The Present

"Everyday is a gift; which is why it is called The Present."

Birthday or not, everyday is something to be thankful to God for.  So I made it a practice to thank Him for every waking hour of my life---and not only during my birthday.

As soon as I open my eyes every morning is a brand new day!  Everyday is a PRESENT!  And then I look around and I immediately see all the special add ons to this I call MY LIFE:  my wife, my children, my family.  Of course there's also the fact that I wake up in the comfort of my bed with a roof over my head.  And then the rest of all that makes my life special come rolling in:  my friends, my work, the opportunities, even the challenges that come my way---especially those that makes me become a better person. 

Man, it has been 44 years since the day I first got myself a whiff of the goodness of being!

Life is always good!  It's just a matter of perspective.

Thank you Lord for LIFE!

Dreams

You don't choose what you dream about---you just have them.  Not all of them are pleasant and nightmares can be really spooky but there are those which you don't want to wake up from.

God may not have given us what we wanted but He did provide us dreams to give us an alternative dimension to experience what could have been---even if for a short while.  Well, I've had my share of good dreams and it was fun while it lasted.  I remember one dream I had with this woman...nahhh, let's not get into the details...and as things got really heavy---I wake up!  Man, it was such a nice dream that I willed myself to get back into the the same dream and I did!  Nice, huh?  Actually, I woke up again and the sooner I lost consciousness I was again in the same dream!  Weird!  It only happened one time but as I said, we take happiness every time it's offered.  

Unfortunately, dreams do not have a rewind button.  Once you've had it you get this ecstatic feeling upon opening your eyes and then followed by a sinking feeling that what just happened isn't true and then you only get glimpses of what had transpired but never really remembering it all. But then, it's better than not having those dreams at all, right?

Emily VanCamp: Revenge Hottie

And this is why Revenge is such a HOT series to watch!

Character vs Reputation

Francis Kong had a very nice article in his Philippine Star column.  He talked about CHARACTER and REPUTATION---something that I have been really wondering about for quite some time now.

In a nutshell, Francis Kong basically said that reputation can easily be spun either by a very good resume or a write up by a very good writer; while character is a measurement of a person's inherent attributes that defines his moral and ethical actions and re-actions. Obviously, the better judge of corporate worth would be  character.  Unfortunately, it is something that cannot be measured by theoretical data based on testing output.  Character is best seen during times of conflict and stress.  The thing is, this can only be apparent after a person has been hired already.  Hiring a person with a flawed character can be detrimental to the company especially if the person in question holds a position of leadership.  

So be wary of colorful resumes for they do not guarantee a corporate job fit .  

Georgina Wilson: Ginebra San Miguel Poster Girl

Nothing like a fresh Georgina Wilson photo in a two piece bikini to liven up the day!

Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles

Ever since I saw the trailer of Tiktik:  The Aswang Chronicles last week I have made it a point to watch it and what better time than during my bonding time with my two boys!  

I believe this is the first full length Filipino movie to be filmed entirely on green screen.  No location, just studio and a whole lot of graphic art.  The backdrop is dark and reminiscent of Zack Snyder's film 300.  

The movie is about Makoy (Dingdong Dantes) who goes the fictional town of Pulupandan to win back his pregnant girlfriend Sonia (Lovi Poe).  Things turns for the worse when Makoy and Sonia's father, Nestor (Joey Marquez), comes into contact with a community full of tiktik* who got the sniff of the pregnant Sonia.  Together with Nestor, Sonia's mother, Fely (Janice de Belen),  and the family's ever dependable katiwala Bart (Ramon Bautista), Makoy takes a stand to defend Sonia and their unborn baby.

The graphic effects was perfect for majority of the film until the later part when the tiktiks changed into something else and degraded my appreciation.  They should have stuck with the tiktik effects all throughout the movie.  Other than that, it was a fun movie to watch especially the characters of Joey Marquez and Ramon Bautista who provided the comic relief.

Another great movie from Eric Matti!

*Tiktik is a supernatural being who snacks on the unborn child of pregnant women.

Benelli M4 Shotgun with Xrail System by Red Jacket Firearms

Just saw the Sons of Guns episode featuring the Benelli M4 build and the end result blew my mind!  Red Jacket not only enhanced the M4---they revolutionized it as a performance line shotgun with an adjustable buttstock, a left-sided heavy charging handle,  a vertical foregrip on a railed fore-end, and an extended mag capacity with the Xrail system!  But that's not all they did.  Will Hayden, went out of the box and came out with full auto 12 gauge unit with a mojo break (a shotgun muzzle break that Joe designed) that controlled recoil and  in the process improve accuracy---something that a normal shotgun don't have (especially on rapid fire)!

This is one sweet, devastating weapon system!

Taran Butler testing out the enhanced M4 Benelli Shotgun.

Taran with the full auto version with the muzzle break.

Joe with the 930 Pro Mossberg version (not televised).