Archive for February, 2008
Feb
25
Posted under
Travel For those people interested in going to festivities like I do, here are some festivities in Barbados you shouldn’t miss.
This is a week long celebration of Barbados for its anniversary. This festivity celebrates the first
settlement in Holetown last February 1627. The festivity started February 17 and ended February 24, 2008. I guess this is one celebration we will have to look forward to next year. But don’t worry there are still more festivities we can look forward to.
This festivity features a collection of music including classical, opera, jazz, Latin and Caribbean. The celebration started last February 23 and will end on March 15 of 2008. It will be held at the Holders Plantation House. So if you are a music lover, don’t miss it!
- Amistad’s Atlantic Freedom Tour
Celebrated on March 28 to April 5 of 2008, this shows when Freedom Schooner Amistad lands in Barbados for the historical recognition of the Atlantic Slave Trade’s abolition’s 200th anniversary.
This is a two day festivity celebrates the local fishermen’s contribution to the island. The Oistin Fishing Village holds this annual celebration traditionally during Easter weekend, which would be March 22 to March 24 this year. They will have competitions such as fish boning, boat racing,crab racing, and the most popular fishing.
It is a popular festivity done each year that gospel artists wouldn’t miss. The Artists from United States, UK, and Caribbean are always present during this celebration which will be held from May 19 to May 26 of this year.
This is again a celebration for music lovers, a two week festivity for Celtic Music Lovers. This year, it would be held on May 2008 and it features Welsh Choir and the Scottish Folk dancers.
Feb
21
Posted under
Sports
The 2008 all-star weekend held in New Orleans just recently is one of the most important events the town has held as it is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, event that was held there since the town was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The spectacle’s success was remarkable, letting tourists know that New Orleans has been reborn.
The festivities started with the Rookie Challenge, sponsored by T-Mobile. The game featured fancy
passes, spectacular dunks, and athletic feats that the younger generation boasts. But among these great plays, one Daniel “Boobie” Gibson from the Cleveland Cavaliers, with his deadly three-point accuracy, stood tall among other rookies and sophomores. He led the sophomores to victory with 33 points, all of them coming from beyond the arc.
The next day, the all-star weekend continued, and the 2008 Haier Shooting Stars started the night off, and what a way to do so, as the San Antonio team, consisting of Spurs forward Tim Duncan, Silver Stars guard Becky Hammond, and NBA Legend David Robinson, overcame the odds and won the event, despite it being an event that requires good shooting from the perimeter (both Duncan and Robinson were known for their inside presence).
The Playstation Skills Challenge was the second event of the night, and continued the string of upsets, as Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade, the event’s 2-time defending champion, bowed out of the competition early on, leaving Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams and New Orleans’ own Chris Paul fighting for the championship. Even though the crowd was clearly behind the hometown boy, and Paul being the better man stats-wise, that didn’t stop the Jazz guard from having a date with destiny, as he defeated Paul in the finals, beating the record for the fastest time lapsed in the event while doing so.
But just when people thought this would be a night of upsets, the Foot Locker 3-point shootout featured Toronto Raptors shooter Jason Kapono’s dominance in the event. He breezed through the eliminations, leading the competitors with 20 points, next to both Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Daniel Gibson’s 17. Nowitzki surprisingly faltered in the final round, and while Gibson managed to get a respectable score, both were humbled by Kapono’s amazing shooting streak, and the champion successfully defended his title with a score of 25, tying the all-time record for the most points in a three-point shootout event that was held by Chicago’s Craig Hodges.
Ending the night was the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest that featured Toronto rookie Jamario Moon, Memphis sophomore Rudy Gay, 7-foot-tall Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and Defending Champion Gerald Green of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite being the tallest of all the competitors, Howard showed tremendous leaping ability, which the announcers mentioned all the time that the NBA has never seen anyone so tall with the high leaping ability like Howard possesses. After he successfully nailed an astonishing left-handed tomahawk follow-up dunk which sounds quite easy on paper, but the thing is he bounced it off the backboard, and by back I meant the back of the backboard; everyone was already predicting a win for Howard, and they’re right. And while his first dunk raised the roof of the joint, the second and third ones blew it away. No doubt that he was the clear-cut champion of one of the best slam dunk events of all time.
The last night of the weekend featured the main attraction, the 2008 NBA All-star game, featuring the leagues brightest stars today, showcasing their amazing talents; and it showed during the first 3
quarters of the game, including Howard and Cavaliers star LeBron James sharing eye-popping alley-oop passes to one another. But in the final 10 minutes of the game, the competition got stiffer, and the heat was on. The East led throughout the game, but the West clawed their way back. But the West fell short when James drove home with a jam over Nowitzki that not only drew tremendous applause from fans, players and coaches alike, but also served as the nail in the coffin for the game. And it’s just fitting that with the East’s victory over the West, the Cavs’ forward received the award as All-Star MVP, showing everyone that he was the star among stars that night.
The 2008 all-star weekend was so great a spectacle to pass up. I wish I was there to witness it firsthand, and was envious to everyone that actually watched it live. I was in Chicago at Sutton Place Hotel
attending a very important meeting that weekend. But there’s always next year, and I’ll see to it that I can book tickets early.
Feb
14
Posted under
Gadgets
I have things I usually bring with me that I can’t live without. I’ve been a fan of new technologies, and everything is constantly improving. The scientists invent these gadgets to make our lives so much easier. They make everything in smaller package but with all the necessary features that a person might need. It all depends on every individual needs.
Now we can even fit everything in a bag - from a telephone to a mobile phone, a radio to an mp3 player, and analog camera into digital camera. I, myself can’t live without certain things in my bag. I always see to it that I have everything available when I need it. Here are some of the gadgets I always have with me. I call them my “travel buddies”.
Ø Credit Card and ATM Card
I find that bringing ATM and Credit cards much safer than bringing a big amount of money with you. Credit card is very convenient to use and it is very accessible when ever we need it. You can use your major credit cards to shop anywhere in the world. It also provides an easier way to track your expenses.
Ø Cellular Phone
I just bought this amazing phone, the Sony Ericsson K850i cyber shot; it is a true digital still camera with a 5-mega pixel power. What amazes me most about this phone is the automatic lens cover, with auto-focus so you don’t have to worry about the sharpness of the picture, and it also has xenon flash for poor lighting conditions. You can even print the pictures directly from the phone, no need to transfer it to your computer. I just plug it in any printer and pick the picture to be printed and BOOM!, I have my picture printed. You can even have a quick and easy access to the internet. With my new phone I am able to do video calls, audio and video streaming, internet surfing, and email on the go, who could even ask for more? I don’t even have to bring my laptop with me, making my life much easier.
Also watch out for these phones, Sony Ericsson C702, Samsung Soul U900, Nokia N96, Giga-byte MS820, and Android OS SDK. Let me give you a bit of information about these phones. Maybe one of these phones would be compatible to you.
· Sony Ericsson C702
This phone has face focus function. The C702 will automatically detect and focus on the face when the view finder detects it. With this feature, you don’t have to worry that you not being in the picture. It also has a built-in A-GPS which guides you to your destination. It actually leads you to where ever you want to go. Hmm, maybe I should get one too, so I won’t get lost when I travel. Instead of asking around where to find a certain place, I’ll be able to track it myself - pretty clever!
· Samsung Soul U900
Same as Sony Ericsson C702, this 5 mega-pixel camera phone also has a face detection function. You can enjoy super-fast internet access with its 7.2 Mbps High Speed Downlink Packet Access browser. This phone is perfect for people who love to listen to music because of its music library navigation feature and a digital power amplifier. The digital power amplifier actually uses special switching circuits that will minimize the voltage that is dropped in the output semiconductor devices, giving you a higher efficiency.
· Nokia N96
This Nokia phone has a built in DVB-H receiver for digital TV signals in Europe and Asia, and a kickstand for desktop viewing. It is truly an optimized TV and video phone.
· Giga-byte MS820
It is a 3.5G smartphone at 3GSM, and it has a TV and a GPS feature. The motion-sensing G-sensor and UI feature manages the phone’s activity which is based on your activity.
Ø Digital Camera
Not that I don’t enjoy the camera feature on my phone but of course to take a better picture, one has to own a digital camera. Since I travel a lot, I take lots of pictures as
souvenirs. I have the newest edition of Casio’s EXILIM, the EX-V7, which is best for travelers like me. Because it is very slim and exceptionally portable, has a very powerful zoom lens and it’s also great looking too. With those features, it’s so easy for me take quality pictures anywhere without any hassle. This 7 mega-pixel digital camera has the four blur reduction technology of Casio that mechanically compensates for any camera shake. Then automatically analyzes the velocity and vector of a moving object setting the appropriate ISO sensitivity and a faster shutter speed. What actually eliminates the blur is the electronic camera shake compensation function. These features are actually great for me since I like to capture beautiful scenery even when I am in a moving vehicle.
Ø Play Station Portable
The newest version of PSP was made to be slimmer and lighter making it much easier to bring. You can have access to your games anywhere you are, as well as an internet browser, and you can also store videos.
The fact that I love video games, PSP gives me the option of getting to bring my favorite games while I’m on the go. And since I get bored easily, if I’m not listening to music, I’m most certainly playing my game.
Ø iPod
This was actually designed for music lovers like me at first. Then after awhile many variations of iPod came out. There is the iPod classic, the high-end touch screen iPod touch, iPod Nano, the screenless iPod shuffle, and the iPod mini.
I personally have the 32-gig iPod touch; I preferred this one because of its great features. It is Wi-fi capable with Safari and Apple browsers. This is the first iPod generation to have wireless access to iTunes Store. It can even detect the last 10 songs that were played in Starbucks café within the vicinity. Pretty cool!
Since I am a music lover and all, it is great for me. I don’t just get to listen to my favorite songs; I can also watch movies and catch up on my favorite TV shows. With my iPod Touch, I need not worry.
How about you? What are the travel buddies you can’t live without?
Feb
12
Posted under
Travel I was so amazed when I went to South Carolina last weekend. I never thought that there
could be such a beautiful place in that state. I was breathless and speechless when I was proven wrong by my friends. I was arguing that there could never be a place that I would love as much as I love the Caribbean. I was incorrect.
My friends dragged me to Charleston of South Carolina because I didn’t want to believe them. They told me “You should experience it, if you don’t want to believe us then might as well come and see it for yourself”. And so I did. To my surprise, I
was blown away by the beautiful architectural artistry of the cities wall-to-wall mansions. They had cobbled stone streets, ancient cemetery, and iron gates.
We even spent time on the beach of Kiawah to watch the moon rise. It was quite an experience. We stayed at the Orient-Express Hotel ; the rooms are all so stylish and some rooms are like the ancient Charleston mansions. During the daytime activities, we went to the beach. And enjoyed kayaking, fishing, and watching the dolphins play around. At the end of our tour, we got satisfied from the relaxing Spa treatment.
Feb
08
Posted under
Travel
A lot of us usually get lost when we go to a different country. We usually hire a cab to take us to our destination; but let’s face it; it’s not at all cheap. I’ve looked up some of the traveling services available in Korea. Hope this helps you when you visit Korea.
I learned that Asiana Airlines and Korean Air handle domestic flights. A domestic destination usually just takes about an hour from Seoul. They use Incheon International Airport and Gimpo Airport for the domestic travels. It is one way to travel easier from one city of Korea to another.
- Local and City Bus Services
Traveling using the local and city bus is the least expensive way to go around the city or to the towns of Korea. They have this intercity bus network that connects all cities and towns of the country. It is quite easy to use since the buses running from the city to the suburban cities are numbered according to their route. The fare ranges from $0.52 to $1.57 in US dollars or 500 to 1,500 won.
- Long Distance Express Buses
Unlike the local bus that has a regular stops within the cities; the long distance express buses has a certain stop that goes directly to your destination. This has more expensive deluxe bus seats, where you can have an access to a mobile phone and an ability to watch movies. The deluxe bus only has three seats. But don’t worry, they also have the regular bus which is less expensive, this bus has four seats side by side. The long distance express bus connects you from one major city to another major city.
They have this KORAIL (as what the Koreans call it), short for Korea Railroad. KORAIL
operates three kinds of trains, the super-express, express, and the local. It is interconnected in a nationwide network of cities. The super-express train connects Seoul to the cities of Busan, East Daegu, Mokpo, Iksan, and Gwangju. But for most famous destinations in Korea, it can be reached thru a single or direct transfer using the express train. The local trains are the ones that have the frequent stops from within the cities.
As for all the countries, the subway is the most convenient and easiest way to travel. The
subway of Korea offers the safest, easiest, fastest, most comfortable means of transportation from the main cities of Korea. From Seoul it is linked to the other intercity or satellite cities in Korea. The train takes about 2 to 3 minutes of interval during the peak hours and 4 to 6 minutes in non-peak hours. The fare takes only about 900 won or $0.94 US dollars.
This is one way to travel where you can appreciate the beauty of Korea. It’s the most pleasant way to see Korea. It will take you from one island to another; the routes are from Busan to Jeju-do Island, Pohang and Ulleungdo Island, and Mokpo and Hongdo Island.
Feb
06
Posted under
Miscellaneous I saw this site and I was amazed that a lot of people has joined. It made me curious on how it work and so I tried it myself. Try it and make the list longer.
*Start Copy Here*
You do not have to be tagged to play along. This game is simple and so are the rules.
1. Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*
2. Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.
3. Tag or don’t tag, your choice, however, the more tags you create the bigger the list will grow.
4. Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list. (If you would like a scroll box code, leave me your email address and I will email it to you.) Scroll Box Example. (I decided not to use the box for the Big Bang for ease of copying.)
5. Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often. This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in. Once you are on the master list people who have participated earlier will update their bookmarks and help everyone lower than them out on the list.
*End Copy Here*
Feb
04
Posted under
Travel
I was with my friends and my girlfriend in Mexico last week, and we just experienced the greatest Spa treatment ever in our entire lives. We went to Puerto Vallarta and stayed at Grand Velas All Suites and Spa Resort . Since I won the bidding for their 6-night package for two; I went with my girlfriend, and my friends tagged along. Grand Velas gives this ultimate all inclusive vacation including a very exceptional dining and hotel accommodations.
We enjoyed playing golf and some other water sports. We all went shopping, sightseeing, and we did a lot of activities such as scuba diving, sailing, whale watching, and deep sea fishing.
They have an ocean view restaurants where they have innovative cuisine, tranquilizing ambience, a very artful presentation, and we had a very exceptional culinary experience.
After all that fuzz, we tried their most popular Mexican Sensational Spa. They say it is really world class, so I wouldn’t want to miss it. They have body scrubs and peeling, body wraps, bath therapy, massage therapy, hand and feet care with Day Spa rituals. I tried their massage therapy and Oh Man, I just loved it! It was something different; it is very hard to explain. All I can tell you is to try and experience it for yourself. Your money will be all worth it, no single cent is going to be wasted.
Hi! Matthew Lawrence here! A 26-year-old architect and gamer by heart. I hope you like this new website. I'll be writing mostly about exercising, fitness, and of course, games. I usually update every 2 days during the weekdays so stay tuned!
