I Conquered the RIDICULOUS Challenge!

There's a new burger resto aptly called Burger Avenue at the Antel Life Style City along Makati Avenue. For those who are burger fanatic or just love to eat, you will be so happy they have an eating challenge called the Ridiculous Challenge. To make the long story short, I conquered the challenge with flying colors. My picture is now among the few displayed at their bulletin board who also conquered the challenge of eating the humongous burger in less than 5 minutes. Maybe I will not eat any beef products for a week as even more than 6 hours had past I can still taste the flavor of the beef. On the bright side, because of that challenge my lunch today was free, hehehe.

Here are the mechanics (taken from an article posted by Beatriz Acosta at www.clickthecity.com. You will find also the photographs I used here in that article):

" Make your way to the counter and order yourself a Ridiculous Burger (P200+) - three big, thick, juicy patties in one burger. This burger is actually a steal at 200 pesos - most burger joints offer the same price just for one patty with a sauce of your choice. Now, back to the burger. It is ridiculous and action-packed with its three all-beef patties, a hefty stuffing of lettuce and tomatoes. And to top it all off, three slices of cheese."

"Just inform the people at the counter that you are taking on the Ridiculous Challenge, and they will whip up their timer. Finish the burger within five minutes, ring the bell, and you get a full refund! Yep, a free burger if you can chomp on it before the time is up. And before you go on exclaiming, "That's ridiculous!", it sort of is not, as a good and growing number of people have triumphed over the huge burgers. Burger Avenue has a 'Hall of Fame' of sorts on their wall. They've got photos of the people who gobbled up the burgers in record time, proving that indeed, you can do it!"

My winning pictures

...with 38 seconds more to spare

So what are you waiting for? Go there and beat my record, I'm sure it is not the best time so it is really viable specially for buffet fanatics. Believe me, after eating that burger there's still room left for dessert :-)

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 43)

Philippine Airlines vs. Cebu Pacific vs. Air Philippines

The beauty of competition is that the consumers have a choice and normally prices will go down due to the concept of demand & supply. The three leading local airlines Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines and Philippine Airlines are now head-to-head to capture filler seats for the lean season from July up to mid-October as they currently have a seat sale for their domestic destinations.

Cebu Pacific
- as low as Php699 one-way for its Luzon destinations. Available for online purchase.

Air Philippines

- Same banana but they are more "wise" as you will buy a ticket as low as Php1,398 one-way but your return trip is as they say it "Free." Not available for online purchase.

Philippine Airlines

- Same concept as with Air Philippines, just add a few hundreds of pesos. Not available for online purchase.

All the 3 airlines now include all the surcharges and taxes in their advertised promo fare. So now the choice is yours. It will now come to which airline you prefer if you have a brand loyalty to any of them. If you ask me, I will only choose either Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines depending on the schedule of their flights to my chosen destination. An advantage of choosing Cebu Pacific is that it lets you to book its promo fare online unlike the other two airlines.

For reservations and if you have questions please call:

Cebu Pacific Air - (02) 702-0888

Air Philippines - (02) 855-9000

Philippine Airlines - (02) 855-8888

Western Visayas Needs Your Help

TASK FORCE NOAH
for the victims of Typhoon Frank

Typhoon FRANK (International Codename: Fengsen) caused vast damages to lives, properties and livelihood of our follow countrymen over the weekend. As of the latest report, the number of casualties has been increasing. Damages were greatly felt in some regions where the actual path of the typhoon crossed. Almost all of the province of Iloilo is submerged in water. People are still stranded on top of the roofs of their houses for two days now in some towns of Iloilo. Other areas of the Visayas are also calling for aid.

General Information:

As of 23 June 2008:

10,000 families (40,000 individuals) affected of 20 provinces, 10,000 families are in 275 evacuation centers and increasing.

Under State of Calamity: Provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Masbate. Cities of Iloilo, Roxas, Zamboanga (selected areas). Municipalities in Bulacan-Paombong and Marilao

NDCC: Floods, storm surge and landslides mostly in the Visayas and Southern Tagalog have affected 366,444 people. Of the total number of affected people, 182,686 were in the Western Visayas, including 155,005 in Antique province alone.

Stranded 5,095 passengers, 288 rolling cargo, 90 trucks, 59 passenger buses, 48 small vehicles, and eight sea vessels.

ILOILO Facts
“BULIG ILOILO”

Philippine National Red Cross; based on field reports from PNRC staff, the death toll had reached 229, with 101 reported in Iloilo alone.

Iloilo Gov. Neil Tupas earlier said 59 people drowned in the province while another 40 were missing. “Almost all the towns are covered by water. It’s like an ocean,” Tupas said, adding thousands have been displaced in the province that is home to 1.7 million people.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque also said he received reports that the Aniway District Hospital in Iloilo, was submerged in floodwaters as deep as six feet.

Almost all of Iloilo’s 42 towns and this city, including those that had not previously experienced flooding, were under water according to Jerry Bionat, Executive officer of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC).

Power outrage reported in Iloilo City; including Odiongan town, Romblon and Antique Province

Our contacts in the Philippine Air Force are willing to fly even round-the-clock relief operations for Typhoon Frank’s victims but unfortunately they tell us there are no relief goods to airlift. We are appealing for donations like ready-to-eat goods, water, clothing and/or cash/check for the victims of Typhoon Frank. Primary target of this initiatives are the heavily affected communities and areas not normally reached by relief operations. We intend to send the relief donations immediately for the urgent need of the victims.

===========================

*DONATION MECHANISM*

===========================

GOODS
You may directly donate your goods: ready-to-eat goods, clothing, water at Room 102 Cervini Residence Hall, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

Contact Person : Mr. Tim Gabuna
Trunkline : 426-6001 local 5932
Direct line : 426-6119
Mobile number : 0920-9609802

CASH/CHECK
Direct deposits may be made to:
SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN (Account Name/Payee)
Bank of the Philippine Islands (Loyola-Katipunan Branch)
Peso Checking Account Number: 3081-1111-61
Dollar Savings Account Number: 3084-0420-12

Or channel to:

Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
Loyola House of Studies
Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights 1108, Quezon City

Contact Information:
Landline : 426-6101 loc. 3440/3441
Telefax : 426-5968
Mobile : 0922-8600-752 (SUN-8600-SLB)
Web : www.slb.ph

Look for : Ms. Marj Tejada

For proper acknowledgement:

Please fax a copy of the validated deposit slip to SLB through telefax 426-5986

Kindly indicate contact information: Name, address, email, landline/mobile

Those who wish to be anonymous may skip this procedure

FOR GCASH TRANSACTION:
1. Any Globe or TM subscribers should be registered first in Gcash before doing any Gcash transaction.

2. To register, just text the syntax
REG_4 digit M-PIN/mother's maiden name/first name/last name/address and send to 2882
Ex: REG 1234/Getino/Liwanag/Ferdinand/766 Metrica St. Sampaloc Manila and send to 2882

3. When the subs already done with cash in, he may now able to do donate or any Gcash transaction he wanted

To Donate: Just text the syntax
DONATE_AMOUNT_4 digit M-PIN_INSTITUTION CODE and send to 2882
Ex. DONATE 100 1234 SLB and send to 2882

BRO. ISMAEL JOSE CHAN-GONZAGA, S.J.
Executive Director
Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan

MR. ADEL BRIONES
Associate Director, CCS
Ateneo School of Government
Convenor, ADMU DREAM TEAM

Privatize Banaue Rice Terraces?

picture taken from www.wowphilippines.com.ph

I can't believe what I read at GMANews.TV which reported that an influential business group wants the government to privatize a handful of the country's major tourist spots, a move that they said will ensure the preservation of the areas.

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president and appointed tourism private sector chief Samie Lim said the Philippine Tourism Authority should sell some of its major assets which have the potential to become even more attractive to both foreign and local visitors.

Among those spots that should be privatized are the Banaue Rice Terraces, Picnic Grove and Palace in the Sky in Tagaytay City and Burnham Park in Baguio City.

Banaue Rice Terraces to be privatized? Well, I don't have problems with the Picnic Grove and Burnham Park to be privatized... but an "ancient" natural wonder (well it's man made technically) to be privatized is kinda below the belt. I believe that the government should let the private sector manage parks and beach resorts in able for them to be more tourist friendly and accessible (I don't know why but I find government managed parks and resorts are not that tourist friendly). Just an analogy... Would China privatize the Great Wall?

Lim said that by having private groups to manage the destinations, the country could have a better chance of attaining its goal of hitting some 10 million tourists arrivals by 2010. Department of Tourism (DOT) data showed the country accommodates an average of 3 million tourists annually.

Apart from this proposal, Lim is also raising the possibility of privatizing all the government-controlled duty-free shops. I don't have a problem with that,

You can privatized all you want but leave Banaue and other natural wonders alone.

Source: http://beta.ph.news.yahoo.com/gma/20080603/tbs-businessmen-want-rice-terraces-other-1da90e5.html

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 42)

I'm Off to Boracay... I'll be Back in a Jiffy!!!

This week is a very busy week here at the office so I'm looking forward for the weekend because I'll be in the most famous beach here in the Philippines... Boracay. I have been to this island for about 7x already but I still don't get tired observing the countless developments this little island endure for the past few decades. Even if there are issues whether the small island can sustain the various activities brought about by the boom in the tourism industry in the area no one can really stop the transformation of Boracay into a capitalist haven.

I love Boracay the most when I first saw its somewhat virgin beauty in the summer of 1996 when there is hardly a crowd even during the Holy Week holidays. Too bad I can't post pictures here of my Boracay sojourn in 1996 as the digital camera then is never heard of yet. I hope I can transfer some of my travel pictures taken using a film camera into a digital format so I can post them here in my blog.

So much for being sentimental about the "old" Boracay which I love more than the Boracay of today... I have to live with what that paradise island can still offer and I'm pretty sure that I will still enjoy my experience.

P.S.: I just hope that the f#ck%ng typhoon named Frank don't spoil our vacation. I pray that the prediction of PAGASA will be highly accurate and expect the typhoon to be not in direct threat to the Visayas region.

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 41)

Happy Birthday Pilipinas!!!

MABUHAY! Happy 110th Independence Day to the country which I love the most!

This is the First Time! All-In Ticket Price!

I think this is the first time I heard of an airline sale at least here in the Philippines with airfares which include fuel surcharge, insurance, other government fees and the mandatory 12% VAT in its advertised price. I'm glad that this will be a permanent feature of budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) as it shifts to an "all-in" pricing format so passengers will immediately know the total amount they need to pay.

The 'all-in' pricing format is introduced with a seat sale across CEB’s domestic network. The promotional offer will run from June 12 to 22, 2008 and is valid for travel on July 1 to October 15, 2008. There are more than half a million seats allocated for this promotion.

'All-in' fares for short sectors such as Manila-Legaspi are at Php699 one-way while a one-way Manila-Cebu flight would cost Php999 and a Manila-Davao sector would cost only Php1,499 during the seat sale. At seat sale levels, these reduction represent savings of up to 56% over today’s rate.

As we all know that the price of petroleum products which includes jet fuel is in its all-time high so these ticket prices are almost a steal! This is the cheapest I think you can get a ticket comparable with the prices in the late 1990's. Based from my experience and if my memory serves me right, the last time a ticket to the Visayas region cost less than 1,000 bucks is way back 20 years ago.

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 40)

Busuanga, Palawan via SEAIR

Why do I want to go to Busuanga? My answer is, who does not want to go to a paradise here on earth :) Whatever compliments or good words I say here in my blog to describe that destination would be an understatement.

Especially now that SEAIR joined that bandwagon of airlines in offering Busuanga as a gateway to El Nido and other Northern Palawan destinations I am now enticed to finally visit the best the Philippines' can offer.

Despite featuring SEAIR here in my travel blog a few times I haven't yet tried to fly with them, well maybe now is the right opportunity.

For more information on how to conveniently get to Busuanga and other SEAIR's paradise destinations just visit their website at http://www.flyseair.com

It Pays to be Studious... at least on SEAIR flights

Dean’s listers get 50% discount on SEAIR flights

Mechanics:

1. The promo is open to all high school, college, and gradate school students enrolled in any school in the Philippines.
2. Dean’s listers can avail a 50% discount in SEAIR flights for a period of one year after the end of the semester.
3. Student must present latest school ID, grade report and certificate of dean’s lister status and must submit photocopies upon ticket purchase.
4. Limited seats in all flights and in all destinations.

For more information visit http://www.flyseair.com or call (02) 849-0100

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 39)