and so i am...

Ghost Fighter (Yu Yu Hakusho) Action Figures Collection Completed

2010-08-20T05:03:00.000-07:00

After two years of non-stop search for Hiei (Vincent), he finally showed up and I did not, could not, give him any tiny bit of chance of hiding again...

Though it cost me a bit much than a regular stuff, for me, of course, it’s so much worth it! Imagine looking for it in every store, local and international, web and underground, even the smallest of toy sellers in the street I would always ask for it but in the end, nothing, nada, NO LUCK!

And from the bountiful jungle of the Amazon, somebody mistakenly made the righteous decision to let it flaunt and allow me peek and seize it. So I can say it’s a destiny for the four of them to be reunited in one box one room…

So the time has come for me to move on and start searching for series number two…

Terrific

2009-09-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

In my heart and mind there is only one Baby Shower Invitation purveyor that have won my complete thrust and it will always be Cards-411 at http://www.cards-411.com.

It is the perfect venue that mixes commerce and art with ingenious ideas to come up with magisterial and exclusively made design that gives more luxury and charm to all baby showers. Its expertise in incorporating photograph that dolled up beautifully and elegantly the baby shower invitations is something I eulogized always. Living to its long live heritage of always putting its baby invitations one step ahead in style and fashion, makes every Cards-411 clients like me walk in nonchalance. Terrific!!!

Real Good

2009-09-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

I feel so proud and fortunate to become part of Cards Shoppe and its most love site http://www.cardsshoppe.com/ bandwagon and witness its savvy ability in providing what to me is a brilliant Baby Shower Invitation Wording pleasing to be read by any baby shower card’s recipient. Weaving special design is just one of the aces it has under its sleeve, it is also well attune for the most exciting, entertaining but gentle baby shower wording which is a feed for the mind and spirit. Just in case for some instances invitations baby shower wording failed to meet the standard satisfaction level of any client, the unlimited revision is always available, and that spells really G-O-O-D!!!

What Sports Car Should You Drive?

2009-09-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

You Should Drive a BMW

Refined and classy, you want a car that looks rich... and goes fast!

What Sports Car Should You Drive?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

That's what I thougth too. LOL. To my loving wife, hope you are reading this!!

NBA Asia Challenge: Preview

2009-09-13T01:20:00.000-07:00

The long wait has finally arrived. And it was also a challenging task to purchase the ticket for the historic battle between the NBA legends and the PBA greats. I was lucky because we were able to get good seats and my cousin was also able to get full access pass and so we were able to go inside the court before and after the game.

Though our local PBA team lost, it was still a great match. I will post more pictures and more details about it soon….

someone to share my toys with

2009-09-12T01:45:00.000-07:00

I was checking my toy collection last weekend and I smiled after I imagined that it would be fun if I can share this toy with my future son. That is why I was really happy when my wife said that she is ready to give out Invitations Baby as she hopes to get pregnant this year.

I got really excited that I went online and check for baby shower invitations from http://www.cardsshoppe.com/ right away. CardsShoppe has a wide range of invitation baby that I can choose from or they can even make a custom design for me. Plus they work fast that it is possible to print and ship the cards as soon as I approve the design.

Like me, I know all our friends and relatives are excited to organize a baby shower for our second baby so please pray that hopefully we will be blessed with a new bundle of joy this year.

What's in the bag?

2009-09-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Are you wondering why I am all smiles in this picture?

It is because this is what is inside the bag:

I wanted to buy this here in Manila for the longest time now but I find it so expensive. That is why when I saw the Ferrari store in Venice, I did not miss the opportunity of checking out what I can bring home to Manila.

I just want to buy something cheap really but my wife convinced me that I should get what I really want as we never know when we can go back in Italy. And since Ferrari is from Italy, prices here are definitely much cheaper (half of the price if I will buy it here in Manila).

And I am glad I decided to bring this precious home (even if I paid Euro 22 in excess baggage when we took a domestic flight from Rome to Paris. LOL) as it is all worth it.

Photo Halloween Invites for a change?

2009-09-08T09:48:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness for the holidays, we were able to catch up with our sleep and we were able to hit the mall and do some shopping with our daughter. I can’t believe that Halloween decorations can now be seen around shopping malls, which reminds me that I have to start looking for Photo Halloween Invitations for our Halloween Party.

I always have the usual Halloween Party Invitations for all my parties so I want something new this time that is why I decided to try Photo Invitations Halloween. Luckily, Invitations-Shoppe offer Photo Halloween Invitation and they will even custom design the lay out for me.

I am sure my guests will be all excited seeing their faces in the invites that I will be giving them. Do check out their site at http://www.invitations-shoppe.com if you want unique and personalize Halloween invites.

Almost Done

2009-09-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

It is good to know that “ber” months have just started. Our family is starting to become quite busy now for the upcoming parties. First, the plans for our Halloween continue as my wife assigned me to do the Halloween Invitations while she is busy calling for the caterers.

Since I am busy with work, I really can’t focus doing the Halloween Party Invitations. So what I did is look for an alternative that will help me finish them as early as now. And then I found out that http://www.holiday-invitations.com/ offers a special design for cards like Halloween Invitation. I thought that this can possibly help me doing the Invitations Halloween easier as I have to choose from their design and the good thing is, it will be printed and shipped the same day it is approved.

I am sure my wife will agree on this and I am sure she will love the invitation from Holiday-Invitations.

Unique Invitations from Holiday-Invitations

2009-09-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

I had a photo coverage for a magazine today and the article that they are featuring is about Halloween. The Halloween Party Invitations that were featured struck my attention as it is nicely done, different from the usual Party Halloween Invitations that I see.

I asked the editor for the supplier of their Invitations Halloween as we also need to order an invitation for the party that we will be organizing. I learned that the invitations were made by Holiday-Invitations.

I checked out their site at http://www.holiday-invitations.com/ and I even saw lots of unique invitations that have been specially designed for their clients. They even give out free thank you cards.

I will definitely get Halloween Invitation from Holiday-Invitations.com.

Venetian Macao 2009 Tennis Showdown

2009-09-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

On October 25, 2009, a history will be made in the Cotai Arena as two of tennis’ legendary rivals, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi plays a tennis showdown match. This is the first time that the two will play again against each other since Sampras defeated Agassi in the US Open 2002.

Junior World No. 1 Yuki Bhambri will also play in this showdown against the American Ryan Harrison.

Tickets are now available and can be purchased online. Ticket prices are:

A Reserve Lower: MOP $ 980
B Reserve Lower: MOP $ 780
C Reserve Upper: MOP $ 480
D Reserve Upper: MOP $ 280

My wife and I really wanted to join our friends in watching this game in October but since we just got back from vacation, we have no leaves left and more importantly, we have no more budget for this trip.

But being a sports enthusiast, I am glad that famous sports personalities are now going to Asia so people from Asia will have a bigger chance to watch their idols play live.

Will not Hesitate to Recommend CardsShoppe

2009-09-05T02:05:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had my first maternity shoot for a client who is a close friend of my wife. The couple was really game in posing and so we were able to get a lot of good shots. I know that they will be organizing a baby shower and so I suggested that they use the pictures for their baby shower invites.

I asked them to check http://www.cardsshoppe.com/ so they can browse the sample invitations baby shower created by CardsShoppe. This is where we ordered our Baby Shower Invitation for our dear Bela and we are happy with their service so I did not hesitate to recommend them to my clients. They designed the invites especially for us and they even included pictures of my lovely wife while she is still pregnant.

I am sure they will love the invitations that they will be ordering from CardsShoppe the same way we love ours.

Welcome Baby Audree

2009-09-03T12:15:00.001-07:00

Having Bela is one of the greatest gifts that we received from God. So when my good friend gave me the news that his wife already gave birth, I can totally relate to his happiness.

My wife suggested that we ordered baby announcements from Cards-411 as our gift to the couple because we know how excited they are to show their baby to their friends and relatives. They have a lot of relatives and friends abroad too so photo birth announcements is the best way to share their joy to their friends abroad.

We checked out http://www.cards-411.com/ and we were able to find a lot of announcement birth cards that we can choose from. And what’s good is they can even customize the design and even add a picture of the baby.

I am sure that they will immediately send out these birth announcements as they are one proud parents to baby Audree.

In God’s perfect time

2009-08-31T23:33:00.000-07:00

When Abie gave birth to our Bela, I can’t explain the extreme happiness that I felt when I first hold her in my arms. I came from a big family and I wanted to have five kids too but my wife thinks that we should practice family planning. So when she told me that she is ready for our second baby after three years, I felt really excited.

I immediately visit http://www.cardsshoppe.com to look for birth announcement cards. Of course, I am the proudest father on the planet so I will distribute baby birth announcements to all our friends and relatives as soon as my wife gives birth.

CardsShoppe is my favorite site to order photo birth announcements as they have fast delivery and they can even make a custom design for my Birth Announcement. Hopefully in God’s perfect time, we will be blessed with a second addition to our family.

You’re Special

2009-08-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Aside from Christmas trees that come from all imaginable sizes and splendors, I can easily say that Christmas is just around the corner when Party Christmas Invitations have become the flavor of the month and started to make its way at the door steps of our house. And from the numerous Christmas invitations that I received, what ripples to influence me the most amongst the invitations Christmas party cards were those that were made exclusive and personalized by holiday-invitations.com. Their service is really good since they can make a personalize design for each of their clients and they even offer free thank you cards with free shipping. They are the kind of Christmas holiday invitations that radiates a voluptuous charm that comes ringing naturally true, making every recipients feel they are special!!!

Great Day to Celebrate

2009-08-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Christmas is a great day for celebration for every member of our clan because it is also the same day where our yearly family re-union gets its way. It is therefore colossally important that the choice for Holiday Christmas Invitations must be Christmas invitations that are not only personalized and elegantly design but bears verbatim words that clearly impart the personal expressions of seasons greetings and best wishes of the host to every invitations Christmas party recipients. That is why we always order our invitations from holiday-invitations.com because they can personalize the design for our needs and their service is fast since they print and ship our orders on the same day the design I approve. They must be Christmas holiday invitations intrinsically tailored for the occasion bestowing love and happiness to all our relatives, making every nook and cranny filled with many great memories on the day of the occasion!!!

Aim High

2009-07-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Tremendous joys and excitement permeate our being when our relationship was highlighted and blessed with the advent of our first and wonderful baby girl. She is heaven that always makes our feeling being engulfed in warmth that reaches the depths of our hearts instilling a sense of ecstasy only a handful can fathom. She is our angel that serves to be our inspiration that spurs us more to work harder and aim high for her brightest future. We smother her with so much love that we always have the time and energy to always celebrate her birthday with great excitement and anticipation and launched it with much fun fare as heralded by her colorful and personalized Party Birthday Invitations with her delectable picture that goes with it.

To our delights all recipient of her birthday invitation always came in full swing and in perfect attendance. Aside from the sumptuous meal, everyone was pretty much swayed by the potpourri of entertainment from games, tricks and gimmicks of clown and magician down to the body painter artists that adds to exhilarate even more every tad’s verve. Except during our dear little angel 1st birthday celebration where her interest could not settle for the occasion, the last two were so blissful that makes us (I and Hubby) jumped with joy. All her audience who were part of the party invitation distributed were jazzed and dazzled by her splendid ballet dance number. All throughout the party she was so busy trying to take part to all the activities yet her vim and vigor never wane.

This coming November she’ll be turning four and I am already in contact with Cardsshoppe.com regarding the design of the birthday invitations party we would prance around town. Nonetheless it cause me no worry at all as I’ve known the gamut of actions that runs behind the store are artists with outstanding talents. So come November I’m pretty sure another paradisiacal natal day celebration of our dearest angel awaits everyone!!!

Good Luck!!

2009-07-14T09:17:00.001-07:00

This is really it. Next week, I can’t believe that my good friend, together with his family will be moving to Boston. My friend and his wife got a job there as Physical Therapist and the pay is good so they can’t pass this opportunity.

I can’t really believe at first but I already received their move announcements so it means that they are really ready to move to Boston. Of course, as a real friend, I feel happy for them since this is a good opportunity for my good friend and his family. The salary that they will be getting now is three times more than what they are earning here. And I know that they have worked hard for this so they really deserve it. So although I may be far away from my buddy now, I still feel a sense of happiness when I received their moving cards since I know this is a fulfillment of my best friend’s dream.

So to my best bud, I got your Announcements Moving Cards and I wish you and your family good luck on your new life in Boston. I do hope that we will be receiving the housewarming invitations soon (which I know you can easily order from Cardsshoppe.com so I will be expecting it real soon) so my family and I can visit you there in Boston. So good bye and good luck for now but hope to see guys soon.

My last week's photo coverage

2009-07-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I was the official photographer for my colleagues wedding. This is somewhat special for me since it is really my pleasure to be selected as the wedding photographer of my colleague.

I really enjoyed covering this event. I really feel so honored since they really made me a part of this wedding as I covered almost everything, from the bridal shower to the prenuptial pictorial and the wedding itself.

I specially like the bridal shower since it is a surprise party that the bride’s friends organized. They even prepared wedding shower invitations which they ordered from Express-invitations.com that they distributed to all the bride’s friends. And what made the invitations bridal shower special is that they were personally hand picked by the bride’s best friend so she really caught the style and personality of the bride with the Bridal Invitations Shower that the best friend selected.

Everybody had fun during the shower party especially the bride. She love every aspect of the party from the invitations to the give away and the theme which made the party organizer really happy. The bride just loved the invitations that she ordered the rehearsal dinner invitations from the same supplier too.

I haven’t downloaded the pictures yet but I will post it here soon so watch out for it.

Hold the Knob, Wear Clean Shoes and Enjoy The Insanity!

2009-07-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

1. When you close a door, do you close it quick and just let it slam or do you hold the knob and slowly shut it tight? I hold the knob and slowly shut it right.
2.Train A is moving at 60 miles an hour. Train B is moving at 22 miles an hour. They will pass each other at X time. Now what color shoes are you wearing when train A derails? Blue??
3. What if M&M's grew on trees? What color M&M tree would you have? Yellow, my favorite color.
4. How many petals on a flower does it take to make it the perfect bloom? 27
5. I took you to spend $421.67 on you, what did we spend that money on? NBA or NHL Action Figures, Sports Illustrated magazines, DVDs.
6. If you were a squash, what type of squash would you be? I have no idea.
7. Have you ever gotten a wrong number call and ended up talking to the person for longer than 5 minutes? Nope.
8. Why haven't you joined Berleen & Kimber at Insanity Cafe yet? Do we stink? I have no time. I have been very busy.
9. Now for one of Ber's questions back when TT was brand new... Shampoo bottles say lather, rinse, repeat... do you? No. I don’t even use shampoo. LOL.
10. It's July, the year is half over. Do you see it as "whew that part is over" or best is yet to come? The best is yet to come.
11. Why do you do the Thursday Thunks meme? It is my first time here. My wife says it is fun so I gave it a try.

Party Planning

2009-07-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Every year, we try to have a simple celebration to celebrate the birthday of our dear princess Ysabela. When she was born, she was diagnosed to have a congenital heart disease called Ventricular Septal Defect. But we are lucky since God made a miracle in our life because the hole in my daughter’s heart is now totally close. So we make it a point to celebrate our daughter’s birthday as a thanksgiving for the precious gift that God gave to our life.

I am not sure what my wife is planning for our daughter’s fourth birthday party. I am usually in the sidelines when it comes to party preparations as my wife always took charge here. My only duty is to look for birthday invitations and to drive my wife when she needs to distribute the party invitations to all our guests.

I am sure my wife has something planned already for my daughter’s fourth birthday party. But hope someday soon, the next party that we will be planning is for our second baby’s baby shower. I already know an online supplier where I can order Invitations Baby Shower so we better act soon for our baby number 2. LOL.

5th Wedding Anniversary

2009-07-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

In just a few months, my wife and I will be celebrating our fifth anniversary and I want to have a wedding anniversary party to celebrate the occasion. It will not be as big as our wedding. I just want a simple celebration together with our close friends and relatives so they will be our witness again when we renew our vows.

I proposed to my wife for the second time to ask her if she wants to marry me again. After she said yes, I told her to start looking for anniversary party invitations to give to our friends and relatives whom we will be inviting to celebrate with us. My wife was really thrilled upon hearing my plans and I can see how happy and excited she was because she searched right away for sites where we can order our Wedding Anniversary Invitations.

Hope we will be able to push through with our plans and we will have the budget for our simple celebration and then after that I will start saving up for our 50th wedding anniversary.

Pretzzy Saturday

2009-04-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

After giving a short inspirational message yesterday to graduating 13-year old kids, I’ve gotten a very warm reception from the audience including the Mayor of Manila. I couldn’t be happier than seeing those kids responding to me and my exploration of their energetic and full of fun lives.

But today my daughter surprises me most; I guess it’s one of the best rewards after motivating a number of young minds on how to be successful and how do you really measure it. We’re at the sala and I’m browsing the Internet in our laptop and she’s watching Playhouse Disney when she asks for her pretzel’s merienda.

So I ask our new yaya to get it from her stocks and ask her to go have her lunch and I’ll take care of Bela for now. Mom is in the office so my daughter and I have a little bonding time. Then she walks beside and told me that she wants to share the pretzels with me. So I get one stick and bite some but she stops me and told me, “No, no, not that way, dad.” And she gets another stick and put the tip of the stick in her mouth and the other end in mine. I’ve seen this before when she and her mom eats spaghetti, but never tried with me.

So I got exited and brought down my camera to get some snapshots…

Write-Out-Loud.Com - Public Speaking Guide

2009-03-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I was invited by my grade school Alma Mater to be the guest speaker for this year’s graduating class in April.

It’s going to be an exciting activity for me delivering a speech in front of young audiences which I haven’t done for quite a while now. It’ll be my second time to grace my school with my new experiences or thoughts to share.

Eager to obtain their attention, I’m doing a little research of this generation, of what are their favorite games, activities, boy bands, dance moves, movies, superheroes and etc. Looking for better ideas and ways to be effective to my audiences, I also came across a website called write-out-loud.com and the tips are easy to learn, concise and very helpful.

I want it this time be delivered in Tagalog to better inject some humor and great stories because I planned to share my personal stories when I was at their age and at present. I’ll also impart the lives of some personalities to uplift their soul with encouragement and inspirations.

Right now, I’m making my draft while my daughter is playing around as "Bela the Pretty Mouse Not the Eewie Eewie One" and her mom is the "Neigh Neigh Horse" and I'm the "Christmas Deer"...

Passing CSP - A Second Shot

2009-02-22T05:22:00.000-08:00

“Failure inspires winners. And failures defeats losers.” This line I read from a book of Robert Kiyosaki which is one of my inspirations this year.

I was pleased to know that I have passed my exam and now a CSP but it will have no meaning if I cannot uphold the standards of this great institution I am part of. So in accepting this title, I hope to be able to contribute in my own way to the advocacy of PSIS in making security awareness and education a responsibility of all of us in different fields of businesses or line of work.

Passing the exam on my second shot is always a good experience. It teaches me to be humble as Mr. Ramon Bergado, one of our best instructor used to say, “The key to my success in life is humility and I'm sharing it to you so you'll also be successful in all of your endeavors."

CSP Retake - Study Before Leisure

2009-01-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a very busy month for me working in the office while others are enjoying the holidays but I’ll be having my vacation with my family in a couple of days in the Island of Samal, so I don’t feel bad.

I just feel exhausted.

And when we return next week, I got to retake my CSP exam of PSIS because I flanked my first try last June and never got the chance to take it with so many projects and activities. I’m busy right now reviewing my old notes and reading a book by one of my mentor, Eduardo Fulgencio - CPP/CFE/CSP/CSMS. His book is “Security Management – Principles, Techniques and Applications” which he published in 2005.

Hope to pass it this time.

If you want to know more about CSP and PSIS, visit our website at http://www.psisonline.org/ for more info.

Birthday Surprise - From Mom and Bela

2009-01-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

Another year had passed and another one is coming but I’m always thankful for having a wonderful and loving family. Thank you Mom and Bela for a surprise birthday party! I’m so excited!

This year we have both our families in one roof to celebrate my birthday and it feels great and I hope to have it every year in our house.

Thank you for understanding my short comings and I love you Mom and Bela! You're my greatest gift!

About Me After Two Years

2009-01-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

This subject used to be in my "About Me" tab but after two years, I felt like it's no longer more about me, it's more of my past so I've made an updated one...

----------------------------------------------------
Dec 1, 2007 9:41 AM

About Me

My childhood revolves in a small town in Sorsogon where I spent most of my time in an adventure phase from morning till dark until my family moved to Manila when I was 9 but always went back during summer and Christmas until my college years.

Aside from managing more than 20 servers, supporting a thousand users and maintaining more than 800 machines, I work in an International Organization where diverse personalities are ordinary and service is the soul of its existence.

My wife Abie and daughter Ysabela loves to travel so I always carry my camera making sure I captured those precious moments...

I feel that my passion for photography is innate because I see myself as an artist with an eye for extraordinary moment. I provide photography services for any event when I’m free on weekends.

I love collecting all sorts of things which I find unusual and significant to my life and to my family…

Keep on reading!

-Howie-

Michael Jordan and the Bulls - 90's Dynasty

2008-12-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

I have lesser words to say about “His Airness” and the Bulls for it have been shown and written a million times.

What I can do is share them to you in a package. The answer to the question why we rarely see MJ’s figures is because he is basically tied-up with Upper Deck and he’s now one of their executives.

Upper Deck released several MJ figures but one stands out, his 1998 Finals winning last shot against Russell of Utah after stealing the ball from Malone. The Dynasty DVD set a complete compilation of one of the greatest franchise in NBA history capturing 6 titles in 8 years.

Included also is MJ’s 11 inches standee when he collected the 3rd leading scorer in NBA history on Dec 9, 1997 against the Knicks in New York. Also included is a rare 14”x20” poster of the first three championships featuring John Paxson, Scottie Pippen, BJ Armstrong, Horace Grant and Michael Jordan.

Wilton “Wilt the Stilt” Chamberlain

2008-12-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

Few athletes have ever reached the level of domination that Wilt Chamberlain achieved throughout his basketball career. He is one of only two players who have scored more than 30,000 points in an NBA career.

On March 2, 1962, he scored 100 points against New York, a mark that has withstood the test of time.

Included is an 8.5”x14” wooden frame of his stats and his legendary story as an offensive force second to none.

The Legacy of Julius “Dr. J” Erving

2008-12-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

When all young players are referring to as “wannabelikemike”, Michael Jordan on the other hand is dreaming of “wannabelikedoc” in his teens.

There will never be another Jordan with his phenomenal success on and off court but there will always be a standard bearer for revolutionizing the modern basketball with creativity and physical prowess: Dr. J.

Included is a jersey made by Allandale (Recto’s Finest in the 80’s and 90’s) with same color as the McFarlane Legend series 1 figure.

Wayne Gretzky "The Great One" 12" Collections

2008-12-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

October 15,1989: Wayne Gretzky scores in Edmonton with 53 seconds remaining to become the all-time scoring leader with 1,851 points. This moment has been captured by this figure raising his both hands with his stick on his right.

Wayne Gretzky held or shared 61 NHL records upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, including 40 regular season records, 15 playoff records, and 6 all-star records. With unprecedented 2,857 career points.

He won nine Hart Trophies, the NHL's most valuable player award, and eight of these were awarded in consecutive years from 1980–87. Gretzky holds the record for most MVP awards of any player in North American professional sports.

Included in the set is ESPN's Sports Century Greatest Athletes DVD featuring the rise of the greatest hocky player to ever hit the ice: Wayne Gretzky. More gifted than anyone before or since as he shattered records and changed the game.

Phoenix Suns' Legendary Run n’ Gun Era

2008-12-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

Who could ever forget this era in the Phoenix Suns’ history which brought full packed crowd in every game and every city they went.

Even I was privilege enough to see them play in Washington which they made it a no-contest even at the end of two quarters. But as fast as they were, their legendary games will always be remembered as one of the celebrated moments in NBA with their last seconds’ heroics and a barrage of threes and magnificent passes.

This set features Shawn Marion “The Matrix” one of the best two figures ever made by McFarlane (another is Vince Carter's) with full facial expression of his intensity in the game with an unconventional shooting release. This figure took me a while to find.

Amare Stoudemire is the first Rookie of the Year awardee out of high school in 2003 beating Yao and followed by Lebron the following year out from high school. A perennial force of this era until his knee injury in 2005 but bounced back like a rookie with his tremendous dunks the following season.

Steve Nash, one of the greatest point guards ever played and still active with back-to-back MVP awards that can only be compared to Magic and Jordan at guard position. He is the reincarnation of Pistol Pete in ball-handling and shooting but in an era of so many defense strategists that guard him.

Above is a wooden frame of his first MVP highlights which I made in 2005.

Emmitt Smith "Greatest Running Back"

2008-12-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

All time NFL leading rusher, he's won all the major awards in the sport including three Super Bowl rings, regular MVP, Super Bowl MVP and rushing crown and even in a dancing contest “Dancing with the Stars”. A rare 12 inches collection of one of NFL’s greatest running backs made by McFarlane. This box is a limited edition and never been opened.

Ghost Fighter Action Figures without Vincent (Hiei)

2008-12-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Are you a ghost fighter fan? If you own a Vincent figure, I might want to buy it since I already have Eugene, Dennis and Alfred.

Back in college, my best friend used to go home early on Wednesdays which is uncommon since we used to play cards all the time behind the walls of Intramuros. One time, I went with him and found out that their house is full packed with his cousins and brothers and their friends watching Ghost Fighter on channel 13.

Here I found out that he’s addicted to this anime series translated in Tagalog which in time has attracted me as well. I used to watch similar genre way back in grade school but that has change during my high school days where I’m into action-adventure-sci-fi type.

Yu Yu Hakusho (Ghost Files) is a Japanese manga series original during the 90's and conquered the Filipino kids in the late 90's. I never got to finish the last few episodes since I got preoccupied again with other stuff but I got the means now to buy the complete movie, perhaps this coming year and if lucky enough somebody would sell me Vincent. Please !!!

UPDATE: I've finally found Hiei! Click here.

The Coolest Site for FPJ Fanatics

2008-12-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy yesterday because I found the coolest site that I'm pretty sure will forever be a fan of. Being one of the millions of FPJ fanatics, finally, somebody has shared tons of great images, stories and memorabilias of the “King” of Philippine movies.

Simon Santos of Video48 has created a blogsite that you would not want to miss visiting everyday and even just clicking on an image will surely suffice your day. For me, I’m proud to say that being a Filipino is also being an FPJ-Die-Hard...

I have a small collection also of his movies, photos and posters but Mon has a monumental compilation that he shares wholeheartedly to us. And if you’ll visit this site, it is only fitting to give him that respect in using his resources.

And as I said, being so excited and all, I’m still awake until 2AM just to join his trivia contest on Da-King’s movie life. And today, he sent me an email that I won one of the five shirts with FPJ on it. Can’t wait to go at his shop but I’m stuck with work so maybe this Saturday, I’ll drop by and perhaps buy more stuffs…

Here is my prize from Mon. You can visit him in this site FPJ-Da King and be amazed by his collections.

A Christmas Carol... A Wonderful Life

2008-12-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

I remember this book way back in high school where we did a Christmas presentation for our class where I played one of the ghosts, I think… But early in my teens I seem to have acquainted with the story through the classic movie and one of my favorites, A Wonderful Life.

Which is, by the way, is so hard to find in the video stores few years back. But now almost every one of them seems to have a copy for sale. I got mine from Borders in Virginia which I bought on a very cold night in December of 2007 so it’s somewhat memorable to me because it’s winter season and almost Christmas and I’m away from my family…

Good thing, I don’t have an out-of-country training this year which I’m almost accepted to and be able watch Pacquiao-Dela Hoya’s fight along the way but good thing though, it wasn’t meant for me. So I got to enjoy the happiest place on Earth this holiday season, with my family… And now 2008 seem to be over and I’ve been very busy for more than a month with a lot of things and activities.

Tonight I just finished a wedding shoot and hopefully, more events next year so we can travel again before we have our second baby. For the past weeks, we celebrated Bela’s 3rd birthday, took two birthday parties, one christening, been out of the country for couple of days, supported two major office conferences, configured three servers, played a role in our section’s party and to capped it up, I got to sing again…

Here I am with my band kuno, Ryan, Notski and Tufe.

Bela's Birthday - A Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

Our daughter's birthday is our day of celebrating joy and love with kids in the orphanage. It’s our way of thanksgiving for her recovery from VSD, a congenital heart disease and our hardships during those months.

We don’t have much cash but we got our families and a lot of friends who are donating and joining us in this event. We are forever grateful to your help and we hope we can return your kindness with our friendship and love to you and your family.

It’s going to be our second year with Hospicio de San Jose kids and we’ve added a magician this year, so it’s Jollibee feat Ferdie the Magician. Hope the kids will love it.

The hardest thing about the orphanage is the feeling of going home. We wish those kids can go home with us or their family would take them home. One thing is certain though, that Bela’s coming back next year and they’ll have a different fun for sure.

Happy 3rd Birthday to our sweety pie, honey bunch, "Ice Age", chickiwowow, “I can’t open it” baby love Ysabela!

I Got Two More Girls - Sassy's Twins

2008-11-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

Our daughter Sassy got pregnant without our knowing and she delivered last Sunday two girls. One is black and another is brown...

And Bela would surely love them! They're gonna be her sidekicks and we can't wait with what names she'll gonna give them.

Sassy's been renting an apartment for months now, one block away from us, and Abie wanted her to move back since we don't like her landlord. Her family's moving back soon... I got a welder to do their condo unit in our place.

Here is Sassy in puppy days with Jett and Bubba, her parents, and Bela's new chickiwowow girls. We welcome our granddaughters to this planet called Earth!

Our Margrette's Turning 3 - The Madagascar Adventure

2008-10-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

It’s the time of year again for our little Ysabela Margrette’s upcoming birthday in a few weeks. As usual, Dad is busy again doing her invite, tarps and all sort of stuff that her Mom wanted for her party.

While Mom is almost done with bookings, cakes, magicians, giveaways and other extraordinary things that she can think of, the designs are now in progress…

First in the many lists, the director’s chair design for her school party with names of her classmates and the cover design for some backpacks…

The theme is special to us since we’ve been to Central Park Zoo a year before she was born and a year before the movie was released. It’s also one of her favorite movies and she know most of the lyrics since we’ve bought her the official sound track CD.

Can you imagine a two-year old girl singing “New York! New York!” and “What A Wonderful World” in your car? Awesome!

My Baby Love

2008-10-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

The best way to a dad’s heart is a little girl’s laughter, kiss and hugs. It takes away all the stress and worries of life…

I hope this is true to all dads. And when you start hearing her saying “I love you, Dad!” that will complete your day.

“I love you, too, baby love!”

Jojo & Julie - Guest Book

2008-09-21T05:12:00.000-07:00

I'm always excited when I do prenuptial shoot. It's like I'm on a fishing expedition, trying to catch the big fish.

With Jojo and Julie, they made it extra easy for me to get what we needed for their tarps, invites and guest book...

Jojo made a cloudy day a bright one with his wacky personality and Julie's always jolly and laughing with his antics…

Congrats guys!

Click here for complete pages.

Batista - A Box in a Man's Heart

2008-09-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Imagine a professional wrestler holding a lunch box in his hands and not to mention, a Superstar status. How about finding a wall full of these collectibles in his house…

What would you say to him?

If you’ll ask me, I might laugh and would ask “What the??????????” But on second thought, I‘d be appreciative coz I’m a collector too in my modest way.

Whatever it is that made you collect things is a personal bond which has a deeper meaning in your life. I also have a friend who’s a National Artist who also loves to collect these boxes which he carries to office for his lunch…

I remember Batista in an interview with Mel & Joey and he’s still looking for the original box of Starsky and Hutch movie box and hopefully somebody would sell it to him…

Here’s what my impression of a true lunch box collector…

The Better Toy Store - Singapore

2008-09-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

If you're going to Singapore, I would recommend a store that has a great collection of toys for you and your kids.

The Better Toy Store is at the 4th floor of Tanglin Mall. Their site is currently under construction, if you’re a web designer, you may want to offer your services…

"Thrilla in Manila" - Part 2 of 3

2008-09-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

And few weeks after, my SI cover was personally handed by my colleague and friend...

It was a great gift!

Batista - The Flag Bearer

2008-09-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

I was once a wrestling fan, in my teenage years, my dad loves to watch boxing and wrestling. So thus the family especially when Filipino boxers are on the ring.

In high school, we used to hang out at our classmate Richard Agojo's house just to watch WWF and we'd go home late because we watched about 2 to 3 tapes of wrestling fights. Just recently, this friend of ours just been promoted to Captain in the Army so congrats to you Sir!

While we Filipinos are known to the Boxing World as one of the great boxers’ producer, we’ve never seen a superstar wrestling from our bloodline until Batista came.

Few weeks ago, I saw a sale of Dave Batista's action figure by Jakks so I bought it. Not too intricate compared to McFarlane or Neca toys but it’s a great figure especially the flag tattoo in his arm making him a much love by Filipinos as shown when he came here…

An Afternoon in Binondo - Manila

2008-08-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, a friend invited me to a free seminar on “Traveling with a Camera” in Glorietta 4 presented by Jay Alonzo of AFI and from then on I received emails from their organizer Cecille Cruz on events and workshops hosted by Ayala Foundation.

I never got the chance to join again because of my busy schedule until last week when they hosted a photo and travel trip to Binondo which is very familiar place to me since I lived in Tondo since I got married. It’s my way going home from the office specially when its already traffic in the Pier area.

It was a fun day and a great experience though I was thinking of a more historic trip because I wanted to see old houses, historical landmarks and other sort of well-known value like the Luna’s house or something like that. But nonetheless, we’ve gone to places which I haven’t been and the stores which have significant values in our Filipino-Chinese history.

The great thing about it is that we got featured in newspapers and our entries were exhibited in AFI library. I'm looking forward for more trips like this.

Jezel Kathrene - Fabulous @ 18

2008-08-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

A week before I left for training in the States last December, I went through a foot surgery. And five days after, I got to shoot Jezel’s pictorial for her tarps, invites and signature board.

It’s kinda hard especially when you’re kneeling or on an awkward position but I didn't pay much attention. I just wanted to make my client happy and I’m also preparing my foot for my three weeks travel in a couple of days.

We went to UP Diliman and the weather was just right and sun rays were passing through the trees’ leaves at about 2 in the afternoon. I’ve been there before for a friend’s Prenup but I wanted to explore the place just a little more.

Jezel was fabulous!

Click here to view her album.

"Thrilla in Manila" Part 1 of 3

2008-08-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

Remember my officemate Jake who always calls me "Howie Mandel" on my January post? Well, he still does and asks me to help him cleanup his laptop with applications that’s making it crawl whenever he open any file or program.

And so I did and recommended that he upgrade his RAM to at least 1GB or better 2GB because he only has 512MB. For two days during my free time, I’d work on his machine and uninstall applications that he doesn’t need or seldom used.

After I’m done, he handed me a paper that I cannot agree not to accept because it’s an SI gift. He ask me what I really want to have and I said “Owning a “Thrilla in Manila” SI cover is an important cover for me to have because we Filipinos are just born a devoted boxing fan.

Not only it’s about the greatest boxing icon, the most significant about it is, it was held here in our country and was refereed by a Filipino in Carlos Padilla. Whenever I watch a game or show in Araneta Coliseum, I would pass by the poster of Ali vs. Frazer fight in 1975.

Today, I’ll be counting three more weeks and this important SI cover will be mine. Thanks again Jake!

Spiderman - Reprised

2008-08-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

As I’ve said before, "Someday, I’m gonna paint Spidey’s backboard with a lighter color." Well, guess what, I don’t have to wait any longer. My father-in-law did it for me…

Criticism spread fast in our house on Spidey’s visibility against its background, so I told them that I’m going to repaint it with a lighter one so he’ll be seen even from afar. On Monday while we’re having our dinner, Dad asked me if it’s alright if he’ll be the one to do the painting and I said yes rightaway...

He loves to paint and here’s the result with him shaking hands with Spidey below…

Thanks, Daddy Ben! This is way too cool!

Empire of the Sun and a Weekend in Recto

2008-08-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

When I was little, Claro M. Recto Street, formerly known as Azcarraga Street used to be my hub. We once lived in the third floor of an apartment in the streets of Soler corner Severino in Quiapo for almost five years and at the end of Severino is CM Recto, the most popular street for students at that time.

Every weekend, my agenda was to scout Recto on movies that accept 11 year-old kid like me. Oftentimes, I got lucky to watch the most interesting movies at that time from Tagalog to foreign movies with movie passes that my mom got from friends. One of these great movies is Steven Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun” which featured a story of a boy of my age who was caught in the time of World War II.

I remember when I watched this movie, it was a weekend around nine in the morning and the movie houses in Quiapo and Recto are already open. Most of the times, I can see that I’m the only person watching inside the theater but I wasn’t afraid though it was very cold inside. With my small body and just wearing a shirt, a short pants and a pair of sandals makes me fold in my seat until my shirt is stretched enough to cover my whole body while doing an Indian sit on my chair.

Some of the names of the theaters that I was a suki of are Maxim, Tandem and Ever Emporium Cinemas. In the morning, I’d go for early breakfast and if we have extra money, my mom would buy us a hot and delicious pancit together with pandesal from Sandra bakery in Recto. After a heavy breakfast, I’d start my strolling and look for something to do…

I am always alone when I do these adventures, as I always did with my adventures in our barrio in Sorsogon. I explore the river and roam the fields all by myself. I always got the privilege to sing our national anthem more than five times a week, five at school and the others at the theater.

My favorite theater is Tandem, located at the corner of Recto and Severino which is less than a hundred steps from where we lived. On the second floor of the building is a video games arcade so whenever I got extra money, I’d play there. If I don’t have money, I’ll just watch the other kids play. At the ground floor are clothes and shoes stores. At the basement are billiards tables where you'll find college students playing or gambling.

Empire of the Sun introduces me to Spielberg and Christian Bale. So when Batman Begins was shown, I remember Bale as the boy almost same as my age who’s journey in that movie has been a similar path as mine, survival.

In Quiapo, you must be street smart; else, you’ll get into some kind of trouble with bully kids. Good thing for me, I got a bat cave that I can be at peace, a theater…

Spiderman - Out of the Box, Pinned on A Dart Board

2008-07-25T03:44:00.000-07:00

In 2004, I saw an extraordinary toy in Toy Kingdom at Robinson's Place Manila and it was one of the best Spiderman toy I’ve ever seen locally. It's a bit expensive for my budget so I just let it go...

After a week, I went back to the store and noticed that they are on sale so I hurriedly look for it and guess what; it's on 50% off. So I bought it right away and even share this info to my officemates Tonton and Ryan and they bought it too...

I kept it in the box for years until today, we were cleaning our office area and my former supervisor, Alex, left his Dart board before migrating to the States. It’s an old board but with many memories for him so instead of throwing it, I said I’ll take it. Then suddenly I remember Spidey because I was cleaning my house last weekend and notice that I’ve forgotten to put my collections in a glass cabinet which I originally planned but our house is not that big so I just stack them up.

I’m planning to repaint it with light color and draw a web along the board’s lines but I guess that will take me another more months. I’m too busy right now with work.

It has 67 points of articulation and measured about 18 inches tall from ToyBiz. The colors are great and the best thing about it is that you can really manipulate even the smallest finger’s joint. I wanna share it with you thru the pictures I’ve taken today…

Failing CSP - A Great Learning Experience

2008-07-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

A week before I went to Marshall Islands for a tour-of-duty (TDY) job, I took a week-training on Industrial Security at Bayview Hotel Manila.

On the last day we took an exam to qualify as a Certified Security Professional. The following weekend, we did a security survey and presented it as part of the requirements to be certified by PSIS.

The Philippine Society for Industrial Security (PSIS) used to be the Philippine chapter of ASIS (American Society for Industrial Security) but after years of its reliance, with the extensive growth of locals adhering to security profession and company security needs, PSIS became an independent Institution for security professionals who want to improve their knowledge and skills on vital security concepts but still following the American standards.

The exam is composed of 220 questions, 20 each from 11 security concepts with a passing score of 165 plus the security survey presentation by individuals. Unfortunately, I failed the written exam but my presentation is one of the best score but wasn’t enough to carry my written one. It wasn’t hard for me to accept my failure because my work is primarily on a single concept which is computer security but nonetheless, I learned a lot from this training.

Out of 40 only 15 passed and most of my batchmates already took their retake but I was in Singapore at that time. I’ll be taking mine this August and I hope to pass it this time. I took this training in preparation for CISSP which is my ultimate goal this year and that is different story…

I highly recommend this training for you who are in the security profession or would want to venture in security business. Very interesting topics, expert resource speakers and good food…

Jay & Jen - Guest Book

2008-07-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last January 18th, I got the privilege to shoot the wedding of my colleague Jay and his fiancé Jen. Before that we have an outdoor pictorial in Makati for their guest book.

After the pictorial, I started making the layouts and it was fun because the couple loved it and their happy with our shoot…

Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Jason Juan!

Click here for complete pages.

Merville Siege: Die Another Day

2008-05-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

Going back to this picture of the teams that competed during the tournament in Merville Parañaque made me realized that I've been out of the game for the past three years. This was in 2005 and I haven't seen most of these guys since then...

I build a team and named it "Legion of Doom" with a logo of a Darth Vader helmet with an attitude of the legendary tag-team wrestling champion LOD. I got with me my nephew Ken, my cousin Erwin, my brother-in-law JP and his best friend King, my officemate Jun and my best buddy Jeff.

We were unfortunate to get an award but we enjoyed being part of the game and battle with teams who competes internationally, a couple of US marines, ex-militaries, mountaineers and guys from different professions...and kids as well...

We’re so disappointed that time because we're still four of us alive in our team and we're looking for just a single opponent to advance to quarter finals but could not find him only to know that we've passed over him and we didn't know that he's the one were looking for and he's just a twelve year old kid. I’ve seen him sitting in one corner so I thought he might be just watching the game…

If only we've studied every team specially their team members, we might have won a trophy... and that's a hint for you guys who are new to the sport!

The I.T. World For Ms. Universe - Philippines

2008-03-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago, I wrote an article for my wife’s contribution to her organization’s gazette on Information Technology. A week before that is the Philippine launching of Microsoft Windows 2000. And at that same week, the Binibining Pilipinas 2000 pageant was just shown on local television…

Here’s the original article….

-------------------------------------------------------

The I.T. World For Ms. Universe - Philippines

It was on the night of February 26th that I was struck on my seat by the reaction of the Bb. Pilipinas finalists on the question “How you should pursue your ambition and become successful in the fast changing world of the new millennium?” Except for one Ms. Alagao who subsequently became our Miss Universe contender. According to her “That question shouldn’t be difficult for someone who’s very receptive to new ideas. I guess I have to be on guard all the time. I can’t be caught unaware of things to come. One have to be always on the lookout for what is new.”

A very timely and informative reply not just for us in the IT related course and profession but for every field that we are bind. Even I who has been in this field since my college years could not bear the fast enhancements of hardware and software. I was full of excitement when I first bought my ‘clone’ PC on my sophomore year in college but became dismayed when MMX technology was a big boom just four months after I bought it with their prices not much of a difference. The suggestion of being ‘aware of things’ is not new to us since we all have the tools of downloading information such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television and other means of communication.

Today, the ability to utilize the power of computer has that edge anywhere you may be. It is inevitable and undeniably the trend of this generation. The gradual transfer of the industry from manual system to electronic system has affected us as a labor force in the future. Many companies would likely acquire someone who knows how to use the computer in a white-collar job and even some for the blue collar ones. Even my mom who is an grade-school teacher is so eager to learn how to use our PC at home but I just couldn’t alot few hours for her, perhaps one of these days. It’s not only the system that changed but also the ownership of companies.

What else has happen this past few months? After the prestigious launching of Windows 2000 last February 17 and 18 at the PICC, it’s seems the term ‘IT World’ has just been transposed with ‘MS World’ i.e. Microsoft World. With its dominance in the market, it would not be impossible that it would manufacture its own processors or bought the Intel Corporation. Who could possibly think of what Bill Gates can do next with their new release of ‘X-Box’, a game console that will deliver the most realistic, intense and action-packed game experience available. The Sony ‘PlayStation’ and other play station manufacturer have now a new competitor in Microsoft. In programming development, Borland Corporation has its product free for downloading and many programmers would comment that its software is far more effective than those of Microsoft’s. It is possible to say that this effects to other companies has much to do with the products released by BG’sMS but I’ll give you this part to think about it.

Engaging in the Internet business is an emerging turnabout in the telecommunications field. These companies who lose much of their salability because of the two dragons of telecoms have found a new strategy in wireless communication using the Internet. Instead of a local phone lines they are marketing by the use of transceivers at from both ends, providing much more gigabytes of information compare to 56 Kbps of modems and 64 Mbps of lease lines. Whether this project will obtain their projected net or not, sooner or later PLDT can no longer be in used.

The developments in the field of Information Technology are very active and we cannot be dormant in this new millennium. The need to acquire information is for all of us, who should always be aware and pro-active…

BIG - Growing Up at 32

2008-02-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

Another movie that I've seen at my favorite cinema when I was a boy is Tom Hanks “BIG”. This movie was in my head for weeks and whenever I go to sleep, I dreamt that when I woke up, I'll be this 30-year old guy which my mom would not notice sleeping in my bed and she’ll throw me out as if I'm a burglar.

Today, I feel BIG because I just got promoted to senior position with much bigger responsibilities and the tough thing about it is I feel sad for my colleagues who're not chosen. But the toughest thing that creeps my mind is that I don’t want to grow up yet. I feel like I’m still a happy-go-lucky kid.

But I got a family now and because I want them to have the comfort of a good life, I have to grow up fast…

You can never be certain of your future but you can always do something today. To help you prepare for it, you’ve got to take bits of improvement whenever possible. And whatever decisions you’ll make, it is because you dream big and you want something more than usual.

Complacency more often plays the role of our “Failure to Launch”, as the romantic movie suggests. We feel satisfied with what we have or what we are right now but the world isn’t.

The day you stop believing in your career advancement is the day you let go of your opportunity to grow as an individual, a family person and as a professional…

3 inchIS More

2008-01-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a 4 days vacation in Bohol with my family and was surprised by a 3-inch pile of SI magazines on top of my table. The subscriber's name was familiar so I went to his office and thank him for the mags.

This guy is our chief of security and every morning, he'd stand at the yard overseeing the security procedure of his staff. I would open my car window and greet him before proceeding to the north parking area, he then would shout "Howie Mandel!" and for a while I did not bother to check who's this Mandel guy until now.

And so Howie Mandel is a Canadian and the host of the US "Deal or No Deal" tv game show. He may be a fan of the show that's why he kept calling me with that name every morning as a way of making a joke. Anyway, he's a cool guy though many are afraid of his status, I got used to his type coz i'm more comfortable dealing or communicating with people with bold personality even when i was still young...

Thanks again, Jake!

Blood Diamond - Sierra Leone

2008-01-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

In my three weeks stay in the U.S., I have studied a system so secure, well planned and strictly implemented but across the Atlantic Ocean, I never thought that I would hear a different story and almost an exact opposite of this system.

In class I met Mohamed, another Foreign National sent for training and he's a great story teller, he talked about his childhood, his family, his community and his country Sierra Leone. We have almost the same history, traditions and culture, we've been both under a colonial power, both experienced certain type of militarism and with unmanageable poverty and corruption. But I think no country has ever endured the turmoil that took place in their country several years ago...

If you've seen the movie "Blood Diamond" it took place in Sierra Leone and during this chaos Mohamed was a young family man with 3 kids and extended family. In that time, everybody seems to be an enemy, a rebel in military uniform, a military doing a rebel's act. For them to survive, he took his family on a journey out of the country on Dec 23 and reached Conakry, Guinea on Jan 3. It was hard, he said because you'll have to pass through forests, rivers, swamps and most of the time hiding from the rebels...

Amistad, remember this movie? The hero in this movie is also a Sierra Leonean Sengbe Pieh who was portrayed by the same actor in Blood Diamond Djimon Hounsou an African from Benin. Mohamed gave me a book "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah who was a boy soldier during those dark years which I read from from cover to cover during my flight going home. He gave me a 5000 Leones which has Pieh as the hero...

SI's "First" ISsue

2008-01-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

Today, I received the best birthday gift to start the year.

I got a Sports Illustrated gift set from mom and bela. I actually saw it at a bookstore in Rockwell and I called mom’s attention and asked her this, “do you know what I want for my birthday?” and then I showed her the book from my back and said, "This!"

And of course, she bought it as expected, Yahoo! What's great about it is it has reprint of the first issue, the very first SI issue dated 08-16-54 included also is a hardbound book entitled "The Best of Sports Illustrated". I guess being a sports fan, you'll have to know also or at least have a copy of this magazine issue... I always wanted to build a room full of sports memorabilia’s like posters, movies, balls, books, coins, jerseys, action figures and also picture frames of SI best covers hanging on the wall...

SI, inspired me, reading stories of athletes is like reading about your life struggles and challenges…You learn from their stories the importance of giving your best all the times, of being humble and thankful to those who made you what you are today, of how to handle defeat and losing, and how to make your family a part of your success…

I love your gift, mom and bela! You’re my inspirations, every single day of my being!

In Pursuit of True Happiness - Brooklyn NY

2007-12-16T03:15:00.000-08:00

Few weeks before Christmas of 2005, I'm at the office working as the Saturday duty personnel and my wife called me, she was crying and her voice seems to falter every now and then.

She together with my In-laws went to CGH that day for Bela's first checkup after birth with her pediatrician and everything was OK except for one thing and said that she heard a quiet, indistinctive sound and to medical interpretation, a murmur. She immediately referred them to the best cardio doctor she knew for a second opinion which sadly is the same result and in her very early stage of life, she undergo 2D-Echo to make sure...

And so the findings stand, she has a congenital heart disease and it broke mom's young mother's heart and that she'll carry it in her load every second, every minute and everyday for several months...I finished my tasks and before going home, I browse the internet for other hospitals and called them one by one and ask for the best cardio doctor's name and number to make an appointment. When I was on the cab reviewing the names that i got, i saw two the same name, the previous doctor in CGH is the same name of the cardiologist I got from St. Luke’s so I explained to her "Mom, I think we already got one of the best doctor in town." From then on, we put our trust to him and followed every bit of detail that he wants us to do for daughter's health.

We're young parents to experience this but I'm a very positive person as an individual and I guess and hope that I remain strong for my family. I always make sure that I gave her strength and encouragement every time I see her sad...It was the saddest Christmas we've experienced but I never cried nor see me sad in front of them not until now, all my tears are flowing from left and right eyes, all in red, from thousand miles away from home in very cold and snowy NY city...inside the bathroom...so as no one would hear...

Before I got the news from mom thru YM, I was on my way to NY from DC and as we would do before when we're here in 2004, we'd consume our time by watching a movie at the Regal Cinemas beside the Verizon Centre near Chinatown and we would eat there afterwards. And after my meal, I got a traditional fortune cookie, and as I open it, i said to myself, "Whatever it is, i will not put my full attention to it." And so I went to the bus station for 2AM ride. I arrived in NY at 6am which is an hour earlier than scheduled and went to McDnalds for something to bite. After having my breakfast, I went to Time Square and at 7AM, ToysRUs is already open for the holiday shoppers. At about 9AM, I was already at Kuya Andy and Ate Marivic's place in Brooklyn.

It's good to be back, knowing that I have a family in them and with Jesse, the prettiest boxer I've ever seen...We drank coffee and did some chats and they got a Mac and asks if I can use it later and so did...I logon to YM and there was mom already online and she broke the news that after two years, Bela's heart is totally healed coming from a Saturday checkup with our cardiologist! It's the biggest gift we could ever ask from God and we could not ask for more...

After a while, I suddenly remember the fortune cookie that says something about happiness. Truly, we're so happy for our daughter and for all who prayed and stayed with us in this challenging stage we've been through...

Thank you so much for all your prayers and love! Thank you God!

My First Winter - Let it Snow

2007-12-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

When I left LA, its been raining all night and Niel drove me to LAX around 430am and its still raining hard. Not too many people at the airport at that time but during the inspection, i was a bit slow, i put everything to the tray that goes thru the scanner and a guy announced to not include the tickets but mine is already on other side of the conveyor so I waited till they saw it from my things before I passed thru the scanner.

My first stop is St. Paul and seeing from the top, almost everything are covered with snow and its my first time to see this type of scenery being from a country with only dry and wet seasons. I arrived at DC around 430pm and went to a friend to drop off my things before I watch the NBA game at Verizon Center. I got lost a bit but found the place after reading the map and it was very cold. Whenever I remove my gloves i can feel numbness...I can see also ice on the grass and sidewalks so its really cold...

Well...Let it snow!

Welcome

2007-12-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my site! Hope you'll have a wonderful time reading my stories...

-Howie-Dude-