Ride and Stay Alive

I just left the chat box a few seconds ago. I was talking to my best friend from a nearby province in the North because we have not seen each other in a while. Yes guys and gals, he was the same guy who had a motorcycle accident more than a year ago. I think he's okay now considering he lost his eyesight on the left and had major constructive surgery done on his face. He's got a daughter and family to take care of and even if it did cost a lot he needed to survive for them. I was at his side the whole yard and tried my best to at least ease some of his burden. With the boom and popularity of this mode of transport in the Philippines, we learned the hard way about the importance of road safety.

I love motorcycles do not get me wrong. I dream of having these particular bikes in my garage the next few years.

I know it is a long shot, but hey! You and I know anything is possible once you set your mind to it. In that same extent, I know I would be more careful about riding super bikes like these. In storms and gloomy weather, we should always check everything in our vehicle. The same goes with this DUCATI bike that Tom Cruise used in MI3. Riding in the night would also require us to get the best Motorcycle Light Bulbs. No matter how safe you think you are in the road we are powerless against other vehicles that do not obey traffic rules and regulations. I mean how in the world you could see in a foggy night for example if you do not have Harley Light Bulbs that can pierce through anything in the dark. Not only would you get lost, but you can easily get into trouble with the things in front of you. You could fall off a cliff God forbid if you do not take care of your bikes. Kawasaki Bulbs are also excellent in this particular dilemma. Since they are intended more for the Asian riders, they know how it is in this side of the world. Getting the best things for our motorcycles would not just make our rides pretty, it would help us stay alive the least.

I hope you learn something from this experience. Wear a helmet while on the road, it would not make you look silly but make other people think there is something inside your head right?! Take care!

Death Toll Rises to 27: Typhoon Dante

The number of deaths has risen to 27 as Typhoon Dante ravages the Bicol region.

It has included another fatality from yesterday's number: 26

This has been the latest tally as accorded by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).

In the casualties, 20 of them came from the province of Sorsogon, 2 were from Camarines Norte, 3 of them came from Camarines Sur, and 2 from Catanduanes.

Meanwhile, the number has risen to 43, 215 families or the equivalent of 236,887 people who were affected by Typhoon Dante from 220 barangays, 45 municipalities and 3 cities in the Bicol Region.

There are only 9,480 families or 54,308 individuals who are staying in 174 evacuation centers across the region.

There are additionally 5 more reported unconfirmed deaths as of this writing in Typhoon Dante's exit.

I pray there would be no more lives wasted in this natural disaster.

More Than A Cup of Joe!

I'm sitting down and enjoying a cup of coffee now. I'm a fan of coffee obviously because I even have that favorite flavor popping up your screens every time you visit my site. I indulge in the sweetness of caramel and the strong espresso flavor each time I order this in the most popular coffee chain in the world. With the economic situation, they were not spared because we saw them close down almost all their branches in Australia. I wonder if the same also happened here. That does not dampen my interest with this addicting drink that I still manage to fill my self tub fulls every now and then.

How cold can you get? I enjoy this drink ice cold with just the normal instant coffee powder that almost every household has. A spoonful of sugar would be enough to make it irresistible to me. How I comfort my self with that and a laptop computer nearby is bliss. This is much like what I am doing now, so go figure!

I like it hot too. Although I have huge horror stories about it because when I tried buying a large cup in a convenience store nearby our office, I poured steaming hot vanilla flavored coffee before I went out. Lining up to pay for it, I kind of felt it was already seeping through the cup. Something terribly wrong was happening, I saw it already leaking by the time I reached the counter. True enough, as I placed the hot item on the desk it was making a huge mess and people were looking at me like I did it on purpose. It was so humiliating, even my friends were laughing at me that time. I politely asked for a coffee sleeve so I could at least get another one and not hurt my self in the process. I paid for it already and guess what, they did not have one. Imagine how many people would be purchasing that same drink and experiencing the same ordeal I went through. A simple coffee cup sleeve that would keep you safe handling hot drinks and they did not have that on their store! I wish there was some way we could get them on our own and have them personalized as well. I mean, we probably would be using them often since that is like staple in the office. Maybe if we got that endorsed in the administration department they could purchase some for us. That would be great if simple coffee sleeves be given free to everybody at graveyard shift. Right?! I'll try to tell them now.

Congratulations Manny Pacquiao!

With all the other blogs doing their congratulatory remarks on the greatest pound for pound fighter in the world Manny Pacquiao, this is my turn to do the same. I hope I don't sound redundant to everybody else who made their articles but I am amazed how he performed in this last fight. We thought it was going to be a close one but nobody knew it was only going to last 2 rounds. People did not even finish eating their popcorns or drink their colas in the coliseums and live broadcast gymnasiums here in Manila. This was the same feeling as with the people in the UK because for over the 750,000 pesos ticket they paid for, it was really too short to watch. I guess I did kind of got a hunch that it would be a short match because judging from the moves he made early in the rounds, his face was already being pummeled a lot. With that in mind, I was not also surprised at some point that he will be knocking him down. Pacquiao is just a power puncher and he would be blind not to see the openings of Hatton's defense.

On the second round, Manny did not use his left hand that much and with Hatton thinking he would not do it at all... he released a humongous blow to the jaw that shook Hatton's body to the ground. Falling back first he laid on the mat oblivious to everything around him. More like a suttle end to his illustrious career. Today he is really thinking of retiring and hanging his gloves. At least he got a few million pounds for that match right? I mean I would retire if I earned that much haha!

Congratulations to Manny Pacquiao... I am proud to be a Filipino... I am proud of you!

The Multidimensional Process of Physical, Psychological, and Social change: Getting Old!

People get old and that includes me too. If you ask my age, I would probably be answering you back with a "YES" which means I would not tell you a specific number ha-ha! There comes a time in your life where you are in denial that wrinkles, gray hair and age takes place. Others resort to surgery and other cosmetic procedures, but I am blessed with great skin so I do not even think about that. I sometimes see them too stretched in the face that it is funny they deny they went through all that. You can even see stitches in the neck area but they refuse to admit they went under the knife. That I think is the irony of life, we want to live it but we never want to age.

There are thousands of wrinkle creams and products in the market and only a few of them pass my standards. Not that I use them today, but if ever I would in the long run use one then I could start with retinol wrinkle cream that has been reviewed in major fashion and beauty sites as the most effective. There are different brands but if you need to start somewhere for that perfect formula that can get rid of wrinkles, dark spots and signs of aging then this is the one. I do not want to get old like most of you but in case we cannot avoid it, we have to do our best to at least take care of ourselves. Nothing beats drinking lots of water, washing your face regularly and keeping our skin clear and oil free. Do you have secrets how to do this? Let me know!

KUMAGCOW MOOOOVIE REVIEWS: XMEN ORIGINS: Wolverine

This movie is awesome! I can't even contain myself because of the aftermath. I came out of the movie house grinning all the way home because I was so glad I watched this film. It was even more than I expected it to be. I know a bunch of us were fans of this guy in cartoons and in the XMEN comic book series so if you plan to sit down and wait for the DVD copy of it you'll definitely be sorry. The experience of going into the theater and spending that much for it was worth it. I could have paid more if that was permitted but since I'm not that rich anyway I would really just want you guys to go ahead and watch it.

Everything from the cast, the director and the Executive producer (Stan Lee) was awesome. It all started with Hugh Jackman portraying Logan, a kid who can get his skeleton out of the top of his hands and use it as claws. Logan had a mother and father but one stormy night, the father of his friend (who later becomes sabretooth) came in barging in the house and shot his father to death. He got mad and furious so he went ahead to kill that guy who later also turned out to be his real father. Shocked by it, Sabretooth and Wolverine started to be there for each other. Since they heal fast, none of them died in the years that passed. They both fought world war I, II and the Vietnam war. They were indestructible then because none of them died of gunshot wounds and can kill a whole company in minutes with their claws and bare hands. Leaping and slashing an enemy was not a problem at all. They were sent to prison later on for treason and killing their superior officer. Then the government needed them for missions, and so they went on a killing spree again because the antagonist wanted to exploit their mutant powers. Wolverine did not approve of it later on, then quit the group to go into the mountains. He was fooled into loving a woman who later on turned to be a victim of the government's exploits, as her sister was also detained for experiments because she can turn herself into diamonds that can be indestructible.

He thought he was being played on but later on in the movie, she told him that she really loved him. So he was hunted by Sabretooth, as each one in that former team was killed. When the government sought to kill him, they made it look like they killed his wife. This prompted him to take revenge, but since sabretooth broke one of his skeleton claws they offered him to undergo an experiment that would make him indestructible. He became weapon X aka wolverine as they injected a new material called adamantium that bonded on his body. Giving him claws that could surpass any material known by man. He wanted to call himself after a short story from his wife called WOLVERINE. In his quest for revenge, he found a lot of other mutants. Cyclops, Gambit and a lot of the other ones who eventually will stay with Professor X. If my eyes were correct, I think I even saw Storm there. But she looked like a normal african american kid at that time and you would not be able to see her if your eyes are not that fast. I think I saw in the other experiments Multiple Man, Lady Deathstryke and others but they were not in the story, nor did they use their powers maybe because of budget constraints hahah!




The last battle was between the guy who I thought was from the fast and the furious (Paul Walker) but he was really Scott Adkins that portrayed a more improved Weapon XI that had huge samurai blades as arms, can teleport, and heal fast because all their mutant powers were given to him in the experiment. His mouth was sewn because he did talk too much when he was normal. That was definitely an improvement they said. It ended when sabretooth and wolverine teamed up like when they were at war and decapitated Weapon XI. The nuclear power plant collapsed. Then they all fled to wherever they went. Wolverine however had amnesia in the end. I like Cyclops' optic blast that almost got the building collapsed and when Gambit appeared in the end. The rest of the scenes were to die for. So if you fail to watch this, you are missing half of your life. Make sure you do or be a loser!

I give this movie 5 out of 5 KUMAGS for being the greatest film for 2009 ever! Unless Harry Potter can beat that!

For the World's Greatest Mom!

World's Greatest Mom in the middle!

Mother's day is fast approaching and I'm one of the few people who panic at this time of the year. I think I worry too much about what I could give my Mom since she has been a phenomenal person throughout this handsome man's lifetime. She is the only one that can handle all my disappointing mishaps in life and still manage to put up a smile whenever I needed someone. That just cannot be handled by friends alone because I know my Mom is more than a heroine, she is the best person I know in the whole world.

We do not spend that much time nowadays because of my busy schedules and work. I make it a point she knows how important she is to me even to this day. I have a lot to thank her for and that also includes my own life. I almost died when I was born, but we both survived all the blood loss and early birth condition that came with it. I may have some parts of my brain disfigured but hey I came out better looking than expected so that's a plus!

For those of you guys that do not have anything to give their Moms on this special day, PHOTOFIDDLE.COM just announced their Mother's Day $10 gift certificate giveaway. The technically savvy Moms could now create art from any photo of their choice and put them on canvas or art prints. The mothers day gifts are available before May 4, 2009. You can get them just emailing mom@photofiddle.com. It's that easy!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

More People Infected with SWINE FLU!

I hope there would be something that would be able to stop that influenza problem from Mexico. Imagine a couple of students were infected in Southern US because they only had a vacation in that country and now they are trying so hard to recuperate or at least survive because this deadly strain is killing them one by one. There are no vaccine or medicines created yet to battle this virus which is airborne. Now if you see the streets of Mexico, everyone is in masks but how would you be able to stop them from spreading it?!

We only have temperature detecting cameras that would be able to tell if they have fever, but a latest interview with a doctor on radio said that a single anti fever medicine would be able to put the temperature down if the drink one before they landed. Prevention must be done in the country of origin and not here, they recommended incubation periods too that is similar to SARS or bird flu when the outbreak hit the region previously.

If everyone had it, I hope the body would be able to produce enough anti bodies that would be able to eliminate this virus. Let the right people discover it so they can work on immediate cures since a lot have already died. Sickness that already has been transmitted from animals is very scary. This has mutated from the original spanish influenza. I hope the world health organization would be able resolve this.

KUMAGCOW MOOOOVIE REVIEWS: DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION

I started being a fan of Dragonball since highschool and I have been the kind who goes through the rummages of Virra Mall to find Japanese betamax tapes that contain the actual video which is shown only in the land of the rising sun. Being a thousand miles apart of course that single copy would come in a very hefty price. I think my friends and I chipped in about 700 bucks just for it so we could be one of the few people who watched it in the Philippines at that time. Internet was not a word we knew then so don't ask me how long ago that was okay? The boom only started in the late 90's here so do the math.

This movie was a little dissapointing, it did follow some of the real good things about the actual cartoon series but most of it was really invented. We knew that it would really be something big because imagine a couple of highschool kids buying that with their lunch money right? But this movie? It was a far cry from the original. I really like the fight sequences but some of them were a little bit sloppy. The effects were nice but on some parts of it, they were a little off. It would be nicer if it had more than one city bursting into flames like in the cartoon series but I think they only sticked with one or two of them... not to mention the weird romance happening between Yamcha and Bulma. The instances where and how they met were also awful. Then when the actual movie ended, everybody was mentioning "IS THAT IT?!" like there should be something more that what it was made to look like. There were only a few people in the cinema and some kids were also noisy at the back so I did not enjoy it that much. I wonder what would the next part be like because for the time that Picollo was still alive, it looks like they wanted it to have another sequel. I don't even know if there would be one soon because I think they lost a lot of money making it. I give it 2 kumags for at least making an effort even if it seemed so dissappointing.


Ha!

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!