I salute Pinoys... Welcome Back Kenneth!

After I questioned our LAHI on my last journal, folks, it's now time to salute the Filipino values.

Today, my cousin dropped by, rather climbed by our home para icheck ang aking gitarang pulpol, to check out some silly love songs and have a PS2 mano-y-mano.

After all done (well, not all, my effing PS2 was not in the mood to read pirated game disk so no game play), we went to the nearest sisig-tosilog eatery sa gilid ng Pasay Road.

To (try to) make this unbelievable story short, after eating we went separate ways.

I got back to work after lunch.

Whilst doing some spreadsheet, I needed to check my wallet and it's nowhere to be found. Then, it dawned on me. NA-WA-WA-LA WAL-LET KO. After 15 minutes of frantic & futile search, i'm ready to puke just thinking that the wallet is gone. Cash is not important, but the IDs, the cards, the receipts, photos and the most important... I got one sheet of paper in my wallet where all my internet passwords (emails, banking, user accounts, database passwords, all of 'em are written sa papel). Thinking how one could access all these, it is unimaginable to nth degree.

Then I went down to check sa oto baka nalimiutan ko kagabi dun. Wala! Then, I remember, baka nagdala pa ako ng wallet on our way to the eatery nearby during lunch. Though I am not even 50% postive a nagdala ako ng wallet. So there I went back.

Inside the eatery, I approached the old lady (let's call her Aling Chedeng, trip ko lang) and before I was able to even say something, she said... "ANO YUNG WALLET? "

Goodness gracious, what an honest bunch. Aling Chedeng and her crew returned my wallet and all the contents. Pati the lame P700 na kawawang laman ay nandun. All are in. I could not thank them enough. Really, how can I thank them. Sa lito ko, I did not even offer monetary rewards, and bak di din tanggapin. Siguro I will just eat there more often and give more tip than just the usual 10 - 15 bucks. I just said something, you people are all good, God bless you all.

On my part, 3 things learned:

1. I need to effing take care of my wallet.
2. I need to keep the paper password elsewhere and NOT in my wallet.
3. Do not underestimate the goodness and values of Filipinos, marami pa rin pa lang mabait, tapat, and righteous Pinoys.

Thou Shall Not Steal 25 Petot, Thou Shall Not Coveth Your Neighbours' Seat

Take It No. 1

I ordered processed water yesterday (ash wednesday - first day of the lent - a time of repentance) but I needed to take a bath, ako lang tao sa bahay and no one will be able to pay the water boy once he knocks on the door, rings the bell... and delivers the water. So, ang nakasanayan, ilabas sa may pinto/hallway ang empty container, put the P25.00 on top and like in the old days of barter trade, he'll just get the 25 bucks and leave the water there. This is the practice for months. Pero iba kahapon. Alas, even before I am done, at bago dumating ang waterboy, may isang taong kumuha ng P25.00. Ala Jay Leno... you know, the economy is so bad... when people are stealing P25.00. What the? Like 25.00? Isang C2?

Take It No. 2

Ash wed yesterday and we attended a mass. As expected, more people ang nandun, catholics are like that, pag may "special occasion" lang mas fully-packed ang church. Anyways, puno na inside, but they've setup monobloc seats outside the church. And so we were able to get 2 chairs. After few mins, it was SRO na. At the time of "reminding ash" eh no choice but iwanan ang valued monoblocs. But alas, after the ash crossing, pagbalik, the 2 ladies na nakatayo at our side gladly took the opportunity and our seats. Buti na lang, ash wednesday and the homily is to forgive. Otherwise, I could have asked them, "akala ko ash wednesday now, a** wednesday ba?"

Litirally... Chess Console Match

We got tired of taking photos of our products, same shots over and over again, so we put a little fun in the shoot last night.

Because we are selling this gorgeous handcrafted table with chess table top, we mixed it up a bit by adding the console controllers (silver & black) in the photo to fuse the old mind game (chess) to the new tech game (console gaming)…

READY...

GET SET...

FIRE!

And oh by the way, the Chess Coffee Table is for sale. =)

Leoque Buyer Show: Joy To The World & Leoque TV Rack Rocks

Joy to the table

Easy does it! Our buyer Ms. Joy bought this stainless center table for only P5500 and look how it added beauty to her living room. For that P5500 or so, rather than buying a tiny little cranky laminated wood center table, she chose this piece, and really a wonderful choice. Our delight is 3x times magnified in purchases like this because (1) we made a sale, (2) buyer is happy and (3) the resulting placement or use of our product is perfect. Thanks to Ms. Joy for allowing us to post these pictures.

Leoque TV Rack Rocks!

We said, these, TV Racks can take all types of TVs and not only LCD TVs or Flat Screen TVs. And that is the truth. Like in this buyer’s case, the tv rack landed inside the bedroom to take the bedroom TV or second TV.

Our valued buyer was able to load the TV, dvd player and component music player and then SOME MORE. Neatly stacked are books, CDs, DVDs and other collectibles. Truly, another fine example of good buy but more importantly, better application by our buyer.

Again, thanks to Ms. Joy for the picture feed.

Telephoto Tests...

My first shots using the canon telephoto lens i bought yesterday.

The zoomed one...



And the normal shot...

Unboxing Canon EF S 55 - 250mm F/4-5.6 IS

Here's the Christmas gift I gave myself... Canon EF S 55 - 250mm F/4-5.6 IS.

I ordered this mid-December. Only now it is on hand. Another thing that I must learn to use. The plan is to use this on sports photos, some travel maybe, and most likely sniping too. :-)

The price hovers P11,000 and that is the cheapest I can go into acquiring an IS telephoto zoom lens.

As far as lens buying is concerned, this will be my last lens for a while ( a year to a year and a half). Aside from lens are so pricey and that I don't have enough cash to throw away, another reason not to jump on big time lens is that, the lens I got (kit 18-55mm, 50mm 1.8 prime and now this telephoto lens), i haven't really mastered using 'em all. Eto muna aralin ko then maybe mid next year or Christmas next year, upgrade again.

DSLR Virgin Grip

Dahil di pa ko dati pa nakahiram at nakashoot ng DSLR the night I got the camera... because I did not get the DSLR from a store but straight from a dealer therefore I was not able to test in any store... Here's a cellphone photo of me the night (sept 08) I unboxed the DSLR, the DSLR virgin grip...

Eastwood Angel

loc - the 3am shoot at eastwood libis.
make-up - DIY angel
model - angel
photos - by me
director - the fake mc coy
moral support - the fake mc coy
voyeur - the fake mc coy
words of encouragement - the fake mc coy
paparazzi using his cellphone - the fake mc coy

I See You RCBC People

To those who are working at RCBC building at Buendia, let me just say that I see you. The offices facing South Super Highway, I see those who are not working during their OTs. Isusumbong ko kyo sa boss nyo. Coz I got this replica Galileo binocular telescopes...

The Gift - Thanks to GOD!

Bright Rose, Dark Rose

Beating the buzzer, i bought this and took pix before twilight of, feb14...

the dark love...

the bright love...

Leoque Collection, Philippine Made Furnitures

Today, Feb 14 2009 (It’s Valentines Day! What a day to launch!), marks the day we finally settled into our new home. Our online home that is.

Cause I'm part of this project, the site name somewhat bears my name or more closely, our fathers' name... l e o q u e

Leoque Collection home is here. And more info about this project here.

What we settled on is a clean, neat and white design so as not to take the attention away from what is supposed to be on showcase… The Leoque collection of furniture, accents & accessories and other stuff that should feel, err, fill your home.

Just a little guide and background on our website: (This will also serve as our documentation/history of our online existence.)

1. A gallery of 3 random photos of our product line is put upfront and up top. Gallery includes, a “random product,” the “best sellers” and lastly, the “accents & accessories. This gallery is sort of three (3) window of what we have.
2. We inserted just a couple of ads. Some of which are good resources of information about interior design, furniture, design, etc. (and by the way, those are paid ads)
3. Our main navigation consists of the self explanatory pages such as “home,” “products,” “about,” and “contact.” We’ve put up the “customize” page for those who have their own design and want to request for pricing.
4. Our site not only acts us our showroom but also as a “share-room.” We will be posting articles, tips, news links, and whatnot about home, styles, condo living, interior design, furniture industry. Check out the BLOG category time to time.
5. Our sidebars (right, and far right) contain essential info & links about Leoque Collection.
6. Because some of the pages could possibly stretch a thousand miles, a handy main navigation link is provided at the footer to easily get back to frontpage, products page, etc.
7. Just some notes below each page saying that… (a) the business and the site is co-owned by PYKOS Incorporated; (b) it is hosted by WebMen - our cute little web hosting gig; (c) this site is powered by the FREE and wonderful publishing app Wordpress and (d) our theme design is from Alibi Productions.

Over the next few days, we will be filling up the site with over hundred different items we have on stock .

You’ve heard this before but we’ll say anyway… Welcome To Our Home!

And by the way, Happy Valentines!

Shoe-SB Thumb Drive

This is a late Christmas gift from our supplier. It was 1 and half months late but still, very much welcome. Thumb drives with shoe-like body/casing. A pair of 2GB USB thumb drive.


BTW, our supplier doesn't know but we also supply this type of devices, we import these stuff directly. Christmas would have been merrier, better if they bought the Christmas giveaways from us, then later, they give us the item they bought from us. =)

Toyota Innova Accessories: Session 3, Muffler End Pipe & Mud Guard

This is my 3rd trip to my favorite Toyota Innova Accessories supplier... (Session II Here.)

Originally, I was to buy a floor mat. One that I could roll-in if not in use and roll-out in case I'll load heavy, dirty, somewhat wet stuff inside the van.

But again, some of the basic Toyota Innova accessories are priced low, one would be really tempted to spice-up his/her ride. Isa na ko dun.

So after window shopping, after trying out a custom fit big mat, after testing speakers, after checking my future Innova spoiler, and canvassing for backing sensor, checking fake plate numbers, etc... I finally had mud guards and an end pipe for the muffler installed.

The mud guards come in black and in silver. I picked the silver of course. Price is P1100 then a little haggling and I got it @ P900.00. I really dunno if the mud guards look good but what I know is, the guards prevent tiny little asphalts from sticking onto the body. That's why I have the mud guards on. Anyway, if the users choose so, the mud guards are easily dettacheable.

I frequent SLEX and with that project beng built at a turtle speed, that highway should contain 75% of the worlds asphalt.


Second one is (I don't even know what it's called), the end pipe for mufflers. Orig price as the lady told me is P650.00. I asked for it to be P600 so that, I'll pay P1500 for the mud guards and this tail pipe, and she's ok with it.


And, I went there to by a floor mat, kaya bago ko malimutan, nakabili nga pala ako ng mat. P400 per yard. 6 feet wide.

You Want MPV Space? Get the Innova.

Being involved with Leoque Furnitures, time to time, I am loading our Innova with wood furnitures. And this week we loaded 3 table consoles and transported/delivered the goods, err, woods.

How we were able to dump 3 table consoles and then some? We removed the rear seats. The middle seats are foldable going towards the front.

And look at the space we got...




True to the promise, the Innova can be used for business & hauling and will still look fine for malling, city driving, etc.

Regarding My Insurance, Keywords are... HONOR. COMMITMENT. SECURE.

Do you read news today oh boy...

In the midst of the turbulent times, mass layoffs, economic meltdown and chaotic happenings in the financial services industry (insurance et al), I received one good news from Manulife... that, my insurance in still, well, insured.

And I quote... "Manulife Financial Plans' business operations remain prudently managed, with a strong ang high quality balance sheet."


"Please rest assured that you will continue to benefit ultimately from Manulife Financial's global strentgh and stability as a company, and can have confidence in our ability to honor our financial commitments."

"We certainly assure you that all policies and plans underwritten by Manulife continue to remain extremely secure."

Keywords are... HONOR. COMMITMENT. SECURE.

'Swell!


I can sleep now. Thanks Mr. Carl S. Gustini of Manulife Financial Plans. Ill take your word for it.

The Stick

On Calendar & the Mercedes Benz ML 63

I bought a copy of TopGear Philippines Jan-Feb issue. The mag issue bundled a free 2009 calendar entitled "Cars we'd love to drive."

The 12 cars featured are all kickassest. One 'real car' i mean, production car in there is by Mercedes Benz.

The Mercedes Benz ML 63. If you have the time, google the 510 horsepower SUV beast with a 21" Light Alloy wheels. And, if you have the money and all the gas to burn, go grab one.

BTW, I'm giving away this on SCRED. No, not the car. The calendar.

Satin09

Some ten years ago, Eraserheads released the album Natin99. Yep, circa 1999. Though not as popular as the El Bimbos and the Torpedos of the music world, that album includes some classic favorites, “Sino Sa Atin”, “Maselang Bahaghari” and “Huwag Kang Matakot”

We are all happy, after 10 loooooong years, Eheads music is still ours. The Eheads band is still ours. Thus the print, “SATIN09.”

And just a bonus, come 379, we’ll be able to celebrate Eheads music via the Final Set concert. Mapa -VD concerts or live Final Set viewing, we will still be able to hear Eheads now. Indeed Satin pa din, this 2009.

Sub text below is the line, “Sariwan Ang Malayang Kahapon.” True , every time we play Eheads songs, we get to be back in that all too fresh music era.

Contact us please to order. CLICK HERE.

Ligaya Wear

LIGAYA, yan ang itawag natin sa t-shirt na’to.

The undying Eraserheads music inspired us to make this festive tee. All four heads, Marcus, Buddy, Raimund & Ely are printed across the LIGAYA text. Us, Eraserheads fans are not asking but frankly, we are wishing… Ilan Awit Pa Ang Aawitin.

Available in many colors to match your taste.

A small commemorative 379 is also printed, just a footnote on Eraserheads’ Final Set Reunion Concert. Whether you’ll be be jamming at MOA for the Final Set or NOT, this one is a must buy for Eheads and OPM music fans.

VISIT SCRED PLS

Sonya's Chicken

A birthday celeb called for another visit to Sonya's Garden. Ms. Sonya, or as I would like to refer to her, Tita Sonya (para parang close), usually gives presents if there are special occasions. Like birthdays, anniversaries, circumcisions, etc.

She usually gives cakes, cookies, sometimes even flowers, after all, it's a garden.

Anyways, last trip we had was different, she gave us a whopping double set of (what I think to be) braised full chicken. I repeat, 2 full chickens. Even for a party of 12, that's a lot.

For that, I'd rate the chicken, 5 stars!!!

Remember, dining at Sonya's Garden is eat all you can handle... consume 'til you pay the cr a visit... therefore, by the time the birthday chickens landed on our table, we were 90% full. No more space for meal.

At Sonya's, it's eat all you can but take home is no-no. Still, we tried, sayang ang manok! Thus, we asked the floor manager if it can be taken home, the floor manager says yes. But later, after she popped out of the kitchen, she said, di pala pede.

Ok lang naman. Pero still, I'd rate the inconsistency, 2 stars. =)

So averaging, the chickens are rated 3.5 stars!!!

I wonder where they put such leftovers? tapon? sayang naman....

Shake Yer [E] Heads T-Shirts For Men and Women

Derived from one of Eraserheads’ coolest tune, Shake Yer Head. We put in a liitle twist by putting the “E” and we made it “heads.”

And so, as the Eheads music plays, we can all shake our heads and groove. A play on UltraElectroMagneticPop Album too, see the “Musical History” as it replaces the “Parental Advisory” on that cover.

Another line text print is “You’ll see it comin’ around”… referring to the Final Set Concert itself AND the multitude of Eraserheads DVDs, Eraserheads ringtones, Eraserheads wallpapers, Eraserheads memorabillas, Eraserheads CDs, Eraserdeads T-Shirts, E-tcetera that will surely come around just right after the final set concert.

Finally, commemorative 379 digits are printed. To Eheads, we all know what that means.

UPDATE - FEB 4 2009…

Also available in baby tees.

Contact us please to order. CLICK HERE.

PBA Online Ending, Wanna Bet?

This entry is planned to be a two-part post about "PBA Ending." This is the fist part of two. If I am pumped enough, I’ll finish and post the second part, titled “I was an Ending Kobrador in Highschool.”

Part 1 - “My Planned PBA Betting Game That Went Kapus & Kaput”

As the PBA opened up a new betting game (a year or so ago) and virtually shutting down the possibility of a PBA endorsed “Ending” game, I’ll share an online-mafia idea few can think of. Few, because the idea is absurd.

For years, the PBA stayed away from gambling and betting for obvious reasons. And so hearing (actually, reading) that the PBA and PAGCOR just tangled up for betting game a year ago is a surprise

Yesteryear, I was thinking along the line too of making an online game. The entrepreneur in me gave me the idea of making a social PBA ending, online based, a PBA ending game that can be played wherever you may be in the Philippines.

A simple internet connection is needed, available at your nearest internet rentals or in bed using your laptop. (The idea came after I had a blog entry about this sports gambling site.)

But the idea is not possible coz the PBA is aloofly interested in gambling on well, gambling. Because the PBA won’t ever put a stamp on an “ending” game, the only way one could make an online ending game was operate in stealth mode. A project waiting to be grounded in case it took flight. With the chance of being shut down after becoming a hit is not a good business plan. Imagine spending tens of thousand to the develelopment, the next day, you get a letter from the PBA and GAB legal teams telling you to shutdowm. So there goes your 100 grand.

But still, I was thiought of this seriously, even had a chat with a web developer going to the nitty-gritty of the programming. ONLY, I am a netentrepreneur and not Al Capone, a mafia boss, so the IDEA remains to be that, an IDEA.

Continuing with the scheme… How would an online ending game be executed? Online interface only needs simple programming and creativity. Programming side is easy and can be done once the object of the play is drawn. A site only needs to have sheets or tabs where players, I mean bettors will place their bets.

To simplify and for sampling, the site only needs to have 5 tabs for each game. Each tab progresses in jackpot value. Like, Tab 1 – a bet of P10 will net you P800. Tab 2 – A bet of 20, the pot is P1600. Finally, Tab 5 – a bet of P200 will give you a chance of winning P16,000.00. If ever each tabs are filled up and games is still a day (hours even) away, additional tabs will be available. (I wasted 15 minutes of my life just to get the numbers right. God, I will never get that 15 minutes back. And, about 2 hours making this post.)

Bettors only need to load their accounts with bet-loads to be consumed and used at site. They could easily get their winnings or even their remaining loads via online banking to those who have net banking accounts. Via mobile banking using Smart and Globes mechanisms. Or via the old-fashioned, wired payments. Direct encashment from participating enterprises is also possible. Just to be in with the times, texting can be easily integrated with the betting scheme. Power to the Peso!

But wait, there’s more… A user can actually see his game-betting history, his placed bet, his lucky ending combinations, cash-outs, etc. by visiting his user account, aptly named, BetLogs (don’t you love that, the term alone, makes my plan a winner). Nice?

Of course, being confidential and that it contain private details, your friend will not be able to access your BetLog. Much love is needed to access the BetLog. Betlog s sacred.

Some sample predicaments: A. You won P16,000 and you’re checking your BetLog in bed in an air-conditioned room, that’s a Win-Win situation. Right? B. You’ve been placing bet for weeks, not winning even the lowest pot and checking your BetLog at a rented PC, that a loss-loss station. Loss-loss! Got it?

The PBA ending game is a simple one. It would have been easier (and a smashing hit) had the PBA just went the easy way of doing a PBA betting game. Even a fool can understand how “ending” works. Choose a number combo, watch the game (hell, you could even skip this wathing part) or read the newspaper, surf the net and look for the final score. 97 - 85 scores nets a 7-5 “ending”; 80 - 70 final score gives you 0-0, and so on.

In fact, with the Ending Game’s non-complexity, it forced the PBA and PAGCOR to devise their game (hulahoops) to counter the possibility of players, coaches, teams and (most definitely) referees to control the results. PBA’s Hula-Hoops (their ending version) died out easily. Will we ever see them have another crack at it? If ever they do, they should sign me up, My Ending Is A Winner. =)

Bench Press, A Quick Home Gym Set-Up

This Bench Press Outta Do IT...

IT, means the tummy.

To my surprise, lifting is quite fun. And crunches (sit ups) using bench is more meaningful or effective than just lying on the floor. The plan is not to be enlisted on Viva Hot Males but to at least remove fats and be healthy again.

This hardware also acts as a motivator, constantly saying "get your lazy fat ass working in here." Without a thing reminding us to exercise, it's hard to get away from TV, laptop, console games and idle other activities.

Too bad, after few days of using, my left hand is still aching (this for a month now from a basketball game) and did not improve after 7 trips to manghihilot.

So to the doc I went yesterday. I can't do any lifting now as my left hand had gone 2 x-rays and doc is looking for fracture, cracks and whatnot. Pending results, this bench press is one big display inside our home.

More photos...

• Bench press for Home Gym Quick Set-up
• Straight and incline positions
• No pulley mechanisms, easily load the plates and begin total body work out.
• Steel is stylishly powder coated, can be used indoors, rooms, even living rooms, your balcony. It will not mess up your house/room look.
• Bars, plates NOT INCLUDED. Contact 09235039457 if you want one. P3500.00

thE history, new colors...

Check out the selection here.

New Wee Tee (Eheads T-Shirt)

These are the new colors printed by SACRED CLOTHESLINE. More color and information HERE.