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  • Top Eleven Requirements for Becoming Pam’s Boyfriend

    Ok so Pam has let it out. I am the person who knows everything relevant (and irrelevant) there is to know about her, hence I know her best, and therefore I feel I am the one most qualified to find her a mate.

    Yes that’s right. And I’m serious too. Let’s go through that one more time. I know everything there is to know about her, in fact one can say too much – and for quite a long time as well. In fact, I’m so good at it, I actually know when she’s wrong. Cases in point, her statement from her blog:

    Gary thinks he should be the one to find me a new guy because he says he knows me better than most people but he hasn’t come up with a single name – save for a missionary. A missionary. I am seriously not going down that road.

    There are two things wrong here obviously. One, she says I ‘think’ I should be the one to find her a guy. WRONG. I AM the one to find her a guy. We’ve established this already. Two, the missionary is an upfront guy. I haven’t heard from him since, but when I do, I’ll set it up. And yeah of course we’re gonna make jokes about his favorite sexual position. How the hell can we not make jokes about his favorite sexual position?? He’s a missionary for crying out loud! The name speaks for itself.

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  • Ok so this is one of those ‘this is what i did today in pictures’ posts – A Semi-Review of the Sony DSC-N2

    Which, I’m sure, is probably not gonna win any awards, but what the heck who cares. At any rate, this scores as a techie post as well. See, I’ve two new cameras at my disposal, the bombastically blingy DSC-N2 and the fashion-y DSC-T50, which Jill has already reviewed for Kikay.

    So the thing is, the PR firm always loans me Sony cams without memory sticks. This is of course very limiting since I very well can’t go out taking 10 megapixel shots at full quality. The DSC-N2 only has 25mb. internal memory, so I’d probably end up taking 2 shots at most. So instead, I decided to take as many nice pics as I can at the lowest setting (VGA) possible. See, the way I see it, if the pics still come out okay, then that means the lens and the way its processors interprets colors – two of the more important factors that make a digicam – are ok too.

    Brilliant eh? So armed with this self – styled (and I wouldn’t be surprised if flawed) reasoning, plus the fact that there’s a free entrance vintage car show at the Greenhills parking lot today commemorating San Juan’s Centennial, the fact that I’m a San Juan boy through and through, PLUS the fact that Jill has 1k worth of Burgoo GCs for some reason (who asks details when someone has GCs? Just go for it!), meant we had all the elements for a nice day out with a nice hi – end cam (I just used the DSC – N2 today. I’ll use the T50 for another time).

    So on with the pics!

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  • I am looking for someone who loves pets and can write about them

    All sorts of pets. From dogs to cats to pigs to reptiles to birds to insects etc. etc. etc.

    And then, this person should be able to write articles about them. About how it is to be a pet owner in the Philippines. The caring and feeding of pets. The trials and tribulations, joys and pain, concerns, highs and lows, tricks of the trade, people to know, places to be, every info possible about pet ownership. He should be really into this kind of stuff.

    Then, if this person is really good, he or she can help look for other writers with the same passion for pets so they can all exchange content about their specific areas of pet interests. Content targetted towards the average home – owner who enjoy pets for companionship, to people involved in the trade of pets, all the way to breeding pets for competition. The whole gamut, in a Philippine setting for a Philippine audience.

    Hopefully, this person resides in or around Manila and is comfortable with HTML, but if not, that’s ok, as long as they’re on the ‘net.

    If you are this person, please take the time to contact me. If you know of one who fits the bill, I hope you can forward this to them. My email is ghmercado at gmail dot com. Thank you so much!

  • The Pursuit of Happyness Movie Review

    The Pursuit of Happyness is a movie about a great part of the life of Chris Gardner, a man who went through near – unsurpassable obstacles to reach success in his life – that is, success in the sense that he makes good money by running a profitable business and providing for his family, and unsurpassable obstacles in the sense that he had to at one point – lock the door at a men’s Oakland subway station’s bathroom so he can sleep there at night.

    You can imagine that this is a true inspirational, dramatic sobfest, and it is. It leaves no doubt that Chris Gardner, who made his money via the stock market, is a man made of true stern stuff. His determination and single – minded purpose is incredible, regardless of how he is interpreted by Will Smith. And I say that because Will Smith is a truly impressive character just as well, but I’ll get to that a little later on.

    Yup. You know what to do. Go over to Movie Exchange to read the rest. Camaaan do it already!

  • The Pursuit of Happyness

    The Pursuit of Happyness is a movie about a great part of the life of Chris Gardner, a man who went through near – unsurpassable obstacles to reach success in his life – that is, success in the sense that he makes good money by running a profitable business and providing for his family, and unsurpassable obstacles in the sense that he had to at one point – lock the door at a men’s Oakland subway station’s bathroom so he can sleep there at night.

    You can imagine that this is a true inspirational, dramatic sobfest, and it is. It leaves no doubt that Chris Gardner, who made his money via the stock market, is a man made of true stern stuff. His determination and single – minded purpose is incredible, regardless of how he is interpreted by Will Smith. And I say that because Will Smith is a truly impressive character just as well, but I’ll get to that a little later on.

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  • 300 Movie Review

    I gather that a great number of girls as well as men are raving about 300. And as we speak, the movie has broken 3.12 million US last weekend, and I am amongst those completely unsurprised.

    Yet as I left the theatre, why was I not raving about it as all those other men and women? For sure, it kept me quite enraptured throughout. It is a visual feast like no other I’ve seen in a very long time. I can only think, maybe, of The Curse of the Golden Flower or any of it’s other Asian cousins such as The House of The Flying Daggers to compare to the grand imagery of thousands upon thousands of warriors in battle, but even these pale in comparison to how grand this one turned out.

    (I’m trying to revive my movie reviewing skills, so please read the rest at Movie Exchange).

  • 300

    I gather that a great number of girls as well as men are raving about 300. And as we speak, the movie has broken 3.12 million US last weekend, and I am amongst those completely unsurprised.

    Yet as I left the theatre, why was I not raving about it as all those other men and women? For sure, it kept me quite enraptured throughout. It is a visual feast like no other I’ve seen in a very long time. I can only think, maybe, of The Curse of the Golden Flower or any of it’s other Asian cousins such as The House of The Flying Daggers to compare to the grand imagery of thousands upon thousands of warriors in battle, but even these pale in comparison to how grand this one turned out.

    Images of Spartans, properly and as near identical to the original comic book series (I am assured), make this movie a guaranteed classic. An astounding visual array of fantastic special effects, award – winning CGI and a tremendous effort throughout.

    Not to mention the brilliant casting of Gerald Butler as the tough, virtuous King Leonidas, who singlehandedly imo, brings to this movie an aspect the effects cannot. And that is acting out an interesting, well – formed character in the King – made a wholly believable person entirely due to him.

    Even better is Rodrigo Santoro as the threatening, overwhelming Xerxes, whose “I am kind.” monologue somewhere in the 3rd act is a thunderstorm of a performance. Almost like a dance, near trance like he convinces Ephialtes, the disillusioned, disfigured Spartan to change sides, leading Leonidas and crew to their death. So compelling is that scene I wished I could rewind it at the movie theatre to see it over again.

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  • Writing and Basketball and Art

    I have told Art that I loved his narrative style on his blog a few days ago when we sat together at an event two weeks ago. For some reason I knew that he’d be a terrific read if he started blogging, and since I found his link on the first PWIT I had been thoroughly hooked. Yes I think I can say now I’m a fan. Wait, let me go further by saying, Art’s blog is, to me, the best, or amongst the top three favorite blogs I follow. Other blogs I like are similar in style, very personal and candid, but his stands out particularly, I think, because of his maturity.

    And let me expound on that. See, to me there is no more apt term to describe Philippine blogging than the saying “Youth is wasted on the young.” While the young bring vibrancy to blogging, making it dynamic and exciting, Philippine blogging is 90% run by young people, and sometimes that makes it also very stupid. Of course that won’t sit well if you’re a young person, a Filipino and a blogger reading this, but the point is, it’s hard for one such as me to find anything new these days, or at least anything that’d keep me from wanting to bring on an – unsolicited I’m sure – lecture to these, through no fault of their own, neophytes.

    At any rate message sent: Art is a cool guy who writes his memoirs like a careful, methodical painter brings paint to a canvass. Lovingly, simply (and therefore effortlessly) and with a clear heart. I seldom, now I realize, bring praise to people – to a fault, I think, but in this case this is most deserving. I suppose I should have told him that except for the fact I realized I had to first allow him to eat (having said some parts of it directly after coming from the buffet table), and so apt it is I say it here.

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  • I will PAY YOU to write for Mom Exchange

    If you are a mom, mom – to – be, or otherwise someone who can write articles that you think is worth reading by visitors of Mom Exchange, please email me writing samples plus relevant info about you, and I’ll hook you up with anything from P150.00 – P300.00 each time you write.

    Sure that may not be a lot, but considering blogposts can range from only a few words to 500+ words max (preferably with non-copyrighted or permission granted pics), that’s easy money right there. I am looking to fill up at least 2 to 3 new posts this way every week.

    However a word to the wise : If you are looking to make a lot of dough, or intend this to be your main source of income, I’m afraid we may not have the same expectations and risk ending up disappointed. But if you love sharing your mom or mom – related stories and issues, make a few friends along the way, plus make some cash, then we are on the same page, so let’s do this.

    If not, please help spread this around to those who apply. Many, many thanks.

  • Steam Microwaving Chicken

    So since this is a cooking site… err, no it isn’t. But I wanna put up pics of what I cook and eat everyday, and I find the topic interesting, so there!!

    Seriously, just wanted to share with you how to steam chicken with carrots and potatoes in a microwave, using a p200.00 microwave steaming contraption you can buy anywhere. I bought mine at some hardware store. I promise you it’s delish. Here we go:


    The plastic contraption steaming cooking thingy has three parts. You put water at the lowest part, filling it to about half is good.

    Then you need some chicken parts. Rock salt and pepper to taste.

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