The end of 2010

I'm sorry I don't have a recap of 2010 yet but I'll do that tomorrow. :)

A year ago, it was just me and my brother here at home during New Year's Eve. My parents were out of town last year. However, we did spend it with my Lola's youngest Sister, Lola P.  She said that she would always be there for her 8 extra grandchildren.

Anyway, a year ago was the first and only time my Lola Cory appeared to me in a dream. After she passed away, I really wished for her to appear to me in a dream or something. So at the end of 2009, she was in my dream!

I was visiting her in her house in Times and she was in bed resting. I kissed her and she said "Justin! I missed you!" (She'd always call me by my real name :) ) After that moment, I woke up in bed. It was dark. But I smiled and said "Hi Lola, I miss you too." She seemed happy and I know she's up there watching over us. It's been over a year now and I still miss my Lola each and everyday...

2010 has been a roller coaster ride for me and my family. The campaign trail was busy. The elections were nerve wracking. Post-elections is even harder. But despite all that, God has been good to us. I'm thankful for the year that was.

2011 will definitely have ups and downs. Hopefully more ups! Another 365 days.

Anyway, here's to a New Year everyone! I wish you and your families all the best in 2011! Manatili tayong lahat sa tuwid na daan! :)

Happy New Year!

Watch out for the RELAUNCH of THE TANGLED WEB!!!

Dear Reader of The Tangled Web,

How have you been? I've been very busy. I have a new assignment and it demands a lot of time. When I get home, I need to work on other things so that's why I've been busy. But I don't think that's an excuse. For that, allow me to take this opportunity to apologize. I will blog more next year. I promise. I'll try to match my 2009 entries if that's what it takes! You may have been looking at this on a daily basis with no update. For that, I'm sorry. 2010 was just way too tiring for me. Believe me. I couldn't get a break to be quite honest.

But here's something I want to tell you. 2011 will be BETTER! The Tangled Web will have more posts and what I plan on having is more engagement with the reader. How's that? :) I have some topics in store for 2011 but I need you to give me some topics too :) So suggest away! Before the year ends, I'll have my year ending entries. Just some points of reflection. :) That cool?

Anyway, I just want to thank you for being supportive of this blog. I really didn't expect to get a lot of readers here but I'm honored. I promise, I'll have a lot of things on the blog so don't go away!

For now, I gotta go, it's my Ninang's birthday today and we have a dinner. I gotta get ready :) Who's my Ninang you ask? It's Pinky :) She's like a 2nd mom to me. Do pray for her if you can.

Catcha later!

Jiggy

POWERBOOKS POWERBALL

Check out what's happening this Weekend at PowerBooks! Get to meet Comic Book people like Manix Abrera, Freely Abrigo,  Jamie Bautista, Lyndon Gregorio and Elbert Or!

You can even win 5000 Pesos worth of PowerBooks GCs!

Go to the Facebook site of Power Books and see how you can join! :)

Turning 25 soon.

My birthday's coming up soon and to be honest, I don't know what I'm feeling. I also don't know how to celebrate it. I don't know whethere I should be excited of turning 25. I feel like that time flies by so fast that you need to pay attention to every second. Gone are the days of being a teenager and having petty problems in life. More is expected from you as you grow older and you need to get better at it.

Now, all I can say is that I am truly truly blessed. I'm very happy where I am now. :)

I guess it really is about making the most out of every day.

The Toys I never got...

My Mom and Dad told me when I was little that not everything in this world you can have... I realized when I was older that it was a way not to spoil me. They did a pretty good job at raising 2 boys. Seriously.

But there are just 2 things I really REALLY wanted as a kid... I never got them though...

1. The Turtle Blimp from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

It was THE vehicle at that time! A blimp man! C'mon! How can you go wrong with that? You inflate this small balloon similar to the Wet Set stuff for the swimming pool.

I thought the Ninja Turtles had awesome vehicles. The toys where more awesome since not all toys appear in the movie. The Ninja Turtles were one of the best things out of my childhood to be quite honest.

2. The second toy I wanted SO bad was the 1989 version of OPTIMUS PRIME from Transformers. Need I say more? Here was the leader of the Autobots. A RED TRUCK with a container van attached that turns into a frikkin Robot. I got other Transformers but Optimus was always sold out! Mind you that Toy Kingdom/Toys R Us did not exist in the Philippines back then. We had Ultra Noblia in Virra Mall (Now called V Mall) and Babylane... Yes Babylane sold toys.

I'm not complaining. I got pretty cool toys growing up! I didn't get a lot of stuff as well... But if there were 2 toys that I really wanted it would be these 2...

What about you?

Nightmare!!! I hate it!!!

I had one of the worst nightmares... I hate the feeling of "namamahay"

I was in a seminar/workshop last week from Thursday to Friday in Antipolo. It was a long day session. Drank so much water and coffee in the cold function room that I kept on going to the rest room...

At night, I wasn't feeling all to well because for some reason, my stomach was upset. I turned in early around 10pm.

Remember from INCEPTION how you don't know how the dream starts? You're always in the middle of it. So I was walking down a road and a red-head caucasian walks next to me and talks to me. Suddenly, her red hair turns black and so do her eyes. She was the devil! I woke up from the dream with my stomach rumbling. I checked the time and it was 2:48am. Frikkin 12 minutes before 3am!?!? I wanted to wake up my room mate but I got scared because his voice might change or something. I went to the bathroom and detoxed. Yes, I will call it that. With an upset stomach, you detox!

I tweeted to take my mind off the dream. I left the bathroom door open for a "night light" effect.

I went back to sleep and I think I had another weird dream about poltergeists or something. Ack! I forgot to flip the pillow!

The next day, I was feeling terrible with an upset stomach and a bad dream running through my head.

I hate it especially when it involves evil. I tell you. It sucks big time. I talked to several friends and they said that nightmares were a way of disposing "garbage" in the mind. Another friend said that you gotta leave all the crap in the bathroom. So there you go, I should've detoxed before sleeping. Grrr.

Anyway, you guys sleep tight alright?

Superstitions

I have to admit that I'm only superstitious during the UAAP season... You know how athletes do some rituals out of superstition? Well, fans also have superstitions. I, in particular, can't wear the opponents color on the day itself. I outgrew the whole lucky shirt thing though. For one season, I wore the same shirt to 5 games. Sometimes, I hid it under an Ateneo jersey. Hahaha.

What is it with superstitions? For some reason, a black cat crossing my path gives me the creeps. Especially when driving. Then there's the funeral procession wherein if you're on the road, you have to throw a coin when you pass by the procession.

We all have our different faiths. I think there's a line between faith and superstition. Kanya-kanya as they say.

What about you and superstitions? What do you think?

Being in the real game is WAY more different

Today, I was on THE BIG MEAL with CJ the DJ and Suzy. I played Beat Suzy.

I tell you, I think Suzy was psyching me morning pa lang. She was tweeting that I was "SMART". I was like "Pressure much?"

But in the game, it's totally different. In the car, you scream the answer and all that but when you're in the hot seat, everything changes.

CJ was kind enough to give comic book questions but the HIP-HOP questions... Wala. Talo ako. The Joshua Tree, I can't believe I forgot U2! Nakakahiya... I was expecting a lot of 80s cartoons questions because off air we were talking about Jem and the Holograms. Who was the lead singer of the Misfits? I said Pizaz!

Eto pa, you know your favorite Disney movies? I loved Hercules. But frikkin "WONDER BOY!" I forgot! I said Golden Boy. Boo.

Seriously, it's different. But congrats to Suzy! :) It was a fun game!

Guys, listen to The Big Meal! Mondays to Thursdays from 12nn-3pm on Magic 89.9. Fun show!

Everything within reason

Sometimes, you just have to stand by a decision. The people close to you may not be as supportive as you expect them to but there are times when you have to prioritize.

Today, I stood by something where safety comes first. It wasn't a popular decision but I believe that safety will always be a priority.

I'm usually a very patient person. But it can hit you sometimes. I'm really sad at this point in time. :(

But things happen for a reason. I think I made the right decision.

300th Post: "Who you gonna call?" and "COWABUNGA!"

For those asking about the "Writer's Block Book", it can be bought in Fully Booked. :)

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300! Welcome! :) I haven't blogged as much as 2009 but I'm trying my best to be at par with it.

I'd like to share with you what made me happy as a child. They were cartoons! I love cartoons and I still watch cartoons. Yes, I'm 24 years old. I watch The Simpsons if I catch it. I watch anything about comic books. So if I see The X-Men on TV, I'll watch it.

But to those born after the eighties. Before cable, before Ben 10 and Pokemon. Kids like me back then had to wait for Friday nights. ABS-CBN showed to of my favorite cartoons back the.

The Real Ghostbusters and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.

Let's start with The Real Ghostbusters. Why "Real"? There was another cartoon called Ghostbusters and it had a flying car with no Proton Packs whatsoever... The Ecto 1 will still rule over a flying car! The Real Ghostbusters I'm talking about is the one with Egon, Peter, Ray, and Winston. :)

You had to be fan of the Ghostbusters! :) I can still here the theme song. If there's something strange in your neighbohood? Who you gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS! I ain't afraid of no ghost! This was spawned by the movie with Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray. The movie was pretty scary if you were 5 years old. Seriously, the whole "There is no Dana, only Zuul!" scared the sh*t out of me. Anyway, back to the cartoons.  It was about these 4 guys in New York City fixing the paranormal problem. It may not be cool for you but it was one of the best we got back then.

Thank God a 3rd movie is in the works! Christmas 2012 is the release date! Huzzah!

The other cartoon in which I was a bigger fan of was TMNT. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Again, 4 main guys, err, Turtles. The story begins when a kid drops his 4 pet turtles in the New York City sewer. Living in the sewers was a Ninja Master named Splinter. One day, a secret mutagen simply called "the ooze" fell in the sewer. The turtles mutated into "humans" while Splinter mutated into a Rat.

These Turtles, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelangelo were trained by Splinter to be, yep, you guessed it, NINJAS! They were to fight the threat that was THE FOOT CLAN lead by the Evil Shredder! The bad guy was a friend of Splinter a long time ago... TMNT started as a comic book but was nowhere near the cartoon counterpart. The comic was dark while the cartoon was funny. That was the time when the word DUDE came in since the teenage turtles always had all sorts of expressions like RADICAL, AWESOME, and of course, COWABUNGA! This was also the time I loved Pizza a lot! Why? Because the turtles ate it and I thought I'd be a Ninja by eating pizza. Hahaha!

The Turtles were huge! It was a  phoenomenon! They had cartoons, 3 live action movies in the nineties and 1 animated movie back in 2007. In 2009, they celebrated their 25th anniversary! I had the Toys when I was a kid. Donatello was my favorite of the bunch. Too bad I never got the Turtle Blimp! I did get the Turtle Van though. :) They don't make toys like they used to too... :(

Back then, when cartoons were shown on Friday nights, you pretend outside to be Ghostbusters or Ninja Turtles. That was when kids went out of the house and played. Now, most are stuck in front of the TV or a computer...

Times have changed but I think the kid in me will never go away.

Man Bag!

I see a growing number of men having this sling bag around them. No, this is not your typical back pack. It's a small bag and I don't want to call it a murse. It's a MAN BAG!

Yes, I think it's acceptable! I own one because I don't want bulky pockets. I was told that it didn't look nice. So there, I got myself a small bag I can sling on my shoulder.

I was in Greenbelt last weekend and BratPack had this exhibit with famous people showing what they carry in a bag. I was inspired to "blog" about it. There are a number of people who use Tumi and I think it's a pretty good brand. My brand of choice is Jack Spade. Yes, it's the sister company Kate Spade. Why Jack Spade? It's simple, sleek, and it serves you well.

Here's what I carry inside my Jack sack!

I have the ff:

1. Notebook
2. Business Card holder (yellow)
3. Pen
4. iPod
5. Mints (PocketMist spray and Breathsavers)
6. Phone

Guys, it's ok to carry a bag. Make sure it's manly. Try not to bring a clutch bag. I don't think it's as accepted yet.

I can't live without... MINTS!

You know that feeling when you feel naked? Yun bang may kulang pag-alis mo ng bahay?

I wear a watch all the time when I'm out and if my wrist doesn't have a watch, yikes! I feel the same way if I don't have a handkerchief with me too! But what I really can't do is go out of the house without MINTS! Fresh breath is of IMPORTANCE!

Seriously, I'm way too conscious about my breath. Whether it be POLO, Eclipse, Doublemint, Smint, or Listerine, I need to have mints on my pocket!!! 

My mint of choice is the Listerine PocketMist. Sadly, it's not available here in the Philippines. I have relatives from abroad buy it for me. I'm after fresh breath when I take mints. The stronger the mint, the better!

Let's face it people, you owe it to the person you're talking to. It wouldn't hurt you to have fresh breath :) It'll be much appreciated!

Flirting

I have this new tool for The Tangled Web. I got a gift from my girlfriend and it's "Writer's Block".

It's pretty cool actually, it's an actual book in a shape of a block and it has 786 ideas that you can write about.

I cut through and it leads me to a page with the word FLIRTING on it.

So this is my entry on Flirting...

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Would you believe that I don't know if someone's flirting with me already? I'm too naive. I think people are just nice sometimes. Yep, I wouldn't know.

Flirting? I think it's all for high school / college people... For adults? Maybe. For single people? By all means, YES! Go flirt with the people you want to flirt with! Have fun!

Wait a minute. What am I saying? I have no credibility in flirting whatsoever...

Do you flirt? Why? Kilig factor? :)

I think it all begins with attraction. It's the flirting that follows. Guys have to tickle the girl's heart first. Guys MUST be able to deliver the kilig factor! No matter how baduy it may be.

Anyway, that's all I got for flirting! I got nothing...

But you know what? DO send in a comment. Why do you flirt? Do you only flirt with the people who you find attractive?

New Changes in Life!

There are 3 things that are BIG changes in my life right now.

1. Moving to a new department at work. - I've been in my current department for almost 18 months and I will miss my team a lot... But we gotta adapt to change and I'm moving on to a business unit with more responsibilities. Gotta take the challenge! Time to shine!

2. Y Speak! - I was offered by ABS-CBN/Studio 23 to co-host Y Speak :) It's a local show that has gone through a lot of changes but still managed to remain consistently true and cool to the youth! Boses ng kabataan! Thank God they still think I'm young! It's a weekend thing and it will take my Saturday mornings but I'm all for the advocacy! :) If it will be a good influence to the youth, then I'm all for it!

My first episode as co-host is on August 14 :) 

 After my 1st taping with the guest and crew!

3. Blogger for Yahoo! Philippines - I'm officially a comic book blogger on FIT TO POST. It's just me talking about all things comics! :) I'm assigned to publish 2 a week so this will take time away from blogger :( Please do read my posts, I put a lot of heart and time into the geek posts :)

What makes Destiny Cable awesome...

Destiny Cable carries Discovery: Travel and Living and what's awesome about it is the show called Man vs. Food!

What is it about?

It's about Adam Richman travelling the US and he visits local restaurants. Name it! He goes to the special ones like a popular Philly Cheesesteak place in Philadelphia, a popular Pancake place in Hawaii, Quesadillas in Texas, etc. and he faces challenges of that specific restaurant.

It's INSANE!!! But it's fun to watch! Adam eats the tastiest food in the US! There are some challenges that are EXTREMELY difficult like eating 10 wings with POST-APOCALYPTIC HOT SAUCE!!! He didn't finish it. He had to eat a 4 pound Pancake with blueberries in Hawaii. But he had to finish it in 90mins!!! He failed that one too!!! But then he did finish the cheesesteak challenge in Philly, the Sushi Challenge with 10 levels of hot sauce, etc.

Adam is witty as a host and he knows how to describe food! He has references to comic books too that's why I like him. You know he's a geek at heart.

But be warned, watching this show can make you extremely hungry! It can also make you feel extremely sorry for Adam when he eats spicy food. If you want to know more about this show, visit the show's website at http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_V_Food

If you haven't seen this show and you're a Destiny subscriber, by all means, WATCH THIS SHOW!

July na pala...

Man, I haven't had a dry spell that long. So here I am. I'm back! Did you miss me? :) Kidding aside, I have been having "me" time. I missed it. I missed it a lot."Me time" would include spending time with loved ones. But occassionally, I have my alone time.

I have missed so many things already. I have tons of comic book backlog. Seriously. I have yet to catch up on my Amazing Spider-Man... 38 issues and counting... Would you believe? I've caught up with most of my titles but Spidey has been in the waiting list... He'll understand.

SMILE!!!

What have I been doing? My relatives from the Cruz side who live in the US came to visit and we hung out. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail, we get to keep in touch.  I was with them almost everyday so that took away some blogging time. But family first! 

Has my life changed since June 30? I'd say yes in a way. I think my glasses are a dead giveaway. I walk around the mall and there was this person who shouted "Jiggy!" I thought I knew the guy but it was a real estate agent I never met...  There are some lolas and moms who also say hi in which I say hello with a smile. I lost my private life I guess. When I'm out having dinner, people look... Sometimes it feels weird. When they stare, that's when it's weird! What I will miss... Well, I really can't go to the Greenhills tiangge and bargain right? Hahaha! Kidding. But seriously, I think it's privacy gone. Public Service comes with a price and we're in it for the long haul. Para sa bayan!

I've seen a couple of movies... Toy Story 3 was awesome! Eclipse was... Eclipse. 

What's interesting now is that I'll be joining the 24 Hour Comic Book Challenge! check out http://24.jonasdiego.com I signed up on impulse so wish me luck!

I have some blog ideas and I feel that it's not proper to put in here so I'll be blogging it separately. But things have turned out to be exciting for me in the upcoming days ahead... I'll keep you posted!

See ya!

It's another Tuesday (Isabela trip)

I will not talk about the finals since it's too depressing to think about. Instead, I will talk about my trip to Isabela.

I had to go to North Luzon to present to the sales team. It just so happened that their monthly meeting was set in Isabela instead of Dagupan. Bummer.

I left Sunday 5pm and arrived there at 3am the next day. It was the loooongest drive ever. It was INSANE!!! It was a good thing I was with 2 other officemates who had to go to Isabela too. We just had a car hired. Driving to Isabela made me see the "work in progress" of DPWH.

The mountains in Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya had the most outrageous zigzag roads wherein half of the lane is being "fixed/constructed". I was told that it was forever being fixed... The whole year 'round.

At 12 midnight on the way to Isabela. We were stuck for roughly 45minutes in the mountains of Nueva Vizcaya. Since half of the lane was being used by the people coming down, we had to wait. I tell you, it was a pure waste of time. It was 45 minutes I can never get back again. We were already making fun and putting it at the TOP 10 ways you can waste your precious time.

Why am I saying this? If there are other roads being "fixed" for a large amount of time, it should be reported. I already told my Mom about it and I'm telling my Tito about this.

1. It's dangerous having half a lane in the mountains.
2. It wastes people's precious time
3. It's about darn time that we have excellent roads in the provinces.

Jeez luhweez... It was really a long drive :(

Going around the country will make you see a lot of things differently. It makes you want to do something good. There's still a LOT to be done.

I was in Cordon, Isabela and the greenery I saw the next day was lush and beautiful. Nature at its best! Believe me, I'm not much of a nature guy but seeing the green hills makes you appreciate our country more.

If I had the gift of time, I'd be exploring the country now and seeing the opportunities we have. I think there are so many things that are overlooked and they need to be addressed as soon as possible.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. I hope the roads there get fixed NOW NA!

I always worry in do or die games...

I find myself not being able to eat now during lunch break... I'm worried about Game 7.

Tomorrow is a historic day for the NBA. My favorite Celtics are facing their most bitter rival... the Los Angeles Lakers.

LA has the advantage of home court and a starting center. Boston lost Kendrick Perkins due to a knee injury.

The odds are against my team and the articles are stressing me out.

This will be the last chance for Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett... I know that they have that sense of urgency. they know what's at stake. They've been in Game 7s before. I hope that they never give up. I hope they have the will and the heart of the champion.

Go Celtics!!! BEAT LA!!!

Calling out to the Youth... Any suggestions? :)

I got a lot of tweets about the FIFA World Cup and how young ones today want to develop Football here in the Philippines.

It gave me an idea on what else we can develop?

I'm writing this entry for open suggestions. I don't want to deal with the government or anything but what can we do to help our country?

What do you have in mind? This is not like a Dear Noynoy page by the way :) So please don't comment on my Tito asking him to get married or anything like that.

I'd like to get an idea on what youth-oriented programs do you want to see happening? Can we opt out basketball courts for this one? I'm thinking more of kids getting a pair of shoes or kids getting pencils and notebooks.

There was one idea that popped saying that maybe one of the government channels can turn into an educational channel for kids? Right? :)

What do you think? :)

How can we help? :)

Any suggestions? :) I'd appreciate it very much! It's something I can relay to my Mom and my Titas who will indirectly help Tito Noy.

Hoping for Banner 18...

Next to the Ateneo Blue Eagles, I'm a die-hard Boston Celtics fan!!! I know my alliance in colors change and all in the NBA but I've always been a Boston fan.

It's because my Mom lived in Boston together with my grandparents and her siblings. They were political refugees from 1980-1983. And it was the happiest years of their lives. She was the one who brainwashed me about the C's. She told me all about Larry Bird and the legendary Celtics of the 80's. I also find out how rich the heritage of the Celtics is. They have 17 titles and they didn't live in glamour like the ones out west... They were the hardworkers who were taught my Red Auerbach.

With Game 5 tomorrow at the "gah-den", I can't help but write about my team.

Above is the 2008 Championship shirt! We just had to get a piece of it! 2008 was such a happy year for us Boston fans! It's special to me because I watched the Playoffs together with my Lola. We were really happy about Banner 17. It was a remarkable year!

This is the 16-title shirt. If you can see the Celts won 8 straight titles. Yes, 8 STRAIGHT!!! From 1959-1966 they won! Then 68 and 69. Larry Bird had 3 which was 81, 84, and 86. I was already born 1986 so that was my first Boston Championship!

The last 2 shirts are very very old t-shirts as you can see... They're antique shirts from the 80's and I kept them :) So as you can see, I'm not part of the bandwagon when the new Big Three were born. I'm a legit Celts fan through and through! When my older cousins would ask who my team was, it was always the Celtics! Even during the dark ages... I stood with my team :)

I am really hoping and praying that KG, Ray-Ray, Rondo, and The Truth can get a hold of their 2nd ring! Banner 18 please!

The road ahead...

Before I blog about this entry, I just have to say that if a day starts bad, it'll be really bad... sigh... today was pretty hard again. I came home with no one home yet. I heated some left overs and I eat in front of the TV. Seconds after I turn the TV on, the signal goes away...

I opted in reading the newspaper instead. At least Tito Noy is finally proclaimed. :)

First and foremost, I would like to thank EVERYONE who helped in the campaign of Tito Noy. Especially to all the VOLUNTEERS!!! I need to send a special shout out to my Yo!Noy family! It was an honor to have worked with you guys! It doesn't end! Thank you to Migs and Nica of Analog Soul for supporting Yo!Noy. :)

I need to send a special message to the volunteers because they gave everything for the love of country and for change. No amount of thanks will be enough. Our family is indebted to your sacrifice.

Receiving a lot of congratulations on twitter and on the blog is just so overwhelming. Seriously, nakakataba ng puso ang supporta ninyo sa pamilya ko. I'm sorry I can't respond to all.

Much is expected from this new government. I have to admit that I know very little on how the government works. Sure I maybe more knowledgeable on certain things but I'm no expert. A lot of people will expect things to turn around right away. But I'd like to ask for your help in communicating something. A huge part of Tito Noy's campaign says that one man cannot do it alone. It was not about false promises or anything like that. "Kayo ang aking lakas". I believe we all have to remember this. As citizens, we are not here to just sit down and wait for change to happen. It also begins with us. We need to realize that we need to be THAT change. We need to be good citizens helping each other and praying for one another.

The first 100 days will be crucial. We need to help out the new government! What can we do? I suggest we can all start by being punctual. Let's be on time! Let's keep our promises. :) If we say we'll meet at 2:00pm, let's be there at 1:55 and not at 2:55. :)

I know this blog caters to the youth and to parents. To the youth, be good students, work and study hard. Respect your teachers, treasure your friends. To the parents, maybe we can tell the kids about what they don't know about history. We need to be reminded of the dark days of Martial Law in order to understand the present and to not take things for granted. For everyone, let's be God-fearing. Prayer power helps! We need to pray. Lola always stressed that and she was right!

I don't mean to preach but I just have to say that we need to do our part. If you believed in Tito Noy's campaign, then let's be that change for the betterment of our nation! :) I will be here with everyone else. You can count on me and my family to be good model citizens. :)

We're all in this together! Walang iwanan!

Laban na tapat, laban ng lahat.

The First Day High or First Day Blues

There are certain types of people when it's the first day of school. There are those who hate going to school, here are those who are indifferent, and there are those who are just psyched about the first day of school.

I was all of those as a student. Being young, around 7 or 8, you can't help but love the summer vacation. You transition from half-day to whole day so the adjustment can make or break it. Towards the pre-teen days, I was just meh... I wasn't sad and I wasn't all too happy.

But as soon as high school came, going to school wasn't all too bad. I was having fun! I was making myself busy and I was "growing up". You see, staying in an all-boys school can turn you into one torpe young man. I hate to admit it but yeah, for a time. I wasn't really good at talking to girls... How do you overcome it? You just need that dose of confidence!

College was a different story. I kept looking forward to the first day of school. Whether it be during the summer school, the start of a new sem or the start of a whole new school year. My dad says that I'm a rare breed. I was a guy who loved going to school. I guess I was blessed to have an excellent set of friends and I liked the people around me. I liked meeting new people too!

There are some people who think different of me because of my family background. They feel intimidated. But all of them thought wrong. I'm really easy to get along with. :) I smile a lot and I'm very approachable. My friends can confirm that.

So if you're the type of person  who hates going to school, fret not. Things will be better. You only get the first day of school in school! After that, work is different. It's not the same anymore. Sure you meet new people but not as much as the people in school.

I envy the students, they have so much more to experience and discover!

To the ones entering college, get ready for the best years of your life! You have to work hard and study hard though. Believe me, maintaining good grades and having fun at the same time is the best!

Happy new school year to the students! To the working people, all we can do is look back at the happy memories and pass on our knowledge to the next generation...

Mental Block...

I'm drained. I feel like the life of me got sucked away. I worked this weekend because of a major presentation tomorrow. It's the reality of corporate life. Don't get me wrong, I work in a great company. I'm happy with the people around me. There are just "special" days wherein you have to sacrifice for the greater good of the business.

Here I am trying to write about something cool or awesome but I just can't think of anything...

Care to help me out? :) I'll be happy with your suggestions. Send in a tweet or a comment. A tweet will be better though since I check it almost all the time. :)

Favorite Band of all time!!!

I was asked several times before if there was one band that could come here who would it be. I'd always say Dashboard Confessional. Always!

And this Thursday, my dream will finally come true! I finally get to see Chris Carrabba and the guys! Thanks to the wonderful people of Ayala for bringing them here!!! Ahhh... I cannot wait!!! As lovers go, Screaming Infidelties, Saints and Sailors, Don't wait...

Hands down was the first song that made it for me but Vindicated is my favorite song of all time. Coincidence because Spider-Man 2 is my favorite movie of all time. Stolen comes in a very very close second!!!

Dashboard Confessional got me through tough times back in school. Emo na kung emo but they frikkin rock!  Once Chris sings "Hope, dangles on a string"... Damn... baka maiyak ako...

I'll let you guys know how my experience goes :) I'm sure it'll be awesome!!!

No more vacations... (I think this is Tuesdays #15?)

Jeez I badly need a vacation! Kahit 5 days lang. In the real world, you will get to be very very busy. I feel bad that my friends are taking it against me now. But work is work. Gotta pay the bills!

Upon graduation, that's when it all begins. That'll be your LAST summer vacation.

3 weeks to go na lang right? So to the incoming Seniors in college, ENJOY IT!!! Stay in school for as loooong as you can! Cherish it!!!

My trips to the different regions of our country isn't really vacation. For example. I was in Cagayan De Oro yesterday. Flew at 640am since the flight was delayed. I headed straight to the Sales Office and presented there. Had a quick lunch and rushed back to the airport to catch the flight back to Manila. Zip line? Nope. River Rafting? Nope again.

Today I was in Pampanga for another presentation. I'm halfway done. I just need Dagupan, Iloilo, and Cebu and I'm done presenting!

HOPEFULLY, by 3rd week July, I can take a few days off and relax... I need that break! For now, I just gotta go go go and work hard!

Grade School Munchies

The other week, my friend at the office gave me a piece of my childhood back. It was candy that I haven't seen in ages!

 

STAY FRESH! Do you remember this? Back in grade school, I used to buy this all the time after lunch. My classmates would even use this as ammo for blowguns! I was in grade school from 91-99 and I have lots of memories! Now, I can't help but reminisce about the food that was back then!

On a hot school day, we'd always get SLUSH PUPPIE! Strawberry was my favorite and Lemon Lime comes in second. You could even mix it back then. This icy treat was pretty awesome. I remember it was located at the end of the Ateneo Grade School canteen and kids would line up for this. It's your typical ice mix with flavored syrup.

The other candy I remember and is still present now is Haw-Haw Milk candy! When I hear Haw-Haw, it's not that red round candy. This is the one with the cow! I tell you, this candy's a winner in my books!

I don't have pictures of the others but I can still remember the famous fried siomai from the grade school pergola. Sadly the pergola's gone!!! The melon samalamig is pretty awesome too!!! How much do kids bring to school as allowance these days?

Damn I miss being a kid...

Mayon

   

When you start working, you really have to follow the rules. If you're told to go to the province, you have to go there. Yesterday was a long and tiring day. It was my first time to Legaspi/Legazpi. (Sorry, I really don't know if it's S or Z) This was for work. I had a presentation to the Sales Team of South Luzon. 

My day started at 3:30am. I had a 6am flight. I tell you, it's so hard to wake up at that time. When you know that most of the people in the Philippines are happily asleep and you're not, the sleepiness really kicks in.

My highlight of the trip was when we were about to touchdown. Upon the descent, my boss woke me up and showed me Mayon. It was gorgeous! But sadly, it's not a perfect cone anymore... I was at the last row of the plane and they opened the tail end when we landed, Mayon was beautiful. I had a picture taken as soon as I landed in the tarmac. It was a good thing because when we left that afternoon, Mayon was covered by clouds already.

There are perks at work. You get to travel. The con is you have to get up early. But this trip was worth it just because of Mount Mayon. If there's one place I HAVE to go to, it's Bohol. I really want to see the Chocolate Hills... If you're not doing anything, If you have time, If you have the money to spend, go see The Philippines!!! Tourism means jobs :) 

I spent only a couple of hours there. Bitin... But I think I'll be back there pretty soon. :)

Friends

During the wake of my Lola last year. I knew who my best friends were. They were there from the beginning until the end...

Now, after the elections, the friends I knew who were my best friends remained the same. They were there to support me and my family all the way.

In this world, you really have to cherish your friends. You have to keep them close. Friends will be there at your best and worst days.

My life will change some more in the upcoming days. But my commitment is to stay the same. I owe it to everyone to be that same level-headed person as I have been raised. I owe it to my best friends to remain the same.

You see, I'm the type of person who really values relationships with other people. I take it very seriously. I may be busy most days but I try my best to make it up to my friends. :)

So to the one reading this, you have to keep your friends close. Believe me. You need them as much as they need you... Life is not fair. You need a friend to get you through life.

MAY 10, 2010

I just have to tell you my story on the elections.

To be honest, I was quite nervous with the new system. The way "cheating" happens in this country, it's really insane. But now, I think candidates who lost can't say that they were cheated anymore. I think we've made a huge leap. It's a good first for the Philippines!

Anyway, last Sunday, May 9 we went ahead to Tarlac for mass officiated by Bishop Soc Villegas. He said a very moving homily. He said that the Presidency is given by the people together with God's grace. When Bishop Soc gives a homily, you can't help but feel the sincerity from his words. It's just so soothing... After that, I was less nervous.

After mass we had a dinner and reporters joined in. Ces Drilon and Sandra Aguinaldo covered for their respective stations and this whole election coverage is executed so well! Grabe! Technology these days are just so cool! Ces Drilon showed me her Flip camera. It's a really small camera that shoots in HD and it even has a USB port that pops out!

When Tito Noy was being interviewed, I said to myself that before casting the vote, this would be one of the last times I'd get to hang out with him. If he wins, he'll just be so busy!

That night, I went to bed early and said my prayer.

I woke up before the alarm. It was probably the excitement. We headed to my Lola's house where Tito Noy was staying and finally had the Tarlac breakfast!!! It was sinangag, longganisa, fried egg, and of course may kasamang bacon. (1 strip lang though)

From then, we headed to the precinct only to find out that the PCOS wasn't working. We fell in line just as the rest of the people would fall in line. We were in for a long day...

4 and 1/2 hours in line to be exact.

The heat is no joke whatsoever. I was telling myself that vigilance was important. I had to go through that to cast my vote! That's why I really admire the nation for braving the heat!

While in line, they said that you had to fill the ovals or "bilogs na hugis itlog" lightly so that hindi bumakat sa kabila... So that's why it was taking long. People were just being careful I believe.

Nearing the entrance, I was really getting excited but this sense of being careful was sinking in. I didn't want to have a smudged ballot!

I registered when I entered and casted my vote. However, all the camera flashes were distracting. I was sitting next to Tito Noy. Haha. But it's all good. Even if our PCOS wasn't working, I think COMELEC did an excellent job with the automation.

After voting, we headed straight home.

To all those who braved the heat, fell in line, and didn't give up. I salute your vigilance!!!

Anyway, I'm posting some pictures below. Just wanna share it with you guys :)

Sama-sama sa hirap at ginhawa sa ilalim ng araw

Yep... It was pretty crowded

The Happy Photographers

Last day of campaign

On May 10, we decide the future of our country.

Why should you vote for Noynoy Aquino?

I'm voting for my Tito Noy not just because he's the brother of my mom. I'm voting for him because we really need someone who can inspire change in the government. The word "politics" has been so negative for so many years in the Philippines and it's about time we bring back TRUST in the GOVERNMENT!

Corruption has been in our country for so many many years and you have all sorts of men wanting to stay in power forever and ever and ever. It makes me wonder how they can just take away the people's money... You call them leaders?

I am a descendant of Ninoy and Cory Aquino and I am just one proud grandson. The major responsibility? KEEP THE NAME CLEAN. That's why I am confident that no one in my family will ever tarnish the good name. You think my Tito Noy will ruin it just like that? Not a chance in the world...

Yes, he's not his parents but you can tell how a person is raised. That's why I know he'll be a good leader of this country. HE WILL NOT STEAL. He CAN inspire change and I have my full trust in him.

This campaign has changed our lives so much. It's unreal.

May 10, 2010 is a pivotal day in our country's history. I want the road paved straight that will lead me to a bright future.

NOYNOY AQUINO PO FOR PRESIDENT.

KUNG WALANG CORRUPT, WALANG MAHIRAP!

Tuesdays #13

This was supposed to be the entry before elections... But seeing the news today with the 76,000 smartmatic cards being recalled... UNBELIEVABLE!

One cannot help but get worried and frustrated. But today, I asked myself... "What would Lola do?"

She would have told me to pray.

I think with all the hullabaloo of election fever, people may tend to forget to pray. People maybe so focused on the news and all that. But at the end of the day, I think the faithful would turn to God. Whether Catholic or not, people would always go back to prayer. I believe that this our chance to turn back to God and pray for clean elections.

I remember that there were these car stickers being given away before. I think it was in 1995 or 1998. PROHOPE was the sticker.

Pray the ROsary for Honest Orderly and Peaceful Elections.

We come at a pivotal part of our history. Come Monday (I hope), we get to vote for our candidates. The candidates we believe that will bring change, order, and good governance back in the Philippines. We need to bring back TRUST in our government. We need someone who can drive change. It's not gonna be an easy road but we need to build that road solid and straight for future generations.

Please do me a favor? :) Let's all pray for our country, for one another, and for honest, orderly and peaceful elections.

Tuesdays #12

I thought I was gonna be able to blog during the week but pagod talaga.

I just came from Naga. Went around the Bicol region with my Tito Dennis and his team who were all awesome.

Here's what my itinerary was

415am - wake up for 630am flight
745am - arrival in Naga, head straight to Naga City Hall for press con
(NO BREAKFAST :( But thankfully they got us burgers, surprise sa car, haha)
9am - Public Market / Town Visits
230pm - Lunch
330pm - Courtesy call to Governor
4pm - 1st Radio Interview
430pm - Public Market
450pm - 2nd radio interview
515pm - more town visits
815pm - Interview for Inquirer
930pm - Dinner
1115pm - tulog na!!!

6am - wake up for 750 flight to Manila
850am - head to work in Makati

The campaign is no joke. Believe me. It's hard work. The one I posted is NOTHING compared to what my Mom, my Titas, and especially my Tito Noy are experiencing.

But malapit na!!! Crunch time!!!

Tuesdays #11

I was all set to blog about the NBA Playoffs but I was watching the news and couldn't help but talk about this whole Ampatuan thing. You see, the guy who's supposedly responsible for the Maguindanao massacre is endorsing my Tito Noy?

WOW. (Please note sarcasm) REALLY? SERIOUSLY?

No thanks!

Gee... I wonder why he suddenly decided to endorse Tito Noy?

Backtrack a few days and you have in the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer a picture of Ampatuan wearing ballers of Mr. Sipag and Tiyaga and Mr. Hakbang sa Kinabukasan.

That picture must have hit them bad...

You know what's funny? The lawyer of Ampatuan is married to the sister of Mr. Hakbang sa Kinabukasan... Mr. Gilbert Remulla who's in Manny Villar's Senate Slate.

Man. Politics can go like this huh? Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Well, I'm sorry but people aren't that stupid!

I'm expecting a lot of more BS in the days to come. It's imminent.

But I believe that good will prevail come May 10. :)

LABAN. LABAN. LABAN. :)

SUMMER KOMIKON 2010

I can't believe it's been a year already since the last Summer Komikon. It's insane! Time flies by just like that. It's always fun to attend these cons because you get to see work from local creators. You have to give respect to these men and women because here they are doing what they love.

People who say that Pinoy Komiks are gone and dead can go fly a kite! Pinoy Komiks are alive and kickin'! I love them because there's so much love and passion involved. Here you have people shelling out their hard earned money and photocopying their work and turning them into comic books!

The one I had to get was "Umlauts and Atom Bombs" by THE Gerry Alanguilan. I've said it before, if there's someone in the Philippines who epitomizes Komiks, it's him, Mr. Komikero himself. I loved the Mitch and Mischa story because it was very well written and drawn with a lot of heart. It just fit perfectly with the story. The dialogue was fantastic! It was actually I thought about from 2004-2007. You see Mitch and Mischa were talking about the next Star Trek film. Mitch wanted to live and see the next movie. As for me, I was afraid of the end of the world and I wouldn't be able to see Spider-Man 3!!! (But we all know how much of a disappointment Spidey 3 was right?) At least I got to see Iron Man and The Dark Knight!

Other than that, I got "Laban: A love story". I finally met the creator of the book, Jose Gamboa. I think he did a great job with the book. I told them that there were very minor corrections but it's all good. It was still an awesome comic book! Plus I really appreciated him doing it. My grandparents finally have a love story in comic book form! (Picture of me and Mr. Gamboa below)

The biggest surprise for me this Komikon was PUNNX! There are 2 issues and they are frikkin hilarious! JP Cuison and Dennis Nierra are the guys who are doing the funny comics. Now it's for mature readers but I tell you, the Pinoy comedy is there and I loved it! Mighty T is probably the funniest! Guys, pick up Punnx because this stuff is gold! You can see them at http://punnxkomix.blogspot.com

I also got "Riddle of Nowhere" from my friend Apol Sta. Maria. He was the guy who did "Ang alamat ng Panget". It's not a comic book, it's actually a book of riddles. He was the one who did the art and seeing his work in colored form is pretty amazing!

I'm just sad that I wasn't able to see my friends who are usually at the cons. Harvey, Carlo, and Jason weren't there plus what made me more sad was that I missed Yvette Tan's work!!! Grrr!!! But I was happy to have finally met Mr. Jonas Diego. He was the guy who did the NOYNOY webcomic :)

KOMIKON brings a lot of new talent each and every year. It's 100% Pinoy and I'm proud to have been attending these events. I have a deadline actually... Next year, I'll be releasing my comic :)

Now after this, I can only think of setting up like a comic book society here in Metro Manila. Probably like a once a month thing. Just discussing comics! Anyone up for it? Let me know!

Anyway, see ya in the funnybooks! :D

The IMPORTANT thing to note on MAY 10, 2010

Hi guys!


May 10, 2010 coming up VERY VERY soon! You excited to vote? Don't get too excited, we're very concerned on all the PCOS machines and all but do you know WHERE you're going to vote? WHEN you're going to vote? HOW you're going to vote?


My friend Cels went through A LOT to get all these information. I was asked to RE-BLOG this so all the credit goes to her.


Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE read the text below on HOW to vote. BE INFORMED!!! :)


Thanks again to Cels! :D


================================

Hi everyone,

May 10^th is coming up in a few weeks and this date for elections is our big chance to put into government those who are competent and trustworthy enough to make the best decisions for our country and people.

Instead of trying to convince you who I think you should be voting for, I wanted to talk about how we can make sure each of our votes literally and technically, count. Our country’s new Automated Election System is only automated as far as counting and tallying is concerned. But the actual voting process is all you, and that’s pretty much manually done.

Lots of buzz is going around about a possible failure of election because of the machines, hacking, etc. etc. etc. You can read up about system security here: http://www.ibanangayon.ph/?q=content/faq and thought I don’t know myself how this is all going to pan out, what I know is that the chance of a failure of elections will be larger if a good percentage of us don’t show up at the voting stations because we have our doubts about the system, or if most of us vote incorrectly.

So let’s focus our energies at knowing how we can all make sure as individuals that we come out and vote, and that our own ballot is done correctly, because this is what we control.

Let’s make May 10^th count by making sure we know how to vote (not just wisely, but correctly).

0.     Know your voting precinct. It may have changed from where you usually vote because each precinct gets only ONE PCOS machine (the device used to count votes), so bigger precincts may have been distributed to other precincts this year.

Enter your details at http://www.comelec.gov.ph/precinctfinder/precinctfinder.aspx to know your precinct for sure.

1.     Present a valid, government-issued I.D. to the Board of Election table upon arrival at the precinct. They will give you a special voting pen and ballot folder.

Accepted IDs are voter’s ID, driver’s license, passport, SSS, etc.

2.     Proceed to the voting booth. Don’t rush. Shade the ovals next to your chosen candidates completely and carefully so the machine can read it. Do not fold or make any other marks on the ballot. No erasures may be made on the ballot. Make sure your hands are clean and dry and that you’re not sweating over the ballot sheet (pasmado much?) too. THIS IS IMPORTANT. We have to make absolutely sure the machine doesn’t reject it over such technicalities like this. YOU ONLY GET ONE BALLOT.

3.     Don’t over vote! Though it may be fun to shade circles, we only shade: 1 slot for President, 1 slot for VP, 12 slots for senators, 1 congressman, 1 partylist, 1 governor (provincial), a number of provincial councilors depending on population size (provincial), 1 mayor, and a number of city councilors depending on population size. Shading one too many circles will render that particular section invalid. So if you shaded for 13 senators instead of 12, none of them will get your vote – but the rest of your ballot will be valid.

However, you can under vote. So if you choose to vote for only 8 out of 12 senators, all 8 candidates will get your vote. In the instances you decide to abstain from voting for a particular position, just leave the entire section unshaded.

It would be good to have a kodigo or sample ballot with you. You can download a sample of the ballot for your voting district here: http://www.comelec.gov.ph/2010%20National_Local/ballot_templates.html

4.     When you are done voting, proceed to the PCOS machine. Feed your ballot into the machine (any side up), like you would a crisp P20 bill into a vending machine. When you’ve gotten the ballot in there properly, the machine will print you a receipt. Smile and say thanks!

5.     Return to the BOE desk to give back the folder and pen and get your right thumb inked.

Success! It really wasn’t so hard, right?

The elderly, handicapped, and illiterate may be assisted by a family member from the voting booth all the way until the PCOS machine.

I anticipate there may be people at the voting precinct holding up the line because they are unsure of how to go about this new process. Think of it as 300 people waiting in line at the ATM, all of them having no clue what to do when it’s their turn. Help them along with these guidelines.

Hope you can help me pass on this information to your friends, family, colleagues, household help, church, barangay, etc. etc.

It may be one vote, but it is one vote. Let’s help make all the one votes count!

Thank you for reading this! And to those political mudslingers who spam my cellphone inbox at 3am, you guys are scumbags!

Cheers,

Cels

PS: I’m not affiliated with the COMELEC or any poll watch group, so everything here is summarized from:

www.comelec.gov.ph

http://halalan-2007.blogspot.com/2010/01/know-how-to-vote-on-2010-philippine.html

www.ibanangayon.ph

Tuesdays #10

I'm not the most religious guy nor am I that holy. But I am faithful and I believe in my faith.

We can't explain some things. God has plans. But we can't help but question some things. When you feel you've been blocked or the door's been closed. Think again, for all you know, all you need is to knock on the door again. It's during our hardest time that our faith is tested. But you just gotta have the faith man. Hope for the best. God will never let you down.

WEIRD... But cool at the same time :)

NEVER IN MY LIFE DID I THINK THIS WOULD HAPPEN. SERIOUSLY.

Going to work and seeing this at the Boni MRT Station is weird. I was asked how I felt. I said that it's not everyday you get to see yourself in a billboard. It's weird but cool.

So here it is. I'm proud to show this to you guys. It's my very first endorsement :) I'm not uploading this on Twitpic because some readers wanted me to blog about this. I'm sorry if I'm showing this. I'm not bragging but I'm pretty proud of this. :) Never thought this would happen. It's unreal!

I just say thanks to the compliments sent to me through text. I'm still the same old Jiggy with his feet put firmly on the ground. :)

Please do visit L TIMESTUDIO if you can. Check out the watches because they're absolutely COOL!!!

Tita Kris is also pretty proud of this. She texted me "Yehey! It's out na! Cute!" She's a pretty supportive Tita to her pamangkins. Believe me. She's the coolest Tita. :)

My friends were telling me that I need a picture with the billboard. Like I said, it's not everyday...

:D

To the one reading and following this blog

Dear Reader,

Let me thank you for reading this. Never in a million years did I think I'd get a following in the Tangled Web. Sure I don't get 50,000 hits a day but you still read this and it means a lot! Especially to the ones who comment. I appreciate it! I feel the interaction and it's amazing!

I never thought I'd be inspirational/influential. I don't deserve it. I don't see myself coming across to you as someone interesting really. I'm just an average joe.

But the comments really mean a lot to me. At least I'm making sense in a way. Well, you confirm to what I say right?

I admit, my blog has gotten boring the past few months. I know. I've been really stressed. But all in due time, I'll be back as the guy who blogs about anything under the sun.

I'm thinking of doing interviews for this blog. Any suggestions? :)

Anyway, you can tweet me anytime @jiggycruz on Twitter. I'll do my best to reply.

Again, thanks for reading this! If you see me around, do say hi :) Just say you followed The Tangled Web :)

Jiggy

Tuesdays #9

I was thinking about a topic to put tonight and I just got it from my girlfriend. She was telling me that it's sad seeing the comment that I was burning out.

The past few months have been very very very difficult for me at work. I'll be honest with you. There are days wherein I'm just really REALLY tired from the day. The stress levels can go high at times. But please don't get me wrong. That's how the corporate life is. I love my company and I love my team. That's life. "Walang paghihirap ang hindi natatapos". Eventually, everything will turn out fine.

Some signs that I'm loaded with work.

1. I haven't visited a comic book shop in a month
2. I haven't read any comics in weeks
3. I haven't seen a movie in 3 weeks
4. I skip lunch
5. I go home late and miss dinner

It's not nice I know. But that's the corporate life sometimes. I think my luck will change pretty soon. I'm praying hard...

Saturday Morning Cartoons on a Saturday Night

I remember during the early 90's, every Saturday night, SkyCable used to carry ABC. I mean the ABC channel that carries LOST. Saturday night as a kid was pretty awesome back then. We got the US Saturday Morning Cartoons! Complete with the US Commercials!

What was on the lineup then? If memory serves me right, I used to watch Darkwing Duck, The Cowboys of Moo Mesa, Goof Troop, Land of the Lost, The Addams Family, Sonic The Hedgehog, The Bugs and Tweety Show, School House Rock, etc.

It was the best! Jonty and I got to stay up late since there were cartoons being shown on a Saturday Night!

It's sad that they don't make cartoons the way they used to. I still believe that the 80's had the best.

You see, if you were born in the 90's, chances are you grew up with Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Disney Channel. It was different back then. Especially here in the Philippines, I had the local channels that carried cartoons.

So to have been in my early childhood with Saturday Morning Cartoons from the US was pretty amazing. That's why I feel I'm still a kid at heart :)

God bless Cartoons :)

Tuesdays #8

Grabe, medyo swapang ako sa blog entries ngayon...

April, I'll try to write more.

One of my friends told my na medyo kuripot ako sa blog entries ko ngayon. Well, if you're busy, you're busy.

I watched Wrestlemania 26 last night until 1 in the morning. I had to see for myself the final match of Shawn Michaels. HBK!!! I was a wrestling fan in the 90's and early part of the decade. I was a fan of the Attitude Era specifically during the time of Austin, DX, and The Rock. Raw was pretty creative then. They had Vince Russo has the head writer I think. Then he moved to TNA if I'm not mistaken.

Anyway, yeah, Wrestling is "fake" in a sense that you know more or less who'll win. But they get hurt don't get me wrong. They're athletes in "sports entertainment". Vince McMahon practically created soap opera for men.

One of the things I need to do before I die is watch Wrestlemania Live! Wherever it may be. Hahaha. Hopefully Wrestlemania 30? We'll see.

Tuesdays #7

Jeez. It seems like I only have Tuesdays left to blog...

I've been really tired for the past 2 months. Work is work. I had to work last Sunday. I was in Davao. We had a presentation yesterday morning and then flew back to Manila. It's been tiring for me. Now I'm getting sick... I think it's because of fatigue. I hope all goes well by tomorrow morning since I have a ton to do on my desk.

It's graduation season now. For the grads, congrats! Well done! It's time for me to welcome you to the rest of your life. I don't mean to be negative but it means saying goodbye to Summer Vacation, Sem break, No school on a rainy day, etc...

It'll be a huge transition and the best way to go about it is to adapt. Why? Because change is the only thing constant in this life. You need to be adaptive to change for you to succeed. That's the best advice I can give at the moment.

I gotta go. My nose is killing me... I really have to rest.

Tuesdays #5 and #6

I don't think I can do this every Tuesday... :( It's been pretty hectic for me. But since I'm still in the mood to blog, here goes.

This Tuesday, I have to tell you another Lola Cory story...

On the day I found out that she was diagnosed with cancer, it was the saddest day of my life. Even more than when she had passed. It was the day that I literally couldn't cry anymore because there weren't any tears that were falling. I used up all my tears and I was still crying! My eyes were swollen the next day. I took a leave from work the next day to spend time with my Lola. I was with my Mom and she told me not to cry in front of her... I didn't. I had to be strong for my Lola.

However, my Lola did see that my eyes were swollen... It was back in September that a friend of her told me that my Lola told her about that day. My Lola told some people that it broke her heart seeing me with swollen eyes... My Mom also told me that Lola would often ask her how I was. Even at that point she'd still think of others. She thought of how her apo was... That made me real sad...

It's been months and I still haven't moved on. I still miss my Lola very very much. The campaign has been keeping all of us busy but at the same time, we miss her words of wisdom, her patience, her faith, her optimism...

In my cellphone, my wallpaper is a picture of me and her... It's something I can no longer change. I made a decision that it would always be the wallpaper of my cellphone.

I just tell myself that Lola's in a better place now... She doesn't have to suffer anymore.

No one can ever take her place. In my family, everyone's stepping up to fill in that void. It can never be the same but at least all of us are loving and supporting one another.

I'm proud of my family. I'm proud of my name. I'm lucky to say in confidence that my grandparents were good people. They raised 5 wonderful children. They were awesome parents and great leaders.

Before I tear up... I'll say goodbye for now.

Keep the faith dear reader... Keep the faith. Mabuhay tayong lahat!

What it's like on a campaign trail...

Forgive me for not blogging that often anymore. Sometimes, my mind just doesn't want to think at night. It's really tiring most days. You get to work around 730am and you leave work at around 7pm. This is just a long overdue update.

What have I been doing?

I was in Cebu recently and what an itinerary. My friends think I'm there to have fun and all but it's the opposite really. I had to take a leave from work on a Friday to be able to talk to students from the University of The Visayas. We went around the city to meet with the Cebu HQ people. The next day, we woke up at 5am to go to 5 public markets. But since we  were ahead of time and the campaign people wanted to utilize our presence, we went beyond the target of 5 and went to 7 public markets.

What do we do at the markets? Well... We shake people's hands and ask them to vote for my Tito Noy :) I usually say Noynoy-Mar po tayo ah? Aquino-Roxas po sa Mayo. Carcar was awesome because the people there had the biggest smiles! I even got balat ng lechon for free! The lady selling the lechon cut me this huge piece and handed it. I got it but I had to split it with my brother. It was real good but man... the oil!!! Woooo!!! Sarap magsoftdrink after. (Too bad for me, I gave up softdrinks for lent) So anyway, I also rode a tricycle or try-sikol in bisaya. :)

The distance we had to travel was really far. We reached Argao and it was around 90 minutes away from Mactan. That's what a campaign is...

That afternoon, we went to University of Cebu. It was the main campus and it was amazing. The students were so full of life! It was where I gave my longest speech to date. Hahaha. How do I give speeches? I usually have an outline in my head and I just go extemporaneous. People like that better right?

That night, I crashed in bed. I had to wake up at 6am for a presscon. It was the first press conference me, Jonty, and Miguel had. Sun Star of Cebu were the ones who came and asked the questions. I appreciated the fact that they didn't have any bias with the questions. They were all very respectful and we did our best answering what they asked.

We left Cebu lunch time and was back in Manila by 2pm.

It's a hard life during the campaign season. But it's all for love I guess. :) Anyway, that's it for now. I leave you all with some images from my Cebu trip. :)

O.D.M. - Pilipinas Watch :)

OK, I got a greenlight to blog about this. So here it is! It's the watch I was telling you guys about. :)

This is by O.D.M. :D The first billboard is up and it features Kim and Gerald. It's along EDSA. Northbound - Boni Station.

I love the watches! They gave me a Black, Yellow, and White. I normally wear the Yellow variant. I think they're pretty awesome! Now I can show the Philippine map on my wrist!

My cousin Miguel and I are endorsing these and the billboard will be up by April. We're nervous and excited at the same time.

The watches are exclusively sold at all L Time Studio branches and it retails for 4700. But they give 10% off so the watches will be around 4200. :)

The watches light up when you need to tell the time in a cinema or at night. While idle, text will scroll across the screen and will show "BAYANG MAGILIW...  PILIPINAS..." I think it's awesome!!!


They're targeted for the youth I know. Thankfully, they still think I'm part of the youth. Haha! But do check these watches out :D