Our Youth Ministry's Music Team's Cover of Torniquet

Last Friday and Sunday, our youth had a successful contribution to the fund racing concert as we presented three songs to the theme of "Lost But Found". It was a fund raising concert for the "Call of Duty: World at War" (Ephesians 6:1-20) summer youth camp 2009. The summer camp will be held on April 21-24, 2009 and is open to young professionals, college and high school students. The camp fee is originally P1,550 but thanks to our international partners and to the local fund raising efforts like the concert, we are able to offer the camp fee at P400 only.

Below is a video of one of the songs SBC Makati's Youth (JIVE Youth) played. Playing and singing Torniquet by Evanescence on drums is Ric; rhythm guitar - Bok; singers - Ellaine,Cla, Eloisa (Friday and Sunday) and Swelyn (Friday) and rhythm/lead guitar - Jeff (that's me). We played other songs (Bagong Likha from Papuri and So Bright (Stand Up) by Superchick

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Promoting "Call of Duty: World at War" Summer Youth Camp 2009

This past week, I have been really busy going around Makati City, to the different high schools. This was due to our promotion for “Call of Duty: World at War” (Ephesians 6:1-20), the upcoming summer youth camp which will be held on April 21-24, 2009 at Mt. Peniel camp site in Capas, Tarlac. This is organized by Camp Kabataan and Breaking Point Foundation (abusepreventionteam.org) and we are expecting about 800 participants from Rizal, Makati City, Pasig City, Quezon City and Manila.

The camp fee was originally P1,550 per person but thanks to our local and international partners, we were able to offer it at P400 per camper. The fee includes air-conditioned bus to and from the camp site, accommodations and food from April 21 (dinner) to April 24 (brunch).

The travel to different schools could have been made easier if I had MBT shoes because I decided to take public transportation rather than bring my own car to save on gas. I and some of our youth in the church were able to distribute letters of invitation to the nine Supreme Student Government (SSG) advisers of Makati City. We hope that this week, we would be able to get confirmation on the number of delegates (incoming SSG officers) they will be sending from their school.

If this materializes, then I estimate that we will be sending about 120 campers (two buses) as Makati delegates. We hope that this would also allow us to develop a good relationship with the public high schools of Makati City.

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Looking Forward to A Good Night's Sleep

Last night I had a good night's sleep after two busy days going around Makati to promote to high schools. It was a good thing that we were able to acquire a nice sleep number bed last year and it really feels comfortable. Getting a good night’s sleep is guaranteed with the kind of bed we have and it is something I look forward to at the end of the day.

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My Experience at the Survivor Philippines Season 2 Auditions at SM City North

I’m letting you, regular readers, followers and plurk friends out there, in on a little secret about the GMA 7 Survivor Philippines Season 2 auditions at SM City North. Yesterday, I went dark online for 10 hours, left plurking, my online computer training and blogging for a while and I tried out and lined up to audition of personal curiosity and interest. Let me just make it clear that I have no intention of being a celebrity and taking home the P3 million prize. I just like the show itself and the challenge it posed.

At the Survivor Philippines Season 2 auditions after passing the first level

So, after getting my wife’s support the previous day (which she gladly and sincerely gave) I left home North at around 8 AM for the GMA 7 Survivor Philippines Season 2 auditions at SM City and drove thru at McDonald’s to grab some breakfast. I arrived at SM City North at around 9 AM and lined up at the sidewalk of the carpark building. I thought the line was short because it was moving fast but realized that we were all supposed to make our way to the fifth level of the carpark building for the auditions.

Lining up at the sidewalk of SM City North carpark building

When I got to the fifth floor, I then proceeded to a table so I can get my queue number for the auditions and I got the number 01621 which means that I am the 1,621st in line. At about 9:30 AM, loud music started playing and more people arrived. At exactly 10 AM, the facilitators of the auditions started giving instructions. They explained that there will be 2 levels of auditions to be held that day. At the first level, we were to be interviewed by batches of 5 and those who make it past the first level were to be ushered to the SM City North’s food court where the second level of the auditions were held.

I was the 1,621st to arrive

I estimated that about 5,000 to 6,000 auditioned for Second Season of Survivor Philippines during Day 1 at SM City North

Aspirants were interviewed five at a time, with nine interviewers available

The venue for the second level screening

I spent most of the day waiting, chatting with the new friends I met, taking pictures, covering some celebrity appearances and worrying about the schedules I had to bump off. I was supposed to go to our camp fund raising concert’s venue at around 3 PM but since the concert was at 8 PM, I figured I would have enough time. And I did make it on time but that’s a different story.

I, and four other companions, got interviewed at around 4 PM and the wait was all worth it because I was able to make it past the first level. I then felt more excited about the Survivor Philippines Season 2 as we who passed the first level were assigned official numbers for the second level auditions. I was glad to have met Ricky, an ex-PBL player who played for Paralux, and Grace, a working student taking up Nursing. There were about twenty of us in our batch who were ushered to the second level auditions venue and there, we were seated by fives. I met other new friends, Ivy, a nineteen-year-old, and Joey whom I connected with for a while because of our common interest in soccer.

Ex-PBL player, Rick and me after passing the first level

Me and Grace, a working student, after passing the first level screening

Grace, Ricky, Ivy (passed the second level) and me waiting for our turn for the second level screening

(bottom from left) Grace, Ricky, Ivy and Joey (passed the second level)

For the second level auditions, we were asked to face a couple of screeners who asked us to say why we deserved to be the next sole survivor. We were each given a 15-second limit to give our answer. After that, they asked us each a follow up question and were ushered down from the stage then to the backstage for the results.

Well, just for your information, I did not pass the second level but I was glad that two of the friends I met (Ivy and Joey). I hope they make it past the third level, sincerely. The result still feels challenging enough to make me consider about auditioning again at the Survivor Philippines Season 2 auditions at SM San Lazaro, (March 29 and 30) but I was glad it turned out that way because I still made it on time for our fund raising concert.

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Krispy Kreme's Chocolate Karnival Launching (Krispy Kreme Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts) Was a Blast

This morning, Jed, Jennie and I went to the launching of the Krispy Kreme Chocolate Karnival (www.chocolatekarnival.com). We arrived at exactly 11 AM and were fortunate enough to get a seat inside the cooler part of the shop, near the small stage for the program and near the production line of their donuts.

Snapshots of the Krispy Kreme Chocolate Karnival launch

We, especially my three-year old son, enjoyed the Krispy Kreme Chocolate Karnival because he was able to play some games like the Pachinko, cups stacking, box stacking and the doughnut ring toss. We went around to play the games and had our game passport stamped as we finished each game. After playing the game and naming the mascots of Krispy Kreme, we became eligible for a dozen Chocolate Glazed doughnuts.

Production line of the Chocolate Glazed doughnut]

After the playing the games and getting stuffed with doughnuts, we witnessed the unveiling of the historic production of the Chocolate Glazed doughnuts, which are also come in different variations: the Chocolate Glazed Traditional Cake, Double Chocolate Cake, and the Chocolate Glazed (Strawberry, Rasberry, Custard, Kreme) Filled doughnuts.


The Krispy Kreme Chocolate Karnival is tagged as the Greatest Chocholate Show on Earth. This melt-in-your-mouth doughnut offerings was kicked off by Krispy Kreme chairman Jim Fuentebella.

Krispy Kreme Chairman, Jim Fuentebella and me

The introduction of the chocolate-y makeover of Krispy Kreme's Hot Original Glazed to the Philippines is a great step forward for Krispy Kreme and I think it will develop a great following in the Philippine market. It was truly a great experience for me and my family to have been invited to the launching of the Krispy Kreme Chocolate Karnival at Bonifacio High Street.

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My Wife and One of Her Blogs

I am happy to see my wife liking blogging, enjoying it and being good at it. Even if she maintains so many blogs, she still writes quality blog posts and draws traffic and followers. Her blog’s niches are all that she is. You can really see her personality in her blogs.

I especially like her fashion and beauty blog, KikayCorner.net because it’s very girly and very her. In this blog of hers, she talks about stuff like make-ups, perfumes, fashion tips and beauty tips like where to get permanent eyelash extensions and eyebrow threading.

She has not tapped the potential of putting related videos on her posts yet. But, to her followers who like threading eyebrows or having their nails done, don’t worry because there is a site that is your source for stuff like eyebrow threading video and more. They actually have a variety of aesthetic services on video. The site is VideoShelf.com. It’s like having a library of aesthetic videos with the information being available online. Visit their simple but uniquely laid out website to learn more about them.

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"Lost But Found": A Fund Raising Concert for our Summer Youth Camp

Tomorrow night, I'll be at one of Camp Kabataan's fund raising concert entitled "Lost But Found"and this will be held at the SBC Main Auditorium at Masinag, Antipolo City. Three amateur bands will be playing - Master's Pedestal, Shekinah and our group, JIVE band.

The primary thrust of "Lost But Found" is for the musicians to share about how those who are lost and haven't found meaning in their life can be found through Christ, all through the message of the songs that will be played.

The secondary thrust is to raise funds for the summer youth camp on April 21 to 24, 2009 which will be held at Mt. Peniel, Capas, Tarlac. The camp, with the theme of "Call of Duty: World at War" (Eph. 6:1-20) will be participated by 600-800 young professionals, college and high school students from Makati, Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City and Rizal.


Our band (JIVE) will be doing a cover of three songs: Torniquet by Evanescence, our own rendition of Bagong Likha which is a popular Papuri song during the early 90's and So Bright (Stand Up) by Superchick. I am excited to play with our group even though I was not really part of the original line up of musicians. I was supposed to just stay in the sidelines and cheer for them but due to the unavailability of our guitarist and the difficulty of one of the songs, I will have to be one of the guitarists for the first two songs and the drummer for the third one. Honestly, I have really missed playing drums but I was really hoping to let the youth in our church play while I just be the one to teach them, but adjustments have to be made.

For those interested, here are directions to the venue: From Cubao, take Aurora Boulevard east bound then take Marcos Hiway all the way to Masinag intersection. Turn left to Sumulong Hiway (to Marikina) and then you'll see an Allied Bank on the right about 200-300 meters from the intersection. Turn left to the alley in front of Allied Bank and then you'll see SBC Ministry Center on the right after about 100 meters.

Ticket price for the fund raiser is P100. Proceeds will be used to subsidize camp participant's fee to cut down the original price of P1,550 to P400 and that is inclusive of airconditioned bus transport to and from the campsite, food and accommodation from Tuesday to Friday, training materials and travel insurance (April 21-24). We hope to see you at the "Lost But Found" concert and the "Call of Duty: World at War" (Eph. 6:1-20) summer youth camp.

Feel free to click on the PayPal button to this post. You will help send to camp under privileged youth from the church that I pastor, SBC-Makati.

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On Starting a Christian School in Makati That Uses the School of Tomorrow System

Our intention to start a Christian school using the School of Tomorrow system in our church in Makati has never died. Actually, when my wife and I began researching about schools two years ago because of our now three-year-old son, the desire to start a school continued to grow. I saw to it that I learned the School of Tomorrow system so I did everything to convince our senior pastor to send me to the administrator’s training.

I have been exposed to Christian schools using the School of Tomorrow system (also known as Accelerated Christian Education) before and have been impressed with students who studied using this system. That’s why I wanted to learn the philosophy and the methodology of this system which uses an individualized curriculum per student.

Even though our church encountered some Startups & Growth Challenges, the reason why we haven’t started the school yet, we still want to pursue this direction for our ministry. We want to provide an alternative to parents in Makati for their child’s education and we want to be able to provide quality academics guaranteed by the School of Tomorrow system.

How is this guaranteed? You see, students entering the system are given a diagnostic test (for both entering a school and the home schooled. They are then placed in the curriculum in each subject at their own pace and performance levels which are determined by the results of the diagnostic test. The format of the School of Tomorrow (SOT) curriculum allows the students to advance as they demonstrate mastery – a key component in the SOT system. The system generally requires 80% (90% for model schools) grade in the exams before a student advances to another unit in the curriculum.

But aside from academics, we want our school to provide education that helps develop children into individuals who will make their relationship with God and their personal responsibilities to their family, church and community a priority in life. Character building is another important component of this system and curriculum which is founded on theistic philosophy.

So, right now I am in the process of fulfilling other requirements of SOT Philippines so we can start working on starting a Christian school that uses the School of Tomorrow system.

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Read the Bible in One Year by Reading 12 Minutes a Day

Did you know that you can read the whole Bible by spending 12 minutes a day of reading it? Yes, it's true! The fact is, if you read the Bible at a pace that's slow enough to be heard and understood, or what many would call the 'pulpit rate', you can read from Genesis to Revelation in seventy-two (72) hours, straight. By doing the math of breaking that into minutes and dividing it by the number of days we have in a year, which is 365, we come to the conclusion that by spending only 12 to 15 minutes a day, you can read the Bible in a year!

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Hoping for a Nikon D40, D60 or D90

I was going through the files my wife and I have kept in the two external hard drives we have and the four sd memory cards. I was amazed to see the thousands of pictures we have taken using different media devices like old cellphone cameras, video cam and our latest which is a Canon Powershot A620 digital camera. I'm sure that when we finally get our hands on a DSLR, hopefully a Nikon D40, D60 or a D90, that the rate at which we are compiling photos would increase. I have tried taking photos using a D60 and was amazed by the quality it gives on the photos. We really hope that we would be able to raise money for that soon after saving up for our son's tuition fee this school year. That's our priority, of course.

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Billy Graham on the Question "Where is Heaven?"

One of the most influential people in this generation of Christians is Billy Graham. One day, he was asked, "Where is heaven?" And the following was his answer:

"What is heaven going to be like? Just as there is a mystery to hell, so there is a mystery to heaven. Yet I believe the Bible teaches that heaven is a literal place. Is it one of the stars? I don't know. I can't even speculate. The Bible doesn't inform us. I believe that out there in space where there are one thousand million galaxies, each a hundred thousand light years or more in diameter, God can find some place to put us in heaven. I'm not worried about where it is. I know it is going to be where Jesus is. Christians don't have to go around discouraged and despondent with their shoulders bent. Think of it - the joy, the peace, the sense of forgiveness that He gives you, and then heaven, too."

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Our Son was Invited by a Modeling Agency for a VTR and Photoshoot

I was excited yesterday because my son was invited by a modeling agency to be one of their talents. Thanks to his godfather and godmother who helped us get connected with the modeling agency. Their son got some modeling jobs with a milk company and his picture was posted on a billboard in the Makati area and got a role in a TV commercial.

I was hoping that my son would get some opportunities similar to those I mentioned so we started coaching him to smile and pose for the camera. He has actually experienced this but he was still a baby. A photography studio gave him a free photo session and he was made to wear cute Costumes, play with toys and other colorful stuff.


But, yesterday, his smiles during the photo shoot were not natural. I guess he wasn’t used to the bright lights. During the VTR, I was so proud of him because he was able to follow the instructions given to him at his age of three years. He was asked to stand straight with his hands on the side and asked to say hi complete name and age. They made him turn his whole body to the right and then asked to look at the camera and smile. Then he was asked to turn to the other side and do the same thing and he was very cooperative, not giving the photographer/ camera man a hard time.

The agency asked us to take pictures of him on white background, understanding that he was probably not used to the bright lights in the studio. They are hoping that we can get photos of his adorable smile so they can submit them to their clients together with the video they took of him.

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An Interesting Story About Justice Being Served

I got this story form a book of stories, anecdotes and quotations compiled by James Hewitt. There was a lady named Vera Czermak from Prague, Czechoslovakia who discovered that her husband was in an adulterous relationship.

Because of the revelation that her husband was cheating on her, she contemplated both murder and suicide. Eventually, she chose the latter. So, what she did was she blindly leapt out of her third-story window.

After everything, she only incurred minor injuries. That was because she landed on her husband in the street below, killing him in the process. She felt that justice was served.

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I Need to Learn How to Make a Feasibility Study

It was three years ago when the need for our church to start outsourcing funds or finding ways to augment expenses. That was when the idea of starting a Christian School using the School of Tomorrow system (formerly known as Accelerated Christian Education or ACE) came up. I started praying about it and eventually, presented it to my senior pastor. I was then given funding for the administrator’s training where I learned the system and the philosophy behind the system of School of Tomorrow.

But after going through the administrator’s training, one of the requirements that I needed to start the school in our church was a feasibility study of the Christian school that we wanted to start at our church’s present location. This was one thing that kept us moving forward with the plan.

It was a blessing that this afternoon, I met with someone who could help me start the feasibility study. He is a friend who works with a research company that probably uses some survey software to help them with simplification of their survey work. I actually am considering doing the feasibility myself because my friend mentioned how much the feasibility study might cost me and it’s too expensive for me, but I first need to learn how to make one. I hope to find a good book soon on how to make a feasibility study. Too bad I didn't pay attention much about this subject in college.

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I Got a Ticket for Disregarding a Traffic Sign: P150

I feel bad tonight because this afternoon I got a ticket from MMDA for a traffic violation. The violation was disregarding a traffic sign (DTS). What actually happened was that I was unfamiliar with the U-turn slot (from north bound turning south bound) under the Santolan-EDSA flyover and so I entered into the lane where cars going southbound take a U-turn towards north bound lane. I was supposed to be given two violations and the other one was for counter-flowing but I was glad to have talked my way to having the violations lowered without giving a bribe.

But I am disappointed because the U-turn lane there wasn't so clear. Yes, there was a sign but the lane itself does not look like a lane where a car should enter. The concrete barriers underneath looked more like boundaries for the island beneath the flyover. If there were any paint on the lane they were not so visible.

Huff... But, since I was in the wrong, I had to take the ticket. There was a car who followed me, a red Toyota Vios and it was also waved by the MMDA traffic enforcer but it just drove away. While I, on the other hand, was left with a ticket and now I need to pay P150 at Metrobank for the violation.

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Losing 5 Pounds in One week

Yesterday, my wife was so happy because she was surprise to see her weight go down 5 pounds in one week. She told me she was so happy to see that she still easily lost and gained weight. And because of her wonderful surprise yesterday, she won’t have to try those weight loss pills. Getting back to her Wii Fit routine after days of not being able to use it and her days of dieting paid off. She easily lost those pounds and was very ecstatic. I’m happy for her, too.

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Education is Life: Thoughts on Homeschooling

This afternoon, I called up a school in Paranaque and inquired about the rates they have for homeschooling and was glad to hear that they provide a discount for full-time ministers. My wife and I have been planning and talking about starting our son, who will turn four this May, on homeschooling on June.

Since my attendance in the administrator's training of the School of Tomorrow system, I have become a believer of the system. One of the things I have learned from the trainings I attended was a definition of education that I haven't encountered before.

I learned that educations is life. Education is the communication of life from one living person to another. It's the communication of one generation to the following generation. Life comes from our patterns in our culture which is reflected in our morals, in our social behavior, in our laws, and most dominantly in the family.

And as a father, it is really my heart's desire to communicate a godly life to my son. I hope to pass on a godly heritage to my son that's why as we get him started in school, we want to be the primary influencers in his life. And I believe that homeschooling can minimize the bad influence a lot, not to say that, as parents, my wife and I are perfect. But we know how great the influence around us is. That's why I am taking it up upon my self to provide him the knowledge and the influence he will need to lead a life that is pleasing to God.

I am excited for my child and we hope that we'd be able to come up with the necessary finances to register and get ourselves oriented on homeschooling.

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How About Getting Into Paintball?

One of the recreational activities I wasn’t able to experience during the Island Cove Adventure entitled Detour was to try the Tippmann guns at Island Cove’s adventure recreation area. There was a leg of the adventure race where one team member had to make three head shots on the target but I wasn’t the one who tried it.

I’ve been thinking that this would be a good business to start, starting a paintball facility. I would have to invest on more modern Tippmann guns like the Tippmann x7 to beat the competition because most paintball guns in paintball facilities here use the tippmann a5. I’m sure that a site like TippmannParts.com will be of great help if ever this happens.

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House Dedication at the Raya Garden Condominiums

This afternoon, I was invited to officiate a house blessing/dedication by a friend of one of our church members at the Raya Garden Condominiums. As I went inside the small community with two high-rise condominiums (15 storeys), Jakarta and Surabaya, and three mid-rise condominiums (5 storeys) it felt like being inside a different country. I surfed about this resort-like condominium and found out that its design was actually Bali-inspired.

The dedication held at Raya Garden Condominiums, developed by DMCI homes, was held in the newest of the two towers which is Surabaya. The condominium unit that was dedicated had a floor size not greater than 80 square meters and cost P2.5 million, as shared by its occupants. It was a corner unit that had two rooms, one toilet and bathroom, a kitchen area and two and verandas, one of which was big enough to be used as a dining area.


There were still a lot of unused units but the amenities in this urban sanctuary located South of Metro Manila and 15 minutes from Makati City are all in full operation. It has a reception lobby called Grand Pavilion, a swimming pool with floating podium, a bridge walkway, a Balinese garden, a lotus pond, a meditation pavilion, a basketball court, a fitness gym, an AVR & TV lounge, a bar and many other recreational facilities.


We had a very short ceremony in the home owner's place and enjoyed a great meal after. We then sat in their living room with the sliding doors to the verandas opened and enjoyed the relaxing view of the southern part of Metro Manila and the mountains of Rizal. Spending my Saturday afternoon at a dedication in Raya Garden Comdominiums was really a cool and refreshing experience.

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I Have a Blog That's Health Related

Many of you probably are not aware that I have my own health blog. It is about detoxification and cleansing. The reason why I started that blog was to maximize the number of blogs I can submit to PayU2Blog. Right now, I already have four blogs with them and that leaves one more slot. I just need to first migrate my content from its current host to another one I have. I also have to change the blog platform from blogengine to Wordpress. Wen that’s done, then my totaldetox.net blog will be ready to be submitted to PayU2Blog in a few weeks.

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Movie Premiere of Taken, Made Possible by Wave 89.1 and Viva

After getting home from watching the Movie Premiere of Taken, sponsored by Wave 89.1 and Viva Entertainment, I still felt shaken by the suspense and the dark reality of evil in the world, shown in the movie. It 's a good thing it ended on a happy note otherwise all the action would have been worthless. it would have been tragic. The movie, which stars Liam Neeson, I believe, was rightly given a PG 13 rating with the prostitution and violence but these were all necessary and central to the plot of the film. Some values communicated are patriotism, obedience to parents, honesty and sacrifice.

After the movie, we took pictures with the other bloggers who watched the movie premiere. It was great to be reunited with blogger friends and to meet new ones as well.

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Want A Pair of Havaianas?

Sorry but I am not giving away gift cards for a pair of Havaianas or a pair of south sea pearl earrings. I just wanted to share some interesting facts about the Original Havaianas - the flip-flops.

1. The Havaianas was created almost half a century ago - 1962 to be exact.

2. Every original Havaianas pair is produced in a single factory in northern Brazil.

3. Sao Paulo Alpargatas was the original creator of the Havaianas which is actually a reinvention of the Japanese Zori (straw slippers).

4. Over three billion pairs of Havaianas have been sold around the world since it was created.

5. Havaianas distinguishes itself from other flip-flops, which use EVA and PVC, with its secret rubber formula that boasts of extreme comfort and durability.

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Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park and Yehey Cook Up "Detour: The Island Cove Adventure Challenge"

This morning me and my wife had to wake up at 4:30AM for "Detour:The Island Cove Adventure Challenge" made possible by the partnership of Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park and Yehey. We met with other blogventurers at Gonuts Donuts, The Fort where Yehey staff and Island Cove shuttle services were waiting.

The trip to Island Cove with the Yehey staff was short and we immediately found ourselves in the 36-hectare resort. Our first drop off was at the Sangley Point Bar and Grill where breakfast and drinks were waiting. After breakfast, a brief orientation was given and the managers of Island Cove were introduced. We were told that the day's activities were basically two parts. A tour of the whole facility in the morning and then the "Detour: The Island Cove Adventure Challenge" in the afternoon.


After dividing the at least 30 bloggers present into six teams, we were given a tour of the whole Island Cove leisure park by three tour guides who were given the task of showing the different amenities available in Island Cove.

Our team which was led by my wife Jennie, and another team led by Jonas rode the Electric Tram, a zero-emission vehicle that Island Cove uses to transport its guests around their huge land area, and were taken to different facilities:

1. The Adventure Activity Zone where airsoft, paintball, camping, horseback riding and biking are offered.

2. The Animal Island which houses a butterfly and crocodile farm, a monkey island and a zoo.


3. The Fishing Village where guests can go fishing

4. Patron, a restaurant and bar which showcases performers

5. Wellness Facilities like the Island Spa, Hotel pool, Jacuzzi and the Gym at the Cove


6. Oceania Water Park which has two kiddie and adult pools


7. A Variety of function rooms (air-conditioned and non-air conditioned, grand ball room, etc.)

We headed back to Sangley Point where lunch buffet was served and then proceeded to the Island Cove Hotel to leave our bags and prepared for the afternoon adventure challenge.

The afternoon went by pretty fast as the 6 teams enjoyed running and biking around Island Cove, conquering the different challenges. After an hour of physical and mental challenges, our team (Green team composed of Bryan, Fitz, Audrey, Jennie and myself) emerged as the winners clocking at 52 minutes including penalties.

The afternoon was concluded with an awarding ceremony where all 6 teams emerged as winners and pictorials of the blogventurers with Island Cove Managing Director Gilbert Remulla. He echoed announcements made during their Anniversary last February about the improvements to their current facilities and plans of expansion. With the success of the event, he also mentioned the possibility that the Detour:Island Cove Adventure Challenge, which was made possible by Yehey and Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park's partnership, could be done yearly.

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Havaianas Makes Rock Ed Original Project Grant Possible

This evening, I had the opportunity of being part of the Rock Ed Original Project Grant launching which was made possible by the Original Havaianas. I would say that it was a perfect partnership as Havaianas is known for it unique flair and creativity. It is a company that was started in 1962 and, to date, produces its products in a single factory located in northern Brazil and they still use the same rubber formula.

Rock Ed's Original Project Grant, on the other hand, fits well with its partner (Havaianas) as it launched its search for the most original youth -involved and youth-targeted projects. They are encouraging any individual or group aged 13 to 32 to e-mail their original ideas for implementation and the top three with most votes will receive a grant from Rock Ed in their partnership with Havaianas. The deadline for the sumbmission of entries is on April 4, 2009.

During the project launch which was hosted by Iya Villania and Mo Twister and held at Power Plant Mall in Makati City, photos of traditional and online media partners and guests were taken and the participants were requested to write on their phots why they were original. Our photos were then posted on their wall and each photo placed on the wall was equivalent to an amount pledged by Havaianas to Rock Ed's Original Project Grant.

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Looking for a Sea Coast Property?

For your source of Wilmington NC real estate, you can check out SeaCoastRealty.com. You can view their links for model houses, their schedules for the open house and new listings which are updated every week. You can also use their search panel according to what you are looking for. This industry leader is very reliable and you can see the evidence on the statistics in the greater Wilmington area. Visit their site for more information.

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Tang Fruit Teaz Teazperiment: A GreatIdea to Battle Youth Boredom

As I end this day with this post about the Tang Fruit Teaz Teazperiment, which is the first ever user-generated youth online show, let me say first that I was glad I came to this event that was held at Top Shelf, Bonifacio High Street.

As someone who deals a lot with young people (campus youth ministries and summer youth camps) I was totally impressed with Tang Fruit Teaz's idea on launching the Teazperiments contest where youth organizations were encouraged to create their own Teazperiment and the entry with the most votes wins P50,000. The submitted entries can be viewed at teazperiment.com. To understand what this Teazperiment is, below is the video of the first teazperiment from Tang which was held at Market Market in Taguig City.

But what impressed me the most was, in the event this evening which overflowed with the 5 flavors of the Tang Fruit Teaz namely: peach, orange, strawberry, lemon and apple, the event organizers opened the program with their own teazperiment.

As bloggers like me who participated in the event, waited in their seats, distributed among the 10 tables, and mingled with each other, suddenly, at the start of the program, people who were strategically distributed among the 10 round tables stood up and rhythmically clapped their hands together and started singing, each one having their designated vocal part assignment. At different points in their routine, certain participants stood up and danced on their seats while they sang their part.


At the end of their surprise presentation, everybody was so impressed that a round of applause was just natural.

I enjoy events like this one, plus the fact that I learned some ideas that we could also use in our upcoming summer youth camp - our own teazperiment. I just wonder if we could get Tang Fruit Teaz as sponsors for our two week summer youth camp of 600-800 participants per week.

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Should You Fill Your BLog With Many Free Blogging Tools?

There are a lot of free blogging tools available, but loading up your blog with all of the free stuff that you can find is not a good idea. It truly is very tempting to add a visitor counter, a flashy background,and lots of animated gifs to your blog but beware because this kind of plan can easily backfire. The secret to getting the most from free blog tools is being selective.

Learning about all of the kinds of free blogging tools that are available is probably a good idea so that you can make an informed decision about what to add to your blog. Remember, just because you can have something doesn't mean that you need it. Practice restraint and only choose the options that you think will truly be useful to you.

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Eastwood Mall: Venue for the Philippine International Jazz Festival

Last Saturday, my wife and I covered a Philippine International Jazz Festival held at the Eastwood Mall Central Park. We arrived at around 6:00 PM and was able to catch the first group who performed, the Black Gospel Choir. This group showcased jazz in singing as they were led by a worship leader who combined good quality voice and spontaneity in their song arrangements.

Black Gospel Choir

There were two other groups that performed, the second one was Juan Isip with a n Italian guest and the third group was from Australia. They called themselves Logic and performed some of their recorded music and upcoming pieces. They played fusion/acid jazz and won the crowds attention with a lot of the solo performances from each instrumentalist.

Logic

It was a few months ago since I last went to Eastwood and visited the Central Park. I thought then that it would be a great venue for performances like these and I was glad to have that confirmed.

After the free musical presentations, I accompanied my wife as she went shopping for a lip gloss at the Beauty Bar but ended up getting a concealer. I was surprised to see a unique pedicure and manicure service inside the store and it was called Dashing Diva.

Eastwood Mall features a few stores that are unique to them, a spacious mall area and additional luxurious cinemas. When you're in Libis, Quezon City area, take time to visit the new Eastwood Mall. Visit EastwoodCity.com for upcoming events.

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