8 Most Anticipated PlayStation Vita Games

I made a list of the Vita games I'm most salivating for at the moment. See what games made my list.[...]

Survivor Recap: He Has Demons

After a boring pilot, things are starting to heat up at Survivor: South Pacific. Last week, Semhar was voted off the Savaii tribe after revealing her weakness at the Immunity Challenge. Then she complained about people lying straight to her face when she reached Redemption Island. Welcome to Survivor, Semhar!

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If you are going [...]

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Replace these every slider sentences with your featured post descriptions.Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha - Premiumbloggertemplates.com[...]

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Replace these every slider sentences with your featured post descriptions.Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha - Premiumbloggertemplates.com[...]

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Arnis: Filipino Martial Arts


If Japan has Judo, China has Kung fu, Korea has Taekwondo and Thailand has Kickboxing, the Philippines also has a deadly Martial art that the world has embraced. Collectively known as Arnis, it is a form of self defense which is characterized by the use of weapons in training. Internationally known as Kali, this Filipino Martial art is also known as Escrima in the Visayas. The basic weapon used is the stick called "cane" or "baston" but students are also taught to use other objects as weapons. I remember when I had this for my PE Class in college, my intructor told us that anything could be a weapon in Arnis. One just have to know how to use it to your advantage. He showed us how a mineral bottle, a ballpen or even a "paypay" can make deadly weapons in Arnis! Amazing, right? 

Popularized by the late Ernesto Presas, Arnis is now being learned by students from around the globe especailly in the US and Europe. Before Presas' death in Canada, it was said that he trained 7 students (all of which are foreigner) to spread the art around the world, and so the International Modern Arnis Federation was founded.

By Joe with 23 comments

Monday, October 27, 2008

Halloween Costume Ideas

Suppose you are a Costume Shop owner and because it's the eve of Halloween, every piece of costume you had were sold out. Well, not exactly because seven costumes were left ((1) Pink Fairy, (2) Borat, (3) French Maid, (4) Dumb Caveman, (5) Witch, (6) Shrek, (7) decaying zombie)  Since you had such a fortune over the costumes you've sold, you decide to give those that were left away for free. Then, your phone rings and a friend tells you that a costume party for celebrities would be happening an hour from now and just about everybody who'd be going to the party still has no costume. 

If you were the shop owner, who would you give these costumes to? Well, if you ask me...


roll call: (from left to right) Manny Pacquiao, Rochelle of Sexbomb, Mike Enriquez, Paolo Ballesteros, Christy Fermin, Marian Rivera & Boy Abunda. 

Happy Halloween Everyone!

By Joe with 8 comments

Thursday, October 23, 2008

New iPod Touch with Games

I was planning to buy a PSP slim (i know I'm such a loser for not owning one yet! i know!) for quite some time now. I was planning to buy one from my own money and so far according to my calculations, I'd probably get one by next month. I had a dilemma once and it involved being torn between PSP and iPod Touch. I liked iPod Touch solely because of its touchscreen navigation control and decided that PSP would be the better buy since it actually has most iPod features and the fact that I could play PS titles on a very portable gadget. But then, I came across this...

So the dilemma arises once again. Of course PSP would have the better lists of games that I could play but come on we are talking about Apple here. They make techies' wildest dreams come true in a blink of an eye. I'm sure that by next year, more titles would be play-able on the iPod Touch! Right now they have titles like Crash Bandicoot, Need for Speed Undercover and Spore to name a few. And yeah, does anyne know if these games are available now here in the Philippines? Argh! There's so much to save up for. I wanted to shop-wiki for my Mom cause next month she'll be celebrating her birthday. I'm actually thinking of giving her clothes. Then of course, the firs Big Buy! Argh!!! Help me decide on what to get? I still have a month to think about this and I don't want to regret my first ever Big Buy from my hard-earned money.


By Joe with 3 comments

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Flick Critique 1.05


I can't believe how busy I am right now. So much stuff to attend to and so much more lined-up. It really pays that once in a while I get to watch movies for free. Thanks to some officemates who were able to hand me DVD ripped copies of recent movies I wasn't able to watch on the Big Screen! Lucky me...

A. Fool's Gold (2008) - Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson pair up again for this treasure hunt of a movie. This one though, unlike their previous 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days", disappoints. Sure there were funny moments but the gaps between those scenes would allow you to put up a new blog and write the first three articles of it. And sorry, but McConaughey's abs wouldn't bring this film to life. As to Hudson's bikini scneses...hmm...still no!

B Never Back Down (2008) - So does this movie remind you of Rocky or what? Though I was only able to catch some scenes of the first Rocky movie, this movie totally reminds me of it. But of course, this one's had the modern touch. Tom Cruise look-a-like Sean Faris, IMHO, played the lead well because he would make you want to root for him. At first I thought this movie would be something like The Fast and the Furious, where characters were loudly shouting "I'm so tough! I'm so cool!", but this movie has a heart.

C. Get Smart (2008) - Steve Carell did it once again with this movie! I'm starting to be a fan. What I like most about the movie is that all the characters are so well-developed! Even the Computer Nerds of Control have contributed in making this movie something to laugh loud about! Carell, Arkin and Hatthaway were great in the movie . Add the witty script and the classic slapsticks and you've got a great Comedy for the family.

By Joe with 7 comments

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Related Posts Widget for Blogger

If you would click on the title of this post, you would notice that at the end of this article there is a Related Posts widget. This widget would be helpful in increasing your site's page views because it gives your readers options to read posts on your site related to what they came to your site for. This widget displays related artciles by the labels you've tagged your posts with. Pretty cool, huh?

So let's get started. You know the drill. From your blogger DASHBOARD, go to LAYOUT, then click the EDIT HTML tab. As I've told you before, it is always smart to back up your template so that once you messed it up, you could always change it back. Tick on the EXPAND WIDGET TEMPLATE checkbox. Are you ready? Let's begin...

1. Find the code below

<p><data:post.body/></p>

2. Immediately after it, paste the following code below.

<div class='clear-block;'/><b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'><div class="similiar"><!-- *****************http://hoctro.blogspot.com*****Jan,2007****************** --><!-- *****************Related Articles by Labels - Take Two****************** --><!--

Modified by JackBook.Com to make it easier to use.

1. Now, users don't need to change anything to use this widget. just copy and paste, and done!

2. The current article will also be listed, now it's no more.

-->

<div class='widget-content'>

<h3>Related Posts by Categories</h3>

<div id='data2007'/><br/><br/>

<div id='hoctro'>

Widget by <u><a href='http://hoctro.blogspot.com'>Hoctro</a></u> | <u><a href='http://www.jackbook.com/' title='Related Posts on Blogger Modified by JackBook.Com. Read More?'>Jack Book</a>

</u></div>

<script type="text/javascript">

var homeUrl3 = "<data:blog.homepageUrl/>";

var maxNumberOfPostsPerLabel = 4;

var maxNumberOfLabels = 10;

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>

maxNumberOfPostsPerLabel = 100;

</b:if>

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>

maxNumberOfLabels = 3;

</b:if>

function listEntries10(json) {

var ul = document.createElement('ul');

var maxPosts = (json.feed.entry.length <= maxNumberOfPostsPerLabel) ?

json.feed.entry.length : maxNumberOfPostsPerLabel;

for (var i = 0; i < maxPosts; i++) {

var entry = json.feed.entry[i];

var alturl;

for (var k = 0; k < entry.link.length; k++) {

if (entry.link[k].rel == 'alternate') {

alturl = entry.link[k].href;

break;

}

}

var li = document.createElement('li');

var a = document.createElement('a');

a.href = alturl;

if(a.href!=location.href) {

var txt = document.createTextNode(entry.title.$t);

a.appendChild(txt);

li.appendChild(a);

ul.appendChild(li);

}

}

for (var l = 0; l < json.feed.link.length; l++) {

if (json.feed.link[l].rel == 'alternate') {

var raw = json.feed.link[l].href;

var label = raw.substr(homeUrl3.length+13);

var k;

for (k=0; k<20; k++) label = label.replace("%20", " ");

var txt = document.createTextNode(label);

var h = document.createElement('b');

h.appendChild(txt);

var div1 = document.createElement('div');

div1.appendChild(h);

div1.appendChild(ul);

document.getElementById('data2007').appendChild(div1);

}

}

}

function search10(query, label) {

var script = document.createElement('script');

script.setAttribute('src', query + 'feeds/posts/default/-/'

+ label +

'?alt=json-in-script&callback=listEntries10');

script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript');

document.documentElement.firstChild.appendChild(script);

}

var labelArray = new Array();

var numLabel = 0;

<b:loop values='data:posts' var='post'>

<b:loop values='data:post.labels' var='label'>

textLabel = "<data:label.name/>";

var test = 0;

for (var i = 0; i < labelArray.length; i++)

if (labelArray[i] == textLabel) test = 1;

if (test == 0) {

labelArray.push(textLabel);

var maxLabels = (labelArray.length <= maxNumberOfLabels) ?

labelArray.length : maxNumberOfLabels;

if (numLabel < maxLabels) {

search10(homeUrl3, textLabel);

numLabel++;

}

}

</b:loop>

</b:loop>

</script>

</div>

</div>

</b:if>


3. Save your template. You're done!!!! See how easy it is?

Do you have any requests or questions about my tutorials on this site? You could always comment and ask and I'll see to it that the widget would work on your site. As to your requests, please give me time to learn the best and easiest hack after I post a tutorial about it here on Spoon Lagoon. So 'til then, cheers!

By Joe with 7 comments

Sunday, October 19, 2008

RP's Top Universities 2008

Quacquarelli Symonds, through The Times Higher Education, released the QS World University Rankings 2008 where the 500 best universities from around the globe were recognized. Though it has been receiving negative feedbacks and questions on the accuracy of their statistical methods since it started, the QS World University Rankings is now on its 4th year. And since 2005, only 4 universities form the Philippines have been cited. This year, Ateneo overtook the state college University of the Philippines as this year's Philippines Top University.


Ateneo de Manila University - no. 254



University of the Philippines - no. 276


De La Salle University - no. 401-500*

University of Santo Tomas - no. 401-500*
Yeay! Viva los hijos de Santo Tomas !

*Precise ranking of the top Universities from 401-500 were withheld due to high sensitivity to error, thus UST and DLSU were ranked 401-500



By Joe with 13 comments

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Philippines' Richest 2008

After 13 long years of being on top, Bill Gates is the richest man in the world no more! He settled for the 3rd richest dude on the face of the earth while Warren Buffet, an American investor, now holds the title previously earned by Gates. In the Philippine setting, something like it happened too. Jaime Zobel de Ayala, the richest Filipino last year, settled for 3rd and was overtaken by Mall Mogul Henry Sy as this year's wealthiest Pinoy Billionaire. Complete list below.


By Joe with 8 comments

Friday, October 17, 2008

Philippines' Largest Airlines

After telling you about the Philippine's Tallest Building & 5 Largest Malls, I now give you the Philippines' Five Largest Airlines in terms of Fleet & Destinations. Let's start from the bottom up, shall we?

Air Philippines
Slogan: "Fly with us!"
Established: February 1995
Fleet: 10 aircraft
Destinations: 8 Local
Accidents: 2 since 1996, 1 killed 131 people

Zest Airways (Formerly Asian Spirit)
Slogan: "Asia's Most Refreshing Airline"
Established: September 1995
Fleet: 11 aircraft
Destinations: 14 local, 2 International (Macau & Seoul)
Accidents: 4 since 1999 (one of which killed 40 people)



Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR)
Slogan: ---
Established: August 1995
Fleet: 11 aircraft
Destinations: 23 Local
Accidents: no record


Cebu Pacific
Distinction: Currently the leading the domestic carrier
Slogan: "It's time Everyone Flies"
Established: August 1988
Fleet: 21 aircraft, 17 on order
Destinations: 42 (includes flights to China, Japan , Korea & SE Asia)
Accidents: 2 since 1998, 1 killed 104 people



Philippine Airlines (PAL)
Distinction: First Commercial Airline in ASIA!
Slogan: "It's about Experience" / "Asia's Sunniest"
Established: February 26, 1941
Accidents: 22 since 1950
Fleet: 46 aircraft
Destinations: 42 including (USA, Canada & Australia)
*formerly had flights to Europe, Africa & West Asia




By Joe with 8 comments

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

A Boring MRT Ride

ZAP!!! You snap back to reality and found youself seated on the blue seats of MRT. You were lucky tonight. Normally, you would have to push yourself and swim into the crowd to be seated. Like gladiators at The Coliseum, you'd fight for a place in those plastic wonders. For three nights in a row, you were unlucky... until tonight. So there you were sandwiched between a an old man who looks like he's going to cough out his lungs and a sosyal-looking girl talking to her friend beside her. You were about to reach for your iPod when suddenly you heard something that rung in your ears for 3 full seconds...


Girl 1: Omigawd! You are so buko na. You like him, davvah?!?!
Girl 2: Hell no! He's like parrrang so emo! Palaging naka-black!!!
Girl 1: Don't lie, girl. I'm not going to make kalat naman your secret eh...

You wanted to burst out with laughter but you thought twice. If you're going to make fun of these girls, it would be hard to escape if they decide to slap you with their Chanel of a purse, order their miniature of a dog to attack you, or drown you with thick bills of money. But then again, you'd like the thought of being drowned in money...


Girl 2: Ay naku! I so know you. You're madaldal when I'm naka-talikod. Proven fact, girl!
Girl 1: Omigawd! I can't believe you'll say that. Hindi Kaya!!! Ahahaha...(the most annoying laugh ever!!!!)
Girl 2: Yeah, right! Remeber when we were in LA ZALLE to visit "Girl 3", nasabi mo sa barkada niya about my semplang sa bike! Come on!
Girl 1: Omigawd! You're just shifting the topic. You so like him talaga. Like super!
Girl 2: Yeah, right! Hindi kaya! Ahahahahaha ( okay. this was the most annoying laugh ever!!!)

Trying not to laugh, you listen intenly on their conversation. Two sosyaleras keeping you awake on a ride from work is so much better than listening to the boring MRT voice-over ads. You were beginning to smile when you noticed your shoulders doing the laughing. It was shaking uncontrollably. You glanced at the girls and they have the dagger looks on you. Uh-oh, here comes bills of money...

By Joe with 16 comments

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Pinoy Urban Legends 2.0


As promised, here's the part two of Pinoy Urban Legends. Enjoy!

1. In UP Diliman, a student decided to take an early morning drive with his Volkswagen of a car around campus. Later that day, his body was found a few feet from his car that had run out of gas and had thousands of kilometers added to the odometer. The stude was said to have starved to death. People said that the student was made fun of spirits in the campus and he ended up wandering around and around, without ever finding his way back. The catch: today, if you happen to wander around that particular campus around daybreak, you may encounter the little red Volkswagen car with a desperate student driver who'll ask you for directions back to the dorm. Never ever give him directions or you'll end up just like him.

2. A student attending an all-girls school in Manila under the administration of nuns stayed late in school to research about a project she was supposed to pass that week. As she was about to leave, she noticed while walking along, the corridor a classroom with lights still on. Out of curiosity, she headed to that room and went inside. Before she was able to enter the room she heard a screeching sound of chalk forcefully sliding through the face of the blackboard. When she went in she found a nun writing on the blackboard "HELP ME, I'M IN HELL." Before she could even think of screaming, the nun turned to her... faceless.

3. A Woman in her forties was invited to stand as principal sponsor in a wedding to be held in one of the big churches in Manila. The bride and groom had told her not to be shocked when she sees one of thier special guests, who was supposedly a long lost kumpadre. So she went to the wedding and there she saw the man, walking very oh so slowly along the aisle. She thought then that if the man were really alive, she'd at least expect him to be confined to a wheelchair, either because of old age or his reported illnesses or both. But the man was walking all by himself, albeit a cane and some bodyguards surrounding him. Then came the signing of the marriage contract, and the woman had thought of checking if the man and his famous signature would match. They did. She later learned that his being alive is top secret, and is known only among the man's followers. The man is none other than Ferdinand Edralin Marcos.

4. Two reporters were invited to a party in a house somewhere in new manila. They went there and partied the whole night. They met "people" that were supposedly members of prominent families who were willing to pay a big sum of money if they agreed to publicize their business. So they gave the reporters their contact numbers before the two headed home. The next day, they reporters tried to contact the businessmen but they failed to get answers. Every number given to them was owned by somebody else. Being reporters and having connections, they researched about the busienssmen and their businesses. Shocked they later found out that all the people in the party were dead for a very long time.

5. A group of medical students from a reputable University decided to play a harmless prank on their easily-frightened classmate. They planned a special study session to be held in the cadaver room with their intended victim. When the girl arrived for the session and found no one in the cadaver room, she thought she was too early and decided to read her notes. The rest of her group mates were actually hiding and they switched the lights off. The girl screamed and screamed for minutes banging on the door locked by her classmates. After some time, the screaming and the banging stopped. The pranksters began to wonder what happened and dedcied to go in the room. Upon turning the lights on, they were shocked to see their hapless classmate gnawing on a piece of the cadaver.

6. A man was driving alone along a dark road in the middle of the night (some say it is Balete, others do not specify). He noticed another car behind him. Nothing strange there. But after a while, he noticed that the car was still there and seemed to be following him. To be sure, he took a series of turns. But the car was on his tail, what more he kept on flahsing the headlights. The guy decided to stop the car and confront the driver. The driver of the car that was following him immediately got off his car white-faced. "Pare, kanina pa kita pinatatabi kasi merong babae sa likuran ng kotse mo na may dalang kutsilyo na tinututok sayo. Pero nung nag-flash ako ng headlight biglang nawala."

Read Part One here...

By Joe with 11 comments

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Japanese Monkey Waiters



I love monkeys and I would actually like to have one! Monkeys are so smart and I think they make really good pets. But monkeys, as I have recently discovered, could be good waiters too! That's what Japanese tavern Kayabukiya was able to learn. The monkeys, Yat-Chan at Fuku-chan, serve hot towels and brings beer to customers before they actually order anything from the menu.

Look at them donning a Japanese costume! LOL.

By Joe with 11 comments

Friday, October 10, 2008

Top 5 Biggest Philippine Malls

Filipinos love for "malling" is fast becoming our way of life. It doesn't matter if we come to malls to splurge on goodies we love or just to sit by the benches and watch people walk by, going to malls has become a Filipino identity. So it is no surprise that some of the biggest malls in the world are found here in our country. And to think we're 3rd world! Oh yeah, I forgot. We were upgraded to 2nd World (read article here).

So here's the list of the Philippines most gargantuan shopping malls...

1. SM Mall of Asia (2006) - All Filipinos know that MOA is the largest mall in the Philippines. Although there have been so many questions if it is indeed the largest mall in Asia...well, no. It is 3rd largest mall both in the world and in Asia because the two largest malls in the world are found in China. So yup, it is the biggest mall in Southeast Asia!!! It has a total floor area of 407,101 sq m. I love MOA simply becuase it is true to SM's slogan "We got it all for you!". I love its clean white interiors and how it is so spacious even at its peak days!

2. SM City North EDSA (1985) - the first ever supermall in the Philippines is also the mall closest to my heart becuase this was where my family and I go to almost everyweek when I was little. I practically know where every shop is at SM North. Tagged as the flagship of SM Malls, it has a total floor area of 351,861 sq m. But wait, if you've been passing along EDSA or North Avenue this past few days, you'd surely notice that it is undergoing renovation. Rumors has it that by the time of its reopening, it will be the biggest mall in the Philippines! Beating the record set by MOA. By its completion, it would have a GFA of 460,000 sq m! Currently though, it is the 6th largest mall in the world.

3. SM Megamall (1991) - located in the busy business district of Ortigas is the Philippines' bronze medalist in the race for the biggest mall... the SM Megamall. I remember it to be the talk of the town when it was completed June of 1991. Above anything, it boasts of the first ever ice skating rink in the country. I remember when I was younger, me & my cousins would always beg our parents to take us to Megamall just to glide in the icy rink (when I say glide that means walking with the support of handrails and slipping every other minute...haha) . With a GFA of 331,679 sq m, it is the 7th largest mall in the world.

4. SM City Cebu (1993) - Queen city of the South would not let their most precious mall be left out of this list. Currently the 11th biggest mall in the world, SM City Cebu was opened Novemeber of 1993. After its redevelopment in 2007, the mall now has a GFA of 268,611 sq m. It was also one of the first Philippine malls to have an IMAX theater. I remember that the first and last time I went to SM Cebu was when I was 7 years old and becuase there was an Ice skating rink inside it, that was what I enjoyed the most about the mall. I was young, what can I say?

5. Robinsons Midtown (1997) - formerly known as Robinsons Place or RP as me & my friends call it, the lone non-SM mall in the list is the 240,00 sq m wonder loacted at Ermita, Manila. It is currently the largest Robinsons Mall in the Philippines after the addition of its Midtown wing. The record of the biggest Robinsons mall was formerly held by Robinsons Galleria at EDSA. The first time I've been here was when I was in college already and I would have never learned about it if not for my friends. I've got to say that its Midtown wing is really nice because it is spacious and I love my space when I'm walking inside a mall. Although, I am open for discussion if somebody would contest that Glorietta is the fifth largest mall in the Philippines. I was not able to get the exact GFA of Glorietta, that's why.



Just in case you would be asking me about Berjaya Times Square in Malaysia (dubbed as the biggest mall in SEA), here's my explanation. BTS is a mall and a residential building in one and if we would compare MOA's GFA to the GFA of the mall in BTS, MOA is much bigger. Berjaya only has 320,000 sq m... not even close...
Figures from Forbes, ECSU and wikipedia

By Joe with 24 comments

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Zero to Three



It was my good friend , Red, who pointed it out to me. At first I was "No way! It can't be!". I mean there has to be something wrong. How SPOON LAGOON got an instant Page Rank of 3 after just 2 months in the blogscene is a mystery to me. It is so freakin' hard to get a PR 1 in 2 months but I actually got a three. I've checked it out on oh so many sites but they all say the same. Spoon Lagoon has a PR of 3!?! In case you are wondering if i resorted to any page rank increasing gimmicks, no I didn't. I'm thinking there must have been something wrong with the Google systems or something like that. Paging GOOGLE! Please don't take it back! Please don't. Pleaaaaaseeeee!!!!
.
Another thing. Thank you all for noticing my new template. It was an unscheduled renovation of my site. The RSS image of my previous template was messed up (NOT BY ME!) by photobucket. Since this was not the second time my previous template messed up, I decided to make the big switch. More organized,yes! But the problem is I'm having a hard time putting other codes I wanted (i.e. blogomus). Oh well, I'll figure it out next time.
.
Oh yeah, could you please pray for me?!? I would be seating for an exam this sunday. Notice the "no room for mistake" post? That was what I was referring to. I can't discuss any further details about it because I don't wanna jinx this opportunity. I badly need it. So guys, can I count on you?

By Joe with 14 comments

Monday, October 6, 2008

Flick Critique 1.04

I got my hands on more than 1o DVD ripped movies from the office am so excited to watch all of them! I got Hulk, Hancock, Get Smart and so much more so that means October would be full of FC posts! Yeay! This time though, I would be reviewing these movies...


Don'tMess with the Zohan (2008) - Finally, a movie where Adam Sandler was able to make me laugh really hard! When people would ask me to choose between Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller, it was always a no-brainer to me, I would always choose Stiller. Recently though, I'm liking more Sandler movies than Stiller's. Don't Mess with the Zohan is fresh and original, for me at least. Humor is mostly slapsticks but hey it work! I'm not complaining.

Wanted (2008) - This movie was such a surprise! Before the movie came out, I've been hearing nothing but negative comments about it. That this movie had nothing new to offer and yada yada yada! So I decided not to watch it in theaters and waited for its DVD instead. And Oh my! It was orgasmic! True that there was nothing new about the story or anything but the movie was fantastic! It was probably James McAvoy's character that made this movie a really big hit to me. The character of Wesley Gibson brought this movie to life. After watching this movie, I wished I was an assassin!!!! Take that!!!!

Over Her Dead Body (2008) - So the last movie is this romantic comedy about how Eva Longoria's ghost was hunting a psychic for dating her supposed husband had she not died at the day of her wedding. This movie reminded me of "Just Like Heaven" starring Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon, but the former pales in comparison. I admit the movie is funny at times, but yeah there was no "X" factor to it. It was a nice concept but I felt like it needed a little more kick to it. Longoria, Biggs and Bell did an okay job in acting but I can't say the same for Paul Rudd who was probably sick the whole time they were shooting the movie because he's so lifeless.

Hey, you! Wanna read more FCs? Click here: FC1, FC2 and FC3

By Joe with 11 comments

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Blogomus: A Better Labels Widget

From the very common TAG CLOUD, I've switched to the new, animated, flash based BLOGOMUS labels widget. "Blogumus" is a Flash based tag cloud widget which uses scripts converted from Roy Tanck's WP Cumulus plug-in for Wordpress. Obviously, blogspot owners can get one for their site too because I was able to get one. Due to an unexpected malfunction of my template, I switched to a new one. Right now, I'm having a hard time putting the BLOGOMUS widget back. Still, you can try putting it in your site.

Look at my sidebar. Again, you won't see it in there right now for I have switched to a new template. Try this site instead. If you try to hover the mouse pointer over it, the labels sorta spins in a wheel-like direction. Kewl, right? So kewl that I have received requests to post a tutorial on how to get one. This post took me forever to make because posting HTML tags in "compose mode" is so freakin' hard. But for you valued friends ,I'll climb the highest mountains & swim the deepest of seas! Haha. So yeah, here it goes. Remember to back up your template, ok? We don't want to regret messing up our templates, don't we? (As i have soooo many times before! Dumb*ss) So go to LAYOUT then click on EDIT HTML. Next is you search for this line:

<b:section class='sidebar' id='sidebar' preferred='yes'>

An easier way to do this is by pressing CTRL F. I've told you that before at my tutorial with Favicons (found here). It is also important to note that the above code may look different from other templates. So after locating that line, add the code below immediately after it:
<b:widget id='Label99' locked='false' title='Labels' type='Label'>
<b:includable id='main'>
<b:if cond='data:title'>
<h2><data:title/></h2>
</b:if>
<div class='widget-content'>
<script src='http://halotemplates.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-cumulus-example/swfobject.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<div id='flashcontent'>Blogumulus by <a href='http://www.roytanck.com/'>Roy Tanck</a> and <a href='http://www.bloggerbuster.com'>Amanda Fazani</a></div>
<script type='text/javascript'>
var so = new SWFObject(&quot;http://halotemplates.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-cumulus-example/tagcloud.swf&quot;, &quot;tagcloud&quot;, &quot;240&quot;, &quot;300&quot;, &quot;7&quot;, &quot;#ffffff&quot;);
// uncomment next line to enable transparency
//so.addParam(&quot;wmode&quot;, &quot;transparent&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;tcolor&quot;, &quot;0x333333&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;mode&quot;, &quot;tags&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;distr&quot;, &quot;true&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;tspeed&quot;, &quot;100&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;tagcloud&quot;, &quot;<tags><b:loop values='data:labels' var='label'><a expr:href='data:label.url' style='12'><data:label.name/></a></b:loop></tags>&quot;);
so.addParam(&quot;allowScriptAccess&quot;, &quot;always&quot;);
so.write(&quot;flashcontent&quot;);
</script>
<b:include name='quickedit'/>
</div>
</b:includable>
</b:widget>

Like me, you may wanna have to customize your BLOGOMUS to fit the size of your sidebar and the style of your blog. Here's how: the default values are the following: WIDTH 240px, HEIGHT 300px, BACKGROUND COLOR white, FONT COLOR grey, FONT SIZE 12. Just edit the variables you want by replacing the desired value or color.
var so = new SWFObject("http://halotemplates.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-cumulus-example/tagcloud.swf", "tagcloud", "240", "300", "7", "#ffffff");
"240" refers to the width, "300" refers to height while "#ffffff" refers to white. Just play with it to get the desired width, height and backround color of your Blogomus


so.addVariable("tcolor", "0x333333");
"0x333333" refers to the font color which is grey. You could edit it and change it to any color you want provided, of course, that you know the color codes of the chart. Worry no more because I've got the color chart right here for you. Love me! Love me! Love me more!!!Haha.


so.addVariable("tagcloud", "");
Lastly, change the font size of your labels. That's the "12" in the above code. So There you go, you've just made your customized, animated BLOGOMUS widget! Haha.
Thanks to Blogger Buster for the help in making this post.

By Joe with 10 comments

Thursday, October 2, 2008

No Room for Mistakes


I am CAPABLE.



I will SUCCEED.

By Joe with 5 comments

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Dock! Canon Ball!






It was one of really fun days with people you've been wanting to see so much because you miss them. You are seated inside a moviehouse with your high school friends enjoying a movie called "The Last Samurai", a Tom Cruise-starrer. More than paying attention to the movie, you look around and thought about how you missed these guys.

After you guys separated ways for college, there was barely any time to get together. You were all lucky this time because you were able to set a group date where everyone agreed to the time and place. Thank gawg! After much effort to see each other, your schedules finally matched.

So there you were, looking around your row at the moviehouse. Your lovebird classmates were busy whispering to each other, the school jock was in dream wonderland while both his feet were rsting on the seat in front of him, and two gossip girls were chit-chatting. "They've never changed a bit," you thought and then turned your attention back in the movie.

The scene was when the war between the Japanese governement and the samurais were about to broke off. Everybody in the battlefield was getting ready to attack. On the signal of the cannon, the soldiers and the samurais will run towards each other and clash. Everybody was concentrating now. Any moment now. Three... two... one... BOOM!

"Arggh! Ano yun!?!?!" the Jock was awakened from his deep slumber by the sound of the cannon. You guys looked at each other for 3 seconds then all let out the loudest laugh you had in years. the look at Jock's face was priceless. He was startled, alright! Haha. "Yup!" you thought, "They are still the same,"

By Joe with 11 comments

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Cosplay Anyone?

What is Cosplay? Cosplay, short for costume play, is a type of performace art in which the participants dress themselves as specific characters from manga, anime, comic books, video games and fantasy movies. Some are good at it; some are bad. Let's look at some of them and decide which are the good ones.






And this has gotta be the worst cosplay out there!


By Joe with 8 comments

Monday, September 22, 2008

Pinoy Urban Legends 1.0

Urban Legends are modern folkloric tales thought to be factual by those circulating them. Urban legends are not necessarily false but, most often than not, they are distorted, exaggerated and sensationalized overtime. Some of the more popular Urban Legends are those of Bloody Mary, the Blair Witch and those that involve psycho killers. The Philippines has its share of creepy urban legends and although Halloween is still weeks away, let's look back at some of the scariest apocryphal tales.

1. A couple was driving along a dark road in the middle of the nigh. The car broke down and after much tinkering, the guy decided to go and ask for help. He told his girlfriend to lock the doors and windows and not to go out while he was gone. And so, he left. Because the guy was taking too long to return the girl fell asleep, only to be startled by a squalid old man in tattered clothes knocking at the window. Scared for her safety she tried to shoo the man away but to no avail. The old man became more aggressive which caused the girl to scream. She blew the horns madly thinking somebody would hear and help her. The old man went away but came back several minutes after. He knocked at the door and showed the girl the bodiless head of her boyfriend. When she started screaming again, the old man showed the girl the car keys.

2.A woman was working in a post office. She was supposed to use a sponge to seal the envelopes but one day she didn't. She used her tongue instead. Days after , she noticed that her tongue had a strange lump in it. It got so big that she was having a hard time eating or talking. That was when she decided to see a doctor. He cut open the lump and a live roach crawled out! Turns out, there were roach eggs on the envelope flap and they hatched in her tongue!

3. They were roommates. The other one was getting ready for a party while the other was getting ready to sleep. So the former closed the lights as he went out of the room. When he reached the parking area, he realized that he forgot his keys so he went back to get it. He didn't bother to open the lights anymore since he knows where it is and he does not want to disturb his sleeping roommate. After the party, while he was driving back to his dorm, he noticed that there was an ambulance following him and some police cars too. As soon as he entered the grounds of Ateneo, the ambulance was still tailing him. When he reached his dorm, there was a crowd surrounding his room. His roommate was murdered, his body dismembered and on the mirror was a note in blood "thank you for not opening the lights".

4. Four female friends went on a joyride to Batangas one weekend. That late evening, in one lonely stretch of road, they decided to have some photo-souvenirs of their spontaneous foray. So, they went off their car, and took pictures of themselves three at a time (the fourth was behind the camera). Something entered their minds and began to play hide-and-seek. After their game, one of their friends did not return. They searched for her to no avail. She was never found. A few weeks after the sad incident, the film they had in their camerea was developed. The owner of the camera took a look at the developed pictures and started screaming. In one of the pictures, among her three friends, was an old lady with her arm slung across the shoulder of their missing friend.

5. It was the onset of sem break. While a resident was still packing her bag, her roommate was ready to go. Since the former wasn't done yet, the latter went ahead. Then the roommate's parents came in looking for her. The resident told them that she already left. When the resident was about to finish her packing, she opened the closet and saw her roommate inside--already decomposing.

6. A girl was left alone in a jeepney. The girl then noticed the driver kept on glancing at her with a menacing face. Scared because she was alone and it was past midnight, she ordered the driver to stop so that she could get off but the driver did not respond. Worse, the driver drove off his route and drove in streets she've never seen before. Then after some time, the driver went back to his route and brought the girl home. When the girl got off the jeep, the driver got off too. "Miss, pagdating mo sa bahay hubarin mo yung damit mo tapos sunugin mo. Kasi kanina nung tiningnan kita sa salamin wala kang ulo. Baka kasi namanigno ka kaya nagiba ako ng daan para maligaw kung sinoman yung manignong sumusunod sayo."

More Pinoy Urban Legends on part 2...

By Joe with 10 comments

Saturday, September 20, 2008

So That's What You Call Work?

I'm working. I think? Haha. So after graduating last march and passing the boards last July, I just got work! I have been training for this cert company for almost two weeks now and I must say I am enjoying it so far. Except for my work being on a night shift (no, I am not a "pay for sex guy"), I find the work pretty easy..for now at least. I'm still on training so I shouldn't be verey confident. Thng is it doesn't really look like work to me. Regulars in the office would eat at their desk, sleep when they want to, talk like friends while working... I mean come on! Is that what you call work?

I say I have made a really good decision choosing this job. I could have been working since after I passed the boards but I chose not too because this was the company I wanted to work for. It took them so long to hire me but dang! I am having a blast. The work is so laid back. People there are pretty nice too. And sometime next month, we would be moving to a new office which is way cooler than what we have now. Think plasma TVs and Nintendo Wiis few steps away from our desks! How kewl is that! Haha.

Now, I'm still wondering what should I do with my first pay check! That would be the very first money I played hard for...I mean "worked" hard for. Sigh...

By Joe with 10 comments

Friday, September 19, 2008

Survivor Philippines

Philippine television is overflowing with franchises of international hit shows like Ugly Betty, American Idol, Project Runway and many more. It still maddens me that GMA got the rights to bring Survivor (the first ever reality show that rocked my TV viewing habits) to the Philippines because I was such a fan of this show. I liked it more than American Idol, The Amazing Race or Fear Factor. I watched the first 6 seasons religiously as if I'd die if I'd miss a single show. It would have been a little better if ABSCBN would have been the network to have made a Pinoy version of it since it was them who've introduced it in the Philippines afterall via Studio 23. I don't wanna make conclusions this early but I don't think GMA would satisfy my expectations. They should have just left Survivor alone.

Although I must admit, the promotion they have made for Survivor is pretty impressive, but hey that's what they did with Pinoy idol and we all know what happened? It was a big fat F! F for FLOP! I still want to believe though, that Survivor would turn out to be different especially after hearing that its the News & Current Affairs Deaprtment that would be handling Survivor. but then again, I wouldn't be surprised if Paolo Bediones single-handedly make this the worst show on Philippine televison this season!

I was able to watch the full Wednesday episode of it and because it runs 30 minutes for 5 days a week, unlike the original 1 hour weekly show, I just have to say it doesn't work. That episode was boring because there was no highlight. Survivor is not made for Philippine weekday primetime. With regards to the choice of castaways, they got it right. They were able to get a good bunch. Paolo Bediones is still annoying as host. Ugh! Jeff Probst wanna-be!

Here's the show I am waiting for and IMO, unlike Survivor, this one can be lengthened to be shown 5 times a week. Me, biased? NOT!




By Joe with 5 comments

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Philippines' Tallest Building

We all know that the World's tallest building right at this very moment is the Taipei 101 and that by September 2009, the title of the World's Tallest Skyscraper would belong to Burj Dubai. Now the question is do you know the tallest building in the Philippines? Do you know how it ranks among the world's tallest? or at least in Southeast Asia?

I'll give you a hint. The Philippines' tallest is located at Ayala Ave. corner Rufino Street in Makati City. It houses call centers like Citibank, Convergys and IBM Daksh. The first ten floors of the building is occupied by one of the oldest banks in the Philippines with which the building was named after. Have a guess? If you're guess is PBCom Tower...you're right! It is the Philippines' tallest building.

Completed in the year 2000, PBCom Tower is 259 meters high and has 52 floors. It is ranked 83rd tallest in the world. It is owned by Philippine Bank Communications hence the acronym PBCom. The building is ranked 8th tallest in Southeast Asia but according to sources, it would drop to being only 19th tallest in SEA a few years from now. Huh? So is there be a building on the works to become the Philippines' tallest skyscaper? Yup. There are actually three proposed buildings that would surpass the PBCom tower soon.

Skycity that would be erected at Mandaluyong City would stand 335 meters high by its completion in 2012. Another structure that would try to topple the PBCom is the Lopez Center Tower that would be soaring the Rockwell skyline at 320 meters. But the one I am excited about is the tallest of them all. The PAGCOR tower after its completion in 2012 would be the Philippines tallest building ever. It would be 655 meters high which would be taller than Malaysia's Petronas Tower, Chicago's Sears Tower and Taipei 101! If this is really true then this building would put the Philippines on the map! Haha...

By Joe with 19 comments

Monday, September 15, 2008

B.I.T.C.H.

Everyone of us had had at least one moment when we forgot about being nice and unleashed our mean side. Now don't raise that eyebrow on me, lahat tayo guilty when it comes to this. I don't blame you guys for being mean especially when the occassion calls for it. I did this a gazillion times especailly when the element I am involved with is limitless stupidity. It easily unleashes the HULK in me. Almost always when in this sitaution, we get mean with our words. Ispired by a thread in PEX, I would like to give you a list of statements you guys can use when somebody pushed your "mean" button.

"How many times do I have to flush before you go away?"

"Don’t bother me. I’m living happily ever after."

"This isn’t an office. It’s HELL with fluorescent lighting"

"YOU!! Off my planet!!!"

"Therapy is expensive. Popping bubble plastic is cheap. You choose"

"Errors have been made. Others will be blamed"

"And your cry-baby, whiny-assed opinion would be…?"

"I’m not crazy. I’ve been in a very bad mood for 30 years."

"Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed"

"Do they ever shut up on your planet?"

"Back off!! You’re standing in my aura."

"Don’t worry. I forgot your name too."

"I just want revenge. Is that so wrong?"

"Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it."

"Wait…I’m trying to imagine you with a personality"

"Chaos, panic and disorder . . . my work here is done."

"You look like ****. Is that the style now?"

"Earth is full. Go home."

"Aw, did I step on your poor little bitty ego?"

"A hard-on doesn’t count as personal growth."

"You are depriving some village of an idiot."

"If ******** could fly, this place would be an airport"

Mean, huh? But I thought about it and since we are living int he Philippines, wouldn't it better to have a ready list of mean statements in Tagalog? Well, I have it right here which I'll be posting sometime soon.

By Joe with 11 comments

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Improve your Favicon

Last time I taught you how to make a favicon with IconJ and I know some of you would have preferred a better favicon generator. Well, I've got good news. DeGraeve is so much better than IconJ in generating a kewl favicon. You have two options to generate a favicon with DeGraeve. One is to make it yourslef using a palette, or by importing a picture.

What's great about DeGraeve is that you can crop your picture so that only your desired portion of the image would be generated as your favicon. After you've generated your favicon, save it in your computer and then upload it using the process I have posted earlier here. Yup! You still need to use IconJ to generate the favicon because it is so much faster using that. So there! Improve your favicon now!

By Joe with 3 comments

Friday, September 12, 2008

How to Add a Favicon

Favicon is a small icon located at the address bar of your browser window and is used for identity and branding of a site. Favicon is short for favorite icon and is recognized by its ".ico" extension. If you're using the later versions of firefox and Explorer, then it would also be displayed on the tabs. Spoon Lagoon has one. It's my picture! Yeay!

Favicons are usually the logo of the company who owns the site but most bloggers don't have a logo, just like me! So what I used as a favicon is my picture. It is really up to you to decide what picture to use but I suggest soemthing simple because favicons are just 16x16 small. So let's start with generating your own favicon. There is a good number of site that generates afavicon for free but the one I used is by IconJ. They make it very easy to make a favicon.

1. Click BROWSE. Import the photo from your computer.
2. Since favicons are small, you might wanna sharpen it by clicking the drop down box SHARPEN LEVEL.
3. Click UPLOAD IT! to generate your icon. You will then see the actual favicon you'll be seeing next to your site's URL.
4. There would be two option to display your favicon but the easier way is by direct link. Copy the code generated from your favicon.
5. In blogger, go to your dashboard. Click LAYOUT then EDIT HTML. Be careful not to mess with anything in your code. Better back it up or be sorry. Tick the Expand Widget Templates check box and look for "<head>". A much faster way to do this is by typing CTRL F and type the code .
6. Just above it, paste the code you've generated through IconJ.
7. Click Save.

And there you go! You now have a favicon for your site. If you're having problems please tell me and I'll try to help you with your favicon.

By Joe with 13 comments

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Free Hugs Manila

Would you a hug s total stranger? If I have to be honest, I won't hug just anybody I meet in the streets. There's just something about our Filipino upbringing that would forbid us to do that. But breaking this norm is the Free Hugs Campaign that was started by a man only known by his pseudonuym "Juan Mann". Free Hugs Campaign started in 2004 at Sydney, Australia and now everybody in the world is doing it, including the Philippines!Check out the video...


Report said that prior to Juan Mann's first ever Free Hugs Campaign, he was suffering depression brought about by personal difficulties. But one time during a party a random man hugged him and said that it was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. Months after that, he was found at Pitt St Mall in Sydney carrying the iconic FREE HUGS sign...

By Joe with 5 comments

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Are You Ready to See the Numbers?



Country: PHILIPPINES

Number of Rural poor (million) (approximate) , 2004 31.2
Poor as % total rural population, 1997 50.7
Population living below $1 a day (%) , 2000 15.5
Population living below $2 a day (%), 2000 47.5
Population living below the national poverty line (%), 1997 36.8

According to UNICEF, 26,500-30,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”Source


Let's all help solve poverty. Join Blog Action Today.


By Joe with 3 comments

Sunday, September 7, 2008

In The Not So Distant Future

.


I was tagged by Red to answer this meme that IMO is actaully for married guys. Haha. I am lightyears away from marrying anybody. I'm still young, Red. Haha. Except for some questions, the meme seems fun to accomplish naman so I'll give it a try...

1. When was your first kiss?
Haha. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I was in 2nd grade that time and I had a girl for a seatmate. The night before that day, I saw Aladin and the kissing scene at the magic carpet ride kind of got stuck in my head so until that day I was daydreaming about it. Then I just saw myself kissing my seatmate's hands (I think I was aiming for her cheeks but her instinct kicked in so quickly I kissed her hands). Hahaha... My cheeks turned red and I had to walk out from the scene. I was like "What was I thinking?!?!"
2. When was your first REAL relationship and how long did it last?
Hmmm... Real? None...

3. What age were you allowed to date?
I'm a freakin' guy! Guys are allowed to date the moment our mother ejected us from her...(toot)!

4.What was the craziest thing you did for love when you were a teenager?
When I was a teenager? That was not so long ago! But to answer the question... wala. I know boring yun but really I did nothing. In fact, nothing happened because I did nothing and I regret making that mistake 'til this very day. I curse myself for letting an opportunity to be happy go. Kaya at night, I always ask myslef 'What if...". Yak! Drama mode. Gross!

5. How long was your longest relationship and what's the secret?
Haha. I told you I haven't had a single REAL relationship. Haven't had the chance eh.

6. How long did you date before you decided to settle down?
Since I haven't settled down I'll alter this question na lang. How long do I think should I date before settling down? I guess after a year of living-in. That's when you would really find out if you guys could stand each other living together for the rest of your lives!

7. How lond id you know that she/he is the one?
Since I haven't find "THE ONE", no idea... But I've always believed that when you meet "the one", you'll get that gut feeling eh. Yak! That's so cheesy...

8. Now, at what age will you allow your kid(s) to date? (if and only if you end up having kids)
I would definitely have kids in the future (after I'm finished with the single life). It really depends on the kid. If I think the kid is responsible enough to date at 14, then why keep her from what she wants? It is just dating anyway. On second thought, maybe after I've made her believe that you'll get smelly down there after having sex, then I'll let her date!Haha.

9. When it comes to your kids dating, will you be a cool parent or a strict parent?
And again this would all depend on my kid. If my kid needs me to be strict, I'll be strict. But we all want to be a cool parent, don't we?

10. What advice can you give your child when they start dating?
Never to get a boyfriend/girlfriend just because all their friends has one. I would never want my child to be doing something just because he/she has to or because that's what scoeity dictates her to do. I would like them to do what they want as long as they know that they are not violating my rules and His rules. Naks! Galing ko naman. Apir!

And this is the part where I tag soembody else. You're tagged: Cat , Madel, Nicely & Ark. I'llbe waiting...

By Joe with 6 comments

Have a Picnik!

Compare the pictures below. It's the same picture but one is better than the other, right? The one on the right is better in terms of sharpness and color. I did not use Photoshop to do this. I used a free, browser-based photo editing tool to make the original look more vibrant and to make its color more realistic.

What editing tool did I use to make my picture look better? Alter your most treasured stills using this awesome online photo editor called Picnik! This thing is browser-based so no need to download anything, no need to pay for anything, just register and its all yours for using.

What I like most about Picnik is it's so easy to use! You don't need serious editing skills to perfect a shot of yourself, a landscape, or that mobile phone you fancy. Thanks to its easy-to-navigate interface, with large tabs and scroll bars, an awesome effect is just a click away. All you have to do is to click on the icon of the effect you want, adjust the degree of the effect using a slide, and there you go! You've just made your photo cooler!

There are tons of effects available in the free version. Yes, there are two versions of Picnik. One is for free and the other, called the Premium. The difference between the two is with the number of editing tools, effects and frames yu can use. But when you can get a lot witht the free version, why the need to upgrade to premium, right? With picnik, you can edit your photo's sharpness, color, contrast, and exposure. You could even crop, resize and get rid of red-eye. But that's not all. Picnik allows you to add effects like tint, neon, sepia, molo-ish,etc. Add text, shapes and frames. There's alot of effects to choose from. That picture of a puppy above was transformed to this cute image on the left with Picnik.

What i did was I added a frame to make it look like a picture from a polaroid cam, added text and shape and that's it. I did this under 3 minutes! That's how easy to work in Picnik.

Try it yourself. Click on the image below and start editing...






By Joe with 2 comments

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