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It was way back 2007 that I first went to this European resto with my colleagues.  We were actually with our Swedish boss that’s why we got no other choice, but to eat there.  I rarely go to this type of restaurant because I have limited budget, and also, I really find it impractical to spend my hard earned money to expensive foods.  I prefer to eat in carenderia(small local food stores) and pungko-pungko(street foods stored in carts or put up on small tables).

Honestly, I never learned to love eating European foods except pizza.  My first time eating a roasted lamb made me feel like I wanted to puke everything that I swallowed.  The smell really made me feel nauseated and I swore that I will never eat a roasted lamb again.  This may sound ridiculous to those people who are into European dishes, but may be, my taste buds are just so “Pinoy”.

It was last week of May this year that I had the opportunity of going back there again, since CBS had a small conference with Yehey.  The restaurant is now located at The Terraces inside Ayala Mall.  I noticed that its whole ambiance was changed and it’s more spacious than before.  Along with other CBS members, the Yehey team introduced us to its co-owner.  La Maison is teaming up with Yehey for their restaurant’s promotional campaign.

Among the courses on the menu that they served and that I could still remember were barkada ribs, classic gourmet platter, tostitos and seafood marinara.  There’s also a pizza, but I can’t remember what’s the flavor.  All the foods mentioned above didn’t make any impressions to me except the barkada ribs.  But still, while I was eating, I can’t help but compared it to Golden Cowrie’s.   Same with their tostitos that resembled Moon Cafe’s quesadillas, but can’t even be compared to its succulent taste and flavor.  And also, the fish fillet in their classic gourmet platter has this somewhat “non-salty” taste which definitely disappointed my very Pinoy taste buds.

And as for the quality of their service, I can’t really tell because it’s obvious that they were treating us well since we were there to criticize and blog about their place.  All in all, La Maison is an ideal restaurant for those people who loves and appreciates European dishes.  I won’t recommend it for true-blue pinoys like me whose taste buds are loyal to salty foods.

Photo Credits: Van, Miss Elaine, Doyzkie

I know I’ve already heard about the website a few times in the past, but I didn’t pay any attention because of its name.  Yehey!, when I first heard about it, I normally thought that it’s just another struggling website that rides on with Yahoo’s popularity.  I was thinking that why should they not come up with an original name and made a name out of it?  I mean, come on!  We all know that ipod is very hot in the market because it’s the original.  Though there are lots of less expensive products which imitated its features, most consumers still prefer the genuine and original one.  And that’s what I thought of Yehey! before.

Honestly, my opinion really doesn’t change that much now.  The only difference is that I had the opportunity of meeting the people behind this search engine company.  I’ve learned new things during the short presentation held at La Maison and discovered how friendly their staffs are.  I also think that their strategy of tapping bloggers to help them in their promotion campaign business is very practical, economical, and most of all brings learning and fun to most blogging enthusiasts.

Though this company is not that original(well, we don’t need to be original all the time to be successful), I think that they became one of the effective agents of internet revolution in the Philippines.  As the country’s second most visited website(next to INQ7.net), Yehey! people could now proudly shout their company name.  Yehey!

Reference: Answers.com

Photo Credits: Michelle and Andrew

The very first Philippine overclocking showdown was held at Entertainment Plaza, SM City, Cebu last 23rd of May, 2009.   This historical event was mainly sponsored by ASUSTeK Computer Inc..  Two teams(from Cebu region) equipped with OC enthusiasts were competing with each other.  Both teams performed tweaks in both the latest AMD and Intel Platforms.  They took turns testing the limits of both advanced processors for the ultimate glory of who can set the highest percentage of Overclock, CPU Mhz, Bclock, memory speed, 3DMark Vantage score in the overclocked system and Super Pi.

Both teams, the Sugbu Elite and Cebu Extream, were amply provided with the latest motherboards(ASUS Rampage II Gene and M4A79-T deluxe, an AMD-based one), graphic cards(ASUS EAH4890 and ASUS ENGTX285), memory from OCZ, Caviar Black hard disks from Western Digital, Sunbeam coolers, Silverstone power supply, cordless mouse and keyboard from Logitech,  and operating systems from Microsoft Corporation.

ASUS Rampage II Gene motherboard is specifically designed for serious gamers and OC enthusiasts, who are always at the edge of testing the limits of their computer hardware for best gaming and CPU performance experience.  This board is part of ASUS’ Republic of Gamers series, which is among the very few microATX motherboards that support the Intel Core i7 processor.  Rampage II Gene, according to ASUS, has also premium features such as MemOK! for worry-free memory upgrades, CPU Level Up for easy system performance boosts, and onboard SupremeFX X-Fi for true-to-life surround sound.

On the other hand, M4A79-T deluxe motherboard which is based on AMD 790FX chipset, features the unique ASUS Xtreme Phase Power design.  According to their press release, this board utilizes more phases to deliver more power and achieve better performance, more stability, enhance power efficiency, and lower temperatures under any loading.

And if I’m not mistaken(since this event happened two weeks ago), it was in the former motherboard(Rampage II Gene) where team Sugbu Elite achieved the highest percentage of overclock.  From 2.0 GHz to 4.2 GHz.  That is more than a hundred percent change.  While on the other side, Cebu Extream,  using the latter motherboard(M4A79-T deluxe) had only managed a less than 50% increase.  That is, from 3.0 GHz to 4 GHz.  Please correct me if I’m wrong with these.  My memory of the event is kinda vague now.  Hehehehe.

Sugbu Elite and Cebu Extream both garnered awards from different categories mentioned above.  Some of the audiences also received ASUS freebies during the event’s Q & A portions.  It is reported that the main sponsor had given a total of Php50, 000 worth of token cash and hardware.

N.B:

• Both teams(Sugbu Elite and Cebu Extream) are members of Istorya.net
• The host of the event(the name I forgot) is also a member of the said Cebu forum
• Cebu Bloggers Society was among the press people who was invited to cover the event

References: ASUS Press Release, InsideHW

Photo Credits: Vanjahnn, Doyzkie

Title/Subject: Buy A Sketch For Charity
Dates: June 10, 13, 17, 20, 23, 27 & 30
Venue: Turtles Nest, Gorordo Ave.
Time:
Notes/Details:
The artists from Behind Closed Doors exhibit are selling their sketches for Charity. They highly appreciate those lovers of the arts who use what they CAN as an instrument to make life a bit easier for those who are underprivileged. If you can think about it, you don’t have to be filthy rich. You just need to share what is spare and share a bit of your TIME. (from Dan, one of the artists)

Coordinator’s Name: Dan Guillano
Contact: 09263567270
Email: dan@sigbin.com

First, I wanted to give a big LOL to GABRIELA for supporting Miss Katrina Halili.  But, before anything else, I just wanted to express that I really got nothing against these celebrities.  It’s their actions, not their individuality that I will be criticizing.    It just happened that they are caught up in a sex scandal that spreads like wildfire.  And for a Catholic country to have something as big as this, the righteous moralists are way too restless.

As a woman, I personally detest Dr. Hayden Kho’s fetish.  I mean voyeurism is something creepy.  And doing it to someone you have an intimate relationship with is creepier.  Since it’s very obvious that in those two videos, Katrina and Maricar were absolutely unaware that their sexual encounters with him were being taped. Dr. Kho is definitely a voyeur.  And I may say, a pervert of his own kind.  It was reported that he has 40 sex videos all in all with different women.

A voyeur is someone who seeks sexual gratification through watching naked people and sexual acts.  In this case, Dr. Kho is somewhat a special voyeur because he loves seeing himself screwing someone in videos.  The worst thing is, those videos were being publicized using the latest technology, wherein copying files can be done in seconds.  And thus, the Hayden Kho sex videos epidemic began.  The perverts are celebrating, while the moralists are fuming with disgust and fury.

Let’s start with the main root of the problem, that is, who spread those videos?  It was already reported that a friend of Hayden uploaded those(a certain Eric Chua), and tried to sell it to DVD distributors.  But the public are doubting.  Some are rooting for the “revenge theory”.  There’s a possibility that Hayden’s ex-girlfriend, Dr. Vicky Belo, is behind this incident.  For those who don’t know, those sex videos is one of the main reason of their break up.  Dr. Belo discovered Hayden’s infidelity during their three-year relationship when she uncovered those videos.  It would be a bitter-sweet revenge to expose your ex’s unfaithfulness along with his mistresses.

But, one is always innocent until proven guilty.  The revenge theory will remain a theory until further investigation will be done.  After all, with all these brouhaha, it’s Dr. Vicky Belo who is playing the protagonist role.  She has the moralists’ empathy, and in all angle, she’s also the lowly victim of her ex’s dirty doings.  The righteous public will pity her and will carelessly despise the women involved in those sex videos.

And these women are no other than famous star Katrina Halili and 2nd runner up Bb. Pilipinas Maricar Reyes.  These two are both victims, the only difference is that the former is in double jeopardy.  Miss Halili is definitely a victim of Kho’s sexual perversion, but her being a victim is overshadowned by the ruthless fact that she’s his former mistress, a disloyal friend to Vicky Belo, and a big liar.

Those adjectives are like icepicks being stabbed again and again to Miss Halili’s degraded reputation.  And I know that this is somewhat harsh, but facts are facts, and there’s no denying to it.  The people will discard her case of being the victim, and they will only focus on her being the mistress, the other party, the traitor comrade of Dr. Vicky Belo.  People will despise her and will only see her mistakes.  This is the biggest prize of her a year of “just having fun” with Dr. Kho.  She will suffer the humiliation and shame, and it’s not even sure if the court can give her justice.

On the other hand, Miss Maricar Reyes deserves all the pity in the world.  She was Hayden’s girlfriend for one year when they were still in med school.  This sex scandal definitely shocked her and worst, the reactions of her family.  Her upcoming soap opera in ABS CBN was cancelled due to the scandal.  I guess she has all the rights in the world to jail Hayden and all those people who spread the video.  Despite this, some people may still carelessly label her as one of Hayden’s women.  Not most people love to research.  Hasty judgments are always the common scenario.

But, what irritated me the most, is Hayden’s somewhat calm and unaffected reaction.  He was even smiling while the press were asking him about the possibility of his medical license to be removed.  I don’t know what’s going in his mind.  One thing is for sure.  This Dr. Hayden Kho has a serious personality disorder.  I wish him to rot in jail along with her small phallus!

Lastly, a big LOL to GABRIELA because when I heard their name, I was reminded of that Nicole(that girl who claimed that she was raped by an American soldier), but at the end, retreated from the case and flew outside the country after receiving a sum of money.  What I wanted to mean here, is that, the group should do an intensive research well before defending someone from that or this, so that, at the end,  they won’t come out like fools and idiots.

Photo Credit: KapamilyaPhotos.Blogspot.Com

Once upon a weekend, in the beautiful island of Cebu, a throng of blogging cyborgs were invited to the pulchritudinous beach paradise which is sublimely located in the historic island of Mactan.  This mob of hyperactive cyborgs were very pleased that an inmate of theirs, Mr. Ruben of Pinoyworld, had specifically asked them to check his place of jurisdiction and blog about it.

Maribago Bluewater is the name of this tropical paradise.  All the “low-teched” cyborgs were so excited to see the place, and also,  to experience how it is to become human beings.  That’s why when everyone arrived at the venue, the Maribago royal slaves immediately catered to their needs.  The humanoids were treated to a very refreshing cold drink.  And most of the cyborgs concluded that it tasted like a seashell soup with a hint of lemon.

Later on, a pretty tour guide appeared and accompanied the whole gang to take a look at the whole resort.  All of the cyborgs were pretty excited.  They took pictures of almost all the living and non-living matters they saw as the tour guide stopped once in a while to give brief backgrounds of the resort’s amenities.  The thrilled humanoids had non-stop fun as they took photos as evidences, that for once in their bloody lifetimes, they had also experienced the high of becoming lowly human beings.  They were so delirious, they forgot to shut their bloody mouths and had kept the tour guide wondering what an “ORGY” is.  Every zombie lovers like the CBS cyborgs knew about it, but, unfortunately, the pretty tour guide had to ruminate about it for a long time before she got it.

After the tour session, the hyperactive blogging cyborgs were whisked to the resort’s conference room and had the chance to have small talks with its management team along with their PR manager, Mr. Ruben of PinoyWorld.  The humanoids, true to their ambitions of becoming real human beings were also treated to a very colorful and delectable afternoon tea.  While pigging with the colorful treats and assuming that they tasted how appetizing those were, a Q & A portion was also happening.

The cyborgs learned that Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort was established on July of 1989.  The establishment has a 50-50 recruitment process, that is, they hire employees 50% from agencies and another 50% from independent applicants.  Their target market is mostly foreigners, and the Japanese chinks topped their list of regular costumers.  The resort, as a payback to the people living in the locale, gives special discount rates to them whenever they wanted to visit and avail the resort’s amenities and services.

The management had also confessed, that the resort business has also been affected by the global recession.  That is, the number of vacationers and tourists are lesser this year compared to last year.  And when asked about what makes Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort different from other high class beach destinations in the country, the management team said, that it is the kind of service they provided to their clients.  In Maribago Bluewater, they see to it that they not only make good business with their customers, but also good interpersonal relationship that would imprint better impression and higher customer satisfaction.

After the short conference, some of the rusty blogging cyborgs automatically transformed into their swimming costumes, shamelessly exposing their cybernetic organs.  And seconds later, the blue water of Maribago turned red and populated with millions of rust fungi.  On the other hand, the other half of the humanoids, spent their time sharing indiscreet talks.  Every now and then, they giggled, laughed and snickered as they dissected every fleshy gossips they could muster.

And the cyborgs visit was ended with a very sumptuous buffet dinner in the resort’s Allegro Restaurant’s poolside.  Since it was Saturday, the resto had their Barrio Fiesta specialty along with a special cultural dance extravaganza.  All the blogging humanoids enjoyed the mouth watering foods and cracked jokes over the performing dancers, for it’s the very first time that they saw people dancing with their butts out.  Hahahahahahaha!

N.B: Click here for the resort’s detailed information, and reservation.

Photo Credits: Doyzkie, Sir Ruben