Somewhere in the ether there's a photo of me with both Chito Miranda and Rico Blanco. True story! I was in first or second year college then and it was a music event at the Ateneo Covered Courts. The hottest band back then was Barbie and everybody was screaming their hearts out for Barbie. Meanwhile, me and my friend Angie inched our way to Chito Miranda and Rico Blanco who were seated somewhere on the side, introduced ourselves, had my photo taken, and got their autographs. I don't have a copy of the photo or the autographs. I'm a big fan of those two so it might just have been a dream. But I swear it happened. Tomorrow, I'll get another chance to get close with Chito Miranda and Parokya ni Edgar, my all-time favorite band since high school. They're performing live at Abreeza. And I have VIP Passes. HAPPINESS! I do hope there's a meet and greet session. Parokya ni Edgar Live at Abreeza I might sound like a big dork, but I really love Parokya ni Edgar. Like I seriously
Category: hobbies and interests
The Blackberry Q10: My Dream Phone
It's rare for me to say I want a high end gadget, but this is true... I want the Blackberry Q10. The Blackberry Q10 I'm not fond of buying high end gadgets since I know I'm quite clumsy and tend not to take care of my gadgets properly. But oh how I would love to have a Blackberry Q10. I was at the Davao launch of the BB10 OS and the Blackeberry Z10. I was quite amazed at the BB10 OS but thought that the Blackberry Z10 wasn't for me. It didn't have the signature Blackberry QWERTY keypad that I had grown to love. So when I saw the Blackberry Q10, with the BB10 OS and the Blackberry QWERTY, I fell in love with it. I was also able to test drive it for a few hours during the Davao launch and I could say it's the smartphone for me. The BB10 OS allows professionals, like me, to achieve work life balance via 2 user profiles that can be switched on and off or used side by side. Plus, it has an intuitive typing feature which actually learns the words you often use. Faster typing without the annoying autocorrect mistakes.…
Wednesday Nights are Bigby’s Trivia Nights
Are you bored of the usual grind? Why don't you flex your mental muscles by joining Bigby's Trivia Nights? Davao Bloggers at Bigbys Trivia Night Dec 2012 Every Wednesday, Trivia Nights are held in select Bigby's Cafe and Restaurant outlets. For every Trivia Night, there are 4 sets of questions with each set composing of 2 - 3 categories. And each category has about 5 - 8 questions each. The questions are so random that sometimes it would take a whole lot of luck just to earn some points. And then, there are times when luck is on your side and most categories are easy for your group. The first time I joined, the category was necklace types. We sucked at that category. Davao Bloggers at Bigbys Trivia Night January 2013 There is no limit to how many members are in a group. My group, representing Davao Bloggers has joined most Trivia Nights. We have won some, and we have lost even more times. It's great fun trying to score points, cheering, and occasionally jeering and bullying. And there's quite a rapport going on among teams at the Abreeza Ayala Mall branch. One advantage we might have is how varied…
Social Media for Social Change
"With great power comes great responsibility." - Uncle Ben, Spiderman Social media gives people opprtunities to communicate, learn, and earn. In so many ways, people can create careers, businesses, fame and fortune. With these opportunities are also opportunities to change lives and change societies. In the Arab Spring, social media greatly contributed to the revolutions and rise od democracy in some nations in the Middle East. Social media didn't create change. Rather, it became one of the most effective tools to contribute to change. One doesn't have to wait for a revolution to happen for a citizen to contribute to social change. With social media, a citizen can easily and possibly bring change to society. Social media can give voice to the unheard. It can amplify a message. It can give light to issues which have never been discussed. It can provoke a nation to change in ways they never thought they could. Social media gives most individuals with the opportunity to be an opinion maker, to influence, to be more important than he could ever be. With these opportunities come the opportunity to use social media to create change. Advocacies can become more powerful and can reach a wider…
Surf 101 in Dahican, Mati
Ria Jose in Dahican Beach, Mati Anybody who knows me well enough knows I am not a "beach person." When the opportunity to learn how to surf presented itself, I was a bit hesitant but I accepted the challenge because... I don't actually remember why. I'm glad I accepted it because look... Dahican, Mati, Davao Oriental When we arrived in Dahican, it was already dark and our first concern was eating. Then, sleeping. We checked in to Kanakbai Resort. They 2 villas, each with 2 rooms which can comfortably fit 2 - 6 persons. Each villa has a kitchen and a common living room. In the morning, we had a hearty breakfast and set out to learn how to surf. We dropped by one spot but the waves weren't strong enough for surfing. Dahican has a very nice shoreline. It's blue, pristine, and serene. They have spots for swimming and spots for surfing. It's the learning haven for surfers. I love how the beach goes on and on and the resorts aren't too close to the shoreline. After starting to fall in love with the beach of Dahican came the fear of surfing. DUN! DUN! DUN! DUUUUUUN! Scared... After enjoying…
The #GlobeAmplified Racing Experience
On March 23, 2012, Globe Telecom launched their $700 million system transformation in Davao City. This translates to better mobile services along with a better customer service experience. The entire system transformation is is anchored on the tagline "A Bigger Globe for a Bigger YOU!" And the first roll-out for this new system is in... DAVAO CITY! In order to test the system, 21 bloggers and members of local and national media organizations were chosen to participate in a race around Davao City. Together with the Department of Tourism and AirPhil Express, Globe Telecom showcased their amplified services in a unique adventure around Davao City. I was chosen and grouped together with Alex Villafania of loqal.ph and Giovanni Flaviano of the People's Forum. We were Team GCash Remit Purple and I was the team's designated navigator. As navigator, I had to perform tasks and challenges separate from my team. Upon completion of my task, I'd inform my teammates where their next task is. Armed with an iPhone 4S and the Globe network, I raced around Davao City along with other navigators. I had to run through Aldevinco Shopping Center to find a labeled scarf, take pictures at San Pedro Cathedral,…