Material Boy

I thought this would be handy for all those Prison Break Fans out there.

Prison Break is getting more morbid. Before we saw how Veronica got shot and chopped. How Michael Scoffield’s toe was cut off… and now, another morbid way of killing an important character in the story, Sara.

I got this episode recap TV.com giving a detailed recap of the latest episode.

Previously on Prison Break: there was a box.

So, of course, we start off with Linc having a flashback about opening the Box, but we don’t actually get to see what’s inside.

SONA. Michael’s still with the creepy staring at dead bodies. Whistler pops over and Michael points out that there’s no current in the fence. Whistler says everyone knows that, but there are men with big guns (dirty!) about. Michael continues staring and Whistler interrupts by asking about his precious bird book. Blah blah “I need it.” He makes a half-assed threat against Linc, which Michael shoots down pronto.

Continue reading »

I just heard that they already announced the housemates for this season of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Celebrity Edition 2. Although I thought it was supposed to be highly confidential to not spoil the excitement, here it is:

Female cast:

1. Ethel Booba
2. Megan Young
3. Marylaine Biernes
4. Jen de Silva
5. Rizza Santos
6. Zarah Aldana
7. Yayo Aguila

Male cast:

1. Baron Geisler
2. Donald Geisler
3. Jon Avila
4. Victor Basa
5. Will Devaughn
6. Macoy Fundales

This list is going to be aired and announced on October 14. I am not super sure about it yet but at least I already have an idea of who they’re going to be.

I am not really a big fan of Pinoy Big Brother. Not even a small fan. I’m not even a fan at all. But you know, I just wanna share it since I think a lot of people are interested in knowing.

Update: ABS-CBN announced that there are 20 possible names in the list of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Celebrity Edition 2 Housemates. This list is not yet final. Additional celebrities were added in the list such as Mahal and Andrew Wolff. 

International stars just keep on coming in!

RnB Singer Beyonce Knowles will be in Manila, Philippines for her concert on November 7, 2007 at the Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Ticket Prices are P5665, P2575, P1030(limited) and P618 (all prices include 3% service charge). Senior citizens are entitled to 20% discount with proof of eligibility but not available in conjuction with any other promo or discount. Tickets are still available at Ticketworld. Grab your ticket now!

My favorite (to the extent of playing his songs more than 100x / day in my car) Josh Groban will have a concert at the PICC Plenary Hall in Manila, Philippines on October 17 and 18, 2007 at 8 PM.

From what I heard, tickets were already sold out a long time ago. Too bad I really wanted to go. Oh well, i’d just have to listen to him through my iTunes.

Josh Groban’s concert in Manila will only have limited seats available to the general public. The ticket prices range from P25,000 (limited), P20,000, P15,000, P10,000, P5,000 and P3,000 (limited). Also, senior citizens are entitled to a 20% discount with proof of eligibility but not available in conjunction with any other promo or discount.

Ticket prices may be costly, but considering his performance, I think it’s super worth every penny.  It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that i’m sure all the Josh Groban fans out there really wouldn’t wanna miss.

And by the way, there are two tickets being sold on Ebay for P50,000! You might wanna grab it before it’s gone. Tickets are limited. As of this minute, there’s only 1 day and hour left before the bidding closes. Bid now!

Wanna know my secret on how I lost 1-2 pounds per day resulting to a total of 10 pounds in 6 days? Let me share the best diet i’ve tried with the fastest results.

Well, have you starved yourself? Have you ever tried starving yourself and not eating anything at all to lose weight? Did you deprive yourself of anything edible just so you can lose that extra pound or achieve your desired figure?

That kind of “Starvation Diet” is WRONG! If you’re going to do an unhealthy diet, at least make it right and beneficial! There is a proper and correct way of Starvation Diet that will guarantee you better achievement compared to not eating anything at all!

It is said that the best way to improve your metabolism is by eating every 4-5 hours or so. This is so that you can fool your stomach that it is constantly being used. Having nothing in your stomach will signal the brain to slow down your metabolism to cope up with the lack of food to digest.

Don’t forget to eat something every 4-5 hours. Maybe 1 piece of cracker? Anything below 50 calories will do. Don’t overdo it. You might end up binging on snacks consisting of 1 million grams of carb! I try to at least not take more than 500 calories per day.

Always drink lots of water. Lots and lots of water. Every hour if possible. This helps in making you feel satiated. Drink everytime you feel hungry. Maybe a glass or two of water. Avoid anything with sugar for sugar is another source of unwanted fat.

Make sure to avoid exercising when you’re starving. I tried this once and I got dizzy. Your body will not burn anything but essential muscles since you haven’t eaten anything. Exercise ONLY when you ate something heavy.

This correct starvation diet will lead to better results specifically in the midsection area. The incorrect starvation of not eating anything at all will only make you look saggy! Who would want to look like a shar pei? Plus, sagging leads to tummy tuck!

Starvation diet only works for those who are disciplined enough to avoid food. Whatever I wrote here will not help those who want tips on how they can escape from food, since that is a psychological thing already.

Oh and by the way, this doesn’t mean that I’m promoting starvation! I’m only trying to correct the generalized notion that starvation means “not eating anything” at all.

Final note: Starvation Diet is UNHEALTHY and CAN cause malnutrition and eventually death. NEVER OVERDO IT.

I have a semi-beat-up Canon Ixus digital camera. I think it’s great and all, but it’s starting to give up as it ages.

Right now I’m wishing for a better cam so that I can create a blog of my daily experiences. I want to post images of event that may occur only once in a lifetime.

Best thing I can think of after doing a 2-minute research on digital cameras is a Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH.

Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH is slim and fully flat. Very easy to carry around. It’s 7.1 mega pixels and has a 3x optical zoom! It also has high ISO for those moving targets.

I just hope Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH has that very bright flash because I like taking pictures whenever I go out at night.

It’s affordable too considering that it only costs around $180. I can’t wait to get myself one. I hope soon. I’ll do more research first.

I was blogging about my previous post when my mom went in and asked if I wanted to go to Pansol in Laguna.As usual, I thought about it at first before giving a big fat (but polite) NO.

Pansol offers a lot. Hot springs, Private Resorts, Water Falls, Native dining… It is described as an ideal place for relaxation with family and friends. Here in the Philippines, it is a place where people unwind after a week of stress and hardcore labor. Basically, it’s a place where the old mature people would enjoy.

I am not a fan of nature’s best. I don’t get all excited when I see views.I don’t like swimming around, except for beaches. I don’t like hot springs, since hot water was invented.

So bottomline is, Pansol is NOT really anywhere near my type of relaxation.

I went to 7-11 earlier only to find out that they’re now selling Evian! For an affordable price of $1 per bottle!Finally! This country is coping up. I’ve longed to have this mineral water around, hearing all the great reviews.

I’ve seen lots of celebrities drink Evian! Not here in Philippines, of course. I don’t know if its claim to have better effects that normal purified or distilled water is true, considering that it came from the French Alps.

So the question is, what is it about the natural elements of French Alps that can’t be found on other mountains, say, Mount Everest? Mount Pintubo?

It’s only them who knows the answer. As for me, i’ll be hoarding Evian. Who knows, if people here realize that it’s not a necessity, they might just pull out their stock anytime. Tsk. They should consider the others who’re longing for the taste of the mineral-rich melted ice from the French Alps.

I once saw this video from Evian’s website. From that video i saw how they make Evian! It’s a very very long process. With every gulp that I make, I experience the kindness of sweet sweet mother nature. =D

Here’s a little something I got from Wiki about Evian:

“Evian is a high-end French brand of mineral water from several sources near Lake Geneva.

Today, Evian is owned by Danone Group, a French multinational company. Evian first entered the U.S. market in 1978, where it was served to celebrities in high end lounges and restaurants in distinctive bottles.

In addition to mineral water, Danone Group uses the Evian brand for a line of organic skin care products and the Evian Royal Resort in France.”

I know i’ve been blogging a lot about Material Boy and how it ranks in certain search engines, but it really excites me to see the progress of this site.

Material Boy started 12 days ago with small content and not a lot of sense. Material Boy slowly climbed up the Google Search Engine ladder being the 9th, then 6th, then 4th… and now it’s 2nd.

Imagine! Top 2 and I didn’t really exert that much effort! Now my only problem is that Google doesn’t index my posts instantaneously. And that’s my next priority.

Update: I ranked 2nd over 32,900,000 results for “Material Boy”

I had no idea about this 2007 Retro Ball at the Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club event. It was scheduled yesterday, October 9. I saw it posted somewhere then I realized that it would’ve been fun joining a Retro Ball. Dressing up is nice every once in a while. That Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club isn’t that far either. It would’ve been really nice to have pictures there.

The 2007 Retro Ball is actually one of those dual purpose events where you get to have fun and at the same time you get to help the needy. As described by the organizers “The 2007 Retro Ball will help raise funds for the Gawad Kalinga project of Couples for Christ and Christ the King Parish, so while you’re doing the hustle, you’re creating positive change!“. How very philanthropic of them. Too bad it’s too late. That Retro Ball could’ve been a once a year event or maybe a once in a lifetime chance. If I grow up and become so materially-abundant, I will do events like this too! I hope I remember this blog one day and realize that I said on this date that I will do something philanthropic someday, somehow.

I’ve been a loyal customer of David’s Salon for… almost a year now. I go to David’s Salon to have my usual Php160 haircut (Not bad huh?). Given that it’s done by a professional hair stylist, I think it’s worth it. All I do is get a trim anyway. For that price I get to have my hair rinsed and shampooed twice, a back massage, a head massage, and of course, let us not forget, a haircut. The service is good. I don’t hear anyone asking me any personal question besides my school, or age or if i’m working (which I find insulting since it’s pertaining that i LOOK OLD). I don’t hear anyone mumbling gossips. David’s Salon is a place where I can read magazines while having my hair styled and trimmed without being bothered. Very professional indeed. A stylist does my hair while an assistant goes around and cleans me up everytime the trimmed hair starts piling up. For that they get Php50 tip. Hahahah. I’m a student and I can’t afford to give more than that for just a haircut. I get my hair done every 2-3 weeks so most likely they’re already familiar with me. The first question the stylist will ask me is “The usual?“. They keep on reshuffling their stylists tho. Everytime they do that I have to brief the stylist again of the haircut i’d like, which takes time and effort. Haaai.

David’s Salon here in the Philippines (I don’t know if there are other branches of David’s Salon outside of the country) offers Haircut, Cellophane, Highlights, Shampoo, Blow Dry, Perm, Make-Up, Hot Oil, Waxing and Hair Rebonding, Paraffin Wax, Threading, Body and Back Massage (according to their list). They have over 40 branches all over the Philippines. I’ve been to 3 branches and I must say, there’s consistency in the professionalism. I like that. Being exposed in a professional environment, I don’t like the bara-bara (no system) method. Well, that depends on my mood. =D

For more information on David’s Salon, visit the David’s Salon Website. I highly recommend it.

One of the things I must always have is the Deep Cleansing Nose Strip By Beauty Formulas. I like looking at myself in the mirror. Week after week after week, I go about the same issue of dirt and oil around or in the nose area. I have tried products before that are messy and sticky all over. This eventually stopped when I used these nose strips by Beauty Formulas.

Deep Cleansing Nose Strips By Beauty Formulas claims:

• Remove Dirt and Oil from the Nose area
• Helps to Remove Blackheads
• Tightens Pores for Healthier Looking Skin

Deep Cleansing Nose Strips By Beauty Formulas costs around Php150. That’s about $3 for a pack of 6. CHEAP HUH? Good deal since you only have to use probably once or twice a week! The nose strip really helps in cleaning up my face, specially my nose. Wet your nose, apply the nose strip on your moist nose, wait for 10-15 minutes, peel it off, look at the cactus-like strip full of unwanted elements from your nose… then VOILA! You’re done! I wonder why mostly guys are the ones who’re victims of these white and blackhead phenomenon. They’re so irrelevant to the population’s existence. They have no benefit nor harm. Well, harm.. maybe… it’s such a great self-esteem vanquisher. I actually let it stay til about 20-30 mins to make sure that the nose strips really goes deep down my pore and cleans it.

For me, this is the best Nose Strip around. Either this, or I wouldn’t use nose strip at all.

My Search Engine Optimization method is slowly working. Although my experiment is still under construction, i am seeing progress. A few minutes ago, i typed the word “Material Boy” in Google Search Engine. And to my astonishment, I wasn’t expecting to be in the first page, but there it was… “Material Boy. Insights of a materialistic boy…“.

A little background about this blog of mine. I made an account around 10 days ago. I have lots of other blogs out there, but I realized that i want one also for personal use. So here it is. I uploaded some of the posts i made as test articles that was a little more than 15 days ago. I started blogging. Fixing everything. Making sure that everything was optimized for Search Engines, preferable Google.

As seen in my previous entries, I already felt this high ranking thing a few days back. But it started going down after I made significant changes. Changes which I had to do to make my Material Boy blog user-friendly. I check everyday in Google search if my blog is climbing its way back up, but to my dismay, it wasn’t. I’m not really planning to make Material Boy a public thing. I just want to blog about personal stuff. My blog are, yes, a little more on the marketing side, considering that this was the way i’ve been blogging ever since.

Little did I know that this blogging type of mine will give Material Boy a better rank. I am not getting much traffic though. Who would search for material boy anyway, right? I’m just happy that at least it’s there lurking somewhere on top of every other Material Boys out there.

Being 6th is an accomplishment. It was 9th before, but hey, during that time I wasn’t even blogging about anything. And given that my blog layout isn’t Search Engine Optimized, which takes my blog posts a longer time to be indexed in search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN, I think being even in a Search Engine is an accomplishment. My other blogs are all optimized giving them better ranks. But this Material Boy blog? Not totally. Maybe it’s the way I write? Who knows? I’m too tired to even think of how Google really works. As for me, Material Boy ranks 6th in Google Search and that’s all there is to it. It made my day.

Bare Escentuals is the best mineral makeup (or makeup, for that matter) that I tried. Firstly, i’m a guy with a super OILY skin. This makes me prone to break outs. Everyday after taking a bath, I have to use an anti-oil product that will lessen my oily-look.

Having tried the product, I can honestly say that Bare Escentuals is the best out there. Mineral Makeups are so great since they claim that it’s super mild that you can even “sleep on it”. Whenever I have Bare Escentuals Mineral Makeup on (I only use Mineral Veil Untited by Bare Escentuals and sometimes Foundation with SPF 15 by Bare Escentuals), everyone notices my glow. Mineral makeups do just that. Due to the very fine ingredients of mineral makeup, it’s like you’re not using anything at all.

Bare Escentuals blends with my skin complexion perfectly. This Mineral Makeup gives me the matte finish that I want plus a youthful, radiant and glowing skin. It also lessened by breakouts and minimized my impurities. No Kidding! Nobody ever asked if I have anything on since nobody notices the Bare Escentuals Mineral Makeup that I use. All I hear from people is that I have glowing skin and that they’re jealous. Hahaha.

An obvious makeup is a big no-no for me. People noticing me wearing makeup will kill me. I really recommend Mineral Makeup, and of course the best brand for me is Bare Escentuals. Try Bare Escentuals cosmetics and it just might change your life. I for one am a convert. Before, I thought makeup would make me look ghastly. But now, I can’t live without it.

I’ve been going to Bench Fix Salon before. Bench Fix Salon offers their haircut for around P200. This is more expensive compared to the other salons that I go to, except for that one salon before cause it was my favorite. I go to Bench Fix Salon Podium Branch in Ortigas Center. The Bench Fix Salon in that area is within a Bench store, which makes the whole thing unique.

So anyway, enough about the description of Bench and the Salon. It’s sad that I already find David’s Salon better than Bench Fix Salon. Maybe not the whole salonnes (if there’s such a word), but the stylists. Well it really depends on the stylist and not on the establishment. If only I knew about the other options out there, I wouldn’t have opted for Bench in the first place, considering that they’re mostly located in malls, making it awkward for me to go. I usually want to have my haircut without getting all prepared for some eye-catching stints. A salon isn’t supposed to be inside a mall, in my opinion. A salon, unlike what Bench Fix Salon does, should be located in an outside establishment.

Given the circumstance that I didn’t like the outcome of the haircut done by one of the stylists from Bench Fix Salon, I wouldn’t have any choice but to disembark in a journey of humiliation as i step outside the salon.

Bench Fix Salon is great if you’re into being practical. It would be best if you’d have your hair done inside a mall so that you can go outside of the salon right after getting primped and prettified (first time i used those words). But as for me, my experience in all Bench Fix Salons was like having my derma inside a mall. Wherein after the excruciating pain of blackhead removal and pimple pricking, you have to endure the stares and glances you get from strangers, who look at you and scrutinize what has happened to your face.

I have been experimenting on SEO for Material Boy to earn a few bucks this vacation. I have other experimental sites too working their way up in the search engine ladder. A few days ago Material Boy, my site, ranked top 8 in the search for Material Boy in Google. Although some of the posts didn’t index as fast, I had very high hopes considering that since the main index site of Material Boy ranked high on Google, it will then let the spiders crawl further into my blog.

Everything changed when I used google sitemap. I installed a sitemap script for Material Boy, thinking that it would boost the SEO of the site. I then registered the site to Google Sitemaps then added the sitemap. A day later, I found that Material Boy was not even indexed in Google anymore. Instead of being a Search Engine Optimization agent, it totally removed my site index page from Google. I decided that this wasn’t a good idea, so i automatically removed Material Boy from sitemaps and deleted every trace of it.

Next day, my site was once again in the first page of “Material Boy” search page in Google. Not only was it in the 8th, but it went up to 6th. Material Boy was already ranked 6th on Google even if it only was its 3rd day.

I gave sitemap another chance to SEO my blog. To my dismay, the same incident occured. I removed it again from sitemap, but voila… until now, Material Boy is nowhere to be found in Google Search. The problem is, not only did it affect the experimental blog, it also caused the other sites within the domain to decrease its ranking.

I was looking for a quick fix, but what i got was a whooping SEO disaster.

Since i’m guessing that Material Boy’s Google Search issue is gonna be problematic for a longer time, i took the opportunity to change the blog template. Only to find out that the template i used wasn’t recommended for money-making blogs. It wasn’t optimized for indexing. Oh well, at least the site looks good.

The second fight of Manny Pacquiao against Marco Antonio Barrera will be held a few hours from now. Everyone here in the Philippines is rooting for Manny Pacquiao. Well not really everyone. There are those who’re cursing him for being so f**king rich. Manny Pacquiao a few years ago was worth about $5 Million. Right now maybe double? One game and he earns how much? Millions and millions of dollars. Marco Barrera wouldn’t go empty handed either. Both Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, win or lose, will get millions on this fight. I’m sure of that.

Here’s an article from Inquirer explaining Manny Pacquiao’s condition (him having weight issues before the fight) currently and some other score information of both Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, which I see as hieroglyphics, given that I don’t have any background on boxing.

“LAS VEGAS–A gaunt, ghostly figure officially identified as Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines was certified ready on Friday (Saturday in Manila) for his monumental rematch with muscular Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera at the Events Center of the Mandalay Bay Hotel here.

Based on the displayed physical discrepancy, the bout would’ve been disallowed if it were to have been promptly fought after Friday’s weigh-in.

The two warriors square off Saturday for the second time in an anticipated classic made doubly suspenseful following the confirmation of a Pacquiao weight problem.

Fight time is 8 p.m. Saturday here (Sunday 11 a.m. in Manila).

“Knockout!” blurted Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach when asked for his final battle order after Friday’s dramatic weigh-in.”

For fun, i tried Blog Juice even though my site has only been running for a couple of days. Obviously, since i’m not anywhere near being an online guru, my blog juice score was only 0.1. And it was expected. Hahaha. Anyway,you can try it out and see what your site’s blog juice score is.

I’ll blog juice again after a few months. I hope my score gets higher tho. If not, then that would be dreadful.

Update: (10/13) My current Blog Juice score is 0.6. This means i don’t have to commit suicide since it got higher. That’s all.

I had an earlier post regarding Dermisol Lotion by NuDerm. I wrote it a few weeks ago. I give this Dermisol Lotion a 5/10. Why? Because instead of giving me an acne-free skin, it made my skin retaliate. I guess the effectivity of this Dermisol Lotion really depends on the user and the skin type. I hear NuDerm has a wide array of products. Maybe i’ll be able to find something soon for my skin type. Dermisol isn’t really working for me. It’s gonna expire with the other anti-bacterial lotions in my cabinet.

Unlike my older brand, Olay White Radiance Facial Wash doesn’t clog my pores, leaving my face smoother and almost-acne-free. Olay is a better brand since it has beem in the market for a long time. This facial wash is sensitive and non-comedogenic. It has a whitening effect that gives you the glowing radiance after washing your face. I used Dove before, and I must say, Olay is 100% better. Olay doesn’t give me the dry-skin feel, hence it locks in the moisture.

I actually sound like i’m making a commercial of Olay White Radiance Facial Wash. Hahaha. I’m so happy with Olay cause it didn’t irritate my skin. For such affordable price, it’s really worth it.

Olay White Radiance Facial Wash