Music Track of the Day: Maroon 5 - Payphone (Lyric Video) ft. Wiz Khalifa

Adam Levine and Maroon 5 are back with another song. Their latest album titled "Overexposed" is to due to be released in the first week of July. "Payphone" is included. Levine is to be a busy man again being one of the 4 judges (alongside Cee-Lo Green, Blake Shelton, and Christina Aguilera) on The Voice (set to premiere it's 3rd season on NBC around 72 days from today).

I'm proud of what I've done the past few days. I've been giving myself that push I always wanted to do. Working out and exercising always gives me that drive, motivation and adrenaline to get the day going. This also propels me to go forth in going about with other challenges, such as finding a new job. About 5 days a week, I plan to gather up to 10 job leads (per day). That translates to 50. And out of those 50 leads, perhaps 2-3 may be the gamechanger to what's going on in my life right now. Why call the right job the 'gamechanger?' It can pretty much improve my lifestyle to where I want it to be - at this bar, at this certain-so  level. Just like any American out there, we got bills to pay. I would love to just sweep those clear and out of the way. I don't expect a miracle to happen overnight and I do sense that it's a long road ahead for me and Rizz to get that ball rolling with the Orlando move next year. Takes patience, persistence, commitment and sheer optimism. 3rd quarter is done. This is the 4th quarter here in Illinois. We'll win this game and close it out!

Music Track of the Day: David Guetta - Turn Me On (Lyric Video) ft. Nicki Minaj

Nice collab featuring Nicki Minaj ... She sounds great as an autotuned singer. Hopefully she'll continue this trend, but let's never count out her lyrical skills. David Guetta once again delivers!

Healthy. Thankful. Blessed.

I'm trying to give myself a push since the departure of Ren-Ren and Jiji a few days ago. As much as they would want to make their lives better, I also wish the same for myself and Rizz. More importantly, it starts with me and how bad I really want to turn things around. The timing couldn't be perfect especially when the move to Florida will be around a year from now. I would like to invest as much as I can before that happens as well as take care of certain debts firsthand. Working in another job elsewhere would definitely be a plus as I am aiming to scale back from doing inventory work with my present job in which I would want to work there at least 2-3 times as a week. It's only a matter of time when the changes will take place. Something will not come overnight and be an instant solution. I expect it to be a slow process in which it's gonna test my patience as well as overcoming adversity. But I do remain optimistic for the best yet to come ... I've already given my push in my workouts and exercises. And that has persistence and commitment must also be met while doing active job searches. Imagine  1 out of possibly 10 jobs sought in a day may be THE ONE.

This DJ is dope! Flipside is just awesome! He can be heard every weekdays at 5pm on B96 FM in the Chicago area.

I'm not a big fan of the Miami Heat at all since I'm loyal to the OTHER Florida team - the Orlando Magic. But I do want to extend my congratulations to those in the roster and staff, including head coach Erik Spoelstra who is the first Filipino-American coach to win the NBA Finals. After a rough couple of weeks having fellow filipinos superstars (i.e.IDOL contestant Jessica Sanchez, pound-for-pound boxing champ Manny Pacquiao) come short of winning in showbiz and sports  - Spoelstra finally emerged to make filipinos come out on top again in the mainstream. Here's hoping for more filipinos to gain prominence in the spotlight. 

Today I am taking the time to reflect on good friends who have also became a close second family to me here in Illinois. I'm referring to Rizz's cousins Ren-Ren and Jiji. They have come and gone recently leaving us and the rest of America in order to continue their 2-year academic studies abroad in the Philippines. For the time that Ren-Ren and Jiji  spent here (from September 2011 till June 2012), they made a huge difference to us! The ladies were always willing to help us in any way possible whether its helping out in home-related duties or work-related errands. They even gave me encouragement and the wonderful advice I needed when things in life were difficult sometimes. Through all they do in their daily lives, there is always that sense of enthusiasm, excitement and humor that carried along. And at work, they go the extra mile in getting tasks done accordingly with efficiency and accuracy. Ren-Ren and Jiji get their inspiration from divine inspiration (attending church for a whole day in a weekend) and being close-knit to their family including their loving parents. It's always a pleasure for them to come over to our home and have dinner with us having wonderful, casual conversations about life and such ... On a related note, their father is due for a return to America in a few months from now. And I just forgot to mention that the ladies have a brother named Sam. He is still here in Ilinois. Rizz and myself will continue our strong, cohesive relationship with him since he will be the only one in their immediate family staying in America for the most part ... I'm not exactly sure what will happen when next year comes, but I know that it's for sure we will all meet again somehow. God is gonna work a way to make that happen. For now, may He bless all of us as we go about our agendas in life. A reunion looms ahead.

We have bigger houses but smaller families;
more conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgement;
more experts, but more problems;
more medicines, but less healthiness;
We've been all the way to the moon and back,
but have trouble crossing the street to meet
the new neighbor.
We build more computers to hold more
information to produce more copies then ever,
but have less communication;
We have become long on quantity,
but short on quality.
These are times of fast foods
but slow digestion;
Tall men but short character;
Steep profits but shallow relationships.
It's a time when there is much in the window,
but nothing in the room.

The 14th Dalai Lama with 'The Paradox Of Our Age' 

"Go back to what's good, what's certain, what's always there. You woke up today. Just start walking. Whatever it is, it'll pass. Time doesn't go backward. That's the one real blessing. It happened; it does you no good to worry. Keep it movin'." - Actor, Jesse Martin (from Men's Health)

Performance at the Neptune Stage - Virginia Beach Oceanfront

It sure was a beautiful Sunday afternoon with temperatures in the 70s w/ overcast skies. The ocean breeze can be felt. People absolutely enjoyed what was out there including this performance by a local band. We were all chill, laid back and relaxed.

At Chili's with Jimmy and his family

After our fun times at the Oceanfront, Camille and I headed towards Norfolk to visit Jimmy and his family. We dined in at Chili's. Their baby daughter is soooo cute! Even when she was messing with Camille's meal on her plate. LOL. Jimmy's funny too as usual showing his corn.

Camille covering a Taylor Swift song (2nd attempt)

The phone rings again right after she just finished singing. Aack! LOL.

Camille covering a Taylor Swift song (first attempt)

Everything was going okay until after 40 seconds....phone call got in the way. LOL.

Slow traffic at the HRBT (Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel)

It's always slow at the HRBT. Give yourself extra amount of time if you're willing to travel to or from Hampton, Virginia

What a wonderful 4 days it was in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Had a lot of fun! And with fun, time went by so fast. My only regret is not spending time with everyone, especially the rest of my relatives (because they had to work their job most of the day). However, I was able to take my cousin Camille everywhere especially at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront where there was a boardwalk art show going on. I almost did had a chance to meet music producer and the Neptunes'/N.E.R.D. own - Chad Hugo through a friend. Maybe next time though. I was able to succeed in making a return to my old church meeting the wonderful people there as well as being there for my friend's wedding in which I was one of his groomsmen. And I also had the opportunity to meet Karol at the temp/staffing agency I worked at, too. Overall, it was a blast!

Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel

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It's 3:32PM CT/ 4:32PM ET. I'm inside a Southwest Airlines jet at about 30000+ feet right now looking at the spectacular land and puffy clouds below. It's really cool using the jet's Wi-Fi connection and being able to do the usual internet activities consisting of Facebooking as well as blogging. I am also able to see the status of this flight in real-time. According to the status, there is 23 minutes left before it touches down in Norfolk, Virginia. I look forward to seeing my friend Ray and his fiancee Marilyn finally get married this weekend as well as meeting my relatives who just came from the Philippines a few months ago. This is gonna be some interesting weekend for sure!

I won't elaborate anymore than what I have to say here...Manny 'Pac-Man' Pacquiao clearly won the fight...The general public and the press knew it, except for the judges at ringside who flopped w/ their shocking, controversial decision. The boxing world takes a hit w/ the result. Manny was robbed and it just gained him a new following as well as the fire inside him that needs to come out. Come November, the events of June 9th will be forgotten. Pacquiao vs Bradley 2...its on!
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Today and yesterday is a bummer for the Facebook addict in myself. The new 'Timeline' feature on my Facebook profile isn't working properly (with only just a few successful refreshes done on the web browser). Latest posts aren't showing up, but it is indeed a miracle that I have received a lot of comments and feedback at the same time the problem is happening. My Blackberry Curve 9330 seems to be a big help, too, showing all posts through its Facebook app. I have faith in Facebook's techs as they work around the clock to help resolve the issue. I must say that doing body exercises and workouts distract me from Facebook for a good reason, or let alone using the computer for hours.

It feels good to be lean and trimmed again. I've been exercising lately, especially relying on basic exercises, kettlebell weights, jogging and basketball. In over a month's time, my body was able to undergo a big change and I'm very happy of the results. I plan to be consistent with working out and being proactive on a daily basis.

Picture Moment - 5/30/2012

A picture of myself (in the red Blackhawks t-shirt), Rizz, and her relatives at Cloud Gate in Millennium Park. [Taken on 5/30/2012]

Chicago Outing 5/30/2012

It felt so great coming back to the big city (Chicago) especially on a relatively cool afternoon. I decided to get a plan going with Rizz. The idea was to bring her relatives along with us. And through everyone's availability, it worked! They've been in the states since September of last year and that they haven't seen much of Chicago visiting only Grant Park and Lakeshore Drive that time (in which it was before winter). This time around, they saw a little more: the Willis Tower (previously, the Sears Tower), Cloud Gate (the reflecting mirror structure known as 'The Bean' in Millennium Park) and the Navy Pier. We took advantage of public transportation, too with the Metra commuter train as well as the CTA bus that got us going to our destinations in downtown Chicago. I was able to provide a video highlight reel on You Tube for all of you to check out. We had a great time.

On a sidenote, Rizz's uncle wasn't able to make this time as he is in the Philippines. He is due to return in a few months. Perhaps he too will get an amazing opportunity to check out Chicago and its signature landmarks.

Guest blog

"I have no interest in holding "loyalty" to a high standard anymore...the meaning of the word seems to be lost in the wind, or written in a language that people just don't comprehend..and in the end, you really can't control what one will do or not do for you..no life is more important than the other.. I have found that having people's Respect holds more weight.. Respect sets invisible boundaries that just comes naturally.. Loyalty just seems to cause way more problems than Respect for some reason..lol" - D.C., Orlando, FL

So far, springtime has seen better days here in the Chicago suburbs. Its lovely so far with temps going up-and-down almost every week. That means it gets hot and cold, on occassions. There hasn't been the threat of imminent tornadic, severe weather that entered the entire state of Illinois (as well as other states) earlier at the beginning of the season. We've been blessed with beautiful conditions and its even really comfy underneath this one of many big trees near my place in which I feel the cool breeze ushering its way through. This is where I'm blogging from right now with my Blackberry. Maybe this'll be the best summer yet than the last 2 I've encountered already. I hope winter will treat me good, too with hardly any snow activity because that'll be the last experience I'm gonna have as a resident of Illinois. Next year, me and Rizz are Florida-bound. Its gonna be an exciting chapter. But no rush, really. I can wait here as long as the weather is just right.


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Looks like there has been a long period of inactivity lately. Sorry for not posting much. But coming in a day or two will be blogs that I meant to post because of recent things happening in my life. Lots to talk about...Thanks for your patience :)



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