Operation Trim Down (Two Months After)

Below is the result I got from that measuring instrument you find at Mercury Drug after two months of working it out on the gym:

Weight: 183 lb 0 oz / 83.1 kg
Height: 5 ft 9.7 in / 177cm

Blood Pressure:
Max Systolic 110 mmHg
Max Diastolic 74 mmHg
Pulse/minute 100

Body Fat Estimation:
Fat Index 21.7%
Fat Mass 39 lb 0 oz / 18.0 kg
Free F. Mass 143 lb 6 oz / 65.1 kg

Age and Gender: 27 male

I may not get a very good results but I lost more than 11 lbs. so I am already happy with the outcome of my efforts. My waistline measurement is down by 4 inches and I can already wear my old pants and shirts once again. I will still do my best to lose some more weight and gain more muscles in the process. I hope by April 2008 I can already achieve the body I always wanted to have again.

Compare with my measurements during my first week on the gym here: First Week Result.

P.S. I am having a hard time dieting so I still eat my usual meals but try hard not to add some because I tend to eat some more after working out. But soon I will try to discipline myself and go on a diet. This I will do after the end of this year.

Spock That!

Have you heard the word spock before? Well I just find out recently what spock is all about and how great it is. If you are looking for people and would want to communicate with them then Spock.com is the right place to be. Not only that and in fact if you already added a person in your address book then if there are updates on that person or that person changes information about himself or herself your address book will automatically be updated too. It will also automatically organize your network, allowing you to easily search and contact them whenever you might want to get in touch with them in the future. This is great, right? So why not try it yourself now. It is fun, informative and most of all very helpful.

Below is an example of what you’re going to see in Spock.com:

Komikon 2007 Reminder

Don't forget to attend Komikon 2007 on November 17, 2007 (this coming Saturday) at UP Campus, Bahay ng Alumni, UP, Diliman. I do hope you will support us. Below are the covers of the comics that we will be selling on the event.

Paper Clip Komics Issue 2:

 Paper Clip Komics Issue 1:

 Paper Clip Komics Specials 1: Children of the Dam

Chicago Cubs Spring Training Once Again

If given the chance I’d love to attend the Chicago Cubs Spring Training because as far as my aunt Even’s boyfriend Dwaine have told me that fans of the team from all over the world attend this event to get a chance to see and be with their heroes. The fans got to see how their favorite team players warmed up for action like bat swinging, ball catching and so much more. The good thing here is that the venue is much smaller so you got to enjoy seeing them up-close in action on the field. Isn’t that exciting? I’m sure right now fans all over are saving and buying their Spring Training tickets to the Chicago Cubs and can’t wait to see their heroes in action. And I’m sure to some people out there like me are praying hard that their aunt’s boyfriend will get to buy us tickets too.

Disclosure: This blog entry is made possible by teamonetickets.com

House Of Congress Blast

Last night I was shocked upon watching ABS-CBN News Update, while burning calories on the treadmill, that the House of Congress here in the Philippines has been blasted, hurting many people and killing two. Apparently, the initial investigation said that the blast came from a parked tricycle not far away from the Congress south wing. This is crazy, just recently there was also an explosion on one of the malls (Glorietta 2) killing and injuring a lot of people and now another blast! This is not right, there is “something” must be done – fast.

Worry Free Tour

Right now my aunt Even is currently on tour with her beau and they are having a very good time. No hassle on hotel reservations and they just pack and go. The secret behind this worry-free-all-fun tour is reserving the place to stay on what country you want to visit online. Hotel reservations nowadays has become very easy, convenient, and worry-free because it was made possible by the internet. In fact, if you reserve your place to stay over the internet like www.hotelreservations.com is that you can actually save not only on your time but also on your money because hotel reservations online is much cheaper as compared to reservation done on your local travel agencies. Hotels, motels, and vacation rentals, you name it, they have it. Aside from that you can choose a wide range of accommodations to choose from that’s fit your budget on the country you want to go to. Plus you can have yourself pick-up by a car from the airport because you can easily book online on these kinds of services too, very convenient indeed. Now that my aunt secret to worry-free-all-fun tour is out, I’m sure you’ll experience this kind of tour as well if you follow her secret. After all, we want to go to a vacation or a tour to relieve us from stress and worry, right?



Disclosure: This entry is brought to you by www.hotelreservations.com

Sevens Tag From Pao

I’ve been tagged by Pao about my sevens.

Here are the rules:

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Pick 10 others you would like to get to know better.
3. Let them know you’ve tagged them by leaving a comment on their blog.
4. And don’t forget to give them the rules.

Seven truths about me:

1. I love comics and I am a comic artist.
2. I create silly poems.
3. I am a license engineer (ECE).
4. I am a clean-up/in-between artist for 2D animation.
5. I love blogging.
6. I am currently working as a programmer.
7. I am the eldest son among 5 siblings.

7x7 (which by the way is much harder):

1. My jersey number is always 7 from elementary to college.
2. There are 7 of us in the family.
3. I go to church on the 7th day of the week.
4. I have 7 sets of friends.
5. 7 is one of my favorite numbers.
6. I’ve been with 7 companies already (including on-the-job-training and apprenticeship program).
7. My current age ends in 7.

I want to tag: Jonas, Ardee, Andy, TL, Aethen, Gibbs and Wilson.

Loans

Have you ever experience a situation when you need cash fast and yet your bank account has no funds? Or need to buy house, car, and supplies for your family yet you are short on money? I’m sure in one way or another you have experienced this and it’s frustrating. Luckily, nowadays when you don’t have instant cash in your pocket you can easily apply for loans whether it could be homeowner loans to pay for your family’s shelter or personal loans during an emergency that you need to respond to. But before applying for one we need necessary precaution because like unsecured loans or loans that are actually too heavy for you to pay later on will only help you at a certain moment but might actually bring you loads of debt issues later on. Just a reminder, loans are everywhere and you can even apply online like http://www.nationsfinance.co.uk, but you must also think twice before deciding to apply and if you think you are sure to have your personal loans, homeowner loans, or even unsecured loan then go ahead it will be a great help in times you need it the most.

Disclosure: This blog entry is brought to you by http://www.nationsfinance.co.uk.

Copyright And ISBN or ISSN Application

I'd like to share Ruel Sarmiento's entry on our blog, Paperclipkomics, to help those who want to get their work copyrighted and get ISBN or ISSN at the same time.

Original Title: Paperclip Komics gets Copyright and ISSN

Here it goes:

Yup! Its the National Library in Ermita at the back ! Henry and I are sure exhausted after trekking the whole floors back and forth just to enforce the RIGHT the constitution gives us for our intellectual and creative toil. But don't worry, to those who wants their stuff copyrighted, it'll only takes less than half a day to do it. BOTH COPYRIGHT AND ISBN/ISSN. If you know what to expect...

What to bring:

-1,000 bucks. That'll cover the whole fees for ISBN/ISSN, Copyright, Documentary Stamp, Notary Public, and for the Gatorade/s you'll gulp at 7-11 infront of the Nat'l Lib.

-An I.D. or the National Lib. Reader's Card

-Copyright Application with TYPEWRITTEN ENTRIES and fully NOTARIZED!

-4 copies of work. 2 for Copyright and 2 for ISBN/ISSN

Getting the Copyright

First thing to do is to log-in at the front desk. You'll be given a visitor's badge in exhange for your I.D. Then proceed to the copyright division at the second floor(right wing facing the building). If you already have a notarized and typwritten entry form, then a staff of the copyright division will check the application and gets 2 copies of your work. NOTE: Inside your work should have this printed-Philippine Copyright 2006 by fill name of author/s. Or if you don't have a form, get a copy at the copyright division and fill-up the entries(typewritten only) and have it notarized.

We have a painful experience looking for a notary public and a typwriter! Now there is a street at the other side of 7-11 just perpendicular to Kalaw. Walk straight ahead 'till you cross U.N. Ave. and you won't miss it. They'll charge 170 pesos for typing the entries, notarization, and cedula(20 pesoses)...if you don't have any.

After all the requirements are checked, go to the cashier at the 4th floor and pay 200 pesos. Then proceed to the 6th floor to pay for the documentary stamp. And you're done! Go back to the copyright division to give the application form and receipts. After that we're told to come back after a month to get the certificate.

Getting the ISBN/ISSN

This was much easier but the climb (left wing) going to the ISBN/ISSN office made me wish that they should have a public elevator inside this building. We are kind of expecting a little debate if the officer won't give us the ISSN because of our format, which is comics. She just said, "Ano to? Ah...komiks". Flipping the whole pages one by one, gave us a form to be filled up and followed by an almost murmored "Haay Lord!" after leaving the table and consulting the other officer which we believe was just surfing the net at 10:30 am. After that we paid again 200 pesos at the cashier(4th floor-right wing) then went back again to the ISBN/ISSN division. We showed the receipt then we're finished. We've been told to place the ISSN number at the upper right front cover of our komiks and that we should give two copies to them everytime we publish.

Paperclip Komics issue 2 will be another separate copyright since we will be introducing 4 new stories from 4 new artists.

So that's it. Hope this guide will be handy to those who wants a Copyright and ISBN/ISSN on their work!

Bid To Win

There is a very exciting site that I find out over the internet. The site is called Bid4prizes.com. You can actually play bid over the internet. You can bid for different items over the internet like computers, laptops, Apple i-phone and even tour packages. What’s funny in this game is that the lowest unique bid will win the prize. Go on and try to check the site.

I actually browsed through the site and it is so user-friendly and very easy to understand. It’s so easy to follow the rules and understand its concept that anyone who has an internet access and has a mobile phone can play it. You can play over the internet or via mobile phone. Playing can get you free gifts, free stuffs, sweepstake and so much more. Everyday there’s a winner so you got all the chance in the world. And there’s a chance for your picture to be features on their site if you won a bid. That would really be nice.

If you’re not lucky enough to win any prize you can collect your points and exchange it with items available on Bid4prizes.com depending on the points you earned while playing so it’s as if you are playing on your local arcade stops. They have cash prize, tv’s, bags, and so much more at stake. Check it out guys and I think you’ll enjoy and going to love the game.

Gloomy Monday Morning

When I woke up this morning I suddenly felt sad. I don’t know why or what was the cause of this sadness but I can’t seem to pin point what. I don’t want to get up and head for shower nor close my eyes again to get back to sleep. I just lie down and stare at the ceiling for a while and trying to think what might have caused this strange sadness. It’s sad not knowing why I felt so sad so suddenly.

I don’t know if this experience ever occur to other people and I’d like to know how they cope up with it. It is already 23 minutes past 1 in the afternoon and yet I still can’t shake this feeling off me. This feeling tends to slow time and somehow makes me think back of what I’ve done in my life so far and if I already made a difference in this world. I don’t know really but what I know is that I still have a lot of things to do and learn in life. If other people felt like this too then they probably know how to deal with it.

Then I remember a poem that I read when I was little. It was on a page of my dad’s book of poems. I really can’t remember the whole poem or the title not even the author who wrote it but it goes something like this: “No one loves me that’s why I go to the garden and eat some worms.” Then somehow makes me think that there is no reason for me to be sad at all because unlike the person who wrote that poem I have people who love me. Accept me for who I am, accept my shortcomings, accept my faults, and even if I get hot-headed at times these people are still there for me. A lot of times I am not able to say hi or ask them if they are doing ok but when I do they are still there for me. How come I still have this feeling of sadness over me? I am on a strange situation and I’d like to take this off my back. Like the author of the poem, maybe letting out this feeling through sharing this experience by blogging would somehow help me overcome this feeling.

Come to think of it, maybe the reason why I feel what I feel right now is some events shake me that I choose to ignore that slowly building up until I need to release it but I did not. I really don’t know or felt ashamed to share something to someone somehow this build up of emotions try to find its own way and it just came out this morning when I woke up. This is just plain hypothesis and still can’t find enough evidence to prove my case but that’s the closest reason I could think of as to why I am carrying such sadness. Do you think that somehow, deep down in me, I know why I am sad but so afraid to know it that my mind chooses to shut it down? Oh weird. I am feeling weird right now. Well, what ever the reason is I’d like to know what it is.

Hey guys, if you ever felt like this too and can’t seem to know why and was able to handle it, it would really be nice of you to share it with me. Who knows, someone might read this entry who would want to know more about it too or someone who also has this feeling and want to get rid of it too. The thing is, like most people I don’t want to feel sad because I am a happy person and I want to stay that way.

Need More Cartridge?

I am an independent (indie) comic artist and in order published my indies I have to print a lot of copies. Most of the time I ran out of ink and ink can be very expensive (depending of course of the brand and model of your printer) especially for a small time publisher like me. It is very hard to look for a cheap ink and cartridge as a replacement for the used one. It is very heavy on my budget to buy right from the shops and stalls in the mall. Luckily for us Pinoys, people like us who have accounts in paypal can no receive and send money through them so we can shop over the internet more conveniently now. This great news makes me more confident to shop and look for items online and I found Cartridge Finder as a very good alternative in looking for cheaper and reliable cartridge online.

Cartridge Finder is the site to beat when it comes to cartridges and printers. Imagine you can easily find in CartridgeFinder.com about 10,000 different models of printer, copier, and fax machines as well as link you through to potential suppliers. Super-convenient, isn’t it?

Whenever I ran out of stuff that I need for my indie comics, I’ll check Cartridge Finder first because I know I can rely on them. Why don’t you try and check Cartridge Finder too.

Disclosure: This blog entry is brought to you by CartridgeFinder.com.

Verify Your Paypal Through E-ON

I decided to post here information for you people who would want to have their Paypal account verified. We all know that Paypal Philippines allows its members to send and receive funds but for members (like me) who don’t have or don’t want to have a credit card which you’ll be using for verification and for the expansion program there’s another option and it’s through UninonBank’s E-ON Cyber Account. The E-ON card is a debit card which you can use either as an ATM or as a debit card whether you transact through an ATM or through the internet depending on the situation you are in.

You may apply online or go to your nearest UnionBank branch and present 2 valid ID’s, it would be a better idea to apply directly because applying online still requires you to go to the nearest UnionBank the following day. Upon applying you will have to wait a week or so (well in my case the card arrived on the 8th day) before you’ll be able to get your E-ON card and be sure to call the bank before going there just to be sure that your card is ready to be picked up.

When you finally get your card, here are the things to do:
• You have to pay Php 350.00 (on the spot) for the annual fee and try to deposit about Php 150.00 to Php 200.00 that you’ll need later on when you apply for the Paypal expansion program.
• Then logon to http://www.unionbankph.com and click on the E-ON cyber account button. Another window pops out and there you’ll register your E-ON card online for you to be able to transact online. Get your card ready because you are going to enter information when you register like your card number, CVV (the last 3 digits located at the back of your card), PIN, and etc. After filling out all those information you’ll have to wait 2 to 3 days before your E-ON card to be activated.
• After your card is activated log on to your Paypal account and click on the “verify a card” link or “add credit card” link or something like that to encode your card. Then you will wait for another 5 days to contact the UnionBank’s call center (0284186) to get your “4 digit number” that you are going to use to activate and verify your E-ON card.
• If you got the “4 digit number” encode it on your Paypal account by clicking on the “Expanded Use” something link and if the codes are correct then your Paypal account is now verified. Well Paypal charges you $1.95 automatically for the transaction (automatically deducted from your E-ON cyber account that’s why you have to deposit Php 150.00 to Php 200.00 upon getting your card aside from the Php 350.00 annual fee for this purposes) which will be refunded to you upon your first transaction.
• Now if you already have funds on your Paypal account and want to get it just transfer your funds from your Paypal account to your E-ON cyber account online and withdraw the money at your nearest ATM.

The steps are easy, right? Probably the most difficult part is the waiting part but overall it’s really so easy to apply for E-ON card and have your Paypal account verified. I was able to do it without any problem at all so I think you’ll be able to do it yourself too. I do hope that this information is a great help for you guys.

Enjoy shopping and selling online!

Millau Viaduct In Paris, France

Another e-mail coming from my officemate Charlene I believe worth sharing is her e-mail about Millau Viaduct - a large cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France. The bridge connects Paris and Barcelona and is known to be the highest bridge piers in the world. It is 240 meters high (and overall 336 meters high). Below is the photo of the bridge:

Speaking of France, if I’d be able to visit that part of the planet I’ll definitely would want to check Millau Viaduct and have a closer look of it. France, specially Paris is also famous for its architectures and landmarks like Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Église de la Madeleine, Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, Opéra Garnier, Notre Dame de Paris, Musée du Louvre, and Luxembourg Palace.


Aside from Paris’ architectures and landmarks, the city is also famous not only because of French Open (one of the world’s most famous tennis tournament) and Artists Quarter but most of all because of Moulin Rouge. Remember the film starred by Nicolde Kidman and Ewan McGregor? Well, Moulin Rouge is actually a traditional cabaret which offers musical adult entertainment for adukt visitors from all over the world. But now, courtesans no longer exist in Moulin Rouge as it became a legitimate nightclub with amazing dancers with exceptional skills.


Paris is also known to be a very romantic city or so I’ve heard (French people are known to be the most romantic on the planet). Most people go there to celebrate their feelings toward their love ones. Just imagine roaming around the city and seeing people spending most of their visit touring the city’s landmarks side-by-side with the people they love, what a sight to behold. Now that most of us are so busy with work, I think it would be best to visit a place like Paris to spend more time with your partner or with your family and remember the good old times.

France in general is well known for it's literature and it has influenced the world so much. Among France's famous writers are Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and Jules Verne. They produced books like The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte-Cristo, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and probably my favorite The Hunchback of Notre-Dame which is also adapted into an animation movie by Walt Disney Pictures. This reason alone is enough for me to visit France.

Whether traveling with your partner or with your family, hotels in Paris are not hard to look for. In fact you can book at a much cheaper price over the internet that booking right from a travel agency. Hotels in France are available all year round and there are a lot to choose from which varies from apartments to hotels. How I wish to visit Paris someday with my love one and stroll around its famous landmarks and stay at France's nice hotels.

Mac Poker Update

This is to inform you guys that if you a poker online fan and you are using a MAC computer there is one site in the internet that you must visit. It's safe, it's reliable and it's trustworthy. The webiste is called Mac Poker and it has a list of poker online games that you would love to play. Since internet is a very powerful tool, you can enjoy playing your favorite poker at the convenience of your own home. Mac Poker is realy the site to be to play online poker with Mac.

Mac Poker offers a lot of information about online poker - about its legality, security, and software that you could use to play the game. This is really great news for those who love the game. This is really a brilliant idea. I must commend the creator of this great innovation. Some types of online poker games you would love to try and play are Pacific Poker, FullTilt Poker, and the PokerStars. You could even have Poker Bonus if you register. Upon browsing through the website and try some of its links you’ll definitely find what you’re looking for and you could even discuss and exchange information or ideas through the forums. The site also offers recommendations, blogs and news all about Mac Poker online. I say this again, if you want to look for an online poker game that you can trusts and has a very outstanding reputation then Mac Poker is the place for you.