Happy New Year!!! (2011)

Happy New Year everyone!!! Let’s leave the negative behind, and embrace all the goo that’s coming our way in 2011.  I remember a Feng Shui master who said that 2010 was going to be a bad year for people born under the Year of the Sheep/Goat, so I thought, “Oh great, after 3 very difficult years from 2007-2009, I get another one?!?”  But to my surprise, 2010 was gentler than I expected.  I was told to be very frugal because financially I’d be pretty much challenged.  But fortunately, 2010 turned out to be one of me best years EVER in terms of finances.  Emotionally, there were still many rough patches, but nothing compared to the 2007-2009 stretch.  So I guess it really is still up to you, despite the challenges posed by the stars.  I was surprisingly upbeat throughout the year (yes, folks, upbeat na yun), because “so-so” is feels like “great” when you’ve been through “horrible”.

So I’ve got a lot of gratitude in my heart, that 2010 was much kinder to me than the previous years.  In fact this is one of the best years for RX ever, so professionally, I really couldn’t feel more blessed.  I wish 2011 will be even kinder and more generous as 2010, not just for me, but for everyone as well.  Obviously this can’t be so, because every year some people will be happy, while other will face tragedy.  I wish those who will be blessed to enjoy every minute of the bliss granted them, and for those who will be challenged I wish strength and grace to face the difficulties that lie ahead.  We cannot control was is to happen good or bad, but we can control how we react to them as they come along.

So again, for what it’s worth, A safe, healthy and prosperous New Year to one and all!!!

RX Christmas Party 2010

That is probably the one photo of mine that has the most RX employees in one frame! The RX Christmas party this year is one for the books.  Many feel it’s the best Christmas party EVER.  Ane we feel this for many reasons.  The staff was in full force, the on-air staff and the ones you don’t get to hear on the airwaves.

The Morning Rush

The RoRo Boys

The Awesome Twosome

The Palytime Girls

Even the Remix Fridays Team

It was good because everyone had fun. The production numbers were fun to do and fun to watch. There was a time when it felt more like a burden that it did a fun thing.  But this time around, everyone was stoked to perform and win the prize.

This is our team. We lost, but we had a hoot making fools of ourselves.

Nothing out of the ordinary, just the combination of lots of good food, good company, good vibes, that put together, made the whole evening so memorable.  Here’s a photo bomb of basically the same people, just in differing combinations.

And of course, that part of the night that we will all remember for a long time, too long to describe, but let’s just say it had something to do with a bonus.  These 2 photos might mean nothing to you since I can’t really explain it all, but to us, this was the highlight of the evening:

So, suffice it to say, we liked how the evening played out.  But bonus aside, it was a great way to end the year, with the station grateful for many things: A great year for sales, 6 Golden Dove awards (including Best FM Station), a CMMA Hall of Fame for Back to the 80′s, a successful Monster Scholar, a renovation of the 2 RX offices, among many others.  There were ups and downs, but the ups way outdid the downs.  So we had a lot to celebrate about.  It was great year, capped off with a great year-end party.  Hopefully 2011 will be just as blessed, if not more, as we pray we continue the lucky streak we’ve had the past 2 years.  And of course, all our listeners are part of this, because without you guys, we’re just the clapping in the forest that nobody heard.

 

Find My iPhone

OMG, I can’t believe how amazing this is! I just tried this and it actually works!  Basically, if you lose your iPhone or iPad or iPod Touch, MobileMe can help you find it with Find My iPhone. Just enable Find My iPhone in the MobileMe settings on your iPhone or iPad. Then sign in to me.com from any computer or using the Find My iPhone app on another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to display its approximate location on a full-screen map. If it’s a little confusing and all this sounds like gibberish to you, just click on THIS.

Follow the very simple instructions, and voila, you can now locate your iPhone wherever it may be!  In case you lose it or someone steals it, it can show you the general area where your phone is.  When I tried to locate my iPhone, it showed like a map of our village, and the dot where my iPhone is supposedly located was just a street off.  So if you’re not sure if you lost your phone or just misplaced somewhere in your house, this is the best thing for you!

You can apply this to your iPhone, your iPad, even your iPod Touch.  For iPhones though, you’ll need iOS 4.2 for it to work.  And if this is the first time you’re creating your free account, you’ll have to be on an iPhone 4.  I don’t know if there’s a way to put it on an iPhone 3G.

I was supposed to blog about the RX Christmas party today, but while waiting for the pictures to load, I was going to sync my iPhone, when iTunes prompted this new thing and I was blown away!  I just had to post it right away.  I know someone who just lost his iPod Touch and it’s nerve-wracking.  If he only installed this, he would at least know if it’s still in the house or if it was already stolen.  He won’t get the exact address of the thief, but he’ll know the general area of where it is now.

I highly suggest you guys install this, it’s unbelievably awesome!

Merry Christmas!!! (2010)

Inasmuch as I didn’t want to cheapen the Christmas season with a gratuitous display of my hot hunkiness, I thought a picture of my buff bod, glistening in the holiday air, will bring joy to the world and bring some Christmas cheer to many lonely souls.  So I did some push-ups, took off my shirt, and decided to pose wearing nothing but my Christmas hat..  Let this be my simple gift to people from one to ninety-two. Although it’s been said, many times, many ways, “It’s Christmas, beeyotch!”

Christmas has grown more and more difficult for me to process as the years roll by.  I used to love it as a kid, then I hated it as I got older.  Now, it’s a bittersweet pit stop that I have to pass through year in, year out, not really loving it, but not necessarily hating it either.  But this year has been good financially, possibly my best ever.  Emotionally, I’d say it’s break even, not as bad as the previous years, but still a struggle at many points.  So all-in-all I guess it evens out, which is the least we can hope for.  And I refuse to let the stuff I didn’t get spoil the things I was so generously given.  So I do count my many blessings this year and I am very grateful for them.

So thank you for a family that’s still complete, which is probably the BIGGEST blessing we could ever hope for, for a flourishing career, for financial abundance, for good friends who stand by me even at my most unbearable, for animal companions who give the purest of affections, and most of all a love that quiets the demons that often rage inside of me.  For that alone, I ought to be forever grateful.

So a lucid thought from a crazy mind, Merry Christmas everyone!  I wish you all the good the season could offer!

The Top Ten Advice For The Loveless

Funny I should be posting this, when we did something very similar this morning on our Christmas Eve Eve show.  Everyone’s into the whole SMP thing, so I thought it was timely to do something a bit emo so close to the festive holiday of Christmas.  This was done in October last year, but it’s perfect that I’m posting this today.

October 6, 2009 → The Top Ten Advice For The Loveless – Sent in by: Stephensoul

1. Leila – Sometimes, you’re not really loveless, just loved less.
2. KathyPie – Don’t be afraid of finding someone who’ll make you cry; find someone who’s worth the tears.
3. Dexter – Ang taong gusto mo, parang ice cream: matutunaw pag tinitigan mo lang, kaya dapat, dilaan agad.
4. Anna Herrera – Single does NOT equal loveless. Life is full of love, even without the romantic kind.
5. Wandering Eneri – Some things are not worth rushing, especially something that you hope will last forever.
6. Jose De Vengenge – Woody Allen: “To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness..I hope you’re getting this down.”
7. Aldous Kim – Being loveless doesn’t give you the right to wreck other people’s relationships.
8. Eien17 – Don’t start anything you know will end badly.
9. Eien17 – The best feeling in the world is realizing you’re perfectly happy even without the person you thought you needed the most.
10. Eien17 – You will not find someone better, if you won’t let go of the idea that you already let go of the best.
11. Eric of Makati – If somebody asks: “Kumusta lovelife?” Just answer back: “Pakshet ka rin!”
12. Mark Anthony Raygon – Dalawa lang yan: either choosy ka, or choosy sila!
13. Eien17 – Sometimes, a happy ending does NOT include a Prince Charming.
14. Ian024 – AMBROSE BIERCE: “Love – a temporary insanity curable by marriage.”
15. Maximo – Parang pansit lang yan, wag mong kakamayin, kundi mapapanis.
16. Polar Bear – Find someone who thinks you’re impossible to be with…but stays anyway.
17. Loipogi – Woody Allen: “Love is the answer, but while waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty good questions.”
18. Joey – No finance, no romance.
19. Astroboy – Kung hindi ka para sa kanya, baka para sa akin ka!
20. OscarDelaHopia – For loveless girls, puwede namang i-VIBRATE mode ang phone eh…para you’ll know agad that we’re calling.
21. Infrared – Everyone is taken: either you are taken or you are taken for granted.
22. Chelsea – If someone’s flirting with you, please cooperate.
23. Blitzkrieg – Actions peak louder than whores.
24. Ayem Mahyo – Don’t settle for Mr. Absolutely Wrong just because Mr. Right is taking too long.
25. KiD BuKid – Iba ang loveless sa sexless.
26. Mamski – Instead of using love the noun, try using love the verb instead.
27. Nemotastic – Whoever comes is the right person. When it happens is the right time.
28. Billie – If you can’t get love, give it.
29. No name – My friend once said, “Kung ayaw sa ‘yo ng gusto mo, wag kang magagalit. Dahil meron ding may gusto sa ‘yo na ayaw mo. Quits lang kayo.
30. Astroboy – Wag kang malungkot na wala pa siya, isipin mo nalang, malungkot din siya kasi wala ka pa.

On The Cover Of Pet’s Life Magazine!

Waaaaaaah!!! It’s finally out!  I’m excited to see the whole issue and to see how the other pictures came out.  When Iggy of Pet’s Life asked me to be on the cover of the magazine, I said yes INSTANTLY.  Of course I’m glad whenever people feature me as a radio personality because that’s what I do, but it’s also really nice when they feature me, highlighting another facet of my life.  Especially close to me is my love for animals.  I’ve had my ups and downs with my relationships with many of my animals past and present, and even now I plumb new depths in understanding our animal brethren.  So it’s extra nice to be featured on a Pet Magazine, and with my Yorkshire Terrier, Cairo, my favorite dog EVER (it’s the cherry on top!).  I consider my dogs my kids, so to have one of them on the cover with me is really a treat.

We did the photoshoot at Bonifacio Global City, around the Burgos Circle area.  Cairo was a trooper, cooperating like a pro.  He’s really just deficient in attention, so it was hard to find a shot with his head steady.  He usually whips his head around with every movement or sound that disrupts his very short attention span.  Other than that, Cairo’s the only dog I have that I feel confident lugging around all day.  He won’t complain, will do what you ask him to, and will quietly abide by what’s going on around him.  He’ll adapt to you, not the other way around.  Even the people over at the pet store Dogs and the City were having fun playing ball with him; he gets along with anyone.  So the shoot went pretty well, and I’m curious if they put more photos of us inside.

There was also an interview, and I’m doubly curious on the writer’s take on what we talked about.  It was a pretty long discussion, so I’m  sure it will be whittled down to only what he found relevant.  He angled his questions differently from the usual interviews about pets, so I wonder what he took away from our lengthy chat.  The whole thing felt like a father-son weekend outing.  If I could “like” that day like we do on FB, I’d “like” it a hundred times over.  Precious.

Iggy said the magazine will be delivered on Christmas day, so it should be available soon after that.  So check out your favorite bookstores, magazine stands and pet stores nationwide for a copy!  It’s the 3rd issue (the 1st issue had Doc Ferdz Recio of Born to be Wild and Survivor Phils. and the 2nd had Ashley Gosiengfiao on the cover), and Christmas issue in one, so please get a copy so that the issue with me on the cover doesn’t flop, hahaha!  Seriously though, if you’re a pet lover, you might want to check out Pet’s Life magazine!  Woohoo!

Old Booth (iPhone App)

You can tell I’ve been busy buying apps from iTunes.  I had a hoot toying around with one particular application called Old Booth. It allows you to take a picture of yourself and superimpose your face onto an old photo of somebody else.  Suffice it to say I got a bit carried away.  The picture above is probably the closest of the photos of how I theoretically looked like when I was younger.  This is me as a nerdy guy (which isn’t so far from the truth).  I actually looked something like this back in high school.  Eerily close.

Anyway, here’s me as many other people.  Here’s me as a confused brotha:

Me as an angry hippie:

Me as a coy exec:

Me in an unfortunate mullet:

Me as Chico the Sailor Man:

Me as a “Lord-knows-what-this-is”:

Me as a dim bulb bully named “Biff”:

Me as a cheeky blond:

Me as a 70′s gigolo:

Me as a hipster poet:

Me as a bewildered educator:

Me as a dashing man in uniform:

Okay, okay fine…here’s me as a girl:

Hahaha! Now you know how I’ll look in 70′s Farrah Fawcett drag!

The Top Ten Do’s And Don’ts During A Disaster

Still reeling from Ondoy, we still stayed with a topic that was relevant at the time, expanding it to all disasters, not just floods.  In my lifetime, I remember 3 main disasters – the Pinatubo eruption, the 1991 earthquake, and now Ondoy.  It never hurts to be prepared. It’s scary to even think that we need to be prepared, but better prepared than caught unaware when it finally strikes.

October 1, 2009 → The Top Ten Do’s And Don’ts During A Disaster

1. PrpleMilk – One should never post insensitive comments on Facebook or other social networking sites.
2. Gracia – My friend from Provident was on the rooftop for 12 hrs. I was touched because he was able to save his 3 dogs.
3. Mnemonic – You can make a floater by tying the top part of your pants tightly then blowing air into the leg part then also knotting both the leg parts together.
4. Ang Manunusok – Whenever indoors, always locate the nearest exits.
5. PitchBlack03 – Before your cellphone loses its batteries, text at least 3 people your exact location so they know where to find you.
6. Maldita 1112 – Don’t trust anyone even during disasters. My friend from Cainta were stuck on the roof of their house. When a boat came, the people on it didn’t help my friend, they went inside the house to rob whatever was left.
7. Yukkitoph – Be wary of donating cash to people. Verify the bank account you’re depositing to. Make sure it’s a respected group.
8. RVincent – When in an evacuation center, wag gumawa ng bunso.
9. Smiles-a-Lot – When caught in the middle of fire, do crawl to safety. Smoke goes up,so it is safer to crawl.
10. Capilarts – Keep snugly fit clothes on. You don’t wanna run around and be rescued butt naked.
11. Rabid Thought – During a disaster don’t mistake your adrenaline rush as superpowers, yes you could lift a fridge by yourself but you’ll feel the damage afterward.
12. Starbuko – When your car gets submerged in flood water, never try to start your car. Call a mechanic and have your car checked out immediately.
13. No name – If you are a student stranded in your school, the best thing to do is just stay inside. Because you are their responsibility.
14. Greendial – Know where the main switches and breakers are. And don’t get into an area where there’s no escape route.
15. Abernathy – Keep your sense of humor. No use complaining about things we have no control over.
16. SPY Shadow – During all kinds of disaster, if you can’t save your pets, at least let them loose and let them save themselves instead.
17. No name – A simple way to use a fire extinguisher. Remember the w0rd P.A.S.S. – Pull the pin. Aim the nozzle. Squeeze the trigger. Sweep the nozzle.
18. Homer Singson – After being flooded, check the stability of your house to ensure safety. Walls, and especially ceilings, can be weakened by flood waters.
19. Luisa d Vet – Get a whistle. To get attention.
20. ODelaHo – Have important numbers memorized. You’ll never know if you need to borrow somebody else’s mobile phone to call for help.
21. Loipogi – During relief operations, wag mag-flirt with American soldiers na tumutulong sa relief drive. Nakakaabala ka, ate. Besides, baka married na sila.
22. Loipogi – Don’t venture out if the weather suddenly clears during a storm. This happens wen the eye of the storm passes over your area. Strong winds will return!
23. Loipogi – In any disaster, wag hysterical. Kung gusto mong umeksena at sumikat, hintaying dumating ang TV crew.
24. Loipogi – Kung ikaw ay nasa bubungan dahil sa baha, don’t expect Richard Gutierrez to rescue you. Hindi ka si Cristine Reyes!
25. No name – In the event that your clothes catch on fire, (1) STOP immediately, (2) DROP to the ground, (3) ROLL over and over, back and forth while covering your face/mouth.
26. YñaKì – Wag matigas ang ulo. When the government asks you to evacuate, comply immediately.
27. Soulsifter – Use the baseboard of the walls as a guide while crawling in case of fire. Its the dark painted part at the base of the wall.
28. No name – During floods, don’t go wading in waters near a crocodile farm.
29. Mr. Miser – During an earthquake, if you are driving, avoid stopping ON or UNDER bridges and overpasses, power lines, trees and large signs. Just stay in your car.
30. No name – When soaking wet, don’t get on an aircon bus. I was stuck on a 4-hour freezing bus ride.
31. Mu_langot – Always keep extra underwear in your car.
32. Agnes Rudio – Don’t be too selfish, if you are alone at home, save some things of your bro’s or sister’s stuff too, especially their documents and some of their clothes.
33. JarodKelanen – When driving through a lightning storm, the safest place to be is inside your car. Do NOT get out.
34. Moshou – Show each family member how and when to turn off the supply of water, gas, and electricity at the main switches.
35. Stephensoul – Don’t attend an EB pag bumabagyo na.
36. Soulsifter – If you have to walk in the water, do not remove your shoes even if it gets wet because your feet has protection.
37. Suplada MD – If you’re contemplating on volunteering, make sure you are physically, medically & mentally fit. Di po biro ang mga gawain dun.

New Philippine Peso Bills!

Well, it’s been so long since we had an overhaul of our bank notes.  The newest ones we had were the 2oo peso bill, and before that, the 1000 and 500 peso bills?  So I’m so stoked to see the new bills, although the existing bills will still be honored for the next 3 years.  I’m sure collectors will start setting aside bills they’d like to keep as commemorative items.  I should’ve kept the 100 peso bill that had the U.P. stamp on it!

The same heroes will be honored, with the notable addition of Corazon C. Aquino to accompany her husband Ninoy on the 500 peso bill. Having Cory there accounts I guess why Ninoy now smiles, as opposed to the previous version of the bill with a somber Ninoy on it.  It also makes history because the bill will have both parents on the bill, with their son’s signature on it, current president Noynoy’s. GMA’s oath-taking is still on the 200 peso bill, but has been diminished significantly, so much that it’s almost not visible anymore.

Th new bills highlight the newest stars of our tourism industry, Puerto Princesa’s Subterranean River National Park, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Banaue Rice Terraces, Taal Lake, Mayon Volcano and the Bohol Chocolate Hills.  Also featured on the backs are highlighted wildlife like the kulasisi, the alamid, the maliputo, the tarier, and the now iconic butanding.  I love how they would pair the wildlife with the natural wonder, like the way the whale shark is floating above majestic Mayon.  And I love how the colors are so much brighter now, it doesn’t look as anemic and doleful as the previous colors.  I swear, I’m so impressed!  Good job, BSP! We really should speak up when government does something right, para naman hindi tayo puro reklamo lang.  This almost erases the awful Pilipinas Kay Ganda brouhaha…ALMOST. Hahaha!

I love the designs, but I also l0ve that they now feature what for me are musts in representing the Philippines, especially Tubbataha and the butanding.  I love how they really thought about their choices, not just the popular icons, but the deserving ones as well. I know I love the new bills (especially the 100 and the 1000 peso bills), but what do you guys think?  here they are:

The Top Ten Lessons Learned From Ondoy

Looking back at the tragedy that was Ondoy should never get old, only because our world is changing rapidly, her mood swings becoming more erratic, and we can NEVER be too complacent about how things can turn on a dime.  Not to get everyone paranoid, but last year’s Ondoy was a wake up call at how vulnerable we really are to the elements of nature.  When the earth throws a tantrum, we’re mostly helpless against it.  Let’s not forget the lessons, lest we repeat them. It was a difficult boardwork for us, because the show must go on, but at the same time, it’s hard to have fun when so many people’s lives still hung in the balance.  We tried to mix public service with a bit of entertainment the best we could. Do you remember your Ondoy stories?

September 29, 2009 → The Top Ten Lessons Learned From Ondoy

1. Gawaine – Natural calamities like Ondoy are great equalizers. It spares no one, regardless of age, gender or social rank.
2. Astroboy – Don’t wade chest deep in flood waters. My brother almost fell in a manhole, twice in one day.
3. Kwistwine – Material things are all temporary.
4. Pinay Celebrity – Get insurance with Acts of God or Force Majeur benefits.
5. Rod Magaru – Car insurance applies to brand new, not to second hand acquired cars.
6. Rod Magaru – That politicians will exploit any opportunity, even disasters like these.
7. Kevin – It’s NEVER too late to learn how to swim.
8. Juggernaut – Panicking never solves anything. In fact, it even worsens already bad situations.
9. Ugly Kid Joey – A small act of kindness goes a long way.
10. Papu Estrada – Keep all important papers in one waterproof safe place.
11. KimyKimyMore – Crisis can turn out to be a blessing if you learn to take away the bitterness it brings & open your heart to the lessons it could offer.
12. Gorgeous Bitch – Your millions are worth nothing if it couldn’t save the life of a loved one.
13. Kaliex – Even a great flood can’t wash away bad energy from genuinely bad people, nor kindness & love from truly good people.
14. Jeanls – It is never too late to keep in touch with parents, relatives and friends.
15. RVincent – Instant noodles isn’t so instant without fire and water.
16. Marc Villalba – Invest in a rubber boat.
17. Gostalkerika – Birds sing after a storm. Why shouldn’t people delight when sunlight returns to their lives?
18. Aldous Kim – The next time you throw a piece of garbage out of your car, think twice about what happened during Ondoy.
19. Stellarnomadine – Modernize PAGASA.
20. Derick Creme – That it’s not enough to wish the victims well. We have to do something, no matter how small the act may be. And THEN we can pray for them.
21. Summer – It’s good to always have identification on your body for whatever kind of emergency.
22. No name – When donating goods to victims, it’s good to remember to include things for kids like stuffed toys. To care for their emotional well-being is just as important as the physical needs.
23. Twisted Saint – Nature has the final say. We can argue, but she has the last word.
24. Rachel Tanaka – I have learned that if you yourself cannot do something good, you should at least not get in the way of those who do.
25. Pachuchay – To live simply. I realized that having too much material possessions cannot save us, nor can we save them.
26. Infrarod – Canned goods are useless without something to open them with.
27. Marioh Caryo – That climate change is real, and that it’s here.
28. Zuperjelly – Have emergency supplies of water, power bars, clothes, flashlights and batteries.
29. Quattro Bilog – That the bayanihan spirit is alive and well in the Philippines.
30. Jess – I learned that in dire situations like that, there’ no time for arte.  I peed in my pants while waiting for my ate to buy tickets on the MRT.
31. Egay – Always have jingle bags in your car.
32. Pringle – Count your blessings, tel your loved ones you love them, and when in a bad fix, always remember that it could have been worse.