This I just cannot understand. Someone please help me try to comprehend how blatant corruption and malversion of public funds this is. Apparently, when the Bureau of Customs hits their annual target, they get P500 Million in reward which the can spread amongst themsleves. The Customs Chief, Napoleon Morales, got a lump sum of P5.3 Million pesos! OMGWTFBBQ is that? That money could have just gone to all the victims who were devastated by the typhoon Frank! Every single centavo of that P500M came from OUR TAXES. There could have been so many uses for the P500M but instead of helping the average pinoy with it, we end up giving it to the people who are already swimming in cash. (more…)

I’m currently in a crossroads in my life. On one hand I have a good career that has a lot of potential. My bosses are really good, and they’re always supportive. I can’t thank them enough for molding me into a professional and a leader. I’ve rose through the ranks in the past 3 years pretty quickly and this wouldn’t have been possible if my superiors didn’t keep on pushing me to become the best I can be. Almost 70% of who I am now is because of the online gaming industry. On the flip side, there’s another path calling me. This one leads me to a very familiar place - one that has also nurtured me from the time I was born till the day I decided to join the online gaming industry. There are risks involved, but if I succeed, I believe that I would have already paved that way for a good future for myself and my family. This is really the biggest decision I’ve yet to make in my life, and this is what you can really call “life-altering”. (more…)

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao once again proves to the entire world that he is the best pound-per-pound boxer. True to a lot of predictions made by people, Pacman was able to score a knockout against Diaz before the 10th round. After 9 grueling rounds where Diaz attempted time and time again to come back, Pacman finally laid him down with a vicious series of punches, leaving the mexican floored. Pacquiao started with a quick right jab and moved in for the kill with a 1-2 combo that ended with his powerful left, finally finishing the Diaz’s championship reign. So what did Diaz say after the match? Find out after the jump. (more…)

Last Friday night, I went out with my Ateneo college blockmates and it was really fun seeing each other again after such a long time. We met up at Red Box in Greenbelt 3 for a night of good old fashioned singing, drinking, and unwinding. It’s amazing how much everyone has grown through the years! I can’t believe that almost all of us are past 25 already and it has only been 4 years since everyone left college. Anyway, to commemorate our sudden reunion, I suggested we play a drinking game which we last played in Freshman Year - “I Have Never”. Basically people confess stuff that they’ve done and all those who’ve done the same thing drink. When we first did it in Freshman Year, only a few people were actually gulping down beer… which means most of us were still innocent back then. But OH MY GOD, this time it’s different! Hahahaha!

A few more pictures of our “rare” gimmick after the jump. (more…)

After months of intense and heated rivalry, Senator Obama and Clinton finally buried the hatchet and showed a united front for the Democratic party in New Hampshire. Though Clinton probably might have been dying inside, I can’t help but admire her for her political maturity. Despite having to go through a very personal fight with Obama, she showed grace and class in publicly endorsing her previous opponent. I don’t even think we have senators or politicians like that here in the Philippines. I know though that we have a lot of “balimbings” but that doesn’t come close to what Sen. Clinton did.

That’s actually the problem in the Philippines. Let’s talk about the upcoming 2010 Presidential Elections for a bit.
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It looks like the best party place in town is turning out to be a PLACE OF DEATH! Lol. Another fight broke out at Embassy Club and this time in included one of the DJ’s who literally mauled a 20-year old balikbayan. The fight stemmed from another misunderstanding which turned ugly since egos were really high and let’s not forget that people were probably drunk/high as well. Not a good combination if you ask me. It’s really weird that so much violence happens in a place were everyone is just supposed to chill.

This isn’t the first time Embassy had bad press on fights like this. (more…)

Finally, payback time. Senator Miriam Santiago was recently endorsed by none other than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for a seat in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The President endorsed her during the reception for her at the UN Headquarters in New York while on her state visit to the United States. The fiery senator has firmly defended the administration in almost all of the major issues that came up in the past few years. Ever since she came back to the senate, watching hearings on ANC became a much more livelier experience, hehe.

More after the jump. (more…)

Other than being a gaming industry executive, I also am a part-time consultant for new media and internet marketing. I get to meet a lot of interesting people because of this and one of them is 2010 Presidential Candidate and Senator, Mar Roxas. I finally met with him today and he’s really a humble and approachable guy. He’s very down-to-earth and he’s actually a bit geeky, hehe. Anyway, I hope he continues to pass more relevant bills for the Filipino people like the Cheaper Medicines Bill which he sponsored. Here’s a picture I took after our meeting.

You know what guys, I think this show will get much higher ratings in the Philippines than Pinoy Idol or Pinoy Dream Academy. Why? Britain’s Got Talent is not just about singing. As long as you have a good act, you can audition and eventually win the entire competition. Last year’s winner was a 13 year old kid who was a really good street dancer. He made a huge impression on the entire world when he did a fantastic semi-final performance dancing to a remixed version of “Singing in the Rain”. Here’s a video of his performance during the finals.

GEORGE SAMPSON

Last weekend, Typhoon Frank hit the Philippines. Most of the people in Metro Manila complained about the loss of electricity, internet, and some even celebrated that there were no classes yesterday for all levels of school. This is a sad reflection of the level of apathy we have here in Manila. We should all be thankful that the storm didn’t affect our part of the country as much as it did others. There have been multiple news items of how badly Frank devastated our countrymen in various parts of the nation - including one horrible incident of sinking a ship that had more than 800 people on board.