Gas Price Increase? Nothing New

Some people get high blood pressures when they hear of another roudn of gas price increase. Not me. I have died already too many times because of that news. Rather UN-NEWS. A new round of gas price hike is no longer news to me because it happens all the time in the Philippines.

Daily gas consumers should get used to high gas pries because there is nothing anyone can do ---you can march daily on the streets, starve yourself to death---but it will not change the way things are, at least in the gas price department.

But there are some things you can do to save on gas. Here goes:
1. Walk, walk, walk.
2. Plan your trip so you don't have to pass the same location twice.
3. Gas up in the morning
4. Don't let your gas go dry
5. Buy a gas-efficient vehicle
6. Better yet, buy a diesel-powered vehicle
7. Only use your vehicle for family trips; take the public transportation if you're the only one using the car

Easter Fun At SM City Davao

Some families in Davao celebrated Easter by soaking themselves wet in beaches and swimming pools. Others however opted for a different kind of fun like spending Family Day at SM City Davao.

SM City sponsored a whole Day Easter Family Day Activity starting with free painting sessions, face painting and Parlor Games for the whole family at the SM Event Center in the morning. A clown hosted the morning games. The fun however started in the afternoon with the Easter Egg painting.

Then came the parade of children in their easter costumes. The kids wore different costumes as an interpretation of the Easter theme.

Most of the kids were in the traditional bunny costumes while others wore non-traditional Easter costumes like a military-inspired Easter bunny and a carrot.

The Easter Egg hunt sent everyone--including the adults, scampering for eggs anywhere. Lots and lots of Unilab milk---Bright and Enervon---were given away as prizes for those who participated in the show.

Movie Guide: Jim Carrey Is At It Again!

Jim Carrey of the famous Truman Show, Bruce Almighty, Dumb and Dumber, The Mask etc, etc, is back! But this time, as an elephant named Horton! The showign of the movie in time for Easter Sunday is appropriate since it has a time-old message that everybody should heed: Respect everyone no matter how small, insignifact or poor.

Horton is an elephant who hears a cry of help from a speck of dust. Turns out that the speck consist of a community with its very own mayor. Reminds me of a graduation I attended last week where the school administrator (and the owner) including some of the teachers reeked of FAVORITISM! As usual, the center of their attention was the son of a literally filthy politician from Cotabato who was not really brilliant but guess what? The kid (and even the yaya and the mother)are getting so much attention because they drop their money left and right like there's no tomorrow. Those from the academe should be the one to teach the kids to respect people rich or poor. In effect, they are the ones teaching the kids to bow their heads on moneyed people.

The Movie is made by Century Fox Animation, the same outfit that brought us Ice Age. It is based on the 1954 book of Dr. Seuss, an authority on family literature. Horton Hears A Who is just one among a series of Horton titles.

Here's the movie guide for this week

Horton Hears A Who GP
SM Cinema 1 11:20/1:15/3:10/5:05/7:00
NCCC Cinema 2 12:25 / 2:20 / 4:15 / 6:10 / 8:05

In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale PG 13
SM Cinema 6 12:15/2:25/4:35/6:45/9:00
NCCC CInema 4 12:20 / 2:45 / 5:10 / 7:35 / 10:00

Dan In Real Life PG13
SM CInema 3 12:10/1:55/3:40/5:25/7:10

Holy Week In Davao Reeks Of Commercialism

There was a time when Holy Week used to be a solemn season especially observed in silence by those who want to retreat and look at their past lives. Other people prefer to go away from it all and spend the Holy Week in beaches. We spent one Holy Week in Paradise and it was great. Others prefer to visit various churches.


When in Davao City, nothing beats The Shrine if you want to feel the Holy Week. There are different stations placed along the road going to the Shrine. It is an uphill climb so those who want to complete the whole Station of the Cross would really experience hardship and lots of sweat going up. But this time around, every station is not only a place to recite the Lord's Prayer but also a place for food, drinks and in some cases, a mini tiangge. So much for the Lenten Spirit.


The road to the Shrine Hills reeked of commercialism. It was like the food street of the malls were transferred there. There was a Greenwich booth, a Dunkin Donut booth and what have you. Even the inside of the Shrine had a Coca Cola Stall.


Looking at this modern way of observing Lent, one can recall how Jesus went wild and turned the tables on the people who were selling all sorts of goodies outside the church.

Giant Slide At Gaisano Mall Davao

You still have until Sunday to enjoy Allegro's giant inflatable slide at the Atrium of the Gaisano Mall of Davao. These slides are a hit in the United States (and there are several in Metro Manila) but it is rare that an inflatable slide as huge as this is made available to Dabawenyos for free. You heard it right. Just buy any Allegro Ice Cream (the ice cream cup costs P12.50 while the drumstick costs P16) and they will give you a pass to the slide. The ice cream does not taste that great though but who cares? The opportunity to feel the air fall with you as you go down the slide is well worth it!

There is also another attraction at the Atrium aside from the stalls selling bits and pieces and that is the ceramics coloring booth. Buy any of the ceramics (the minimum cost is P70 for the car and other designs) and they will provide you free water colors. You can paint your ceramics right there and then let the girls varnish your ceramics for that professional look.

PLDT-MyDSL Sponsors Drifting In Davao City

If you were able to watch Fast and the Furious 3 (Tokyo Drift) then you are more or less familiar about what drifting is. Car racing fanatics are surely well-versed about the term. PLDT sponsored a drifting exhibit at Market Basket in Damosa yesterday and those who were there were treated to the first ever drifting show in the city (if not in Mindanao).

So what is drifting? Drifting is a motor sport that makes use of a driving technique of turning the car sideways (more like turning your car in circles to me based on what I've seen yesterday though!). Tehnically, a car is drifting when the car and the same car's wheels are in opposite direction such that the car is turned right and the wheels are pointed to the left.

"Drifting is controlling an uncontrollable car," said Alex, the driver who exhibited his excellent drifting skills yesterday. But no matter hwo you define it, it boils down to one thing: a driver's full control of his car and his wheels.

RWD or rear wheel drives are excellent for drifting (as opposed to the 4x4 exhibitions where the cars have to FWDs). Well, soem say you can use front wheel drive cars for drifting if you are using the E brake.

The drifting shown in the movie Fast and the Furious 3 is however slightly different (although the principle is the same) because the guys there were drifting in closed spiral parking lots and mountains.

Yesterday's drifting exhibit also featured Nancy Castiliogne but it seems the crowd were more excited to see the drifting exhibitions than see Nancy strut her stuff.

Pacquiao Wins By Split Decision

A Filipino friend based in New York who personally watched the Pacquiao-Marquez boxing bout in Las Vegas buzzed datelinedavao that Manny Pacquiao won by a split decision.

Dabawenyos are celebrating the 71st Araw ng Dabaw today but for fear that people would not go out in the streets and watch the Araw Parade (because today is also Paquiao's boxing bout with Marquez), Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte installed a giant screen right at the Park so that Dabawenyos can watch the boxing bout and participate in the fiesta at the same time.

It can be recalled that Pacquiao was beaten black and blue by Marquez during their last bout (which most boxing fans see as a sham) in May 8, 2004. Pacquaio has waited four years for the sweet smell of victory against Marquez and now he has finally tasted that victory by winning the super featherweight world championship.

Ciara Sotto (who sang the Philippine National Anthem) was Pacquiao's lucky charm this time.