Which Card am I?

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Bya's Halloween

Galactica gets to earth

maritess versus superfriends

Oasis - Wonderwall (Noel solo acoustic)

Red hot chili peppers - Under the bridge Live acoustic

Stone Temple Pilots - Plush - Acoustic

Stone Temple PIlots - Plush Vh1 Storytellers

Moby Boardie Concert - Natural Blues

moby natural blues cartoon version

What Am I Listening to

Here are some songs in my kulafu-Itunes and am currently chilling to:

- Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Plush - Stone Temple Pilots
- Cats in the Cradle - Cat Stevens
- Wonderwall - Oasis
- Five Years - Sugar Hiccup (all time fave!!!)
- Paint it Black - Vanessa Carlton (Rolling Stones remake)
- One - U2
- Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
- No Rain - Blind Melon
- Smells Like Teen Spirit - Tori Amos
- Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
- If You Leave - the Cure
- Say You Love Me - MYMP
- California Dreaming 2004 Remake - Benny Bennassi
- No Scrubs - TLC
- Mon Amour Tokyo - Pizzicato Five (tee hee anime =) )
- Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
- Love on a Two Way Street - Jackson 5
- Overdrive - Barbie Almabis (Eraserheads remake)
- I Just Don't Wanna be Lonely - The Manhattans
- Zombie - Cranberries

Let's GO DODGERS!

It is not everyday that you can go ground level at a major baseball stadium of a major team. And what do you know, I was one of the few selected by the Fil-Am community for a Dodgers-Padre baseball game.

Miss Universe Fever!

For those not in the know, The 2006 Miss Universe Pageant would be held here in LA and Asian Journal is one of the few media outfits accredited to cover the event.

It is very rare that I have my photo taken with celebrities but due to the rareness of the event I conceded to "magpaka-jologs."

Niways the final event would be held this Sunday but unfortunately we can't cover it due to restrictions but would be covering the coronation ball right afterwards.



(Momar Visaya, EIC Asian Journal, Miss Indonesia, special child)


(Momar Visaya, Lian Ramos - Miss Phils., dakilang alalay)

Pix from the Edge of Boredom

Heya all, due to an extreme sense of boredom, I have embarked on a journey to take a photo of myself whenever I can.

Initially what I envisioned was to take a pix of me and as many Starbucks Coffeeshop that I can. I was planning on calling it "I, Starbucks."

Nutters on that.

New project, "I, America."

Watchatink?


Atlantic City!!! Slotmachine cravefest


Monkey See, Monkey Do

Atlantic City Urbanite

Hello from the US

This is going to be my first blog entry since arriving in the US last April 23.

What can I say, I am in America right now and pursuing the American dream.

NOT!!!

But really, the US provides a whole lot of opportunities normally not open or available in the home country. Like, I have a new skill right now and have evolved from being a photographer to a videographer and am liking it a whole lot.

You could check out some of my work at www.la18.tv and click on Kababayan LA, a show hosted by Jannelle So one of our officemates here in Asian Journal. If you can do try to leave a feedback at her site. Her show is one of the first wholly Filipino produced show in LA and she needs all the support she can get.

In a few days I will be trying my luck to get a US driver's license. I have not been driving for around 5 years now and would need to hone my skills again and learn about the rules and regulations here.

Finally, perhaps I can purchase a big bike which I have been wanting for a some while now. Cars and motorcycles are relatively cheap and easier to acquire here than in the Philippines.

Do miss all you guys back there in RP . . .

Pics of my PSP

Consular Interview

I have just finished with my consular interview this morning and thankfully I passed. The visa would be mailed to me later this week.

It was quite a near thing and I was almost not granted a visa by the consul since he could not find a premise or the logic of why Asian Journal would need me in the US on a part-time basis knowing that the job seems to be suited for a full-time position and that I could very well do the job here in the Philippines.

I countered that it was what AJ's need at this point in time and I had a set of unique skills and knowledge (in tune with the socio-political situation in RP) suited to the thrust of the company to provide Fil-Am centric original content to their readers as opposed to that culled from local dailies.

In order to fulfill those duties there is a need for me to research on what Fil-Ams want and to spin the articles to suit their tastes. A job which can only be done if I am in the US.

On the part-time part, I just quickly made a story that the work load and time is suited for me since it would give me time to concentrate and research on my planned coffee table book, "The Filipino Experience in America" which hopefully would be picked up and published by the Asian Journal Group.

The turning point in the interview surprisingly was my knowledge about cameras and digital imaging. The topic came up when he questioned me if I had the sufficient skill set and experience needed for the job and I answered my first job was as a photojournalist for Manila Times way back in 1994. It luckily turned out that the consul was an avid photographer and we had a lively discussion about camera gear and photography in general. He was quite impressed with my knowledge and skills and eventually released the visa with a stern warning that the purpose of AJ in requiring me to be in the US is quite thin and to him holds no merit or justification.

PSP, Luv ko to!

Due to pressing circumstances, I had to sell my gamecube but fortunately it was not long before another took its place.

I recently had a chance to exchange some of my unused stuff for a Sony PSP and this gadget is simply amazing!!!

Crammed to its sleek black body is one hell of a gaming machine. Roughly it has the same capacity as a Playstation 1 and some even say as high as a PS2. It can not only play graphically amazing games but can also be used as a MP3/MP4 player and as a web browser.

Sad to say the games are quite expensive for this machine, ranging from P2500 to P4k for brand new ones but there is an active second hand market where you can trade your finished games or buy from P1k to P1500. Great deals.

You can also download MP4 content from the net or rip DVDs and watch it in the widescreen format display.

Did I say web browser? Yup thru its built-in wi-fi you could surf the internet and visit all the porn sites that you want =)

PSP! Luv ko to! (syempre wala papalit kay Chinggay!)

Your Hidden Talent

You have the natural talent of rocking the boat, thwarting the system. And while this may not seem big, it can be. It's people like you who serve as the catalysts to major cultural changes. You're just a bit behind the scenes, so no one really notices.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Gaming Heaven

Recently bought a Nintendo Gamecube from one of our acquaintances from the US embassy and the unit rocks! It came with LOTR: Return of the King and PN03, a first person shooter.

First off, the unit itself is kinda cute and quite portable. Compared with the geenormous Xbox and the anorexic PS2, the gamecube really looks like a cube. The controller is also more comfortable to hold than the controllers of its competitors.

Unfortunately the unit is a US version and cannot play pirated games unless I have it modifed for a modest fee at Greenhills where the games would cost from P150-P250 but mostly japanese version games.

Fortunately I have discovered the local nintendo fanboys site at www.pinoy-n.com , where all things nintendo are being actively sold and traded.

Currently I have six games: LOTR: ROTK, PN03, Robotech:Battlecry, Rogue Squadron: Rebel Strike, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, and Metroid Prime.

Of all the games that I have, I really enjoy LOTR:ROTK and Robotech. I already have finished LOTR, unlocked all the characters and still am playing it again and again.

LOTR:ROTK is a classic beat-em up, rpg like, action-adventure game wherein you closely follow the events highlighted by the movie while playing a variety of characters from Legolas, the Hobbits, and even Faramir. Legolas rocks but is fairly fragile while the hobbits are a very energetic bunch. Needless to say, Gandalf is one of the most balanced characters of the game with a strong melee and ranged combat stats.

Would have loved to spend more time playing the gamecube but I havn't converted Ching to a gaming grrl yet, and of course the ungodly hours that we have at AJ is excruciating to say the least.

There is also the pressing matter of my impending expatriation to the US sometime in March or April. Could bring the unit to the US but if anybody is interested in buying the Gamecube package do email or give me a ring and will see if I would change my mind.

Niways, am looking forward to slice and dice some Uruk-hais, and kick Zentraedi butt this weekend . . . . .

Hippy Happy Beng-Beng

Somehow spending New Year's Eve alone will kinda skew your perspective on things. Or perhaps it might have been something I ate . . . .

Niways, NYE started off slowly with me spending it in our office in Makati waiting for incoming faxes and preparing my gear to shoot the fireworks over the Makati Skyline. Good plan but wrong gear though. I overestimated my capabilities and physical condition and somehow used the wrong gear with the fireworks. Should have used a tripod and not a monopod, totally forgot how heavy an 80-200/2.8 lens feels. Factor in also that I was way out of practice with photo skills and getting a bit on the "oinky" side. Will post some pix If I remember how . . . .

This year's beng-beng was somewhat bland but it was a new experience seeing all the way to Cavite (our office is on the 32nd floor). Somehow it looked like a very light version of what war correspondents might have experienced in Baghdad during 1991.

The skyline was aglow with twinkling lights (prolly "kwitis or kwitons") while nearby a 1,000 or more piece "sawa" was being ignited adding a staccato accompaniment to the pseudo-war scene. A metallic flower blooms followed by a gut crushing explosion. Gahh, neighbors next building using a geenormous mortar-like tube. In fairness, it was a thing of beauty that lasted mere seconds. Yup there goes your 5k. Poof!! But hey, is it even legal to launch that thing so close to the rooftops?