My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 8)

The Simpsons Soundtrack

I love The Simpsons so much so I want to share its soundtrack here in my blog for everybody to enjoy. I am a Simpsons fan since the early 1990's and I watched The Simpsons Movie for about 6x already both in the theater and DVD. Critics describes the show as dazzlingly intelligent and unapologetically vulgar. Even my passwords for email and here at my office workstation are also Simpsons related. My favorite character is Homer and I want to meet a real life Homer if ever that kind of man exists here on our planet :)

Even if the Simpsons is just an average middle income American family they travel extensively. One episode even boasts that they have been to 49 out of the 50 U.S. states. They also have been to all continents except in Antarctica (I have to confirm yet whether they already have been to the ice continent).

The TIME magazine even named The Simpsons as the 20th century's best television series in a 1998 issue. The magazine even included Bart Simpson in the same issue in the Time 100, the publication's list of the century's 100 most influential people. Bart was the only fictional character on the list.

Enjoy the music...

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 7)

The Best and "Most Hilarious" Travel Video in the World... at least for me

I think this is the best travel video one can find in the Internet. If there's a better video than this please let know, thanks.

Enjoy the video!

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 6)

She's so Beautiful!!!... My Encounter With the Airbus A380

History was made last October 11 and 12 when the World's Largest Passenger Aircraft, the Airbus A380 MSN009, first landed on Philippine soil. On October 11, the aircraft touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at about 2:45 pm and remained there overnight to be serviced by airport personnel.

I went to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), also known as Clark Airport, to see up close the most sophisticated commercial airliner today. The aircraft was expected to touchdown at 11:40 am. Hundreds of airplane spotters, aviation enthusiasts and ordinary people lined-up the field of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) headquarters to wait for the arrival of the A380 which will be parked at Bay 9 in fornt of CIAC. At about 11:50 am people shouted that they can already see the aircraft coming. The atmosphere at that time is like watching an airshow as 6 Philippine Air Force fighter planes patrolled the skies and somewhat escorted the flying giant.

The A380 seemed that she will land but just passed the length of the runway with just a hundred feet vertical clearance and treated the eager crowd to acrobatic maneuvers with left and right banks at full throttle. The wait under the heat of the midday sun proved to be worthwhile as spectators were amazed how a "giant" white metal glides through the air. The A380 made a right turn and came back to line up with the runway of DMIA. The two parallel runways at Clark (3,200 meters) is shorter than the main runway of NAIA (3,737 meters) or any other international airport runways in the region but it proved that the aircraft is suitable for Clark as it only used less than 3/4 of the entire length of the runway. Airbus Industrie claims that the A380 is suitable in any runway that currently services the Boeing 747 aircraft.

The A380 has a moniker of "gentle green giant" as it is quieter, economical for operators and more environment-friendly than its main rival the Boeing 747.

The purpose of the visit of the A380 is to conduct tests on airfield maneuvering, docking, ground handling services and fueling to determine its compatibility with various airports around the world.

I don't know when will the A380 will land again here in the Philippines. As of this day no Philippines-based carrier placed an order for the A380 and if ever other legacy carriers will use it in their Manila route our airports still needs some upgrading to accommodate the A380. The launch customer of the giant aircraft is Singapore Airlines which is due for delivery on October 22, 2007.

3 Best(s) in Palawan... and a "negative" score for Boracay

View of Honda Bay in Palawan

Boracay

The beaches of the Philippines are truly pieces of several paradise on earth! There's even a silent rule for travel writers when describing the Philippines... I noticed that it is almost compulsory to indicated that our country has "7,107 islands." No travel write-up is complete when you don't mention it.

Palawan deserves a pat on the back for a job well done. The paradise province earned 3 entries in The Great Asian Beach Finder article of the October 2007 issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Palawan was mentioned in the categories of one of the best beaches in Asia, one of the best beach hotels (Amanpulo) and one of the best beaches for sports (Diving at Bacuit Bay).

But on the negative note, Boracay as the country's most popular beach had a negative review. The author noted that Boracay "once routinely ranked among the world's best beaches, I saw more trash than seashells." She is partly correct, being a frequent visitor of Boracay since 1996, I saw in my last 7 trips to Boracay how the island became a victim and succumbed because of too much commercialization. My most beautiful memory of Boracay was in 1996 when the island still has that secluded charm.

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 5)

Calling All Filipino Plane Spotters Out There... This Is Your Chance

The country’s premiere international airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and low-cost carrier hub Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Pampanga are both preparing their facilities for the 3-day visit of the Airbus A380 MSN009 test aircraft. The world’s largest passenger aircraft is expected to touchdown on Philippine soil for the first time before 3:00 pm on October 11 at NAIA and will depart the following morning for DMIA.

The aircraft started its 3-week journey across the Americas, the Middle East and Asia Pacific last week. The test aims to demonstrate that it can be used under normal airline operating conditions and accumulate 150 hours of “typical airline” continuous operation using the new engine. The A380 which will land in Manila will be coming from Melbourne, Australia. After its DMIA stop it will proceed to Dubai and eventually to its home in Toulouse, France.

As of the moment no airport in the country is capable to handle the giant aircraft. Nevertheless, the A380 can support the weight and width of the aircraft. Its launch customer is Singapore Airlines which is intended for the “kangaroo” Australia-Singapore-London route. Given the financial condition of Philippine Airlines and market demand for long haul routes in the country, its is still unconceivable for the A380 to make Manila one of its home. But if given a chance in the future, the fuel efficient airliner will be a perfect touch to the Manila-mainland U.S. or Manila-Europe routes.

According to the official Airbus website, the test aircraft is being powered by Engine Alliance GP7000 engines manufactured by General Electric and Pratt and Whitney. The A380 boasts of a greener, cleaner and quieter alternative than its main competitor, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

This is a perfect opportunity for aircraft spotters here in the country to take pictures of the most technologically advanced aircraft today. I can’t wait to brush shoulders with all of you this Friday in Clark, Pampanga.

photograph source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8313254@N08/496320750/

Philippine Airlines Commercials circa 1987-1992

Very memorable classic "Beauty of the Philippines" TV commercials of Philippine Airlines (PAL), Asia's 1st airline.The first two videos on top were made in the 1980s and the last one in 1992. I hope PAL will make more commercials like these and showcase various Philippine tourist spots. They should broadcast these type of commercials in CNN or BBC to promote our national flag carrier and our beautiful country. Enjoy the videos...

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 4)

Boracay as the Next World-Class Destination Hot Spot

Got this very good news from the website of the Wall Street Journal as the undisputed no. 1 beach destination here in the Philippines, Boracay, is included in the perceived travel hot spots that the worldwide travel industry hopes will become hits to tourists in the coming years. The island is being pitched as a regional vacation spot reinvented for luxury seekers.

Potential visitors are encouraged to go windsurfing or hunt for native puka shells on white-sand beaches. One drawback according to a travel reviewer is travel fatigue after a long flight from Los Angeles, California with a stopover in Manila and a boat ride to the island. For adventurers I know that they don't mind the long travel as to them "half of the fun of travel is getting there."

I believe that various market forces shape a potential travel hot spot. Marketing is a great tool for the national government to promote any part of our beautiful islands. Even after several terrorist attacks in Bali, Indonesia and the tsunami devastation in Phuket, Thailand tourists still flock those beaches as the marketing campaign of their national governments instill that they are still safe and the natural beauty of a particular place haven't been affected by man-made and natural disasters.

There's no terrorism nor catastrophic natural disasters afecting most of our beaches in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao except for seasonal typhoons so there's no reason for Boracay and a number of other great beach destinations in our country not to be known to the rest of the world. With a meager marketing budget of the Department of Tourism the only way now is to fellow Filipinos to promote our country through word of mouth... blogging is a perfect venue for this. Agree?

Post Script: Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines will be commencing their Manila-Caticlan (Boracay)-Manila route by late 2007 or early 2008... More supply = lower price... YEHEY!!!!!

A Sleeper Economy Class?

Possible cabin layout of an all-sleeper economy cabin of Lufthansa Airlines

At first glance this picture seems it was taken from a dormitory. I found this very interesting photo and article from flightglobal.com as it looks like German flag carrier Lufthansa is studying the possibility of a specialized all-sleeper configuration which will be available for long-haul flights on economy class. The airline is currently soliciting passenger opinions on this I think eccentric concept.

The picture above depicts a possible cabin arrangement featuring fully lie-flat bunks stacked three-high in a herringbone layout on either side of the cabin, with additional berths in a wide central aisle.

I think it's a great out-of-the-box idea, at least in principle. I always want to try out new things and definitely this will be included in my virtual list. One of my concerns is that what will happen to me if ever I'm seated, rather lying on the top tier of the "sleeper" vestibule during a bad turbulence. The longer the flight, the greater the chance a bad turbulence might occur.

And also, I think I can't endure a 9-12 hour flight just lying all the time except for bathroom breaks. And during meals are passengers expected also to have breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack on top of their beds? I know that breakfast in bed is a romantic things for others... but not this time.

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 3)

I'm an Ireland

Take the country quiz... it's cool. Well, I don't totally agree with the description of my personality but what the heck! You cannot summarize my life in just a few sentences. Right?

You're Ireland!

Mystical and rain-soaked, you remain mysterious to many people, and this
makes you intriguing. You also like a good night at the pub, though many are just as
worried that you will blow up the pub as drink your beverage of choice. You're good
with words, remarkably lucky, and know and enjoy at least fifteen ways of eating a potato.
You really don't like snakes.


Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 2)

My Davao Impromptu Trip

My sister, me and Blogie Robillo at a his friend's bar in Davao

Me and my sister visited the city of Davao a week ago and we would like to extend our appreciation to Mr. Blogie Robillo of Mindanao Bloggers and his friends for their hospitality. We talked everything about blogging, blogging personalities and the upcoming 1st Mindanao Bloggers Summit in Davao City. This trip is so memorable like our first visit exactly a year ago. Aside from the usual great sites that Davao has to offer, everyone is so helpful and accommodating, from the bellboy at the Marco Polo Hotel up to the barbecue vendor at Recto Street. I may not be physically present on October 27 for the summit because I’ll be in Iloilo for the November 1 long weekend but I will definitely be back in Davao in the near future.

I usually plan my trips at least a month in advance but this trip is different, we planned everything with my sister over the phone in less than an hour. I only got to purchase the plane tickets less than 36 hours before our intended departure. And for our hotel, I had to call the reservation agent in Davao directly. I'm thankful that at present is the lean season for domestic travel so the plane is not that full and the hotel occupancy rate is not that high.

Thank God I still have the travel brochures which I got last year...

its PISO fare Air Philippines style

Now, its Air Philippines' turn to roll out its own 1 peso seat sale. The PISO seat sale started today and will run up to September 21 for travel from October 1 up to December 15, 2007. Seats are limited so buy your tickets as early as possible to avoid disappointment. You may buy your tickets at any Air Philippines office or your favorite travel agent.

As with Cebu Pacific, more or less a one-way ticket from Manila to any Visayas destination (and vise-versa) will set you back only 1,100 pesos and to any Mindanao destination (and vise-versa) would only cost 1,300 pesos all in. Virtually, the ticket cost consists of government tax and fuel surcharge.

My Wordless Monday Picture Blog (Week 1)

its PISO fare once more

This is the day that avid budget but savvy travellers from all over the country waited for a long while. Cebu Pacific, the number 1 domestic airline offers more than 100,000 domestic route seats for only 1 peso (of course excluding government taxes and fuel surcharge). The seat sale starts today up to September 11 only and for travel from November 1 to December 20. You may book-and-buy online or through your favorite travel agent.

More or less a one-way ticket from Manila to any Visayas destination (and vise-versa) will set you back only 1,100 pesos and to any Mindanao destination (and vise-versa) would only cost 1,300 pesos all in. Virtually, the ticket cost consists of government tax and fuel surcharge.

Beware All Bloggers!!!

I got this very important news from BBC warning all bloggers regarding the spread of viral storms attacking Google's Blogger site. The site is being used by hackers who are posting fake entries to some blogs that could infect a Windows PC.

The following text were taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6970368.stm

The fake entries contain weblinks that lead to booby-trapped downloads that could infect a Windows PC. The Blogger attack is the latest in a series by a gang that has managed to hijack hundreds of thousands of PCs.

The entries on the blogs have the same text as some of the spam distributed by the group behind the attacks. These attempt to trick people into clicking on links and downloading booby-trapped files using cleverly crafted messages.

Some pose as YouTube links others claim to be looking for testers of software packages or digital greetings cards.

Security experts estimate that the group can send out so much junk mail because they have hijacked so many Windows PCs via successive campaigns. Some suspect that the group has infected more than one million PCs over the last eight months.

Thanks a Million Tom!

This is a long overdue post. I would like to thank my former officemate and friend Tom Frederick Bernardo for creating my cute blog header. He is a digital arts techie and also an animator. If someone out there want to solicit his services you may contact him through fr3do@manoproductions.com or mobile no. 09274449318. He is currently working as a Maya 3D Generalist (Organic and Mechanical Modeler, Animator) for a company producing full-length 3D animation films. He is also familiar with other Maya's animation tools including :

· Digital Hair Simulation using Maya 
· Digital Cloth Simulation using Syflex
· Modeling with Z-Brush 2.0, 
· Compositing with Adobe After Effects 6.5, 
· Adobe Photoshop CS2 
· Sound Editing with Adobe Audition 1.5