Videoke Time!

Filipinos really love karaoke, it is a form of interactive entertainment in which one sings along with recorded music using a microphone. Now there is the videoke microphones. These microphones have built in chips that contains the songs and lyrics. All you have to do is connect it to a television and viola, you can sing your favourite songs while drinking beer. The most known brand of these microphones were manufactured or distributed by Entertech, They call their product Magic Sing-along microphone and it cost around 300 USD with 2000 built in songs. Plus add another 75 to 100 bucks for the additional chips.

I do not sing well but I like to sing. So when I came back to the Philippines last July, I bought one for only 200 USD and it included a free chip. It is a really very good bargain. Today we had a chance to use it. My brother and sister in law are here for the holidays and after the trip to downtown Toronto we relaxed and sang. Thanks to the beer we had our singing sounded like professionals. I am not saying it improved our singing but I guess that’s what it does to your hearing when you are drunk. Ha ha ha.

Local Calls - A Nice Joke About The Philippines For a Change

The title of this joke is "Local Calls". This is I guesss one of a few nice jokes about the Philippines. It made me laugh so I decided to put it in my blog. I got it from a circulated e-mail and the author is unknown.

Here it goes...

A man in Kansas decided to write a book about churches around the world. He started by flying to San Francisco , going to a very large church, he began taking photographs and making notes.He spotted a golden telephone on the vestibule wall and was intrigued with a sign, which read "Calls: $100 a minute". Seeking out the pastor he asked about the phone and the sign. The pastor answered that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to GOD. The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way. As he continued to visit churches in Paris , Vienna , Hong Kong , and other cities, he found more phones with the same sign and the same answer from each pastor. Finally, he arrived in Philippines . Upon entering a church in Manila , the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, he saw the usual golden telephone.. But THIS time, the sign read "Calls: P10.00" Fascinated, he asked to talk to the priest, "Father, I have been in cities around world and in each church I have found this golden telephone and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven. But in the other churches the cost was $100 a minute. Your sign reads only P10 a call. Why?" I love this part..... The priest, smiling benignly, replied, "Son, you’re in the Philippines now. You’re in God’s country.. It’s a local call."

To God be the glory!

Tips For Driving Safe This Winter

This is taken from "Six tips from Ford of Canada for staying safe this winter " posted

November 22, 9:56 PM by Russell Purcell

The winter driving season is upon us and soon drivers will be faced with the additional perils of cold temperatures, icy roads and falling snow. Richard Neumann, a Technical Support Manager for Ford Canada , has compiled a list of six helpful tips that could help make your winter driving duties a little less stressful.

1. Vehicle maintenance: Vehicles that have been regularly maintained according to their manufacturers’ required maintenance schedule should be ready for winter weather. If not, a visit to the local dealership to “catch up” on your required maintenance will ensure the vehicle is ready for the season.

2. Read your owner's manual: All vehicles have different characteristics that will react to winter weather differently. This is a good time to check the manual for your particular vehicle's winter driving tips.

3. Monitor tire wear: There are three important aspects when it comes to tires: pressure, tread wear and age.

• Tire pressure: Cold weather causes tires to lose pressure and become underinflated; meaning your safety on the road is compromised. Check your tire pressure regularly, especially when the temperature changes.
• Tire tread depth: Proper tread depth can be key to slipping less and gripping the road better.
• Tire age: Old tires can be unsafe tires, especially in the winter. It is recommended that tires over six years old be replaced.
• All season and summer tires begin to lose their grip around 7 degrees Celsius. Consider switching to winter tires for better handling and braking performance.

4. Drive safely and be alert: Safe driving is always important. Remember to slow down and leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you. Also, avoid abrupt moves - don't stop, start, or change direction suddenly and you'll maintain better control of your vehicle in inclement conditions.

5. Goodbye cruise control: Never use the speed control in slippery conditions. If the weather suddenly becomes hazardous while cruise control is engaged, simply disengage it manually or lightly tap the brakes.

6. Get to know the safety feature alphabet: Become more familiar with vehicle safety features such as ABS, TC, ESC and RSC, to understand how they can help.

• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS): Vehicles equipped with an anti-lock braking system do not require the driver to pump the brakes in slippery conditions when hard braking is required. Apply firm, continuous pressure on the brake pedal and ABS may activate to help you maintain control of the vehicle.
• Traction Control (TC): This feature most often engages at low speeds. In the majority of winter driving conditions, it is best to keep the traction control feature ON. However, in extreme conditions – for instance, deep snow or sheer ice – it may be better to turn OFF your traction control to get moving.
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC): ESC helps prevent your vehicle from skidding out or sliding laterally in slippery conditions.
• Roll Stability Control™ (RSC®): AdvanceTrac® with Roll Stability Control™ helps to avoid a rollover in a collision situation.

My third entry is our class picture in Kinder. I was told that I looked like my second child Kyle on this photo.

Paid2Youtube Website

Joined another paid to click site. I hope this is not a scam again. The difference of this site to others is that you just need to watch videos. I must admit some videos are interesting and educational.

Click here to join -> Paid2YouTube

Billboard Hot 100 Music Video Archive

When someone wants to relax, nothing beats listening to music. Some would like to hear classical music as they sit comfortably on their lazyboy chair or sofa. Others would like to hear jazz, reggae or contemporary music. I myself like to listen to music to chill out. I like listening to the music I grew up with. These are the music of the 80's specifically new wave and pop music by AHA, Michael Jackson, Spandau Ballet, Madonna, The Cure, The Police, Duran duran to name a few. Unfortunately, when we migrated to Canada, all of my original collection was left behind in my country of origin.

I am now trying to collect again. However CD's are not very cheap here. Especially the old and hard to find ones. Fortunately for me there are a lot of websites that are available on the world wide web or internet where you can purchase or buy any song. You purchase it online. After you pay using your credit card, you may download a copy of your favorite song. Sometimes you need to download and install a software that will help and guide you in doing the online purchase and store the downloaded songs as well as organize the songs.

There are also websites that help you find songs or even contain a very rich collection of songs old and new. One of the nice website that provides this service is Billboard Hot 100 Music Video Archive, the site contains a wide variety of music from as early as the mid 1940's to present. On the home page, the years are displayed as a link. one can view the top 100 songs from a particular era or year. When a year is clicked or selected it brings you to the list of songs that made it to the top one hundred for that year. And it goes even better. Each of the songs is a link to a page in either youtube, dailymotion or other websites that hosts music It shows and plays the song that on has selected. The nice thing about the link is that it also gives you the singer, the band or composer of the song. You are lucky if the video will also display the lyrics of the song so one can sing along.
Websites like Billboard Hot 100 Music Video Archive will be a hit for new and experienced internet users. The way it is organized and layed out is so simple that even a user that is very new to computers and web browsing will be able to use.

Watch Out Brothers, Here I Come!

When my wife and kids came to Canada last August, my sons Miggy and Kyle use to run around the house and leave our youngest son Lex behind. They would hide in the rooms and poor little Lex would crawl and look for them.

Early this month, Lex would stand by holding on table and chair legs. After he stands on his two feet, he would take two little steps and crawl. After 2 or more weeks of practice. He now can walk longer distances. He now can follow his brothers where ever they go. We better replace the furry shoes with soft and light walking shoes.