Election 2010: It's Automated

Finally, the long wait is over. Finally, the annoying campaign ads will end. Finally, we have reached the peak of choosing our rightful leader for this poor, but my beloved country. Here are some thoughts and events I today about the first automated Philippine National Elections.

May 10, 2010..I woke up early in the morning only to find out that my mom went to the school where our precinct to vote is located. She said it was jammed pack with hundreds of people, despite the very hot weather brought by the summer and the longest queue she had ever seen throughout her life during elections. Well, I can't blame these people. It is indeed the first in history that the Filipinos will use the automated system to cast their votes. It's already used in the States for quite a long time that it is now time for us Filipinos to experience the trend. Anyways, I decided to go back to sleep after hearing the story.

While eating my lunch, I watched TV to see the news about the election coverage. To my disappointment, my favorite channel ABS-CBN is tackled by critics with their biased reporting, giving much attention to Benigno Aquino in comparison to other candidates for the presidency (well, he is Kris Aquino's brother). But what amazed me is their use of holograms for presentations and touch screen technology to bring news to the people. For GMA 7, well never mind!

I decided to go to my voting precinct later that afternoon around 2:30. After I arrived the school, I was then approached by one of the poll watchers, informing me not to fall in queue and go directly inside the voting area. Haha, i love it..it's like I won a special treatment from them. I was able to cast my votes for less than 15 minutes..I feel bad for others, which waited for long long hours before they have cast their votes. Despite reports of the PCOS machine defects on TV, my ballot smoothly glided the machine and it was successfully accepted.

Now we are all waiting for the results. Noynoy is in the lead..and my bet, Gibo, is still in 4th place. Well, it's too early to say it..but I think Noynoy has a great chance.

Disclamer: Picture is not owned by me. Just saw it in Google

The 1st DDR Philippines General Assembly

It's my second time in Manila to attend the yearly gathering of the best of the best DDR players of the country. although we had it also last year, this was the first organized event by the group which was attending by more than 30 players (double the number as compared to last year). It was nice to see Paulino (DDR Philippines head), Gerard, Gian Carlo, Eric, Adrian, Phillip and Jim after a year.

We still gathered on the same place as last year, Timezone in Glorietta 4, Makati City, where we had DDR X to enjoy. Jim and I were the only ones from outside Metro Manila who attended this year. There were mini tournaments for Edit Challenge (A thing called Love by D-Crew 2 US, edit steps by Emman Acuña - REDMAN with BAKTONG!!!!), and Perfect Attack Challenge. Edit Challenge was won by Jopz, PA Challenge by Kristian as champ and Phillip as runner up.

I have also met new faces like Khim (intsik!!), Rage (first time, since we only see each others face in Facebook), Ralph, Bernard the Red Ranger, Dino and many more. It was a successful event indeed. Official icebreaker: "Tsugs! Tsugs!Tsugs! Sayaw! Sige! Igiling Mo! Tsugs! Tsugs!"..a jingle for Cornetto commercial on TV hehehe
Here are some additional pics from the event..

The 1st DDR Philippines General Assembly

Happy 1st birthday, my DS

Today May 6, 2010 marks the birthday of my beloved Nintendo DS. Thanks to TL Kim for convincing me to buy this a year ago. Didn't regret buying this for I was able to play good role-playing games offered by Nintendo. Many have asked if why I considered buying this rather than getting PSP. Well, simple answer..PSP doesn't have Pokemon while DS does =)

A good article about "Annoying" campaign ads

My God! Almost all news under Yahoo! Philippines are about elections...well, we can't blame them for we have 4 days more to go before we decide who would seat for another term both in our local and national government. All of us are of course familiar with all the gimmicks this politicians use on TV and radio just to get people's attention as well as votes. Well here is an article about naming the most memorable and "so-wrong" campaign ads our local television and radio networkd has to offer...

The Spotty Awards for the Most Cringe-Worthy Campaign Ads

Photo courtesy of Yahoo! Philippines

What your sleeping position tells about you...

Do you ever lie on your belly when you sleep? Or do you sleep like a log, flat on your back or in fetal position? Study shows your most comfortable sleeping positions tells not only your personlality but also your health implications..

I got his excerpt from Yahoo! News today which I really find interesting.. Here are the 6 common sleeping positions based on research and their implications:

**Fetus position - A whopping 41% of participants sleep in this curled-up manner. Women are twice as likely to rest like this and it is listed as the most common position. These sleepers are said to have a tough exterior but are still sensitive and may appear to be shy but warm up quickly.

**Log position - If you sleep on your side with both arms down, you are a social, easy-going person who is trusting, sometimes to the point of being gullible. The study showed 15% of people sleep like a log.

**Yearner position - A close third is the side-lying position with both arms out in front of the body, with 13% of partipants sleeping like this. Yearners are noted to be open-minded and still cynical, suspicious, and stubborn about sticking to decisions once they are made.

**Soldier position - These sleepers lie on their backs with arms down and kept close to the body. This 8% study is said to be reserved, quiet, without fuss, and hold themselves and others to a high standard. Soldier sleepers have a higher likelihood for snoring due to the flat-back position, which may not cause them to wake up often but may result in a less restful night's sleep.

**Freefall position - Those people who lie on their bellies with arms under or wrapped around a pillow with head turned to the side, make up 7% of the population studied. Freefallers are brash, outgoing, and are very uncomfortable with criticism.

**Starfish position - Sleepers who lie on their backs with arms up near their head or the pillow account for 5% of participants. These people are good listeners, helpful, and are uncomfortable being the center of attention. People who sleep in starfish position are more likely to snore and to suffer from a poor night's sleep more often.

Read more: What does your sleep position reveal about your personality?

A big "shocker" tonight...

Last night I was browsing one of my most favorite websites to visit everyday (thanks to Tim) Good Times with Mo: The Blog and saw his video post about a CNN report entitled "A CNN Report: Is Manila Ready For A Major Earthquake?" It is indeed scary to imagine what will happen to Manila if in case a major 7.0 or even just a 6.5 earthquake will hit the metropolitan. Severe damage will take place especially to most of the poorly constructed infrastructures and an estimate of 50, 000 deaths. It would be a lot worst than Haiti, Chile and China if that's the case.

Tonight, at exactly 10:50, a 4.5 earthquake struck Panay island which was felt here in Bacolod City. I'm at work when the tremor happened, which lasted for 30 seconds or so. It was a bit longer than usual tremors that I experienced before which I feared could have lasted more than expected and more intensified as the ground shakes.


Here's the link about the news on the earthquake that took place. Thank God it was not that strong..

Magnitude 4.5 quake hits Panay, Negros islands

Spotlight: Naoki Maeda

Decided to create a blog for the person who created one of the greatest games on Earth, Dance Dance Revolution. And as a tribute for his birthday last Wednesday..belated happy birthday Naoki-san!

Name: Naoki Maeda (前田 尚紀)
Born: April 28
Location: Tokyo, Japan

Naoki Maeda, or popularly known as NAOKI, is a Japanese musician and producer of the music simulation game, Dance Dance Revolution. He is the senior sound producer for Konami's music game division known as Bemani and the J-pop and J-rock groups TЁЯRA and BeForU which composes songs for the said game, as well as other Bemani games (Pop'nMusic, GuitarFreaks, DrumMania, and Beatmania IIDX).

As a main producer and artist in Dance Dance Revolution, he uses pseudonyms to songs which are either classified by genre or beat styles. Some of his well known pseudonyms are RevenG (tribal genre - Afronova, Exotic Ethnic), De-Sire (Trip Machine Series), 180/190/200 (numbers for Paranoia series) and many more.

Here are some songs (composed and produced by him) I notably like in the Bemani series of music simulation games:

* Brilliant 2U and its remixes
* B4U and its remixes
* Dynamite Rave and its remixes
* Kakumei (with dj Taka)
* Celebrate Nite (as N.M.R.)
* Dance Dance Revolution (DDR All Stars)
* almost all BeForU songs
* Zero (as TЁЯRA)
* Red Zone (with Tatsh)
* Deep Roar (with Tatsh)
* Will
* Max 300 (as Ω)
* Maxx Unlimited (as Z)
* The Legend of Max (as ZZ)
* Candy (as Luv Unlimited)
* A Geisha's Dream (with Smile.dk)
* resonance
* HIT THE GROUND (Alexa Remix)
* Gotta Dance