profound bliss

In time for Halloween! Tara let's join! I've always been wanting to write again. I think I'd start with this. MECHANICS: 1. Contest will run from October 1- 31, 2011 . 2. Contest is open to any Philippine resident and at least 13 years old. 3. Stories submitted should follow the theme of the book - True Philippine Ghost Stories. 4. Length of the story should be between 800-2,000 words . 5. Stories should be in written in English, Tagalog or Taglish and should not have been previously published elsewhere, in part or in full. 6. Entries can only be submitted by e-mail at tpgscontest@psicompublishing.com 7. Entries should indicate author's name, home address and contact numbers. 8. ALL entries will be acknowledged with an email to the address from which the entry was sent. 9. Judges will be the editors of PSICOM PUBLISHING INC. 10. Entries will be judged based on: - Originality - 40% - Creativity / (Scare Factor) - 50% - Grammar/Spel...

The Best of Anime is an annual event for anime fan. After its successful debut last year, it is now one of the much-awaited anime event in the country. The Best of Anime 2011 happens on September 17-18, 2011 at Function Rooms 4 and 5 on the 3rd level of SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. This event is organized by Primetrade Asia in association with the Manila International Book Fair. For more info on this event, like The Best of Anime on Facebook . Likewise, you can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter .

Yesterday's lunch with my sister's family was unplanned. And because punctuality is a big issue with her husband, I arrived on the dot. They, though, arrived 20 minutes late. LoL! I waited for them reading books at Booksale, and ended up buying 2 paperbacks for P45 each. After lunch, the long-planned movie date with the nephews finally happened. Juansen asked me to watch Captain America with him like 2 months ago but something came up. We would plan to watch any movie almost every weekend but their family dates always got in the way. It finally happened yesterday, though. We watched Fright Night with his brother Jansen. It's Jansen's first horror film, I guess. He kept on covering his eyes with the popcorn bucket and laughed through the scary scenes. We spent much time, before and after the movies, looking at ballers in the tiangge area of Festival Mall. Hanging out with teenagers make me feel like one. I ended up paying for their ballers, and buying one for ...

The demise of Adrian Alba brought mountaineering into the limelight. GMA News TV's On Call even brought in UP Mountaineers' Vice President for External Affairs Niko Francisco and his buddy Paul to talk about preparation and safety during climbs. Watch the interview on the clip below.

This is kinda old, but cute, nonetheless. Japanese McDonald's TV ad. And I hope Ronald looks this good:

There's something cool from Smart – the Smart All-In Plans! These are postpaid plans that let you select services down to the last peso! You can choose any combination of Unli Call and Text Packages, Next Generation Handsets, and Mobile Internet Plans. There are 6 plans to choose from - Plan 500, Plan 800, Plan 1200, Plan 1800, Plan 2500, and Plan 3500. You can then stack it up with features like UnliTalk, UnliText, UnliSurf and consumable browsing. Existing postpaid subscribers can also adjust their existing plans to suit their needs, or switch to a plan that will give them full control of their monthly fee. What's even better, you can fine-tune your plan each month depending on your needs. Below are the available handsets for specific plans:

They all look hungry, don't you think? Especially the girl second to the left. But then I think Philippines has a chance. She's actually leading in most of the independent polls even in other countries. She's also one of the most photographed among the 89 candidates. There's also a bigger chance for her because a Pinay in the judges' panel. I'm not saying Lea Salonga should be biased, though. All I'm saying is that who would best appreciate a contestant in an international pageant like this than someone from her own race? I could imagine tabloid headlines would Shamcey win. They'd say she only got the title because there's a Filipino in the judges panel. But, of course, that's just wishful thinking... for now. Here's Shamcey Supsup's national costume: Looking like a winner, no?

I found these videos advertising General Santos City's Tuna Festival. I know it's kinda late cuz Tuna Fest ended 4 days ago (August 26 – September 5). I just can't resist posting cuz I had a good laugh watching the videos. Each vid features something/someone Gen San is famous for, like Shamcey Supsup, Manny Pacquiao, and the tuna itself. Watch the hilarious vids below. videos: youtube.com/ralphsody

I'm thinking of buying a bigger daypack. My 18-liter Hawk just won't do anymore. The bladder now takes most of the space inside the main compartment. And then I saw this in my feeds just a while ago: That's Ethan James for Heart magazine. Sadly, the suede backpack is not listed in the credits. I know it's not an outdoor bag. But still.

Outdoor Addicts , the mountaineering group Adrian Alba was with on that fateful Sunday when he got swept away by the Wawa River, has finally released a statement via their Facebook page. The group's "non-participation" during the time Adrian's body was missing is what Adrian's family has been so angry about. They wanted to get statements from the group their loved one was with, they wanted to know the full account of what happened, but none among the group would come out and explain. This morning, though, at exactly 10:42 AM, Outdoor Addicts posted a note titled "Our Sincerest Sympathy" on their groups Facebook page. It provides some information about how Adrian Alba was swept away by the current while they were doing a rope-assisted river crossing. The note reads: Our Sincerest Sympathy We are deeply saddened by the untimely demise of our comrade Adrian Alba. We were witnesses to his spirit of adventure in the short time that we were ac...

25-year-old mountaineer Adrian Alba was found dead near a hanging bridge on Wednesday morning, three days after he was swept away by strong river current of the Wawa Dam in Rodriguez, Rizal. According to news reports, a boy saw an arm dangling near the banks of the river some 45-minute walk from the Wawa Dam. A group of barangay tanod, who was there to help in the search and retrieval operations, identified the lifeless body as that of the missing mountaineer's. Search and rescue teams had been on the move since Adrian was reported missing last Sunday, September 4, 2011. He was doing a rope-assisted river crossing with a 22-member team when he allegedly got swept away by the current. Adrian was reportedly with the mountaineering group Outdoor Addicts. He was the group's guest climber that day. To everyone's dismay, though, no one among the 21 other mountaineers Adrian was with that Sunday has come out to give a full statement of what has transpired. The team repor...

Filipino mountaineer Adrian Alba got swept away by the strong current of the Wawa River in Rodriguez, Rizal while his team was doing a rope-assisted river crossing yesterday, September 4, 2011. Adjhong, as his friends call him, is still missing up to now despite various search and rescue operations done yesterday and today. The Facebook wall of Adrian, 25, is now filled with messages from his friends – some are worried for the worse that could happen, while some are positive that the waters just brought Adrian somewhere and he's already safe. They know Adrian as a fighter, someone who doesn't easily give up. His close friends are sure Adrian wouldn't give up without a fight. A news report said that the 22-member team was there for a Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) with river crossing. And if that is Adrian's first BMC, it's just too bad that the hands-on came a little too early. It has also been reported that the team paid a gate pass at the barangay offi...

I'm a sucker for cute things. And this morning, I found this cute Nescafe (freebie?) cup at the mug holder. I'm kinda sure it's Angel's cuz she loves cute stuff as well. I couldn't resist to use it. Had breakfast alone cuz Nanay was in church. And I felt like singing "a cup in hand you know it's worth your while... a cup in hand let's sit and stay for a while..." But honestly, I used the cup for Great Taste 3-in-1. Haha!

Because yuletide in the Philippines starts with the arrival of the BER months, I should say that the Christmas season is officially on. And with that, let me be the first to greet you "Merry Christmas!" This is an old pic, as she's in no mood to dress up at the moment. Will post new Santa Princess pics soon.

Mt. Maculot's campsite, as I mentioned in my recent post titled Mt. Maculot: A Not-So-Pleasant-Surprise , has a big problem on waste management. It wouldn't have reached that point if all of us "mountaineers" are disciplined enough to "Leave No Trace" and if we really care about the environment. Judging by the pile of liquor bottles, I think that some (if not most) of the hikers go up Mt. Maculot just to drink and party. Have the mountains become the new venue of Friday/Saturday/long weekend night-outs? Perhaps some would argue, "What are the registration fees for?" Do you think P10.00 is enough to let the locals chase our garbage in the mountains? To leave behind our water bottles and butanes so our backpacks wouldn't be as bulky when we go down? These mountains were in peace before men learned the sport/hobby of climbing. These mountains didn't invite us to go up and spend our nights in its wilderness for a thrill. But we climb ...