friendillion

In life, one thing remains certain… Death, Taxes and the San Antonio Spurs! The Spurs have been the NBA’s best-run franchise for the past 20 years, and no other team has even come close. San Antonio has experienced an unparalleled level of sustained success, and has done so with nothing but class. They are known with excellent coaching with Head Coach Gregg Popovich who has 5 championship rings. They got great scouting from discovering foreign players like Argentina’s Manu Ginobili and France’s Tony Parker. And most important of all the Spurs have exquisite “ Chemistry & Loyalty ”! One classic example comes from their Superstar Tim Duncan, who in the past, have the option to leave the team and join the upcoming Orland Magic with a massive salary but choose to stay with Pop. The organization takes cares of their players (Superstar or not) by resting them and not playing them on back to back games. The results was stupendous. The team managed to prolong the careers of most...

Have you ever tried driving in the city of Makati? How was it? How many times did you get lost in the city? How many times did you get caught by the traffic enforcers? If you didn’t had problem in Makati then either you are damn lucky or you lived in a faraway place like Tarlac. For the record, I witnessed my car being towed for illegal parking (even when there is no sign near the premises), caught for making a left turn (again no sign on site), and illegally entering a “No Entry” road without being caught. It’s crazy! I know that Makati City stands out as the Economic Heart of the Philippines. Still has the highest concentration of multinational and local corporations in the country today. And it serves as one of several key financial, professional and commercial centers within all the Asian countries. But… can they do something with the Traffic Rules please!!! Although its population is just half a million, the daytime population of the city is estimated to be more th...

In my past article, I mentioned that I want to get a dog as my running partner. Although it looks like a fine idea, the problem is I don’t have the space in my place to keep a running dog. There’s this option to get a Jack Russell Terrier that suits well in a condominium setting but I’m not sure if I am ready for that yet. So instead of getting a dog…. why not just “ Borrow a Dog ”. You have to agree that it is a better idea. You get to run the dog that you don’t own plus you don’t have to feed and take care of it since it is not your dog. And I’m pretty sure that the owner of that dog would be happy to have their pet get some outdoor exercise with me. So I went to my cousin Nico. I knew back then that he has a Labrador Retriever pup. That breed is built for hunting and retrieving wild ducks. Perfect as my running partner. What could go wrong ? To my surprise, the Labrador Retriever is not the puppy that I used to know before. He grew and grew big mightily. He is so stock...

My 10 year old niece Sofia is very shy and quiet girl. She normally just says hello to people whenever there is a gathering. Then she looks for a place to sit and play her iPad. She never talk to much…. Little did I know that she is an “ Aspiring YouTuber ”! A YouTuber are personalities and videographers who have gained popularity from their videos. A lot of Filipinos made big money out of YouTube. Guys like Wil Dasovich, an award-winning Filipino American YouTuber known for his daily vlogs. Will already gained more than 1 Million subscribers and approximately earns $2,000/PHP 100,000 monthly. Another one is Ranz Kyle and his very talented sister Niana, who could be the next “ Dance Princess ”. Their channel is all about moves and grooves on the new dance craze. With their almost close to 4 Million stronghold subscribers, their estimated earnings are over $5,000/PHP 290,000 a month just from their YouTube channel. It’s crazy! It’s really hard to believe… but all of this a...

When is the last time you talked to a stranger? Was it yesterday? last month? 3 years ago? or never? Would you mind telling me the reason why? Are you afraid of them? Or you just prefer to be with your close friends and family? Tell me… I’m really curious! Me on the other hand wants to see a stranger every chance I get. Strangers to me are like Coins in the Nintendo Mario Bros video game. I try to get as many coins as I want. Why? My answer is this…. “Every individual has one unique story to tell that you can apply in your daily life”! I give you one scenario. I swim regularly. But I just don’t go out and swim, take a shower and head back home. I always check if there is people around. And believe me, there are always people around. Like this guy in the picture in a yellow shirt. He is our pool maintenance guy. Only a few people talk to him. He just sits there all alone in his chair. I took the time to get to know him…. after all, a few minutes of social talking wouldn’t ...

When you have a Lola or a Lolo (Grandparents), most likely you will get spoiled. That is the plain nature of it. They will give you candies, chocolates, toys & dolls, and anything you ask for. 🍬🍫 They will bring you to this place and that place. They will be proud to show you off to their friends, neighbors and colleagues. They will do anything for you because you are their treasured “Apo”! I am saying all of these because I am like one of them… those “ Treasured Apo ”! My Lola is always with me all the time. She prepares my breakfast before riding the school bus. And then she meets meet in afternoon with my favorite sandwiches. My Lola is very alert and sharp on the things that I want. Because I was a quiet and shy boy at that time… my Lola took it upon herself to sew me a “ Superman Costume ” for my Teddy Bear. She is always a “ Mind Reader ” and have a knack on what’s on your mind that you don’t need to say anything at all. I love it so much that I had that Teddy Bear up...

My brother left Manila. He is sick of it. So he packed his things and drove more than 400 kilometers to Isabela province. I felt sorry for him. I can’t imagine him leaving a big city for a unknown place like Isabela. So I bid him farewell and wish him luck in his endeavors. That was last year. Today, I’ve been hearing a lot of stories of my brother’s visitors who went and spend time with him in Isabela. According to all of them the place is the “Last Frontier” ! They said that the place is overlooked as a tourist destination. They were amazed with all the things that surrounds it. From the Sierra Madre Mountains, Southeast Asia’s biggest dam (Magat Dam), the Santa Victoria Caves, the Pinzal & Dibulo Falls, the Ilagan Sanctuary, the islands of coastal Isabela, the old churches, and the plethora of stars in the night in Palanan. Isabela is blessed with Forestland and Fisheries. It has a fertile ground on the Pacific Coast. Plus there are about 450 hectares of freshwater...

Dear Son, Soon, you will get bigger & taller and will be a full-pledge grown-up. Your interest will drastically change from playing game consoles & computer games to meeting pretty & fine looking girls. Your life will be most centered on the opposite sex. You will be looking at their beautiful faces on their social media accounts. You will be calling them on the phone and their voice is the only thing that you want to hear to complete your day. Believe me, I too was like that during my bachelor years. Women are like “ Heroin and Bullets ”. They get so heavenly addictive but will make you bleed (in sorrow) whenever they change their mind and when they feel like it. It will really torture you that you will go asking yourself who is the right girl for you. That is why…. you should be dating first! Dating is a form of romantic courtship typically between two individuals with the aim of assessing the other’s suitability as a partner in an intimate relationship or as a ...

We do have a lot of “ Tsinoy ” (Chinese Filipino) in our country. But how come most of them are Rich? The answer is this… “ They started out Dirt Poor ”! They are the prototypical “ Rags To Riches ” stories here in the Philippines. In the late 18th century, China was in turmoil. Forcing many Chinese to leave their homeland in hopes of making a living. A lot of them came from Fujian province (southeast coast of mainland China). Their ancestors would need to travel 3 months by sea to reach countries in Southeast Asia. They lived in the boat cabin for a long time with insufficient water and food. Some could not even last the entire journey. After that long trip, these Chinese will now land in countries like The Philippines and find how they will survive in a strange place. They don’t have lands, connections and even money. All they got is their will, grit and determination. They will trade and barter anything to stay alive in a foreign land. Now most of these Chinese are...