest blog ever. So, I decided to make it less longer. haha.

I'll try to just make a photoblog. After all, pictures are worth a thousand words already. :)

We arrived at Cebu at exactly 6AM on April 26.

We then got to tour the Cebu Zoo and the Taoist Temple.

Then, of course, there's malling and the so called night life there.

And here comes my favorite, the awesome food there! I can go all day in Cebu eating different types of food.

Then, on the last day of my stay there, I was able to meet the people from our company. It was great seeing them in person. I only get to talk to them via Skype almost daily and then just a few days ago, we were talking in person and then we got to enjoy each other's company. They were such awesome people. I'd love to hang out with them again soon.

And yeah, I also got to play with an iPad there. It so happened that one of the people from our company already has one. It's so damn freaking awesome! hehe. I am an Apple fanboy by the way. heheh. Here are some pics of my last day there (No pics of them, just the iPad. haha).

At around 4:30 PM on April 28, I was back in CDO.

Overall, those 3 days were really one of the most memorable days of my life.

As the saying goes, "If you were to choose between a material thing and an opportunity to travel, choose the latter." I believe that is really true. The experiences you encounter and the memories that will remain are priceless.

I hope this will be the FIRST of the MANY travels I will have in the future. haha. I am definitely going back to Cebu. I hope I get to explore other places too. :)

Rediscovering an Old Camera!

2010-04-21T18:03:00.000+08:00

Last week, I was looking at some of my old stuffs and I found an old Minolta Maxxum 5 SLR Camera.

I was never able to use it that much before. It was kind of like a waste since I was never that interested in photography during that time.This was like 8 or 9 years ago by the way.

However, times have changed. In fact, I badly want to have a DSLR camera now. I can't afford to have one as of the moment so I decided to make use of this old stuff.

I bought films and batteries to check if it still would work. The last time I used this was approximately five years ago. Just when I thought it wouldn't do any good now, to my surprise, these were the pictures I was able to take.

That's my grandfather on Emo/Muscleman mode. LOL

My dog, Philip, who reminds me of the movie Marley and Me.

Having breakfast with my mother dear. I don't know why she's wearing that hat. :D

Tried to do a macro shot, but this one is off focus. I should have used a tripod.

I tried to take some landscape photos too.

Overall, this camera still rocks. I could still put it to great use. I could practice photography the hard way. The hard way meaning using Film and not going Digital yet. Not to mention, using this camera would entail extra expenses for developing the film, etc etc. Whatever. As long as it still takes good pictures then I'm willing to invest. :)

Someday, I will own a DSLR and probably become a good photographer. :)

Fun With Photography

2010-04-14T02:47:00.001+08:00

Maui just turned 22!

We celebrated it by having fun with photography and with ourselves. :D Credits to Master Willes Hong for the awesome free lessons!!! and for the pictures used in this blog.

That's him. He made me love photography all the more.

Here are some pics. We played with the aperture and shutter speed as per his instructions. :)

Plus some jumpshots...

super slow shutter speeds. :)

Pizza de Oro...

and some Rock Band fun!

Indeed, it was another day of pure fun!!

Til next time guys! :)

Today Was Awesome!

2010-04-12T01:12:00.003+08:00

I had a great time with my friends.

It started in the afternoon with Maui's Thanksgiving/Birthday Party at the Beach.

Followed by, a karaoke night at Will's Bar.

which ended up with Pizza!! :) What a great way to end the day. haha.

It was a day of pure fun. I had a really great time.

Plus, Willes taught me the basics of Photography. Pretty interesting. I might consider buying a DSLR soon. haha. Save muna.

By the way, credits to Willes Hong for all the pictures used in this blog.

McDonald's Divisoria Upgrade!

2010-04-08T01:30:00.001+08:00

Alright, so this is just a quick blog.

I was at Divisoria earlier to listen to the Bangon Pilipinas Party candidates for the upcoming elections. After that, we decided to go to McDonald's just to grab some food.

I always go to McDonald's Divisoria (around twice a week. seriously) that's why I immediately noticed this one.

They already have a new cash register machine! :) I don't actually know how it is called... probably POS or something like that so I'd like to just call it a 'cash register machine.' Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyways, if you have been to McDonald's divisoria you probably would have noticed that they have been using that old 'manual' cash register for quite sometime already. If i'm not mistaken that was the original cash register machine that they have been using ever since they opened this branch here in divisoria.

That changed now. Starting April 7, 2010, they are already using this new machine. Mind you, it's touch screen... well, those are like the ones we see in Jollibee fastfood chains. haha. better late than never McDonald's.

Oh well, this might probably be a nonsense blog. I am just happy for my favorite McDonald's branch. haha. After all, it's refreshing to see something new y'know. :)

Over the Weekend

2010-03-28T22:11:00.001+08:00

Saturday:
- I went to Bo's Ketkai to continue working since our power interruption schedule was at 1PM to 6PM. They've got a pretty good internet connection by the way.
- My brother bought me a netbook case. I now have a more decent netbook case! Yey! I used to just put it inside a small backpack. I think this one would be much better. Thanks brother!

Sunday:
- Went to church in the morning.
- Usual afternoon service at CFCI with the scholars.
- Had a haircut with my brother and mother late in the afternoon.

It really feels good every time I have my hair cut short. lol

The Fourth Kind

2010-03-27T02:48:00.004+08:00

First of all, this is not a movie review. It may look like one but I really don't consider it to be one. Haha. This may be just like my thoughts, reactions and such on the movie.

Okay. So let me start off by saying "I actually haven't seen Paranormal Activity yet... nor that Blair Witch Project movie." Yeah, I am a loser. I know. LOL. I just said that to make it clear that I could not actually compare this one to both of those movies.

Anyways, The Fourth Kind is a movie about real alien encounters backed by real footages and recordings that were reported at a certain place called "Nome." The First Kind is actually Sighting. The Second Kind is Evidence. The Third Kind is Encounter or Contact and the Fourth Kind is Abduction, which obviously is the creepy one.

I'd say this one directly. I actually enjoyed the movie and it scared me.

Who would have thought aliens would freakin' scare me that much?? The movie was disturbing. It goes to show that horror movies don't need to have ugly vampires, witches, etc. to make it frightening.

The movie presented a simple idea -- just a mere re-enactment of the compiled evidences of recordings, testimonies and interviews done regarding a particular encounter case. The rest is just for you to believe. The idea of integrating actual footages with the actors' interpretations was well done by the way.

It may have bad reviews as they say it was just a hoax and all that crap but if you just come to enjoy,watch the movie and think about that other possibility of it actually happening, then this movie would be a good one. It creeped me out. I'm scared of aliens now! hahaha.

If you have to make me actually rate it, I would give it an 8 out of 10. Don't make me explain. You get it. haha

Anyways, it was a great night. Stuffed myself with a lot of Pizza again while watching the movie at Anjo's place (which by the way is like a damn mansion. haha) with some wondeful and awesome people (Francine, Steena, Jyllel). I just accidentally met them at the mall and after that, it was absolutely just fun fun fun. After all, the best nightouts are those that are instantly planned right? haha.

Workaholic?

2010-03-25T19:46:00.000+08:00

As far as my title goes, am I really workaholic? Well, I really could not tell myself. You be the judge. :)

Anyways, I just got into that thought because I realized that I stay in front of the computer, either the desktop PC or the laptop for an average of around 15 to 16 hours a day. Quite a lot, and majority of that time is spent on work.

In fact, I recently bought this one.

They call it the 'wristmate.' I think the name describes the product well and all of you who use the desktop computer would know how much it would really be helpful especially if you stay on the computer for super long hours like me.

I've been actually using that one for over a week now. Pretty good so far. It's got this sandy feeling that takes stress away. I even play with it sometimes. It's like a mini hotdog pillow if you come to think of it (LOL)... except for the different texture.

So yeah. That actually proves how I spend a lot of time sitting, eating, singing, etc, in front of the computer. haha.

Now, going back to the real question.

If you are asking for my thoughts on it then I think I partly am workaholic and partly not. There are just some times I really need to work but I really don't give up my social life for that. That's why I go out that often even for no reason at all.. haha. - yeah, and that involves going out alone sometimes just chilling out.

And yeah, I actually enjoy my work that's why most of the time I feel like I am not working at all. haha. Yeah. You get what I mean right?

How bout what you think? Am I really that workaholic?

For My One and Only

2010-03-17T23:21:00.002+08:00

On the 27th of March falls the birthday of the woman I truly adore, the woman I first loved, my inspiration and the reason why I am here. She is none other than my mother - Elena Borja. Yeah. Enough said. I love her so much.

Anyway, since last year I have already been thinking of what to give her on her birthday. I wanted it to be something special as my way of saying thank you for everything. I'm not really good at giving gifts (yeah. it sucks). I was already close to asking her what she would want for her birthday. haha. Good thing earlier this year, she was like complaining of her old laptop which has been like fully depreciated over time already. haha.

So there. To make the long story short, I could not wait for her actual birthday and gave her my present in advance. It was this one.

It's actually an ASUS EEE-PC Netbook. 1GB of RAM, Intel Atom N450 Processor, 250 GB HDD and a Windows 7 Starter OS. She would just be using the netbook for documents and Facebook games. She's a Farmville and Cafe World addict by the way. haha. So, that netbook would be just fine for her usage and needs. I'm kind of envious because its battery would last for 11 hours maximum. Oh well.... I'm happy with mine anyway. hehe

The moment I gave it to her, she was absolutely happy and that's all that matters. :)

Happy Birthday Mom.

Pizza de Oro

2010-03-16T21:23:00.001+08:00

I was craving for pizza earlier this afternoon so I decided to try Pizza de Oro, the newest pizza in Cagayan de Oro. They still don't have a store so they only accept deliveries as of the moment. Delivery is free and the pizzas are affordable.

Now, going to the big question... How is the taste? Well, I would say nothing beats my all-time favorite New York's Finest from Yellow Cab. However, both their pizzas (Hawaiian Ham and Cheese and De Oro Overload) would still pass my taste. Being a pizza fan who just tasted a white pizza for the first time, I think their pizzas would actually be loved by the Kagay-anons. I've heard great comments from online friends from CDO and yes, they sure were right. It was not a disappointment. It's worth a try. In fact, I'm thinking of ordering again. haha.

Check them out HERE on their Facebook page for more of their services.

Power Shortage in Mindanao

2010-03-10T23:53:00.001+08:00

Recently, we have been experiencing a very unfortunate circumstance. As to what I have understood, due to the current El Nino phenomenon, our power sources like the Maria Cristina Falls, etc, etc have gone short. That only means one thing: There will also be a short supply of electricity too.

This is where it gets worse. Everyday, we are experiencing blackouts that last for around 5 hours. Aside from the fact that it gets pretty annoying and hot everyday, this situation is so not favorable for me.

My job is online. It requires the use of computers and the internet and basically being able to work 8 hours a day. Taking 5 hours of my day for a power outage is such a really big deal for that matter. Sad fact is we still don't know when this will end. It seems like every week there is a new schedule of power interruption from Cepalco. :(

Well, in line with this, to give a little bit of a solution to this problem, I immediately decided to buy a new laptop/netbook. This was really out of my plan but it turned out to be a necessity these past few days. I can make good use of it anyway. This will be a great investment I presume.

I bought this HP Mini 311 netbook (on the left side of the pic). 2GB of RAM, Intel Atom Processor, NVIDIA Graphics with Windows 7 starter OS. I thought I would not be able to use it that much so I just settled for those specs. Not bad for a netbook anyway. It fits my extra needs. So far, so good. It even exceeded my expectations :)

Having this laptop allows me to work anywhere where there is a good wireless connection (SM City CDO is one of my favorite places..pretty good connection). That would be much cheaper than constantly going to an internet shop and pay for the hours of the limited work I can actually do there. I also even bought a Smart Bro Prepaid Plug-in Kit for an extra mobile internet connection.

At this point, I have been constantly making up for the hours I need to work. That means working late at night just to be able to finish and accomplish things. Pretty tiring but I really have to do it. There is no other way. This makes me stuck in this workplace almost all day.. taking advantage of the time when there still is power/electricity.

All of these circumstances actually gave me a good realization. We all have to conserve energy before it is too late. This lesson just doesn't apply to electricity and power. It can also be applied in real life right? It's like teaching us to cherish what we currently have because we never really know how important they are unless they are gone. :)

Jailbreaking My iPhone 3G

2010-01-29T11:34:00.002+08:00

Remember my previous post on how I was so happy with the fact that I could already record videos on my iPhone 3G? SCREW IT.

I can now record BETTER videos on my iPhone 3G. That is because I had it jailbroken! I used George Hotz's blackra1n jailbreak. It was a very easy jailbreak. That guy is a pure genius. I've always admired him ever since the time he was able to hack the iPhone.

Anyways, going back to my phone, yeah. It is way way better now.

Here's a pic of it before and after.

After a week of having it jailbroken, I was already able to mostly customize it. I changed the theme, I added some helpful utilities which cannot be found in a locked iPhone and I even added something which could improve it's performance.

I feel like I have a new phone now. LOL. I am loving my phone back. If there was one regret of having this iPhone, it was that I did not jailbreak it immediately the time I purchased it a year ago!

Jailbreaking was like the best thing that has ever happened to my iPhone. :)

January Blog

2010-01-18T00:09:00.000+08:00

There's always something I love about January.

It's like a fresh start as it is the first month of the year. New Year's Resolutions are not really my thing. I just like a fresh start and probably a new perspective in life during these times of the year.

It is also during this time that memories of the past years start to flash back. You know. That feeling when you start looking back you realize what you've been through, the blessings you've received, the problems you've faced or are still facing and that you realized how much you've become a stronger person or something like that.

2009 year has actually been a great year for me. It was this year that I graduated from college and I actually got a job of which I am happy doing. It has been a year filled with blessings and I am really thankful to God for it.

On the other hand, January is also special since my birthday falls on January 4. I just turned 20 by the way and I am so happy I got to spend my 20th birthday with some of the most awesome people on Earth. :)

I also started to realize that I am becoming old. lol. This ain't the usual birthday anymore. Before, I used to be given money and gifts and I became happy with that. Now, I was the one giving/spending/sharing and I am much happier with that. You know, the feeling you get when you are with some good people, especially when you make them happy too, is absolutely priceless.

It has been a great start of the year. I hope it will be a great year ahead too. No time for worries, problems, disturbing thoughts whatsoever. I pray this year will be a year of success and moving ahead with life. ;)

Avatar is Awesome!

2009-12-23T02:23:00.002+08:00

It's already past 2 AM but I am still pumped up because...

Number 1, I still can't get over the movie, Avatar.
Number 2, had a McDonalds coffee.
and Number 3, had to complete some unfinished work.

Talking about Avatar, I watched it earlier. It was really awesome and the three hours of watching the movie was really worth it.

I had kind of negative thoughts regarding this movie before since on forum sites they were making negative comments about it being a movie that is almost entirely just computer-generated graphics ruining the movie experience.

Well, in cases like that, I always stick to my "watching-a-movie principle" and that is: "Why hate a movie you've never even seen yet?" -- got that from a forum comment by the way.

Anyways, Avatar was indeed a great movie. The story was common and almost predictable but was delivered well and the visual effects NEVER did disappoint me. It was brilliant.

More importantly, it was a heartwarming movie for me too. Got a lot of lessons including some reminders about Respect, Life and Love. I totally recommend this movie to everyone. It just gave me the three-hour satisfaction/relaxation from all the stresses of life that I think I really need. :D

Anyways, got to sleep now. Still have work tomorrow. Two more sleeps before christmas too :D

Record Videos on iPhone 3G

2009-12-19T13:15:00.000+08:00

After having my iPhone 3G for almost a year, I am now able to record videos on it!!! Thanks to the recent apps that were released on the App Store! The picture above shows the most recent apps I've downloaded there (the ones on the red box). They are mainly for the enhancement of the camera feature of the iPhone 3G.

First, the iVideoCamera and the Camcorder. Both of them are just $0.99 each and with that price you can already record videos on your iPhone 3G or 2G. It's quality is obviously not as good as the iPhone 3GS. It's just enough to make you see moving frames although the developers stated, "We will be enhancing the frame rate and quality soon." So with that stated, I am expecting it to be much better in the next few months perhaps. :) Although the Camcorder does seem to have a better quality than the iVideoCamera, i would still prefer the iVideoCamera just because I can actually import the file to the computer and even upload it directly on YouTube or Facebook. Pretty nice feature. Here is a sample of a vid I took earlier.

The 5.0 MPX app you see above, as its name implies, turns your iPhone into a 5 megapixel camera. My iPhone 3G only has a 2MP camera so it does improve the picture quality really well.

It would really come in handy if I would want to take better looking photos. It only cost $0.99 too.

Lastly, the PS Mobile or the Photoshop Mobile app. It is free but the features are limited to crop, exposure, some effects, tint, rotate, flip and sketch. I don't know if I missed some but those features are the basic ones that you would probably frequently use for photo enhancement.

So there, iPhone 3G or 2G users, these apps will greatly improve the camera feature of your phone. Grab it now while it is still $0.99 on the app store!

Glee!

2009-12-18T01:17:00.002+08:00

I maybe late (really late) on this one but I just discovered this show, Glee. I know the first season has just ended but I just started watching it. I am still on the 8th episode and now I am totally hooked.

I have been hearing lots of good things about this show before. I was even wondering why their songs are on the top list of iTunes. I just didn't had that chance to check it because I was too busy from work and lots of other stuff until last week.

Well, since Gossip Girl and Heroes were on break I decided to give their pilot episode a check and wow! I knew that show was for me. LOL. Everybody knows how much I am into music and that stuff. This show just captured everything about it. It even made Glee Club that much interesting and exciting! Oh, how I wish our Glee Clubs here would be that awesome.

Anyways, I'd have to say it's a really really great and fun show. No wonder why they would say it has been the most successful show of 2009.

And oh, they've got great song selections too which were delivered perfectly! So far, my favorite episode was the 'Single Ladies' episode. haha. That was so much fun.

Can't wait to finish the 5 remaining episodes!

Addicted to Coffee?

2009-12-17T01:53:00.004+08:00

I recently noticed that I have been addicted to coffee.. well not that much really -- just a cup (a tiny cup) a day. It's not that worse of an addiction yet. I just find myself having this desire/need of drinking it often.

It may not be that alarming since coffee/caffeine addiction has been pretty much normal in our society nowadays but out of curiosity, I tried to search the internet on how coffee would affect my health especially that I am still a teenager... (I'll be turning 20 a few days from now, but I believe I still am considered a teenager *big grin*).

I spent a small amount of time googling it. Lots and lots of search results. I am a lazy researcher so I just skimmed through all of the facts I stumbled upon.

Here are some benefits (taken from different sources):

1. It is a great source of antioxidants, an important compound that prevents you from certain diseases.

2. Lowers the risk of Parkinson's disease and Type 2 diabetes.

3. Mediates depression.

4. Keeps our brain alert and receptive of new information.

Some disadvantages that were stated:

1. When consumed in excess, it can be addictive and can affect your mood.

2. It can stain your teeth over time.

There were a lot more deep and further studies about it but the bottom-line of those researches is that there are so many benefits of drinking coffee that it becomes hard to be worried about the few disadvantages when in fact these can only be dealt with moderation. Yes.. moderation can solve it all. So, I was thinking it is not that bad after all... just not too much of it.

After having been able to read all of those, It made me become more comfortable drinking it in moderation. I don't drink that much everyday... just around 15g (1 sachet).

I am not that particular with my coffee either. Although there are a few good cold and sweet coffees, I don't think they are the real deal. I prefer my coffee to be hot and strong... it keeps me going.

What's your favorite coffee by the way?

Creative SBS A300

2009-12-16T01:04:00.000+08:00

One of the gifts I bought myself this Christmas was a Creative SBS A300 2.1 speakers. I recently just bought a PC and for someone who uses audio that much for movies, gaming and more importantly music, these kind of speakers are a great need.

I was looking for something affordable yet with good quality. This was certainly it. It's got great sound quality with a great pounding subwoofer of which you could control the bass volume. It's also very easy to setup and definitely looks good on any current desktop out there like mine.

It lacks some minor features (like no headphone jack) and might not be the perfect and most outstanding 2.1 speakers out in the market, but for 1,350 pesos it sure is a good buy.

It has significantly changed the way I listened to music in my PC now... been playing Christmas songs over and over again by the way. :)

9 days to go before Christmas. Merry Christmas everybody.

Blog Redesign

2009-12-15T22:08:00.001+08:00

I suddenly remembered that I still have a blogger account.

I haven't made an update here for the longest time and I realized that this blog could still be of use. That is why I decided to redesign/redefine my blog. From now on, I'll try (take note: 'try') to make the most out of this one.

I will still make updates on my tumblr account but I will frequently update this one with the interesting things that happen to my life.

So, happy blogging everyone. :)

tumblr

2009-04-27T14:36:00.002+08:00

i recently heard about tumblr but i wasn't really that convinced. i already have blogger and i think this might be enough. hehe.

but then as i browsed through the free apps on itunes under the category of social networking, i saw the tumblr app. it had great reviews too. so from that moment on, tadah! . i decided to create a tumblr account. hahaha. it's sooo much easy to blog using my phone. hehe.

CLICK HERE.

camiguin

2009-03-28T13:19:00.007+08:00

alright so this is another post for today. hehe

we went to camiguin last wednesday to have a vacation. it was an immediate plan. hehe. na.insigida daun. hehe. so ang nakauban mga boys. si gain, juveryck, migz, bmark, carlos, kevin, richard, john v.,star ( babae diay ni siya. haha), ug si ian lou.

it was tiring pero sooo much fun. when we arrived, we went to rica's place para mag.dinner. haha. g.handaan man gyd daw mi nia. hehe. then pagka next day, super tuyok the whole day! haha .from katibawasan falls to sto nino cold spring then soda swimming pool, old church ruins, sunken cemetery, then hot spring up to gabii. then ian lou napd nag.treat sa amo ug dinner together with his wife, meriam! hahaha. the kinilaw tastes soooo damn good. haha. on the last day, we went to white island na daun. so as expected, sunburn! haha.

really had sooo much fun. also met maui, wowie, deggy, rosal and friends. steph, nash, shem and digger made apas sa among place on thursday night. thank you sooo much sa tanan nga akong mga naka.uban didto. i enjoyed your company guys.

super thank you pd kang tita baby for accomodating us. the place was sooo nice. the people were so friendly and super nice. i love Camiguin. hehe.

pictures are worth a thousand words so here are some. ü

i finished college!

2009-03-28T12:11:00.006+08:00

after all the anxiousness about my grades of which i was able to blog about a week ago, finally i did graduate from college. haha. oh yes.. i graduated last March 21, 2009.

school has been so much fun. it's where i learned most in life. from studies to friendships, relationships, God, values and many many more. i will really miss school and the people i learned to love and treasure.

super thanks to all those people who have been with me sa akong college life. i will truly treasure every memory nga ato na make. gamay ra na nga pictures ang naa diha. some of those people i am thankful for are not even there. pero still, you know who are and thanks. as in from the bottom of my heart. hehe. i wouldn't have made it without all of you.

super thank you pud sa akong ever loving parents for supporting me and being with me through every step that i take. i made it this far because of them. thank you and i love you. ü

most of all, i thank GOD for everything. He has been my strength, my guide and my inspiration. thank you for all the blessings. this is all for Your glory.

congratulations sa atong tanan. ü

'i guess i'm graduating'

2009-03-12T00:01:00.001+08:00

i went to school this afternoon to inquire about my final grades. i was actually quite anxious even though i already knew i passed all of my subjects.

when i went to the registrar, the tension was rising. LOL! the first thing she told me was 'wala pa man kai grado sa BCA' so my immediate reaction was 'given naman na. di na na angay kabalak.an. (haha. confident!)'. then i told her it doesn't matter. i want to know my other grades.

she then told me my grades. oh GOD! thank you sooo much. i never expected to have those grades. it was higher than i expected. haha.

after that, i thought to myself 'i guess i really am graduating'. haha. so immediately nag pa reserve na dayon ko toga para wala na problema. haha.

pero btaw ui, i just have to wait for the official list para ma sure gyud. hehe. ü

carlo b.

The final exams are finally over!!! yeah! what a relief. really.

2009-03-07T14:34:00.001+08:00

The final exams are finally over!!! yeah! what a relief. really.

However, as much as I really wanted
to jump for joy and the likes, I just don't want to as of the moment. I'm still nervous for my grades in Tax and Audit. huhuhu. I still have up to Monday to think about it.

Well, i just have to remain hopeful and be constantly reminded that God has a plan for my life no matter what happens. I did what I can for those subjects. I'm just staying positive as of the moment while waiting for the results/final grades.

Again, good luck and God Bless to those who are graduating. We've made it this far. we all have to be proud of ourselves. ü

carlo b.

job qualifying exam day

2009-03-03T20:40:00.002+08:00

just this afternoon, i prepared myself for my first job qualifying exam. lol! haha. it was for Pelaez-Golez Management Corporation. my God! i never expected it to take me that long. as in super long! from 2 pm up to 5.30. lots and lots of questions pero easy lang man pd. hehe. i felt like i was exhausted after taking up the exam. hehe. still have to pass something to them before March 6 so i have to work on it starting tomorrow. grrrr.. magtuon pakos finals. samuka! hhehehe.

update.

2009-03-02T20:01:00.002+08:00

hey! i realized that i really really need to update my blog just so everyone would know that this one is still existing. lol. - mura sad ug daghan ga.update sa ako life. haha

anyways, it's been more than a month since i last posted a blog entry. it goes to show how busy i was. oh wait. maybe i was just too lazy to even post a blog. haha. whatever the reason was, it doesn't even matter. hehe.

alright. this week marks the final week of my senior year in college. i already had 2 out of my 5 final exams. sad to say, i am not that confident with those exams i had. :( those were haaaaaaard exams, especially tax. my God. the past week and this week are the most critical weeks of my life so far. haha. it's really hard and such a pressure to be a graduating student. aargh. i'm doing my best to finish this week with satisfaction. hehe.

good luck and God bless sa tanan seniors.

Heroes is back!!!

2009-02-04T21:10:00.001+08:00

Heroes is back!!!

i was excited to see the first episode of volume 4 "fugitives". it was nice seeing all of them back together. sylar is as powerful as ever and peter is back.

the visual effects were incredible
as usual but the ending was super bitin. aaarrgh. it still keeps me wondering what would happen next. that's the best thing about heroes. haha.

by the way, i've also seen the latest episode of gossip girl. it was a very very interesting episode. it was full of s
gossip as usual. haha. lots of interesting things that happened. the line that keeps repeating on my mind after watching the episode was "i don't work at Constance anymore". hahahahaha

carlo b.

APO Concert

2009-02-03T01:28:00.001+08:00

I just came home from the 'APO Concert for a Cause' held at the XU Gym. I had soooooo much fun of which i never really expected.

To be honest, i went to the concert for the sake of having a bonus grade sa RS (haha) although i admit i love a lot of their songs - those classic songs that never die! (and always being revived).

i thought it will be just the typical concert for the previous generation. haha. i was totally wrong for they even danced and sang beyoncè's song. haha. - although it was with different lyrics. they were able to prepare many gimmicks plus there were a lot of jokes. haha. as in. those jokes really made us all laugh. hehe.

and most of all, the song arrangements were
incredible! i just love their musical talents! smooth jud ang dagan sa concert and murag lang walai palpak jd sa ilang performances. hehe. kai murag they were able to really prepare man jd pd.. hehe. the 'Yesterday' by the beatles
and 'DoReMi' medley was my favorite. haha.

APO rocks! hehe. 39 years in the industry and still continuing to inspire us with their music.

fan na fan kau ko paminawon. hehe. anyway, sagdi nalang. mao jd nang effect basta malingaw sa concert. haha. looking forward to seeing them again. hehe.

carlo b.

exhausted

2009-01-24T14:56:00.001+08:00

this morning was the burial of my uncle. it was filled with emotions (as expected). they assigned me as the guitarist (for the service) and the camera/videoman for everything else. i wasn't able to capture all the intense crying/drama churva (haha) because my videocam ran out of battery but still i was able to capture some. anyways, i know my uncle is happy and we have to be happy for him :D

i arrived home at about 1.30 in the afternoon and i had to rush back to school to pass my cover letter and application letter. good thing i arrived just in the nick of time. gain was about to pass it when i arrived. so lucky me. hehe

i am at the school library right now. i still have an exam at 6 and i really am not in the mood to study. i feel so exhausted. i feel like the usual energy that's coming out of me is totally drained. it sucks coz it's making me so damn sad. aargh.

hope everything will be fine as this day ends. i'm just so tired.

carlo b.

job fair.

2009-01-23T00:31:00.002+08:00

today i attended the job fair at XU and had may first job interview! it was tiring but fun. it made me kinda nervous at first but then eventually i got used to answering their questions. char2x lang gud ug tubag. hehe. now i kinda know how it feels to apply for a job and have those job interviews.

i'm planning on going back tomorrow to apply for more positions in different companies. try2 lang gud. pang.experience. hehe.

all of these things just made me realize nga tininuod na d.i gyud ni. trabaho na gud ang ga.applyan. hehe. i can't believe i'll be working na. my school days are over. hehe. i wonder what happens during the next couple of months. i have no plans pa. haha. all i know is i'll be graduating and i'll be working soon. hehe. good luck sa atong tanan.

by the way, as i am writing this blog i just can't help but be bothered by what i'm thinking. i'm just pissed off right now. yeah. i know. it was my fault. i just lost my mood / f***ing temper! crap. whatever. i'm such a bullshit. i don't even know what to say. i can't even clear my stupid mind. blah. blah. just never mind. goodnight.

death.

2009-01-18T07:31:00.001+08:00

good morning blogger.

not a really good morning for us because of what happened last night.

anyways, yesterday was really emotionally draining.

first of all, i woke up and found out that one of my dogs died. i don't know the exact reason why this happened. all i know is he was not feeling well since thursday or friday and then he just died. it was sad. yeah. i'm speaking as a person who lost a beloved pet. a lot of us may know how that feels.

also last night, it was kind of a really fast incident when my aunt called telling us that my uncle was rushed to the hospital. he had kidney problems, diabetes and his blood pressure was too high. he was already in comatose when she called. anyways, to make the long story short, he died after a few hours. the doctor actually gave us options of putting him to the ICU and doing everything just to kind of like extend his life. i'm saying 'kind of' because it would only extend his life for only 2-3 days. however, it's just like spending to wait for his death. it will only extend his and the family's suffering or whatever i should call it. we did not take that option so that was it. he died last night, January 17, 2009 together with my dog :D

death is really unpredictable and inevitable. it's just a matter of acceptance that it does and it will happen. i just really don't like the fact that my grandmother is really becoming so emotional up to now. we just can't blame her for that. she really has that attitude plus it's really hard to lose a son.

i'm not really used to this kind of feeling. i'm a cheerful person and i'm
hearing all these 'death' talk and it's not helping. it takes away the positive energies.

people die. let's just be happy for them and wish that they will rest in peace. let's not be too much of an emo. hehe.

carlo b.

baha!

2009-01-14T10:35:00.002+08:00

this picture is taken just now. this is outside of the house. how on earth will i be able to go out???

anyways, my exam was postponed! i knew it. that was why i felt sooo lazy yesterday. haha. i should have studied law instead of audit. grrrr.

cagayan de oro is doomed. tsk3. rain rain is not going away.

lazzzy.

2009-01-14T03:51:00.002+08:00

It's already late or should i say early in the morning. hehe. i still have to finish this one but i can't seem to.

the rain hasn't stopped yet. the weather is soooo cold. it just makes me so damn lazy. it makes me stop studying. haha.

hope this rain stops. i think it's not good anymore. tsk3. what's happening cdo?? hehe.

carlobee's just blogging here. i'm already sleeeepy. hehehe. zzzzz. goodnight ü have to sleep. 3 more exams and i'm done with midterms :D

midterms

2009-01-13T00:54:00.001+08:00

it's the midterms week. 2 exams down. 3 more to go. good thing i still have plenty of time to study. however, the coverage is way tooooo long. it's killing meee.

i'm taking a break from studying as of the moment. hehe. i just love mobile blogging. ü relaxing. hehe.

now back to studying. hehe

carlo b.

heart ache!

2009-01-06T23:40:00.001+08:00

my heart is really aching right now. it's not that i am heartbroken. hahaha. it's aching literally. well, i just pray it's not that bad. hope wala na pud ni siya tomorrow. it's bothering me. aargh!

carlo b.

2009

2009-01-05T22:52:00.002+08:00

this day marks the first day of classes for 2009.

it wasn't that fine for me. i was not really feeling well the whole afternoon for reasons i am uncertain of. however, i still managed to finish my classes. now i feel kind of sick but i just hope mawala na ni tomorrow.

anyways, yesterday was my 19th birthday. yehey! 19 nko. hahaha. i just spent the whole day with my family. thank you sa nagsuggest kng asa mi padulong. haha.

thank you sa tanan nga nag.greet sa akoa! it's weird pero ang maka.kumpleto rjd s akng birthday kay ang mga mag greet. haha. i enjoy reading greetings and gaka.touch nako sa mka.remember sa akong birthday. thank you sooo much sa tanan. hope all of you will be able to read this. hehe.

hope this year will be also a good year! this will be my last year as a teenager! yeah! hahaha.

carlo b.

new year!

2009-01-01T17:27:00.002+08:00

let me just start off this blog by saying, "happy new year everyone"

2008 was a great year for me. there were hardships and failures but i am not that type of person who gets pulled by all of those negative energies. i do not actually focus on them. i just 'most of the time'/'almost always' learn from them. that's the reason why instead of being buried by those thoughts, i just am thankful for the countless blessings God has given me during the previous year.

i am thankful first for my family. they are the very reason why i am here and have been here. they have showed me the love and care enough to make one carlobee happy enough to live life. haha. they provided me with my needs and 'wants'. also, they've supported and guided me all the way.

i also am thankful for my friends. life is so miserable without them. even though naai mga misunderstandings, steady lang japon. hehehe.

thank you pud kang pao2x for being this special person in my life. thank you for being here with me gyapon. nag.2009 nalng na.agwanta gyapon ko nimo. hahaha. sorry sa tanan kasakit ug ka.lisud nga akong ghatag sa imoha and thank you for just being there and just loving me in the best way you could. i love you so much.

i still have a lot of things to be thankful for pero sa kadghan di na siguro nako ma.mention tanan. God has really showered me with a lot of blessings and i'm thankful to Him for that. i also am looking forward to a great 2009 with all the people around me. even though, according to pao2, those who were born on the year of the horse (which includes me) will not be that lucky this year, i still am positive! hehehe. i'll try to make this year good. hahaha.

by the way, this day marks one year of my blogging here on blogger! yey! hahaha. i remember that my first blog here was on the 1st of january last year. i should also thank blogger for listening to my happiness and dramas. hahahaha.

happy new year everyone!! have a prosperous 2009!

ang tanging ina niyong lahat!

2008-12-27T15:32:00.002+08:00

yesterday, i, together with my sister, brother and my tanging mother (haha) went to ketkai to watch a movie. we watched 'And Tanging Ina Niyong Lahat' and it was so damn fun! hahahaha. aw. siguro gamay ra ko ug kalipay pero no. it was a super laughtrip movie. haha. it's really worth watching. hehe. plus, naa pa mga drama nga scenes that really made me cry and my God! abay ra ba mi sa akong mama! lisud na. wahahaha.

anyways, i really had fun yesterday with the family! looking forward to more of those bonding. hehe. plus, mom bought us presents! and i really really really love mine! hahaha. thanks mom. i love you sooooo much. hehe.

merry christmas (again and again) and wishing everyone a happy new year :)

christmas.

2008-12-25T13:55:00.002+08:00

merry christmas everyone!

everything went really really fine yesterday and last night. i enjoyed it with my family. lots of laughters and food. another very merry little christmas with the borja family :)

just today, i'm really really sorry of one certain incident that complicated everything. i didn't expect this to happen. so instead of crying myself out without someone to tallk to, i realized blogger is here to help me get through this.

first of all, i'm sorry. i know it's overused but i really am. i realized now how much of a jerk i really am and this is not doing me any good. i've hurt you so much and i've caused you a lot of pain. i thank you for being that patient and understanding to me. i appreciate all the effort of trying to cope up with all of my demands. however, seeing you hurt because of me is just hurting me too. i don't know why this had to happen. i guess it's all just because of me. :( let's see if things work out fine this way.

and most of all, i'm really very sorry if i ruined your christmas. that would be too much of a hurt that i could give you. :( that was not my intention.

anyways, i just really wish the best for everyone.

merry christmas!!. i guess i need to cry myself back :( just a few more. (yah. i'm so emotional. whatever carlo.)

twilight.

2008-12-24T14:26:00.003+08:00

alright. finally, i've seen the movie people have been talking about .. last month. hahahah. yeah. i've already seen twilight. hehehe. i've read comments, blogs and reviews about the movie. they were pretty much right so i won't elaborate anymore. hehe. overall, i still enjoyed the movie. the baseball scene rocks. hahaha.

anyways, it's already christmas eve and the feel of christmas is already here. hehehe. people are so busy and michael buble's christmas songs just makes me sad. hehe. merry christmas everyone!!! woohooo. let's enjoy. hehe.

by the way, someone requested this (hahaha) :

it's not as good as the original but i hope i did justice to it. hahaha.

christmas break.

2008-12-20T15:57:00.002+08:00

finally, it's christmas break. it's the holiday season again which definitely means - break from school. haha.

last night, i was at JPAMA's christmas party and i had so much fun. well, daghan ka.buang ang mga lalaki. haha. naai mga regalo nga condom ug t-back. haha. naunsa. the gift i received was a 'siga-siga'. hahaha. lingaw baya. i thought gamay ra mag.attend. it turned out nga napuno mi didto. hehe. there were eating, games, singing, dancing (si chiong ga.imagine nga club daw. hehe) and lots of laughters. si ms. gumanit, ang bully sa MNB (haha) ang chrisMAMA daun ia chrisPAPA kai si katong gwapo nga dghan fans nga 3rd year. nakalimot ko sa iya name . hehhee.

this morning, we were supposed to play airsoft but then when i woke up i received a text msg that it will be postponed. wait for further information lang daw. hehe. so i went back to sleep. hehe. i just stayed here at home finishing everything i need to do for our church thanksgiving tomorrow.

i also watched Mamma Mia! and i loved it. i don't know why but i enjoyed it more than Across the Universe. hehe. maybe, because the songs were delivered well plus it is not that deep. the story is direct , modern and fun! hehe.

happy holidays everyone. christmas is fast approaching. let's enjoy the holidays with our family and loved ones ;)

bussssy weekend!

2008-12-15T13:05:00.003+08:00

i had one of the busiest weekends ever.

i'd start off with what happened last saturday. i went to Grand Caprice in the morning for the Cagayan de Oro Recruitment of Procter & Gamble. i wasn't that much prepared when i came there. i loved the whole presentation. nikki sun was great. hehehe. i love the company. i love the office! fortunately, i passed the Global reasoning test but it doesn't end there. last night, i completed the online assessment. it was a very very very long online application that's why i slept late. so now, i'm still waiting for the response.

yesterday was one of the reasons why i got so busy last week. Dec. 14, 2008 was my grandparents' golden wedding anniversary and also my lola's 70th birthday. i was assigned to take care of all the audio and video presentations plus to accompany the song presentations. it was tiring but the event was fun. congratulations to my lolo and lola for making it that far. dugay2 napd nang 50 years. hehe.

that was what kept me busy over the weekend. the only thing i guess would keep me busy but not that much right now would be prelims and some minor video editing for our church thanksgiving.

i maybe a busy pig but i still find time for the people i value the most. :D

stressed.

2008-12-08T00:29:00.002+08:00

super stressed :(

... too lazy and tired to even write a blog. probably next time. :(

i just heard that beyonce's if i were a boy song, already has a remix with lee car on it adding if i were a girl lyrics.

here's the if iwere a girl part:

If I were a girl even just for a day
I'd get out of the bed in the morning and take forever to get ready
Complain to my friends as if they got a man
They talk about you cause they're jelous
and I just stay and listen to it
(I should get rid of them)

If I were a girl I don't think i"d understand
How it feels to love a boy
I swear I'd be a better woman
I'd listen to him cause I don't know everything
I would always try to tell him
That he needs to treat me better like I don't got to change at all
If I were a girl...

It's a little too late for you to come back
Say it's just a mistake,
Think I'd forgive you like that?
(I don't)
If you thought I would wait for you,
You thought wrong
(I did wrong)

But you're just a boy...
And you're just a girl...
You don't understand
No. You don't understand
How it feels to love a girl someday
You wish you were a better man
you don't listen to her
(and you don't listen to him)
You don't care how it hurts
(you don't care how I feel)
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you've taken her for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

But you're just a boy..
And you're just a gïrl...

lazy afternoon.

2008-12-04T12:37:00.003+08:00

last night, i was at school for the Xavier Days opening. the program was not that good. i was bored. haha. puro choir, sayaw ug kanta nlng nga mga boring. haha. aw . naa man pd mga nice but overall i wasn't that much into it. in fact, g.una kog gawas. haha. and the fireworks.. i know it woud have been nice if wala lang nanga.hupas ang uban. haha. it was not that great of a night. the weather did not cooperate.

today, i'm feeling so lazy. i just got so tired yesterday. i'm going to school this afternoon and i am not expecting that much. adto2 lang. hehe. unta naai lingaw. hehe. happy XU days everyone and pleeease. wala na untai rain. hehe.

colorgenics.

2008-12-04T11:32:00.001+08:00

got this one from pao2. it's called colorgenics. this is my personality daw. hehe. tell me if it's true. haha

You are striving for a life full of activity and experience and, perhaps even more, an environment where you would be able to forge a close bond with a person who can offer full emotional fulfilment.

You are trying to improve your position and prestige - be it in your life or in your workplace. Things are, at this time, OK - but they could be better. You feel that it is essential that you break down any opposition that could possibly lurk in the shadows. You know that you are quite capable of achieving this set goal because you have to and because it is essential to your self esteem.

Being a very proud individual, you tend to hold yourself aloof pretending that you are stoical - indifferent to pain and pleasure. This is not so, for in truth you are an extremely emotional individual, one that may make a hasty decision and perhaps regret it at leisure. It is time now to break the bond of detachment and be the 'you' that you would like to be - give vent to your emotions and enjoy yourself.

You are being unduly influenced by the situation that is all around you. You do not like the feeling of loneliness and whatever it is that seems to separate you from others. You know that life can be wonderful and you are anxious to experience life in all its aspects, to live it to the full. You therefore resent any restriction or limitations that are being imposed on you and you insist on going it alone.

You don't like authority and you rebel against all forms of limitation. You are your own person and you intend to stay that way and to get on in the world simply by your hard work and determination.

bamboo.

2008-11-30T00:43:00.002+08:00

i watched bamboo's concert at xu gym last night. it was a great night. i had so much fun. bamboo rocked the house. or should i say the gym. duh!? haha. anyways, it was nice to hear again the old rivermaya hits like elesi, kisapmata, ulan, 214 and many more. at first, some of the dancers and bands plus the gawad kalinga video presentations made the whole event boring. haha. but whatever. bamboo was worth the wait. it was really rockin' fun. i heard hale will be in XU this tuesday. so till next time ;)

anyways, it's steena's birthday today. she treated us at izzy's earlier this afternoon. we had lots of sweeeeets for snacks. hehe. anyways, hope she enjoyed her day. she's already twenty! hehe. which reminds me that my birthday is also fast approaching . yeah!! haha. no no. christmas comes first. haha.

time check: it's already past 1 in the morning and for some reasons i cannot sleep and i feel so super sad right now. well yeah. i know i was wrong. i am bastos. i'm like stupid. i know i'm over reacting. i don't understand things. i am so whatever and kind of like a loser. well, maybe this is me. but i'm SORRY.. if i have to deserve this and more so be hated, then i'd accept it. i know i'm bad. :(

brain wave

2008-11-26T23:16:00.002+08:00

earlier this afternoon, i attended JPAMA's brain wave 2008. it was a quiz bowl. i did not expect myself to be there but when mampi told me nga nabutang na daw akong name sa certificate, i had no choice. i attended. sayang ilang effort sa pag.make adto. hehe.

anyways, it was all just for fun. i was with juveryck and dexter. different questions were asked - from science (.. what do you get by adding the number of protons and neutrons) , politics ( .. who was senator barack obama's running mate and the current vice-president of america?) to entertainment and music ( ... on october 15, 2008, what song made a record by climbing the billboard charts from #96 to #1 surpassing mariah carey's sales by 200 units? ... without considering inflation, what is the top-grossing movie of all time?) let's see if you can answer some of those questions. ehehe. leave your answers on the tagboard. hehe.

most of the questions were hard but it doesn't matter. i was able to answer some of it and i had fun together with those man.acc boys. haha. plus, there were free snacks. haha.

got sick

2008-11-24T21:07:00.002+08:00

yesterday, i was sick the whole time.

in the morning, at church, i was not feeling well already. in the afternoon, i was with my parents who went to the mall for a grocery. when i came home, i was able to sleep and then i had to study. i was not able to concentrate that much. my mind does not work that much when i am sick. it got worse when i was just about to sleep. i was already so hot (literally) but i was kind of like shaking because i felt so cold. good thing i was able to sleep despite this condition.

in the morning, when i woke up, i felt better. the fever's slowly going away. i felt bad because i was not able to study bm10. i could have answered every question there and get a perfect score! haha. well, i'll do better next time. hehe.

thank God as of this moment, i'm already recovering. i feel really better now. i hate being sick! haha.