Acapellas and Instrumentals

I prefer the acapella and instrumental versions of songs. Including the unofficial versions made by gifted audio tweaking individuals. It all started when I searched for acapella songs on YouTube. I hate to admit this was influenced by my being forced to watch episodes of Pinoy Dream Academy. The one where there’s a guy who looks like he belongs in kindergarten when actually he’s old enough to be a grandfather. Exaggerating a bit [...but it's possible]. Anyway, I discovered YouTube’s actually a nice way to get mp3’s. Especially the not-the-usual types. I guess vixy.net is an “okay” tool for converting YouTube videos to mp3’s online. It’s straightforward and super simple to use. Plus it has an uncluttered interface. Other options are also available if you’re here for a different purpose (AVI, MOV, MP4, 3GP). There’s a desktop version too if that’s more your style. Server errors occur frequently, though, and some videos aren’t converted properly [who knows why], so don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you’re patient enough and really desperately want to convert a video no matter what, little vixy will do just fine. Of course, there’s always LimeWire. :-)

My Xanga Buttons

I had an old blog at Xanga. It’s so trashed right now, I can’t even bear to look at it. I did manage to recover some antipixel buttons [also called badges] I made in my Xanga era. And they don’t look all that bad, either. I even added them to this blog even if some of the badges don’t apply to me anymore. So I’m gonna share how easily I made these buttons through the Brilliant Button Maker by LucaZappa.com. I like this because you can add images. At least I think this is what I used. It was so long ago I can’t really remember. Time for me to take my memory supplements. Oh, and do enjoy making your buttons.

The Most Hectic Week

I’ve just decided that I’ve undergone the most hectic week of my entire existence. Papers. Reports. Quizzes. Presentations. All with an s.

THESIS(es). THESIS DEFENSE(s).

And picture-taking for the yearbook.

Happy Birthday, Pop.

Manila Ocean Park

Looking for something to do in Manila? Visit the newly opened Manila Ocean Park. It’s not fully completed yet but there is a fair amount of things to see. The oceanarium is open from 10 AM to 9 PM. Reminded me of Ocean Adventure’s [in Subic] aquarium thingy. I liked the manta rays and the sharks, especially. The entrance fee is P400 for adults and P350 for children 4.5 feet and below. Children 2 feet and below are free of charge. A 10% discount is given to Manila residents with valid ID. The standard 20% discount is also given to senior citizens. For prebooked and prepaid groups of 25 and more, there is a 5% discount plus a complimentary ticket for every 25 prepaid tickets.

Getting There
If you’re bringing a car, there’s ample parking space beside the park, but it costs P40. Check the official website for directions and a map.
If you’re going by public transport, the nearest LRT stop is UN avenue. From there, take a jeep going to Lawton or City Hall and walk from Rizal Park. Better yet, take a cab.

There are lots of food stalls scattered around the place. Along the streets, near the entrance, on the concourse plaza, you name it. First stop is the oceanarium. You can bring your cameras here but flash photography is not allowed. The first part of the oceanarium is called Agos (Flow) which displays freshwater species in an open forest-like backdrop. There’s a Touch Pool where you can encounter the animals on display.

Touch Pool

The first time I went there, they only had starfish in the tank, but the second time, they added small sharks. You can touch and lift the starfish, just make sure you don’t get them out of the water. As for the sharks, it’s not advisable to touch them at all. Next, you will enter Bahura (The Reef) which showcases different colorful fish usually found in coral reefs. They are displayed in aquariums with artificial corals. It’s dark in here so remember not to use your flash or you’ll scare the fish. Laot (Fishing Ground) features fish in large tanks. There are seats in the center so you can also take a quick rest in this area. Walk through a 25-meter underwater tunnel in Buhay na Karagatan (Living Ocean). This is the coolest part of the oceanarium for me since it offers a glimpse of what a diver sees underwater. And it’s just plain fun to be in a tunnel surrounded by water and imagining it breaking while you’re inside. Just kidding. The first time I went there, there were lots of rays in this tank and it was amazing seeing them swim above you. I never knew manta rays moved so gracefully, like ballet dancers, in the water. But it seems that lately, they transferred some of the rays. It would be cool to see more variety and big sea creatures in this tank. After you exit the tunnel, to your right is Ang Kalaliman (The Deep) featuring the barracuda. From here, look up and you’ll see the Overhang Tank containing lots of rays. But from where you’re standing you’ll only see lots of the undersides of rays. Of course, the oceanarium wouldn’t be complete without sharks. That’s what the Pating (Shark) section has to offer. The sharks were still very little, but intriguing all the same. You just have to imagine they were much bigger. I wonder where they’ll keep the sharks when they grow into adults [assuming they can]. They could release them into Manila Bay and create some excitement, Jaws-style. That could make headlines. Good publicity.
On the second floor, you can actually dive into the shark tank and wade in the manta rays’ shallow pool. But I’m not sure the management would approve of that. I don’t know what the sharks and the rays would think, either. Wouldn’t be worth getting wet, would it? On this floor, you also get a nice view of Manila Bay.

Sunset at Manila Bay

There are also some activities you can try for a fee. If you’re feeling tired after journeying through the oceanarium, why don’t you go and soak your feet in the fish spa? For P100, you get to have doctor fish from Turkey feeding on your feet’s dead skin. Sounds ticklish. You can also feed the sharks and the rays if you want from 10 AM to 5 PM. On top of the Buhay na Karagatan section, you can take a glass-bottom boat ride if you want to have a different point of view from the tunnels below. But honestly, I don’t really see the point. Anyway, the boat can accommodate 10 people and the ride lasts for 20 minutes. If you feel like making hermit crabs race, you can do that, too. If you don’t have anything better to do.
The Ozeano fusion restaurant by Steve Tamayo is also on the second level. You don’t have to get tickets to eat here, although you do have to pass through it when leaving the oceanarium. The restaurant offers a buffet meal for P600 per person.
You have to pass through the souvenir shop, too. Of course, they sell the usual overpriced items, so just look around without buying anything. The first marine-themed mall is not yet open to the public, but I could care less. Restaurants and stores? That’s nice. But isn’t Manila already teeming with those?
So, what I’m really looking forward to is the completion of the open water marine habitat where you can go diving or snorkeling without leaving Manila! Now, that’s something new.

Harbor View is just nearby so we went there for dinner. This place has a lot of foreigners. I don’t get why this restaurant appeals to them so much. Each dish we ordered took about one hour to be served. I grow more and more disappointed every time I come here. I tried their special cocktail called Red Tide, which wasn’t all that bad, but it was a little sweet. Still, I wouldn’t say no to another glass [and I didn't].

I’ll update this post as soon as I can get another visit and see what else is new. For more details, visit the park’s official website. View pictures of our visit on flickr.

Brothers & Sisters - There You’ll Be

No, it’s not the TV show. (I do watch it, though. And love the humor.) It’s just an alternative music video to Faith Hill’s There You’ll Be using clips from different movies (without planes, war and Josh Hartnett).
Consider it a tribute to brothers (older ones, mostly), if you like. Which is weird, because I don’t have one. Haha.

Clips used:
The Last Mimzy | Bridge to Terabithia | Into the Wild | Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | Gracie |
Hannibal Rising | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Little Miss Sunshine |
War of the Worlds | Across the Universe | Step Up | She’s the Man | Bring It On | Serenity | Jeepers Creepers | House of Wax | There You’ll Be by Faith Hill music video

Gossip Girl: Apologize

Featuring Serena van der Woodsen [Blake Lively] / Blair Waldorf [Leighton Meester] / Nate Archibald [Chace Crawford] / Chuck Bass [Ed Westwick]. I remembered my past OTH/OC videos and thought why not make another one? The video’s not just a compilation of clips. It actually has a sort-of story [if you can get it]. The clips are from the first season of Gossip Girl. There are two parts to this video.

I think you need to view the first video to make sense of this one since this is just a continuation. It’s kinda long. And I’m sure you’re gonna get tired of the song repeats. Haha. But, anyway, I hope you got the message and have some idea about what’s going on. :-)

My ongoing Chuck Bass [slash Ed Westwick] phase started off with this. Really. I couldn’t care less who the hell he was in the first few episodes. As far as I was concerned, he was the Chuck Bass in the books, a weird, slimy, bisexual jerk. I was surprised they made him a regular on the show. And Nate’s best friend? WTF? But I took a second look at him in the 7th episode “Victor, Victrola” and since then, I was a little less grossed out by him. But it really was the making of this video which caused me to disregard his sliminess and just go with “Everybody loves a bad boy” on this one. Further research on the subject intensified the phase. Who knew Ed was the lead singer of an English indie band called The Filthy Youth? Never mind that Ed doesn’t actually “sing” [he's more muttering or talking really fast], he’s still got the accent and the ‘tude. And he’s only 20.
The Filthy Youth’s music was featured on the 12th episode of Gossip Girl “School Lies.” Come Flash All You Ladies plays during Blair’s study group party, followed by Orange. Download The Filthy Youth’s songs at their MySpace page.

Some other stuff I found out during this phase:

• Leighton Meester [Blair Waldorf] recorded a song for the movie Drive-Thru, which also stars Penn Badgley [Dan Humphrey].
• I totally missed Chace Crawford [Nate Archibald] in The Covenant. I was like, he was there!?
• Ed Westwick had a small role in Breaking and Entering and an even smaller role in Children of Men.
• Chace and Penn are currently single, but Ed isn’t.
• New episodes of Gossip Girl are airing on April 21st. I can’t wait. ;-)

You know you love me. XOXO.

4th Cousins’ Guild Christmas Party

Merry Christmas to my demented cousins. I lubb-a you all.

The annual get-together of the Cousins’ Guild EXPOSED. Haha! More pictures and videos regarding the Guild on the Multiply site I set up. Check it out here: http://cousinzguild.multiply.com. If you’re a cousin, don’t forget to sign up. ;-)