I must admit I'm not a very organized person, especially when it comes to my things. If I was living alone, I would've had a terribly messy abode. There are times when I would buy something, unwrap it in the house and forget about it the next day. When the opportunity to use it presents itself, that's the only time I'd remember. In most cases, I wouldn't find the stuff anymore. I'd be sad for a while and then move on to the next purchase. What follows are more acquisitions that never really get around to seeing the light of day (read: put to use). And then summer came...

...which made me remember this summer dress I bought from Surplus for only P100 last year and wore in the same year, too during a visit to Manila Ocean Park:


Panic had enveloped me when I realized I haven't seen the dress for more than a year. I desperately rummaged through my closets but to no avail. I so love this summer dress. Now it's missing. I became restless temporarily. This is the exact feeling I get whenever something I owned gets lost or misplaced.

How do you cope with losing your personal things? Do you cry, yell or laugh? Do you exert a considerable amount of effort to find it?

First, I accepted the fact that my summer dress is missing. It takes a lot of courage to admit to yourself that you've been careless and as a result of it, you lost something. Unless it was stolen from you, you have to forgive yourself and try to look for it.

If you couldn't find it within the period of time you set yourself, stop the search and get over it. Be consoled on the assumption that it's now moving freely and owned by no one (wherever it may be) like how it once was. Or better yet, it's now in the possession of someone who needs it more than you do.

While some people tend to replace the stuff lost with a new one to lessen the agony and as way of moving on, others get stuck to their lost and become bitter or take it against the people around them.

In the case of my summer dress, I'm still optimistic that I'll find it.It may just be misplaced. I'll start looking through my bags and boxes tonight. :)

I've only done it thrice in three consecutive years. But for the Techo family, completing Visita Iglesia (two stations per church, total of seven churches) during the Lenten Season in San Miguel, Manila is a tradition. They've been religiously doing it annually since the 1970s when Edwin's parents raised a family in the area.

This year, we were able to continue this tradition on Maundy Thursday. We started a bit late this time. My brother Danison joined us, too. It was a very hot day (summer's here!) so we brought umbrellas and wore sun glasses for protection. The elders made sure we have eaten already so we'd have the staying power to reach the last church. And we did. Thanks to our faith.


Danison and I before our mini road trip
People from different walks of life braved the intense summer heat to perform The Way of the Cross. Their walking side by side carrying umbrellas and bottled water on the hands was a pleasant sight. The vendors situated by the church grounds sold everything from candies and snacks to sodas and rice meals. They were busy tending to the needs of their incoming and outgoing customers. It was a typical scenario during the Holy Week.

Here are some of the churches we visited:










Photo Credit: http://www.dez-myonlineworld.com (facade only)

Not in the photos are St. Jude Shrine (where devotees converge every Thursday) and San Miguel Shrine, respectively. Both are located within Malacañang Complex.

Nothing beats doing Visita Iglesia with family and friends. It's always a perfect opportunity to bond with each other while remembering Jesus and thanking Him for his sacrifices for humanity.

I hope you all had a blessed and meaningful Holy Week! :)

Life in the battlefield is tough. Soldiers lead a life of chaos and instability, literally and figuratively. Their primary mission is to protect territories and maintain order, even at the expense of their own lives. Indeed, they are heroes. I never wanted to be a soldier, just because I don't think I'm fit to be one and can handle the stress. Good thing there's airsoft, the game that unleashes the soldier in each one of us. Read about my first airsoft experience and get valuable airsoft information after the jump...


Airsoft is defined by Wikipedia as "a game in which participants eliminate opponents by hitting each other with spherical non-metallic pellets fired from a compressed-air gun (or airsoft gun) powered by gas, manual spring-load, or electrically powered gearbox." It was said that the game originated in Japan in the 1970s. It was later became a hobby in North America and now, in many countries including the Philippines.


Objectives are set in each game that lasts for 15 minutes or more. A game can vary depending on budget, location and the number of participants. Scenarios for the game are agreed upon. They could be short-term skirmishes, organized scenarios, military simulations or even historical reenactments.

Did you know that airsoft guns are replica of real guns? They're quite heavy, too. I changed guns twice because my hands had a hard time carrying them. I even carried a sniper's gun once. It was long and I found it hard to move. The good thing about that gun though was that it made shooting my opponents easier. Lol.


I had my first shot at the game with my beau and his officemates. We were around 20. The venue was Airsoft ONE Marikorea, a stone's throw away from SM City Marikina. It's located just beside the banks of Marikina River.


(Tip: Ask the SM Marikina guards for directions. Most of them are familiar with the place, which is actually at the back of SM City Marikina.) The place is spacious. Parking area is never a problem. There are also running water and electricity for your charging needs.


Safety and honesty are top priorities in the game. A participant should wear proper mask and gears for protection. Being a soldier, even for some minutes, was really tough. When we got ready for the game, I was nervous. I was still clueless as to how I would play even after we were given a short briefing by the airsoft facilitator. I only kept in mind how to use the airsoft gun properly, which I think served me well.


I thought the battle ground where we played was a dangerous place. The scorching sun made it worse. It scared the hell out of me. I was sweating even before the game started. Several minutes passed and we were all ready. The facilitator, speaking on a megaphone, instructed us to assume our position. We were divided into two teams: the defense and the assault. We played ala counter strike. A marshall was assigned for each team.


Mask down. Game starts now. In just a bat of the eyelash, pellets started to flood the air. We were literally trying to shoot at each other. Once hit, the participants should shout "hit" and quietly leave the battlefield (still with the mask on). I would always get hit in the middle of the game and would exit graciously.


There are 10-minute breaks in between games. Participants are advised to take some rest and rehydrate themselves with water/fluids. One can even eat snacks. Stores are located just outside the gamesite. They serve rice meals, sandwiches, hotdogs, soft drinks and some street food to fill the stomachs of hungry participants.

We went there one Saturday last month. It was Edwin's officemate who made the reservation with the airsoft facilitators a few days before the game. Games started past 1:00 p.m and ended just before dusk. Edwin and I had a chocolate workshop to catch in the QC area so we left earlier than the rest.

Was airsoft fun? Yes.
Was it exhausting? Yes. I was sweating all the time.
Was it scary? A bit, yes. Because it was my first time.

Airsoft teaches you to defend yourself in tough situations. But more importantly, it promotes discipline and teamwork. In fact, the facilitator promotes the game as a form of team building for organizations. How cool is that?


My first airsoft experience was fun and memorable. It taught me a lot of things. Somehow, it motivated me to be strong, smart and capable at all times. My P600* was well-spent. If you're into tough games, try airsoft and you'll get satisfied.

*playing fee (gun and gears included), P100 only for those with guns and gears

Gamesite Rules:
1. 450 FPS max muzzle velocity @.2
2. Register first before entering the site proper.
3. Game fee is P100 (pay first before play).
4. No Mask/Goggles, No Play.
5. No littering.
6. No trash talking.
7. No Hit-Calling among players.
8. No Test Firing while games are ongoing, a designated test firing range will be assigned.
9. A three-second burst will be strictly implemented (we're playing to have fun not to hurt someone). Single shots are highly recommended for distances below 10 meters.
10. Marshall's call is final.


Airsoft ONE Marikorea
Fun Pamilya Riverbank Center Gamesite
Riverbanks, Marikina City

Contact Persons:
Bubblemaster 0920-9105001, 0929-8940181
AlphaQ- 0917-9854586
Barney- 0917-9521796

Remember my three new blogs which I created for a more productive blogging experience? I put them up sometime in January 2009. Recently, they have all received a PR1 from Google. Cool, right?

I don't exactly know how Google indexes blogs but I'm really thankful my three new blogs now have a page rank (PR) of their own. Having a page rank can greatly boost one's search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. If you have a page rank (PR3 or higher is better), the chance that your site lands on the first three pages of Google is high as compared to those sites without PR.

Below are some of the factors that affect PR:

1. Links. The more links you have, the more valuable your blog becomes. Just make sure the sites that link on yours are equally valuable. By that, I mean they have already established themselves, with a decent PR to begin with.

2. Traffic. You get traffic from all sources. Some bloggers say that if most of your traffic come directly from search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.), you'll be high on the SEO scale and you're PR is sure to get an increase.

3. Content. Time and again, this proves true. Your content differentiates you from other sites. While some blogs have niches and some don't, still, what matters most is the content. Relevance is key here. Your post should be relevant to your readers, in one way or another. Otherwise, why would they bother to pay a visit?

4. Paid posts. Paid blogging is the trend today. Definitely, it's a good source of income for some bloggers I know. I have tried it before but stopped when the PR of the blog I was using suddenly dropped. Which made me believe the buzz that Google "punishes" sites that are into paid blogging. However, a drop in Google PR is no longer a big deal for those into paid blogging today. Many bloggers, who are into paid blogging, had realized that even if a site has no PR, it still gets "opportunities" as long as blog traffic is consistently high.

Do you know of other factors that affect a site's PR?

P.S. Friends, if you're interested in exchanging links with PR1 blogs, I have my three new blogs to offer. Just leave a note at the comment section. :)

Directed by James Wong, the Hollywood movie Dragonball Evolution was inspired from the well-loved Japanese manga Dragonball. Last April 2, I got a pass courtesy of pop culture blogger Azrael Coladilla for its red carpet premiere at D-Cinema, The Block, SM North EDSA. Definitely, nothing beats watching the movie ahead of the rest from the first and only digital cinema in the Philippines. Read my review of Dragonball Evolution after the jump...




Note: Beware of some spoilers.

Basically, the story revolves around Goku who seeks out to find the great Master Roshi and gather the seven dragonballs, of which he has one. This was after the death of his grandfather Gohan in the hands of the evil Lord Piccolo who has returned to the earth to get all the seven dragonballs and use them to take over the world. Goku's quest is to secure the mystical orbs before Lord Piccolo does.

More than the action scenes, I loved the exchange of dialogues in the movie. Goku (Justin Yatwin) is portrayed as an ordinary student bullied by the tough guys in school. He manages to get back at them with his sharp but funny tongue, if you know what I mean. I had quite a few laughs out of Goku's good sense of humor when talking with his love interest Chi-chi (Jamie Chung) and allies.


Lord Piccolo with sidekick Mai


Chi-chi in action



Bulma and Goku
If you're a hard-core Dragonball fan, you might not appreciate the movie that much. Action scenes were okay in my standards. Expect a nice showcase of martial arts. Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi is still at his best form despite his age. The visual effects (e.g. forces, Kamehameha wave, etc.) are of course better to look at in film than what you see in the series, but that's just about it. I think the only consolation is that you'll get to see your Dragonball heroes come to life in the silver screen. Whether the actors look close to the Dragonball characters they portray or not, you decide.

Dragonball Evolution ends with a defeated Lord Piccolo and Master Roshi getting a second chance at life after having been resurrected by Goku through the mystical powers of the seven Dragonballs.

Personally speaking, I'd like to see more in the coming Dragonball movies. I hope the people behind this yet another Hollywood production work harder in giving justice to the popular anime series.

Dragonball Evolution opens in Metro Manila cinemas on April 11.

Invite Credits: Many thanks to Azrael Coladilla,SM Cinemas and Net 25.

Photo Credits: IGN.com and IMDB.com

I dunno with you but when I was a kid, I'd see myself as a boy. I had this mindset that I should always be strong and confident, especially when dealing with my playmates who were mostly boys, by the way. Perhaps, my being the eldest in a brood of four was also a factor for that. But over the years, I have started to embrace my femininity. This new conversation from dNeero talks about several types of music that convey boyish messages.