MANILA COMIC CON 2009

Here are pictures from this morning's comic convention 2009 in Megamall.

ENJOY!!! c^^,)

It was a warm Saturday afternoon, since I was not scheduled for a photo shoot this weekend I was lounging around the house sitting here and there and binge eating again on Twizzlers and popcorn (weird combination huh?!) I was on a diet so I had to think of a way to entertain my self. So I got up from bed and decided I've got to get my clicking urge satisfied today. There was an event being talked about a forum I frequent and it was held in Megamall. The Metro Comic Convention 2009! It was my first time attending the event and of course I was not there just for the ladies! (^_^) I was there to shoot interesting subjects, I was not disappointed! From Toys, Comic books, COSPLAY people, models, the list just goes on and on. I was not afraid to go there alone though... well to think about it this was the first time I was planning to shoot alone... aside from food reviews I do every now and then.

I got there around 2 or 3PM I think and saw the cosplayers sitting outside Megatrade hall where they usually do these events. It was nice, I had the first few shots dedicated to them but then I saw the life size figures in the center so I concentrated more on that and the toys. That was really good shooting because the images I saw after that were great... I saw some of the D60KREW photographers there also so in the end I wasn't really alone. I had so much fun as you can see because I got so many out of those few hours spent inside the comic con. I am sure I'll be back next year!

The Efficient Marketing Plan for the 2nd Half of 2009

The Business Process Outsourcing industry has been my bread and butter. As you may all know, the company I work for engaged in accounts that comprises of technical, customer service and sales oriented entities. On a successful call, one can generate a couple of dollars which would cover only the expenses of the operations. The main generation of funds usually would go to up selling the same services for a fee if certain criterion are met like warranty periods, end of life or value added services. There are specific audiences that the company should only get, mostly only those whose interest has been the one they offer. This can be gathered by consumer surveys, on line forms and other means. Getting this without the process of having middle men and all the bureaucracy can be easily serviced by other private companies. Business Sales Leads have long been used by contact centers like ours so a direct connection and sure sale could be established. Not to mention the other services that they can avail after this transaction. This is very good for credit card companies, cable television, satellite transmission providers and businesses that would not want to waste time and directly go to the person/individual that will avail their products. Saves them precious time and money in the process because it would avoid red tape.

The equation is easy, more leads would mean more consumers that would gladly spend for your product. This would in turn generate more income for any company. We can always take our own resources and find clients on our own randomly but that would only take more time to get a single sale because it is like shooting air balls in a basketball court. If the interested ones are tapped, then there would no longer be sales talk events every time. Getting more sales in a shorter amount of period would also convert into efficient manpower usage for any company availing this service. It is the smartest thing a manager would think about doing if he plans to be more than the usual. We did that already, do you want to be left behind?

KUMAGCOW MOOOOVIE REVIEWS: STAR TREK (The Movie 2009)

It was a fast paced fantasy based movie that originated from the original TV series. A connection between the past and the present, time travel and super warp drives, this movie has not failed to impress me. I thought it was going to be a boring one since I was not impressed with the reviews in the US and local papers. I was not a trekkie to begin with but man! I enjoyed each scene that came out of the silverscreen. Not to mention this day was a little special since I dated a long time friend from Canada. Yes, singlehood has its perks but it would not hurt to date every once in a while. Anyway, back to the movie hehe...

She was the one who chose this movie by the way because she probably was a trekkie and she did not admit it haha! She doesn't read my blog so that's okay to say hehe. So back to the story, it started on a space jump then people died in the USS Enterprise... the mighty captain sacrificed himself and rammed it into the alien's ship. This was in the eve of his wife giving birth to a healthy boy, this lad later on became the captain of the ship. Spock was in the story too, he time travelled and told of the past so he could change history. There were some drills that were started by these aliens so they could make blackholes and get these planets to implode. Soon almost the whole civilization of Spock perished, only a few survived. The alien had some sort of grudge against Spock and he wanted him to see his people die. The alien told of a story of his people dying too so that's what he did to Spock for revenge. In the end, they all were able to defeat the alien from within their ship. They also rescued the previous captain who was captured in the initial war. Spock and the new Captain became close friends, then everything was in order after they destroyed the ship and defeated the alien in hand to hand combat.

I strongly suggest you watch it if you still have time! Givin it 3 KUMAGS for effort, and becaus the date went fine! ^^ Hahah

Philippine Fashion Week 2009 (My Very First Photo Shoot)

Well here goes nothing, I'm just gonna give you a glimpse of what I did in at Philippine Fashion Week a week ago. I hope you like these shots I took from the sidelines. I never got a good place in the photographers area because it was packed!

Enjoy!

This was my first photo shoot using my new Nikon D60 camera. It was a good practice run for me so now I know I'll get better position the next time I have to go. But some of my friends see that they are not that bad. This was a collection by Renee Salud. I had a chance to take a look at some of the Philippine's most beautiful people, and talented ones (for those who were not that goodlooking hehe) and I enjoyed it a lot. Not to mention I was only a few steps away from celebrities, the people who know them and the designers themselves. Renee Salud has been geting raves since the late 70's and was given so many accolades for his fashion line, and discovering models. His eye for beauty is undeniable, and this collection that combines Asian, Neo Japanese and Filipiniana designs are a sight for sore eyes. I'll definitely try to score some tickets for next year when this happens again, it's one thing I will come back for. So how do you think I fared in photography? Heheh...

Here's some of the raw sights and unedited pictures from Fashion week:

Memorial Day 2009

It's Memorial Day in the US and everybody is on festive mood because my site seems on a slump lately. I've got to be crazy not to notice that because every program in cable was showing celebrations in the US and other naval and air bases around the world.

This particular day is celebrated each last Monday of May and is done to thank each and everyone who participated in the 2 world wars that the country went to. Not to mention the other small wars that some Filipino soldiers also participated in. I know because my Grandpa was part of it too, well let me just rephrase that because I think everyone at that time was part of it in the Philippines. We really did play a major role in the war and thousands of Filipinos died at that time. I remember my Grandma said a few things about going to the provinces to evacuate so they can stay away from Japanese soldiers who infiltrated the major cities. It was a good thing they bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki otherwise there would have been more nations that could have gone under threat. We are situated in such a strategic place in the Pacific Ocean that everyone had to make us a part of it. I wonder what I could have done at that time... well I better stop day dreaming and start working. I've got tons of reports to do obviously.

To the veterans, thank you! Happy Memorial Day!

The Reading Festival 2009

As the biggest music fan in my family second to my Dad, I always make it a point to go on local events that are in line with the materials I listen to. I mainly do this for leisure but on major concerts and VIP privileges that establishments sometimes give away, I do not stop at any point and go to these because I feel the need to belong to the IN crowd. How simple that may be for others is not so simple with me because I do not have much time in my hands. It would mean I would not be going back to the office at these times or over the weekend where I take my days off even if I am still in the running of company perfect attendance in my 4th straight year. That is just a remarkable feat for me but I sometimes feel so bad if there are international events that happen in the Philippines which I could not go to. They rarely go here often. These are no ordinary MTV concerts or the things we watch on the OPRAH show. Some flukes pass that club like the hoax that made raves and shows years ago.

On a positive note, people in Europe specifically those in the United Kingdom will be holding huge reading festivals to get people of the same interest all in one place. I hope somebody pays for my airfare come August because they will be holding it there. Reading Festival Tickets are selling like hotcakes. I hope by a stroke of luck or a wave of the wand of HARRY would do wonders for me so I can get in. So if anybody who wants to volunteer... Ha-ha!

Although that maybe of interest for me, I would like to be the first one to sit and watch FALL OUT BOY or THE PRODIGY come concert night. They are some of my favorite bands and I adore their music. Obviously even the clothes I'm wearing now are patterned to their styles. I hope I can get one because rumor has it that they are sold out!

Holy Week in the Philippines 2009

It's holy week again in the Philippines and that long week where most people have no work means almost nothing to me.... because I have to work at these times. It's okay though because after 5 years of having no absences at work, I pretty much am used to it.

People from the metro will flock back to their own provinces and security is tight in almost all ports. The new National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Roberto Rosales has even ordered the few thousand policemen to watch over people at these times. Which would mean no holiday for them too... I hope they really keep peace and order like what they are supposed to do. I heard over the radio,that Rosales tasked his District Director to assure that there will be visible police men on public terminals, ports, airports, malls, and vital installations. There should be no NIGAS COGON on visibility because as usual, they'll probably be there only when there are events like these. I hope they keep it that way so there would be lower crime rates.
They should also be working with local security groups and local barangay officials because most people would be leaving their houses. A neighborhood watch perhaps? That would be a miracle if that happened.

Although there are no security threats by unscrupulous groups, they should never let their guard down because it is highly possible that these extremists may get the chance and blow up people and places. I wouldn't wanna fall trapped with that.

I hope I can visit Pampanga and watch people crucified... or maybe just watch them from afar. I don't like blood baths anyway, it gives me the creeps. The picture above is just a normal march at these times... imagine after that, they will get crucified too. That would just hurt looking at it but hey it's a cultural thing so we don't have to be too freaky all year hehe.

Have a blessed holy week everyone!

ERASERHEADS "The Final Set" CONCERT March 7, 2009

It was NOSTALGIA... that is one word I could describe what happened that day. It was perfect for me, a crazed Eraserheads fan that already put them on a pedestal because I adored them so much. They were god like for me...(pardon sounding blasphemous) but OMG it was all I ever asked for in one sitting.

We started the day meeting at Starbucks MOA...it was a hot Saturday afternoon and as people would always see...its lotsa traffic. I met Arpee and Bheng (mah officemates) then Gian and Leo came too. I was dragging my foot along because I got my ankle sprained a few days ago. I was even limping yesterday for entertainment purposes (magaling ako umarte) wahahhaha. But MY GAD HIGAD it was painful and that was not even half of it. I ordered Mango Passionfruit as always then cooled off a little, then we headed to the MOA Concert Grounds. We walked there so it was a daunting task for my foot hehe... At 4PM, throngs of fans already lined up and guards, bouncers and epals were there to greet them. Security was tight since they did not allow water bottles, food, professional cameras, unattended kids, hookers, GRO's (weh sayang!). I was told there was food inside the venue, little did I know I was in for a surprise. I didn't know how inconvenient it was to eat there. Since we were there for hours, we needed to do that. I bought double cheeseburger from McDonalds but they returned my money because they didn't have it yet. I opted for 2 cheeseburgers instead. I was looking for something to drink and there was a Coca Cola booth beside that, when I paid up they immediately put my Orange Juice in a plastic cup, it didn't even have a cover! Now imagine how am I going to keep that drink alive until the concert when people could literally nudge my arms and spill that all over others? What's more appalling is the thought of them not giving away the bottles... have you seen anyone die of a plastic bottle? unless they know how to swallow and put rocks on em there probably would be...Go figure!

Aside from that, we say along the rails and boundary of the Silver A area together with Gian's friends from philmusic.com and talked about what to expect in the concert. As funny as it sounds, we needed to do that for a couple of hours since we were there early to get the best seats. I was annoyed at a few kids beside me who went there with their Mom I think. I mean, if you can't handle your 3 kids why the hell should she bring em there right? They were the first ones I saw that smelled like ARAW even if it was already 6PM... I despise the place for being filthy. Why in the world don't we have a place that could seat a lot of people... we need one for big concerts like that. Good thing we were by the bay... at least there was a breeze coming in every few minutes, otherwise we all would have suffocated from human scent. You know what I mean? c^^,)

So the day became night and it became darker by the minute. We watched the lights go up, while some literally blinded us on purpose. At about 6 or 7 PM a girl suddenly wanted to make her way to the front and make SINGIT... she didn't even asked permission from the people who already were there. I was making nasty jokes about her already but she stood ground as if she never heard anything. She even looked at me evily as if she thinks I'd never tell her about it. Hahah.. I dared her to look at me again that way but she didn't.... I could have been the next Chris Brown because aside from my hurting ankle..she was freakin annoying me too. Good thing she fell short of what she planned to do and went away from our position... people even clapped and laughed about it hahaha. Weird...but I still hate that girl heheh... How I wished I could smash somebody's face on the rails! After those annoying incidents, at about 7PM a fireworks display erupted at our back...people thought it was for the event but I know MOA does that every Saturday before the mall closes. Aside from that, people were already waiting for the big event!

8PM struck and there was no countdown no nothing that happened, they were late obviously.... so after a few more minutes of waiting, 4 VJ's from MTV arrived. People were waiting too long to listen to them.... almost everybody boooed them....hahaha there were hecklers everywhere... I on the other hand was cracking jokes because I was bored and tired waiting of course! I was also anticipating some kind of countdown before they start... but that did not happen at 8PM... we waited a while until the video started. OMG this is it...the event that I was waiting for... wait... it was not counting down minutes or seconds.... it was the alphabet backwards!

Everybody chanted Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F then an inverted E *lightbolts sound* then the music started....and the first song? It was "MAGASIN"... I thought they were gonna sing OVERDRIVE but that came in on the second set I guess... Here is the rest of the set list:

1st Set:
Magasin
Walang Nagbago
Maling Akala
Maskara
Poorman's Grave
Waiting for the Bus
Huwag Mo nang Itanong

(Marcus on vocals which literally made everybody crack up on his own funny version.... I want that album published now! I was laughing so hard with Marcus... he ought to have a novelty song album of some sort. That would be a great idea to produce!)

Slo Mo
Alkohol
Insomya
Torpedo

It was nice! I felt everything fell into place and I was in heaven! All the tiredness and my hurting feet was gone (of course not! hehe) I was just starstruck by them. The band that I waited for a long time was just a few steps from where I am. Oh! What a night! The 2nd Set came in and lo and behold they came in with a whole SALA SET... they were all there while Ely introduced us to their new BAHAY... heheh... then they played everything in acoustic....MTV unplugged style!

2nd set:

Julie Tearjerky (acoustic/unplugged )
Tikman ang Langit (acoustic/unplugged )
Wishing Wells (acoustic/unplugged )
Fine Time (acoustic/unplugged )
Pare Ko (acoustic/unplugged )
Kailan (acoustic/unplugged )
Back2Me
Trip to Jerusalem
Spoliarium
Overdrive

Not a single person left the concert grounds after Ely thanked the crowed. We were all so bitin we were waiting for what comes next after that spectacular idea of having everything performed in an unplugged version. I'm sure with Marcus and Raimund singing a few songs on their own, Ely has indeed rested to rap this particular concert up! I was not disappointed!

The encore was about Filipino king of Rap Francis M. so Ely even asked everyone to raise their hands... and clap... and jump for this great man who opened an era of Rap music for a country who hungered for it.

Encore

Superproxy (tribute to FrancisM)
Minsan
Alapaap
Kaleidoscope World (tribute to FrancisM) (reprise)
Ang Huling El Bimbo

Sparks flew at our back and a lot more fireworks were lit at the stage. There was enormous amount of confetti on front for everyone to see that this setup was not just for local consumption. By golly the whole place was filled with confetti that parts of the stage was covered literally we can't even see em anymore. It was a very nice cheesy way of ending everything. After everything ended... Ely went to the stage's center and poured a healthy amount of lighter fluid on the PIANO from the STICKERHAPPY album. I was so sad to see that musical instrument burning at the stake and Ely even kicking it literally breaking each piece as it collapses to the ground. The end of a beautiful foursome years just flashed right in front of me. I was struck by the fact that everything will end here.... yes I was so sad to have to end it that way... but like any story... theirs had to end too.

Ely Raimund Marcus and Buddy then succumbed to everyone's request for a group hug.... and a group BOW too... It ended with Ely stating "Ladies and gentlemen, we are THE ERASERHEADS!". Then he threw his shoes when they went out... and almost his socks too.... I would have scrambled for that too hahaah!

Everyody went on their way out.... of course it took a few minutes before they could do that.... until somebody spoke on the mic stating "Hoy.... ano? Nabititin ba kayo?" and I said WHOA! HINDI PA TAPOS! Everybody was surprised and went back to the venue... some of them were literally outside already... they had to go back because as Ely said it.... THIS IS 3 FOR THE ROAD!


Then they played for the last time:

Encore 2:

Ligaya
Sembreak
Toyang

It ended again with Ely stating "Ladies and gentlemen, we are THE ERASERHEADS!". That was just a good ending... but no matter how many times this band try to end it... I as a true fan would never end my dream... that someday, somehow, someway.... I'll still get the chance to watch THE ERASERHEADS once more.

The Oscars 2009

I guess I should let you into my insights in the not so recent Oscars awards night where veteran actor Sean Penn won Best Actor, Penelope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress and Kate Winslet won Best Actress. Of course Heath Ledger couldn't come to the occasion since he is with the creator already. If he did go there the celebrities would have ran away literally.

Heath Ledger's sister accepted the award together with his Mum, they accepted it in behalf of Heath's daughter which did not make an appearance in the show.It also was nostalgic to see the past winners of Oscars presenting the award themselves. I specifically like the only african american guy...ahmmm... Yeah it was Cuba Gooding Jr. who cracked me up on his speech when he was presenting one of the nominees. He's just funny.

All in all the Oscars was a great success with Hugh Jackman as the host. Most people did not know he could sing and dance. He actually won a TONY award previously for some stage stints he did so this shouldn't be that surprising.

American Idol 2009 First 3 Finalists

This girl performed nicely this round!

I watched this a while ago and I was not impressed with the other two guys but Alexis Grace was awesome. She had her own style and voice that is quite similar to Kelly Clarkson and I bet she's going to be a strong contender in this competition. Alexis Grace is a 21-year-old single mother from Memphis, Tennessee. I saw her parents sitting in the sidelines crying after she was announced as the first finalist.

Together with Alexis Grace was Michael Sarver, the full bodied 27-year-old oil rig worker from Jasper, Texas. I did not like his particular performance but he was voted still as one of the best. I mean a lot would have been better than him to tell you frankly like that Indian guy. In any case, they probably would come back for the wild card round come March 5 I guess. The rest of them would only be chosen through votes but all in all I was not impressed with their overall performance. The group was mediocre as far as I'm concerned.

DINAGYANG FESTIVAL : Wow Iloilo!

People are flocking the streets and thousands drinking every night in Iloilo City as they celebrate the festival that they are quite known for. The DINAGYANG FESTIVAL in all its colors will present itself to the world this month of January besting its neighboring provinces that have their own festivals too. The Philippines is just full of fiestas.

Not only will there be lots of food and beverages of many versions but there also be local beauty competitions and dance contests which I'm sure everyone will enjoy. One day, I too will go back to Iloilo and check out what I missed. The time I spent there with my family a few years back was memorable. That's discounting the fact that I even got sick... but I still did enjoy it!

The street parade will surely draw the crowd's attention, and so will the other parts of the program where dignitaries will converge and celebrate this momentous occasion for all Ilonggos. I still know how to speak the dialect a little! ^_^ If you are looking for something to do this season, why not try going for Iloilo and join DINAGYANG 2009!

The STARBUCKS PLANNER 2009 : Whatyathink?!

This is the new planner... Red, Blue and Black. Is it worth it?

The coffee lovers past time; can I seriously complete these stickers for that Planner? O_O

I still have my 2007 Leather bound Planner with Starbucks silver Pen at home, I also have last year's planner that was not that appealing. I was waiting for this one since I was anticipating a better one, well to my surprise I found a small hard bound notebookish thingy on the shelves of the store. They gave me my card which I need to fill up every time I get me cup of coffee from the same store. This ain't right... we were expecting more but it became waaaaay simpler and ordinary. I did not even see if this was tied up to the same charity that was previously advertised. Could the money from this just go to something else we don't know? That's just another story.

To complete this and get that planner I need to consume 16 cups or more of these:

Holiday featured Beverages ( 8 Stickers )

Dark Cherry Mocha
Toffee But Latte
Praline Mocha <<< This was the one I ordered yesterday! It was good and nutty!

Beverage of your choice ( 8 Stickers ) so you can probably choose the regulars. I perhaps would just take my everyday Caramel Macchiato for this! ^_^