AppleTV: When Computer Screen Size Ain't Enough

Ever thought of wanting to watch your videos on your 61" TV from your iTunes library?

That used to be a remote possibility but Apple came up with another genius gadget named AppleTV.

What is AppleTV?

AppleTV is a device that allows you to watch your movies from your iTunes library on your TV. It also allows you access to the apple iTunes store so you can rent movies after you browse the different selections. Some movies are even available in HD. The great thing about AppleTV is the fact that it allows you to play your favorite videos from youtube.com directly from your TV screen without the need for a computer.

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Good Friday: How Holy It Used To Be

Good Friday is a big day. This is the day when we basically, die a bit by really keeping a holy day through prayers, reflections, atonement, fasting and abstinence and stopping all worldly affairs. This is also the day when we get to see a reenactment of the passion of Christ in flesh form—real people trying to relive the passion, the betrayal—Judas’ kiss, the Pontius Pilate act, the carrying of the cross, the crucifixion. We also reflect on the seven last words of Christ on the cross. It was definitely a life-altering tradition. At three in the afternoon on Good Friday, the time when Christ supposedly died on the cross, we go to the beach and wash off ourselves in the sea—with the belief that as we do that we cleanse ourselves of all our sins.

On the other hand, tales of witches and black magicians renewing their powers on Good Friday hover around, creating an aura of eerie, empty, godless, sorrowful, almost black Friday. I remember seeing all crucifixes in the church being covered by a purple or maroon piece of cloth and that makes the day even gloomier.

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Feel Good Sunday: Super Bowl XLII

The game was the finest sports match we’ve seen in a while bringing moments when we literally have to hold our breath as the almost impossible happens at the most unexpected moment.

The NY Giants really did a good job of rallying up against the opponent by pounding on Tom Brady with their unmatched defense. The offense’s side was a little shaky yet Manning was able to deliver the goods when the opportunity presented itself.

What a remarkable performance by the NY Giants!

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California Dreamin'

When I first set foot in California, I was kind of shock to see how different it was. I almost felt like I was not on a foreign soil. Yeah, honestly, I felt like I was just somewhere in one of the seven thousand and one islands of the Philippines.

Why? My goodness, you cannot turn your head without seeing another spread-toed flat-nosed creation. They are all over the place. I even asked myself, “How did they get here? Why is my family not here?”

I like the weather in California. It hardly rains in California but when it does it sure feels like rain in the tropics. I kind of like the way the sun shines in California. It’s the closest reminder to warm sunny skies back home.


I even wonder that perhaps if I have my close relatives here I would change my opinion about where home is to me.



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Ikobo: The Sensible Way to Send Money to the Philippines

For most Filipinos abroad it is an undeniable fact that a big part of our earnings overseas is being sent back to our loved ones back home in the Philippines. Even for those who have migrated to places outside of the Philippines, the obligation continues. Yeah it is, in fact, weird as it sounds, an obligation.

Imagine sending $600 to your loved ones and spending $50 bucks for the transfer service? That’s a lot!

You can opt to pay less by doing bank to bank transfers but it takes a while before your recipients get hold of their cash.

In emergency cases, you have no choice but to pay the higher service fee even if it burns your pocket.

I used to do that. For the sake of speed, pay extra fees. That’s an old story.

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DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS: Surviving the Unexpected

This is more or less a chronicle of unpleasant events that I’ve experienced in my life that really scared the living daylights out of me.

Sweet Talk


I was just casually walking home and darkness had started to set in, and as soon as I reached a shady part on the sidewalk under a star apple tree in front of the elementary school, somebody stopped me. He was a big guy, probably in his late 20s and he somehow asked me in a kind and seemingly harmless way if I knew where a certain person he was looking for lived. I didn’t know if he was really honest about his inquiry or if he was merely namedropping somebody so he can ask me a question. Without any thought of a looming danger, I politely answered the guy that I didn’t know the person he was asking me about. He nodded his head, somehow resigned to the fact that I really didn’t have the answer to his question. Then he said, “Do you want candy?”


An Idle Mind Is the Devil’s Workshop

Then one tragic night, he started slashing and attacking his family with a sharp bolo (more like a machete). His wife was pinned under the bed with a slashed throat and a ripped stomach, gut and all coming out in a very disturbing sight. She met her tragic end before the night is over. His son was able to jump off the window with a minor cut on his finger, while his two other daughters were head-shaved as the sharp bolo scraped the top portion of the skull, cutting the hair in zigzagged fashion everytime the bolo landed on the top of the head. They were able to jump out of the house too. One of the girls had her nose slit in half as the sharp bolo painfully bore a deep wound across her face.


When All Else Fails… Run!

I ran quickly, still with a pail-full of water on one hand, limping my way to our house. I could hear the footsteps behind me as if I was being pursued by whoever is causing the commotion. In my head, I pictured a deranged guy chasing people with a sharp bolo and just hacking everyone in the way.

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The Pale Blue Dot

Let's continue our journey of immersing ourselves in an existence that is not bounded by space. Let's zoom into the limitless expanse of the universe. What do you see? Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, the Milky Way? Is there ever an end to this infinite vastness of space? Zoom further into space even more. What do you see now?

Yeah, you see the cosmos. But something else caught your attention. There's this pale blue dot, that somehow you just can't take your eyes away from.

Why does that pale blue dot look so special to you? Huh?

Hardly visible and almost just a speck of dust in that vast universe, is your place--the one you call home, your planet Earth. That's where all the drama of your mortality takes place. That's your stage. That's where you maltreat people, cheat on others, party all night long, degrade yourself morally, rot your life away. That's where your stakes are--your possessions, your wealth, your wrongdoings. That's where your precious world is all contained in, in that one pale blue dot.

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The Wire: Probably The Best TV Show Ever

Happy New Year one and all! Whew! It's 2008.

I am a sucker for real TV entertainment, though I don't really spend much time in front of the boob-tube. Nevertheless, when something captures my attention I am eternally glued to the show until it's over.

Over the holidays, I wasn't really able to do much because I caught the bug--the cold virus. I had it all planned that during my vacation I will utilize my time to make up for the tasks that are left unfinished. But what the heck! I was sick, so instead, I opted to fatten my Pinoy ass in front of the TV and what better show to watch than The Wire.

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My Holiday Wish List

1. Let there be peace on earth.

2. A pink diamond pendant.

3. Panasonic home theater system with wireless rear speakers.

4. POD by Atlantic CD organizer.

5. Cereal dispenser by Zevro.

6. Carlos Falchi handbag.

7. Nohonon desk character.

8. Sennheiser wireless headphones.

9. Kindle digital reading device by Amazon

10. A trip to the banana republic.

Happy Holidays one and all!

Holiday Shopping: In Time for the Holidays (Attn: Procrastinators)

I must admit that I am a sucker for shoes and bags. Be it online shopping or in-store shopping, you will always find me in the shoes and bags aisle. It’s my way of accessorizing my get-up since basically I am a jeans and casual top kind of person. If I see somebody down the street, the first thing I look at is the kind of bag the person is strutting around. That’s how I judge people, basically. I judge them with their bags.

Why bags? A bag can be anything it can be. The possibility is endless. Somehow I am drawn to the intricate layout, the fine workmanship, the quality of the material used, the color and texture, the size, the shape, the ease of use and the overall impact. How a bag looks defines the taste of the person wearing it. What about people who don’t wear bags? They’re both lucky and unlucky. Lucky because they don’t have to carry a weight on their shoulders. Unlucky because their life is boring. Besides their hands are always full, with no bag to put in their stuff.

I know, you are raising your eyebrows now. That’s alright.

This is my mantra. Life is too short not to be enjoyed. I try to enjoy my life by incorporating variety and just enjoying the little things that give me pleasure. One of them is bags and shoes.

It doesn’t have to be that way for you. Just enjoy whatever little something that you can enjoy that won’t strain your budget. I used to buy pens every week. Any color, any design. It just gives me the pleasure knowing that every time I write, it’s always a different feel.

Anyway, I shop online most of the time. The only other time that I am shopping somewhere else is when I’m at TJMaxx & Marshalls (I should get compensated for promoting them on this blog). I even go to Ross, sometimes. I hardly go to the mall and buy from specialty shops because it’s boring. Getting something that looks like it is mass-produced for an entire generation, just doesn’t appeal to me. I want something that is at least of limited production, that way the chance of me bumping into somebody sporting the same accessory is slim to none.

So where do I go online to shop for the things I like? I go to smartbargains.com, overstock.com, zappos.com, amazon.com and lately to endless.com.

I’m sure you are all familiar with these sites. But let me just tell you why I go to these sites. I like smartbargains.com because it does have a good array of high-end brands at affordable prices. The only thing that I don’t like is the standard shipping which is quite not at par with the other sites in terms of speed. I like overstock.com because it has an even bigger array of products to choose from and shipping is fast and affordable. But sometimes, price-wise they really are not the cheapest you can get online. I like zappos.com because of their wide array of apparel and fashion accessories and they carry the top name brands. Zappos.com also offers fast shipping. I like amazon.com because you basically can find anything under the sun, plus they always inform you on when you should order so it gets to you at a particular time. Amazon.com even offers a subscription to its customers so they can ship certain products for free if it’s eligible for prime shipping (two-day). This is such a good deal if you are a regular amazon.com shopper because you will really save on shipping and the product is delivered to your door faster. Lately, I got into the habit of buying my shoes and bags at endless.com. It’s a remarkable site that offers free overnight shipping. It’s always fun shopping from endless.com because you don’t wait for days for your item to arrive. You order today before cut-off time and immediately, the following day your ordered item is sitting on your doorstep. Isn’t that great? Definitely it is. Plus if you want to return a product, you simply go online and print out the return shipping label, repack the item, seal and label and drop it at the post office at no additional expense on your part and no third party to deal with. Besides the site itself is remarkable. It is for now, dedicated to bags and shoes, for men, women and even children. The site is also designed such that online shopping becomes almost as good as in-store shopping wherein you can scrutinize every aspect of the product before deciding on buying it. Endless.com does that with an advanced web interface wherein you can look at the product in different angles and zoom in to see a closer view of the material, the design, the color, and even the texture. Try it online, and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

And for all of you procrastinators out there, it may not be late yet (as of this writing) to shop for a present that will get to the recipient on time. Give a bag or a shoe from endless.com. You will not be disappointed.

I have to get going. I’ll get myself another bag.