The Magical Music of Disney

If you're a fan of Disney like me, who was raised on Disney movies, then I'd recommend that you watch The Magical Music of Disney, a Disney Concert performed by the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Gerard Salonga. Show times are 3pm and 8pm on September 28, 2013!

On Miss America

A few days ago, I heard about the extremely negative reaction of some people regarding the coronation of Miss America.

All I can do is give a giant facepalm.

It is not just that these people have accused a person based on her name and skin tone as a terrorist. It's also the fact that they never bothered to learn that there are many different "races" which are non-caucasian in color and name.

Also, the fact that they have posted their misplaced ire over the internet when a quick search would have easily given them the truth.

I do not watch beauty pageants, but the furor over this event has shown me that people place a lot of importance on these, and that some are more ignorant than I thought possible.

Skin does not equal race - get a tan if you don't believe me.



A name is not a person. A person is not a group.

It's 2013. How long will it take us to learn this?

Have you gotten a Starbucks Card?

I went to a Starbucks in Makati recently and bought the Frap below. It's sad because Makati has this thing against plastic so even iced drinks are served in paper cups. While it might be better for the environment, it's hard to get used to. I like seeing how much I have left, thanks very much.

Anyway, for those who spend a lot on Starbucks's beverages, there's the Starbucks Card introduced just this month.

How to use:
1. Buy the card for P300 - it has P300 usable load.
2. Use the Starbucks card to earn stars.
3. Reload with P100 increments when desired.

12 stars = 1 free grande beverage

Decent, when you consider that CBTL swirl cards give you around half that value. Then again, internets!

There's a time and a place for either :)

If you're into the Starbucks thing, consider registering your card at their site, you can get:
1. 1 free beverage upon registration
2. 1 slice of cake on your birth month (upon purchase of a beverage)

Mind you, their network both online and in-store is still kind of buggy. Also, if you value your privacy, this might be more invasive than you'd like.

If you do get a card, remember to keep it in a safe place since it does have money inside!

Highlighters

How OC are you about highlighters?

I never thought that there would be a day when I would become so particular about the highlighters I used. A few years ago, I thought that pink was pink and it didn't matter what brand I used. Now I'm trying out different highlighter brands. I've realized that some of the things I like in a highlighter are:

1. Shape - how I hold my highlighter differs if it's fat or skinny, cylindrical or box-like, long or short. It also helps to identify the different brands. Some might find it better to have highlighters all of the same shape, so they'll all be held the same way. Plus they look nicer since they're more uniform. Some might prefer to have different brands because of the different properties of the fluid.

2. Color - including consistency (especially if the paper you use is thinner), it is important to use a color/colors that you feel comfortable with. You have to think about how the shade you choose will show up on the paper you use. Different brands have different shades, with color changes that will sometimes happen depending on if it's on the early or late part of it's life.

Below are 3 different brands of pink highlighters at different parts of their lifespan. You can see that aside from the shade, in general, the evenness and thickness can differ. Note also that the brush might fray easily :(

Highlighters. Left, Artline. Middle, Faber Castell. Right, MG.

Also note that if you use more than one shade, remember to find colors that you feel are most suited to your learning style.

3. Longevity - it sucks to buy a highlighter that dries out early if left for a few moments, or one that has little ink in the first place. You might want to try brands that last longer, or those that can be left out for longer periods of time.

4. Price - some highlighters are really nice, but are super expensive. You might end up spending a lot of money in the long run.

I do have my preferred brands, but I'm always on the lookout for new ones. I also like to experiment on different colors with my own preferences for different texts :)