Me and My Music
Whenever I get the chance to buy things for me, I tend to go for books or CDs. I love to listen and make music. My selection vary and they range from Pop, Acoustic Rock, and even Country Music. I have a very huge selection of playlist on my PC, Mac and Nokia. I like to listen to music while working and when I needed a break, I like hooking my earphones and listen intently to my favorites.
Read MoreLets Make Some Music
I love to sing. I think Filipinos are naturally music lovers. We love to sing love songs… We love to rock… :)
I used to play the piano as a child, but I love the guitar the best. Although certainly no John Mayer nor a Gabe Bondoc or a Marié Digby, but I love the way a guitar sound and has always loved to sing along with an acoustic guitar as an accompaniment. My love of music stemmed from my growing up with brothers who plays the piano and guitar. There was always music when I was growing up.
I used to sing duets with my brothers. We used to sing all those 80′s music, Roxette, Bruce Springsteen, some Barry Manilow’s and even Basia, Whitney Houston and Bon Jovi. I started with the piano at the age of 6, and the guitar at the age of 14. I was professionally taught piano-wise, but self taught with the guitar. I started learning the guitar when I realized that the guitar is way cooler than the piano. :)
Tomorrow, I am checking out Perfect Pitch to check the prices of acoustic guitars. I want a black acoustic guitar. I am also checking out online guitar sites. Anyone have any suggestion?
Read MoreWolfgang: Continuing to Rock
I came across this article from Spot.ph and reading it reminded me of my favorite band so many years ago. Wolfgang. Back when everybody was into Eraserheads and Rivermaya, I was totally into Basti Artadi, Manuel Legarda and Mon Legaspi. It was not the coño look, but the long and curly tresses and the unique voice that a few local band has. That long hair’s gone now. Basti is now sporting a clean short cut.
So whatever happened to Wolfgang? Well, they seem to have come back. Unfortunately, since I am no longer in Manila, I have not heard much about them apart from what I get from the Wolfgang’s Official Facebook Page. I searched Youtube for their video and found something I have never seen nor heard– Wolfgang with the UP Singing Ambassadors. How cool is that?
To those who crave heavy metal and the dark tunes of Wolfgang, check the video below:
Read MoreMy Shelter Foundation: Help Make a Difference With Just Your Vote
One of the frustrations of living in catastrophic Philippines is the lack of urban planning. As a country along the typhoon’s way, one would assume that we’d learn from our mistakes and go from there. But its hard to pick up the pieces especially when urban areas continue to grow at an escalating rate everyday. With the absence of livelihood in the rural areas, and the continuing growth in Manila, alot of people fled their small rural areas with the hopes of finding better opportunities in the cities.
Overcrowding, squatting and poor urban planning contributes to the floods and destructions of homes every typhoon season. Philippines would you believe get an average of 6-7 tropical cyclones every year. Ketsana last year has caused so much destruction in the north which according to Huffington Post, “430,000 people were affected by storm, including some 115,000 people who were brought to about 200 schools, churches and other evacuation shelters.” Imagine 1 months worth of rain in just 12 hours.
Poor urban planning has long been blamed for the floods and the cause of traffic in the country. But how do you fix decades of mistakes? Is it possible at all to start all over again? During my travels to Papua New Guinea and Australia, I came to realize years ago how badly our houses here are built. Its crazy to see European style houses sprouting here and there including the countless of low lying homes by money sucking low cost housing in the urban areas. These subdivisions does not have proper drainage and sewerage systems that during typhoon season, these were one of the places affected by floods every year.
Read MoreMy Awesome Trip to Bangkok
Me at Suvarnabhumi Airport
True to my promise, I did not use Cebu Pacific when I went to Bangkok for a client meeting and took Philippine Airlines. The flight went well anyway, although I was pretty curious about the new airport, I decided to take the more reliable airline- Philippine Airlines.
The bought the ticket online a month early so I got a better deal. The price difference with Cebu Pacific– the airline that suck, was only P900. Since this is a client paid trip, my itinerary was short and this was also my first trip without any of my children. It was pretty weird waiting in the departure lounge alone. 
It sucked and I resisted calling my kids since I know this transition is necessary for all of us.
So how did my trip go? It was good.
This was my first trip after 2 years. My first trip out to anywhere without my children. With quick planning and ardent budgeting, I made it to Bangkok with hefty shopping money and in one piece.
I booked myself at a small family run hotel, Bangkok Loft Inn. The location of the hotel was great and convenient as it was on the Thaksin Ave, and close to the Bangkok Skytrain. To check out how I found the Bangkok Loft Inn, click here. I used my internet savviness to find a budget hotel. What made Bangkok Loft Inn ideal is its size. Their Superior Room is ideal for a lone traveler, as well as a couple. The bedding is great and true to their ad, the room boasted with a Samsung Flat Screen Television, free and robust wifi connection and good bathroom features. Its not crowded, and the location great. The Inn was only a Skytrain ride away from Siam! Fantastic!
Read MoreChristmas and Consumerism
Commerce is the art of exploiting the need or desire someone has for something.-Edmond de Goncourt (1822 – 1896)
It is so obvious that businesses thrives on consumerism. Consumerism is the attitude that values the acquisition of material goods. I did our last minute shopping today. As expected, the traffic was horrible and hair-raising. Consumerism is so alive today. Makro was full of people with overflowing carts. Recession seem to be out of the window right now. Makes me rethink my post about deflation… or perhaps we are not feeling the effects yet. And us Filipinos has to rethink our idea of huge noche buenas especially when times are harder.
I felt sorry for our neighbor but at the same time thankful for her. She is currently busy planning a “huge” noche buena for the neighborhood. Yes, you heard me, the party is for the entire neighborhood. She said it is her way of saying thanks to her neighbors for patronizing her sari-sari store– the biggest in our small village.
But while I am thankful, I felt sorry for her, since the pressure of giving a huge party is getting to her physically and emotionally. Since groceries and food is far more expensive now than last year, the expectation of the neighborhood is high and she did not want to disappoint everybody since she felt sorry for most of our neighbors are on the class D and E– just too many unemployed people and people living below poverty line. I surmised perhaps all of us owe her something in one time or another.
Anyway, that’s her way of celebrating and my way is another way. Salve at Money Smarts is offering a challenge for a budget handaan. Is there really a budget handaan? Is this possible? Actually my children and I are not going to have a noche buena but I intend to celebrate Christmas tomorrow by giving an extra-special lunch. The menu is simple and straight forward. Like I said, Christmas is about the celebration of family and not about how much gifts we gave nor received. Let us just get back to the real root and meaning of Christmas. Only the big businesses are profiting over the idea of Christmas. I think it is time for us to rethink our values and what we deem as important.
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