How about some music? :)

It hasn't been very evident in this blog, but i actually love music.;)
I've always said that music is my gasoline. My loves range from rock to techno to funk to indigenous music. Okay lets add some pop heehee.

However for the past few months I've been running out of new material to listen to. The last upcoming OPM greats I've known are Franco and Tanya Markova. Everyone else seems to be sounding alike. Though I think Mr.Bones and the Boneyard Circus is promising too. But I'm yet to fulfill my dream of watching Taken by Cars perform live. I'm lucky to have caught Cynthia Alexander before she left though. I just still think that OPM has lost so much since NU 107.5 died. :( Jam 88.3 seems to be trying to replace it but ugh that's a different story. Ok I'm blabbing.

Back to my search, i hit a eureka moment when i stumbled upon this music blog obscuresound.com. It has got all the things that my playlist needs and it's really refreshing to hear awesome tracks from the other side of the world. I'm a new fan wee. I'm sharing a couple of them here every now and then. And maybe a song of the week from old classics. They won't always be radio-friendly and you may even find some of them weird, but to hell with it i'm sharing anyway. Just because I want to. :p

So heres my first find for 2013. "Sterling" from Spires. They're a progressive metal band based on Manchester, UK. (Yes i'm more inclined to Brit rock because the Americans have gotten a little too emo i dunno maybe thats just me heheh.)
Enjoy! :)

Photo-Stress-Busters

I think all sorts of careers get more stressful by the minute.

I used to think that what we do at work is more stressful than others, but sharing work-rants with roommates and meeting other people, made me realize that everyone else just leveled up. Expectations are higher because technology kept making a way to make everything easier and more convenient, thus more to do with lesser time. Or maybe it's the other way around: technology had to keep up with rising expectations. You see, easier doesn't always mean better (at least for us).

Stress knows no time, and doesn't give a damn. If you don't handle it then it handles you. Stress and work haunts us even until we get home. Fact is it has become a norm. And that's the sad part because it's the family that suffers the most. I'm fast realizing how much quality time with family and the people who matter, has become more precious nowadays, and making these moments count are just as important.

I came across Papa Ray's photos from his Christmas 2012 vacation and a much deserved break. What i have always loved about him is that he never fails to make his whole family feel loved and cared for even if he's miles away from them. And I just love how photographs are able to capture these precious moments that only happen once a year:

The queen of the clan: Lola Nita! :)

Baaaabiiiieees!! Super cute! :)

Pretty cousins, noh? :p

In spite of all this RH Bill brouhaha, who's to say that small families are better with wonderful smiles like that? :p

And below photo is from the birthday party of our dear friend's son. It was my first time to attend a Jollibee birthday party and indeed it was alot of fun! Baby Josh couldn't get enough of Jollibee! :)

Now I know why Jollibee is such a classic hit :)

I guess I can't blame the rising prices of cameras and other photo-gadgets. Pretty much like fashion, you don't really need high end designer clothes but you'd love to have the best quality anyway. And these photographs aren't merely images- they're frozen memories. A quick break and escape from the fast-paced environment that we have here in the city.

It doesn't really mean that we all need to burn money with those DSLR's. Almost all mobile phones already have their own camera and I'm still happy with the 5.0 megapixel snapper of my Samsung Wave. A photo may be pixelized and all but as long as it captures the memory of a moment well spent, then its worth much more than a high-end image of nothing but fake smiles.

So while we're all struggling to deal with stress levels at an all time high, let's keep counting those happy moments and just snap away. Yes? :)

Jamming with the all new Jam Liner Buses

New Year, new beginnings. Everyone's busy travelling to and from their respective destinations for work, play, or just because. While people work on building the best start of the year, others are busying themselves in improving the kind of transpo services that we get to make sure we get there quick, safe, and convenient.

Being regular commuters, we know how important it is for people to have access to affordable, safe, and leisurely commuting experience. With the fast paced life that has taken over everyone in recent years, sometimes the only rest we get is that bus ride we take on the way home, to work, or to wherever our schedule takes us. Sometimes that 1 hour nap or muscle rest you get can make a huge difference to the rest of your day. Because of this, commuters are now taking into consideration the key facilities of the transport services that they subscribe to. Jam Liner, seems to have picked up and responded to the challenge with a grand makeover, so we came over to check it out.

The Terminal

The Buendia terminal is strategically located right below the Gil Puyat station of the LRT. I think the location in itself is a real plus because you’d want everything to just be within reach.

The Terminal (click for larger photos)

We were greeted with an airport-like lobby where passengers waited for their trip. It’s a fully air-conditioned waiting lounge, complete with clean chairs, flat screen televisions, and a restroom. There’s even a convenience store where you can stock up on pika-pika and other necessities while on the trip. Just like an actual airport, the seats are arranged in front of certain “gates” corresponding to the different routes that the Buendia Terminal caters to: Calabarzon, Luena, Cabuyao, Balibago, Batangas, and Lemery. Really cool, they're probably one of the first bus companies to adopt this type of setup.

The terminal (click for larger photo)

AND excuse me, the whole terminal is powered with WI-FI. And the wi-fi ACTUALLY WORKS. Hahah. Sosyal mehn!

              

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On With Belle de Jour for 2013 :)

Happy 2013 guys!! New Year new bloggie name! I've always loved the statement "Once We Hit The Top There's No Stopping Us", it's actually lifted from Jason Mraz's song and is one of my favorites. It feels empowering and is very positive. However the statement is waaay too long for a blog title. Hahah.

So for the start of the year, we're working with a brand new title: "Live with Delight!". I also changed the font a bit. Wee!

***

Anyhow, for a start, towards the end of last year i blogged about my planner dilemma. I've been thinking of going over Quezon City to check out the Moonleaf Planner already, but during the last week of December, I went to Powerbooks Festival Mall and got hold of the Matte Leather cover version of Belle de Jour and man I just DROOLED. It’s sexy sexy sexy! So I threw all my other qualms away and just grabbed one. Hehe!

(Heheh sorry for the photos, they're taken by my 5mp samsung wave 1 :p)

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