Back to the Morning Shift

I am bidding farewell to the shift I love most - at least for now. It has been a good month, I was able to finish the complete 8 seasons of Charmed and I was able to relax a bit. On Monday, I'll be back to the busiest shift of the month, and probably the busiest of my career since our client will be shutting down the old versions of the software we're supporting so all those who haven't upgraded their programs, which is most of the Australian and New Zealand clients, won't have a program to use and will be very pissed off.

This will be a big test of my patience and experience. I don't want this but I have to do it. August is a long month, I can't wait to go back to the swing shift in October. It's a long way off but at least I have something to look forward to.

Morning shift, I can do this!

The Lettermen Back in Cebu

Tonight, my parents are on a rare date to watch The Lettermen in Concert for the nth time. Yes, the so-called Cascades are the front acts of the concert, but it's just 2 of the original 4 members of the Cascades, so I don't think they can still capture the Cascades sound.

This is also the first time that I'm missing a Lettermen concert in Cebu, the first time was at the Old Cebu Coliseum when I was around 10 years old, and the next 2 at the Waterfront Hotel. I so love the Lettermen and I love their songs.

My hats off to Tony Butala, the genius who formed the Lettermen when he was 18 years old in 1958, and never left the group until now. He's turning 70 years old this year, but is still rocking.

Lorenzen Wright (1975 - 2010)

Lorenzen Wright was not a superstar, but he was real solid player who never backed down on anyone. He was a tough but emotional player, and a great teammate. His 13 years in the NBA is proof of that. He played his hearts out in each and every game he played for the Clippers, Grizzlies, Kings, Hawks and Cavaliers.

Last week, July 19, 2010

, Lorenzen was taken away tragically. That moment when he was shot several times, the NBA lost a good player, the world lost a good person, and his 6 children lost a good father.

I cried when I heard the news because I thought of his 6 kids. He was close to all of them, most especially his 13-year old daughter who talks with her father everyday. Now she can only talk to him by her lonesome.

May he rest in peace, and may justice be served for Lorenzen. He's now reunited with his daughter, Sierra Simone Wright, who passed away in 2003 due to SIDS.

"I cried. The emotions hit me immediately.

It's just sad because we lost a good person and a brother."

- Penny Hardaway

Smallville Season 10 Trailer

The past 9 seasons of Smallville has been recapped in a video presentation at Comic Con 2010, and the trailer for the final season has also been released. Old characters will be coming back to close the 10th chapter of Smallville.

Can't help my tears as I watch the vid. I know this season will be EPIC.

Journey Live in Manila

A million Thank you's to Sir Egay of the Bisdaks for giving me a limited copy of Journey Live in Manila Double DVD exclusively distributed by Walmart. I've been an Arnel Pineda and Journey fan for so long, but because of our tight budget, I haven't been able to buy any of Journey's albums. I was just contented with watching their vids and listening to their songs on YouTube.

Now, I don't only have my own Journey DVD, and not only do I have a special copy that's not sold here, I have the video of one of Journey's most special shows. Although they've been performing all-around the world, JLIM was the first time Journey performed in the Philippines, and the first grand homecoming of hometown hero, Arnel Pineda.

Watching the whole concert, a total of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 25 seconds, I wasn't able to control my tears. It was a very proud moment for AP performing in front of his kababayans and a prouder moment not just for the 30,000 Filipinos who watched it live, but for all the Filipinos all throughout the globe. Here's the guy who once slept on the sidewalks of Manila, who sold bottles for money to buy food, performing as a member of one of the greatest rock bands of all-time. Watching the video, you can see that the audience was not only composed of Filipinos, but also of Journey and AP fans from all over the globe. And the band didn't disappoint, especially AP who sang his hearts out and bared his soul in every song.

Mabuhay ka Arnel!

Mabuhay kayo Journey!

Mabuhay ka Sir Egay!

X⊕R Invades Manila

Congratulations X⊕R for winning 3rd Place out of 10 Finalists

in the JPop Anime Singing Contest Grand Finals

held yesterday in Manila.

The odds were against you, but you made it through.

You're not only the pride of Excielsior & CTC,

you're the PRIDE OF CEBU!

I'm sooo proud of you and I love you, guys! ♥

JPIA Idol 2010

The Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and the Cebu Chapter of the Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants (JPIA) invited me to be one of the judges of the JPIA Idol Grand Finals earlier today and it was nerve-wracking. I've been judging a lot of contests before, but this was the first time I had to make a comment after the performance of each of the 10 finalist. The names and schools were not mentioned nor was it in our score sheet, so all we, the judges and audience, knew were just their numbers.

The support of the 10 schools represented in the grand finals was overwhelming. Their cheer was deafening and at times made it difficult for us to hear the last (sometimes the most important) notes of the songs. There was one who really sang well, but she just stood there without moving, clearly very nervous. There was another who clearly had a beautiful voice, but even with the microphone close to his mouth that he could almost eat it, the music still overpowered his vocals. Then there was one who sang an acapella of Tell Him but was clearly confused with the song as he started every line in Barbara's note and ends it with Celine's tune. And yes, it was a he.

Most of them were good enough to win so it was not an easy decision for us, but we had to choose the top 3. The funny thing is that until now, we still don't have any idea from what schools were the winners. All we know is that the 1st and the 3rd placers both sang Listen originally by Beyonce, and the 2nd placer sang I Believe originally by Fantasia Barino.

A Chicken Named Floyd

Floyd Gayweather has again proven to be the most expensive chicken in the world. After giving outrageous demands (as if he has the right to against Pacman), he's now saying he's in no rush to go back to the ring and face Manny Pacquiao. He's just like his father, all-talk and no action. They should both get into the ring and face Pacman so Manny can shut them at the same time.

Unlike Colonel Sanders, Floyd is not the face of delicious, crispy chicken, he's the face of the biggest, most expensive chicken in the world.

Kindred Hearts Restage

After a successful premiere run last December 8 to 13, 2009 at SM Cineme One, the Atrium Core Group, this time with our own CTC, will be restaging Kindred Hearts: A Musicale in September and October 2010.

The story revolves around Thomas Kent Galvez, a nursing student, who in one way or another discovers the worth of living and the importance of filial love and companionship; but as he begins to change, he unveils a predicament that entails him to make a decision that involves life and death.

This musical production is entirely original and proudly written by a fellow Cebuano. The music was also locally arranged and recorded by our very own cast and crew.

Kindred Hearts: The Musicale Restage will be at Ayala Cebu OnStage on the following dates and times:

September 29, 2010 4:30pm

September 29, 2010 7:00pm

September 30, 2010 12:30pm

September 30, 2010 3:00pm

September 30, 2010 5:30pm

September 30, 2010 8:00pm

October 1, 2010 12:30pm

October 1, 2010 3:00pm

October 1, 2010 5:30pm

October 1, 2010 8:00pm

October 2, 2010 12:30pm

October 2, 2010 3:00pm

October 2, 2010 5:30pm

October 2, 2010 8:00pm

Ticket prices are at Php 150.00 and proceeds will go to the Manna Ministry’s “Adopt a Student Program”, a charitable project which provides funding to well-deserving children who could not afford to go to college.

Mom turns 58

Happy 58th Birthday

to my beloved mother,

the only person who've held my hand for a short time,

but is holding my heart forever ♥

The Legend of Korra

Nickelodeon just gave the green light to start the production of a new series inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, and created by Avatar's creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and follows the adventures of the Avatar after Aang – a passionate, rebellious, and fearless teenaged girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra. With three of the four elements under her belt (Earth, Water, and Fire), Korra seeks to master the final element, Air. Her quest leads her to the epicenter of the modern "Avatar" world, Republic City – a metropolis that is fueled by steampunk technology. It is a virtual melting pot where benders and non-benders from all nations live and thrive. However, Korra discovers that Republic City is plagued by crime as well as a growing anti-bending revolution that threatens to rip it apart. Under the tutelage of Aang's son, Tenzin, Korra begins her airbending training while dealing with the dangers at large.

The Legend of Korra is coming to Nickelodeon, 2011.

Alternates Needed for Kindred Hearts

Just reposting this from the producer of the musical.

For the restaging of Kindred Hearts in September and October, we need a few more people for the cast to play as Alternates for the major roles.

TOM GALVEZ

Lead Actor of the Musical

Qualifications:

1. Must know how to SING, preferably TENOR

2. Must know how to ACT, preferably with THEATRE EXPERIENCE

3. Must be APPEALING and have good STAGE PRESENCE

4. Preferably 18-25 years old

5. Must have at least 5'7'' in Height.

DAN GALVEZ

Brother of Tom Galvez, Also one of the Main Cast.

Qualifications:

1. Must know how to SING, preferably TENOR

2. Must know how to ACT, preferably with THEATRE EXPERIENCE

3. Must be APPEALING and have good STAGE PRESENCE

4. Preferably 18-25 years old

5. Must have at least 5'7'' in Height. (Must stand taller and looks older to our TOM)

NICK GALVEZ

Father of Tom Galvez

Qualifications:

1. Must know how to SING

2. Must know how to ACT, preferably with THEATRE EXPERIENCE

3. Preferably 25 years old and above

4. Must be FATHERLY LOOKING

WHAT TO DO?

Interested individuals may send us a message in Facebook or email us at the.atrium@yahoo.com with the following:

NAME:

DESIRED ROLE:

AGE:

SCHOOL/WORK:

CONTACT NUMBER/S:

EMAIL ADDRESS:

VOICE RANGE:

THEATRE EXPERIENCE

(may include school plays or any stage performances such as declamation, singing contest and etc.):

Deadline for submission will be on July 23, 2010.

Forever Charmed

After a month and a half, I finally finished the complete 178 episodes of Charmed, that's a total of 8 Seasons! The last episode, the series finale, was just so beautifully written and executed. It was a grand, beautiful and fitting ending to a great show. I was in tears watching the finale, and until now, I still get emotional watching it again and again. It was a difficult episode in terms of production and I can just imagine the editors sleepless nights in doing it, but it was all worth it.

For all of us who were Charmed for 8 years, I would like to share the final 4:36 minutes of the series, a beautiful ending to an amazing story. Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen the series yet, you might want to skip this.. or not.

And although we certainly

had our struggles and heart aches

over the years,

we're a family of survivors

and we will always be.

Which is why we've truly been

Charmed.

-Piper Halliwell

Disney Auditions

Today will be the auditions for new vocalists in Hong Kong Disneyland here in the Philippines. It will be at the Ryan Cayabyab Music School the whole day today. I can still remember my audition experience many years ago, where I performed my fave Out There from the Hunchback of Notre Dame in front of all American Disney staff. It was nerve wracking but it was a wonderful experience. My adrenaline was pumping that it was so easy for me to sing such a difficult song. I was sent an email to go to the music school for another set of auditions but I was not able to go because I didn't have any money to pay for the plane or boat. I joined the initial auditions in the first place just so I can experience what a real audition was like.

An old friend of mine, Ate Donna, auditioned and got in. She's still performing there until now. Here's one of her performances.

As for me, no one will ever know if I was good enough to be accepted or not. I would like to experience and try it again, but it's been so long since I last sang. My voice now is nothing compared to that time when I first auditioned. Sad but true. Because of work and its erratic shift schedules, I've no time to even vocalize regularly anymore.

Ryan

In September, the last season of Smallville will begin. As a super fan of the Superman mythology, I know Season 10 will be epic. Well, it better be. It will be 22 episodes of Clark finally fulfilling his destiny to become the hero the world has known for the past 78 years.

Looking back at the past 9 seasons, there have been certain episodes that stood out. One of which is Ryan, Episode 8 of Season 2. It was the second and final appearance of Ryan James, the first keeper of Clark's secret outside of his family. He first appeared in Season 1 in the episode entitled Stray. It was in that episode where the song Superman by Five for Fighting was first heard on Smallville.

"You changed my life.

You're gonna change

a lot of people's lives, Clark."

– Ryan James

Disney in the Stars

After almost 2 months, I finally uploaded my vid of Disney in the Stars which I took in HK Disneyland last May. Until now, I still get goosebumps and teary-eyed watching the greatest fireworks display I've ever seen live, and it was at a place where dreams come true.

First Look at Green Lantern

Ryan Reynolds is married to the very beautiful Scarlett Johansson, he played a big part in Blade Trinity as Hannibal King, he was Deadpool in the Wolverine origin movie, there's a talk to make a Deadpool movie with reprising the role, and now he's playing Hal Jordan, aka The Green Lantern in the movie that's scheduled to be released June 17, 2011.

Some guys have all the luck.

Backpack For A Cause

Hi guys!

♥ Please support Backpack For A Cause! ♥

Donate your used but functional backpacks/slingbags/mail bags and/or traveling bags of any brand & get a 20% discount on selected backpacks at the participating stores of Primer Group in Cebu City, and 10% discount on non-backpack items.

Said backpacks will go to the underprivileged school children of Guba Elementary School, Cebu Eastern College 88 Foundation, ABS-CBN Brigada Eskwela and World Vision.

Your backpack may be one's child's inspiration to study well in school.

Share your blessings. Pay it forward. :)

Chasing Time

As I'm looking far beyond,

any possible dreams

I see faces; familiar places; forever -

no lukewarm in-betweens

the scattered memories I collect,

are like brilliant sunlit rays

piercing through the clouds,

of what was once a perfect day

The symphonic harmony,

that becomes the song of the sea

Find me lost and so afraid;

haunted by the melody

It moves me, thrills me,

makes me believe

that God was in a good mood,

when he gave this day to me

For the journey from within,

is surely the longer mile

No time to stop, to think,

or even wish a while

So here again that nagging question,

is this life really mine?

Just don't look back, eyes forward -

when I'm

Chasing Time...

JPop Anime Singing Contest 2010

My not-so-little sis, taller-than-me little bro and a family friend will be going to Manila on the 23rd of July to represent Cebu in the JPop Anime Singing Contest 2010 Grand Finals sponsored by the Embassy of Japan and a bunch of other companies. There will be 8 representing Manila and Luzon, 1 from Davao and 1 from Cebu. I wish I can go with them to cheer, and to document everything, we're just out of budget (who isn't?) right now. The only thing I can do now is to pray for them, and ask my friends in Manila to cheer for them since Audience Impact is part of the criteria, and they're basically "intruders" there.

Break a leg Kazie, Suey and Kean!

You're already winners,

and we're already so proud of you.

Get out there and just have fun! :)

The Heat is On!

Can you feel the HEAT?

The King Goes to South Beach

The dust has cleared. King James is going to play for the Miami Heat next season. He's joining D-Wade and C. Bosh to form the NBA's newest and probably one of the greatest Big Three - at least on paper. They showed that they play well together when they led the USA Team to the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Now they have to play well together for around 8 months to win the gold trophy and some gold rings with lots and lots of diamonds.

The other teams who courted LeBron did not take it well, most especially the Cavaliers, the only team he played for in 7 seasons in the NBA. The Cavs owner even posted an open letter on their website which I think is very disrespectful and uncalled for, and the news showed some Cavs fans burning LeBron jerseys and shirts. This just shows how selfish these people are. I mean, come on. King James worked his butt off for 7 years in Cleveland doing almost everything, but the management was not able to put a good enough supporting cast for him. LeBron is a winner and wants to win an NBA title, and in Miami, he has a very good chance with Wade and Bosh on the same team. It will be very exciting to see other role players come in before the season starts in October to have a chance to play with The Trinity.

I think October would be a good time to start having cable TV at home, can't wait to watch all 82 regular season games of the Miami Heat.

The Last Airbender Rocked!

A lot of people, so-called "fans" of the Avatar series, hate The Last Airbender movie. I saw the movie last night and I personally love it. I mean, it was everything that I expected and even more. The introduction alone blew me away, and I was teary-eyed towards the end of the movie. Yes, the acting of some of the lead actors were not Oscar-material, but it wasn't that bad! C'mon, Noah Ringer got the role of Aang because of his martial arts skills and his resemblance to the cartoon Aang, and not because of his acting skills.

It is never easy to compress 20 episodes of Book 1 into 103 minutes of movie running time, but I salute the director that almost everyone hated. The movie was fast-paced, no dull or really dragging moments, and faithful to the series. There were some changes here and there, but it didn't ruin the story as one of my former officemate ranted in Facebook. He disagreed with my post about the movie, but his issues were nonsensical, almost-childish. He's just like the other haters who are so nit-picky that they're already out of line. Haters will always be haters, and critics will continue to criticize and dissect every little detail of the movie, instead of just enjoying it as it is. People have and will continue to bitch about every little detail that they don't like about the movie. That will show you the type of people they are. Every single person have the choice, and a lot chose to be pessimistic about it.

I love how they cut from scene to scene to save time and maximize the running time of the movie. I will not mention any spoilers here for those who have yet to watch it, but I can really say it surpassed our expectations. Just watch the movie with an open-mind that it is based on the cartoon series, and NOT a replica of the cartoons. It was never meant to be a replica because if it was, what's the point of making the movie anyway?

As a fan, I remember not being blown away after watching Book 1 alone, but only after watching the 3 books in the series, after watching the entire series. I just want to remind everyone that the movie is just Book 1. There are at least 2 more bigger and darker movies to look forward to. They are already writing the script for the second movie, and I hope that the studio will give the go signal in the next months to do Book 2.

In the end, I'm just thankful that one of the best cartoon series there was, was made into a movie and they did their best which I appreciate very much.

Soul Mate

My wife just got promoted again. I've lost count how many times she's been promoted, but I'm just thankful that she was. Her promotion is a big, big help to our family especially that our little girl is now in Grade One. I remember reading about husbands becoming insecure if their wives are earning more than them, and I just can't get why. I am very much secure and very happy that my wife is earning more than me. I really don't care who's earning more as long as we can provide for our daughter, and we can make both ends meet.

We are very far from being the perfect couple as we're both very imperfect individuals, but with the Lord's help, we've doing our best to be at least perfect for each other. I really don't know how to define a soul mate, but if ever there is a soul mate for each person, I'm lucky that I married mine.

A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys,

and keys to fit our locks.

When we feel safe enough to open the locks,

our truest selves step out

and we can be completely and honestly who we are;

we can be loved for who we are

and not for who we're pretending to be.

Each unveils the best part of the other.

No matter what else goes wrong around us,

with that one person we're safe in our own paradise...

When we're two balloons,

and together our direction is up,

chances are we've found the right person.

Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.

- Richard Bach

Hungry, Sick, Homesick and Furious

It's not the best job and company in the world, but I've learned to love my job and my workplace. The pay is not much but it is proportionate to the workload, or the lack thereof. The stress level is not that high compared to the bigger companies I've worked with before. I've been here for almost a year, and I don't want to leave, but one thing is really making me think about leaving very soon. The absences of my so-called teammate. Yes, the same teammate making my life miserable here ever since.

I've been sick the past week, but I forced myself to work because I have family to feed. My shift this month is from 1PM to 10PM, then that teammate supposedly takes over from 10PM to 6AM. Now, that person texted at 9:59PM that he's "sick" and will be absent tonight. Again, not informing us ahead so we can make some arrangements. He's forcing me to cover for his shift tonight, something I can't do because my daughter is home alone!

What's worse is that our office manager is not replying to any of my text messages, and he locked our office land line so we can't call mobile phones, his mobile phone. I'm basically stuck here, hungry, sick, thinking about my daughter back home, and having this job that I can't leave anytime. They can't blame me if I leave now, right? I'm seriously thinking of leaving right now and going home, and probably never coming back to this office. Ever.

This is what I get for sticking with a company that despite being around for quite some time now, doesn't have clear policies and penalties for absences and call-ins. In all the big companies I've been with, people always call-in at least 2 hours before their scheduled shift to inform the office that they'll be absent, and it has to be a phone call. People in this office are so lax and a lot have been abusing the leniency of the company. Sad to say, this company will never grow if this culture continues. We used to call this a "small Australian company." It will continue to be that way if higher management down to the lowest rank and file will continue their ways.

I am very disappointed, and I'm very pissed.

The New Spiderman

Instead of continuing the story and doing Spiderman 4, Marvel decided to reboot the Spiderman franchise and start over. First on the list was getting a young actor to play the dual role of Peter Parker / Spiderman. It was the role that made Tobey Maguire a superstar, never mind that he already made 22 films before the first Spiderman film.

Andrew Garfield, a half American, half British actor who has experience in movies, television, stage and radio, will now be the new Spiderman in the still untitled movie scheduled to be released on July 3, 2012. It will focus on a teenage Peter coping with teenage life and his newfound powers.

A lot have praised Andrew for his wonderful work in the movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, the last movie of the late Heath Ledger, and he definitely has more experience than Tobey that this early, expectations are high for him. As for me, I was a fan of the Spiderman movies and I just hope that the new one will at least be at par with the first three. I hope they won't mess it up, especially with a new director taking over Sam Raimi's chair.

ID4 2010

Happy 4th of July

to all our American

brothers and sisters!

The new generation may not know this, but July 4 was also the Independence day of the Philippines a long time ago from 1946 to 1964. It was on July 4 when the United States granted the Philippines its independence, and it coincided with the US' independence day as well.

On 4 August 1964, however, Former President Diosdado Macapagal, through Republic Act 4166, moved the holiday to the date on which the Philippines had declared independence from Spain in 1898, thus changing the date of the Philippine Independence Day from July 4 to June 12. Former President Fidel V. Ramos designated July 4 was The Filipino-American Friendship Day.

A Cebuano in America's Got Talent

I'm so proud to see another Filipino, and a Cebuano at that, starting to make waves in the American music industry. We haven't met yet but we do have a lot of common friends, and their house is just a 30-minute drive away from our place.

Rock on, Luigi!

The whole world is watching,

and the entire Filipino nation is cheering for you.

Waiting for the King

As the most talented batch of free agents in NBA history start talking to the different teams, Cleveland Cavaliers fans are waiting, hoping and praying that the King will stay, after all, it's the only place he's been in his 7 years in the NBA, and it's just an hour's drive from his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

Disappearing Supplies

Some people just don't respect other people's properties. Just because our drawers in the office doesn't have locks, doesn't mean anyone can just get anything from the drawers of their officemates. No, I'm not leaving valuables in my drawer but whatever is inside it, no matter how cheap it is, is mine, and I don't appreciate people taking them without my permission.

I know I'm just ranting but still can't get over the fact that my box of coffee is empty when I haven't been drinking coffee for a month already, my new roll of tissue is getting thinner and thinner everyday, and my new big alcohol is already half-empty when it was still full yesterday. Seems like I'm being the source of supplies again for a lot of people, which I really don't mind if only they have the decency to at least ask permission.

Lesson learned, I'm not leaving any supply anymore in my drawer, even if it means bringing a bigger bag to work everyday.. or I can put a snake or scorpion in my drawer and if somebody is bitten, hey it's not my fault, it's my drawer!