The DJ who's not a DeeJay

Wouldn't you just love to have this for Christmas ?


if it existed.

So this is what happens when you put a CD in a microwave oven.

I didn't know this mall existed until I was invited to Richard Poon's special mall show at the Eastwood Mall.  I thought that mall was the small one connected to the parking lot.   I then discovered that across the road where all the shops and restaurants where the usual nightlife goes on, is a new area built to become an addendum to Eastwood's amenities.    

Bathroom toilets really have simple mechanisms. There's the bowl where all liquid and solid excretions go. There's the tank situated above and behind the bowl where the flushing valve is stored along with a fresh supply of water. And you have the flush handle which starts the flushing process.

It doesn't take much to learn how it works. Once you flag down the flush handle, everything inside the bowl is flushed out and into a pipe while the supply of water from the tank flows into the bowl replacing the old one with a clean supply.

A couple of advancements have been made like replacing the handle with a button for pressing instead of pushing a lever and some water-conservation mechanisms.

The Japanese however have invented toilets which have more functions that I could ever imagine. They're mostly electrical in nature. Some features include music for your listening pleasure, automatic seat covers, a heater, washer, dryer and sanitizer. You could think of one of these newer models as a human dishwasher. I actually saw one of these toilets in a home depot and they cost around $1,500.

Here's a glimpse of what they can do.

Something to rejoice about. LOL!

Here's coverage of the Eraserheads Reunion Concert advanced screening and world premiere at the Megamall cinemas last November 24, 2008.

I just came from Holiday Inn fresh from the Michael Learns to Rock press conference and decided afterwards to buy some dinner for take out at the adjacent mall Robinsons Galleria. I decided to get a pizza from Chef d' Angelo, located at the 4th floor. Since I was told it was going to take at least 10 minutes to prepare, I figured I stroll around and come back for the pizza.

I was on the same floor as the cinemas and chose to check out their list of movies. Right in the center of the entrance way leading to the cinemas were a few elevated tables and some celebs seated signing autographs. There wasn't much of a crowd watching them so I didn't find any difficulty getting close.



Upon closer inspection, I realized that they were the stars in an R-18 rated indie film entitled "Lalamunan" and promoting it to the public. I recognized Jordan Herrera instantly and then Rico Barrera, ex Pinoy Big Brother Season 1 housemate. The 2 girls in the middle were gorgeous but I didn't know who they were. Then, I read the poster that had the starring cast billing. It turns out they were Hazel Cabrera (I had to search online to find out that she's part of the Viva Hot Babes) and Maricar dela Fuente (who I have no idea who she is).

Since I had my digicam with me, and I was still waiting for my pizza, I took pics of them. An old man approached the cast but specifically wanted a picture with the two sexy ladies. Apparently, he just wanted his arms around them since he didn't have a camera nor was he with any companion. I got a shot of his short moment of thrill.


Apparently, "Lalamunan" is about a homosexual (Jordan Herrera) who tries to keep his gender preference by preoccupying himself and his wife with kinky sex.   I just read part of the poster and article so there's nothing more I could offer to tell about the movie.

GET THE BOND WIDGET and get a chance to win a Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot phone!

It's been a long time since I tried a jump rope or hula hoop.   I didn't think there would be much technology could do to add features to these simple devices.  Well I was wrong.

This week entailed me spending time at the hospital making sure Aileen got well.    As I was able to witness the food choices and servings that the hospital served to her, and watching some segments on TV on healthy living, I found out a couple of tips which are most likely very well known by everybody but may perhaps not be stressed well enough for people to actually follow.

I was at SM Marikina the other day and was looking for a place to have lunch.   Since it was already past 2pm, I figured I'd visit the food court which was totally deserted.   After making a quick round, I decided to try Pinoy Toppings for their relatively inexpensive meals and huge servings.

Last November 1, I, together with my parents headed to Loyola cemetery to pay respect to my lolo and lola.   You see the usual things in a jam packed cemetery, lots of people, lots of flowers, lots of candles and lots of tents.   

I was heading to Trinoma the other day and spotted this coincidental display of color.

This November, UNICEF is inviting you to Walk and Run on the Child's Side!

So mark this date on your calendar---November 23, 2008, 5:30 am to 10:00 am ---stretch those legs and limbs, bring out those running shoes, and even come in loud and funny costumes with your whole family!  UNICEF Walk on the
Child's Side 2008 is a walkathon / fun run that aims to raise funds for UNICEF's programs for the Filipino children!

Please pass on this message to your family, friends and co-workers.  We've attached here the poster for UNICEF Walk on the Child's Side 2008 which we encourage you to post in your blogs; your Friendster, Facebook or Multiply
accounts; and other web pages.

Also attached is the registration form which you can fill up and submit directly to R.O.X. in Bonifacio High Street, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig in order to claim your race kit.  The race kit will include your UNICEF singlet (running shirt), race bib and race course map.

For any questions or concerns, please call our hotline:  (02) 758-1000.

The scroll function of my previous mouse didn't work anymore.  It caused me to continuously press the left mouse button while dragging the mouse just to scroll up or down.   Aside from being a nuisance, it was also causing my hand more stress and some aching for prolong periods of usage.

I remember watching some movies where a student being punished by a teacher would be told to go to the corner and stay there during the rest of the class.  What triggered that notion ?  Well yesterday, I was having breakfast at McDonalds and I saw this lady who was on the phone for the longest time.  Since the place was filling up, it was becoming noisier and harder for her to hear the person she was talking to.  

This is the first time I've seen wasabi roots.  And it's expensive.  I wonder how this eventually becomes the green mint-looking paste that's used for sushi.

Ever wanted to imagine what your name would be if you formed a band ? Or what would the title of your album be ? Or what songs are on the album ?  Well you don't have to be musically inclined for this.  

Last Sunday, our parish gave an interesting homily.   He told a story about an engaged couple who were set to be married.  Since they were on a strict budget, they opted to cut down the number of guests to 200  guests (100 each)  and sent out invitations with explicit instructions to RSVP for them to know who would be attending.  Only half of the invited confirmed.   Since the actual reception was already booked for 200, the couple seemed that it would be impractical to have the reception hall half filled.  And so they sent out another batch of invitations totalling an additional 100 of friends they were initially not able to invite. 

While surfing youtube earlier, I was surprised to find out a dozen newly uploaded videos with my name on it.  Apparently it's someone else having the same name.  But his moves are pretty slick and worth sharing.  So I present to you "Grooving with Jay de Jesus".

There's a very popular series of video clips on Youtube from a Japanese game show.  It was coined on Youtube as Humas Tetris, where contestants have to fit themselves in odd shapes that move closer and closer to them.  If they could contort their bodies to fit, they'll be saved from being pushed to the pool behind them.  

It's a "SMASHING HIT" !

I've never seen a musculado guy sing "Modelong Charing"...much more an American singing it.

When I saw this jeep, I just had to take a pic of its rear.

If you've scheduled your car for maintenance or checkup in a automotive service center, you'll know that it takes hours to have it serviced.   Some people like me bring their car before opening so the car would be the very first car to be serviced.  But being early and number 1 on the list doesn't mean you'll get your car in less than a hour.  The average time for a car to be serviced is 3 hours (with Toyota and Ford service centers).  

For those who haven't heard about it yet, School rivals Ateneo and La Salle go head to head in the 71st season of the UAAP.

Game 1 went to Ateneo and Game 2 is going to be a pivotal point for both teams as this is a best of 3 finals series.

A new branch of Starbucks has just been opened at the entrance of Sta Lucia Grand East Mall in Cainta, Rizal.  If I'm not mistaken, this is the first branch of Starbucks in Cainta.

Here's Miss South Carolina Caitlin Upton for Miss Teen USA 2007.

I just noticed this last week.  If you take a closer look at the trees along the center island along Buendia (Sen Gil Puyat) in Makati City, you'll notice that the trees have numbers.  I thought it was just some punk leaving grafitti on one tree when I first noticed it.  Then I was surprised to find out that the trees were all numbered in succession.

Batang Yagit is the blog and online persona of Winston Almendras.  I personally met him during a trip to Davao earlier this year and I must admit, I'm impressed with this kid (kid online, man offline).

Needless to say, he worked in a strict working environment, making sure that sanitation and cleanliness are of top priorities.  During family meals, he used to tell me what and how they prepare and serve to the commanding officers.   He told me that one of the no-no's is about cleaning or mopping the floor while other people are being served and currently eating.  This is why he always notices it when any crew members in a fastfood or restaurant clean the floor.

I love the Transformers and I love to dance.  So what better way to combine them than to have best of both worlds.

Okey it's not at the speed of light, but I bet it caught your attention huh. :)

I saw this guy shootin' hoops at the local Timezone arena in Glorieta few months back. I was impressed at the swiftness of his throws and accuracy of his shots. I admit I'm terrible at aiming when it comes to basketball. And this guy made it look as easy as taking candy from a baby... not to mention that this was an advanced stage and the hoop was moving from side to side.

Note: took this video with my very limited featured Sony Ericsson phone.

Now that's talent.

There are a lot of old-style ATMs.  The newer ones have multicolored displays (aside from the standard blue screen), video commercials, voice greetings and touch screen interfaces (which I have yet to encounter).   

Jollibee has recently introduced 2 new items to their menu, The Amazing Aloha Burger and Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Burger.  The Amazing Aloha Burger had pineapple and I'm not fond of pineapples put in burgers and pizzas.  So I decided to try the Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Burger.  Both meals include fries and drinks.

I was at the Landmark toy store last week just checking out what kind of new toys there are in the market so I would have an idea of what to give some of my godchildren for Christmas. As I was walking around, I found this pack of plastic dinosaurs for kids. It's a set of white dinosaurs complete with water-based paint so kids can paint them.

I took the item off the rack and flipped it to check the price. When I placed it back on the rack, it suddenly startled me.

The two T-Rex dinosaurs were closely packed together that it looked like one was mounted on the other. Oh my ! I wish they'd take a better look at how it was packaged to make sure no kid would think otherwise.

A lot of noontime shows have come and gone. Wowowee and Eat Bulaga are the current noontime shows but before them, there was a variety of shows. Some of those I remember are Lunch Date, Kalatog Pinggan, Chibugan Na, Magandang Tanghali and some weekend noontime shows like Sa Linggo Napo Sila. One of those I vaguely remember but was able to watch a few episodes was Student Canteen. I thank that's where I remember Eddie Ilarde and Chiqui Hollman and an American looking guy by the name of Bobby Ledesma. (I always wondered why he was hosting a Philippine show). The show had those games where contestants listen to a question and line up behind the correct answer until one contestant remains.

Recently, I passed this eatery near NCBA along Aurora Blvd. I guess this is a tribute to the defunct show.... or perhaps just a canteen who wants to capitalize on the branding of any legacy the show may have made.

My friends saw this standee of Gabby Concepcion for promotions of his new album and jokingly placed a security guard's hat on top.  If any security guard would look like that, I'm pretty sure a lot of ladies would leave their stuff, even a handkerchief if it would mean coming into close contact with this guard. 

I saw this billboard along Gil Puyat (Buendia Ave) in Makati City going towards Taft Avenue.   It was a simple ad.  I hope God didn't have to place an advertising fee for that.

When I was a kid, I didn't have any regular sport. I took Tae-Kwon-Do lessons for 2 years, but I don't consider it something I did regularly even after. I took swimming lessons but that was more to learn how to swim and not to undergo rigorous training. Contrary to the popular belief that every boy loves and plays basketball, I never did enjoy it. The few times I played with my high school friends was because I enjoyed their company more than the game.

So, it may be safe to assume that I didn't have any regular sport then.

I can't remember when I learned chess and who taught me but I do know that it wasn't my parents who taught me because none of them know how to play chess. And since I was an only child then, I had no one to play chess with. There weren't any computer-based chess games back then. It was kinda boring to play by myself too. So I guess my interest in the game just died a natural death.

Lately though, with the help of Miguel, I've renewed my interest though in chess. Miguel is part of their school's chess club. The enthusiasm he has for chess is outstanding and enough for me to regain interest in the game, not to mention having a permanent chess opponent.

It also made me realize that I have yet much to learn in terms of moves, techniques and foresight in the game. That's why whenever I get the chance, I play now for experience. It also helps that I installed a java-based chess game on my mobile phone and the PDA that Aileen lent me also has one. I make it a point to play at least 2 games in a day to enhance my skills and learn more.

And I just found out that Chess today is a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee. So I guess I have a new sport, Chess !

Thanks Miguel !

I only noticed this yesterday. I had a 100 peso bill with me and it looked kinda different.
It had an extra seal. Upon closer inspection, I found out that it was the UP Oblation statue with the text "University of the Philippines Centennial" in commemoration of UP founded in 1908.

You must be wondering why
1. I'm reviewing this 2004 album
2. Why I even have a copy

Well I saw it on sale for P25. (50 cents in USD) which is a 2-disc set including a 40 minute video with interviews, studio footage and surprises (as the label says). If you split the price into the 2 CDs, it's like 25 cents per CD. That's cheap ! So I figured what the hell. I'll take it.

Ok... from hereon then, I may be harsh, but that's how I see it.

I remember watching William Hung audition on Season 3 of American Idol and the judges' laughter which later transformed into respect for his positive outlook was a unique spectacle in American Idol history then.

Track 1, entitled "Words of Gratitude" is immediately a preface of William thanking the people for buying his CD. I took it more of a "no return, no refund" disclaimer and visualizing an evil image of William saying "I got your money sucker."

Track 2 moves to the Ricky Martin song, "She Bangs" as it was his signature song in the auditions.

Being a musical arranger, I cringe at the several instances of lack of timing. The off-key notes make my eyes squint in disbelief. I could imagine the studio engineer dropping all his mastery skills and just humbly accept that the songs were meant to be recorded this way. No attempt was made to digitally alter William's voice. It was recorded like that on purpose. I guess they want to capture William as he is and not as some celebrity-created persona which would be a twisted reality of William's actual talent.

I can't help but be disturbed by the mispronounciations of certain words (like pronouncing "singer" as "sing ger") but that's just me.



William chose some pretty difficult high-pitched songs. I was just looking at the song list and after seeing songs like "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Hotel California", I just had to exclaim to myself "Goodluck man". And I was right. A pitchy rendition of "I Believe I Can Fly" is an understatement. His pitch was all over the place. The last part had me hysterical as William tried to sustain some long notes without breathing and in the end obviously lost breath.

You know those times when you know you can't sing a high pitch yet attempt to do so in hopes of reaching it ? Well, William does that several times... and fails.

William kinda redeems himself in the upbeat tracks "YMCA" and "Shake Your Bon-bon". The backup singers render pretty decent vocals. As for William, well, the upbeat tempo and popularity of the 2 songs overshadows the remaining vocals owned by Hung.

Okey so right about now, you think I'm a bad guy for thrashing William Hung's album.
William's album did contain some redeeming factor and in fact much respect for the guy.

When you watch the 40 minute documentary, you'll find out the goodness in William, spreading a positive outlook no matter how many may laugh or ridicule him. For him, he enjoys singing and performing. So why would someone tell him otherwise ? A lot of interviews from his schoolmates at Berkley paint a better picture of William giving nothing but praises to the Chinese-American student.

In the end, you'll gain respect for this happy singer.

And then when you listen to the CD again, you'll laugh at it in a more positive note being less critical at the imperfections. You just have to accept the fact that this album doesn't intend to compete with any other great singers. It's just there to showcase William Hung and who he is. Have a sense of humor and you'll appreciate the album giving you a good laugh.

That's William Hung for you... an inspiration.

Well, it was actually her driver who beat me to a parking slot by seconds.

I had a hard time finding a parking slot along Tomas Morato and no matter how many valet parking services there are along that road, it's not an option for me (I simply can't take it upon myself to entrust my car with a valet).

And so I waited near the sidewalk with hazard flashing lights. A huge black van was also waiting about two cars away from my area.

Then, a car backed up from the parking area. Unfortunately, it backed up towards my side which caused the van to get in the parking slot before I could.

I waited 20 minutes before I could get a parking slot. When I finally parked, I saw Annabelle Rama coming out of the restaurant and walking towards my way. She took a second look at me with her usual "mataray" look and I didn't mind cause I was late. Before entering the restaurant, I looked back and saw her board the van.

Kontrabida talaga
.
.
.
yung driver.
*smirk*

This is a tip from personal experience I'd like to share.

Aside from having your tires regularly checked, it's also a nice habit to personally inspect your tires for any irregularities.

A perfectly inflated tire (with your preferred psi) doesn't necessarily translate to a healthy and perfect tire. Two weeks ago, I was using the car for an entire week before I noticed a weird clicking noise which sped up when the car accelerates. When I checked it out, there was a nail which was bent perpendicularly in such a way that half of it was pierced in the tire and the other half was bent away from the car which caused the clicking.

The car's tire pressure didn't decrease despite the piercing. That's because the nail fit perfectly inside the tire that it also prevented any air from coming out. Good thing it caused noise which led me to closely inspect the tire.

When I had the tire vulcanized, the mechanic also told me he found some small sharp rocks and a couple of nails also pierced in the tire. Some didn't penetrate the tire and were just on the top rim. I had all tires checked since I was there. The other pebbles didn't pose any harm to the tire, but it's best to regularly check them and have a healthy tire than a tire carrying unwanted foreign objects.


Happy motoring !