Taken at our QC home. Fantastic natural light.

My iPod Touch is only a little more than just a month old today but I still keep discovering new things I can do with it. Honestly, I use it to listen to music only a quarter of the time.

There are a gazillion other things you can use it for. Between Bede and I, here’s our most frequently used list:

1. Watch videos – You can use a tool called HandBrake to convert your videos to make it iPod ready.
2. Check your email – check your Yahoo! or Gmail email. If you use Exchange Server at work, you can also configure the Touch to grab your work email.
3. Chat with your peeps on YM – download the YM app from iTunes
4. Surf the web – my golly! a lot of sites have been “mobile-d”. My faves include m.nzherald.com, facebook, even inquirer.net (but their formatting on the iPod sucks)
5. Play Games – Bede uses it for Mafia Wars for iPhone (addict!), I like the egg balancing game, they also have Assassin’s Creed!
6. Read Ebooks – I use Stanza from iTunes, it’s freeee!
7. Check the weather – weather in multiple locations
8. Check your stocks – enjoyable only if everything is going up!
9. Alarm clock
10. Ohh.. and it can play music (and audio books) too!
11. Run with it – my Nike + sensor and pouch will arrive on Monday so I can’t wait to try that. The iPod Touch second gen comes pre-built with a “receiver” for the Nike + sensor.

Up until recently, my iTunes account was limited to the Philippines, which unfortunately only features Apps. Kinda frustrating because Filipinos don’t have access to a lot of the good stuff.

Well I finally got in iTunes USA and oh my golly all the good stuff, here’s some of them:

1. Podcasts - especially the video ones are just great and of course, FREE. Currently subscribed to: NBC Nightly News, HBO’s CTRL, Happy Tree Friends, among others.
2. Movies - almost all movies come with a price tagg (only about $2.99), but there are some freebies like movie trailers. Downloaded Ponyo and Alice in Wonderland.

I must highlight the last one because it’s just SO amazing, I can’t believe I almost forgot about it.



3. iTunes University – courses from MIT, Stanford, The George Lucas Educational Foundation, Edutopia!!!! While I was in ISU, I attended a podcasting seminar conducted by Apple, and even back then it was just so cool! I just downloaded one entire semester Comparative Media Studies from MIT, it’s kinda old school though (literally) because it was from Fall of 2001. Haha. I love eeeet!

I missed my total km count these past couple of runs but I’m estimating it to be about 3 kilometers per run. I can’t wait to try outdoor running again, a LOT of people are saying it’s so much harder than a treadmill!

Did C25K Week 4 with the Michael Jackson tribute podcast from Suz and the 2nd run with DJ Beatsmith (look for it on iTunes). I would have to say I enjoyed the second one better. I’m thinking of doing my own, I’ll put songs in it like “Unbelievable” and “Walk this way!” and maybe some Pinoy tunes like the Eheads… Hehehe…

Anyway tomorrow Bede and I are doing RPM, biking like there’s no tomorrow! And not really going anywhere… Hehehe…

Bede and I watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince tonight and before the show, we decided to have dinner at this new resto we spotted at the 3rd floor of GreenBelt 3. The place is called The Baja Mexican Cantina (finally got the name right) and they had a “soft opening” over the weekend I suppose. Being a mexican food fan I convinced Mr. B we’ll be spending our hard earned pesos there tonight. Here’s my attempt at reviewing our dining experience, based on my tastebud’s Mexican food resume: Chipotle’s, my brother’s Mexican neighbour’s party food, and a number of “authentic” Mexican restaurants.

Sorry I didn’t take any photos of the food so I’ll try to be as descriptive as I can.

The staff was super friendly, especially this guy in a Mexican hat who led us to our seats, greeted, and smiled at us every time he passed by. You can feel that everybody working there was excited about the new restaurant and you really got a sense of their wanting to please the customers the best they can. But hey, it’s a restaurant and nothing pleases a hungry customer more than good food right?

I went safe and ordered the Baja Grilled Chicken Burrito, which was priced at about P185, and Bede ordered the Margarita Chicken with rice (of course) which cost P285. With the restaurant half full, we didn’t wait to long for our food to arrive, about 10 minutes.

Here’s a quick review of the food:

Baja Grilled Chicken Burrito

• wrapped in wax paper it was a substantial size, about the size of a California burrito at Mexicali.
• the first thing I noticed was that the burrito was COLD in some places? I had to temp test it because I didn’t know if it was meant to be cold or they just forgot to heat it?
• the taste was OK. I liked how the grilled chicken was cooked, BUT… there was no rice in it only lettuce and tomatoes, no sour cream or garlic sauce, no chips on the side.
• the one thing I really really didn’t like… mayonnaise in the burrito (*gasp!*)

Margarita Chicken

• this one is better than the burrito in my opinion, the grilled chicken was great and I liked the salsa on top
• the first thing I said when Bede gave me a spoonful was “Hmnn, lasang kili-kili sarap!” don’t get me wrong, that’s how I identify the cumin/curry taste we usually season our fried fish with, I mean that totally in a good way
• Bede kept pouring my burrito salsa on his plate though because he felt it was kind of lacking the spiciness he was looking for.

Some thoughts about the restaurant:

• Friendly staff
• So-so interior decoration
• Kind of picky but the spoon and fork I got was kind of smudgy and had bits of leftover food, I had to ask for a replacement set
• Above average price, but not as expensive as the other GB3 restaurants so I think they should be able to attract more of the B and C customers

Considering all the factors, I would give them a satisfaction rating of 2 out of 5. Though I guess I should cut them some slack since it WAS a soft opening and they probably haven’t ironed everything out yet, and we didn’t feel so bad about spending 600 pesos for our meal. I still think Mexicali is much better in terms of price, taste, and overall customer satisfaction (the customer being Gena ).

Here’s what Mexican food should look like (Fajitas from Chevy’s, Bloomington IL):

Had a little bit of extra time today to post some pictures from the Bingo Bonanza Philippine Open 2009. Badminton Geeks that we are, Bede and I were so excited to see the event that we bought our prime seat tickets ringside  (only 1k for the two of us na!) a month in advance. Excited no? We only got to see the semis and finals though, because of my schedule at work.

The big big names didn’t get to play this year (unlike the MVP cup and the 2007 Phil Open) but we got to see the #1 rank singles woman Mi Zhou from HK! Yey! She was sooo the crowd favorite, always smiling. The guy seated next to me said that she smiles a lot because when she was training in China, they were told NOT TO SMILE on court. Ngyee.

We also got to see the future of badminton (or so they say), in Chen Long and Taufik’s lookalike from HK, Hu Yun.

Here are some of our pics from the semis and finals days:

Excuse the giddy look, Bede risked life and limb to grab these for me. Cha-yo!

We didn’t get a lot of action shots because the camera guy was right in front of us on Finals day.

We got decent after-tourney shots though, the players passed right in front of us before the awarding. This is Zhou Mi, she lost in the Finals match though.

Chen Long, rising superstar in the badminton world beat Taufik’s lookalike that day. He really does look AND PLAY like Taufik!

Uhh they left their checks behind, hey can we cash this at the bank? Taraaa before they notice the big checks are missing!

I was like “Oh my gosh oh my gosh, YOU’RE THE VOICE OF BADMINTON!!!!” She said, “Ehr, hehe”. Gill Clark!!!!

Week 3 – 30 minutes @ 5.5 walk, 7.5 run
2.8 km
+
1.5 km extra
=
4.3 km (woohoo!)

P.S. Got myself Tune Belt for my Nike + sensor, I’ll let you know how that works out!

So Mr B and I decided to redirect our badminton budget on a gym membership where we can actually do exercise (less fun than badminton) at the weird hours we are ready to work out, like 6-9am or 7-8pm.

I decided to re-do the Couch to 5K program, which literally takes couch potatoes like me from zero physical activity to running a 5k in 9 weeks. The first time I did the program I was in the US and though I was able to complete the whole 9 weeks, I was SO disappointed in my first super slow 5k race which I finished in (I’m so embarassed) 46 minutes and 49 seconds.

This time I am SO motivated to do better, armed with my iPod Touch and my ever loving BSS (Bede Support System). My goal this time is to shave off the 6 minutes 49 seconds, and go for a 40 minute 5K. On the treadmill that should be around 7.5kph for 40 minutes? Hmnn have to bookmark this blog entry so I won’t forget my target goal, I don’t want to sissy out of the whole thing mid-way. In the words of Boys over Flower’s Geum Jan Di: Aja aja! Fighting!

Oh! And I also have another secret weapon. My super beloved cute and loving father bought me a Nike + sensor (*toot toot*). Anyway, the sensor is designed to work with my new iPod Touch and should help me track my kilometers.

I’m supposed to use it with Nike + shoes but since I already have my Asics, I’ll just find a way to get this cute little pouch. Any body willing to sponsor me?

Anyway, I decided to log this new goal in my blog so I would have some kind of commitment to the whole thing. Will post my updates here regularly. Wish me luuck!

Bede and I just watched this war film and I was kind of surprised how this film was overlooked, never mind the critics, but by the Pinoys themselves.

The story was about how a group of US Army soldiers led by Benjamin Bratt and James Franco, together with a group of Filipino guerillas led by Cesar Montano, rescued 511 American POWs from a Japanese camp in Cabanatuan.

I guess I’m surprised the film was overlooked, not because it was an elaborate award-winning production, but how the Filipinos seem to easily forget our own country’s history. I mean looking at the guerillas I was so proud of them, thinking that any one of the Filipino fighters could have been my lolo, or your lolo. Cesar Montano also did a GREAT job, holding his own in scenes with the American actors. Shempre pogi at pinoy na pinoy ang beauty.

I’m really glad that this movie was made, even if the critics hated it, and it probably bombed in the box office. But as a Filipino, with a lot of war veteran lolos, I got a glimpse of what their life could have been like,  fighting the Japanese in their tsinelas or even barefoot, alongside (maybe even in the frontline of?) the American soldiers. The Filipino veterans truly truly deserve to be rewarded for what they have done to save our small country.

You know at the end of the film, there was the usual what-happened-after text on screen. And it said that during the raid, 2 American soldiers lost their lives, and 21, that’s twenty-one, Filipino guerillas died.

Lolo Juaning Tejada – my grand uncle, Bataan death march survivor

Lolo Celin Tejada – my grandfather, who according to my mom, acted as an interpreter for a Captain Puckett stationed in Iloilo

Lolo Cesar Singson – my grand uncle who just celebrated his 88th(?) birthday, used to tell my father stories about fighting the Japanese, firing a rifle with his eyes closed

Isn’t amazing how technology can affect our daily routine, from home to work, even when we’re on vacation we MUST check how our Mafia wars character is doing, or if our Restaurant City waiters and cooks are all laying down on the floor?

Here’s a quick list of all the games I’m playing right now on FB:

1. Mafia Wars by Zynga – http://apps.facebook.com/inthemafia/



When Bede told me to accept his invitation and join his Mafia, I was like “Mafia what?”. When I finally accepted his invitation, there was no turning back. This is the first game that really got me hooked on FB games and I though I keep saying to myself I NEED to quit it, I just CAN’T. Mafia Wars is a text-based role playing game where you develop your character’s stats like Health Points (HP), Energy, Defense, Offense, Stamina. You earn money and experience points by completing different jobs like “Order a Hit on a Public Official”, you can also be a hired gun and “kill” other people on hitlists, or in randomly generated lists of your peers. Overall, there’s just SO many facets to the game that it’s impossible to describe it in one go, but I highly suggest you go and check it out to experience it for yourself. Repeat after me: Kung pikon ka.. MAS PIKON ako!

2. Restaurant City by Playfish – http://apps.facebook.com/restaurantcity/



So this time it’s Paco who invited me to play this game. Perfect timing after I was attacked by a merciless group in Mafia Wars where they razed my properties because of an idiot girl I put on the hitlist.. Haha. I got so mad but can’t do anything about it and almost wanted to quit Mafia Wars for good. ANYWAY, I digress.

Restaurant City, unlike Mafia Wars, is an extremely pleasant environment (cue: nerves soothing elevator music) where you get to play Restaurant Owner and you get to: design your restaurant, hire your friends to either cook, wait, or clean for you, and upgrade your menu based on ingredients you own. Get more ingredients by trading with other restaurant owners (basically your Facebook friends who are already playing RC are added to your “street”), buy from food stalls for exorbitant amounts of RC money, OR simply visit your RC friends’ restaurants for the first time. I truly LOVED this game and played it maniacally for about 3 weeks, keeping my computer on for as long as possible, “watering” my peeps every thirty minutes and right before we go out of the house, etc. However, it all came to a screeching halt when I reached level 27, when… there’s nothing more that I can do… no more levelling up. Earn more money to redecorate my restaurant I guess? Anyway, I would still highly recommend this game, it’s a good ride… until you get to level 27. They’re currently doing a lot of upgrades to the game and I think it’s still worth checking out.

3. Bejeweled Blitz by PopCap Games – http://apps.facebook.com/bejeweledblitz



I just love the sound effects of this game. Super macho voice: “INCREDIBLE!!!”. You probably played this before in a standalone Flash player or on your PDAs, but Bejeweled has invaded FB! For those who are not familiar with the game, the Bejeweled FB version is a 1 minute game where you need to swap different colored gems to align at least three of the same color. There are different combinations, but typically the faster you complete sets, you get speed bonuses and your score will go much higher. Though it may seem like a solo game, you get to “compete” against your other FB friends, or bring up your team score to … I don’t know what the team score is for, it’s like a raffle or something. Anyway, this is a great time-waster, I suggest you go and play the game on full volume.

4. Texas Hold’Em Poker by Zynga – http://apps.facebook.com/texas_holdem/



I’m not really a Poker player because I don’t really like the concept of gambling, I’d rather keep my hard-earned money close to my chest so as not to needlessly lose any of it. I like Texas Hold’em Poker however, because it gives you a daily supply of poker chips to keep you playing, with bonuses depending on the number of friends you have on the game (incentive to invite more people). There are different “casinos” you can go to, and each casino has a wide range of tables you can play in. Low stakes of only 5/10 poker chips, and you have high stakes tables where bets are minimum 5000? You play against other players, even from other networks like TAGGED, which brings to the game  a kind of social interaction that’s much like the MIRC chatrooms of the past. If you like Poker and meeting new people, this is the perfect game for you.

I have a gazillion more recommendations for you but these are my top 4. The following are games that I have already played, got bored, or I’m still trying it out:

5. Real Estate Tycoon
6. Yoville
7. FarmTown
8. Pet Society – kinda scared to try this one, I know a LOT of people are hooked

Facebook just brings a whole new dimension to gaming: Social Interactivity! All of these games would require you to “fight” against other players, or work together as a team. Either way, I think kids and adults today are just so easily hooked. I mean there ARE other Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games or MMORPGs out there, but Facebook just makes it more ACCESSIBLE. With just one click, you and your friends are taken to a totally different world where you can waste time away… and just have fun!

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