Sonya's Garden

Sonya's Garden is a great place to have lunch or dinner in Tagaytay. I love their food; its a set price and set menu and it includes salad (with your choice of condiments and dressing) and pasta (with your choice of sauce). You can mix and match the sauces; trust me, its worth the price. And it being a garden, you feel like you are eating inside a large greenhouse. After eating way too much, you can try walking it off on the various paths of the garden. If you're lucky, you might even see Sonya herself. She is easy to spot; she normally wears all white with a matching wide-brimmed sun hat. She is very friendly, so don't be afraid to approach talk to her if she isn't busy entertaining others!

Caroline and I stayed there for one night (yes, they have a Bed & Breakfast!) when we were looking for churches to get married in. The bedroom is very cozy and its a return to the basics. No televisions here, just a lamp and some books to read. There's no airconditioning too, as the breeze of Tagaytay is enough to cool the room, although there is a ceiling fan if you want things to get colder. If you're scared of bugs, this isn't the ideal accomodation for you, but if you like the sound of crickets and the occasional lizard, then you won't have any trouble sleeping here! It's a great place to get away from the city and recharge your energy.

The next morning... Here is my favorite supermodel posing in front of some of the gardens. Her shorts match the flowers!


Enjoying our meal in the veranda!
Did I mention this was where I first proposed to Caroline? This was one of the reasons why we wanted to get married in Tagaytay and have our wedding reception here in Sonya's Garden. Yes, it is almost 2 years to the day when I first popped the question (and the box of the ring) to her over a lunch date. That's a different story altogether, best told in person (so ask me about it if you see me).

Unfortunately, although Sonya's Garden was available on the day we wanted our wedding, none of the churches in the area were available. We had no choice but to cancel our reception reservation and look elsewhere for a church and reception area. No matter. Sonya's Garden already has cemented its place in me and Caroline's history, and we will remember it for the rest of our lives!

La Vita e Bella!

Mercedes Benz Mixed Tapes

Lots of thanks goes to Chad and his friend, Jomz for introducing me to the Mercedes Mixed Tapes.

These are great compilations of music from different genres of music... R&B, chillout, smooth jazz... they are all here. There are already 14 compilations so far, and I'm still busy looking to download all of them. They are that good! Literally great music to drive to (obviously) or to set the mood at a chilly late night by the fireplace.

Give them a try by visiting the site and listening to the streaming audio, then downloading some or all of the tracks in MP3 format.

The best thing about is that its all free... you don't have to own a Benz to download these albums.

Life is Beautiful!

Television Ads

I was watching tv the other day when I saw an ad promoting the tv show "House" (So you can skip reading this if you don't know the show). The announcer said the following line...

"...Watch as House has to risk everything to save a patients life!"

This made me almost fall off my seat laughing. Ok, when doesn't Dr. House risk everything? Duh! That's what the whole show is all about right?

There was also a similar ad for the show "Prison Break". Apparently the Scofield brothers have to "risk everything" or be caught by the police and anyone else chasing them. Double Duh! Talk about stating the obvious...

Is this a Fox channel thing or what?

La Vita e Bella!

On Tacos

Earlier today I decided to temporarily break free from my burger routine by 'thinking outside the bun' and going to Taco Bell.

I ordered 3 tacos and sat down to eat them. As soon as I unwrapped the first one, I realized why I never liked eating tacos in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love mexican food. Chad knows I love Burritos from Chipotle (his influence). I just can't eat burritos on a regular basis because they are so filling. Tacos on the other hand, are just right; crunchy tortilla with seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Squirt a little hot sauce and they're good to go. However, I don't know why they designed tacos that way. I went through a whole stack of paper napkins during that lunch, trying to wipe my hands and catching the beef and vegetables that inevitably fall out of that curved shell.

Why are tacos so damn hard to eat? It doesn't matter whether you turn the taco on its side or turn your head, its bound to end up a messy experience. What's the proper way of eating a taco?

I'll tell you... Ask any Filipino, and they'll tell you to eat it with a fork and knife! In the Philippines, thats the only way to eat a taco!

La Vita e Bella!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's been 3 years since I last celebrated thanksgiving here in the United States. I never studied american history, but I think it's to remember the time when the first settlers gave thanks (to the native americans?) that they were able to start a new life in a strange land. Whatever its origins, it gives us a chance to give thanks to be thankful for the blessings in our own lives.

I look back and I see that I have plenty to be thankful for.

I am thankful for my family and friends who have always been there, given me honest advice and supported me in all my actions; I am thankful for my wife and the little miracle God has given us. And I am thankful for the other blessings which have enabled my family to build a home out of a house...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

PS3

Today, the Playstation 3 was unleashed across North America. This next generation console is equipped with a hard disk, online capability, a blu-ray dvd player, and wireless controller. It promises to display graphics in 1080p, and is more powerful than the XBOX 360 or the Nintendo Wii. Naturally, I'm itching to get one!

As usual, there is a supply shortage from Sony, so people have been lining up for days just so that they are guaranteed to get one. Yesterday I drove past Best Buy and Circuit City, and sure enough, people were literally camped outside, complete with tents and folding chairs. I did contemplate braving the cold wind and rain to try to buy one (and sell it on Ebay, of course), but prior commitments prevented me from doing so. However, today made me think back to when I waited in line overnight when I bought my Playstation 2...

October 26, 2000. I will remember that date as long as I live. The date the Playstation 2 (PS2) was released in the USA. I just moved to Atlanta then, and was there for about 3 months. The arrival of the PS2 was hotly anticipated. A new era of gaming had arrived. 128 bit processing, and the power to play DVDs! It would make any geek drool at the technical specifications. Then Sony announced that due to production problems, there would be a shortage of supply during the first few months of release. Almost immediately, online shops sold out, and normal stores took reservations, which were quickly taken as well. That did not deter me. I was going to get a PS2 on the first day of release. I hatched a plan… I would go to a 24 hour store that didn’t accept reservations and was going to sell the PS2 at midnight. I was going to try my luck.

Fortunately, there was a Walmart that did exactly that. I scoped out the store a few days before, taking note of where the electronics department was, and any other things that would aid me in my mission.

The day finally came. I went to Walmart straight from the office that day and got there at around 6pm. I was a bit worried that a line formed earlier that day, but fortunately there wasn’t a line. However, there were a lot of people that had the same idea as me. Every time a line would form, a Walmart employee would break it up. So, there were a lot of loiterers in the shop that night. Trust me, one can only do so much in Walmart. 11:30pm. Still no announcement. Things were tense. People were waiting by the supply doors, to see when they would bring those blue boxes out. Then, 10 minutes before midnight, there was an announcement on the PA. “Everyone waiting for a Playstation 2, please make your way to the electronics department and form a line”.

It was a blur, a mad dash to the electronics department through children’s clothes racks and cheap handbags. I made it to the line and was given a number in the high teens. Not bad given the circumstances, but the fear of not getting one was still there. After all, no one knew how many units this Walmart was allocated. It could be as little as 10, maybe as much as 30. We all thought that the store would start selling them at midnight. We were wrong. They only allowed the line to form at midnight. They would actually be selling them at 6am. So… you would actually have to be in line for 6 hours if you really, really wanted a PS2. We all sat down and prepared for the long night in the electronics department. It wasn’t so bad, really. We were indoors (others who waited in other stores weren’t as lucky), and it being a 24 hour store, we could buy whatever we needed. Bottled water, Doritos, and a sleeping bag? Walmart got it covered. Everyone was friendly too. I met people from all walks of life. From a fellow gamer wanting it for himself, to some college students planning to sell it on Ebay, to a mother who wanted to give it to her son for Christmas, everyone had their reasons. It was an organized line… everyone remembered their place and respected it. We could go to the bathroom or buy some food whenever we wanted. Somebody even bought a deck of cards and we started playing poker right there on the floor. I am sure that if someone brought a guitar from the music department, we would all be singing campfire songs (without the campfire, of course). I didn’t get much sleep, but it didn’t matter. It was fun. 6am finally came, and I was able to get my PS2. There were about 25 units, but more than 30 people waited, so their night was spent in vain. I didn’t care. After I paid for mine, I rushed out to the car and locked all the doors quickly, lest I get ambushed.

So, after 12 hours in Walmart, I got what I came for.

I think I will wait a few months for the price of the PS3 to drop (did I mention that the basic unit is $499 and the deluxe unit is $599?), and for supplies to rise to a level in which I can simply walk into a store and pick up one of a couple of units. I'm in no hurry this time. With so many other expenses weighing in on my bank account (wedding, flight expenses, house!), the last thing I need is another 'toy' to distract me. Besides, Caroline would kill me if I bought one for myself! And hopefully by that time I will have an entertainment system worthy enough of bringing out the full potential of the PS3... HDTV, surround sound system... thats another couple of thousand right there (but I'll save that for a future post)!

La Vita e Bella!

Scuba

Did you know that you can go scuba diving without having to go through lessons? Yes, you can! I didn't know you can go on these introductory dives. It's a shallow water dive (around 50 feet) and you are accompanied by a fully trained diver. Its a great way for people like me to experience diving without having to get a diving license.

After signing the necessary forms, Caroline and I were given a brief lesson on the scuba equipment and how to use them. It was strange at first, breathing air from the tank, but it became more natural as we took in more breaths. Once the diving instructors were confident that we were familiar with the equipment and the hand signals, we got on the boat and headed about a kilometer from the shore.

All geared up and ready to dive! Before we knew it, we took the plunge and were sinking to the sea floor.

The boat had a glass bottom, so my friends were able to take a picture of me underwater (thats the dive instructor holding on to me). With the guidance of my instructor, he pointed out to me several different schools of fish. We were even able to feed them using some food that he had hidden in his suit. Once he brought it out, I didn't know what it was at first, but when the fish came and started nibbling, I realized what it was. There were so many species of fish, of all shapes, sizes, and colours. We even saw a school of barracudas! We didn't venture to close to them though, as they can be very dangerous (according to my instructor). I also saw corals... lots and lots of corals! They swayed gently with the current, so peaceful and beautiful. I began to see why more and more people scuba dive to relax. It's really a different world under the sea. We also went past an underwater spring. You can see the current bursting through cracks on the sea floor, and when we swam past it, I felt the cold water of the spring through my wetsuit. I wish I had an underwater camera!

After about 45 minutes, it was time to go up. When we resurfaced, I was surprised at how far we had been swimming underwater. It is so easy to lose track of time and direction when you're under the sea.

This is Caroline resurfacing. She's obviously happy! I'm not sure whether its because she saw lots of beautiful fish and corals underwater or whether she was glad to have finished the dive!

This experience makes me want to get a full diving license. What we saw was just the tip of the iceberg. My friends who go diving regularly tell me that there are even more beautiful locations deeper and further out in the sea.

Life... is Beautiful.

Logic Adventure Games Online

If you like adventure games as well as I do, these two sites should entertain you. They aren't really up to the calibre of the classic Sierra and LucasArts games of old, but they are pretty good.

The Crimson Room is short and can serve as an introduction to these kinds of online games. The only hint that I can offer is to click everywhere and click multiple times!

The Mystery of Time and Space is what I'm playing now and its longer (and less frustrating) than the crimson room. The puzzles (for the most part) are logical, and there's some humour injected in it as well. The website also has links to other similar games on the internet, so if you finish these faster than me, there are several others to try!

La Vita e Bella!