What do you believe in?

Liz, from project vanity, is giving away three (3) gift certificates from Levi's jeans worth 1,000 each!

What could be more perfect than getting yourself one of those new Levi's Curve ID Jeans? So head over to Liz's blog now, follow the simple instructions and get a chance to win the GCs!

This is my entry:

I believe that life is an adventure, that there is so many things out there are worth seeing, doing and experiencing. I am passionate about travel and I try to get the most out of my life while I still can and maybe, even for a short while, I can feel free.

UPDATE (9/6/2010):
It's a little late but the winners are finally out and I'm so happy that my entry was chosen as one of the winners! Check out Liz's post to check out the other winning entries.

Read the rest of this post...

Summary only...

Thoughts on the Hostage Crisis

Like most other people, I feel the hostage-taking crisis last night was handled in an exceptionally bad way.

What really got to me was that I don't think Capt. Ronaldo Mendoza was an evil man to begin with. What he was seeking was justice. I am inclined to believe that his claim of innocence against charges or extortion and robbery was true, for all he wanted was to be reinstated to the service so that he could still claim the pension, and other benefits when he retired.

Though I don't condone his methods, still, it just goes to show that in the Philippines, if you don't take a stand for what you absolutely believe is true (in this case, Mendoza's insistence that he was unjustly discharged), then nothing will happen. Justice seems to be severely lacking in the Philippines and forced one man, who had served the police force for nearly 30 years to act in such a way that led to the tragic incident. He had served all his life, was allegedly falsely accused of criminal acts, and eventually removed from the force. His father, brother and son were all policemen and he was named one of the country's top 10 best policemen in 1986. What could have made a man change so much?

And why did the police have to restrain his brother right in his line of sight, when the brother wanted to negotiate with him? It is a known fact that it was this incident that prompted his random shooting of hostages.

Why did the negotiations fail? Was his demand so unacceptable that no compromise was met? Why the heck did it take a long time to break the fiber glass? Why did the police even launch a full assault when there were still hostages inside?

The crisis started at 10am. Why didn't the authorities have any strategy up until 7pm in the evening? Why in the world did they use ropes (which unsurprisingly broke) instead of chains when they attempted to pull the door free by tying one end to a mobile vehicle?

The whole crisis surely was an embarrassment to the Philippines but most importantly, it cannot bring back the lives lost on that day.

Read the rest of this post...

Summary only...

Fairy Tail Anime Review

Genre: Adventure/Comedy
Contains: Magic, Beautiful Girls, Guild Wars
Rating: Must Watch
No. of Episodes: As of this writing 40, ongoing

From L-R: Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster

Before Onemanga removed all its content, my boyfriend had been reading a manga called Fairy Tail. He kept insisting that the story was great and the main character was totally funny, whose personality was similar to Luffy of One Piece. The creator of Fairy Tail is Hiro Mishima, also the creator of Rave Master, and if you're familiar with both works, you'd see a LOT of similarities.

More after the break.

A naked Gray shocks Lucy

The story follows the adventures of Lucy, a Stellar Spirit Mage who can summon spirits of the Zodiac, Natsu, the lead male protagonist who was raised by a dragon and has the courage to match his flames, Erza, called the Fairy Queen Titania, a knight who could change magical armors and weapons, and Gray, the Ice Master, who constantly strips off his clothes and my personal favorite in the group. Like most anime, it also has a mascot (think Kon from Bleach), a flying blue cat named Happy.

They all belong to the magical guild called Fairy Tail and to earn money (the currency is Jewels), they need to accept jobs from clients, then collect the reward. As expected, some of the jobs don't turn out the way they want it to and that's where trouble begins. They also have to contend with rival guilds and power hungry mages who are out to rule the world.

Erza in her Heaven's Wheel Armor

I love the anime and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites. The story is fast paced, the characters likable and it is full of funny moments. I assure you, you will be laughing most of the time while watching this anime. Still, some of the episodes contain a touch of drama so you won't get bored. There are also some cute episodes which show all the characters when they were still young.

In summary, I would highly recommend Fairy Tail to all anime fanatics, especially to those who enjoyed One Piece.

Read the rest of this post...

Summary only...

Lady Vashj - World of Warcraft Action Figure

I had been meaning to post this for a long time now but just kept forgetting to do it. But anyhow, this is Lady Vashj from my collection of Warcraft action figures.

Unlike Tamuura, Vashj is part of Warcraft's storyline. She was the chief handmaiden of Queen Azshara and was transformed into a naga when the queen and those loyal to her were cast to the sea during the Great Sundering. She also played a part in the war of the Lich King when she helped Illidan Stormrage but she was killed when adventurers invaded her lair, the Serpentine Cavern.

I think, the hero Medusa in DOTA was designed after Lady Vashj.

CLICK THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE

More pictures and descriptions after the break.

Lady Vashj is quite a big piece when fully assembled and somewhat heavy. Although she is holding her weapons, her overall countenance doesn't strike me as someone about to attack. More like someone just lowering her weapons after battle.

The details in her upper body is simply beautiful. I love her pauldrons, her armlets and who could miss that swirly design on her bodice?

Here is a closer look at Vashj's face. I still like Tamuura's expression more, though, but you gotta agree that Vashj's makeup is striking.

I'm not entirely satisfied with the snakes in Vashj's hair. They seem to lack shading and visual impact.

Lady Vashj's very ornate bow and arrow. It looks kinda corroded with the greenish tint.

A closer look at her tail armor. Very nice details.

More pictures of her face and upper body. At this angle, she looks like she's staring right into you.

Here's Vashj's sword. If that sword cuts you with those wicked edges, you're mincemeat.

                Manufacturer: DC Unlimited

Read the rest of this post...

Summary only...

On our Way!

Just now, I booked tickets for three of my friends and me to Ho Chi Minh City. Cebu Pacific was having a "lucky 88" seat sale. For me and Bryan (an officemate), we got a round trip ticket for Php 2,900.00 but when I booked for Charles and Ian, we didn't make it on time and the seats with the same promo fare as ours was gone. We still booked them tickets which added up to almost Php 3,700.00.

I've always wanted to go and visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the largest religious structure in the world, and now my dream is in full swing! I'm going to hope and pray to St. Clare for nice weather on that day. =)

Read the rest of this post...

Summary only...

Run For Pasig

The ABS CBN Foundation is organizing a benefit fun run for the rehabilitation of Pasig river. Normally, I'm not the runner type. I prefer to just stay home, design scrapbook pages, bother my boyfriend, or play RPGs on my PSP.

The thing about this run is that it's not just any run, but an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest amount of participants in a foot race. The current record is 110,000 runners in a 1988 run in San Francisco, California. This time around, ABS CBN is aiming to gather 120,000 runners. As a plus, the run will be held on August 10, 2010. That's 10-10-10. Quite symbolic, huh?

Still, that wouldn't have been enough to convince me to join in if not for the fact that that many runners would probably leave one no choice but to walk instead. Like I said, I'm not the runner type. Besides, my company was sponsoring 3,000 participants so my registration fee was free already. Might as well exercise, break a record and join a good cause all at the same time. Lol!

So, if you want to join, go visit www.101010runforthepasigriver.com. Registration fee is P250 for individuals, and P100 for students and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police. There will be 3 categories, 3K, 5K and 10K. (I only joined the 3K ^_^)

And for those wanting to buy running shoes, a little treat below:

Read the rest of this post...

Summary only...