Bimmerfest 2009

If Today Was Your Last Day...

My best friend gave me the best advice,
He said each day's a gift & not a given right
Leave no stone unturned
Leave your fears behind
and try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride.

If today was your last day
and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?
If today was your last day

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause
There's no second try
So live like you're never livin twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day
and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?
Would you call those friends you've never seen?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one your dreaming of?
Swear up & down to God above
That you'll finally fall in love.
If today was your last day

If today was your last day
Would you make it up by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late
To shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind
A moment in this life
Let nothing stand in your way
Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day
& tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?
Would you call those friends you've never seen?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one your dreaming of?
Swear up & down to God above
That you'll finally fall in love.
If today was your last day...


-Chad Kroeger-

I wish I played golf...

I wish I played golf... Golf courses are always so nice, specially at dawn... I just can't bring myself to wake up at 5am to whack a tiny ball and chase it... hahahahaha...

YAWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's 3am...
can't sleep...
I think I had too much coffee today...
hahahahaha...
and I have to be in Ayala Greenfields at 5am...
maybe I'll just go and sleep there instead...

YAWN!!!!

19 DOWN!!!

argh!!! "...that's the problem with closure. Sometimes when something closes, something else opens up..." ... to be continued?!?!??!

...and the planning continues...

after the long break...

blue & white planning continues...

target date Dec... (hopefully sooner)

so excited!!!

Joyeuses Pâques à tout le monde!

...I'm back!

...back from a quick overnight at La Luz Beach Resort... am I a beach person? hmmm... I'm wondering if I really like the beach or just scuba diving... maybe I'd like the beach more if it wasn't so hot... I think the sun should have a dimmer... hahahahaha (kidding)

...hitting the gas...

Hmmm... although I had big plans coming up for Jan 2010, things might get bumped up sooner than I planned... I'm still trying to decide if I should bump it up or not...if that's a good or a bad thing... well, in all honesty, it's good, if it'll come sooner. I just wasn't expecting to take it on this on this soon... but I'm also a firm believer in the "better late than never" is BS. There is such as a thing as too little... too late. And I HATE being late. So at the very least, my plans will either be on time... or sooner than expected... just have to delay a smaller plan/project I had in mind that was supposed to be done in Dec 2009. Let's see if I can get things moving sooner than I had hoped...

Pet peeve...

As we all get older, talks of marriage, families, kids, etc... all become common place. One of my pet peeves in the Phil is how people (aunts mostly) keep asking/pressuring newly weds to have kids. It's not an effing puppy. You'd think these aunts are the ones that will fund the baby and change diapers and all. Sheesh... all they want to do is play with it like a toy for a bit. Get a life... buy a dog.

Sometimes you get a fwd email that actually contains words of wisdom...

don't commit when your'e not ready,
don't keep others waiting endlessly,
to fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy,
don't bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons,
to keep yourself warm, buy a jacket,
in the long run, it will be less complicated and less costly,
take care of yourself,
don't wait for someone to take care of you,
no one completes you -- but you...

...it's been 2 years...

...it's been 2 years since my Lola passed away... just making a short entry to say that I miss her and I hope she's having fun in heaven... hehehe!

Travel Log... supplemental...

1. Paris, France


2. Bordeaux, France


3. Giverny, France


4. Lyon, France


5. Marseille, France


6. Martillac, France


7. Sauternes, France


8. Vernon, France


9. Versailles, France


10. Frankfurt, Germany


11. Rome, Italy


12. Amstelveen, The Netherlands


13. Amsterdam, The Netherlands


14. Uithoorn, The Netherlands


15. Volendam, The Netherlands


16. Lancaster, CA, USA


17. Los Angeles, CA, USA


18. San Francisco, CA, USA


19. Orlando, FL, USA


20. Honolulu, HI, USA


21. Las Vegas, NV, USA


22. Hong Kong, China


23. Macau, China


24. Angeles, Philippines


25. Bacolod, Philippines


26. Baguio, Philippines


27. Batangas, Philippines


28. Bohol, Philippines


29. Boracay, Philippines


30. Cebu City, Philippines


31. Dumaguete, Philippines


32. Paranaque, Philippines


33. Puerto Galera, Philippines


34. Sorsogon, Philippines


35. Subic, Philippines


36. Tagaytay, Philippines


37. Zamboanga, Philippines


38. Bangkok, Thailand

• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Travel Info at TripAdvisor

A to Zee!

Just fetched my friend Zsar from the airport!!! She's here for 2 weeks on vacation!!! Yay!

whew!

Just finished uploading and ORGANIZING all my Macao-HK pics on my Multiply... and 3 more months til my NYC trip!!! Another big WOOHOO!!!!

what if?

What if you had a year... ok, say, five years left to live... would you live the remaining year(s) of your life differently than you are living it now? I wonder how many people would answer yes to that question... most of the time, when a question like that is posed, the usual response it "No, I'd do ___________" whether it be something they haven't done... or something they want to do... or something they plan to do, but much later in the future.

The funny thing is, no one knows when their "last day" will be. There is no such thing as postponing life... you're either living it... or you're wasting it.

I think I'm lucky that life has taught me this lesson early on in my life... granted I'm not young anymore, but still younger than most that pick up on this when they're 40, 50 or much later. The last 2 years of my life have taught me that so much can happen in 2 months... or 5 weeks... or 4 days... or 18 hours. Big things. Life changing things. Can you imagine how many changes can happen in the hours... days... weeks... months... or even years to come?!?!?!? COOL!!!

MAH-CAW!!!

Woohoo! Just got back from Macao! Had a side trip to Hong Kong as well! Photos will be up on my Multiply site soon! Still sorting all the photos from my camera and phone.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Show your loved one that you REALLY care about them.

Valentine's has always been about love and family and food. It has also always been celebrated on February 14. This year, why don't we celebrate Valentine's everyday?

Some restaurants are helping Virlanie do this by being Virlanie's Valentine. When you eat in the following restaurants, part of the proceeds of your meal will feed a child for an entire year. Imagine that!

For more info on how to become a partner restaurant,

visit www.virlanie.org

Virlanie's Partner Restaurants:

Antonio's of Tagaytay
For reservations: 0918-899-2866

Astralis by Diamond Hotel
Lopez Drive, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City
For reservations: 703-2688

Azuthai
G/F Milky Way Building 900 A. Arnaiz (Pasay Road), Makati City
For reservations: 817-6252/813-0671

Bizu Patisserie
G/F Greenbelt 2 Esperanza St., Ayala Center, Makati City
For reservations: 757-2498

Capricciosa
Greenbelt 3 3/F Ayala Center Makati City
For reservations: 8171586

Cav Wine Shop Café
G/F The Spa Building Lot 5, Quadrant 8, City Center, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
For reservations: 856-1798

Cibo Gateway
8003 Aurora Tower, Araneta Center, Quezon City
For reservations: 913-2426 or 9119277

Cuillère
Units 1C-06 and 1C-07 Serendra, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
For reservations: 916-7394/856-3325

Il Ponticello
2/F Antel 2000, 121 Valero St., Makati City
For reservations: 887-7168

L'Incontro
207 Nicanor Garcia (formerly Reposo) Street Makati City
For reservations: 899-0638 to 39

People's Palace
G/F Garden Side, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City
For reservations: 729-2888

Restaurant 101 of Enderun Colleges
2/F Wynsum Corporate Plaza, 22 F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
For reservations: 638-5555 local 101

Sala Bistro
G/F Garden Side, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City
For reservations: 729-7500

BIG PLANS...

Woohoo... I've got big plans for the end of this year... something involving the colors blue & white... hmmm... what could it be? Hehehehe... It's something I will have to save up for...

But that's still a year away... a lot can happen in a year. Til then, I'm off to Macau til Monday! Woohoo! (Not the same woohoo as my upcoming big plan, but a different woohoo... hahahaha)

PLEASE HELP STOP THIS!

...on opportunities...

I was watching Evan All Mighty, and I never really found it that funny. But there were a few lines in the movie that I found very moving.

"When people pray for patience, does God give them patience? Or does he give them opportunities to be patient?"

Sometimes, we pray for signs... and foolishly wait for literal signs. God sends us signs all the time. And provides us with opportunities to get what we pray for every step of the way.

But, he can only show us the door... we have to choose to walk through it.

FINALLY!

After YEARS... I finally added ONE more link in my portfolio for my photos... under "Pixels". Hahahaha... hopefully I'll find the energy to add my music, and larger pop-ups of my graphic work as well some time. Hahahaha...

Bonne Année à tous!

(New Year's Countdown at Fort Bonifacio 31-12-2008)
HAPPY 2009!!!!!

May this year be filled with unexpected
twists...
turns...
corners...
bends...
detours...
(this is getting a bit too driving oriented...)
surprises...
...and everything else that makes life interesting!!!

Joyeux Noël à tous!

"Reason for the Season"

I've been very blessed throughout my life. I've never had a bad job, and I've always been good at managing the little money that I make. I've also never been much into charity (I never really believed in it)... but this year, I felt like doing something different. The Virlanie Foundation is selling Christmas cards, which I bought to give out as gifts to my friends. For a few of my closest friends, I decided to secretly pledge a year (hopefully I can afford to sustain it much longer) in their name. They will get a letter from their sponsored child. as well as regular updates from Virlanie. It's not much, but I hope that the little I can give would at least inspire some of them to donate (or convince their employers or companies to do so) as well.

Virlanie feeds, clothes, houses, and most importantly, educates homeless children with the hope that they may make a better future for themselves than what life has dealt them.

favorite quotes...

I've recently found a few quotes that I really seem to like now...

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."
- Charles Darwin

"Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow."
- William Pollard

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."
- Arthur Schopenhauer

"Every time you look into the future, it changes... because you looked at it."
- Nicholas Cage in the movie Next

Fairy tales can come true...

My entry for JPGmag's new theme "Fairy Tale"

"Not by the Book"

Thanks to everyone who attended my sister's book launch "Not by the Book". The exhibit will still be running until Sunday in Greenbelt 3.

Read about it here... Style Bible Ph

Wine tip for the day

Do NOT serve any wine above 20°C (68°F)

Spring cleaning...

Having a cold keeps me from going out... still wanting to be productive (or out of sheer boredom), I decided to continue my never-ending saga of spring cleaning.

I'm just amused at some of the things I found in my pile of junk (It's like an Indiana Jones archeological dig!)... most of them are still functional!

Windmill of my mind...

...on living and dying...

"The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one."-- J.D. Salinger

SonyEricsson WorldView 2008

Please vote for any/all of my photo entries on SonyEricsson's WorldView 2008.

Their site is a bit buggy, the direct link voting doesn't seem to work, so to vote, do the following

If none of the direct links work (SE's site is kinda buggy)

Click here
Then when the new window pops up:
1) On the bottom bar, click China & APAC
2) Select Philippines
3) Look for any of these photos. :P

Parisian sunrise

Tour Eiffel

Place des Vosges

Falling...

Beach wood

Candlelight

*You can vote for all of my photos. :P*

God will save me...

There was an old man sitting on his porch watching the rain fall. Pretty soon the water was coming over the porch and into the house.

The old man was still sitting there when a rescue boat came and the people on board said, "You can't stay here you have to come with us."

The old man replied, "No, God will save me." So the boat left. A little while later the water was up to the second floor, and another rescue boat came, and again told the old man he had to come with them.

The old man again replied, "God will save me." So the boat left him again.

An hour later the water was up to the roof and a third rescue boat approached the old man, and tried to get him to come with them.

Again the old man refused to leave stating that, "God will save him." So the boat left him again.

Soon after, the man drowns and goes to heaven, and when he sees God he asks him, "Why didn't you save me?"

God replied, "You dummy! I tried. I sent three boats after you!!"

------------------------------

I was watching "Pursuit of Happyness" on HBO again, and I remembered this part of the movie... John's moral... some people are just dumb... hahahahaha...

...made in China...

I think it's sad that the world had to wait for this whole milk crisis thing to happen... but in a way, I'm glad it did. I'm so sick of everything being made (poorly) in China. I'm sick of the whole fantasy of having 'cheap quality'... sorry to all the delusional economists out there... you get what you pay for. In the end, the idea of having 'better, cheaper, faster' products... one will always be sacrificed, and in this day and age of microwavable-I-need-it-yesterday-crap... 'better' is always the first to go.

I'm happy that in the search for alternatives to China, companies are now looking to closer neighbors. Some Austrian & German companies are outsourcing to Poland or the Czech republic. US companies are going back to outsourcing in Mexico. Makes more sense, with the rising fuel prices, pay less for logistics, and more for labor. Buy local, buy quality... don't buy just because it's friggin' cheap.

Hopefully this teach consumers a lesson as well. Quality over quantity.

...poor me...

...snif...snif... to ease my "Parisian homesickness" ... I'm now in Bohol to comfort myself by having wine on the beach... hehehe...

..I miss walking...

...I miss walking in Paris... not just for the sights... but walking to everything. I miss walking to my corner baker to buy my breakfast. I miss walking to the Metro. I miss walking along the Seine at night. It's funny because I'm not exactly the type who longs for exercise. I would walk a total of at least 10km everyday.

I actually walked to the local deli tonight to buy bread to make myself a sandwich. I think I can do this tomorrow morning... I've always wanted to be a "morning person"... it's just that the morning always comes so early! Hahahaha. But I enjoyed walking to the deli. Maybe I can make this my morning walk...and give myself an excuse to watch the sun rise.

Take my hand... we're of to Neder, Nederlands...

I met a lady who lived in a shoe! Hahahaha...

Happy Birthday!

Most of the things I've learned in life, I've learned from my Lola. When she passed away a couple of years ago, it was the first time I had ever lost anyone that close to me. I do miss my Lola a lot... more during the happy occasions (Christmas, her birthday, family gatherings) than her death anniversary or anything.

It's funny but I still can hear her voice of wisdom whenever I need it. I think it's because when you're really close to someone, a part of their consciousness gets passed on to you. Although, logically, I think this is just my subconscious telling me the right thing to do and using the memory of someone I respect to get me to listen to myself... No matter how you look at it, my Lola still guides me now.

And if there's anything I learned from her, is that life is too short... live it to the fullest, happiest, and funniest!

a Paris rarely seen...

A little known fact about Paris... the twin sister of a well known lady resides here...

I'm back!!!

After backpacking around France... it feels so good to be back in Paris!!!

following a star...

A surprise find in Lyon... apparently a very special car resides here... I can't begin to express how much I love unexpected surprises!

Lyon Lights

The beautiful lights of Lyon

It's a beautiful day in Marseille!

Mediterranean Sunset

Bucket list...

What if you had one month to live? Have you done everything on your "bucket list"? Being in France has made me realize that, well... my bucket list is pretty much complete. This trip was initially one of those things you keep planning for but for some reason, always gets pushed back... until I realized... I kept making excuses for why I wasn't doing what I wanted to be doing. Call it practicality, call it logic, call it whatever you want... at the end of the day, I wasn't living the life I wanted, because I kept finding excuses/reasons on why I wasn't in France.

I realized that it's so easy to come up with reasons... "Life" always gives us reasons. Until we wake up and see that the only reason... the ONLY reason we haven't done (or aren't doing) what we want to do... or are not where we wanna be... is because we accepted those "reasons":

-not enough money
-not enough time
-waiting for a better time
-waiting for a better oportunity
-not the right time
-work first to save up

I can think of a thousand reasons why I wasn't in France... until I just decided to go. Then, when I stopped making excuses for myself... things fell into place... not just perfectly... but effortlessly. I'm so glad I stopped planning this trip. It arrived faster (and is turning out better) than I expected! I just love how life always throws nice surprises and knocks you off your feet when you least expect it! And if there's anything I've learned here in France... is how to live life, and not just watch it go by! As the French say... C'est La Vie!

Votre santé

Started my "backpacking" trip around France by heading off to Bordeaux. Happened to chance upon a wine school that was holding classes while I was there, so... where else can one learn about wine but Bordeaux?!?! And of course, after I finished the class, I made my way to visit a couple of Chateaus (one that specialized in sweet white wine, and the other that made red & dry whites)... this is THE place for wine lovers... the passion & refinement they have for wine is just on a totally different level! Next stop... Marseille...if I don't get lost! Hahahaha...

Après dix ans! Je suis enfin de retour!

au revoir tout le monde!

nouvelle famille...

un et demi...

YAHOO!!!

DEUX!!!!!!!!

trois...

quatre...

5...

6 days to go!!!

tick tock...

7 days to go!

7 Days to go!!! I'm excited and a bit nervous at the same time...

Smells like chicken!

While waiting for BMW to produce a ZEV, it's nice to see that the Phil is moving forward in the alternative fuel area.

Inquirer Article

"Patrol cars powered by used cooking oil-diesel mix

MANILA, Philippines – Don’t be surprised if the air smells of fried chicken, instead of gasoline, the next time a patrol car of the Makati Police Department whizzes by.

The patrol cars of the city’s police force are now powered by a blend of used cooking oil and diesel, as part of efforts by the department to lower costs through the use of alternative energy sources."

not annoyed...

Ok... guestbook is working again... no longer annoyed... hehehe

annoyed...

Ok, I'm really annoyed... for some f***ing reason... my guestbook is gone... grrrr....

on being OC...

There are a lot of times when we need to produce copies of important documents... birth certificate, driver's license, financial documents, etc... I've been making copies of all my documents... but then I decided to make things easier... I scanned all my important documents... and made one single 'print ready' PDF which I can now print anytime, anywhere... and I keep a copy of it on my phone just in case!

I'm a Good-natured Realist

Good-natured Realists are warm-hearted, helpful personalities. They do their work conscientiously and have a pronounced organising talent. They often feel they are committed to traditional values. The family in particular is extremely important to Good-natured Realists. Their greatest pleasure is making themselves useful and taking care of other people. But they do not like pushing themselves to the fore; they prefer to fulfil their tasks out of the limelight. Click the circle to read more about the Good-natured Realist and to take your own free personality test.

When censorship goes bad...

Sometimes... *bleeping* and *blurring* things out, gives the wrong impression...

why... so... serious?

You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Either way... for those that lived long enough past the horrible 8.1 earthquake on July 18, 2008 ... go see this movie... THX certified cinemas only...or IMAX if you can.

...it may not be German...

I'm still hoping BMW comes up with something soon...
This is a UK built American car (ok, a bit confusing)
It's essentially a Lotus Elise...with a twist.

...time...

Ok, I may not always be punctual, but I really hate it when I'm late. I can't understand how some people REALLY don't seem to have a concept of time. I mean, it's ok if it's just "hanging out time" in a friend's house where there really is no plan other than to just hang out. But if it's to meet up somewhere to do something, like watch a movie... or have dinner... I really get annoyed when people are late simply because they don't keep track of time. I know it sounds a bit anal... but time is something you can't buy back. Money is easy... you can always make more money... find a better job that pays more money. But time... once wasted, is gone forever.

And I can't imagine how some people can just continue to waste their time. Even worse is when their inefficiency wastes MINE... if you wanna drive like a friggin' snail... then MOVE THE F*** OUT OF MY WAY!!! Don't waste MY time if you can't figure out which gear you're supposed to be on!!! You'd think these people owned gas stations with how slow they drive!

...yawn...

this weather is just sooooo conducive to curling up in bed...

the next best thing to flying...

If you ever wanted to fly... diving is the next best thing! We left Manila at 5am, and we were back by 3pm. 2 dives. Visibility was great! Water was clear... no strong currents... lots of fish!

The Car Maintenance Bibles

The Car Maintenance Bibles

For all gearheads, petrolheads... or anyone that's just curious about cars. This is a very informative (albeit technical) site about every single system you find in your car.

Whether it's for performance upgrades, general maintenance... or just sheer curiosity on how cars (and their subsystems) work. This is a great site for all that information!

Enjoy!


***photo is of the new BMW M3 S65 V8 engine glowing a lovely orange (my fav color!)***

...on Wanderlust...

...where to go...
...where to go...

...ever have that feeling that you just need to go somewhere?

...I've got a strange feeling of excitement of going somewhere...
...like the feeling you get when you're about to go on a vacation...
...except I have no idea where I wanna go yet...

...let's see what the future has in store!

AFTERSHOCK!!!!

Wow, I didn't even feel a single aftershock! There were 106 recorded aftershocks yesterday, and another one today (which I didn't feel again) I hope everyone is ok!

Metro rocked by 106 aftershocks: Phil Star

...whew...

Just got back from a long day at UP Los Baños to do a documentary on IRRI (Int'l Rice Research Institute)... learned a lot about rice... pretty neat seeing so many great minds working towards a common goal with no desire to profit from it. All research materials are free, and in the public domain. They even give away free seeds to farmers to help them grow better rice! I LOVED their cold storage room!!!! -20C!!!!! Hehehehe!