CouchSurfing In Manila

While I've already mentioned pieces of my Couchsurfing experiences, I've never really expounded on what it was. It's an internet-based volunteer program that offers couches all over the world as accommodation. If you're ever travelling anywhere across the globe and you'd want to skip the whole tourist trap parade (complete with flags, lisping tour guides, and sticker IDs the size of China), then I'd surely recommend this one. You'd have to be a member of course, and but worry not, it's definitely free.

I've had successful surfings in Southeast Asia, and already pseudo-hosted in Manila. It's definitely a great experience, as you share stories of how different cultures vary around the world. A few days back, Phil, a nomadic ambassador dropped over and was warmly welcomed by Team CouchSurfing Manila. I'll just post a few pictures (click on My Flickr Gallery), and fast forward to the message, lest I risk being Society page fodder.

There was a book that was recently published about the 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country - and while some of them are extremely difficult (like respecting your politicians/public servants) or heartbreaking (paying your taxes), most are just downright simple (follow traffic rules, do not litter, vote). How does CouchSurfing come into the picture? Item #4 - Talk positively about our race and our country. Filipino hospitality is something we pride ourselves excessively with, and what a greater venue to showcase this when we host travellers from around the world.


Yes, the main what's-in-it-for-me is not shelling out precious euros while backpacking Spain, Italy and Germany, but while you're enjoying the chat and scenery, do share great things about country. Amid the airport paranoia, liquid ban in planes, a stranger is about to welcome you into their homes - it is time to channel the inner ironist in you, that despite rabid politicking and hellish traffic jams in our country, there is still a lot of things beautiful in our 7,107 islands.

Drat! My PC broke down again

*looks at title above*

Duh, second time in a month and a half.

New Guns On Tour

Flashback first: it's Y2K and I'm flipping between the New Balls Please campaign, and seeing the Backstreet Boys on MTV. Seven years later, Britney Spears is expecting a third child, Lleyton Hewitt is already a has-been, and Jennifer Capriati is retired again.

As I go through the latest issue of TENNIS magazine, there is a streak of young athletes making waves on the ATP and WTA. Gasquet, Berdych, Monfils, Murray, Almagro, Ivanovic, Chakvetadze, Jankovic, Vaidisova and Baghdatis.

None of them have won a Grand Slam, but I see several Tier I/Master Series winners. Aside from playing the First To Win A Slam Derby, I would have to choose my favorites as well.

Clearly head and shoulders above my men's pick is Andy Murray. Greatest asset? That change of pace. I'm terribly impressed at the way he plays the point by mixing a slow ball, then firing forehands. Killer shot? Crosscourt double-handed backhand, not as brute as Nadal's, but the way it veers away from the opponent is a feat.



The women's side is definitely a harder choice - Miss Consistent would be Ana Ivanovic, Best Performance in a Grand Slam goes to Nicole Vaidisova, Toughest Girl On The Block would be Jelena Jankovic and Miss Quiet Performer would be Anna Chakvetadze. Still, I'm rooting for Anna, version 3.

Blog Awards

In light of my recent woe in the article below, to which our ever-reliable IT Helpdesk was able to restore my Nov 2006 files, not my March 2007 files (rendering it all useless), I still have good news to share.

Quelle bon surprise! My blog is nominated for the Philippine Blog Awards in not one, but two categories (Travel and Personal). Thanks to those who nominated my site, I'm not even aware that there was an nomination season.

Given this wonderful news, I promise to do the following:

1. I promise to write more in the blog, and be more conscious of the typographical errors. Watch me hack away at night, in complete graphomaniac mode.
2. I promise to post better pictures. (Which is a fancy way of saying that I shall reward myself with a really nice camera next month.)
3. I promise not to do a Sally Field should I win an award. However, if the presentor is totally hot, I promise to do an Adrien Brody.
4. I promise to treat those who nominated me for a drink. Haha.
5. I promise to have my travelogues share really useful tips. However, I cannot promise to not colorfully describe (ie. mock) the tourists I meet.

Edited to add: If you want to go to the event, just drop by here: Philippine Blog Awards: How to get your tickets

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There. Just an update, I finally saw a movie at the cinemas, - first since well, I got single again. To repeat an earlier statement, not just 1, but 2 movies, even!

Frank Miller got it perfectly right in 300, a dazzling mix of art direction, and story telling. I always loved stylized violence, but throw in a lot of story, it distracts you from the texture of the film (Can you hear me Sin City?). Not enough story and you get all dressed up paper dolls in a diorama (Sky Captain and World of Tomorrow). In 300, they stuck to their guns, or should I say spears and swords. It was the Battle of a Place I can't spell, and kept the momentum going. Well done right there.

The other movie I saw was Notes On A Scandal. Cate Blanchett, have an affair with me!

Seriously speaking, the movie was tight, and utterly delectable. Now, I have the confidence of taking the TOEFL - it felt like an English class right there. Crush ko din kasi si Judi Dench. Hehe.

My PC is broken!

My 2-month old laptop just crashed Thursday - I hope nothing fatal happened. So I'm remotely blogging here.

Just to remember what I'm supposed to be writing about, it's Heart 1035, and this weekend's CouchSurfing community.

Nibbling Around Chinese New Year

It was my first time to take a guided tour around Old Manila, and what a better way to spend it by taking a walking/eating tour around Binondo. How timely, it was Chinese New Year!


It's been featured at Lonely Planet, and several friends have already recommended taking Old Manila Walks - a delightful, quirky spin on a vibrant, often overlooked cultural hub of our sprawling metropolis.

When they said it's a walking tour, they really mean it - four hours of continuous walking; I did say it was an eating tour as well, and I was definitely filled to the brim by day's end (Will detail the dishes later).

You start at the Plaza (great, I already forgot the name) fronting Binondo Church, where our tour guide Ivan The Man quickly runs down the Chinese history in the Philippines. Interesting question: What is a Spanish basilica doing in the heart of the Chinese district? Closely look at the bell tower - is it similar to the bell tower in Paoay (featured in an earlier article), or does it more resemblance to the Thien Mu Pagoda picture I took in Hue?





Ding! Epiphany moment!

What I particularly loved with the tour was that it was very comprehensive in many ways - it had dishes from the North, Uighur, Sichuan, Fujian, and obviously, Cantonese. There were dumplings, noodles, siopao, fish soup, and the ubiquitous lumpia. From the new holes-in-the-wall to the veritable institutions, there was definitely something for everyone. This is definitely for the foodie that's already tired of the regular lemon chicken and sweet and sour pork.



There were about 10 stops, and 8 of those were eat-ins. Sadly, none of those were for dessert - somebody really has to explain to me the concept of hot desserts. In the manner champorado is not dessert, bubur chacha, peanut soup, ginataan and related dishes are not desserts. Sorry, but I digress.

Anyway, I fully encourage you to take this tour, or at least visit the website, and see a delicious side of Manila. I'm already contemplating on having a date at the Chinese cemeteries.

I Can't Blog!

Just a quick snip: I cant seem to blog because I'm too busy at work. It's been so crazy here, I haven't been sleeping well even!

I normally write my blogs offline at home, but It's been a pressure cooker environment recently. Just so I don't forget what I'm supposed to write about, here they are: Scotland, The New Breed of Music and Tennis, and apparently, having a bad week at work.

That Zoo of a Menu

Another 24-hour bus ride! And I finally arrive in Saigon to the house of my CouchSurfing hosts, Vicarious Voyage Andrew, John and Batista the Monkey. Their neighbors Arthur, Natalie and Elke were also around.

Those guys are most definitely nice, and overly generous. The first thing the asked me, apart from "Hey, are you Ronnie?" was "Do you want to eat a horse tonight?"



So we headed to the famed bia hoi via cyclo om (When in Vietnam, do as the Viet do). The menu was fascinating, it had porcupine, dear (note the spelling), rabbit, doves and frogs. However, the clincher was they had weasel on their menu (with citronella!) Ah, my Dilbert instincts were jumping for joy at the thought of skewering weasels.

The following day was no less of a test for my stomach as we had snake. Eww. Snakes definitely rank high (if not the highest) in my Eew list, and eating them definitely sent it off the charts. The skin was gummy (ugh), but the meat was fishy - a muscular one.



That was good, my favorite was the porcupine, while the least ones were the horse, it had a strange racetrack-aftertaste, and the snake. At least there was something that threw me off the safe path for this trip.

A Cast Of Characters in Vietnam

So my travel narrative does not seem to be running a correct timeline. What I'm going to do, is narrate it by the people I met.

While I was busy pigging out in Hoi An, I met the other tourists I saw from previous points in Vietnam. I bumped into Team Korea, who were frantically waving at me from the riverside. I am now snapping my fingers why I didn't have a picture taken with them complete with flashing of the "V" sign. Tsk.

There was Miss India, who was from the Netherlands who absolutely love the Mekong cruise and Luang Prabang. She was so tired from the vacation, that she was looking for a vacation from the vacation.

Then there was the Russian couple, the girl looked like that crybaby Starr from Project Runway, and the guy looked like a thinner Mr. Bean. Go figure.



There was the newlyweds, a photographer from LA. He took that picture of me by a gate in Hue. There's a tip right there - alone? Looking for someone in the crowd to take your picture? Always pick the one with the fanciest camera, chances are, he's a professional, and it's almost always you'll get a nice picture. For free! By the way, his wife, Ms. Mexico, was hot.



I was trying to get a picture of this girl who looked like Maria Kirilenko (damn!), but everytime I get a good angle, his big menacing boyfriend would pop in, with a glower in his face (yaiks!). I did have some stolen shots of her though, hehehe.

The bus from Hoi An to Nha Trang was an overnight one, and when we got off to switch buses in Nha Trang I had a chat with Mr. Germany, whose only knowledge of Filipinos were of religious maids (Watch them gather by the church every Sunday!) and delicious lumpiang Shanghai.

By the we were supposed to board the bus to Saigon, I met Roxette from Hanoi, and another Swedish couple. Four Swedes and what do you get? Right, Abba! And for the next 2 hours, that's what was playing, inside the bus. Mama Mia! Dancing Queen! Chiquitita! Super Trooper! Fernando!

Ooh, it's actually funny that I know that many Abba Songs. Thank you for the music, but no thanks - as I plugged my earphones on.

Food Tripping in Hoi An

Yes, based on the previous entry, you should not skip Hue should you ever visit Vietnam. It was a wonderful surprise - but I have to keep trodding on.

My next stop was Hoi An, in South-Central Vietnam. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, basically due to the yellowed buildings and common architecture in the area.

At this point, I think I've had my share of Chinese temples, antique houses, and sweaty tourists. So, I went on a food trip. Hoi An has a lot of little cafes, but the most popular one would be Cargo Club. There was not a single Starbucks that I have seen (Highlands Coffee was the nearest approximation, where I had, duh, an Italian soda. Yummy though.) through out Vietnam, so I definitely had to try their local and famous coffee.

There was strawberry tart, pineapple caramel cake, chocolate croissant. I almost never left that blasted cafe. The local coffee was, for lack of a more colorful description. strong. Okay, let's use the power of print on that one - it was STRONG. Their latte tasted like espresso, and I'm starting to think that their version of espresso would be chewing the actual beans.


I was never a fan of Vietnamese cuisine - I thought that the food was sweet without reason, it had nothing but noodles (badly made ones at that), and there were too many unnecessary greens in the soup. Okay, I take all of that back. Their pho was fantastic - I loved the idea that the rice noodles were a little gummy, a good departure from the usual ramen, and the lemongrass gave the soup the appropriate sweetness.

If I was to recommend one dish from there, I would recommend the white rose. *looks up the food guide to find the local name* Aaah, Banh bao. It's like ravioli, but it's pork wrapped in rice dough, splashed with a lemongrass-citrus dressing, then topped crispy shrimp slivers. Mmmm.

So there, try Vietnamese food, give it a chance, I didn't, and now I regret it. Like one menu claimed, it's not as spicy as Thai, not as greasy as Chinese!

Well, Rough Guides Hasn't Failed Me Yet

Just as I was about to drop my 15,000 dong in the beer bucket, my cyclo arrived at my hostel to pick me up and bring me to the bus station for my overnight bus ride. I meet a pair of Swedish girls (whom I will now call Roxette), and a pair of French grannies, now known as well, the French Teabags.

The French Teabags are on their way to Ninh Binh, just 2 hours south of Hanoi, to experience nature, rice paddies and mountain trekking. No thank you, we got lots of that where I come from. Roxette, on the other hand had the same destination as I did, Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam.

The bus ride is uneventful, until the bus driver decides to mock the passengers dying to get a piss. He pulls over to a petrol station and as soon as the passengers rise from their seats to deboard the bus, he steps on the gas and the bus careens off, throwing the now-standing and the almost-standing passengers hurling backwards. He did this about four times, and all we can do is scratch our heads. Okay, I was laughing like a hyena, hehehe, and they couldn't see me because it was dark.

Save for a brief chat with Miss Israel (first time to see a traveler from the Philippines, got scared in Cambodia, and returning from Laos), I spent most of the time sleeping.



Wasting no time, I check in a guest house, take a bath, change clothes, and book a tour to see the tombs. Rough Guides hasn't failed me yet - my hotel in Hanoi was 7USD and had free internet, breakfast and hot showers. My hotel in Hue had the same amenities, but had a bathtub! Sweet!

The food selection is amazing too, as I ate over at Cafe on Thu Wheels, and the selection was reasonably priced. You even get to choose which CD to play from her selection.

Take the recommended sites/hotels/eateries from Rough Guides, I think they make a great fit for solo travellers and backpackers.

An Ad!

You may have noticed, I have placed an advertisment on my blog. Manlilibre ako kapag pinadalhan ako ng check ng Google. So, click away!

Doing the Hanoi Checklist

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - check. (Was I really just supposed to walk aroud a tightly guarded building?)
Presidential Palace - check. (How French! But can I retrace my steps back, I wasn't able to take a picture of the actual Palace!)
Temple of Literature - check. (Ah, had to check the dictionary what the frigging hell a stelae was)
One Pillar Pagoda - check.(I think I'll stay right here on the bench, thank you)

I had a hard time finding the Hanoi Hilton, which was (duh) beside the Hanoi Sofitel! How ironic that a prison (turned into a museum) is sitting beside a high-rise luxurious residential complex.

Allow me to segue a bit here. As you can see from the picture below,The Amazing Race did a clue junction in Hoa Lo Prison. Was never a fan of war history, but the prison visit struck a personal chord with me. War is a messy business, a lot of lives are lost for naught, and in an age of technology, diplomacy and greater avenues for communication, agression is definitely not the only available option.

The detention cells were very uhm, demonstrative, as they had actual wax figures enclosed, cased and bound to the exhibition. Creepy, definitely creepy.




















Back to the checklist.

Opera House – check.
Hanoi Hilton Hotel – check. (The real one, the one that Paris has to thank for being a hotel heiress).

I got brought to the last two place by Nguyen Anh Kiet, via his rickshaw. It was a leisurely stroll down the Parisian avenues of Hanoi, but I think I gave his 70 year old legs a tough test. Here he is below, smiling but most probably cursing me under his breath.









He even handed me his calling card:

Nguyen Anh Kiet
Deputy Director
Four Musketeers Cyclo and Guide Service
“All for One and One for All”

English spoken and of helpful experience to foreign visitors to Vietnam.
Recommended by Evan Ham, Frank Palmos and Murray Yeoman.

Is my pop culture IQ dropping, or are these guys just not famous?

Off To Hanoi!

As usual, my flight via Air Asia was delayed - luckily, this time around it was for an quasi-thankful 1 hour only.

So let me comment first on the Viets - they look very Filipino. Remember that commercial where the OFW tosses his denim jacket from the departure area of the airport? The Viets looke like that, complete with buttons (on the denim jacket) as large as belt buckles. If our promdis looked promdi, they looked the part 10 times more.

I land in Hanoi, and it's a foggy place, with January temperatures hovering around 15 degrees Celsius. I love it!

Watch out for people who will tell you that your hotel is fully booked,, and they will recommend you to a new one. Apparently, scam innovation here has advanced much has it? Take the minibus to town, it cost me just 2 USD, and will bring you right to the heart of the Hoan Kiem Lake District.

Two things I hated with Hanoi: first is the never-ending ride-pimping. "YO CYCLO!" is the local term for "Do you wanna ride?" However, for me, the best way of getting to know the city is on foot. Which leads me to hate-point number two.

The road planning around the city just sucks. The roads change names after intersections, and all of them look the same. I remember walking away from the Flag Tower, eastwards, after an hour of walking, I end up at the west side!! Lame, I know, but I took a cab home instead.

Oh, I know someone who has a pet peeve for kids who have rubber shoes that double as roller skates. Vietnamese flutter by the streets in their motorcycles the same way the kids on rubber shoes-slash-roller skates in malls. In a devil-may-care, do-what-you-like frenzy. The Lonely Planet tip? Walk, don't run. Heck, I've done enough walking for the day.

Music From Vietnam

No. It's not what you think. This is the Vietnam soundtrack I packed with me for my week long trip.



Surfacing by Sarah McLachlan

Great album, thanks to a gift voucher, I finally have my own copy. Hey, when is she releasing her next album?



Oh No by OK Go

That novelty treadmill dance aside, give this group a nod for being a credible addition to the music scene. The whole album simply rocks, and my favorite would be Invincible. The album comes with a free VCD, so if you want to see that treadmill video over again, along with documentaries, and ripoffs of their other dance, then this is the summer album for you.



Let Love In by Goo Goo Dolls

Mayller, you were right! It's a fantastic album, and should've bought this one sooner. I have a theme with anthemic songs (Let Love In), or songs that start slow, and those that start to swell up a storm (Better Days), or just something you could bang your head to (Stay With You). Better Days would be my favorite, as it captures the wonderful sentiment of the holidays melded with that hopefulness and optimism.



Beautiful Awakening by Stacie Orrico

So Simple and I'm Not Missing You were definitely the the easy listening songs of the bunch. Well worth it.



No blog post yet, but a little picture should be enough as a teaser.

2007 Australian Open

My first tennis post of the year! I may be on vacation, but it's not stopping me from writing my predictions Oz 2007. Well, it's a little abridged, though.

Men's Singles
Defending Champion: Roger Federer

QF Matches:
Federer vs Gasquet
J. Johansson vs Roddick
Nalbandian vs Davydenko
Blake vs Murray

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Women's Singles
Defending Champion: Amelie Mauresmo

QF Matches:
Maria vs Anna (Chakvetadze). The Maria-Ana encounter in R16 should be good.
Kim vs Martina
Nadia vs Shahar. Tough road for Nadia, as she's battling with injury, then Serena, and Jelena.
Nicole vs Amelie.

Surprise Visit

Unlike my SEAsia trip last year, which I have probably planned to death, I am leaving tomorrow for Malaysia. After that, I'm going backpacking again, but this time, across Vietnam. This one, I have no pre-arranged plans, sort of. All I know is that my return flight to Manila is a week later than the rest of my officemates.

I already bought The Rough Guide to Vietnam (couldn't live without a map), and picked out some of the sights I want to go. Here's what I have so far: I have no tickets to Vietnam yet, nor hotel accommodations, but I have a plan!!!

The plan is to fly to Hanoi, spend a day there, then head to to Hue, then to Hoi An. From then on, I have no freaking idea whatsoever. I don't know if I should return to Hanoi and peek at Halong Bay (TAR10 went there), or proceed to Saigon. Take note that there are no cheap flights from Saigon to Kuala Lumpur, so I have to either proceed to Phnom Penh to fliy to KL, or fly to Singapore then bus back to KL. Hmmm....

All righty, my brain is fried from over thinking this one. Any suggestions?

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Okay, so I probably think that you wouldn't believe me if I really plan on winging this one. The route I'll most probably be taking is:

Hanoi-Hue-Hoi An-Saigon-Phnom Penh-Singapore-KL. How I plan to travel that much in 7 days, I'm not so sure.

Oh, by the way, I'll be missing the first 3 days of the Australian Open, which probably means I won't be hosting the Fantasy League. But I think I still might have enough time to do the predictions =)

The Best Songs of 2006 Part II

The top 20 for 2006. All songs here can be found in my Multiply account: monsterboy music and words .



1 Move Along - All American Rejects
Rock on all year long. Also takes the cake for this year's Best Video, next to OK Go's treadmill bit.

2 Catch Your Wave - Click Five
Like I've said before, pure pop for the summer. This one's for you J.

3 Raindrops - Stunt
Picking up pieces from 1997 list winner Encore Une Fois, Stunt manages to update it a decade later with a flourish.

4 Song For A Friend - Jason Mraz
Opera, rock, rap, you name it, Mraz can sing it. Here he belts out a brilliant song with amazing lyrics to boot.

5 Hallelujah - Bamboo
It's very rare for an OPM track (in Filipino at that) to make it to the list. Bamboo truly earned this one.

6 I've Got A Dark Alley And A Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song) - Fall Out Boy
Perfectly captures that highschool-wallflower-at-the-prom feeling.

7 It Ends Tonight - All American Rejects
Another great catch from AAR. The fireworks in the video does wonders for the song.

8 Talk - Coldplay
X&Y is my favorite Coldplay album. There are a lot of other great songs, including A Message, Swallowed In The Sea and Fix You. Also, it's so much better hearing this one live.

9 Hands Open - Snow Patrol
The best song in the album, Snow Patrol breaks out of their whiny selves and dishes out a headbanger.

10 Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray
A relative newcomer, the groups carries the alternative sensibilities popular during the mid-90s.

11 Forever Young - Youth Group
This year's nostalgia song. Highschool, the 80s, prom, the OC, the works.

12 Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol
They really should've released this song - I think it's so much better than a lot of the songs from such a good album.

13 Truth - Bamboo
The last riff that goes Ooh child, it's been so good since I last saw you gives me the shivers.

14 Statues - Low Millions
Bought the album on a limb, and did me wonders. Take note that the lead singer is Leonard Cohen's son.

15 7 Minutes In Heaven (Atavan Halen) - Fall Out Boy
Play this song during the summer and go wild!

16 Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
This one gets brownie points for having a wicked remix. Minus points for wrongly used in the season finales of Grey's Anatomy, much more so for One Tree Hill.

17 Thinking About You - Ivy
Old artist discovery of the year. A zesty find, and a refreshing melody.

18 I'm Not Missing You - Stacie Orrico
Much respect for this fine lady for crafting songs without sounding the a pop machine.

19 Nothing In This World (Jason Nevins Remix) - Paris Hilton
Yes, the thought of having Paris Hilton in the list might be cringe-worthy, but Jason Nevins did a great job of de-bimboing the song... Besides, TIME magazine did admit that the album is not as crass as you might think.

20 How To Save A Life - The Fray
Loved the song, but not because of Grey's Anatomy.

The Best Songs of 2006 Part I

Pity that I should have discovered blogging earlier, so I could have published (and preserved) my year-end music list. Nevertheless, here we are celebrating the most loved, most played, and most sung songs of this year.

Previous winners include Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind (1997), You Get What You Give by New Radicals (1998), Yellow by Coldplay (2001), Breathe by Michelle Branch (2003), Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard (2004) and last year, Hard-Fi took it for Hard to Beat. There are some lapses in between, and that's where this blog helps.

This is the first of two parts, and I'll only be featuring 40 songs. I have of course downloaded, purchased, and copied more than that, but these 40 songs have been the staple residents of my W800i. I truly hope that you enjoyed listening to these songs, and more importantly, I hope that these song has served in one way or another, as a mental bookmark for all the important things that happened this 2006.

21 Much Has Been Said - Bamboo
22 Half Light - Athlete
23 Too Little, Too Late - Jojo
24 Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
25 The Mixed Tape - Jack's Mannequin
26 Everything - Kaskade
27 Listen To Your Heart - DHT featuring Edmee
28 Boston - Augustana
29 All I Have - Snow Patrol
30 Wires - Athlete
31 Dirty Little Secret - All American Rejects
32 Feel The Vibe - Axwell
33 Get Together - Madonna
34 Watchin' - Freemasons featuring Ananda Wilson
35 Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
36 Faster Kill Pussycat - Paul Oakenfold featuring Brittany Murphy
37 Jump - Madonna
38 Nevermind - Texas
39 Believe Me - Fort Minor
40 Into The Sun - Chris Martin and Michael Stipe

Merry Christmas!

My neck hurts so bad, I can barely turn without wincing. Tsk! That's a very nice gift, don't you think? Anyhoo, hope your holidays turn out to be a blast!

You Are Time's Person Of The Year

Yes. You. And me too.

In a rapidly changing world of diversified individualism, there is no more appropriate person to take the stage and be the person of the year.

You've made the blogs, uploaded the videos, downloaded the songs. Now, more than ever, is the time for us, be ourselves, and share it to the world. And isn't that the spirit of being Person of the Year anyway?

The Best Songs of 2006

My choice, of course. I've listed down the top 30 or so songs, and do post your comments. You'd actually be surprised which ones would land in the Top 10. *wink*

7 Minutes In Heaven (Atavan Halen) by Fall Out Boy
All I Have by Snow Patrol
Believe Me by Fort Minor
Boston by Augustana
Catch Your Wave by Click Five
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
Everything by Kaskade
Faster Kill Pussycat by Paul Oakenfold featuring Brittany Murphy
Forever Young by Youth Group
Get Together by Madonna
Half Light by Athlete
Hallelujah by Bamboo
Hands Open by Snow Patrol
How To Save A Life by The Fray
I'm Not Missing You by Stacie Orrico
In The Sun by Michael Stipe and Chris Martin
It Ends Tonight by All American Rejects
I've Got A Dark Alley…(Summer Song) by Fall Out Boy
Jump by Madonna
Listen To Your Heart by DHT featuring Edmee
Move Along by All American Rejects
Much Has Been Said by Bamboo
Open Your Eyes by Snow Patrol
Over My Head (Cable Car) by The Fray
Sexyback by Justin Timberlake
Song For A Friend by Jason Mraz
Statues by Low Millions
Stunt by Raindrops
Talk by Coldplay
The Mixed Tape by Jack's Mannequin
Thinking About You by Ivy
Too Little, Too Late by Jojo
Truth by Bamboo
Waiting On The World To Change by John Mayer
Watchin' by Freemasons featuring Ananda Wilson
Wires by Athlete

Go North!

Yes, I know it’s pretty embarrassing to trek the country with a Lonely Planet, and have foreigners tell you how to explore your own land, but it provides security in terms of having default accommodation. This was of most use to me when I went to the Ilocos Region and did the Vigan-Laoag trek.

Let me start with this – Laoag International Airport has officially dethroned Zamboanga as the nicest looking regional airport. Laoag’s terminal was made of red brick, with distinctive Ilocano furnishings, and even the control tower reminded me of lighthouses that surround the general area. A regional airport should give you a taste of things to come – it should give a flavor of how the area looks, feels, and all right, smells like. The Laoag terminal differentiates itself from the flock of nondescript, dingy terminals around the country. Too bad I don’t have a picture here.

I love Ilocos country – not too much nature-y things to do, but lots of architectural marvels that reflect our Spanish heritage. There are lots of churches, bell towers, and pretty government institutions. Vigan’s Historical Center was a revelation (even though I’ve already gone here before), in the sense that I’m more of an architectural-slash-historical traveler. But heck, with these gorgeous sites, you’ll immediately forget white sand beaches and a canopy of palm trees.

On the way from Paoay (as the picture here proves) to the sand dunes in Laoag, my handy tricycle driver brought me here: Also known as “the middle of nowhere”, at least I was lucky to locate a nearby shoreline, a familiar house, and a dab of luxury called Fort Ilocandia. Hit the beach in pants, sneakers, then came out of the change room after 15 seconds in flip flops and board shorts – fast enough to make Clark Kent in a phone booth look like a wimp. Again, no brownie points for forgetting to take pictures of the coastline.

So I landed over at a swish, rustic casino. Nice! The downside, my flight got delayed by 4 hours, and my early evening trip back home got converted into a red eye flight, thus missing a concert. But the stay at Ilocos region surely made up for it. Plus, I took home Vigan longganisa. Yummy.

The pictures are here: Ilocos and Palawan

A New Blog Again!

I got a new space over at http://monsterboy.multiply.com , and it's going to hold all (okay, most) of the music featured on this blog. Moreover, it's going to keep my pictures (yehey!).

Yun muna, nakatingin sa akin ang boss ko e. Hehe.

My Travel Therapy

*also known as Ivy's In The Clear album review

The travel bug bit me (together with the karma police), so to ease my pain, I maximised my business trips and did a Lonely Planet trekking and just knocked myself out.

First pit stop was the lovely island of Palawan. It's my first time here, and I must say, Puerto Princesa is a fantastic city - the streets were immaculately clean, and should the mayor catch you littering, he would immediately alight from his vehicle and slap you himself.

A perfect match to the flight to Palawan (or soundtrack to boat rides) would be Ivy's 2005 release, In The Clear. They may not be mainstream, but they've been quite around sometime (check out their 1999 single Edge Of The Ocean, performed in the TV series Roswell). They can be pegged as a DSound prototype, sans the smoky-jazzy sound, replaced with an airy, citrus-y feel.

The hazy clouds dancing around velveteen mountains, is a dreamy visual, and the song Thinking About You enhances that. There is a certain sense from flight coming from the album, whether its a drifting sensation, or just the mere phrasing of the songs. Other songs that provide this undulating vibe include Nothing But The Sky, Ocean City Girl, and Feel So Free.

Lest I forget that this was meant primarily to be a travelogue, I'll just end with In The Clear is one of the best finds I've found this year. Ivy definitely outshines the other "not-so-known" artists I've adopted for my collection. Like a lemon-infused air mist, this CD will definitely refresh your ears in a surprising way.

To listen more on In The Clear, check out my new Multiply site. I've uploaded the mp3s there.

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Sorry, I got carried away.

I didn't have much time to do all the Palawan-y things to do, so I was asked to choose: Will it be the nature-lover's Underground River, or the beachcomber's special, hopping islands at Honda Bay. Since I was advised that the quintessential Palawan experience would be the former, I decided to go spelunking instead. Besides, I left my sun block at home.

The road to Sabang was hideous, and Mr. Minnesota riding with me in the tour van couldn't stop himself from getting carsick and eventually hurling. After two and a half hours of traveling, we winded down the port of Sabang and took a boat to the Subterranean River National Park fifteen minutes away. The view of limestones were just amazing, and the cliffs were not to be seen anywhere else in the country.



Inside the caves were mostly bat droppings, but the mineral formations were a geological wonder to behold. Stalactites and what-have-you formed figures that represented The Nativity, various fruits and vegetables, lions, snakes, even crispy-fried bacon. There were narrow passages, winding curves, and ceilings varying from 3m to 600 meters tall. Sadly, my brother’s camera (which is much better than mine) couldn’t share the precious pictures taken, so this picture of the cave entrance will have to suffice.

We had lunch at the national park, where park keepers warned us of monitor lizards and wily monkeys stealing away your food. They were not wrong. All I have here is me braving (if you call it that) a monitor lizard, conspicuously in front of its name tag. What you’re not seeing here is me wrestling with a monkey for a fried chicken thigh. You will also not see me panting my lungs while going up the 2-hour jungle trail. My lower torso ached from the steep stairs – Mr Minnesota was worried that the wooden planks were made from sturdy teak, instead, I told him that it was actually antique. Suffice to say, he was not amused. Tsk!



There was a mini city tour after Sabang, and it included a drop to the Vietnamese Village. It’s really strange that the first house simply plays Viet music, but nothing else. Mostly everyone had migrated to the United States, and those that stayed were the ones denied a visa. Hmm.



There, you have to forgive me, these blog entries of mine are reallllllly long. Perhaps next time, I’ll provide a brief narrative.

You Know It's Christmas When...

No, this will not be a hearwarming post, no fuzzy-warmness here.

You know it's christmas when crimes start going up. At the very onset of the "-ber" months, two of my friends got nabbed of their phones. Last week, my brother got mugged and shot, a mere 10 minutes away from our house. That is crap.

Just a note to everyone. Though it may be the perfect reason and time to be inebriated, party like dogs, and perhaps shop all night, there are a lot of people there planning to get their "Christmas Bonus" in a not-so-nice way. Just be careful.

ps. My brother is recovering in a hospital. And hopefully, will be out in two week's time.

The Sony Ericsson Advert

Anybody seen the new Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone ad? The moment that they released the walkman phones, I knew I found the right gadget for me, and now that they released the heartwarming (at least for me) video, it further affirms their battlecry, I love music.

The video shows the following affirmations, along with images of people loving their music.

I love the rain.
I love my long commute.
I love the company.
I love it loud.
I love shopping.
I love to unwind.
I love being a substitute.
I love working late.
I love losing myself.
I love missing the last bus home.


For me, I fully appreciate 'it loud', 'losing myself' and 'missing the last bus home'.



The image of the guy alone on a sand dune, with music plugs on, dancing, is a wonderful idea, of living life. My version? The hell with the security camera, it's fun to do this inside an elevator.



How many times have I missed a commute, said "the hell with it, I'll just walk", and just strapped my earphones on? Countless, starting from high school. Still do, by the way. Along the crowded streets of Quiapo, crossing borders in Thailand, sliding up escalators in Makati, basically anywhere.

I love their advert, I love my music. To see the video in its entirety, see here: http://www.sonyericsson.com/product/walkmantvc1/video

I Got Tagged Part 2

I couldn't resist. Sorry! Normally, I've been sleeping like a log, whether it's from sheer exhaustion or whatnot, I get a normal load of snores in order to muster enough energy to drag my sorry little ass to work on a daily basis. Well, lkooking at the time of this post, today, I'm a couple of Zs short.

So I've decide yo do another round of that post I did earlier this afternoon. A total change of playlist that I'm loading to my newly-acquired FM transmitter-connected phone.

1. Two Star by Everything But The Girl
2. Colorblind by Counting Crows
3. Never Is A Promise
4. Breathe by Michelle Branch
5. We Never Change by Coldplay


There. That's just five, but it's all mine - I'm keeping this all to myself. No tags whatsooever, ha.

The Seven Songs Tag

Thanks Ina, but 7000 seems awfully a lot - but soon. Ha.

The instructions are:
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.


1. In The Sun - Joseph Arthur
May God's love be with you. Not to sound too preachy, but this song is just so great. There's also a version of this song sung by Chris Martin and Michael Stipe.

2. Thinking About You - Ivy
They're an old band, and I owe them a decent/fulll album review, but really, I haven the time. So I'll just part with saying that they're like DSound, minus the jazz, but with citrus-y feel.

3. Exit To Exit - Ryan Cabrera
Who would've thought that his album would be great? Not too much bubblegum right there.

4. On Fire - Modjo
Too bad they split up, they made really great music. There's a similar note on them below.

5. New Agenda - Janet Jackson
After years of searching I finally found a copy of the janet. album. It's timeless and a vivid vision of how Janet was in her prime.

6. Time Of Year - Better Than Ezra
Saw a BTE song in Ina's list, and well, loved this one. I wish I could find their old CDs somewhere....

7. Over My Head - The Fray
Must. Get. Album. Any reviews?

I'm coming up with a list of my favorite songs for 2006, I'm just waiting for November to end so I can accommodate late entries. Previous "Song of the Year" winners include Ace of Base, New Radicals, Michelle Branch, Yellowcard and Hard-Fi. Watch out for it.

I'm going to tag the following for this:
1. Jam
2. Lex
3. pay_see (dude, where's your blog?)
4. Mayller (where's your blog too?)
5. PJ
6. my sister Michelle
7. Benj

Where's My Squeaky Floor

I think I've posted some pictures of these before, but the beaches just look great. The basic pet peeve I have for them is not the potential sunburn you might have, nor is it the salt stinging your eyes, but the sand coating the bottom of your feet - causing you to frisk it off, while never really getting a totally clean sensation on your soles. I really hate that feeling, that's why I love the squeaky feeling of our marble floor. That's been long gone, my feet have been coasting through millimeters of dust continuously settling inside our house.

The good news is, our house is being expanded, adding a new wing at the back end of our lot. Ever since I moved back, we never really fit that well in our 2-bedroom domicile (who uses this word, other than lawyers, really?). The kitchen wall has been knocked down, the roofing laid out, and right now, I'm just waiting for the tiles to be planted, the walls to be painted, and the ceiling to be installed. Then we can do with the furnishing.

I have plans, like having a really nice bookcase, a larger closet space, and a really funky lava lamp. But right now, all I want is the squeaky floor back.