Things Have Changed

Today's my day off and I have nothing to do other than browsing my Instagram and Facebook feed. For some reasons, nostalgia hit me hard. So, I browsed my personal blog entries dated more nine to ten years ago. I was still in my 2nd or 3rd year in uni. During those days, I had a LOT of time to blog at least three times a day, despite my busy academic schedule. I mean, where did I harness enough energy to blog at least two to three times a day? On top of that, most entries are more than 600 words. Wow, I had so many things to share back then, whether my mundane life at the uni or my thoughts about the random stuff I see and read on the internet. Blogging that time was totally different what it is today. It used to be an avenue for people to express their thoughts regardless of the outcome. It is a safe haven for people to rant and share some things that they love or hate. I won't deny that blogging helped me in some ways - like a punching bag to people battling anger management. I used not to talk to most people, except for my closest friends and family. Blogging is my way to express my thoughts. I'm the type of person who can't stand a day or two to share what's on my mind. I need to let it out.

If only I have the chance to revisit my 18 or 19-year-old self, I would tell him to continue writing and don't let indolence rule over you. Never stop writing. Although I didn't really stop, I just had several months of hiatus in this blog. I rarely update it. But I always make a promise to update this site more often. I can't just abandon this site for good. This is my first online home, and I will always seek solace in it. 

2019 is just around the corner. Yey!

But why?

I don't get it. I don't really get it why some people exert so much effort just to bring a person down? I mean, why would they even bother to do it? It's a waste of time, frankly speaking. I know I should be able to handle this petty thing called hatred because I'm already mature enough to just ignore this, yet I can't help but think and sulk about it. It's kinda sad. Sad because I never had the chance to talk to those people whom I thought were nice, mature, and professional. I didn't do anything wrong to them, yet they try to bring me down by humiliating me online. I didn't deserve it. But what did I do?  I swallowed my pride and admit something that I didn't even do it. I know I'm an idiot, but if I did the right thing, they'd feed on my pride and even use it against me. So, yeah. I had no choice but choose the lesser evil. Everyone's a work in progress, and we all commit mistakes at some points of our lives. I know myself - my strengths and weaknesses. If ever I did something wrong, I would wholeheartedly accept it, and apologize to the affected party. I don't know. Oh well, these people are already on my block list. I wish them all the best in life, and let karma do her job. As the saying goes: Nasa akin ang huling halakhak.

Reminiscing

What I love about my job is that I don't bring my work at home. Basically, when my shift's done, I'm officially out from the responsibilities, and I am free to do whatever I can.

Last night, I watched the 7th episode of Westworld. As always, it left me dumbfounded. I planned to just wait for its season finale and just binge-watch the entire thing in one sitting, but I can't. I just can't wait. It makes me more intrigued. I can no longer wait for the 8th episode next week. There were so many fucked-up things revealed during the last episode, but I kinda expected it. Still, it was delivered well by the actors, so kudos to HBO for producing an amazing show like Westworld.

Speaking of TV shows, I also binged-watch Evil Genius last week. I got really curious about it, and since it was only four episodes, I finished the entire season in just one night. Again, I have a knack for docu-crime shows. Evil Genius is disturbing yet a good show. If you love watching Making a Murderer or The Keepers, Evil Genius will defo leave you at the edge of the seats. I guess I need to watch more shows under this genre. Haha!

For some reasons, I rewatched the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. In my honest opinion, that is still the best Eurovision Song Contest ever, and I guess it will take a long time overtake that standard. Sweden really knows how to host a party, and I defo loved the overall production. I originally planned to watch the opening ceremony because it was lit AF but I ended up watching the whole show (actually, I only watched some of my favorite performances like Australia, Russia, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Croatia, Belgium, and Bulgaria. During the final part of the show, I was STILL hoping the results will change, and that Australia would win the show, followed by Russia. Ugh, I really hate the fact that Ukraine won the said competition, but guess what? UKRAINE SUCKS as a host country. The ESC 2017 was by far the worst I've seen. It lacked everything - production, stage presence, and creativity. The 2017 edition was dragging as fuck. Ugh. Okay, moving on. By the way, I watched the opening ceremony of the 2013 edition (Sweden was the host country) and it was also good. 2014's opening ceremony was surprisingly good, too! I bet Austria was put under pressure to host a great Eurovision Song Contest. It didn't disappoint, and I love the theme that year.

Okay, so uhm, I was checking roundtrip fares for Toronto for April 2019, and fuck that shit, fare's quite expensive. PAL's at $1,630 roundtrip, EVA Air costs at least a thousand grand, and Cathay is more than a thousand grand. I guess I have to limit my trips next year to only two next year since I'm also planning to fly to New York late next year, prolly autumn and visit my friends there. Whatever happens, I'll still fly. Speaking of flying, I got my Japan visa last week, and they granted me a five-year multiple entry visa! HURRAY! That means I have more chances of getting a multiple-entry visa from United States, Canada, and Schengen! HAHAHA! I am now closer to achieving my travel goals! I am so excited.

I can't wait to travel again! Will be traveling to the Kansai Prefecture in Japan for my birthday, Bali for the third time this October, and Melbourne for the second time a week after! That's it for now. Can't believe that we're now halfway with 2018! Time really flies when you're having fun!

All Aboard, Eurovision 2018

Aside from mother's day, mom's birthday, and the mid-year bonus, one of the things that I look forward to every May is the Eurovision Song Contest. I know, I know. I'm Filo, but that doesn't stop me from cheering my favorite countries.

I started watching Eurovision back in 2012. I'll never forget Loreen's Euphoria. Eurovision 2016 was probably the most shocking and controversial year. It was this year when the contest introduced the participation of the audience to vote their favorites through an online app, or through text messaging services. I really thought Dami Im (Australia) would be Oz's first win ever since its first participation in the song contest a year prior. Due to the new voting system, Ukraine stole Australia's limelight, what could've been their first win in Eurovision history. Shit. 

Fast forward this year (because I fuckin' hate last year's competition), Eurovision 2018 is quite different this year. There are more ballad entries than EDM and punk rock. It was a great balance, and this year's competition is way better than last year.

Here are my top five favorites:

1) Sweden (Dance You Off - Benjamin Ingrosso) - Easy favorite. The Swedes always know how to play this game. It's an easy top 5 finish.

2) Germany (You Let Me Walk Alone - Michael Schulte) - A heartwarming song. Honestly, I got teary-eyed the first time I heard this song on YouTube.

3) Norway (That's How You Write A Song - Alexander Rybak) - Rybak is no stranger to Eurovision Song Contest. In 2009, he won the contest. The song's catchy, and to add flair to Rybak's performance, he plays his violin while dancing his heart out. Will Norway win this year's ESC? Most probably.

4) Israel (Toy - Netta) - Israel finally redeemed itself. Their song entry last year was a pure shame.

and the last but defo not the least,

5) Australia (We Got Love - Jessica Mauboy) - This song was composed by DND (the same duo who brought Dami Im's Sound of Silence and Isaiah's Don't Come Easy in ESC) and Jessica herself. Aussies know how to build the hype. When I was in Sydney last March, We Got Love got featured in almost every Australian news channels and radio stations. I got a severe LSS, but I can't complain. The song is actually great! Honestly, I got really nervous while watching her live performance a while ago. Her voice was shaky for the first half of the song, (she was prolly nervous, or overexcited, or both), but she got a good grip on her performance right after. Despite some flat notes, she's still an outstanding performer. She knows how to bring the entire arena closer to her. It's an easy top 10 finish for Australia this year. It may not be as strong as Dami Im's Sound of Silence, but I'm still satisfied with their entry. But who knows? It's also a crowd favorite.

Just a quick update

Okay, so I'm currently in the lounge, waiting for my flight to Manila. Here's what happened: My flight was originally scheduled to depart from Davao at 5.30 PM. Upon checking in, the flight was overbooked due to equipment change. The ground staff was looking for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for a free round-trip ticket to any domestic destinations (except Busuanga, Caticlan, and Basco). To cut the long story short, I got transferred to the 11.10 PM flight to Manila, but I got what I want. LOL! This is my third time to experience this. Ang swerte ko naman!

Anyway, I am flying to Kuala Lumpur via Singapore Changi tomorrow afternoon. I am so thrilled since it is going to be my first time flying with Singapore Airlines. I have heard a lot of good reviews about that airline, so yeah. Can't wait to vlog my very first airline review. Hahaha, yep I'm doing an airline review on my vlog since I am a frequent traveler.

RF20 and some other things

Roger Federer won. And it's his 20th major win during the recently concluded Australian Open 2018 held in Melbourne, Australia. While it was already a no-brainer he'd win, his opponent was rather a tough one. Cilic Marin from Croatia beat world's number 1, Rafael Nadal during the quarterfinals. I was rooting for Rafa because hello, he's a lefty like me plus he's from España, one of the countries that I've been dying to visit. But no, Nadal is only good on the clay surface. He was struggling during the 4th set. Fuck, he can't even run! Okay, here's what you might not know: I am a lowkey tennis fan. I've started playing tennis on Nintendo when I was young, so I am very much familiar with its rules, scoring, and all. During the college, I played Virtua Tennis on PSP, and I would always choose either Nadal or Federer. Going back to #AusOpen2018, it was a great finish for Federer. Cilic was a tough opponent. I was also rooting for Hyeon Chung. He's the first Asian to ever reach the semi-finals on the Australian Open. Too bad, he retired early during his match with Federer. If I were there watching the game live, I'd be totally disappointed, but hey, that's how the game goes.

Mount Mayon Eruption and its Effects to PH Aviation

Right: Photo by Ezra Acayan

Mount Mayon, one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines had some series of eruption for the past two weeks. PHILVOCS issued an alert level 3 warning to the province of Albay. Forced evac was implemented by the local government to those who are living within the permanent danger zone areas of the volcano.

Two nights ago, it spewed ash, blanketing neighboring towns of the province. It doesn't just put the livelihood of its people in danger, but also to aircraft flying along the airways near the volcano.

Happy 1 Year of Vlogging!

Exactly a year ago, I went to South Korea and filmed my first ever vlog. Vlogging wasn't really my cup of tea because (i) it's a tedious task to edit videos; and (ii) I am really uncomfortable filming myself. Weeks before this trip, a lot of people (mostly from #DBSTheBest) convinced me to film a vlog during this trip. It was fun and awkward doing it, but I thought I need to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. After releasing this video online, I received positive remarks, some of them asking to create more videos like this one. It defo means a lot to me.

 I know I am still far behind to some leading travel YouTubers out there (see also: Sam Kolder, Erwan Heussaff, Ollie Ritchie, Benn Tkalcevic, and etc), but I'm trying to master this craft. It's hard, yes, but once you publish your final output, everything's worth it.

Vlogging is now part of my creative outlet aside from music and writing. This year, I promise to shoot more videos on my travels. I want everyone to show how beautiful the world is, at least in my own little way.

A New Healthy Options is Here!

Good news for health and fitness enthusiasts! Healthy Options has relaunched their new and bigger store at SM City Davao last January 17, 2018.

Healthy Options is not just your ordinary store. It offers all-natural products for everyone's health and wellness. These products are cruelty-free, fair trade, green, sustainability sourced, and most of all, organic. Today, organic food, skin, and hair products are now more accessible to Davaoeños. There's no need to order online or abroad. Being healthy has never been this easy!