Gabbie & Iago

Here's a little pictorial I did with my goddaughter Gabbie and nephew Iago.


Gabbie and Iago


Sad after taking a shower


Iago boy


Smiling at Ninong


Iago


Too cute!


Serious Iago Moment


Gabbie and Mom Ina

These pics were taken using my new Panasonic DMC-LX3. It's an awesome camera that's gaining popularity at Flickr. Look at the increase of usage this year:



My primary goal while vacationing in Singapore was to buy me an LX3. I got mine from the Funan Digital Life Mall for SG$680. After GST, it comes down to SG$650 or P21,200. The price difference isn't that significant but I think got a nice deal coz it came with a free camera case, camera stand and an extra battery.

I'll discuss more about the LX3 on my tech blog.

Soy Milk: The Solution for the World's Lactose Intolerance

Once upon a time in a strip mall called Bonifacio High Street, two handsome fellows named Andrew and Jehz were hanging out at Krispy Kreme. Jehz bought Andrew a pack of Soy Milk, much to Andrew's chagrin. Andrew said, "Why the f*ck did you buy me soy milk?!" Jehz said, "Wala lang nyok". Andrew punched the straw into the carton and tasted what he thought would be the most awful thing he would ever taste in his life. Surprise, surprise. Andrew was in 7th heaven. On that fateful day did Andrew begin his love affair with... SOY MILK (no not with Jehz LOL)

I have a love-hate relationship with cow's milk. No matter how I love drinking it, it hates me back -- in the form of frequent visits to the bathroom. I'm just glad I discovered soy milk. It tastes similar to regular milk, without all the extra calories and fat. Plus it's got lots of good healthy stuff such as protein, vitamins and fiber. Try looking for the Silk brand. Their chocolate soy milk is terrific. It costs about the same as cow's milk -- at about P120 ($2.50) for a quart, it's found in most groceries in Manila. Unfortunately I haven't had luck finding Silk here in Davao, BUT, Healthy Options carries other brands that you might enjoy. I liked the West Soy™ Soy Shake in Chocolate because of its thick texture similar to Silk, but the flavor is quite creamier. Healthy Options is the bomb when it comes to bland flavorless food LOL

If you do weights at the gym, soy milk may benefit you with its high protein content. I hate protein shakes. Period. Soy milk also promotes a healthy heart, a big plus for me because of my weird heart rhythm. I take one glass in the morning and one more in the evening. Anyway, soy milk is only one part of my health freak regimen. More health freak tips coming right at ya! Soon, I hope.

Baby Drew

My parents, aunts and uncles tease me to this day about my "absence" of hair when I was a baby.


Me and my dad

Wellll, it ain't my fault. Blame my parents! It's their genes at work there! I do think my cuteness makes up for it. (SAY YES!!)

Here's a pic of my mom laughing at how bald I am:



Isn't my mom a hottie? LOL. So was my dad. Next time I'll show you baby pics of my older twin brothers. They were waaaay cuter than me. /wrist

Rendezvous in Singapore

Here I am in Singapore wearing a coat and knee-high socks, trying desperately to write something while I'm freezing my ass off. I can't figure out how to turn down the air conditioning in my room! By the way, I'm staying at this el-cheapo but fabulous hotel called Hotel Rendezvous located in the Bras Basah area. I booked it through Booking.com and got a special 3-day rate of only SG$400! Bras Basah ain't the most happening place in this tiny country but everything's just a cab away anyway.

Here are some pics I took during my stay so far:



Group photo with other Filipino plurkers based in Singapore. We ate at Thai Express. Service was shaky but they say they serve the best Pad Thai lor



The famous Merlion. Honestly I don't get it LOL



A night shot of the Singaporean skyline as seen across Thai Express.



The next day, Aileen and I visited the Jurong Bird Park.



A pink flamingo. Is it just me or is it peach?



At the Google HQ. Good thing not a lot of Googlers were around to witness this travesty! hahaha!

Have to meet up with Aileen in 30 minutes. Gotta go! More to come!! Hint: NEW GADGET LAH!

In Da Manila

Aileen and Gail

I'm having a grand time here in Manila. Been to my favorite hangouts - Greenhills, Greenbelt, Bonifacio High Street and Serendra. Met up with Winston, Mica and Jeff at Krispy Kreme during my first night here. Learned a lot of dirt about the blogosphere haha. Two days later, I got a tour of the beautiful city of Marikina. I've been to Marikina many times -- but this time I got to fully appreciate its hidden wonders. Thanks to Kuya Migs and Kuya Jay for the expert tour. To cap the day we headed out to Padis Point in Antipolo. At first I was hesitant to go to Padis Point because of a bad experience I had at Padis Point in Davao. Good thing we pushed through because the view of the city (not sure which city lol) was breathtaking! I'm sorta technically incapacitated at the moment because of my shoddy internet connection. I'll be posting more pics soon. For now you'll have to do with our fanboy/fangirl pics with Bayani Fernando, albeit just a pic of him splattered on a pink van LOL.


Mica and Andrew

More on Marikina in my next post.

I wanna thank my bro Jehz for meeting up with me last night when I was bored. We ate donuts at Krispy Kreme (Boni High Street) then transferred to Friday's. He paid for my salad!! Hehe. Ok, sleepy time.

I Heard It From The Zipline

Andrew, Jeff, Fritz, Chattee, Jayvee, Markku, Hana, Jenny, Maki, Ria, Juned

So, we crackheads had to come back for not one, but two more rounds of ziplining!

One part of our group who didn't make it the previous day -- in particular Jayvee, Jenny and Maki -- who were forcibly dragged from their hotel rooms to experience it with us. Gramps Juned, well, tagged along but wasn't in the mood.


We had to literally pull ourselves across a river on a makeshift raft to reach the trek going up.


Jayvee was half asleep the entire time. LOL.


Nuff said.


Hana was one of the very few (me included :P) who successfully ziplined upside down.


I wish I could say the same for Jeff. Hehehe. Peace!


This pic can be summed up in four letters: F-A-I-L. Hahaha! Who has the video?


Markku had two phones taped back-to-back to capture the moment in 3D.


Jenny was happy and she knows it.


Jenny and Maki.


Juned, Jeff, Maki, Andrew, Fritz, Ria

Oh! Did I mention that I got in for free? Hehehe. But for the second round, I decided to pay. Everyone except Jayvee and Jenny zipped for the second time. While I was up there I asked the staff if there was anything else I haven't done yet. I've done the superman position, seated, upside-down and backward plunge. In the first backward plunge, my back was facing the zipline while one staff person was holding my harness. Then on a count of three, he let go of me. This time, the guy said: do it but without us holding your harness. Basically he asked me to do the "Nestea" plunge. Damn. So I did but as a result my recently-healed hip injury began to hurt again. Pffft. Nevertheless, it was fun. The injury resolved itself in two days anyway so no worries.

Again, if you're the adventurous kind, do try out Asia's fastest and longest zipline at Outland Adventure! Tell them that Andrew sent you. LOL. Visit their website or call/text 082.224.5855. Beginning April 4 till the end of the summer they're open everyday. I was informed that the record holder for the most zips done at Outland was this guy who's done it 17 times! Now's your chance to beat that record!

Unseasonable Conversations

At the coffee shop ~ Me: Miss, do you have an iced chocolate? Barista: (pauses) Sir, we have smoothies. Me: No, I only want a chocolate drink on ice. Barista: Sir, we have a mocha. Me: Mmmmm-hmmmm...

On a Hobie Cat ~ Friend: You wanna come scuba diving with us? Me: When? Friend: Most likely between Monday and Wednesday. Me: Let me guess.. Tuesday?

At the Italian resto ~ Me: This pizza is how big? Waiter: Eight slices sir. Me: No I mean what is the size of your pizza? Waiter: Good for 3-4 people sir. Me: O_O

At a department store ~ Clueless Friend: I need a shampoo. Me: (approaches salesgirl) Miss, what is your smallest shampoo? Salesgirl: (picks up a teeny pink bottle of shampoo) Here you go. Me: (hands it over to friend lined up at the counter).

Morning after at the dock ~ Friend: Do you know that the pink shampoo cost me P350? Me: O_O

At home in my mom's room, during a blackout ~ Me: It's sooo hot! I hate this blackout! Mom: Drew. (points to digital photo frame) Why is that on? Drew: Mom, when it was broken, you complained that it wouldn't turn on. Now that it's on, why are you still complaining? Mom: There's a blackout, remember? Me: Oh, yeah. O_O

Zipline Of Love (and Lols)

I had the most awesome time of my life when droves of blogger friends from Manila, GenSan and CDO came over for the Davao Food Appreciation Tour. Part of the sked was to go ziplining on Saturday, March 14. That was, bar none, the funnest part of the three-day event (don't get me wrong, food was great too). *Little* did the others know that they were in for a big surprise -- my friend Jay proposed to my other friend Aileen while she was still attached to the harness! Talk about hung up to dry hehe! But I have to give props to my main man Jay. What he did was ... uh. The sweetiest thing? I'm proud to say that I had a small part in it, even if it meant acting and lying to Aileen's face. (Sorry Aileen LOL)



Fritz (aka Astroboy), Jeff (aka Scolioboy), cuzzes Ria, Gwing and Drew



Green Vs Yellow: Drew, Kuya Migs, Gwing and Aileen (aka Clueless Girl)



Drew and Uber-PA Katherine V. Lara



'D' Sweeties: Jay De Jesus and Aileen Apolo (still clueless at this point)



Gwing, Chattee and Fritz



They're Engaged!!

Congratulations to both of you! Mwahugz!

Thanks to the all of the staff of Excelerator for being the coolest while we were planning this. Kudos to their CEO Matt McNeal for pulling all the strings.

Out of all the ziplines I've been to, Excelerator is the BEST of the BEST. It's also convenient coz it's very close to the city (~20 minutes). Not to mention the longest and fastest zipline in Asia. Excelerator is located in Maa, Davao City. The zipline is a kilometer long and 200 feet high. Cost is P300 per person, P150 if you decide to give it another go. Visit their website: OutlandAdventure.org for more details.

Let Baygons be Baygons

To all the flies hovering my head: DIE!!! Pew! Pew! Pew!

The Perils of Being Me

... At home I always have to compete with my mom's and brother's out-of-this-world appetites. Yesterday we had a whole box of egg custard rolls and apple strudels from Bread Talk. Last I checked this morning there were only one of each left. O_O

... Despite my above average eating habits, my cousin in Chicago called me manorexic after seeing my picture. In the picture, I was eating. O_O

... When I was younger I had an ultra quick metabolism. Fast forward to the present, I need to do more than an hour's cardio to achieve the same effect O_O

... Compared to my siblings, my parents put the most pressure on me to succeed. I *kinda* hate it but it's for my own good. I guess? But what about ______? O_O

... We have the worst neighbors in the world. In front of us, there's a charismatic church that sings out of tune at 80 decibels every Saturday and Sunday. On our right is a chicken farm. Chickens!!! Noisy ones. On our left is an auto repair shop. The sound of metal scraping against metal never fails to give me a headache. They also have a pet goat that seems to be in constant pain. O_O

... I've been on the world's worst roller coasters but I'm deathly afraid of scuba diving and white water rafting. Must be the water. My next goal: bungee jumping. O_O

... Talking in front of many people is one of my phobias. Others include rats, lizards, snakes, cats and dogs. And scary people. O_O

... I have a bad stutter that comes and goes. O_O

... I love watching cooking shows but all I can do is fry, heat and microwave stuff. I think I have a talent in this but never got the guts to pursue it. O_O

... Everyday, I take more than 10 kinds of vitamins. It's tiresome but if I don't do it I become miserable throughout the day. O_O

Getting Better

So I guess from the lack of comments you guys aren't much for angry posts eh? lol

I'm glad to report that my back is gradually improving. I'm into my 4th day of abstinence (from exercise) as my Physical Therapist ordered. It's severely affected my mood lately and I apologize for that. It still hurts sometimes to stand up from a chair, but it's gotten better since my last angry rant. I guess I was pushing myself too far physically. You know this spinning business is not for the faint of heart. It can get totally obscene in the middle part of the session when the instructor commands us to "sprint" (meaning to paddle as fast as we can) and switch from seated to standing to the float (or flow?) position every 2 seconds. Ughh. On a lazy day I pick the schedule of the male instructor Korn over the girl Jet. Korn is more lax and easygoing and blurts out occasional corny jokes. Jet is serious and all but she's razor sharp in burning those calories. Then again at 59 kilos I don't need to burn a lot.

^^

Two days ago I resumed spinning. Sadly I was the lone spinner in Korn's class. LOL. It was just me and him spinning away like two crazy persons. "Matira ang matibay" (Survival of the fittest) so he says. I'm going to stop spinning for now and do something else. Perhaps badminton or rock climbing.

^^

I'm mulling over buying a new phone coz my old phone got stolen two weeks ago. I'm looking at the Nokia E71 or the cheaper E63. I might also get a prepaid line but I'm afraid that I'm too lazy to keep "loading" it. Ewan. Bahala na.

Angry Post

I went to the bank today to deposit my money$. As I waited for my banker (LOL - she's actually a very close cousin of mine), I came upon a news article about Amiel Alcantara, a schoolboy who got run over by a stupid woman. Jeeeeez, what happened to him just pisses me off so bad! I know I can't speak for Amiel's family, but reading that article angered me! That woman who killed him, named something Torres (let's call her Terroress), didn't show any emotion when Amiel's dad approached her. Terroress was like, "There's nothing I can do. It was an accident." No apology, no sorry.

"Sorry." That would have meant the world to the dad. Fine, it was an accident. But come on, show some good manners lady! If she's as crazy as what the article paints her to be, then she had no business driving that van in the first place. Retarded people and automobiles shouldn't mix.

--- ZEN ---

Ok, admittedly I'm not feeling my best for the past few days. My back is hurting, particularly my lower left side radiating down to my buttock. It hurts sometimes when I walk, especially when I stand up after sitting or getting out of my car. My friend-slash-physical therapist says I should rest for 4-5 days. Meaning I'm not allowed to work out! I think I'm gonna go crazy! But I'm following his orders. I really hope I'll be ok by next Monday. I'm gonna miss my spinning buddies even if I don't talk to them harhar.

* * * * *

Last week I caught a ridiculous segment on Good Morning America. I think it was called "5 ways to save during a financial meltdown" or something to that effect. One of the lady guest's suggestions was to cut your DSL connection and switch to dial-up. Ok. That's forgivable. I mean, if you don't download much or if you're technically challenged DSL would be nice to have but if you're crunched, dial-up is ok. HOWEVER. The lady then suggested that you end your cable tv subscription. Now the bitch has crossed the line. The host asked her, "What am I gonna watch now?". Acting smart, she says, "Oh, didn't you know there's a site called Hulu.com where you can watch most of your favorite shows?". Is it me or did she just tell everyone to watch high-def TV shows on dial-up?? She's seriously high on something and must be arrested for giving out shady advice.

* * * * *



I'm sooo pumped to see the Watchmen movie next week. Haven't read the book but I'm going to. Reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are glowing. But they're the same bunch of dorks that lambasted Push, which I totally dug. Still watching Watchmen.

Worst Case Scenario

I had a discussion with my mom about my plans on working in Singapore. I pretty much have the job in the bag. But I don't know if the salary is enough to make such a move worth the trouble. She agrees with me. The prospective employer says they got the food, water, electricity and rent covered. The salary basically becomes excess money for me to spend around. Initially, I was after the experience of living independently after living so long under my parents' roofs. I found the idea tempting but scary. It still scares me as a matter of fact. So freakishly scary that I've imagined all the scenarios that might ruin my experience there:

1. I'll miss everyone here at home. In short, I'll be terribly lonely and homesick. And I don't make friends quickly. /wrist

2. I won't adapt to life in the office. From experience I despise working in an office setting and I end up hating everyone I work with.



3. I won't adapt well to Singaporean culture. What is their culture like anyway?

4. My apartment most likely will suck. It'll be small and claustrophobic for sure. Yes, I'm used to living in big houses.

5. As a result of my inevitable depression I will eat everything in sight and balloon to a whopping 500 lbs. The food in Singapore is just f***in too good to pass especially the dimsum.



6. Because the food is expensive and I will be subjected to an unlimited display of expensive gadgetry, I will spend all my money and go bankrupt. I lose my job coz I wouldn't fit in the elevator. I'm forced to sell my Macbook Air, iPods, DSLR and Nintendo Wii in order to survive.

7. Now fat, poor, homeless and without gadgets, I have lost all will to live. Thus, I apply at McDonald's to become that Grimace mascot.



8. On a SG$5/hr salary and a hefty appetite, I have to work approximately 2 months to afford a plane ticket going back to the Philippines.

9. Unfortunately McDonald's management realized too late that rotund purple blobs are not acceptable in Singaporean society. I get arrested, convicted and deported back to my country.

10. So much for working hard for my ticket. T_T

UPDATE: What a silly post this has become, I could only grimace (pun intended) LOL. I worry too much. It couldn't be that horrible to work in Sing Town right? A couple of people who have read this stupid post said that I should go for it. But.. but.. the salary's too low!! They probably think I'm going on a vacation or something. This is real life people! I know I'm Andrew the bum/slacker/spoiled/traveler/spoiled/oops/said/that/already but we're talking about my future here. There's a lot at stake and I consider this a big big step. Got advice fer a friend? Post a comment!!

* * * * *

My mom suggested that I put up my own cafe instead. The coffee business in Davao is booming. Two new cafes opened last week alone but they kinda sucked.

CONTINUED... One of the reasons why I hate office life is I don't deal well with people. Maybe I'm shy or maybe I hate it with a passion! As I mentioned previously I used to manage a coffee shop in Manila. That experience was horrible, not to mention my baristas were swiping money off the counter. I immediately fired them but it left a permanent scar on me.

I'm better off doing what I do best -- web development. That way my only enemy is myself. However lately it's boring the shit out of me. I also got one other online job that sounds cool but it's a snooze festival as well. What will I do now? What? What?

* * * * *

This July I'm going to Europe with 4 of my cousins. The plan is to hop on 4 countries -- France, Spain, Italy and the Vatican. Can you believe it? The Vadicuhn? Yesh, Andrew the Excomunicado will visit the Pope. Don't worry I'm bringing my fire extinguisher in case of a sudden burst of flames. I hope that pushes through or I'm seriously gonna lose my sanity! wahhhhh!

I Wonder... Plus Other Ramblings

I said in my "25 Things About Me" post that I'm thinking of moving to a different country. I wonder what that would be like.

The countries I'm considering are Singapore, USA and the UK. I'm leaning towards Singapore because of its proximity and most of its people speak English. Their funky accent will take some getting used to but the heck with that. How about the USA? I've lived there for 5 years and I have tons of relatives scattered from coast to coast. But it's so faaaaar and I'm gonna miss my mom and dad and my friends :c Bah, I know I'm an old fart but that's the way I am. The UK? It's a long shot but it would be interesting just to try.

* * * * *

I know, I know. Why don't I blog regularly anymore?

I was busy lately. 50% busy with my brick and mortar business and 50% with my online gigs. Brick and what? My mom handed me her bakery business about 3 years ago. In all seriousness, handling a bakery is 27 times more difficult than managing a website or blog. It's because we're dealing with real people everyday versus online traffic from anonymous people that I don't really see. Admittedly, business has suffered because of the troubled economy and competition springing up everywhere. What to do? I strongly believe that our pastries and cakes are our forte. Our apple pie (P450) is the BOMB. Please don't hesitate to order in my comments section hehe. Last Thursday I went around 5 coffee shops to give out samples of our baked products. I'm 100% certain they'll like them but the question is will they bite? One cafe that liked our apple pie ordered one the next day. Swell. I hope tomorrow will be a better day. The pressure to keep the business afloat is on my shoulders. It's been with our family for decades so I'm not giving it up without a fight. And seriously, my shoulders are hurting! I need a massage!

I'm gonna make a more detailed promotional blog post about our goodies soon :P

* * * * *



Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Thus, I treated myself with a new pair of Sanuks coz I needed something comfy for my perpetually tired feet. I was a little shocked about the price (P2,990). I thought they were only about P2,000-P2,500. They are ridiculously comfortable but I feel short wearing them and they sort of look like clown shoes (think Ronald McDonald).

I also got a pleasant surprise when my 4 year-old niece Mavis called to greet me a Happy Valentine's Day. Part of the surprise was why the hell does she have a cellphone?? But she was cute and I miss her so much.

I know a lot of couples who look forward to Valentine's. Honestly I don't care about Valentine's and it's not because I don't have someone to celebrate it with. I've been in love before but from what I've seen through the course of my life -- myself falling out of love, cheated on, my own parents separating, aunts and uncles separating, cousins divorcing -- I conclude that love is not a many splendored thing. LOL

I have a cousin who has the most convoluted view of love. She's bright and beautiful but has an ogre of a boyfriend who's cheated on her twice. His most recent affair with a trashy nurse lasted a year and 3 months before she found out (through Friendster!). But still she insists that he loves her and he will change for the better. Even if she denies it she is worried about not finding someone else, which is insane because she is, like I said, bright and beautiful. Not to mention a successful and respected pediatrician. That only proves doctors aren't exactly the most intelligent people around. Ok, I said "bright", right? I take that back. To my cousin: If you're reading this, I want to tell you that you're crazy. If you choose that ogre over us, I respect your decision. But I reserve the right to call you a dumbass from time to time.

* * * * *



Movie recommendation of the week: "Push" starring Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning. 4 out of 5 stars. Too lazy to write a full review, hehehehe. Just take my word for it and watch it!

25 Things About Me

I was tagged five freckin times on Facebook for this meme! Twice yesterday, twice the day before that, once today! Because two of my mom's sisters are my 'friends', I decided to play safe by answering the meme here. Ok, 5.. 6.. 7.. 8.. Getting to know you, getting to know all about you... lalalala LOL

Here goes.

1. I'm the youngest of three. I have two older twin brothers named David Christopher and Dennis Edward.

2. Andrew is my middle name. My first name is Joseph. Please don't call me Erap or Joe.

3. I live with my mom in Davao City. My dad is in Manila. They're separated. :c

4. I studied in the USA when I was in second and third grade. For the first 1 1/2 years I studied in Santa Clara, California. My school's name was Pomeroy Elementary School. Then I transferred to East Prarie High in Skokie, Illinois to finish the semester. After that the whole family moved back to the Philippines for reasons unknown to me. =\

5. We had a bakery in the states called "Golden Croissant".

6. When I was a kid I thought babies were conceived merely by kissing.

7. I've been punched only once my whole life. By David. He got pissed because I wouldn't lend him my new stereo hahaha.

8. I have a Bachelor's degree in Management Economics. It has absolutely nothing to do with what I'm doing now.

9. My cousin Pauline doesn't know this but I began dabbling in web design because I got jealous after seeing her personal homepage on Geocities. And the rest, as they say, is history.

10. My first "major" website was Textcentral.com, a community for text messaging fanatics lol. It's gone now.

11. I'm quite hard to please. I spend hours and hours designing something and I end up hating it.

12. I like helping people but I hate asking others for favors.

13. I can't stand snorers.

14. My favorite TV show of all time is LOST.

15. I like all sorts of music. Britney Spears, Les Miserables, Fall Out Boy. You name it. Ok, maybe except heavy metal and rap.

16. I have a vast collection of karaoke mp3's that I sing to while driving.

17. If I was down in my luck I'd probably be a chauffer by now.

18. I got my ear pierced in New York City. My classmates said I looked like a Backstreet Boy. Sadly my ear got infected, forcing me to take it off. My dad would have killed me anyway.

19. I'm very protective of my first cousins on both sides.

20. I'm bad at recognizing faces. Worsened by my poor vision and memory.

21. I don't smoke or drink. If I do drink, I go for cocktails or hard drinks. I think beer is awful and that's why it's cheaper.

22. I'm good at bowling and badminton but I haven't practiced for a long time.

23. I hate all animals except fish and turtles.

24. Three years ago I figured in an accident that involved a tricycle falling into a canal. Not my fault!

25. I'm thinking of moving to a different country.

Fuck My Life

Today I woke up at 10am to go straight to my computer to check if my websites are up or not FML

Then, I played some Asian guitar music, stripped off my clothes and... took a shower FML

Today I debated whether to go to the gym or not. I didn't FML

Today I hung out at Caffe Firenzo, the same boring place I went yesterday and the day before that FML

I spent two hours working on an API for a website project. After which I was smiling like a big nerd FML

Today I received a total of 4 text messages. 3 on my Globe phone and 1 on my Smart phone. The 3 on my Globe phone were spam messages for get rich quick seminars. The one on Smart came from Smart FML

La Core Cafe

As I shuffled through some photos on my N82 phone, I recalled my group's misfortune of visiting a new cafe owned by Korean immigrants. It was hilarious really. It happened sometime in early November last year. We had finished dinner and was willing to try a new place to grab a cup of coffee or perhaps a slice of dessert. Somebody, I don't remember who exactly, suggested we try La Core Cafe near Victoria Plaza. The place looked decent from the outside. We were about to back out because they looked packed. But the waiter person insisted that we come in. So we did. To our chagrin, he led us to the most appalling sofa set we have ever seen in our life. It was bright green and the cushions were almost non-existent that we felt the friction between our asses rubbing against the chair's frail aluminum body.



The ambiance was further marred by a weird janitor who was dutifully playing cheesy organ music. Apparently, the organ was doing all the work for him. The acoustics and background music were presets, and he was just playing along using one hand.



Last but not the least, La Core's owners thought of going along with the Christmas tradition by putting up a Christmas tree of their own. A Christmas tree with a gigantic gift ribbon on top.



I wonder if they gave it away as a present.

My Virtual Office

I can say that I have officially transformed Caffe Firenzo into my own little office. I love how the place is set up. The ordering area is on the ground floor while the main dining area where the comfy seats are is on the mezzanine. Gives me a sense of privacy somehow. The food is nice especially the whole wheat sandwiches. The drinks -- well, I've heard complaints that they taste like cough syrup. But if you know me too well you know that I like gross medicine-tasting drinks. I dunno but I'm weird that way.

Today I had a nice Raspberry Iced Tea (P75):



Tastes like Robitussin mmmmm :P



After an hour I had my all-time favorite Corned Beef Sandwich on whole wheat bread (P60):



Freckin' delicious!

* * * * *

My friends invited me to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Or rather, I invited them. Ok I don't remember lol. Anyway we saw it at the NCCC mall near our house. NCCC is the best place to watch movies in Davao IMO.



The movie was long and dragging but I enjoyed every bit of it. I was simply amazed by the makeup effects that made Cate Blanchett look like a teenage ballerina and eventually into the old woman on her deathbed. Not to mention the effects applied on Brad Pitt, who through time was made to look younger and younger. There was one point in the movie where he looked like his prime when he was just starting out as an actor in the 90's. Wow, I have to applaud the makeup artist. Or the CG artist if he was responsible for it. Or whoever. A guy who sat 2 seats away from me was in total awe that he commented, "Ang gwapo ni Brad Pitt!" (Brad Pitt is so handsome!) Hahaha. And he said that to his girlfriend.

The movie made me reflect on myself. Why do I fuss about my appearance when I know that it will all be gone when I'm old and wrinkly? Why do I try too hard to earn a decent living when I know that I can't take it with me when I vanish from the Earth? Who created the buttons on my shirt? LOL

For now I can't come up with a convincing answer to these questions. But I guess I'm only making the best out of my life. I'd be doing myself an injustice if I allowed myself to be fugly and poor at the same time. Life is a great thing. I'll enjoy it to the fullest. That's why I'm going ziplining this afternoon :P

* * * * *

Sorry for the abrupt ending^^. Let me end this post properly. So I went ziplining yesterday with 11 other people. The surprise of the day was my friend's 50-ish mom tagged along. She turned out to be the bravest among the twelve of us. Talk about living life to the fullest!

New Domain! Woot!

Recently I decided to purchase a domain for my blog -- http://www.yeahdrew.com/!

Please update your bookmarks! If you like my blog, feel free to link to me too. Hehehe.

My Chinese Grandfather

Surrounded by the Chinese in Macau

I dunno about you, but my family never celebrates the Chinese New Year, despite us having authentic Chinese roots. Our heritage traces back to my great-great-grandfather Lim Chuan Juna who as a teen left China during the 1800's to try his luck in Mindanao. I found out that he's way way cooler than I thought. He started out as a pearl diver and fisherman in Jolo and later made a living trading pearls. Comparing him to myself -- he easily beats my web development profession 10 to 1 on the awesomeness scale. I mean come on, he owned practically all of Davao City when he got here. He owned ranches, coconut plantations and hectares upon hectares of useless real estate LOL. He was such a big rockstar that he changed his name to Francisco Villa-Abrille. Ok. But he was a nice guy at the same time, coz he freakin' gave away most of the land and left us with nothing! Just kidding. He left us a good amount of commercial land but my family thought that by selling them they were actually being shrewd businessmen.



*Ducks* Yes gramps, they sold everything!

I feel bad though because only 1/16 of gramps is left inside of me. I'm sure that had we met, we'd get along pretty darn well. We're sooooo similar. We're both goodlooking (as proven by the pics above), athletic (I'm a gym bunny, he dived for pearls for crying out loud), enterprising (I make money online, lots of it; He was just a plain filthy rich bastard). If I had a chance to meet someone who's dead, he'd be the first person on my list of most desired dead people to meet. Ok, please don't show up in my room without prior warning!

To my gramps: I apologize for not caring about your country of origin's excuse for a New Year. The non-Chinese one was more exciting.

Gong Hei Fat Choy!

Cei Tenks Bai!