19 Year Wait

Overdue Blog | Smashing Pumpkins | 19 Year Wait

When I first saw its ad on the tv, there was no doubt we will be there. 3 minutes later, we were already on ticketnet purchasing the tickets. I believe the picture below says it all! Thanks Billy for all the 19 years of influence.. and now to see you live... smashing! truly unforgettable!!

Signboards everywhere.... and this, at the entrance of the colliseum

Unfortunately, the colliseum wasnt fully packed due to the friggin tropical storm that flooded 90% of Manila. I feel sorry for those who purchased the tickets and could only tweet their misery of trying so hard to reach Araneta.



Belting numbers from their latest album, Oceania first. and then from their other albums which ignited the entire crowd. Sowee for distant pics... can only afford upper box seats!



.....Performing their tracks from their latest Ocenia album under a stunning orb....

That is as far as I can zoom on the Canon S95.. no DSLR allowed..... Billy up close and personal... it'll do...

Performing Bullet with Butterfly Wings.... crowd erupted to it!

Electrifying performance....

On the other end.... since Smashing Pumpkins reignited this blog... just a brief update on what has been, and now.

1. Time has come to move on and plan for what's ahead. Thats the biggest question mark and the answer that kept eluding us has finally appeared partially. Its going to be 2013 and 2014.
2. Bourne Legacy... nah... cinematography is weak compared to the previous 3 Bourne franchises. This one's a bit stale... tried to hard.
3. iPad next on the wish list... considering the fact it has been there for so long... even my mom has one!! hahaha...
4. Coron, here I come in December... after a complete screw up by Agoda,... they managed to make amends by giving us an attractive alternative... of course... with partial refunds!
5. Taken one step into Contract Management and found it dreadful... still learning the game... for now, I will stick to Project Management.
6. Joined Fitness First to really up the tempo of my life... nah.. wouldnt use that word... probably to stay healthy, yes... 2 weeks into the routine... I feel like dying already! hahaha...
7. Typhoon Haiku and the tropical monsoon or storm that went by... good riddance... 3 days of non stop torrential rain coupled with strong winds = 80% Submerging of Manila
8. ...and that didnt stop us from attending SP's gig... thats what 19 years of wait is...
9. Successfully cooked Beef Rendang after a year's contemplation! In time for Buka Puasa last week. Amongst the new recipes tried out: Hainanese Chicken Rice | Assam Pork/Chicken 
10. Our new Travelogue together enhanced... Local: Pearl Farm | Pangkor Island Beach Resort | Dos Palmas Resort | The Tides Boracay | Patio Pacific Boracay | Sumilon Bluewater Resort | 
11. International Travelogue: Taiwan | Greece | Malaysia | Philippines
12. .... now, diving is one dramatic turn of events I might try before year end...
13. Amanpulo and El Nido remains elusive at the moment.... maybe not so much on El Nido (only a matter of time) but definitely Amanpulo (pricey shit)
14. Clover Residences... coming soon!

Probably thats about as much as I can reveal or think of now... more laters! Thanks Smashing Pumpkins for reigniting this blog... I thought it was dead...



Christmas Almost Here...

Yeah... Christmas is almost here... no doubt about it.... yeah, I too know that its only early November as we speak but decorations are up, people start to sing Christmas songs, and they are filling the air of Christmas shoppers at every departmental stores nationwide... who says the world is plunging to an economic crisis... depression? nah... get outta here... everyone's shopping and in the mood...

WEeeeEeee... my parents are visiting me in the Philippines... how nice... I would be able to shock them of the belief they have that Manila is not like Ipoh... hahahahaha.... that would be fun to watch....

Until then....

Much Ado About Nothing... Part II

Sat in the office today… surfed the net… typed the letter… surfed the net… ate lunch… looked at boat/ yatch prices… watched a movie, downloaded songs from p2p, synching my iphone to the itunes… adding songs… that was pretty much it today…. Why?

1. Twenty two of my original master planned sites in SORSOGON area has been reduced to 6 sites because of the rebel demands. After much political bickering with customers and management, those sites will be reduced.
2. TIGAON was supposed to have tower erection today, however, opposition operator demanded for a work stoppage because of fear that frequencies might crash… what a whole lot of bollocks… but what can we do? It’s all on paper.
3. CALABANGA lot owners weren’t satisfied with the E91, E71s and IPhone we gave them. Some even claimed that the IPhones we gave them were fake. Total of 20 cell phones given out for free just to pacify them and they came back wanting for more. Now they filed a petition against us.
4. OCAMPOCMRS towers are still sailing… with 14 more days to the month end, my towers are still somewhere along the ocean enroute to Philippines. Nice…
   

Now you know why I am free?... somewhere along the fine thin line, its not hard to see that corruption is rampant here. Red tapes are just hollow blocks to corruption. On the other front…

1. A long lost friend has arrived in the Philippines under Ericsson
2. Another friend coming to Philippines at the end of the month… its been almost 6 months since I last saw him
3. I have started my handover to my Asst Manager but he seems to be quite defiant on the idea and put it straight to me that, if I am transferred, the whole team will go with me. He kept on telling me about the ‘All for one, one for all’ thingy that I preached since the beginning of the project to the team. I will continue to explain to him that heroics won’t work here.
4. Heard news from a friend that he met with an accident with the Sultan’s car… hahahahaha… that is one in a million!
5. I have been given the task last week to be YET, another bestman to one of my best friends. This will be the third time… hmmpphh…

Well... so much for the day... more to come this week....

BICOL: Naga City

Time and again, people use to pop this question at my face… hey, you seem to be enjoying your life at BICOL... I’ve heard ppl come back and say BICOL is a really cool place… I say, hell yeah… it is a nice place alright… there’s no traffic, the people are nice and that’s about it. YET, they don’t believe you and they go like… bullshit… there’s more to that (…thinking that its similar to any big city like Manila and Makati…)… well, here’s to prove all of you wrong:

1. The place is filled with padjaks, tricycle, jeepneys and there’s virtually no posh cars there… a VIOS is considered a posh car, like the one I am using.
2. The city itself is dead at 930pm, 10pm tops… streets will be empty, there’s no bar, no clubs,…etc
3. The city is at least 20 years behind Ipoh… yeah, Ipoh!!

Here’s some pictures to prove it!

One of the many Departmental stores in BICOL. You figure out the rest.

One of the main streets (high street) in Naga City where I live. See the traffic at rush hour?

Can you picture this city now? No? Main transportation mode are Jeepneys, Padjaks, Tricycle. No buses visible and cars are a rare sight.

Robertson mall. One of the biggest already.

E-Mall: The most modern facilitated departmental store in BICOL, at 4 storeys high, just right opposite my hotel, there isnt much to shout about.

One of the main venues at the centre of the city with a Welcome board by a local pharmacist.

Sichara Cinema... there's only two in BICOL. This one is the best. No TGV or Goldenscreens, or even Cineplex... only 3 times a day for each show, this is one of the classic cinemas likened to the golden era of the past whereby the movie ads are still painted. Nope, I have not been in it.

Naga City market

... and this is about it. The radius that covers the city centre is about 5-10km end to end. After the borders, its all greenfields with paddy or mountainous areas. Mabuhay BICOL.. or rather in Visayans... Dos Mabalos Bicol.

Anyone who still wishes to come, I will be more than happy to give you a tour of Naga City absolutely free of charge, and a half day tour will give you a complete and comprehensive information about BICOL... more or less.

Typhoon Fengshen in Philippines

Typhoon 200806 (FENGSHEN)

Typhoon's Asian Name = FENGSHEN : God of wind [Chinese Translation]

Typhoon FENGSHEN was formed in the east of Mindanao Island and kept moving toward west-north-west, showing a track much closer to Philippines than the initial forecast of turning toward north. This typhoon has shown steady intensification since its birth, so islands that will be approached by the typhoon, namely Samar Island, Luzon Island (south), Catanduanes Island, will be affected by the typhoon. It seems that conditions for intensification is basically satisfied for this typhoon, but it is also possible that the land will give some impact on the intensification if the typhoon moves along the Philippine Islands.

My previous post at point number #5 reported on the typhoon. Latest tracker shows Manila was hit directly and the impact was deadly as the capital wasn't ready for it... OR, wasnt expecting it. My region in BICOL was spared the full force as it deviated course and headed straight towards Manila.

Satellite pictures showing the typhoon forming in the Philippines

The birth of the typhoon off the coast of Samar (click on pictures to enlarge)

Look at the typhoon's course which changed directions or deviated from BICOL (circled in RED). Thank God for that!

Lets just hope the forthcoming ones will deviate as well. Have to do my maths now so that when it comes, I will be in Manila... hahahah... will keep all updated. Ciaoooo

Part III: Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano, Albay, BICOL

Mayon Volcano, a super volcano likened to Mt. Pinatubo, still in its active and glory days, paints the landscape of BICOL from as far as IRIGA all the way through Camalig and Albay. The mere glimpse of it is simply breathtaking... if you are lucky enough to view its entire glory. At most times, it is not clearly visible due to the rain and fog but on sunny spells,... it takes your breath away.

A Piece of landmark, and beneath it, lies the town of Legaspi.

En route to the viewing point from the mid section, lies the usual intimidating vegetation that can never leave your memory

On most evenings when it turns foggy, the sight takes you to a 3 dimensional black and white backdrop that personifies its might and strength.

The eerie backdrop whispers in our ears, and the cold breeze sends a chilling note, as though telling us, the end is nigh...

Spewing ashes and sulphuric gases from its top, it has never failed to mesmerize locals and tourists alike

Vulnerable it may seem, locals tend to their daily chores hoping that, maybe, just maybe, they wont live to see the eruption in this lifetime.