el toro bumingo

Saturday, September 28, 2013

“Ever After A Wedding Affair” (Part 1 of 2)

I was very lucky to get invited to the Wedding Expo at the Traders Hotel, Manila entitled “Ever After A Wedding Affair”. It's a fashion show featuring some of the country's top wedding designers held yesterday at the Traders Hotel, Manila. It's a one stop expo and they've provided all the necessary booths that will make your wedding day complete -- from the gowns, barong, cakes, invitations, flowers and florists, video, photography, hair and makeup, wedding planners, strings/entertainment, suppliers, limo service, venue, reception and giveaways.

The highlight of this one day event is the fashion show that was held at the newly-renovated Embassy Hall. Gowns and formal suites were showcased from designers Nino Angeles, Lya Armovit, Bergamo, JC Buendia, Pablo Cabahug, Hilque Dairo, Frankie de Leon, Frederick Peralta, Michelle Sison and Mark Tamayo. The Bridal Fashion Show was held with live romantic renditions from the Philippine Madrigal Singers.

My invitation to this event was made possible by Nuffnang Philippines and I'm very thankful that I was able to attend such a fashionable event. Prior to the main event, I was able to listen to Isabel Roces discuss the things that every bride should do in preparation for the big day. Shu Uemura, a renowned make-up artist, also provided a demo in applying make-up so that the bride could be at her most beauty during the big day. I must agree to these two speakers that make-up can make (or break) a bride on photos that will be taken on her most special day.

The thing I like about the event is that the designers presented the gowns in classic and modern design. I love the design of Michelle Sison who used black on both the groom and bride's attire. I would love to know the material used on those see-through design! I also love the design of the different tuxedos and formal male of the male models. You could see the sharpness and the masculinity of the guys in those perfect suits. I find black as the most adorable color for grooms with white being my least favorite.

The only thing that I noticed is that the designers presented more tuxedos than barongs which probably means that they are targeting more Western or European clients. I also didn't see any Filipiñana or terno for the brides or any color except for black, gray and white. I also didn't see any design that's for outdoor wedding like the beach. I also noticed that they didn't gave emphasis on the veil. Only one bride carried a veil around 20 models, which is ironic, because the previous 2 speakers mentioned that "without the veil, a wedding gown would look like a white dress".

I also appreciated the fact that they've added a bouquet to the over-all design of the bride. Each and every bride has a different bouquet of flowers that they brought along while walking the catwalk. I hope to get the names of those flowers soon.

Gordon Aeria, General Manager of Traders Hotel, Manila, was there during the re-opening of the Embassy Ballroom accompanied by Riza Santos, Miss Universe Canada 2013. This event was made possible by several sponsors including Photographer Benny Bondoc, Company of Brides, Speed 7 Lights and Sound, Wilson Q. Tan Photography, Written in Ink, Printsonalities, Sweet Ideas, Windsor & Tiffany, Cake Concepts Unlimited, The Write Impression, Nuffnang Philippines, among others.

I’ll post the pictures of the Bridal Fashion Show tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Printsonalities

WQT Photography

Fleur de Facade

Bergamo

Sweet Ideas Cakes

Nino Angeles Fashion Designer

WQT Photography

Windsor & Tiffany Event Rentals

Cake Concepts Unlimited

Bridal Book

Benny Bondoc Photographs

WQT Photography

Sweet Ideas Cakes

Nino Angeles, Fashion Designer

The models during the rehearsal for the Bridal Fashion Show

Isabel Roces, print and ramp model. She’s also a beauty columnist at the Philippine Daily Inquirer. She discussed the topic “Beauty and Beyond Before I Do”.

Make-Up Artist Shu Uemura discussed “Radiance and Rituals”.

Gordon Aeria, General Manager of Traders Hotel, Manila.

Riza Santos, Ms. Universe Canada 2013

The staff of Traders Hotel, Manila

The 2nd Floor Lobby of Traders Hotel, Manila.

Ms. Shu Uemura and her model.

The model, after the make-up session.

Technorati Tags: Ever After A Wedding Affair,Traders Hotel,Nuffnang Philippines,Bridal Fashion Show

Thursday, September 26, 2013

“Runner Runner”

I would like to thank Nuffnang Philippines and Globe for inviting us to see the movie “Runner Runner” at the Shangri-La EDSA Mall last night. The film stars Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck and it’s about a Princeton student who’s very good at math and statistics.

Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) is also into online poker. He was cheated by the owner of an online poker site named Ivan Block (Ben Affleck) and he went all the way to Costa Rica to confront him. He then learns the secret of the business and how corrupt a nation could be because of gambling.

The film answers questions on why a lot of casinos are located in the Caribbean and also shows how money can corrupt a nation (much like what’s happening with the PDAF scam here in the Philippines). It also shows how willing the US government could go as far as protecting its citizens against fraud and money laundering.

What I like about the movie is how it portrays what’s going on inside the gambling industry, including the online version. It also shows that money can bribe almost everyone. Justin Timberlake is also good at portraying a genius student.

What I don’t like about the movie is the lack of action scenes that would give an adrenaline rush. The film also reminds me of Facebook games like Texas HoldEm Poker. If I would be asked to rate this movie 1 to 5, 5 being the highest, I would probably give it 3.

Thanks again Nuffnang Philippines and Globe for this movie event. I hope to see you again soon in another movie sponsored by Globe, my current mobile and Internet provider, and Nuffnang, the best online advertising company.

Justin Timberlake is good at portraying geniuses like Richie Furst.

Technorati Tags: Justin Timberlake,Runner Runner,Nuffnang Philippines,Globe

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Midgard Congress, September 21, 2013

Yesterday, I attended the Midgard Congress at the Level Up! Games / PlayWeb office at the 11F of the Pacific Star Building, Makati Avenue, Makati City. Midgard Congress is a meeting between Guild Masters (GM) of the different guilds from all servers of Ragnarok Online, and the Game Masters of LUG. All servers were represented during the Midgard Congress: New Loki, New Chaos, New Iris and Valkyrie.

Yesterday's meeting was short-noticed -- it was announce a day or two before the actual event. It was raining hard due to Typhoon Odette and I still attended the event since I have very positive experiences with the last 2 Midgard Congress conducted by GM Aeon in the past. Before, Midgard Congress serves as a venue for announcing patches and new features to the game. There are also in-game prices being given to those who attend the Midgard Congress.

The Midgard Congress conducted yesterday was a Epic Fail. It was conducted by GM Anael, the one who's rude on Facebook. There were no future patches announced. There would be no new server this year and there would be no server merge. I feel that it was a waste of time (and money) for all of us who attended the event.

The things that GM Anael announced yesterday were not important and could have been announced via the Official Forum of Ragnarok or on Facebook. The only thing that's beneficial in yesterday's meeting was the 1,000 pieces of Guyak that would be given to the Guild Masters who were present yesterday.

GM Anael also mentioned that he's not in the position to announce future patches. That privilege belongs to GM Garrick now. He mentioned that there would be a separate Midgard Congress for presenting the future patches of Ragnarok Online. Anyway, here are the things that GM Anael announced in yesterday's Midgard Congress:

New RO Client -- This can be downloaded via Pando, torrents or copied from Netopia (burning fees apply)
September 25, 2013 -- Start of Friendship Cup. Prize: 30K worth for guild EB. This will end by November. After this event, the Emergency Call (EC) will be enabled again. Finest guild is a 3x champion in this event.
Ragnarok Classic -- Will be released in two batches: 2nd Jobs and Transcended Jobs.
GM Vazilos and GM Garrick are responsible for releasing publicity for pRO Future Updates, not GM Anael. There will be another Midgard Congress just for the updates.
Rotation of scrolls will now be monthly, no longer weekly.
Entrance to Bossnia will require zeny in the future.
RWC 2014 will start in February
LUG still commits to "No Hack Policy". Players are still responsible for protecting one's own account against hackers.
September 28, 2013 -- 10th Anniversary of pRO in Davao
No more tiangge and no more CNR
There would be 3 more Bunny Band Upgrade challenges before the year ends
Sunday and Monday is the best day to send emails to GMs for prize updates, suggestions and bug reports: ragnarok@levelupgames.ph
Job rankings (taekwon, brewers) and Agit rankings will be reset soon
B.elu and B.ori will soon be discontinued (around November). There would be no limit on HD (for upgrading purposes)
Players are encourage to send suggestions like events for players (3v3, guild vs guild, sura vs sura, etc) to LUG for possible sponsorship (of prizes)
For updates regarding the Fate Siege Series, please send email to GM Paige.
GM Anael congratulates guilds on their anniversaries: Endless (8 years), Babaero (1 year), etc.
Battle Mode (BM) bug in New Iris and New Loki is a known issue. Bug have been reported to Gravity ages ago. LUG still making regular follow-up of this to the Developer.
No Emergency Call (EC) scrolls
LUG/PlayWeb is still commited in banning botters. Simply report them via Ragnarok website.
Parents of Ragnarok players in Valkyrie emailed LUG regarding the trash-talks of players in their server (via Microphone).
Some players are demanding the return of Ice Wall in the area where the Godly items are being made.
There is a proposal to increase the zeny requirement for Treasure Box (TB) investment.
No zeny wipe in Valkyrie
Sakray will also be using the New Client. It's currently open now for testing
War of Emperium (WoE) is following the Philippine Standard Time. Please email LUG regarding the discrepancies when it comes to the start and end time of sieges.
No server merge
No new server this year
Character transfer will be possible (except for New Iris). The price will depend on the gears that the character has.
Odin Trade Shop for Name Change are sometimes available in Level Up! Games events.
November 16, 2013 -- Anniversary of Audition and Grand Chase at SM North EDSA. Ragnarok will also be represented in this event. There would be auction for VIP. Email GM Anael to check if your MyLevelup account qualifies as a VIP. It depends on the number of Top Up Cards that an account consumed.
No release of cards. Obtain it via the server market or Old Card Album (OCA)
No commemorative
Guilds that would conduct EBs will be rewarded by LUG by Guyaks. Just send an email and invite the Game Masters (GM) of LUG
Players who attended this Midgard Congress are rewarded with 500 Guyaks (1,000 pcs for the Guild Master)
Try the old Ragnarok features like the Izlude Arena and send some suggestions to LUG to improve these features. The Mail System will not be enabled.
New Items on New Auction. Coming soon.

Technorati Tags: Midgard Congress,September 21,2013,GM Anael

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

I GoBigger and GoBetter with Globe

It’s definitely good news that Globe now comes with two promos that would definitely hit the market. Globe Prepaid just got better and bigger with more prepaid offers like the GoBigger and GoBetter!

Would you rather GoBigger or GoBetter?

Between these 2 current offers from Globe, I would rather GoBigger since it has the following features:

· GoUNLI30
· Unli Text to all networks
· Unli Calls (Globe/TM)
· Unli Chat (Viber, FB Messenger, Kakao, WeChat, Line and G Message
· P30 valid for 1 day
· GoCall100
· 500 minutes calls (Globe/TM)
· P100 valid for 7 days

The reason why I’d rather GoBigger is because a lot of my friends are into apps like Viber, FB Messenger, WeChat and Line. Most of my friends have smartphones and they’re also Social Media and Chat addicts like me. The GoBigger promo is perfect for me since it includes Unli Chat that will enable me to chat with most of them.

I would also spend this Globe Prepaid promo with my good friend Sef who’s also my movie and gimmick buddy. We’re both busy these days as call center agents and we rarely see each other. Keeping a constant communication is essential in keeping the friendship and be able to update each other on the things that’s been going on with our daily lives. Sef is a very interesting person whom I never get tired of chatting with.

So if you’re a Social Media and Chat addict like me, it’s time to GoBigger. Only Globe Prepaid gives me Bigger and Better unli offers.

Go Bigger
– GoCALL100 gives me more call minutes (500 mins) VS Competitors offer (200 mins). No need to use prefix to enjoy unlicalls.
– With GoUNLI30, I get real unlimited service with unli allnetwork texts, unli calls to Globe TM, plus the real UNLI-chat experience with the best apps available. It’s the real deal compared to competitor’s UNLI offer.

Go Better
- GoUNLITXT49 gives me the same UNLI texts to Globe/TM at a BETTER prices VS Competitors offer.
– With GoUNLI25, I get real unlimited service w/ unli Globe/TM calls and texts, plus unli Viber chat to the rest of my friends. It’s the real deal compared to competitor’s UNLI offer.

Click on the following images to learn more!

Technorati Tags: I GoBigger and GoBetter with Globe,Nuffnang Philippines,Globe

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Ragnarok’s 10th Anniversary in Pictures (Part 2 of 2)

Due to the enormous number of pictures I’ve taken of the recent 10th Anniversary Celebration of Philippine Ragnarok Online, I’ve decided to group these pictures according to the major activities and people in the event.

Please click on the following links for more pictures: