Arnel Pineda, featured on the latest issue of GQ

Still on Arnel Pineda’s success and spectacular performance on the “Ellen” talk show that earned him and Journey a standing ovation and praises from the host of the show, Ellen Degeneres herself. This time, the globally-syndicated magazine GQ has Arnel Pineda on its special feature in its latest release.

This only proves the success and achievement this Filipino has reached internationally. Considering that almost a year ago, Pineda was performing in different venues in Manila with his band Zoo.

It was the lead guitarist of Journey Neil Schon who found the videos of Pineda and his band on YouTube doing covers of their song.

“The hair stood up on my arms,” Schon says. “I got up off the computer and told my girlfriend, ‘No way—this guy sounds too good. I don’t believe it.’," was what he told GQ as his reaction after watching Pineda.



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Arnel Pineda with Journey performs on Ellen

Another Filipino made its way to the US Television after the young singer Charice. The band Journey, with our very own Arnel Pineda made their Television debut Wednesday on the Ellen De Generes show singing songs from their new Revelations CD.

It was a couple of months ago when Arnel was "discovered" by Neal Schon, Journey’s guitarist, when the latter saw Arnel and his band Zoo’s interpretation of Journey’s hit, "Faithfully," on YouTube. The band had been going through changes of its own then.

Journey never fully recovered from the departure of Steve Perry, the band’s popular vocalist who left twice, in 1987 and after a brief reunion, in 1996. The band has gone through two other vocalists since then, the last being Jeff Scott Soto, who left the band in June 2007.

Watch their performance below:


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Calbiga Caves to be featured in a London TV show

The spectacular Calbiga caves in Samar will be featured in a popular travel show in London. The show, “Rough Guide to Ultimate Escapes” by Lion TV coordinated with the Department of Tourism so they could shoot in the caves for their travel series after they saw the caves in the internet.

Based on sources, the crew will be doing adventurous activities in the caves like rappelling and climbing.

Calbiga Caves is a system of 12 caves, it covers an area of about 2,968 hectare. This is probably the largest cave in Southeast Asia, to think that most of it is still unexplored. There are numerous endangered species of bats living in the cave.

The Calbiga Caves is in Calbiga, a municipality in Samar who also won the prestigious Bulsary Award for the “Nations in Bloom” competition last 2003 in the Netherlands. This is a competition for local communities that focuses on good environmental management and development.

Aside from the Calbiga Caves which is considered the biggest karst formation in the Philippines and one of the largest in Asia, Calbiga is also endowed with other natural wonders such as the Calbiga River, the Lulugayan Falls, and the Literon Rapids which are potential eco-tourism destinations.





Photos courtesy of www.neda8.evis.net.ph and
wwww.samar.lgu-ph.com
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"Caregiver" opens May 28.

On local showbiz, the long wait is over as the Star Cinema movie “Caregiver” hits over 150 theaters nationwide tomorrow, May 28. The movie which was taped in London is Sharon Cuneta’s comeback movie and the 15th anniversary presentation of Star Cinema, ABS-CBN’s movie outfit.

Tonight, all roads lead to SM Megamall for the movie’s red-carpet, Hollywood-style premiere night. It is expected that the night will be star-studded and it will be doubly significant for the Megastar as it was Sharon herself who first had her premiere night at SM Megamall with "Madrasta".

In “Caregiver” Sharon plays a school teacher waiting for the petition of her husband (played by John Estrada) who's working as a nurse in London. While waiting for the petition of her husband, Sharon takes a course in caregiving. When she gets to London, she immediately finds work as a caregiver with Rica Peralejo.

Rica, in the movie is married to Jhong Hilario. Conflict and trouble arise for Sharon and John while they are in London and they realize that life in a foreign country is not for them.

Sharon is also scheduled to grace the premieres of "Caregiver" in Los Angeles, California; Honolulu, Hawaii; London, England; and Rome, Italy.
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Piolo, first Filipino artist invited to the Paris Film Festival

Piolo Pascual really made it big this year. Aside from the success of his teleserye “Lobo” and a number of product endorsements, he was just invited to grace the Festival Paris Cinema 2008 as the first ever Filipino artist especially invited to this event. Piolo received the invitation from Paris Mayor Delanoe and actress Charlotte Ramplings last March, according to Ricky Lo of the Philippine Star.

Based on reports, some 40 Filipino movies will be shown on this filmfestival with Star Cinema’s “Caregiver” (starring Sharon Cuneta) and Judy Ann Santos’ “Ploning” as possible opening films. The festival will be honoring the Philippines this year.
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Charice wows Vegas, sings with US stars

Good news to all. Young singing sensation Charice made another spectacular landmark when she performed with US big stars and got two standing ovations last May 23 in Las Vegas. Indeed, Charice is unstoppable.

In the show dubbed “David’s Foster and Friends”, Charice performed a medley of two Whitney Houston hits - “I Will Always Love You” and “And I Am Telling You.” These two songs were both produced by David Foster.

"Tonight, a star is born," Foster said.

"I had the great pleasure of being able to stand inside behind the stage when she was performing... she has a beautiful voice," Josh Groban said who also performed on the said show along with Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble and other stars.

Here’s the report from ABS-CBNnews.com:

Click Here.

With a report from TV Patrol World.


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Four Nature's Wonder in the Philippines are nominated in the New 7 Wonders of Nature

Four Wonders of nature in the Philippines are nominated and currently at the top 20 of the New 7 Wonders of Nature ranking. Voting for nominees will continue until Dec. 31, 2008. Then a panel of experts will create a list of 21 candidates from which voters worldwide will elect the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

The four nominees to the New 7 Wonders of Nature from the Philippines are the following:

Tubbataha Reef (Currently at #6)

Tubbataha is the Philippines' only National Marine Park and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an atoll coral reef located in the Sulu Sea, southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Over a thousand species can be found in the Tubbataha reef; some are already endangered. Animal species found include manta rays, lionfish, pawikan or tortoise, clownfish, and even sharks.



Photo courtesy of DiveGallery.com


Chocolate Hills (Currently at #8)

The Chocolate Hills are Bohol's most famous tourist attraction. This unusual geological formation is composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of mostly about 30 and 50 meters high. They are covered with green grass, which, at the end of the dry season, turns chocolate brown, hence the name.
It has been declared the Philippine’s 3rd National Geological Monument and was proposed to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Photo courtesy of nomad4ever.com


Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (Currently at #10)

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It features a limestone mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. passable underground river that winds through a cave. It also includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and quite a few large chambers. This underground river is reputed to be longest in the world. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels can be found on the beach near the cave.



Photo courtesy of mobiusgames.net


Mayon Volcano (Currently at #20)

Mayon Volcano is an active situated about 15 km northwest of Legazpi City. It is classified by volcanologists as a stratovolcano (composite volcano). It is also the most active volcano in the country, having erupted over 47 times in the past 400 years, and is a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Mayon is considered to be the world's most perfectly formed volcano for its symmetrical cone which was formed through alternate pyroclastic and lava flows.



Photo courtesy of jma.go.jp

Let us support our four Nature’s Wonder through online-voting and let the whole world see the beauty of our beloved country. To vote, please visit the link below:

Vote now!
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Boy and Kris in Sykes Asia.

The number one morning show “Boy and Kris” on ABS-CBN recently invaded SYKES ASIA, the first and largest call center in the Philippines.

Boy Abunda himself and actor Jon Avila, went to SunnyMede IT Center, in Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, the newly-inaugurated home of the call center leader. The two went through the several phases of a call center agent’s life, from job interview, to training up to the actual call handling.

Sykes Asia is the officially recognized pioneer in the call center industry in the Philippines. It started with a headcount of 16 in 1997 and now boasts of over 8,000 employees in the country.

Here's the clip courtesy of LiveVideo:


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Filipino kid is world champ in sport stacking.

Here’s another good news. A ten-year old Filipino boy grabbed two records at the World Sport Stacking Championships held in Denver, Colorado last April. His name is Steven Purugganan of LongMeadow, Massachusetts but with parents who are both Filipino-bloods.

This new sport, which is called sport stacking or speed stacking originated in Denver itself. It consists of stacking 12 regulation plastic cups in prearranged sequences in the fastest possible time.

Steven holds the record of 1.86 seconds in up-stacking and down-stacking the 3-3-3 sequence beating his own previous mark of 1.96 seconds. He also holds the record in the individual cycle in a time of only 6.21 seconds.

Wathc this amazing boy in action courtesy of www.947wmas.com:


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David Cook is the year's "American Idol".

It’s official, the grown-up rocker won the coveted title of the seventh season of “American Idol”. The twenty-five year old David Cook who was bartending and playing in a band before he joined the singing competition triumphed over rival David Archuleta by 12 million votes.

This is after the judges said that Archuleta outperformed Cook on Tuesday night’s show for choosing a song he had never performed before during this crucial stage to woo audiences. Cook, opted to sing “The World I Know” by Collective Soul instead of reprising one of his best performances of the season.

All the same, the two Davids garnered a record high of 97.5 million votes despite the “Idol’s” low ratings this season.

The Blue Springs, Missouri, native received 56 percent of the votes to Archuleta’s 44 percent to seal his victory. The contest was decided by text-messaging and telephone votes.

"This is amazing… Thank you," said Cook, who on top of being crowned this year's "Idol" will also receive a recording contract.

Here’s one of David Cook’s videos:



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Pinoy Singer in Austria: Vincent Bueno

He is the pure-blooded Pinoy who won in the “Musical! Die show” of Austria last January. And just recently, he also became the first Filipino to share the limelight with big-name celebrities such as Sharon Stone, Elton John, and Kim Cattral at the Life Ball event in Austria. His name is Vincent Bueno, another Filipino pride.

Here’s the news article from ABS-CBN news:

Not only did Bueno walk the red carpet at Life Ball as one of the 4,000 guests which included big-name stars, he also opened Europe’s biggest AIDS charity event on May 17th.
Amid thundering applause from around 45,000 spectators in front of the prestigious, historical and famous City Hall of Vienna called the Rathausplatz, Bueno opened the show singing "Vienna Calling", a song popularized by the very first Austrian rocker Falco.

Donning an all-silver space cowboy costume, Bueno gyrated and did his trademark backflips to the delight of the attendees who came from all over the world and paid 200 euros (13,500 pesos) to support the charity event.

Even the lensmen had a good time taking shots of the energetic Bueno.

Throughout the night, nobody could be prouder for the young Bueno than his uncle, King, who was also the first Filipino to be given full accreditation for the event.
The older Bueno gained unlimited access and was free to shoot footage of all events from the rehearsals to the red carpet, backstage, the dressing room and the parties.
In some of his footage, King even asked some international celebrities to shout "Hello! The Filipino Channel" and "Mabuhay Philippines."

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Filipino Prides in "Britain's Got Talent"

Yesterday, I started writing about two Filipino prides and it struck me that these are exactly the stories that we need to uplift our spirits during these times. So I’ve scanned the web looking for other materials that could give us something to proud of us Filipinos.

And so I stumbled upon these two videos from a talent search in the United Kingdom entitled “Britain’s Got Talent”. It is not as popular as the “American Idol”, but just the same two Filipino-bloods made it to the semi-finals.

Madonna Decena, is a 32-year-old single mum who got a standing ovation with her rendition of the song “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston.

She already got everybody’s attention even before singing when she tearfully explained that she’s doing it for her kids.

"Well, it's a chance for me to get more work, more opportunity for me to sing, for my kids," Decena said.

"If I do well in this competition it would be life-changing not only for me but for my kids, it's a chance for us to be together." She also said in one of her interviews.
Here is the video of her performance:



Still on Britain’s Got Talent, another Filipino (half-Filipino, that is) who made it to the semi-finals is Charlie Green.
Charlie is a ten-year old school boy and is said to be a son of a British and Filipina couple.

He sang “Summer Wind” confidently which wowed the judges and earned him a standing ovation. Right after his performance Simon Cowell remarked, “Charlie, you’re fantastic. I think you’re a little star. I really really like you.”

“I genuinely do not expecting to find someone like that. I thought it’s gonna be a disaster, it’s so changed. I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Cowell in a taped interview.

Here is the video of Charlie Green’s performance:



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Another Filipino Pride: Charice Pempengco

You’ve seen her performed in The Little Big Star, in YouTube that paved the way for her performances, in SBS Korea’s Star King, in The Ellen Degeneres show, The Paul O’Grady show, and just recently in Oprah. Who could claim these extraordinary achievements than 15-year old Charice Pempengco. At such a young age, Charice have been giving the country honor and pride in her continuous rise to stardom not only in the Philippines but also around the world.

Indeed, a Filipino pride and a testament of what Filipinos are made of.

Here is the clip of her performance in The Paul O’Grady Show:



And here is the video of her special performance in Oprah:


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Filipino Pride: Gian Karlo Dapul

Amidst the problems that beset our country today, with all the rising cost of basic commodities, one thing that badly needs a raise is our spirit and our Filipino pride.

I chanced upon a news article a couple of days ago in the local news about a Filipino who won top honors in the English Speaking Union’s International Public Speaking Competition held in London last May 9. Incoming senior and 16-year-old student from the Philippine Science High School (PSHS), Gian Karlo Dapul won the prestigious competition. With his speech entitled “Fish Mucus and Foot Fungus”, Gian Karlo Dapul triumphed over other contestants from 30 other countries.

It was four years ago since Patricia Evangelista won in the same competition with her speech on Filipino Diaspora. These only proves that Filipinos can triumphed over any challenge or adversity.

Here’s the winning speech from the ABS-CBN news:
Click Here.

And here's the video from YouTube:


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The new look of Pilipinas, Game KNB.

It’s been quite a while when I last saw this game show because I am always at work during its time slot and my rest days always falls in Saturdays and Sundays. And you would be lucky find me up earlier than noon during saturdays. So, I was surprised to see a different look on this ever-favorite game show. Aside from new dance steps that are being introduced by the dancing host Chairman Edu Manzano, PGKNB has also a new set and it has a new mechanics.

I used to liked the old panels that can go forward and backward but its new look is even better as it now goes up and down along with the players. Scores are flashed on their panels and don’t be surprised to see negative numbers as giving an incorrect answer has a corresponding deduction on the contestant's earnings.

P1 million is still at stake everyday and one of the studio contestants can also take home at least P50,000 pot money just by giving five consecutive correct answers.

Indeed, the rules of the game got even more exciting and questions are more challenging than before so I’m sure avid viewers will enjoy it.

Click on the link below to view a portion of one of the episodes of the all-new Pilipinas, Game KNB.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxTTA3Q2Vzo
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Manila Zoo, Revisited.

It was a Sunday and we don’t have any plans for the day so my girlfriend and I thought of going to Manila zoo. We actually saw a feature segment on TV about the Manila zoo, there’s a mention of a new facility there for horseback riding.

Honestly, I can no longer recall the last time I visited this landmark. I was still in my primary years then. All I know is it is close to the Harrison Plaza shopping mall in Adriatico St.

I asked my girlfriend, who is from Parañaque, if she had been to Manila zoo, she said never.

“I don’t know how to go there.” I told her.

She shrugged, “Don’t worry, any taxi driver in Manila would surely know where the Manila zoo is.”

That’s what I thought too.

So, with my girlfriend and my Kodak EasyShare V1253 digital camera, we ride an FX from Commonwealth Ave. and got off near the Philippine General Hospital. We hailed a taxi from there hoping that it would just be a couple of minutes drive from that point.

When we’re comfortably seated inside the taxi, the driver, said, “Alam nyo daan papunta dun?”

My girlfriend and I exchanged disgusted looks.
“Sa may Adriatico daw po yun,” I offered.
“Ah, alam ko na,” the driver said finally.

He’s probably just a new driver, I thought. Or it may be that the Manila zoo has already lost its popularity among the residents of Manila and nearby cities.

After about ten minutes, we’ve reached the Manila zoo. It was already 4 pm. The good thing is that it is still there, standing and open to the public.

There were news last year of animal rights group’s clamor to shut down the zoo and free all the animals being kept there. It was a good decision for Manila Mayor Fred Lim to thumb down these calls. To think that this zoo has been catering to the public for over 40 years now and has earned the right of being a city landmark, those calls to shut down the zoo were unwarranted.

The Manila Zoo is not that big, which is probably an advantage. It has the usual offerings you would anticipate in a zoo. Lot's of birds, parrots, eagles, doves and pigeons and the peacock showing its spectacular tail feathers.

As you enter the Manila Zoo, on the right hand side you will see the Indian Elephant which is always a crowd drawer. Moving further along, there are enclosed spaces with pythons and an assortment of lizards inside. Towards the back of the Zoo are monkeys and other larger mammals.

On the left hand side of the entrance, the Manila Zoo has set up a Kinder Zoo, which is an area for children to touch and pet the animals.

What was very obvious was the poor state of the Manila Zoo. The grim enclosures and cages that housed the wildlife made it simply pathetic. It’s sad to see these animals confined on those pitiful cages. But it’s just me, if you have an hour or so to spare, then come and have a look for yourself.

Entrance fees:
P40 for non-Manilans, P20 for Manila residents, P10 for kids under four feet tall.








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The lion as a symbol.

The lion is the symbol of earthly power, courage, strength, dignity, and royalty in many cultures. No wonder why it is the king of the jungle and all beasts. Here’s a verse from the Proverbs,
"There are three things which are majestic in pace, yes, four which are stately in walk: A lion, which is mighty among beasts and does not turn away from any... (Prov 30:29-30).

High regard for the lion's strength and courage is probably the reason why it was used as the insignia of the Roman legions. Supposedly, the lion would be wise and just, with spiritual powers just like its physical attributes.

The Egyptians also saw the lion as a symbol of power and wealth. For this reason, the Pharaohs of Egypt were sometimes pictured as lions. Even rulers like Alexander the Great were depicted wearing lion's heads on the coins minted during their times in power.

Furthermore, the lion was used on tribe banners when Moses took the Israelites out of Egypt. Today, the lion’s roar is often associated with bravery.

The king of the jungle has captured the human imagination for many centuries as a representation of power and magnificence. Carved statues of lions are commonly found guarding temples, tombs, palaces and bridges. The lion's courage and strength have made it a symbol of power as well as majesty.

For me, the lion represents the great power of personal strength, courage, self-control and stability in life which can lead to personal power.
Now you know why this blog was named as such.

“My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword.” - Psalm 57:4
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Still on Mother's Day

Still on Mother’s day, I hope you did greet your mother on this special occasion, I did. I know that just saying “Thank you” or “I love you” to our mom is not enough to repay all the years of sorrows and sacrifices she bear to make us what we are now, but believe me, it’s good enough for her.

Here’s an inspiring story about Mother’s Day from TheHolidayspot.com:

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who
lived two hundred miles away.

As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing.

He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother.

But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars."

The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose."

He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers.

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home.

She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother."

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and
drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.

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Happy Mother's Day

Myspace Mothers Day Graphics


In whatever language, mother is unquestionably the most adorable and the most beautiful word. This word stands for a world of things a mother gives to her child along with the sacrifices, sorrows and grief she has to undergo for her children. Indeed, you can have a number of husbands or wives but you can only have one mother. She is simply irreplaceable. That is why the most important person in an individual’s life is his or her mother.

Tomorrow, we will celebrate the Mother’s Day and one of the best ways to honor Mother’s Day is to give our mother a day off. Let her take it easy and relax while the rest of the family does the work. It is a good day to let our mom unwind and let her see what a wonderful family she has.

As we celebrate the Mother’s Day, let’s take our time to honor our mothers and express gratitude for the hardships they bear in bringing us up.

Here is an interesting poem I stumbled upon Mother’s Day on the Net:

M - O - T - H - E - R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,

"O" means only that she's growing old,

"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,

"H" is for her heart of purest gold;

"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell

"MOTHER,"

A word that means the world to me.

Howard Johnson (c. 1915)
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Tips on how to save electricity

Just like everything else, the cost of electricity is rising and even with all the hypes and talks of investigating companies involved in distributing electricity, consumers like us can only wait for the outcome of this controversy. Hopefully, after all the grandstanding and mudslinging of the involved parties, the upshot will be a lower cost of electricity that can be enjoyed by all consumers. However, we can also do our share in conserving energy and lowering our electricity consumption.

The Meralco website listed ways to reduce your electrical usage and lessen your electric bill thus spending some money. Here are the electricitips of Meralco:

Lighting
• Use natural light whenever possible.
• Turn off lights when not in use.
• Use compact fluorescent lights (CFL) instead of incandescent bulbs. A 16-watt CFL produces the same light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb at a quarter of the energy cost.
• Clean bulbs regularly. Dirt lessens illumination by as much as 50%. Use low wattage light bulbs in areas that do not need strong lighting such as hallways, foyers and doorways.
• Use lamps that provide direct lighting over desks, beds and other work areas. Using them saves energy instead of the higher wattage lighting used to illuminate the whole room.

Refrigerator
• Give it room to breathe. Place refrigerators at least 4 inches away from the wall so as not to overwork the motor.
• Clean condenser coils. The coils at the back remove heat.
• Clean it twice a year using a vacuum cleaner or broom.
• Check door gaskets. Make sure refrigerator doors are sealed tightly to prevent cold air from escaping.
• Defrost regularly. Defrost before frost builds up to 1/4 inch to keep refrigerator running efficiently.
• When buying new refrigerators, be sure to purchase energy efficient models.
• Look for units with the highest Energy Efficient Factor (EEF). It is more efficient and costs less to operate.

Cooking
• Plan ahead. Prepare all ingredients before cooking to avoid frequent switching of electric stove.
• Thaw frozen food thoroughly before cooking. Match pots and pans to stove element. Avoid using a big burner for a small pan to lessen heat transfer loss.
• Cover pots and pans. Cover pots with lids to prevent heat from escaping.
• Use flat-bottomed pots and pans when using electric stove. They provide faster heat transfer.
• Switch off. Turn off the electric stove during the last minutes of cooking. The remaining heat will make the food simmer.

Washing Machines
• Wash or dry full loads to maximize use of washing machines and clothes dryer.
• Do not over-wash clothes. Delicate clothes do not take as long as dirty work clothes.
• Keep the lint filter of clothes dryer clean. A dirty filter restricts air flow.
• Don't overload your dryer.
• Hang clothes to dry on sunny days.

Ironing
• Do all ironing at one time.
• Iron during cooler hours of the day. This helps lessen the demand for electricity during peak hours.
• Dampen clothes moderately. Excessive moistened clothes take longer to iron.
• Switch off the electric iron in the last few minutes of ironing. The remaining heat will be enough to press the last few pieces of clothing.

Other Appliances
• Unplug all electronics when not in use. If a transformer or voltage regulator is used, unplug it from the outlet and turn it off. Transformers consume more electricity when it heats up.
• Appliances will operate more efficiently and use less energy when they are in good working order. Keep them well-maintained.
• When using electric fans, lock the oscillator when fan is needed in one direction only, thus, air is blown directly where needed.
• Clean fan blades and motor regularly to keep it running efficiently.
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Paula Abdul's blunder on American Idol

My officemates have been talking about this since last week and they’ve watched this video on YouTube. The subject is the recent blunder of Paula Abdul, one of the judges of the number one show on television “American Idol”.

Apparently, they changed the format by making the judges hold their appraisals until every contestant had a turn to perform unlike the usual format in which each performance is judged immediately. The Grammy award-winning pop singer gave her feedback for two songs by one of the contestant, Jason Castro – the problem is he only sung once.

“Oh gosh, we’ve never had to write these things down ... fast enough,” she began, shuffling through her note cards. “Jason, first song, I loved hearing your lower register, which we never really hear, um ... .”

And this is when she lost it.

“The second song, I felt like your usual charm wasn’t — it was missing for me. It kind of left me a little empty.”

Certainly, it should be empty.


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The Alchemist

A friend sent me an e-book of “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho a couple of months ago but I just finished reading it yesterday. I was able to read it while waiting for calls to come in. This book is a symbolic tale that urges us to follow our dreams and aspirations.

The novel tells the story of Santiago, a boy who has the courage to follow his dream. It followed the boy’s adventure from being a shepherd in Andalusia to his journey to search for the symbolic hidden treasure near the pyramids of Egypt.

The Alchemist is a must-read novel that is bursting with optimism. In simple terms, the book is telling us that you can achieve your dream as long as you really want to achieve it.

“When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true,” this is what the old King said when he spoke to Santiago and this is the foundation on this book’s philosophy.

My favorite line in the book is this:

"…I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in
the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy
man. You'll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the
heavens… Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment
we're living right now."

If you want to download the e-book for free, click on this link.
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Funny customer service call....

Here’s another funny video from YouTube about a crazy call center agent (luckily not a Filipino). Is he just desperate to make a sale or he has totally gone nuts? You decide… lol.



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PLDT Scandal?

I was looking for a funny and interesting video that I can use on my blog when I come across this video. At first, I thought it was something else as it was tagged as a scandal but when I hear the voices I instantly recognized this recorded conversation. I've heard it before, almost two years ago during my training on a call center company. Enjoy!.

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