Davao Cubers Live at Maayong Buntag Mindanao

my tv guesting together with davao cubers association at abs-cbn davao's maayong buntag mindanao!

Michael Jackson dies at 50

The biggest celebrity of the world, the "king of pop", died at the age of 50 around 12:30pm in his house in Los Angeles. Paramedics said, jackson was not breathing. They performed CPR and took him to the hospital. The cause of his death was not yet identified. Many people can't believe what just happened but King of Pop is no more.

know here: Marian Rivera -- nahubuan

REPLAY: Pacquiao Vs Hatton

ROUND 1:

Watch live video from orgullosamente_latino's channel on Justin.tv


ROUND 2:

Watch live video from orgullosamente_latino's channel on Justin.tv

RESULT: Pacquiao Vs Hatton

Pacquiao won over Hatton only in Round 2 of their fight. On the first round, Hatton already received the strongs punches of Pacquiao and he was down. During round 2, an unbelievable punch ended the fight when Hatton wouldn't be able to stand anymore..

Manny Pacquiao Vs Ricky Hatton Live Stream

---|WATCH IT LIVE HERE!|---

Oshima Mai graduated from AKB48

I just watched the April 22 episode of AKBingo, AKB48's TV show, from Youtube. It's in Japanese with no subtitles so I just rely on their facial expressions and on the fun they are having. After all the games, they showed a scene in their April concert at NHK hall. Some of them were crying. In the show, other members were also sad and they gave a flower to Mai Oshima. What else would I think if the scene is like that? Is my favorite AKB48 member leaving the group?

I searched for information about Mai-san. In an instant, I found the word "graduate", together with her name. And I found out that she and another member just graduated this year. Oshima Mai supposedly graduated from AKB48 last March 27, 2009. However, she's still a part their concert this month of April. Now that the concert was over, she have to go..=(

Somehow, during her farewell, she really did her best not to cry even though some of the members were already very sad. She still put on her beautiful smile. The smile that every fans wouldn't forget.

**Oshima will be the first member to graduate who has been popular within AKB48 over the entirety of her career in the group.

Puzzle: Which Switches Which?

This is one of the puzzles i easily solved, or rather, easily answered. I was thinking twice if I should really put this one here. Actually, it's not 100% puzzle. It's a life situation brain teaser. I love puzzles like this because they are applicable in real life. Since this is a real life situation, a impossible solution is not valid and the solution should be the best and the simplest.

Rules:
Don't do foolish things that you can't do in real life. (e.g. break the wall with a rocket) You shouldn't ask somebody's help. This puzzle is only for you. And lastly, don't fool yourself with your lame solution. The solution is logical and simple. Just think!

Situation:
You are on the ground floor of a 10-storey building. In front of you is a table with 3 switches, each connected to 3 light bulbs on the 10th floor in random order. The wires, like any other household, are behind the walls. On the 10th floor, the bulbs are next to each other on the floor. Looking through the window from the outside will not give you any information about the inside. The wires were of the same color.

Question:
If the switches were labeled A-B-C and the bulbs are labeled X-Y-Z (randomly), which switch turns on which bulb?

Restriction:
You are allowed to climb up to the 10th floor only once. After that, you have to tell your answer. How would you know, which switches which?

More:
Please mail me your answers. We don't want to spoil others, right?

georel.ulangkaya@gmail.com

Monsters Vs. Aliens

I was intrigued to this movie so... I watched it. Yeah i watched it! So what? Kids are not the only ones who have a right to watch this movie. I have to admit that the trailer is so good that's why a baby boy like me and my friend we're easily persuaded to watch the movie.

The trailer is so funny, especially the blue jelly guy. What's his name again? Oh yeah, it's B.O.B..BOB is the shortcut. His actual name is Bicarbonate Ostylezene Benzonate. Isn't his real name cool?

Who says that BOB is dumb? Well, I do. Hehe. But I have to admit that he's adorable. His humor made my friend laugh in every line he throws. Even though he doesn't have a brain or a heart, his slime and his eye are more than enough for people to love him.

BOB is just first in the list. I also like the giant monster. No, not the girl. I'm referring to the giant insect. He's Insectosaurus. Did I say HE? Oh, just watch the movie.

Speaking of cuteness, me and my friend were the cutest inside the cinema. When we entered the cinema, darkness was before me until a bunch of kids pop my senses out. They were all looking at us. Before we reached the top seats, we have to pass a row (3/4 full) of kids. and there were no other adults visible except for the four high school lovers at the highest level. We sat behind the kids. I think my friend laughed louder than all of them.

At the end of the movie, we went to the rest room. To my surprise, I saw my PE teacher. I called him and said hi. "I watched with my two children", he said defensively.

Lupin III vs. Conan

The impossible is now a reality when manga's most famous thief, Lupin III, finally met manga's greatest detective, Conan Edogawa. I'm just imagining this before but just last January, This TV special was released in Japan.

I didn't actually know that it already exists until I saw a picture of both Conan and Lupin. I knew about Lupin many years before Conan and since then, I already started to idolize him. On the other hand, I also like Conan because I want to become a detective since I was a child. I like them both in different ways.

They are the greatest. So the question of everyone is: Who will win? I haven't watched the [movie] yet but I think I already know what will happen. They might become friends in the end and/or it will be a draw. If you are watching detective Conan, it might be like the cases with Kaito Kid. If you are watching Lupin III, it might be the case where Lupin give up for the sake of Fujiko or Zenigata or other people's sake.

It's already out there but I can't watch it. Why? There are no subtitles! So please, I'm calling anybody who has a good heart and has the capability to sub it. Please do so. Many people are waiting for an English subtitle.

The Hardest Puzzle

Are you bored? Solve this.

I am a man of logic. I love thinking. And just two days ago, after proving myself in easier puzzles, I came upon this thing that says: Hardest puzzle in the internet. My curious blood became very excited and checked it out right away.

Honestly, the puzzle interests me in an instant. This was the kind of challenge I was looking for. The puzzle is different from the puzzles like jigsaw puzzle, slide puzzle, sudoku, word puzzles, number puzzles, rubik's cube, cousins of rubik's cube and many other that I solved few years ago. As I saw the site and clicked the start button I said, "This will be my next victim after the square-1 and professor's cube. Another past time."

The puzzle is the internet site itself. The goal is to reveal each of the approximately 80 pages of the site. Each page is called a level. In order to do so, you have to do anything you can think of. Some page requires a password in order for you to proceed to the next. You can also click some stuffs but it's not applicable to all pages. The greatest challenge is to think. The first thing you should think is that: are you good in thinking? If not, then forget about this puzzle.

Now here's the catch. According to one website, there were already about 2 million visitors in this site but only around 30 uncovered all ~80 pages without cheating.

Cheating is a big no no for. For the last two days, I'm proud to say that I am now in level 8. I spent the whole day today in solving level 6, which is very hard, and level 7. In level 8, the clues, if there are any, are not very obvious. In short, I'm still thinking about it. You can use the internet for some help but avoid internet sites that talk about the walkthrough of the game.

I am not in the position to spoil my readers about the solution, but if you want, you can ask me about the previous levels I already solve. In the future, I'm going to make one. Want to try it? Just click this link. Please leave some comments here about the game.

How far can a PhP200 go?[day 3] game over

It's sad to say that my 200 pesos only lasts for 3 days. Today, I ate 2 budgeted meals, brunch and dinner, for 15 pesos each. At the start of day 4, my rumbling stomach defeated my will. I ate a 31-peso worth of bread from the bakery. That makes my money down to 17 pesos from yesterday's balance of 78 pesos.

Seventeen pesos, I know, would still reach until day 4 but only for one meal with 1 cup of rice. I won't be able to do that because I have to go to my university tomorrow and would have to take an exam.

I hope the point of this challenge is now clear to you. A 200 pesos, which I value as gold in my childhood, is now only a 3-day budgeted meal. True that not everyone is struggling, but it's also true that most of us experiences the worsts cases. I can't do what these people can do. They it the deadliest food in the world--nothing.

How far can a PhP200 go?[day 2]

Whew! This is not as easy as I thought. Making a 200 pesos last for a quick is very impossible. This only shows that the economy is really at it's worst not only in the Philippines as well as in other countries.

Why do I want to do this? I want experience for my self and at the same time tell my my readers how most of the poor people live with just a dollar in a month. Yes! You read it right. It's really possible to live with just a single dollar. And worse, in some cases, they don't have any money at all.

I'm not saying that I am rich or something. Actually, there were also downturns in my life when I'm also like these people I mentioned. For them, 200 pesos is already good for a week and for a whole family of at least 3-4 children.

I also experienced not having anything to eat and not having any money at all but this is not my story. We have a larger picture to consider. As of day 1, 165 pesos was left from the original 200 pesos. I'm ashamed to say that it's worse in day 2. After making the report for day 1, I wasn't able to prevent my self from eating. Having 1 cup of rice in a meal doesn't satisfy me. That meal, in addition to my day 2's brunch and dinner, costs a total of 72 pesos. Before writing this entry, I also spent 15 pesos for a bread snack. That would be a total of 87 pesos for day 2. It's almost half my budget for this challenge.

Subtracting 87 pesos from yesterdays balance of 165, I now only have 78 pesos to spend. *sigh* I think tomorrow will be the last day. How far can my 78 pesos go?

How far can a PhP200 go?[day 1]

**PLEASE READ DAY 0 FIRST**

It's the start of day 2 now and I feel a little hungry. Wondering why? In order to make my 200 pesos reach 5-7 days, I need to be thrifty. Base on day 1's expenses, I think the maximum number of days my 200 pesos would reach is 5 days. This is not yet sure because on the next few days I need to go somewhere.

Today's expenses sum up to 35 pesos. I had two meals with one cup of rice each that costs 5 pesos per cup. My first meal, my brunch(combination of breakfast and lunch), was around 4pm and I ordered a small chicken adobo that is worth 15 pesos. Plus 1 cup of rice, so that would be 20 pesos all in all. I had a free Pop Cola from the eatery because the owner is my schoolmate's mother. That's not counted.

In my second meal, at around 7pm, I ordered something I don't know. I think it's called paklay. It's hard to describe but all i know is that it's cheaper than chicken adobo. It costs 10 pesos plus 1 cup of rice, that would be 15 pesos.

At the end of day 1, I spent only 35 pesos. Today is the start of a new day. I'm already hungry. I want to eat something. How far my 165 pesos can go?

How far can a PhP200 go?[day 0]

Money is very hard to earn but very easy to spend. In the present situation, a single dollar(PhP 48.54) is not enough to support one person in one day. In food alone, an individual would likely spend around PhP30 for one meal. If the person will eat 3 times a day, then a hundred pesos will be fair enough.

Daily expenditures would depend on the persons situation. A student will most likely spend more on transportation and academic things. A responsible father will like spend a huge percentage of his salary for his family's food. A worker would spend a lot for food since he has no choice but to eat in the expensive eatery near his workplace because prices in the downtown area is doubled or tripled.

Riding a jeepney will cost an individual a minimum of PhP14 back and forth. If you want to be more comfortable, you can have a taxi and prepare to pay a minimum of PhP25(non-air conditioned) or PhP35(air conditioned).

Staying at home is not also a bright idea. At home, you will use a lot of electricity when you try to turn on the lights, the T.V.,the electric fan and the computer. If you got hungry you're opt to cook or to buy food. If you cook, you will use LPG, which is also expensive. If you buy, it's more expensive. Whatever you want to do, you need money.

All because of these, I decided to challenge myself. Starting today, I will try to maximize the use of PhP200, which is around $4. How far can it go? Can I make it for a week? Let's see. Now, the challenge is on.

[TS]A Weird Dream

***Who is Clyd?
***Do farmers suffer from gingivitis?
***Why is the kitchen behind the house?
***What is a bolo?
***How to fool a big bad dog?
***Where is Geo?
***Why are there so many errors in this post?



Geo was walking on the street in the middle of the night to go to his friend's party. He can't find any vehicles so he kept on walking. He's been on his friend's house only once but he can still picture out the street corners and the houses he should pass by. Soft breeze of icy air brushes his skin and in the silence, you can hear various insects' noise. Not very far behind him, a single light started to catch his attention. A noisy sound slowly broke the silence as the light comes nearer and nearer. It's a guy on the motorcycle with a helmet. The guy stopped near Geo as a silent introduction that he's accepting passengers for a price. Geo, without any choice at all, hopped in and commanded the driver with a few directions.

After a few minutes, Geo recognized a familiar spot, so Geo asked the driver to turn left. Due to the strong cold wind against them, the driver didn't hear most of Geo's words. Geo repeated his yell once more but it's too late. The driver then told Geo that they can make their turn on the next street. Geo was relieved. By the next street, they turned left. Then another left, to go back to the street they missed.

The houses in the village seem to be all the same. Geo wants to find the house where he and his friends took a shortcut during his first time in the area. The engines slow and silent roar in the middle of the village where no one seems to be awake. Or rather, no one is around. Light posts, standing in every block, make up most of the light. A white house without a gate brighten up Geo's face. "This is it!", he said. The driver slowly took off his helmet and to Geo's surprise, the driver was his high school classmate--Clyd. "Yes, this is the shortcut", Clyd replied with a grin on his face. Still can't believe the situation, Geo joined Clyd as he made his way through the narrow space on the right side of the house.

Sunlight slowly brightened up the area without both of them noticing the changes. The brown dry soil became visible as they made their way through a broken 1 1/2 meter wall.

As they turned right, after the wall, they noticed a big dog next to them tied on a mango tree at the center. Both sides of the way is just enough for the dog to reach. Both having the same thing in mind, Geo jumped to the left so that Clyd could pass through. Then Clyd tried to get the dogs attention so that Geo can also make his way.

To their surprise, they reached to a dead end. There are walls on both sides of the alley and behind the walls are tall and thick grasses. The brown dry soil led them to a brown wooden house that serves as a dead end. Now, to enter the house is the fastest way to get out of that place.

Geo and Clyd stepped on the stairs while shouting to ask permission. Since no one is around, they opened the door and stepped in while still shouting in a questioning tone. The sunlight through the holes of the house gave them enough view of a dirty old kitchen. A yellowish white cloth partially covers the wooden table while old metal wares were scattered all over the place. They crept through the house to find the exit.

Through the half-opened swinging window, Geo saw that someone is coming. The guy was trying to luck the gate behind him. He was dresses in a farmer suit with a gallon of water on the left hand and some firewood and a bolo(Long heavy knife with a single edge) on his right. Geo rushed to the door welcome the man and so that he could buy plenty of time to explain why they were in the house.

As geo opened the door, the man is almost on his way to step on the stairs. The man looked up with a heavy serious face with a message of inquiry. He didn't take another step. He's obviously waiting for an explanation. Geo is pointing at the back door while uttering some words. "We came from the back door and jus...t...". Geo stopped and looked back at the man after he finds out that there was no door.

Geo and Clyd tried to explain the whole story to the old farmer. In the end, the farmer just smiled and told them to come down so that they could join him in his meal. The farmer prepared some metal plates on the table under a tree. The table and the tree stand on a dark and wet clay soil. Geo and Clyd sat next to the table. They both looked at the man that had just finished preparing the dish. The farmer looked back at them. At first he was serious. After a long while, a big grin grew from his face with blood coating his teeth. Geo and Clyd ran as quickly as they could. Behind them, Geo saw the man but he's not running after them. Geo and Clyd just off the wall and found themselves in the middle of a rural village. Behind them was not anymore a wall. It's a house with 3 little girls playing. Geo and Clyd continued to run. At the tip of their stamina, Clyd declared that his house is just on the next block so he has to say goodbye. Geo continued walking until he realized that there's something odd. He's now on a dusty road in the middle of a rice field and in both ends of the road, only the sky touches the land...

Answers to Questions:

Who is Clyd?
-Clyd was my clasmate in elementary and high school. I don't know why he was in the story.
Do farmers suffer from gingivitis?
-Maybe!
Why is the kitchen behind the house?
-To make the living room in front.
What is a bolo?
-A bolo is a long cutting tool from the Philippines.
How to fool a big bad dog?
-Read the story.
Where is Geo?
-I'm here in my room. I'm awake now.
Why are there so many errors in this post?
-I just woke up. I'm really trying my best to remember my dream so I didn't concentrate on the grammar.

[OP]Goodbye PangYa!

Two days from now(March 10, 2009), Albatross18 will be shutting down. Albatross18 is the American server of PangYa, which is an online golf game that started and made in Korea. The server already closed the forums and shops as a preliminary step in shutting down a huge server where not only Americans play but also other nationalities across the world including Filipinos.

The Philippine server, which was PangYa.ph already had its exit about a year ago. That was last January 8, 2008. And now, I really feel sad to say goodbye to PangYa once more.

I was addicted to PangYa because it requires mental and physical skills to win in the game. It's a simulated golf wherein the distance, slope, height, wind angle, wind strength, power and your timing skills are very important attributes to solve for the ball's projectile to get a Hole In One(HIO). I studied the formula like how I studied the rubik's cube. You are good if you can solve in sine or cosine mentally.

In the PH server, I nearly got a thousand HIO's and in Albatross18, I got around 30 only because I didn't play the game that much. Now that I'm losing another character, I don't want to rebuild a new character anymore. PangYaSEA is still available I think and also the Korean Server but I made enough record I think. For me, PangYa is already a solved puzzle. Farewell.. =(



Screen shots of my Albatross 18 Characters:

[IQ]Who Has The Biggest Brain?

I was about to close my Facebook account when I noticed that one of my high school classmates is online--Cha-cha. I asked her why she's still up in the middle of the night. She said, she was suppose to make a feasibility study but instead, she just played a game--Who Has The Biggest Brain?. As I read the title from that chat window, it already made me interested. I like mind boggling things such as puzzles and brain teasers.

This game is a game from Playfish. The games from Playfish can also be played in Facebook and the game Who Has The Biggest Brain? now has over 50 million registered players.

[GAME]

The game is very addicting. All you have to do is follow click with your mouse or type numbers with your keyboard/numpad. The main challenge of the game is that you can compare your score from all your buddies in facebook or from people around the world. During my first try, I was only rank 7 compared to my facebook friends. After a few more tries, the best score i had is only 1931cc, which is the volume of my brain according to the game. I will try the game again tomorrow if I have some time. You can also try it and compete with other players from different parts of the world. Other than your brain size, you can also earn lots of trophies by having remarkable scores in each test type.

[PARTS]

The game is divided into four types of test that will surely make head numb after some tries. The four types are analytical ability, calculation, memory and visual processing. Each test is under ____ time pressure.

[ANALYTICAL ABILITY]

Analytical ability is the first of four parts of the game. In this part, you have to take one of these two tests: heaviest item and number of boxes. The selection of test is random but it's sure that it will be one of the two that i mentioned. You can either have the heaviest item test were in you have to choose which is the heaviest item using your mouse or the number of boxes test where you just have to count the number of boxes or cubes present.




[CALCULATE]

In the second part, you have to use your mathematical skills for you have to calculate simple mathematical sentences. There are also two kinds of test that will be randomly chosen. You may have the test that will require you to click the appropriate operation in the equation or the other test that will require you to input the correct answer.



[MEMORY]

In the first type, you have to memorize the cards facing up before you click anywhere to start opening pairs consecutively. There are times that cards are swapping, so pay attention.

In the second type, you have to memorize certain objects in order then you have to click them in the same order.

[VISUAL PROCESSING]

This is the last of the four tests. In this part, the quickness of your eyes and brain processing will be measured. You will be asked to find the missing piece of a puzzle or an easier way is if you will be asked to click the asteroids, which contains numbers or letters, in order.

[END]

At the end of the game, you will see a web graph of your intelligence and then, your score will be added. The size of your brain will be the result. If you played good enough, you will see your picture jumping over other players you defeated.

[3]Top Things To know Before Going To Philippines

Filipino people loves eating. A typical man would usually eat 3 times a day but Filipinos eat more than 3 times. Aside from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Filipinos love to have snacks. Snack in the morning, snack in the afternoon and a midnight snack for those who creep to the refrigerator late at night to fill in some empty space in their stomach.

In the back side of the alley, there are also Filipinos who struggle to find food. It's a sad truth that there are Filipinos who wait for some blessings behind restaurants. Most of them would ask money from passers by. Most of the time, these are kids whose parents also do the same in a different area. It's a sad picture with fading colors. If you look at it closely, It's not just a picture of them pressing their stomach. You are in the picture eating your favorite hamburger while throwing a half eaten spaghetti meal into the trash can.

I believe that this scenario is also true to other third world countries. Third world country indeed but Philippines is in some way a little different. The picture might be similar but when you look at the back, you can see that there are words written: "Oh! A leftover spaghetti. Call the others!"

[EATING HABITS]

It's natural for Filipinos to share. While eating or before starting to eat, it's common for a Filipino to invite the people around him to eat even though some are strangers. He doesn't care whether he have enough food for everybody as long as he didn't forget to share. "Kain tayo!"(Let's eat!) This is the most common phrase you will hear. And the best response to this is, "Sige busog pa'ko!"(Thanks but I'm not yet hungry!), while moving your hand in circle over your stomach to act like you are really full even if you're not. It's up to you to adjust if the person is really capable of sharing or not. If you think that he has a lot of food, then you can say, "Wow mukhang masarap 'yan, patikim"(Wow that looks delicious. May I have some?).

[HANDS]

About one-third of the world's population eat with bare hands. India alone comprises a huge part of it. Even though spoon, fork and chopstick users dominates Asia, countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Philippines consider hands as an eating utensil.

In the Philippines, it's a tradition to use spoon and fork for eating. Chopsticks are only for hair and knives are only for bread. But of course, we also consider other countries' culture, thus, chopsticks and knives are also available in selected restaurants. Even though spoons and forks are already part of our daily meals, it is still delicious to eat with bare hands.

"Masarap kumain kapag nagkakamay!"

Aside from the quoted message above which means, it's delicious to eat with bare hands, there's another thing that makes eating delicious for Filipinos--raising one foot on the chair. I don't know why it's good to eat like that. Filipinos know about table manners but some can't help it if they are in their own homes. It's already a part of eating by hands. Raise one foot on your chair. Support your elbow by your knee. Then move your hand like a crane that moves rice from your plate to your mouth.

[RICE]

When I was a little kid, I asked my mom. "Why do rabbits always eat carrots?" She answered me with another question. "Why do you always eat rice?" The question puzzled me. I said, "Why?" She said, "If you will not eat rice, you might eat all the food in our refrigerator in no time." It makes sense.

Filipinos love to eat as I've said earlier. They are not satisfied with bread alone or with viands alone. Rice is an important part of a Filipino dish. Most of Filipino delicacies were made to be partnered to rice.

[VISITORS]

It's normal for Filipino families to offer food to their visitors. If you arrive in the morning, you should eat lunch with them. If you arrive in the afternoon, they will prepare afternoon snacks and drinks. You don't have a choice but to eat. In the evening, they will ask you, "Did you have dinner already?" If you answer no, the food will be automatically prepared. If you arrived while they're eating, they will get another plate and force you to eat in a kind manner. What ever time you arrive, food will always be available for you even though it's tomorrow's budget or it's a credit from the neighbor's store.

[V.I.P.]

Visitors are really special whether you are a Filipino or not. When Filipinos have visitors, that will be the only time that they will use their most elegant plates and utensils. Also expect that they will ask the children to go to a different part of the house so that you will not be annoyed. They will ask you to eat before everyone together with the one you visited and sometimes with the primary members of the family(the older ones). Kids will eat in a different place or will eat later.

Normally, if the family doesn't expect any visitor, they just cook the amount of food that will fit for them. So if you came a little late and they already started cooking, you will be asked to eat first and they will cook again for them or for the children in the living room. Don't worry, they are not that hungry as you think. For sure they had some snacks. They're Filipinos. Just it normally and enjoy the food they willingly served to you. By the time you finished eating and moved to the living room, little will start digging the kitchen for some carrots.

[2]Top Things To Know Before Going To Philippines

When you're already here in the Philippines, of course you have to travel a lot to visit all the beautiful spots. To jump from one island to another, you have ride in a ship or a plane. There are 7,107 islands in the country.

Philippines is divided into 3 major group of islands. The largest island in the north with Palawan in the east is called Luzon. The second largest island in the south together with the group of smaller islands southwest of it is called Mindanao. The rest of the islands in the middle is called Visayas.

Each major group of Islands has a large city. Manila(the country's capital) in Luzon, Cebu city in Visayas and Davao City in Mindanao.

In each city are thousands of amazing sites and amazing things to do. To access all of this, you don't need to ride a plain anymore or giant buses. You can choose to ride a taxi if you want a little privacy and comfort. Better yet, Philippines offer you jeepneys...

[WHAT IS A JEEPNEY?]

According to wikipedia, jeepney's ancestors are the military jeeps that the American troops left in the country at the end of the second world war. Thousands of surplus jeeps were sold to local Filipinos by that time. To maximize it's usefulness, the Filipinos tried to improve it such that it can accommodate more passengers and they also added metal roof. Being naturally creative, they also added colorful designs in all sides of the vehicle. In front of the wind shield, you can also see metal poles which until now i don't know what it is for. And of course, the jeepney will not be completed without the small metal horse or horses in front near the metal poles and some trumpet horns. I didn't know the meaning of those horses until i read it from a book by Bob Ong. It is said there that the horses symbolizes kalesa which was being off beaten by the jeepney when it started to become the hari ng kalsada(king of the road).

[RIDING A JEEPNEY]

You can't just ride at any jeepney you see. First, you should consider where you are going. To check if a jeepney is going on your way, look at the signs attached on its windshield or read its route that's written on its side. If you're still not sure, ask the driver or the conductor if they will pass on the place you want to go to.

Expect that there are jeepney drivers who will not proceed in their destinations unless the jeepney is full. Don't believe easily when they say aalis na! aalis na!(ready to go! ready to go!). Most of this pesky drivers and conductors say that just to attract more passengers. (Tip: Choose old drivers or drivers without conductors)

When you are already inside, expect that most of the people will look at you(specially if you are a foreigner) since the seats are facing each other. Also prepare to rub your thighs and shoulders with other passengers you meet for the first time. It's normal specially with the jeepney is more than full. Yes that's right. More than full because some drivers accept passengers more than the seating capacity.

Other jeepneys, specially those that are bound to go to rural areas or beaches, let passengers ride on the roof top. Not only that, there are also passengers we call sabit(hang). These are the ones who hang at the back of the jeep and cover the entrance.

[PAYING]

When paying, just indicate the place where you get in the jeepney and the place where you will get off. It's normal to pass the money to other passengers so that it would reach the driver or the conductor. You don't have to worry about your money. It will reach the right place without decreasing. Same thing about your change when it goes back. Filipinos are honest people. No matter how many hands will touch your money, none of those hands will try to steal it or some of it.

Be sure to pay few distances before you get off or it will cause delay. It is also better to pain coins that to pay large bills. If your destination is near, you can pay by the time you set your butt on the seat. If it's far, it's a wise decision not to pay yet until you think that you're already near. This is to keep your money safe in case of unexpected things. Most of the time, there are no refunds.

[USEFUL PHRASES]

Below are some useful phrases when riding a jeepney. I copied them from wikipedia.org. Please take note that Philippines has 111 different dialects so this phrases might not be common to other places. They still understand it though.

Bayad (po)

Here's the fare (Sir).

Paki-abot lang/Pakisuyo (yung bayad).

Please pass (the fare).

Para (po/lang)

(Please) stop.

Saan (po/ho)?

(Mam/Sir, ) to where?

Saan bababa (po/ho)?

(Mam/Sir,) Where are you getting off?

Papunta saan (po/ho) to?

(Sir,) To where is this bound for?/What is the destination?

Sa _____ (po/ho)

To _____ (Sir/Mam).

May bababa?

Is there anyone getting off?

Mayroon / Meron

(Yes) There is. (In response to the above inquiry.)

Wala

(No) There is no one. (In response to the above inquiry. 'Wala' literally means 'nothing'. or you may not respond at all.)

Sandali lang (po/ho)

One moment (please).

IMPORTANT: If the driver asks if there's anyone getting of, you may answer YES if you do but do not answer NO if you don't. You may not respond instead 'coz there might be someone other than you wants to get off.

[1]Top Things To Know Before Going To Philippines

If you are not a Filipino or It's your first time to go to the Philippines, you need to know a lot of things about the country first. Here are some of the things I think would let you enjoy your stay in the Philippines. I know that surprises are still the best but it is also good to have something to expect. There are many things we call "only in the Philippines". My only advice is that, don't expect too much but also don't expect very little.

Philippines already has a lot of records about having the most, the least, the tallest, the shortest, the first, the last, the worst and the best. Filipinos are also very creative. Filipinos! That's what WE are. Many said that we have no identity. But i said we have. We are unique. Let's see what's on top of what we can offer.

[BALOT]

We commonly eat egg sunny-side-up or hard boiled. In the Philippines we offer you a very different style of eating egg. And it's not just an ordinary egg. It's called ballot. I don't know the exact English term for this but I think we can call it premature duck egg.

Balot is a 16-21 day old fertilized duck egg boiled in water to cook. An ordinary egg will hatch 21 days after being fertilized. Therefore, balot is an unhatched egg with a premature duck chick inside. In choosing the best balot, it's like playing Black Jack. The nearer the age of the egg to 21 days, the bigger the chick you will have. Of course you don't want to eat a chick with all it's parts completed--the beak, feathers, organs and feet. I suggest you choose 16-18 days.

There's one kind of balot we call penoy. It's the kind that is less than 16 days old. In that case, the chick is not yet formed. If I would try to describe it, it's more like an ordinary boiled egg. The only difference is that the yolk is not anymore to be found. I think it already mixed with the white part. I don't like to eat penoy. It's very much different compared to balot.

[THE ART OF EATING BALOT]

Eating balot is not as easy as you think. First, you have to know which end of the egg you should break and I always forget which one. You should know this or else, you will be force to eat the hard part first, which most people don't usually eat. As you can see, an egg has two ends. One is pointed and the other is round. If I remember correctly, you should break the egg at the pointed part by knocking it on a hard object. Perhaps on the wall or if you want to do the old Filipino style, break it with your forehead. I always do this when I was younger until I realized that I'm hurting myself. At least try it once. =)

After trying to look for the right end of the egg, enjoy your balot by sipping the soup inside. In order to do this, you should make sure that the hole of your balot is not too big. The soup will serve as the first part of your balot experience. The taste is indescribable and I really love it. It's a part of your balot 'cause it's a part of the chick's life that you're going to eat later, so don't waste it.

When you're finish savoring the soup, you can now slowly widen the hole by breaking the shell slowly. Leave some shell for you hold the egg properly. At this moment you should be able to see a grayish and a yellow thing. The grayish thing is the chick. That will be our goal. The yellow part is not that challenging to eat so you can eat it first(save the best for last).

Balot also comes with free salt and spiced vinegar. To eat your balot, first, pour a little vinegar then spread a little salt. Now, munch that little chick like there's no tomorrow. If you will chew it slowly, you will feel the beak and the bones breaking. It's so yummy.

The last part of your balot is what we call bato(tagalog term for rock). You have the option to eat it or not. If you will ask me if I eat it, well yes. I also paid for it. Don't forget to put salt. (Warning: old people with false teeth, don't try it)

[WHERE TO FIND BALOT]

Please take note that balot is only available at night. You can see vendors selling it at the corner of some streets. Some uses bicycle to tour it around. Others just walk and shout. BaloooooOOoot...

Top Five Malls in Davao City

These are the five shopping malls in Davao City, Philippines. There are many other establishments in Davao but I think these are the top 5.

[5]Victoria Plaza

From Davao City International Airport, this is the nearest mall. I ranked it fifth because it's not anymore appealing to most people in Davao. In the late 90's, Victoria Plaza is the most popular mall in Davao. Now, it is still famous for having cheaper goods and for being accessible since it's right in the middle of the city.

[4]Gaisano South

Also known as JS citymall, G-south is tallest among the five malls in this top list. This 5-story building is the nearest from Davao City Hall. Being in the downtown area, it is also very accessible. Around G-south, you can find a lot of hotels, inns, fast food restaurants, hospital, and a park.

[3]NCCC Mall of Davao

It's the second and bigger NCCC in Davao. NCCC also have branches in different Davao provinces plus Palawan. In NCCC Davao you can enjoy watching movies in four of their cinemas. You can also opt to try their bowling alley if you want. The location of NCCC is not ideal. The atmosphere is upscale. The structure is simple. You won't get lost.

[2]Gaisano Mall of Davao

I think the owner of G-mall and G-south are cousins. Aside from these two Gaisanos, There are also other Gaisano establishments in the entire Davao region.

Gaisano Mall is the mall for the people. It's atmosphere and appearance say so. This 4-story building is located not very far from Victoria Plaza. It is surrounded by five different colleges so you should expect that you will see lots of students. You can also enjoy their cinema. There are six. If you want to buy groceries, you can go to the basement. All in all, there are 5 different floors to check. You can also enjoy the site in the atrium from different floors.

[1]SM City Davao

Also not in an ideal location but SM City Davao is one of the good to go malls I knew. To be honest, I don't enjoy going there but the atmosphere is not that heavy to carry. It's the only mall that makes me lost. It has a left and a right wing plus another wing in the middle, which if you are not familiar with the stores, you will not know which wing you are in. There are 3 cinemas each in both left and right wings. Contrary to the other malls, when you enter SM, the boy's entrance is on the right and not left.

[EX]Amazing Toilet Experience

Whew! I just came the rest room with a sigh of relief. I've been bearing the trouble in my stomach since last night but i can't use the toilet because my room mate used the pail to soak his clothes. I woke him up around 7am so that he could finish washing his laundry and so that I could use the bucket.

In our country, a large ratio of the population doesn't use toilet paper. Instead, they use soap and water. So, for places that has water interruption, it's a serious problem.

My room mate started washing his laundry as soon as I woke him up, but only a few minutes later, I rushed up to the toilet without any bucket for water. On the way, I grabbed the tabo(dipper) from where my room mate put it. Without any guns and ammunition aside from a tabo, i faced the a terrible war with my stomach. While holding the dipper, I went through enemy by enemy without holding back. There were explosions everywhere until I reached for the flag of victory.

The tabo saves the day. Thanks to that broken tabo with scotch tape, i managed to win the war in Toilet Republic. Now my room mate have freedom to wash his laundry again.

Room mate to Georel: "Enemy spotted!"

[OP]Amazing Hot Peanuts

I am just wondering why peanuts sold by vendors in our country is always hot. I mean literally hot and not spicy. I usually meet these vendors while riding a bus on the way to my hometown. You can also see most of them in bus terminals.

It's said peanuts are delicious to eat while it's hot. I agree because peanuts will not be crunchy anymore if it's already cold or perhaps old. That's why vendors usually promote their peanuts by saying that it's newly cook and still hot.

Whenever and where ever you meet a peanut vendor, expect that he will say that he's selling newly cook and hot peanuts. They don't mind if it's true or not as long as they can sell. In the costumers' side, they also don't care about what the vendor is saying. It's already very ordinary to hear. And also very ordinary to say for the vendors.

If you want hot peanuts 24 hours, go to the Philippines.

Know Me (continuation)

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[Love]

Love is the most impossible topic I would to talk about. I just to point out one thing here. I am the kind of person that don't easily get attracted to girls. Most of my friends doesn't believe me. They think that I am a chick boy (the type of guy who has many girlfriends). I only want to clarify that I'm not that type of guy. As I've said before, I am a shy person.

Love is the best and most stupid thing on earth. I once wrote in a poem all my beliefs about love. I entitled it "Love in Twenty Days". It's about my perception of love although the later part tells something unrelated.

[Blog]

Please don't think that this blog is all about my self. It's all about the extra pieces of ideas that pours out of my mind whenever I can't sleep and whenever I'm in the toilet. Actually, I was thinking if I could name this blog "Toilet Stories" but not all things from my mind are from the toilet. There are outer stimuli that makes me think, think more, and think harder about different sort of things. Most of them are What You Do Not Know.

[Ending]

I started this entry to my blog saying that I am the type of person who hides behind the walls of truth and lies. Now that you already finished reading, try to figure out what kind of person I am. Believe me, I'm normal.

Know Me

To start with, I am not the type of person who wants to be popular. I don't want anybody to know me. I always hide myself behind the walls of truth and lies. It's up to you what you want to believe about me.

One thing that is important is that I am an honest person. As much as possible, i don't want to lie. Not because it's bad. It's because i always compete with my analytical self when I try to lie. I always analyze things until my self would catch my self lying. In short, I always look for flaws. And I always come up to a point that there's no perfect lie for me. I always think that somebody who thinks like I do could easily find out that I am lying. And I really hate that.

I also hate people that are lying. I don't know why and how but there is a tiny room in my brain that always process peoples' gestures and speeches. I always look for flaws. I always want to know more about what they're thinking from the bits of words they say.

All because of this curiosity, i had an interest on making this blog. I am looking deeper than what things normally look. I want to learn what normal people usually don't know. And I want to tell people about the ideas i have in mind that are just becoming trash after a night thinking over them. At least, in this world, i might be able to meet someone who i can exchange my ideas with.

I am not a genius nor crazy. It's just me. I know I am not unique. I am normal like anybody else. Our interests on differ. And besides, no more than one person can be unique. If at least two people are unique, they will be the same.

[Life]

I was born in Mabalacat, Pampanga, a province in the north of Philippines. I spent 9 years of my life there. Most of me came from that place. I became interested to puzzles and brain teasers from that place. Although I am not intelligent, there are things that i know most of my friends doesn't know. I can easily figure out tricks but most of the time I'm still dumb.

My life and experiences in Pampanga made me feel more different when I came to Tagum City, Davao del Norte. It's a place in the far south of the country. Feeling alone, I became more observant. Of course, in the outside, I'am still a normal person. Like a normal kid does. (that time)

Do you know how to interact with other people? I know it's an instinct how. But there's just something in me that tells me I can't do it. I am shy. I know how, but i just can't do what other people do. Like for example: Say hi or hello to every people you know. Or open up any topic just to have something to talk about. And I can't stand talking for a long time with people i don't intend to talk to.

Now you can call me names. Thinker, analyzer, observer, numb and weird. These are the names my friends used to call me. Maybe they're right but there's just one name that i can't take--feeling.

In our context, when you say feeling to one person, it means something like that person is so proud of himself and it's near for being boastful. It took me a long time before i realized that. Because I am numb. I didn't know what they meant at first and also don't want to talk about it.

[Education]

By the way, I also hate to say good things about myself. I don't like to sell my self to people. I want people to think in their own perspective about me. I don't even defend my self if their impression of me is wrong as long as I'm true to myself. Because of that, let's not talk about my education in details.

In elementary, I'm just a normal student with a huge bag that contains all my books and notebooks. I go to school without a single peso. I just walk from home to school and vice versa. There were times that my mother would give me a peso or two as baon(filipino term for allowance). Instead of bringing money to school, i just put it into my alkansyaor piggy bank (not really a piggy. it's an empty baby powder bottle). At school, i don't eat any recess. A very important lesson i learned from that was patience.

I can be very patient if needed. I know how to wait and I know how to sacrifice. It's a very nice talent i acquired from childhood. Because of being patient, I managed to save money up to a thousand in my so called piggy bank. One day, my mother asked me is she could borrow it and promised to pay me back when i will need it. What do you expect from an innocent child? Of course i gave my consent and my money. This happened repeatedly several times until I realized how much I lost from my mother. Of course i can't blame her. She used the money to buy food for us. But i was just thinking... If she didn't know that i have money, she will not borrow it. If she didn't borrow my money, I could enjoy the fruit my sacrifices. And if i enjoyed the fruit of my sacrifices, maybe i will not learn about this stupid thing: "Eat the largest apple first, 'coz something might ask to have the one left." It simply means that I should enjoy what I have before someone asked to have it from you and you can't decline.

In college, I took up a computer course. There, i learned how to program. I also learned that most things in life have cases and probabilities. And if few cases run under the same algorithm, it is possible to guess the result. It applies to me very well. Due to this, I learned how to trap my friends in a conversation. I also learned how to guess their next answer and reaction. Because of this, I can somehow predict what's in the mind of the person I am talking to. I can also use it to girls. But it's not that easy. It's not because girls are unpredictable. It becomes hard when you are involved in the idea you are trying to predict.

[Love]

To be continued...
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School Days (12-episode anime)

I always want to watch Japanese animations or anime for short. According to most of my Japanese students in my job, animes are only for little kids. But I told them that in my country, Philippines, even teens and some adults watch anime.

I already watched a lot of animes since i was a kid. Now that I'm a little older, I feel that I'm still a kid. But of course the genre of the animes i am watching has changed. I pick those animes that have a sense. Since I am a little busy in my work now, i can't watch animes with long storylines anymore, so i prefer those anime's which only have 12 or 26 episodes (I'll discuss about the list later). I choose animes depending on the plot, humor, logic and of course, cuteness of the (girl) characters.

That's why yesterday, when i was browsing some videos on youtube, i came upon this anime that looks familiar--School Days. I think i've already seen the title a lot of times along the sidewalks (dvd vendors) and anime lists but it didn't interest me 'coz i think it's a girl thing.

I just finished watching Dragonball GT last week so i don't have any anime next in line aside from Tom and Jerry which i think would not affect much of my time since it's not addicting. I kept on browsing and learned that Schools Days has only 12 episodes. So, i gave it a try.

It has an English subtitle so it's easy to understand. In the first part, the plot is very serious and the girl is so cute so i decided to continue watching. As an episode after an episode passed, I'm already thinking if i should continue watching. It's not because the story is bad. In fact, the story is so good that's why i don't want to continue watching. It has a bite of the reality. There's a great possibility that you can see yourself or your friends in the personality of each character.

I stopped after episode 9 to go back to work. i feel like i don't want to continue watching anymore. After my work, being so disturb with my curiosity about the ending, i continued watching. Just to find out that it was the best and worst love story i watched.

You can watch School Days from my youtube channel: here