October 2007 is almost over and it surely has been a pretty interesting month. First, we saw the birth of certifiedblogaholic right here… and just barely a week after, the Glorietta 2 blast that killed 11 people happened coupled with the pardon granted to convicted former president Erap Estrada. Now, let’s top it off with something more alluring like Riza Santos, former Ms Earth-Canada, becoming this month’s cover girl for FHM Philippines. Yup, I’m referring to that stunning beauty queen/housemate that we see on TV everyday in Pinoy Big Brother.

From the few episodes of the show that I’ve seen, Riza Santos has been identified as the love interest of fellow housemate, broken-hearted Will Devaughn. Their love story is slowly blossoming right before the eyes of millions of the PBB followers. This prim and proper “no-boyfriend-since-birth” girl (a.k.a, virgin mary of the house) will surely make every boy - “suicidal, suicidal when she says its over”… So imagine my delight when I stumbled upon the FHM October edition and saw Riza on the cover. Ubër cool. Ubër drool.

Anyway, I did some more research and found this video of the magazine’s photo shoot, watch and drool — er, I mean, be mesmerized. She’s really making me suicidal, suicidal, but in a good way, if there’s such a thing…

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Tags: ABS-CBN,FHM download,FHM October 2007,men's magazine,Ms. Earth,Pinoy Big Brother,Riza Santos,Will Devaughn
Categories: Entertainment News, News, TV
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As season 3 of Prison Break begins, fans of the blockbuster tv series eagerly await each episode hoping to find out what Michael Scofield would do to get out of the predicament he now got himself into. After watching the first 4 episodes, my emotions are a mixture of fear, misery and excitement. Michael is back again in prison in Panama and conditions are even worse than ever. This time, he serves sentence for a crime he is not guilty of with only Mahone, T-Bag, and Bellick as company. Lincoln can only help him from outside but is burdened with the kidnapping of his son and Tancredi. The brothers have to free the people they love by communicating only through visitations.

In the first episode, I was gripped with fear. How can a man survive in the Panama Prison (SONA) where there are no guards, barely any food and water, and the way of life is to kill or be killed? Fox River was a hotel compared to where he is now. Once again, Michael has proven himself ingenuous and lucky as he uses his brains to accomplish what needs to be done. I will not spoil it for those who have yet to watch season 3. Let me just say that this is a heartbreaking season for Michael.

On the side, there have been rumors that Wentworth Miller is gay as he was spotted in Los Angeles spending the day with Luke Macfarlane (cast in the tv series Brothers & Sisters). Luke Macfarlane is rumored to be the ex-boyfriend of TR Knight (O’Malley in Grey’s Anatomy). TR Knight officially admitted in October 2006 that he was gay after an argument with Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey occurred in the set of Grey’s anatomy. Wentworth has continuously denied rumors about this sexual orientation, insisting that he is not gay. He claims not to be bothered by the gossip since he is certain about his sexual preference and he doesn’t mind if there are fans who may wish him to be either gay or straight. According to him, all that matters is that they watch Prison Break.

So, which side of the fence are you in? Would you prefer that those deep-set penetrating green eyes of Miller belong to women? Or do you prefer that those same eyes come alive whenever a hunk is around? As for me, I don’t really care as long as Michael Scofield finds a way to get out of Panama.

Tags: Brothers and Sisters,gay,Grey's Anatomy,Luke Macfarlane,Michael Scofield,Prison Break,TR Knight,Wentworth Miller
Categories: TV
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In the latest preliminary police report on the Glorietta 2 Mall explosion, the authorities have expressed serious doubts that the incident was a bombing attack as earlier reported. As there was no bomb crater nor fragments of improvised bomb explosive device found at the scene, the theory is that it might very well in fact be due to the “accidental mixing of diesel vapor and methane gas in the mall’s basement”. If this information is to be believed, then the criminal liability (for negligence) will now be shifted to both the mall owner and the city government. On the other hand, the Ayala Land spokesperson has vehemently defended against the initial police findings that the diesel fuel tanks and sewerage system of the mall was the cause of the explosion. As of writing, Makati Mayor Binay has reportedly ordered a separate and independent investigation to determine the real cause of the explosion.

While finger-pointing seems to be a trend nowadays, the inescapable truth remains that several innocent lives were taken and hundreds were injured and perhaps, will be scarred for life. And while the real cause of the blast remains a mystery, we will have to rely upon several photos that were taken at the scene immediately after the incident, to draw our sad conclusions. The snapshots shown below provide evidence of the extent of the damage to the building and the vehicles parked around the area, as well as some of the lifeless bodies buried under the rubbles of Glorietta 2. These photos do not lie, and say only one thing, and that is: a crime was committed, and someone has to pay for it.

[Click thumbnail to enlarge image. Warning: some photos can be very graphic]

Properties damaged

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Tags: Ayala,Ayala land,blast,blast photos,bombing,gas leak,Glorietta 2,Glorietta 2 bombing photos,mall bombing,Philippines,terrorism,terrorist attack
Categories: News, Pinoy Life
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Forty-four days after former Philippine President Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada has been convicted by the Sandiganbayan guilty beyond reasonable doubt for the crime of plunder, the deposed President is now set to accept and sign the order of executive clemency issued last night by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, current President of the Philippines. Previously, the legal team representing Erap withdrew the Motion for Reconsideration which they filed 15 days after the conviction was promulgated, and instead sent a petition letter to GMA asking for presidential pardon. The lady President didn’t waste time and just a few days after, issued the clemency with a condition that Mr. Estrada will distance himself from politics from hereon.

When the conviction first came out in September 12, 2007, I surely believed that an executive pardon is far from happening, at least not in the next 4 years, not when GMA is still the President. I was dead wrong, because it didn’t even take 4 months, but barely 44 days and now the “agreement” is a done deal.

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Tags: Erap Estrada,executive clemency,Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,Joseph Estrada,Philippines,plunder,Politics,presidential pardon
Categories: News, Pinoy Life, Politics
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Christmas is merely breaths away and I’m starting to decide what to give the kids this Christmas. It has been a tradition to give 3 rowdy boys just one big gift every Christmas instead of 3 separate smaller tokens. Last year, they got their PSP. This year they were hinting on any of the bigger consoles that came out the market about a year ago. I did some research and thought it might help out anyone who may be in a similar dilemma.

Sony’s PS3 is the most expensive of the new consoles at a hefty price of $499 or about PhP22,000. Bulk of the cost is attributed to the Blu-Ray DVD capabilities of the console, a new format that enables high-definition DVD playback and allows for better resolution and more sophisticated games. It has a 3.2 GHz cell processor which is the most powerful chip ever found inside a video game console and holds either a 20GB or a 60GB hard drive, depending on which version you opt for. The 60GB version ($599) comes with WiFi and a media card reader. Sony updated its bluetooth controllers to the new SixAxis controller –looks and feels like a DualShock controller, but is motion-sensitive in six directions. It’s not as innovative as the Wii controller, but the SixAxis does add another element to gaming, such as utilizing the motion sensitivity to control skating or driving. It also allows up to 7 bluetooth controllers — that means the entire family can play together. Moreover, unlike the the XBox live, Sony’s online service is absolutely free, allowing free multiplayer games without any add-on softwares or upgrades.

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Tags: microsoft,nintendo,PS3,psp,sony,Wii,Xbox 360
Categories: Sports/Hobbies
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My second trial article for sneakin design was just approved. I can now write as much as I can on the topics available to me. But guess what? Every single topic available is about gambling. Moi? Write about gambling? The topics given to me were either about poker, backgammon, or blackjack. I can barely win a simple game of “tong-its“, let alone write about poker tactics or winning in blackjack.

Looks like testing the waters in online writing will turn out to be a real adventure for me. Wish me luck!

Tags: ,online writing,Sneakin Design
Categories: Freelance Writing, Online Earning Opportunities
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I watched this new comedy from Adam Sandler two weeks ago in the hopes of getting some laughs that weekend and averting a possible boring day. Luckily, it was not another crappy Sandler movie.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry is the story of two NY firefighters who attempt to salvage the other’s pension for his children. Due to Larry’s depression over the death of his wife, he neglects to change his beneficiary from his wife to his children within the prescribed deadline. The only solution is to marry again and he decides to marry his bestfriend who is the only one he could trust with his children. After a sham marriage, the two are faced with the challenge of validating their domestic partnership to avoid going to jail for fraud.

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Tags: ,Adam Sandler,comedy,gags,movie
Categories: Movie Review
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During a press conference in Carnegie Hall 2 days ago, JK Rowling revealed a shocking secret about one of her main characters in the Harry Potter series. Dumbledore is gay. (My only reaction after hearing this was “huh?”)

Apparently, a fan asked JKR if Dumbledore ever fell in love to which she responded, “I always thought of Dumbledore as gay.” She received a prolonged ovation for this and added that she would’ve told everyone earlier had she known it would be lauded. JKR seasoned the revelation a little more by informing the audience that Dumbledore was actually in love with Grindelwald (his bestfriend who he defeated in a duel to win the Elder Wand) but was crestfallen when the latter turned to the dark arts.

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Tags: ,Albus Dumbledore,books,Carnegie Hall,Elder Wand,gay,Grindelwald,Harry Potter,JK Rowling
Categories: News
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It was a Friday sale at the Ortigas Center with both SM Megamall and Robinson’s Galleria simultaneously scheduling their 3-day sale starting last Friday, Oct. 19. While we were still in Galleria during our lunchbreak (I don’t remember having any food in front of me except the numerous shirts, shoes, bags . . .) , a bomb blasted in Glorietta 2 killing 9 people and wounding more than 70. We found out when we got back to the office. The first thing on my mind was that it could’ve been us.

An issue that raises the fragility of life often holds every human spellbound. We can’t seem to stop talking about it. We want to know exactly what happened — where the bomb was planted, who claims responsibility, who are the possible suspects. We want to know the details of the death — how many limbs were left or blown away, what was it that the dead left behind — grieving parents, wife, husband, or mistress. We get scared for a while. We stop going to similar places, we do not allow the kids to go out.

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Tags: 3-day sale,bomb,death,destruction,Glorietta 2,malls,Ortigas Center,Robinson's Galleria,SM Megamall
Categories: News
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Those who have been gifted with the power to wield words and sentences are now augmenting their income (if not making it their bread & butter) by working as web content writers online. Some make as much as US$5 per article or it can go as low as PhP50 per article. I still don’t know enough to gauge the entire range of the rates that writers get.

I’m still trying to get the hang of it. I try to pick up bits and pieces of information whenever I can. Of course, you can’t expect the veterans to just divulge their trade secrets or just pull you into their network in a flash. They worked their butts off to get to where they are now. A newbie like me will have to do the legwork one way or the other. Hopefully I will stumble into some of the goldmines they discovered.

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Tags: Freelance Writing,paid to blog,SEO,Sneakin Design,web content writers,writing gigs
Categories: Freelance Writing
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Robin Sharma’s international bestseller, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, is the story of Julian Mantle’s journey to enlightenment from a fast-paced aimless life. Julian Mantle is a brilliant lawyer whose work and lifestyle leads him to an almost fatal heart attack. Despite his success, his endless work hours, indulgence to expensive restaurants, wine and Cuban cigars left him a wandering lonely man with no purpose.

After a surviving a major heart attack during his courtroom trials, Julian decides to sell all his precious assets and his most beloved Ferrari to search for fulfillment and purpose in his life. His journey begins in India where he learns about the Sages of Sivana. With persistence, he finds the mystical sages and meets Yogi Raman, his mentor. Yogi Raman teaches him the techniques to control his mind, find his purpose and shape his destiny. Julian returns from the Himalayas to share his experience with his former apprentice, John, to fulfill his commitment to share the knowledge and wisdom he gained in Sivana.

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Tags: Robin Sharma,The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
Categories: Book Review
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This is where it will all begin.

We’re here and we’re here to stay.

Enough with the clichés.

Let’s start wreaking havoc because that’s one thing we’re good at.

This is certifiedblogaholic, signing in.

Categories: Technology & Internet
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