My Stats on Federer’s 18th

Posted on January 31, 2017 by heavenliner

Grand Slam tennis tournaments (may it be the Wimbeldonn, the US Open, Roland Garros, or the Aussie Open) are full and bombarded with statistics. Their organizers along with various sports networks and correspondents makes the sport more interesting through the usage of various statistical analyses and historical data about the game.

With the recent fantastic win of my most favorite tennis player in history during the 2017 Australian Open edition, let me feature my own stats concerning Roger Federer and the recently concluded championship match.

Zero. Zero is the number of times I watched tennis grand slam match last year. I seem to have lost interest about the game when Roger Federer started losing in a string of tennis matches and Rafael Nadal seem to have hidden from the limelight due to injury. Without this two, tennis for me – until just recently – seem to already become an uninteresting kind of sport to watch.

Nil. That is the volume of my expectation that I would get to actually see Roger Federer again in a Majors championship. Nil, null or nothing was also my level of expectancy that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would battle it out in the finals of a Grand Slam title. But stars seemed to have realigned and let these two legends reach the finals of the 2017 Australian Open.

Countless. While watching the championship game, I lost count on the number of times I shrieked, shouted and cheered every time Roger Federer wins a point against Rafa Nadal. I also lost count on how many times I gasp for air every time Rafa would fix his shorts or pick his wedgie before every serve.

legends of modern tennis

Thirty Five and Ten. As if defying physical drawbacks like skin sagging, joint pains, poor eyesight and reduction in motor agility that comes along with old age, 35 is the age of Roger Federer when he won last Sunday’s tennis championship. While 10 (from the range of 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest) shall remain my rating in terms of the hotness of Rafael Nadal.

Five. This is the number of times I fervently prayed to the heavens during the recent Aussie Open Federer vs Nadal championship match. Since it took Federer 5 sets to win, every freakin’ set, I prayed “God! Please let Roger win!”

Eighteen. After winning the Australian Open 2017sweet eighteen is the huge and unbelievable number of times that my idol Roger Federer won the Grand Slam tournaments. And what is so sweet about this 18^th Majors title is that he won it over a match with Rafa whom I suppose he considers his greatest nemesis in the game of tennis. Nadal I believe is the legendary tennis player who actually prevented Federer from winning more grand slam championships!

One Hundred. I’m not a Swiss, I have never been to Switzerland and I don’t play tennis. But a solid 100% shall I remain to being a huge fan of Roger Federer!

18th

Kongrats Manong Rodger! Mabuhay ka!

Prince of Cuteness

Posted on January 21, 2017 by heavenliner

I recently discovered via internet a kid that is a bundle of charm and adorableness. His name is Ernie.

prince of cuteness

I was captivated by Ernie on the first time I saw him in the internet. The first video I saw Ernie at was in a YouTube video in which he and a bunch of cute American kids were tasked by a number of adults filming them to try Filipino food. Ernie in that video stole my heart! He was the only kid who had the full courage to eat Balut and appreciated tasting it. And when he tried the Taho, it made me conclude that he is the most endearing human being in the internet!

cuteness overload!

Ernie for me is the Prince of Cuteness. This 3-year old kid is pure sweetness and lovability. I guess his not even aware that he is starting to become so popular because a lot has started following his dad’s Instagram in which the majority of what it features are photos and short clips of cute Ernie.

Ernie’s photos and video clips presents the sparkles and freshness of being a kid. It features the naivety, the innocence and unassuming-ness of an early life which every one of us, I guess, badly misses and would love to relive or to reminisce.

I don’t know, but I think Ernie’s photos and video clips touches hearts. And one of which is mine. You can follow the sweet smiles, the adorable laughter, and the guilelessness of the Prince of Cuteness at https://www.instagram.com/mikeybot/

Ke kyut kyut ng batang ire!

Retro 60s and 70s Party Teaser

Posted on January 8, 2017 by heavenliner

In the company that I am working for, Employees’ Night Party is held yearly. Instead of the annual Christmas Party as observed by other companies, we prefer to hold the party after the season has simmered down. It is because during the Santa Holiday Season out group of restaurants are the busiest entities in the metro. We are actually the servers in others’ Christmas Parties!

And after the busy service during Christmas season, we seem to be ready for a Halloween Party because everybody looks like a zombie by the end of the season. Nevertheless, during the kris kringle season, I would publish posters counting down the number of days prior to the day of the Employees’ Night so as to build up some excitement.

a collage of “countdown” posters i published in the office

Employees’ Night is held usually on the second or third week of January. And every year, a theme is appointed. This year’s theme is Retro 60s and 70s. The styles, fashion and music of the 60s and 70s era.

Every year my co-employees looks forward to our Employees’ Night. Almost all of employees would participate in donning in an outfit based on the party theme. I am just as excited as the rest of them. And to add more excitement, I created a cute video which features some of my co-employees who has lived during the cool 60s and awesome 70s…

Thank you peeps for submitting your cute cool retro photos! I love them all. Let show everyone how an awesome party should be done. See you at the party!

Eksayted na ko…

Christmas 2016 at Nengkoy’s

Posted on December 26, 2016 by heavenliner

Pure fun and hilarious riot. That is how I would describe my annual Christmas Eve moment year after year. Every time my family gathers during this beautiful time and especially when all my nieces and nephews would show up at Nengkoy’s house on Christmas Eve, sheer joy and laughter would ensue.

team langit #livelovesparkle

2016 Christmas at Nengkoy’s was metric tons of happiness. Everyone lived, loved and sparkled that night!

Sakit sa panga! Grabe!

Live, Love & Sparkle This Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2016 by heavenliner

I was a bit nervous that Christmas might be cancelled. Reason? I thought Santa would die of laughter because someone told him that I was no longer naughty and gone nice this year!

christmas tree like tree in queenstown new zealand

the manger in bethlehem where baby jesus was born

merry christmas! (inside a chapel in bethlehem during the recent israel visit)

merry christmas!
(inside a chapel in bethlehem during my recent israel visit)

I hope that your Christmas will be full of fun and laughter and may you live, love and sparkle in the coming New Year!

Mabuhay, Umibig, Kuminang! Meri Krismas…

Stupidly Expecting for Dami Im

Posted on November 8, 2016 by heavenliner

In my recent journey to New Zealand, I got to spend a very short period of time in Australia. It is because my flight from Manila to Queenstown was via Sydney. It was a 3 hour layover at the land down under.

While at the Sydney airport, I was ecstatic because despite the fact that chances of bumping into my favorite Aussie celebrity was like asking for the heavens to give me the greatest love life I don’t deserve, I was still positively expecting some mystic phenomenon to happen. I was not expecting to bump into Kylie Minogue or Hugh Jackman nor Cate Blanchett or Chris Hemsworth. I was not expecting Australians to bestow me a red carpet welcome. I was not expecting the mayor to hand me the key to their city. I was actually hoping to see Australia’s singing diva, Dami Im!

dami was not popular yet during my visits in sydney…

I know it’s stupid but as soon as my feet landed on the grounds of Sydney, my bizarre and inexplicable hope for Dami Im to be at the airport! And since I don’t have any photos to show, it means this longing did not transpire. I guess the heavens was smart enough not grant such a wish, otherwise, I would not have left the airport in time for my journey to fresh Queenstown.

Let me just satiate and mollify this stupid wish by posting and listening to Dami Im’s latest single “Fighting for Love”. I actually prefer Dami’s live performance during the X Factor TV show than the actual music video of the song…

Na-aning-aning lang sa Sidni…

Seoul’s Autumn Soul

Posted on November 4, 2016 by heavenliner

The beauty of autumn continues to fascinate me. This is especially true this year because I got to spend some cool autumn time in Seoul, South Korea. My recent visit in Seoul can be summed up into three fascinating tenets: the weather, the wardrobe and the verdure. These I consider as the souls of my recent Seoul visit.

nice!

Autumn, is one strange type of season for an earthling like me. The temperature, the climate and the cool breeze of the air is so atypical. Growing up in a perennially clammy tropical country like the Philippines, autumn is such a wonderful novelty for me. I’m entranced every time some cloud would come out from my mouth each time I speak!

Aside from the cool weather, I also got to wear sweaters, scarves, gloves and leather jacket which I cannot wear in hot and humid Philippines. I would be a laughing stock among the locals if I would don some leather jacket in Manila.

Lastly, aside from the weather and the clothes, you got to see some striking colors of bountiful vegetation during autumn. Nature is so beautiful during this cool season, Koreans even have “Chasing the Autumn Foliage” as a past time.

red colored tree

cool colors

bright!

selfie muna

And because it’s autumn, I enjoyed every bit of my stay in soulful Seoul, South Korea! Kamsahamnida!

Owtum! Wagas na tag-lagas!

My kind of NZ Town is a toss between a Queen and an Arrow

Posted on October 27, 2016 by heavenliner

When I have already spent a couple of days in New Zealand, I was starting to realize that this fresh country is giving Japan (my most favorite country) a good run for their money. Everything seem so fresh, nice and clean in New Zealand. Crime rate in NZ is basically nil like that of Osaka and even the public toilets were as clean as those found in the Nippon country.

Actually, I have long realized that if I will be given the opportunity to live in Japan, without a batting an eyelash, I would easily choose Osaka. But in New Zealand, it would be a toss between two awesome towns. I would like to live either in Queenstown or Arrowtown.

who would not want an afternoon sight like this

colors of queenstown

seating by the bench…

Queenstown is a bit small in terms of size and population for it to be considered a city, but the vibe and energy it displays is sweepingly large in scale. I particularly loved the cosmopolitan restaurants. The multi-ethnic offerings of these restaurants to its residence and visitors are impressively wide ranging.

No one should get bored when staying in this modernized town. From bungy jumping to jumping off a plane or riding a crazy rough speedboat, Queenstown can be considered as adventurer’s haven. But what I particularly love about this town is that aside from doing adrenaline-filled activities, you can take time to a slow down. You can simply find a lakeside bench and engross yourself to the beauty of the nature.

early arrowtown spring

colors of arrowtown

taking it easy at arrowtown…

Arrowtown on the other hand is a quaint little town just minutes away by car from Queenstown. The tree-lined avenues (which I suspect changes its looks and color depending on the season) as well as the fashionable shops at the main road (Buckingham Street) are two of the nicest areas that this town boasts about. And like Queenstown it also has a wide array of excellent restaurants.

This historic gold-rush town seem to possess an alluring character that is uniquely of its own. It is so charming we actually drove twice in this town to further explore the sights and we even walked a short riverside nature trail to breathe some of the freshest air on earth.

Arrowtown has a much slower pace as compared to Queenstown. Another impressive character of this town is that it is uncrowded. I suppose this is the place that Queenstown locals go to if they wish to have some quiet time for themselves or with their family.

I live at the most densely populated city in the world. There is never a day in my city that I would not see a human being. Everywhere I look, everywhere I go and everywhere I smell there is someone near me. Thus, the uncrowded yet colorful places like Queenstown and Arrowtown for me are true gems of a place.

Samdey… samdey… titira din ako dyan!

Glacial Facial at Milford Sound

Posted on October 25, 2016 by heavenliner

Milford Sound has been considered as the most visited tourist place in New Zealand. It is the crowning jewel and quintessential spot of New Zealand. Many visitors say that it is the most beautiful place they have ever seen. It so beautiful, it is usually included in blogs and publications that enumerates the places to go to before an earthling dies.

Milford Sound is a body of water, thus, one has to take a boat ride to really appreciate its beauty. And that’s exactly me and my friends did. We took the tour as operated by Southern Discoveries which is inclusive of a sumptuous buffet lunch served right inside the boat. It was actually a smooth connection between the 5-hour bus ride and that of the ship ride. No worries, no hustle and surprisingly, no overcrowding! Everything went smooth and organized.

cruising…

And when the boat embarks into the water, further excitement about my NZ experience sets in. The sights of the Sound were just gorgeous. Limestone cliffs, snowcapped mountain peaks, amazing waterfalls and the clear water of the fiords were all so stunning.

I particularly loved the part when the boat would get so near the waterfalls throwing water down the sides of the sheer cliffs. And according to the boat’s tour guide and narrator, water coming from above the cliffs were actually melted glacier from the mountains. The narrator told all passengers to be ready to get wet and secure a raincoat because the bow of the ship will go right underneath the pounding falls.

The up-close look of the waterfalls were simply spectacular! Only when the ship maneuvered right at the bottom of the falls did I realize how high, how strong and how massive the waterfalls were. The sprinkling, the shower, the downpour of the glacial water on my face was something to behold. I totally agree with the boat narrator’s description that the feeling would be like having a “glacial facial”!

Another add on about the Milford Sound cruise were the animals that tourists got to see. We were unfortunate that we did not see pods of dolphins or rare penguins. But what we found were lazy seals sunning themselves on low lying rocks.

getting ready for my glacial facial!

strike a pose!

Me and my friends were just too glad to do a 2-hour Milford Sound tour! We were so happy that such an amazing place with all its natural splendor really does exist!

Kakaibang pasyal na may peyshal!

Ridiculously Stunning Views: The Road to Milford Sound

Posted on October 22, 2016 by heavenliner

Referred to as the 8^th wonder of the world by Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling, I have zero idea on what and where is Milford Sound. But with my recent visit to New Zealand, I can attest to what Rudyard Kipling has tried to imply.

The journey to Milford Sound from Queenstown (where me and my travel buddies were based) in New Zealand took about 5 hours. But I can actually consider the 5 hour ride that we took (through a tour group bus) to Milford Sound as one stunning experience.

super cool bus…

Reaching Milford Sound by land was half the fun of my Milford Sound encounter. It is because the road to our destination is extremely scenic. I can’t remember the number of times I uttered “Wow!” in the entire duration of the bus ride.

Part of the rewarding experience of the bus ride are the bus stops. The modern and transparent ceiling bus would pull over so that passengers can go down, breathe the freshest air, take a short stroll and snap some awesome photos.

Three of the amazing stops that I particularly loved most were:

Egliton Valley

gorgeous! (parang ako)

Monkey Creek

monkey!

Mirror Lake

can’t believe that I made this shot!

picture muna

I definitely agree with most visitors of New Zealand declaring that the road to Milford Sound is one of the most scenic road trip on the planet. This is particularly true on the super scenic State Road 94 which is the road between Te Anau and Milford Sound.

Can you just imagine? I am not even talking about my exhilarating experience yet in Milford Sound itself. I was just talking about the road to this heaven of a place! If given another opportunity, I would definitely do another bus ride to Milford Sound, may it take 5 or 6 or 10 hours and be amazed again by the beauty of these stunning places.

Mapapa-iyak ka sa wow!

Nengkoy

ruminations & travesties of the favorite yet naughty son of Nengkoy

Tag Archives: a little thing called love