Cafe World

Recently the most addicting game on Facebook, this Restaurant City meets Farmville app reeled me back into the time wasting kingdom of FB games. Much like it's Playfish counterpart Restaurant City, but better, Cafe World created by Zynga took all the positive elements of strategy games like these and put it into one mixing bowl.

A player's task is simple. Create and design a restaurant with by customizing everything from floor tiles to tables and chairs, hire a friend to serve your customers and cook dishes to have something to serve and to generate points and virtual coins. The main strength of the game lies on cooking dishes the same way you plant virtual crops on other farm games.

Each dish have its own cooking time which can range from 3 minutes to 2 days and if not served in time, it will spoil thus making you lose money and effort. The necessity of checking back the status of your cooking dishes before they spoil makes it more addicting to the common bum. Also, getting to set the color and format of your restaurant brings out the little girl in everyone.

Right now, I am on level 24 with a 105 maximum thumbs up rating or whatever it's called. Obama knows how many levels there are and I'm pretty sure I'll get tired of this sooner or later. What I do know is that all this restaurant stuff is making me hungry. And that's not a good thing since I'm supposed to be on a diet. Gaah.

The Search for the Next Philippine President

For the first time in my life, I will get to vote in the much anticipated 2010 Elections. And I think that now, more than ever, people are looking forward letting their voices be heard and choices counted. The hyperbolic lines on the last day of voter's registration proved that point. I do anticipate going to our designated precinct or wherever to cast our votes and the great thing is, since this is the first automated elections to be held in the country, first time voters like me won't look too ballot-virgins because everyone would be adjusting to the new system. Yay for technology, boo for the perpetual laggard that is the government.

Right now, there are 4 presidential candidates who already expressed their desire to run though no official registration has been done. Sadly, there's not much to chose from.

Manny Villar

I have this issue about certain personalities who paste their faces and/or names everywhere (see Carl Balita Syndrome). I think it's tacky and irritating. He tries (in vain) to be a kabarkads of the youth with his Akala Mo slogan which I sadly mistook as a Boto Mo Ipatrol Mo spin off.  

Word of Advice: The Pinoy Rocker Band Hype ended 2 years ago so the free concert won't probably do anything except giving tambays an opportunity to bash heads and throw stuff to the beat of the music. And they're probably not registered to vote anyways. Also, the Manny Villar mineral bottles, the Manny Villar noodles and the orange Manny Villar relief good plastics... OVERKILL, mate.

Gilbert Teodoro

The only presidential candidate (and person in Luzon) who is probably thanking and worshipping Ondoy for the havoc it brought to the metropolis. Virtually unknown compared to his other contenders before the tropical storm, the NDCC director got the chance to show off his Galing and Talino pre, during, post the typhoon. Of course expect that the rescuers are doing the best they can but then you'll probably drown before getting saved by the only 2 rubber boats in the whole archipelago. Though I do believe that he's quite brilliant. You know what they say about people with large foreheads.

Word of Advice: Pray for more typhoons and calamities for the next 6 months for more free exposures in TV Patrol and other news shows just when people are watching them the most. Or else, nobody will give a damn. Oh, and stay away from Bayani Fernando. He might rain on your parade with pink and blue paint.

Noynoy Aquino

Dubbed to be the front runner of the race to the Malacanang, I got to say Noynoy has this special quality about him that just gleams with promise and... oh wait, that's just his bald spot showing from the dreaded curse of Alopecia. No, seriously, among all the candidates, he's the most decent one in the bunch, I think. Though I am a bit concerned with a Philippine monarchy forming from thin air with the recent events that led to his bid for the presidency. Government officials tend to stem from the same family tree and it's sickening to see the same tainted blood run the country, though I'm sure that the Aquinos are anything but such. I just want to see something different I guess. And at this rate, a Prince Baby James won't be virtually impossible in the future.*scratches head*

Word of Advice: Kris is the greatest thing that happened to your political career so don't even try to shut her up. 'Nuff said.

Joseph "Erap" Estrada

Two words: HELL NO.

Wordless Wednesdays: Barkada Terms to Tagalog

YET ANOTHER Wordless Wednesday THURSDAY EDITION. 
What's wrong with me?

Image taken from a Facebook post.

Top 5 Best Use of a Song in a Movie Soundtrack

Independent songs used in a movie that fits perfectly with the scene or makes you think of the film instantly once heard... Not to be confused with my prior romantic movie list. I'm feeling the sappiness coming in..

5. Beautiful - Autumn in New York

I don't remember much of the scenes of this movie I've watched almost 10 years ago. All I know that this Jennifer Paige song is a great "yearning" song for something which can't be had.

4. Colorblind - Cruel Intentions

I went gaga over the original Cruel Intentions movie for a while back then, swooning over the radiating hotness of Ryan Philippe pre-marriage with Reese Witherspoon. And everytime I think of the movie I go back to the elevator scene when Ryan's character with this in the background.

3. Please Remember - Coyote Ugly

A sad song perfect for the broken-hearted. Coyote Ugly may not be considered as a movie worth remembering for the years to come but I will definitely remember this song probably because it seems like it's begging me to.

2. Leavin On A Jet Plane - Armageddon

"Coz I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again. Oh babe, I hate to go..." It's just too perfect.

and my No.1 Use of a Song in a Movie Soundtrack is...


1. Unchained Melody - Ghost

Dubbed to be the most erotic scene in film history with no nudity. I don't think anyone would disagree.

Top 10 Most Romantic Movie Soundtracks

10. So Close - Enchanted

So close to reaching that famous happy end
Almost believing this was not pretend
And now you're beside me and look how far we've come
So far we are so close



9. All I Ask of You - Phantom of the Opera

No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide-eyed fears
I'm here, nothing can harm you
my words will warm and calm you
Let me be your freedom,
let daylight dry your tears.
I'm here with you, beside you,
to guard you and to guide you..



8. Everything You Do - Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves

Look into my eyes you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do I do it for you



7. Come What May - Moulin Rouge

Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Every day I love you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change, winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time



6. From The Heart - Notting Hill

From the heart
I'm giving you everything, everything
From the heart
I promise you that I'll be there
I'll be there to love you
From the soul
I'm showing you all I feel, all I feel is
From the heart, from the heart



5. When You Know - Serendipity

When you know that you know who you love, you can't deny it.
Or go back, or give up, or pretend that you don't buy it.
When it's clear this time you've found the one, you'll never let him go
Cos you know and you know that you know.




4. I Have Nothing - The Bodyguard

Share my life, take me for what I am
Cause I'll never change all my colours for you
Take my love, I'll never ask for too much
Just all that you are and everything that you do




3. My Heart Will Go On - Titanic

Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're one
Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on



2. I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing - Armageddon

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
Far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Well, every moment spent with you
Is a moment I treasure



and the No.1 Most Romantic Movie Soundtrack (in my opinion) is...


1. When You Say Nothing At All - Notting Hill

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word, you can light up the dark
Try as I may I could never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing

Got Stub?

The COMELEC Registration has officially ended (except for those people to still come back on Tuesday because of electricity supply disturbances brought about by Typhoon Santi). Now, the question remains: Did you make it?

If your answer is "yes", then good for you. If your answer is "P***** I** ang haba haba ng pila ang daming singit, ang babagal ng mga tao!!!", then here's a shot of diazepam and a month's worth of regret come May 2010 when everyone will be talking about and doing the exact same thing: Voting.

Which brings me to the amusing part of this whole process. The whole country had months, hundreds of days and hundreds of thousands of hours to register, and in true student-cramming-for-an-assignment-for-first-class-tomorrow fashion, it looked like half of the population decided to do it within the last 5 days. Save the best for last ba...

I do not blame these people. I actually admire them for persevering through the long lines ala PRC last day of filing for the NLE... times ten. It's nice to see that, this time, people do want to have a say on the future of our country and our crooked government. I also salute to the mass media's efforts to making the status of being able to vote the coolest thing in the world. Finally, being past the hormonal teenage years showed some perks.

For the record, I got my voter's stub back in July and I remember how there were only 2 of us who was in the COMELEC office who were up for registration. It was a lazy afternoon and there were literally no lines anywhere (as a line with only 2 people is hardly a line at all). After 10 minutes of filling up the form and 5 minutes of the biometric thingy, I was done. Now, compare that to the more than 24 hours of getting in line and trying to push your way through the angry crowds.

No, I'm not trying to do a "Na na nana na!" in front of your screens. What I'm trying to say is that ...Thanks Mom for suggesting that we stop by the Munisipyo and get registered or else I would have been also stuck  in the middle of the line cursing hell hath no fury to those incompetent in-growns handling the registration process.

"Line Anger" can do funny things to people. :)

Undas Boredom

It's Halloween season once again and as much as I want to get out of the house and stay the night at a cemetery with our dead loved ones, I'm stuck at home and blogging out of boredom. It's been our family's tradition to be as anti-social and crowd-phobic as possible every November 1 and 2 and every year we go to visit my Lolo in Himlayang Pilipino before the general population of the Philippines wake up so that we're out of there even before the first early bird family arrives at the cemetery.

Earlier this day, I thought this neurotic tradition has finally come to an end as they decided to brave the crowd in the middle of the day after going to church. The main roads were traffic free for the first part of our journey and I thought, finally, I was going to see the graveyard literally full of life as there will actually be people there with us. But, as cruel fate would have it, the zigzagging one line road to the entrance of Himlayan has turned into a temporary parking zone and we were stuck.

So, in the tradition of party pooper-dom, and much to my dismay, we turned to a street and headed our way back home. *enter lament here*

Thank Obama we stopped by SM Marikina for a quick eyeglass fix, grocery and rubber shoes hunt. But honestly, I would've traded the cool air conditioned breathable space of the mall to the hot, crammed and muddy lawn full of dead and decaying corpses any time... this day at least.