Ryan ToysReview

Ryan Toys Review Review

Ryan ToysReview is a picture of a happy family for kids

I’m a father of two amazing toddlers. My son who is the eldest loves to watch Ryan Toys Review on YouTube whenever he has a chance.

It is not my preferred videos for him to watch. It is not an educational video and I’d rather let my kids watch educational.

Ryan ToysReview is a video of Ryan, a kid, playing with his toys. That’s it.

I may have a slight idea why kids love Ryan Toys Review. It may be the toys.

But while watching more, I started to think that there could be more reason why kids love it.

Ryan Toys Review is not only about the toys. Sometimes, his mom or dad, or both joins in playing. There are times that the whole video is a whole family playing toys.

For kids Ryan Toys Review is not just a toy haven. It is also a picture of a happy family, however ridiculous as it may seem to us.

We should realize that one of the most important things for kids is to have their parents as their main playmates.

For parents, have you noticed that your kids always call you to play? And how many times did we rejected them?

For kids, Ryan Toys Review is a whole day play with his family. In the eyes of the children, Ryan’s parents doesn’t have jobs. They don’t go to work. They don’t do household. They do only one thing; to play with Ryan.

I read in one forum that some mothers expressed hatred towards the show or Ryan’s mother simply because the channel is not educational and Ryan’s mother releases irritating high-pitched loud noise in the form of her voice.

I don’t like the show myself because as an adult, I don’t find it entertaining aside from not being educational.

But we have to accept the fact that our children love the show.

And if this show gives us the clue on why our children enjoy their videos, maybe we should consider imitating them, not in creating another YouTube channel with the same theme, but in real life.

Instead of hating and accusing, why can’t we do the same thing? Play, enjoy and laugh even for like, how many minutes does Ryan’s videos last in average? 10 minutes? And how many minutes do our kids watch them? Let’s give them ourselves that enjoyment.

And if we started to have time to play with our kids, maybe they don’t have to watch and desire Ryan’s world.

I think Ryan’s channel doesn’t supposed to teach our children A-B-C’s. Its purpose is to teach us parents on our relationship with our kids.

Now how’s that for being educational?

Ryan now has his own line of toys in toy stores.
Change

Abot kamay

Ilang araw nalang, botohan na. Pero matagal na tayong nagbabatuhan. Para lang maiangat natin ang ating mga kandidato.

Mas lalo lang lumala ang batuhan ng putik nang sumikat ang social media, lalo na ang Facebook.

Post ng kung anu-anong meme na hindi naman alam kung saan nanggaling at kung sino ang may akda. Basta papuri sa sariling manok o kasiraan sa kalaban, ipopost na. Kesehodang walang katotohanan o mapanirang personal na.

Hindi nyo ba napansin na sa tuwing eleksyon lumalabas ang baho hindi lamang ng mga pulitiko kundi pati na rin ang mga ordinaryong mamamayan na maliliit ang buwis?

Sa ganitong panahon madali tayong maniwala sa haka-haka at mabilis pa nating naipapakalat ang mga ito.

Handa ka ba talagang ibaba ang pagkatao mo para lang maipanalo ang kandidato mo?

Handa ka ba talagang ipaglaban at makipag away para sa kandidato mo?

Hanga ka talaga sa kandidato mo eh, no?

Ano kaya ang iniisip nya para sayo?

Kung nagiisa ka nalang bobo-to para sa kanya, bibigyan ka pa rin kaya nya ng pagpapahalaga?

Hahanga ka pa rin kaya sa kanya pagkalipas ng anim na taon?

Pagbabago ba ika ang gusto mo?

Meron ka na bang ginawang hakbang patungo sa pagbabagong hinahanap mo?

Marunong ka bang pumila?

Marunong ka bang magparaya?

Tumbatawid ka ba sa tamang tawiran?

Sa basurahan mo ba tinatapon ang mga balat ng candy mo?

Kung hindi mo kayang gawin ang mga maliliit na bagay na ito, bakit ka umaasa ng pagbabago?

Kung ituturo mo ang mga kamalian ng mga kababayan mo para pagtakpan o bigyang hustisya ang mga kamalian mo, wala kang pinag iba sa mga ahensya ng ating pamahalaan na laging nagtuturuan sa oras ng kapalpakan. Kaya walang pagbabago.

Ang pagbabagong hinihintay mo ay nasa harapan mo lang. Abot kamay mo.

Kelan darating o magaganap ang pagbabagong inaasahan mo? Ngayon. Hindi bukas. Hindi pagkatapos ng eleksyon.

Sino ang magsisimula ng pagbabagong hinahanap mo? Ikaw mismo.

Ikaw mismo ang mag aahon sayo sa kahirapan.

Ikaw lamang ang makapag mamalaki sa sarili mo na ikaw ay Pilipino. Hindi mo kailangan si Manny Pacquiao o ang bayaning Presidente mo.

Matagal nang mabaho ang pulitikang Pilipino.

Panahon pa ng mga Kastila ay bulok na ang pulitika natin. Panahon pa nila Aguinaldo, Bonifacio at Heneral Luna (magaganda yung mga pelikula nila. Panoorin mo).

Walang sinumang pulitiko ang makapag hahatid sa atin ng pagbabago kundi tayo mismo.

Ang pagbabago ay hindi hinihintay. Ito ay ginagawa.

guitarist

What would I do with my life if I didn’t have to work for money?

This is a simple question that every one of us can easily answer. Some may consider it as nonsense but it appeals to me so I didn’t hesitated to answer the question.

This question was asked by a friend on Facebook days ago.

What attracted me to answer this is because for me, it is a time to revisit my past and review my inner self.

Kinda deep, isn’t it?

But I believe that the question is as deep as knowing who you really are.

The question asks what satisfies you, not just what sustains you. Your money may extend your life but it will never make you live your life. Instead, it will prevent you from living it.

I believe that the ones that satisfies you makes you whole as a person.

This includes everything; your hobbies, passion, a thing, or a person. It is all about what you like. Or love.

book

Some people need to spend a lot of money and use a lot of energy just to consider a day a great day. While some are made whole on a quiet rainy day, reading a book on the couch.

I believe that to get to know the person better every time we meet someone, ask them what they love to do or what they do on leisure, not what do they do for a living.

After I answered this question, I was reminded of who I am. I was reminded that I’m a musician and why I have many books though left unread.

And this also explains why I have many blogs but left unmanaged.

TypewriterI was blessed to have a job that I love doing. I write, build websites, market, building social media pages and interacting, and spend several hours on the internet. This is a part of me that is fulfilled. While others are left undone.

Maybe some people are shy to answer the question because their list may sound childish.

Who cares?

That is why children are happier than adults. Because they’re doing what they want to do.

Half of my list is childish. And I believe you will have also.

This is because there is a child inside every one of us.

How about you? What would you do with your life if you didn’t have to work for money?

Don’t hesitate to make a list on the comment like I did days ago.

Not only I’m helping you to know yourself but I might also found a playmate or with similar interest here.

Lazada

Filipinos Purchased Over 120,000 Items from Lazada on November 11, Online Sale Continues

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – November 11 has become the largest online shopping day in the world. For Lazada Philippines (www.lazada.com.ph), the country’s leading one-stop shopping and selling destination, 11/11 marked the start of its highly anticipated Online Revolution Sale and the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

Lazada sent online shoppers into a frenzy starting midnight of November 11 with customers purchasing 120,000 items across different product categories. Over 5,000 units of smartphones were sold on that day alone. Discounted and exclusive cellphone models from top brands such as Alcatel, Lenovo, ASUS and Cherry Mobile were the day’s bestsellers. Lazada also sold over 4,500 packs of disposable diapers, a clear indication that Filipino parents are embracing the convenience of online shopping. Hundreds of early Christmas shoppers were able to snap up this season’s hottest toy, the hoverboard or 2-wheeled scooter for as low as P7,999.

Lazada

As projected, Lazada exceeded its online sales records with a 6x increase in sales over its October average – the best uptake among all the countries in Southeast Asia where Lazada operates. The site registered 2.4 million visits and orders came from all over the country. 70% of total orders came from areas outside of the National Capital Region.

About Lazada
Lazada (www.lazada.com.ph) is Philippines’ largest online shopping mall and is pioneering e-commerce by providing a fast, convenient and secure online shopping experience combined with an extensive product offering in categories ranging from mobiles & tablets and consumer electronics to household goods, toys, fashion and sports equipment. Lazada is continuously striving to offer its customers the best possible shopping experience with multiple payment methods including cash on delivery, extensive warranty commitments and free returns. Lazada mobile applications for Android, iPhone and iPad provide additional convenience to its consumers’ allowing them to shop anywhere, anytime.

Lazada

tanim bala

Isang bala ka lang…

“Tanim-bala” a local (Filipino) term referring to the new trend on Philippine airports, which is “planting” or intentionally putting bullets to the travelers’ baggage. They do this to extort money from travelers. This is unbelievably happening for months now, in different airports.

I can’t imagine how our government can be so numb, incapable and stupid.

Numb

tanim balaThe government is so numb to take this scam seriously and act fast against this. I mean, what are they thinking? Is this just some kind of snatching in Quiapo (although it’s a serious matter that must be addressed too)? These security personnel idiots are doing their crimes on their job, on their uniform. They are government employees. They represent the government. This is an obvious crime inside the government. But why doesn’t someone up there do something about it? No, I’m not talking about God. I’m talking about the congress, the senate or the President. Or is the President too important to deal with this issue and too busy promoting our beloved country?

Incapable

Ok. Maybe not that numb. These incidents have already caught some leaders’ attention. They already called to investigate this scam. But amazingly, there no one has been caught and punished yet.

I even saw a report about Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) giving advice to travelers to avoid being the victim of ‘tanim-bala’ scam.

HWAAAT!!?? You’re giving advice to the public to avoid this instead of hunting these pawns of Lucifer to stop this? This just says clearly that the government is really incapable of fighting crimes and giving justice to its people.

Anyway, this is what the government and our law enforcers are good at; giving advice to the public on how to avoid to become the victim instead of going after these demons. They just love to pass on the full responsibility of safety to the public. It is easier than doing their actual job.

tanim bala
The bullet planters. Probably the puppets.

Stupid

I’m just confused. Doesn’t the government think that it will affect the country’s image internationally? While Mr. President is busy shaking hands promoting this beloved country, his little demonic creatures are feasting on their victims once they fell into the trap. Wait, doesn’t it sound like some classic suspense horror story? It’s really more fun in the Philippines.

And it’s not the only airport scam that would entice foreigners in this country. Foreign media, not tourists. We have also taxi fixers and taxis who are swindlers, contracting innocent foreign passengers with triple the amount of regular fares.

Another thing is that, is this how we treat our OFW’s (Overseas Filipino Workers)? As far as I know, we consider OFW’s as our nation’s modern heroes. Or does the current administration don’t think the same?

tamin bala
Lane Michael White – An American missionary victim of “tanim bala” scam.

There are currently 2.3 million OFW’s who are sending in dollars. Doesn’t this help our economy? The last time I checked, it was considered one of the main reasons why our economy is surviving.

So while they help this country survive by generating billions of dollars every year, these moronic security personnel are returning the favor by planting bullets in their bags to extort them.

tanim bala
The new fashion trend in all Philippine airports. To avoid the tanim bala scam.

The sad thing is that, it is not the only scam that our OFW’s are experiencing with our government. Our mighty government has also been busy scavenging our modern heroes’ packages and leave almost nothing for their loved ones. This courtesy is being done by another brilliant government agency Bureau of Customs. They are opening all the packages sent by OFW’s to “check” for illegal items and will get (steal) what they want. They steal these items that are supposed to be a gift for the OFW’s loved ones that are bought with their sweat, blood, and tears.

I could safely say that there are special places in hell for these evil airport security personnel and BOC officials.

One last question

Since this ‘tanim-bala’ scam has been happening for months now, continuously acquiring victims, on different airports, why aren’t they being stopped? Why are they continuing their operation even when they’re already been reported and revealed on national news? Are these termites untouchables? What, or WHO, gives them the courage to do it? Is there or are there higher ranked demons behind them? Is there a master of puppets behind the show?

Yes, I know that’s a lot of question instead of one.

tanim bala
“Not all lose bullets comes from the sky. Some of it comes from the airport.”

Conclusion

My cousin, a US immigrant, once told me that she’ll never come back to stay here. She said she’s just too scared of the crimes here and that she’s concerned with her family’s safety and the government’s incapability of handling crimes.

Because of my work, I happened to know and be friended with some foreigners who are visiting or planning to visit the country. Because of what’s happening, I wouldn’t recommend them to come. I wouldn’t want to put them in danger with our government, not to mention our very own groups of terrorists.

For OFW’s, our modern-day heroes, planting bullets in their bags is nothing less than putting bullets in their head, and in their heart.

Now, here’s a little “entertainment”.

Gates of Hell

I’m not going to discuss about religion but my topic is closer to hell. The title is a phrase that Dan Brown used to describe Manila in his latest novel Inferno, in which our politicians and government officials immediately condemn and defended their uselessness. I mean, our beautiful country.

I’m going to talk about traffic as most, if not all, drivers here in Metro Manila are feeling devilish on the road today. Note that it’s not only on rush hours. Traffic is now present anywhere and anytime just like the devil himself.

The INC already left EDSA weeks ago, but the traffic remained.

With people’s desperation with the traffic, everybody’s becoming a traffic expert. Including me. Although I don’t travel on Metro Manila area, we have our own version of traffic here in our place.

Our government officials are announcing several possible solutions to the problem. But I was wondering about one thing: why look for a new solution instead of solving the current problems that are causing traffic? It’s like spraying an air freshener on your home but not throwing out the filthy garbage inside the house.

It’s like putting an air freshener inside the bathroom without flushing the toilet. You get my point.

What I would like to say is that fix the most basic things that are causing traffic first before we spend for more improvements. By the way, our politicians like buying new projects anyway because they can pocket the half of the project budget.

Discipline

Is it really that hard for us to have discipline? Although Filipinos lack discipline in most areas in our lives but let’s just narrow the problem with the traffic. I travel every day to take my wife to the office and pick her in the afternoon. And in the short time and distance, I can still see undisciplined drivers who still refuse to show simple road courtesy. Examples are not letting the crossing road open even if their lane is having a stagnant traffic. Because of this, it will only cause another road traffic which the crossing road can’t get pass because the vehicles on the traffic lane refused to give way. I experienced this once. We were passing the crossing road but we can’t pass through because our way was blocked by vehicles on traffic. We were even given a brilliant advice by one of the drivers on the traffic road. He said that we should take the other road (which will take us longer kilometers and wasted fuel) instead of just giving us space to pass through.

(I’m not sure if I made sense so here is a picture to give you an idea.)

traffic

Aside from giving courtesy to other drivers, there are still lots of things to fix in our roads that involves discipline. Especially to public vehicles.

Loading and Unloading

metro manila trafficAlthough some streets already have Bus Stops and Loading/Unloading spots, I believe we still need to add designated areas for public vehicle stops. We are very used in our habit of loading and unloading anywhere. The funny thing is that our buses and Jeepneys are acting like cabs where it can stop anywhere. Buses and jeepneys can’t do the same because they carries several passengers. If all the 30 passengers in the jeepney will alight individually, it will cause 30 stops which will affect other vehicles and will obviously affect their fuel consumption too (I bet they don’t realize that). The 30 stops are only for alighting passengers. It doesn’t include individual new riding passengers. And if we count 30 passengers for a jeepney, how much more a bus? Makati has a strict bus stops. But most of the places in Metro Manila still don’t have proper bus stops. Now, imagine a huge bus loading and unloading passengers on a narrow street. Buses don’t just run on large highways. Check the route of the buses that are taking the Quiapo – Taytay route.

And if they are taking the large highway route like EDSA; the wider the road, the larger their terminal is.

metro manila traffic 1

If you’ll ride the bus and will travel EDSA, it will take you almost half a day from Makati to Caloocan. Yes there are legitimate traffic problems on EDSA but it is impossible not to notice buses clogging each crossings and stop lights. Each stops will take you 15 to 20 minutes, believe it or not, just filling up the bus with passengers. And it’s not just a single bus. There are hundreds of buses traveling EDSA back and forth and this includes illegally operating buses. Imagine them clogging each crossings and traffic lights along EDSA.

metro manila traffic 2I must admit that the undisciplined loading/unloading problem should not be blamed entirely on drivers. Because some or most passengers complain if the driver kept them wait or made them walk more meters by alighting them farther than their destination. So it is clearly that we are all to be blamed for this.

Law Enforcement

I’m not just talking about visibility of police and traffic enforcers. I’m talking about strongly enforcing the law. I believe that we have enough traffic laws. But the problem is seriously enforcing it.

Local governments put traffic signs but they don’t force drivers to follow it. We see these illegal terminals anywhere because no one is getting punished. We see colorum (illegal, unregistered) buses comfortably travelling our roads and highways because they are not being punished (because government officials regularly receives an amount from bus operators). They even have the guts to bully smaller vehicles that are legally travelling the roads.

Consistency

We already saw several times that the government implemented a traffic law. We can see how officials are enthusiastically enforcing the new law. We see them on TV. Lots of motorists are being caught or warned. After a week, aaaand… they’re gone. “Ningas kugon” in our terms. Starting something without finishing it. A week after the law was launched, we are back to where we were; to our old habits.

Conclusion

Discipline and Law Enforcement are two contradictory terms and idea. If we have discipline, we won’t be in desperate of law enforcement. Needing law enforcement means that we lack discipline. But we need both. Implementing the law also requires discipline in the part of the government and the officials.

These two are very simple and basic laws of road traffic. If we can’t fix them, nothing will fix our traffic problem. Even if we widen our roads, add more highways and flyovers, if we can’t follow simple rules and give simple courtesy, our billion-worth of projects are useless. We are just making our politicians richer. Just look into these images. They are not hard-to-solve puzzles.

I’m not saying that fixing these areas will solve our traffic problem. But I want to see orderliness first before we invest on expensive traffic projects. And I’m sure that discipline will make a huge difference, not only on traffic, but also on every aspect in our life as Filipino.

P.S. As long as I’m not seeing a change in these two areas, I won’t believe that our country is on its way to progress. Discipline is one of the most important ingredient for progress. Sayonara!

Nio2 “Please share daddy’s story!”

Happy Father’s Day To All My Fathers

I grew up without a father. My grandparents are the ones who took care of me while my mother is away working. I didn’t had any questions because they explained what happened to me. I didn’t also longed for a father because I had the coolest grandfather beside me while growing up. I just wish that he stayed longer.

Aside from having the coolest grandfather, I have uncles who also stood as my father, all of them. I have lots of memories with my fathers; riding uncle Jim’s motorcycle even for just 2 meters whenever he arrives from work; joining my cousins in their excitement whenever uncle Buds arrive from work abroad (because I also receive toys); picking up food in uncle Jessy’s table when they are, uhm, drinking; and knowing the right path and the Good News from uncle Pastor Allan. With all these things mentioned, I also have many homes and families.

Thinking back in those memories, I see myself as ‘salimpusa’. I always join with my cousins’ enjoyment in life. Whenever my uncle Jim arrives from work riding a motorcycle, when he’s two meters away from their house, my cousins would scream and race to get a place and ride on his motorcycle. And sometimes, I get a spot. I don’t know how.

Whenever my uncle Buds arrives from his work abroad, I joined my cousins with their excitement when he opens up his suite case full of ‘pasalubong’ (toys). Although he’s not a direct family (he’s my aunt’s husband, my mother’s sister), he always made me feel that I’m a member of their family. Whenever I join my cousins to look on his suite case, I was always hoping that there’s a piece for me. And I was never disappointed. And right now I was thinking, it’s either he really bought something for me, or he gives me a one that’s supposed to be for my cousins.

My uncle Jess always brings me whenever they go. I also often sleep on their home. As my cousin Jessy Jr., his son, was my best friend when I was a kid, I had a lot of memories with their family. Actually most of my New Year memories in my early years were with them. And I will say it, he’s my uncle who’s a drinker. So I became familiar with every alcohol brands because of him.

My Uncle Pastor has just become a part of my life on my later years. When he was converted into a Baptist, he tried his best to get into our lives. And I’m very thankful that he did and he let himself be used by the Lord to be the light in our family. Most of who and what I am right now is because of him.

While writing this, I just realized why I didn’t missed my father. I mean, with experiences like these, I wouldn’t have experienced these if I only had one single father.

Although I never met my biological father, I never felt unfortunate. I still felt God’s love because He blessed me with lots of fathers. I really felt the genuine love of my grandparents to me. And my other father uncle Pastor introduced me to the greatest Father of all, our God. It is the greatest thing that an earthly father could give to his son and daughter.

To all my fathers, thanks for the great memories. To uncle Pastor, thanks for your guidance. Happy Father’s Day!

Ken Yamamoto
me, grandfather, and grandmother

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10399727_110446327870_365629_n

Nio2  Please share daddy’s story!

The Life of an Introvert

I had gathered some images, memes, and comics about introversion. I collected it because it really pleases me to know that I’m normal and it totally describes who I am.

It sucks to be an introvert 20 years ago. I was a teenager back then. Being a silent-type kid makes you feel like there’s something wrong with you psychologically. Much more when you discovered the word that describes you (introvert) makes you feel like a psychiatric patient.

You often hear from friends and adults “have fun”, “go out and see other people” “don’t be scared from people”.

But I’m having fun, inside my room, with my cassette tapes and guitar.

I’d never feel more comfortable than today. Not because I’m old enough to be comfortable with myself but I just learned recently that being an introvert is just having another COMMON personality. That nothing is (seriously) wrong with me. That I don’t need a psychological test to check if I’m still normal (or tolerable).

And no surprise where did I learned that we are many: here in the internet. Of course, we can’t bump with each other outside. I could see other introverts outside but we wouldn’t know because we’re not going to talk to each other.

So here are the images. Enjoy, learn, and get to know me.

(Click the image to view them on slideshow. Click ‘View full size at the lower left of the slideshow to view the image in full size.

 

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Nio2 Please share daddy’s story! 

Pacquiao vs Mayweather

My Unpopular Opinion About The Pacquiao-Mayweather Match

There are lots of hate comments regarding the Pacquiao-Mayweather match. But I think there’s something wrong about it. I’m talking about the comments, not the fight.

I’m not a sports analyst or a boxing expert. But I managed to predict or get a hunch on what will happen in the fight. I told my wife that it’s a 50/50 match. Although I’m hoping that Manny would win, but deep inside, I know that there is a large probability that Manny would lose in this fight.

Why?

For me, it’s a matter of fighting style. Because these two fighters are already legendary, fighting skills is out of question. They are also both fast. And they are already what a great boxer needs to be.

But if power is the one to be measured, we all know that Manny would win. Hands down. Manny already proved it by putting all his opponent on their knees.

But the problem is, Mayweather’s style is an antidote, or should I say, an escape to Pacquiao’s power. Kentucky Floyd Chicken

Mayhugger may have ran a mile and hugged like a lover during the fight. But this is his style. I already knew this years ago while they were negotiating the match that this would be a problem for Pacquiao. And the only way to beat Mayweather, and leave the judges with no choice, is by TKO or better yet, a knockout. But this is hard for me to believe.

Mayrunner is too smart. He won’t let himself get hurt. And for sure, he won’t give what Manny wants, which is a brawl.

And this is the reason why I’m not disappointed with the fight. Because I didn’t expected that much. I knew that this would be a boring match even knowing that Manny, one of the most exciting fighter in boxing history, will fight in the match, but I also knew that Mayweather is the one who will dictate the tempo. I knew that Money would run and hug while Manny is chasing and throwing punches.

We can’t blame Gayweather for what he had shown on the ring last Saturday on MGM Studios. It is what he is. He’s been doing it on his entire career. He’s been winning with his style and didn’t lost a fight. And we can’t just ask him to change his style just to give us a great show.

It’s no different from a basketball game or any other sports. We can’t blame the other team for playing too defensive and running too much.

I understand that boxing is an engaging sport. But what made it different from a street brawl is that it has rules and that’s why it is called a sport. And these rules allows Mayweather’s (dirty) tactics, whether we like it or not.

And we already know (or do you?) that fact even before Manny’s camp negotiated for the fight to happen. So why are we blaming or even more, hating him? If we don’t like this kind of match, then they should’ve find another opponent.

Mayweather memes

Another thing is, we hate him so much that we also bring up his personal matters; women-beater, money-lover, self-lover, etc. I don’t think this is necessary. What he is in the ring has nothing to do with his personal life outside the ring.

Now, before you hate me too, don’t get me wrong. I also hate Mayweather because of his big mouth. I was so furious reading his comments on newspapers while they were negotiating the fight, five years ago. I was so furious that I could fight him myself.

I love Pacquiao not only because he is a fellow Filipino but because of his attitude, sportsmanship, and later, being a Christian. He fights with his heart. He is one of the most exciting boxer that I have seen. He is a boxer that fights, not dance (although sometimes he sings, but outside the ring). That’s why he gained millions of fans all over the world. And before I forget to mention, I also love his story; from rags to riches.

But again, as I had mentioned, this has nothing to do with the fight last Saturday. They’re just two fighter with different styles.

Top image source: SportChaser.com

The Last Scene of Paul Walker

The first Fast and the Furious movie is one of the movies that I could watch over and over again. The movie always excites me. It’s maybe because seeing racing cars give me adrenalin. And cool cars + racing = huge amount of adrenalin.

I like the movie because of three things: good story, cool cars, and Paul Walker (#nohomo). It is one of my favorite action movie. It’s not a super cop action movie with untouchable super rich villain. Actually, there’s no real villain in the movie. Not the Asian character. It’s just a story of a cop with a mission that ends up choosing between his mission/the law and friendship. The obstacle they have to overcome is not bad characters but the situation they were in; such as will he put Dominic’s (Vin Diesel) group in jail? How will he tell the group that he’s a cop now that he consider them friends or family? How will he tell it to Dominic? How will he tell it to his girlfriend and still accept him? And what will he choose: his job or his friendship?

I’ve been a Paul Walker fan even before this movie came out. He did some cool movies in the 90s including The Skulls James Van Der Beekin which he co-starred with the Dawson’s Creek actor Joshua Jackson. He’s also included in the fantasy movie Pleasantville with Spiderman star Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. And one of my favorite teen movies is Varsity Blues, which he also co-starred with another Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek.

I also liked Paul Walker’s movie Eight Below which is about his dogs that he left in the ice and returned to rescue. I love dogs and this movie made my eyes teary.

Eight Below - Paul Walker

On the last part of the Fast and the Furious where he was racing with Dominic (Vin Diesel) and racing pass the coming train, the scene became blurred as an effects,  adding tense to the scene. We know who crashed in that scene but while watching it, I recalled what happened to Paul Walker and watching that blurred scene was like watching the last moment of Paul Walker; inside his car before he crashed.

When the news about his accident breakout, I was surprised. And I knew that another good, decent actor has gone.

I admired him more when I knew that he raised funds for the victims of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. I also discovered that he runs programs that help and feed people around the world. So he’s not just like any other nonsense Hollywood star who loves nothing but money and themselves (cough, *kanye west*). This guy is as cool as his characters in his movies.

Another bit of information: do you know that there is a rumor about his death linking to Illuminati? Well, that’s another story.

Celebration

My PLDT Issue Resolved

This is an update on my last post about PLDT internet application. To give you a quick glance on that story, I applied for an internet connection to upgrade my subscription. Their instruction says that I have to pay an initial fee after they approve my application or else, I will lose my reservation and must reapply again. I paid the fee for P1,100 (that’s around $25) after I received their approval. Weeks later, I called them to update my connection. They said that my application was denied because my house is far from the loop. As I understand this, my house is far from the street post. I later realized that I still have to call them to know what’s going on. Or else I will wait for nothing.

Sounds unfair, right? Read the whole story here.

After three months (I think), I visited their office to update my refund. I was refreshed after a talk with their customer service. He explained it calmly and clearly. He explained everything, why I have to wait for a while and why I must wait to be notified before I get my refund. He assured me and I believed him because it seems that he knows what he’s talking about. Not like their other, usual customer services that I had spoken before regarding my issues to their service.

But months after this visit, I haven’t got any notification from them. We (me and my wife) lose hope. We said, “Sayang. 1 thousand din yun. Ang daya nila.” (“We lost a $25. They’re unfair.”) We just let it go. Of course, what can we do? Update it and knock on their door every week, lose time and waste gas? Send them a letter? I already tried to send them an email before. They responded but the issue was never fixed.

We can’t do anything in these kinds of situations but to wait or let it go. Unlike them that when you missed to pay a month of bill or even paid late, they will immediately cut your connection.

So I just blogged it. Hoping that everybody would read it and they would lose all their subscribers and get out of business.

I’m just kidding.

What I want is that my post to reach someone on their office and take action.

Now, enough for my sentiments and here’s the update.

Last week, I received a text from them telling me that I can now get the refund. I was really surprised and relieved. 1 thousand pesos, napakalaking bagay sakin nun. (It’s a big deal for me.) I was so happy that I almost sing and dance on the street. Of course, I’m exaggerating.

I already got my refund. Thank you. Even if it’s months late with months of frustration, at least you gave it. I just WISH that you would improve your service, right from the start, from the time of application. You don’t just rush and get people’s money. Your competitors have better service, and are more professional. They’re not just available in our area. Sigh! I applied to them first, for your information.

I posted this to be fair to them. I published my issue then. Now I have the responsibility to publish the resolution.

 

Applying For PLDT Connection? Read This First!

I recently applied for PLDT Home DSL. They told me that they will check my location and the line’s availability and they will approve or not my application. In just three days, I received a text message and an email saying that my application was approved. It asked me to pay an installation fee for 1,100 Php. Included in their message that I have to pay the fee within 5 days or my reservation would be gone. I immediately went to their business center to pay the fee. After paying, they told me that the installation would take place within 3 to 10 days. After waiting for two weeks without an installation, we called them and found out that our application was CANCELLED! Their reason was that my home is far from their post.

I can gladly accept the cancellation. But what I don’t understand was that I hope they confirmed first if my location is good for installation before they asked me to pay the fee.

However, they offered a refund. PLDT

I went back to their business office to ask for the refund. At first, I thought that I will immediately get my money back but when I found out that I HAVE TO APPLY for it, I knew that it will take weeks, months, or even years to receive it, that is, if ever they will approve it.

They said that they will text me when the application is approved. After a week without receiving a text, we called them for the update but we keep on receiving “system enhancement” response from the customer service.

In this case, I felt like I was robbed or scammed. After I paid my hard-earned money, I got nothing but stress. I’m not a rich person and that amount would do a lot for me. I’m not paid huge on my work and I have to work for days for that amount. Now that the money is freezed, I can’t use it. Thanks to PLDT.

This is the reason why insurance plans don’t have appeal to me. It is easy for you to pay and fast for them to accept your payment. But when the time comes that you will need your money, they will make you apply, fill out tons of papers, direct you to hundreds of offices and windows, and will take eons of years, that is, if you’ll be granted to receive your own money. And all of this if you’re not SCAMMED!

I had several issues with the company before. The reason why I keep buying their services is that I don’t have a choice. I applied on their competitor (Globe) but denied because of unavailability. Take note: DENIED, not CANCELLED. Heck, they even have a much better customer service. They called me to inform that they can’t install my application, compared to PLDT that kept me waiting for nothing. Also, their equivalent service doesn’t have an installation fee.

After working hard for that 1,100, I again, working hard for it to have it back. It’s taking me even longer to have it again.

 

image source: Pinoy Daily Journals