Oreo’s Movie Marathon

Oreo’s a movie buff – he watches everything from Filipino indie films to Hollywood movies and I love him for that. We’re both into watching movies but he watches more movies, thanks to the Internet and torrents technology. Here’s a list of the movies my boyfriend watched this month alone:
1. 30 Days of Nights
2. “Sagwan”
3. “Binyag”
4. Campus Crush
5. “Dahas”
6. “Dalaw”
7. “Sukob”
8. Feng Shui
9. Super “Inday” and the Golden “Bibe”
10. “Tanging Ina Mo"
11. M2M Eyeball
12. “Tarima”
13. “Dante’s Cove” and “The Lair” (US TV Shows)
14. Roxxxanne
15. Shelter (one of my favorite movies of all-time)
I’m definitely looking forward to nights of movie marathon when my boyfriend gets back from Saudi. I love you Oreo!

15 Things I Like About Oreo

1. He’s always updated with news events around the world.
2. He likes Regine Velasquez.
3. He’s proud of being Filipino and our achievements in fields like boxing.
4. He’s a fan of basketball and likes watching the UAAP.
5. He adores the ASAP Sessionistas and Party Pilipinas.
6. He loves chocolates like Cadbury and Snickers.
7. He likes Taylor Swift.
8. He likes Nina and her “Rendition of the Soul”.
9. He’s into Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook, Skype, Twitter, Friendster and YouTube.
10. He likes gadgets like Sony VAIO, Microsoft mouse and Norton 360 software.
11. He eats T-bone and tempura.
12. He anticipates upcoming Hollywood movies like “Spiderman” and “X-Men First Class”.
13. He’s a fan of Marvel Comics.
14. He watches here! productions like “Dante’s Cove” and “The Lair”.
15. He plays the PlayStation Portable.
More things I like about him on my next posts.

Robinson’s Galleria

When I was still working for Convergys (Equitable Tower), I usually hang out in the adjacent building – the Robinson’s Galleria mall. It’s one of the oldest mall in the Philippines but it continuously attract a lot of patrons even though there are new malls like Trinoma and SM Mall of Asia (MoA).

I took the liberty of taking pictures of the stalls in this mall. I hope you like the pictures. The buildings that you’re seeing are the adjacent high rise buildings near the Robinson’s Galleria mall.

DotA 6.71b Map & Windows 7 SP1

I came across the news of a Windows 7 Service Pack (SP) 1 release from Yugatech website and when I check my Windows 7 Update, I saw the SP1 package that needs to be downloaded and install.

I've been using Windows 7 and XP on the same computer (hard disk was partitioned) and I can say that Windows 7 is really a major improvement from Windows XP in terms of graphics, sounds, etc..

I am still on the process of "migration" to Windows 7 and hopefully by the end of this month, I'm totally working on the Windows 7 OS. There are still a few programs that are not yet compatible to Windows 7 that is why I'm still using the XP side of my hard disk.

I also saw a new map from getdota.com (the Official Download Site for DotA) and it's mostly fixes and minor updates to the previous maps. DotA has been one of my favorite game since it's creation. I remember started playing version 6.22 back then (right now 6.71b is the latest). It's an addictive online game!

By the way, who among you are using Windows 7 now?

People Power Revolution, circa 1986

I was in grade 3 during the People Power Revolution than changed the Philippine president from Ferdinand Marcos to Corazon Aquino. I remember that our household are glued to the television set and watching the events in EDSA.
I remember making the “Laban” sign in cardboards and pretended to be a grown up participating in the rally, which at that time, I have no idea what it was all about. All I know is that there are A LOT of people in EDSA shouting “Laban! Laban!”
When I went to Greenhills last Saturday, I took a picture of the EDSA Shrine (which is a church underneath a huge statue of Mary, Queen of Peace). I haven’t attended a mass yet in this historical church. And this week is not a good time to do so, since we’re commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the People Power Revolution. (Lots of people flocking to this church to attend mass because of the celebration).
As we seen mass protest in countries like Egypt, Tunisia and other Middle-East countries, it’s good to know that 25 years ago, the Filipino people have already shown the world, that the will of the people, triumphs over any form of government.
 

11 Reasons Why Our Customers Are Chatting

I’m currently a chat agent for a US Internet Service Provider that offers Voice Over IP (VOIP), High Speed Internet (up to 24 Mbps) and TV service (ala Sky Cable) in one package. I’ve been chatting with US customers for more than 6 months now and here are the 11 Reasons Why Our Customers Are Chatting with us:
1. Slow Internet Speed – we ask them to run test at www.speedtest.net and compare it with their package. Customer education.
2. No picture showing up on their TV – we ask them to turn off their set top boxes. You’ll be surprise that US customers doesn’t turn off their TV, computers, set top boxes and other electronic devices. Mostly cable issues.
3. Can’t login to their emails – we reset their password. You’ll be surprise on how often they forgot their passwords
4. Billing Disputes – we ask them to talk to Billing. They always tells us that they’ve been overcharge. Always.
5. Voicemail Not Working – we guide them on how to setup their voicemail first.
6. Remote Control Not Working – this one is easy. We send them a replacement.
7. Wireless Not Working – because either their wireless switch is off, they’re connecting to a different router, or their typing in an incorrect Wireless Key.
8. Where Is My Technician? – they always ask this on the day of their repair appointment. We always tell them that the technician is “a bit late”.
9. Is Internet available in my area? – Most of our answer is “no”. We sometimes refer them to our Sales Team. They get the same answer anyway.
10. My computer has a virus! – this is an out-of-scope issue and we have a fee-based department that deals with viruses. We refer them to this department.
11. Download the McAfee Antivirus program – we guide them on where to download it. Most ISP in the US has an antivirus program included in their package. Either it’s Norton or McAfee.
More Call Center issues in my next posts. My gratitude for my Super Call Center Friends (a.k.a. my Team Mates) for discussing the list with me. Cheers!

"Sitaw" & Snickers

They are absolutely not related to each other whatsoever. The first 3 pictures is one of my favorite Filipino dish -- "Ginisang Sitaw" with Prawns (literally Sauteed Yardlong Bean). The last picture was Oreo's favorite chocolate.

I was asking him for some pictures that I could post in this blog when I saw his picture of Snickers on top of his Sony VAIO laptop. We both love chocolates but I prefer the local brand, Cloud 9 (it's cheaper).

Back to the "Sitaw" or the Yardlong Bean. I'm not good at describing the method of cooking (my mom does the cooking) but looking at the pictures, it looks delicious! And it is delicious indeed. There's a similar dish to this Sauteed Yardlong Bean, and instead of "Sitaw", you can use the famous "Baguio Beans" instead.

Bon appétit!

Century Tuna

One of my favorite canned food goes by the brand name "Century Tuna". I specially loved the "Bicol Express" variation of this canned food. It's tuna cooked in coconut milk, which is popular in the Bicol region of the Philippines. It is where the term "Bicol Express" originated. It also comes with some bell peppers to add some chili flavor to it.

You could see that the retail price is P29.00 from our favorite "sari-sari" store. You can check out their website for other information about this product.

I like fish in general, whether it's canned or fried. I love sardines as well. I'm trying to abstain from pork for the longest time, and fish (sardines and tuna) are my best alternatives.

Czech Republic 3

These are the other pictures sent by my foreign correspondent Honza. He’s a Czech citizen living in Jihlava, Czech Republic. He’s also into photography and you can view his pictures here.

He’s currently teaching English to beginners and pre-intermediate students while attending University at Prague. He works as a part-time tourist guide in the local historical underground labyrinth. He is also gay and single.

He usually emails me once a week and we’ve been friends for almost 2 years now. He’s a constant listener to my stories about my relationship with Oreo. We hope to visit each other’s place in the future.

He’s using a Pentax K100D DSLR camera in his pictures. I sure love the pictures he’s sending me.

Technorati Tags: Czech Republic

The Talented Mister Markki

As promised, I’ve searched for his videos in YouTube and listened to Markki Stroem sing. I must agree with the 111,905 viewers of his video that he really got talent and he really can sing. He’s a great singer!

So he’s really more than just good looks. He’s more than the gorgeous guy in purple brief. He’s the talented Mister Markki Stroem! I’m definitely a fan.
He sounds and looks good in a music video.

He looks good on TV!

He can also can cover a song.

He definitely has a nice accent.

And this is his Grand Finals performance in Pilipinas Got Talent.

What can you say about my newly-found singing idol?

Hideo Muraoka

Amongst the numerous Brazilian models that are seen in our billboards and TV shows, it’s Hideo Muraoka that I really fancy. For me, he’s the most gorgeous model in the Philippines right now.

He’s been modeling for Folded & Hung for quite some time now. A few minutes ago, I saw his picture for the 2011 Summer Collection of FNH in their Official Facebook page. He’s gorgeous as ever. Although I don’t have any FNH items in my closet, I might consider buying one just to feel the underwear that’s he’s wearing (at least during photo shoots).

I first saw him in this huge billboard ad along EDSA (near Guadalupe). Anyone notice him in this ad?

You could also go to Most Beautiful Man site for his other pictures.

San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish Church

This Catholic Church is located at Barangay San Lorenzo Ruiz, Taytay, Rizal. It’s the nearest Catholic Church from where I live. I’ve been attending Sunday mass at this church since January this year. Prior to that, I never attended a Catholic mass since after graduation from college (when I accepted my homosexuality). More on that story soon.

Let’s just say, that I’ve reconciled my Catholic faith and my homosexuality beginning this year. My first mass after my return to the Catholic church was in this church. The design of the church itself is simple compared to Pasig Cathedral but I prefer to attend Sunday mass here in this church.

Their adoration chapel is of modern design but I haven’t seen the interior yet. I hope you like the pictures I’ve taken after the 6:30 PM mass. Right now, I’m happy being gay and Catholic at the same time.