10 most expensive cars to own

Here's an interesting read >>> http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/107546/10-most-expensive-cars-to-own-and-drive?mod=family-autos

1. Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series / Starting price: $301,750
2. Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG / Starting price: $202,825
3. Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG / Starting price: $205,575
4. Audi R8 / Starting price: $126,400
5. Porsche 911 Convertible Turbo / Starting price: $141,650
6. Audi A8 L W12 / Starting price: $122,625
7. Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 / Starting price: $106,620
8. Porsche Cayenne Turbo S / Starting price: $125,775
9. BMW M6 Convertible / Starting price: $111,725
10. Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG / Starting price: $99,775

My aim is to own at least one of the cars listed above in my lifetime.

NEW NET WORDS

YW - You're Welcome.
J/C - just checking
KIT - Keep in touch
GTG - got to go
RUT - R U there?
BRB - be right back
LOL - laugh out loud
SUP - What's up?
CUL - Catch u later
AYT - alright
BTW - by the way
CTO - check this out.
ROFL - rolling on floor laughing
WDYT - what do you think?

CS9 - Lie to me

Got glued to the tube last Friday. Wanted to go biking but the weather was uncooperative so the TV stepped up to fill in the gap. The new TV series that I discovered is called LIE TO ME. It's interesting because is a team of psychologist (I think) is called in to assess if somebody is telling the truth just by looking at their facial expressions and body language. The learnings in the tv show can be used in our workplace. Learn the skill and you'll be able to spot the not.

Here are some tips:
(1)Too much smiling.
(2) Look away move.
(3) Sudden eyes and lip movement.
(4) Jumpy and jerky.
(5) Insanely irritated face.
(6) Sudden burst of explanation.
(7) Silence + poker face.
(8) Ambiguous hand movement.

Twitter is Sweeter

I have not opened my Friendster account in months and Facebook in weeks. Let's say I'm too busy lately and don't want to get stuck in these addicting and time consuming SNS - Social Networking Sites.

Enter Twitter whose exponential growth is astounding especially in the last two years. The site started in 2006 and success was kind to them in them lately. They are SO HOT, the bigger question is how to sustain the momentum. Think Tipping Point.

Who's my Papi?

(1) de Castro, Noli
(2) Escudero, Chiz
(3) Fernando, Bayani
(4) Legarda, Loren
(5) Madrigal, Jamby
(6) Padaca, Grace
(7) Panlilio, Ed
(8) Roxas, Mar
(9) Teodoro, Gilbert
(10) Velarde, Mike
(11) Villar, Manny
(12) Villavueva, Eddie

No, this is not a list of candidates who plan to run for senator in 2010 but a list of incumbent senators, evangelists, governors and government officials who have expressed intentions of replacing GMA. I'm sure each one of them is qualified and winnable based on their perspective and what their supporters say.

Survey says! In a recent presidential survey, leading the race is Villar with 29%, De Castro with 21% and Roxas with 18%. Villar is currently a Philippine Senator, an ex-house speaker, ex-senate president and the owner of Vista Land Company h(developer of Camella Homes). De Castro is a broadcaster, former senator and the current Vice President of the country. Roxas, who is set to walk down the aisle with broadcaster Korina Sanchez late this year, is a 3 term congressman, a former DTI secretary and currently a senator.

With eight months to go before the 2010 elections and two months before the deadline of the filing of candidacy, it is getting pretty exciting as it is a wide open race with the advantage going to the well prepared, individually and organizationally. One thing is for sure, in this lifetime, not all of them will become the Philippine's Papi!

The Most Important Word

Reprinted from The Philippine Star
Business Life, H-2, August 10, 2009

The six most important words: I admit I made a mistake.

The five most important words: You did a good job.

The four most important words: What is your opinion?

The three most important words: If you please.

The two most important words: Thank you.

The one most important words: We.

The least important word: I

- Anonymous

My Fourth MTB Ride

Trek 8900 HT
Originally uploaded by dylac

I got my 2008 Trek 8900 Cross Country Hard Tail mountain bike last December. You can call it a Christmas gift for myself. I sold my old 2003 Giant NRS Cross Country Dual Suspension frame for P10K then got the new frame for P15K. I'd say it was a win-win deal as I needed an upgrade but didn't want to shell out much for the difference.

Here's the inventory of my bike set up:

FRAME: Trek 8900 XC HT (2008 ver)
FRONT SHOCKS: Manitou Black Platinum (all options)
BARS: Titec HellBent
STEM: Titec Big Al
GRIP: RaceFace Lock on Grips
BRAKE LEVERS: Shimano Deore XT
BRAKES: Avid CPS
CABLES: Avid Flak Jacket
SHIFTERS: Shimano Deore XT
REAR DER: Shimano Deore XT
FRONT DER: Shimano Deore
CRANKSET: Shimano Deore XT
CASSETTE: SRAM 7.0
CHAIN: Shimano Hyper Glide
PEDALS: Shimano M540
SADDLE: WTB Rocket V Race
SEAT POST: Titec X-Wing Pro
CLAMP: TREK (generic)
HUBS: Shimano Deore XT
SPOKES: Black Stainless Steel (generic)
RIMS: Mavic 223 XC
TIRES: Hutchinson Python

To supplement my ride, here's an inventory of my gear:
JERSEYS: Fox, Primal Wear, Anatomic
GLOVES: SixSixOne, Fox
SHOES: SixSixOne, Shimano (ex)
HYDRATION PACK: CamelBak Lobo
SOCKS: SixSixOne, Primal Wear, CoolMax

After de-stressing myself and typing all of these down, the BIG QUESTION is when can I find time to ride it again?!?!

Balik sa Inyo

TY Cory
Originally uploaded by dylac

Kami po ang dapat magpasalamat sa pamilya ninyo sa pagbahagi sa aming mamamayang Pilipino sa Ina ng Demokrasya na si Ginang Cory Aquino.

Seize the Opportunity

TY Cory
Originally uploaded by dylac

B5 my son had the privilege to shake hands with the former Senate President and former Justice Secretary Franklin Drilon during Cory's procession. It was out of his own initiative, we did not prompt him.

It was quick thinking on his part while my share was to take a couple of shots to capture the moment.

Honor Guards Honored

TY Cory
Originally uploaded by dylac

Imagine standing for 9 hours beside ex-President Cory Aquino's casket on top of a moving 10 wheeler truck under a mixture of heat and rain. That's what these four honor guards did last August 5 from 11AM to 8PM.

When interviewed, they said that they were just doing their jobs. They're probably right. What they didn't realize is that they were part of history. The P25,000 that they received was just a bonus.

ANNIVERSARY THREE

In the month of July, I celebrated 3 significant anniversaries and they are:

(1) My current team's 13th year anniv. Yes, the team that I'm handling right now is more than a decade old. It's no wonder that the average age is 34 y.o. and tenure is 8 years.

(2) My blog's 3rd year anniv. That's thirty six months since I posted my first entry. So far, the inventory shows that I've posted 350 entries hence that's an average of 9 per month.

(3) Our VEEs 2nd year anniv. VEE is a the nickname of the family car, a 7G CRV. It now logs 20,000 kilometers, relatively low compared to our previous ride which logged an average of 18,000 per year during the 5 years that we utilized it.

They say that we should celebrate life's simple pleasures and this is my small way of doing it.

Pay Bills using Smart Money

Are you based in the Philippines?

Do you want to experience the convenience of paying utility bills while at home?

Follow this link http://smart.com.ph/money/features/BillsPayment.htm

I've been paying the ff. bills using Smart Money for the past 3 years:

BILLER CODE INSTITUTION NAME

03006 SMART Gold Monthly Subscription

06012 SMART Bro Monthly Subscription

05012 PLDT Landline

05014 Sky Cable

I wish MERALCO will be available through this payment channel soon.

ICBM is AYT!

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile or ICBM.

1 f d best career advice dat I recvd ds yr 2009.

Ds s AYT!

[Flickr] Request to use photo of Bamban bridge

You've been sent a Flickr Mail from XXX:

------------------------------------------------------------

:: Request to use photo of Bamban bridge


Hi dylac,

Greetings from Singapore Philatelic Museum! We are a
non-profit stamp museum that targets children and families
under the National Heritage Board of Singapore.

In Aug 09, the Philippines and Singapore are producing a
joint stamp issue on bridges to celebrate 40 years of
diplomatic relations. The Philippine bridges featured are
Bamban Bridge and Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

We are holding a 3-day exhibition on the new stamps and
will feature the Philippines and the bridges mentioned
above. We hope that this exhibition will let more people
here know about your beautiful country.

I enjoyed browsing through your lovely photos and would
like to request the use of this photo of Bamban Bridge for
free:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12465415@N02/1985507702/

If you are agreeable, please let me know how I can credit
you for the use of photos.

Your help would be much appreciated. Please feel free to
contact me at @@@@@ if you've any queries.


I hope to hear your positive reply soon.


Warmest regards,
ML
Special Projects
Singapore Philatelic Museum
www.spm.org.sg

Miss Papa

Papa. Papa Boy. Papa Boo. BoyLac. ToyLac. Boy. Joe. Bok. Pare. Everybody special to him calls him different names.

A mass was offered to my father JPL Jr. last July 5 at Don Bosco Makati for his 14th month anniversary.

I shall visit him today (7/11) at the Familia Lacsamana mausoleum, Garden of the Asencion, Tarlac City.

A book that I read about grieving says that an average person grieves for 14 months.

My mother says to be thankful that he was a part of our lives for 36 years.

I love you and I miss you, Papa.

LA SALLIAN CENTER REUNION

MINUTES OF THE MEETING: LSC Reunion
Date: July 4, 2009
Time: 8pm July 4 to 3am July 5
Location: Last Home Bar in Mandaluyong City, Philippines
Minute Taker: DyLac
Attendees:
(1) Gene T., plastic surgeon
(2) Carlo B., businessman
(3) Christian R., businessman
(4) Dylan L., telco manager
(5) Gio B., company executive
(6) Dennis Q., businessman
(7) Mark B., US Navy
(8) Carlo T., businessman
(9) Cromwell B., businessman
(10) KZ F., hotel executive
(11) Rainer S., lawyer
(12) Alvin C., operations executive
(13) Byron O., college professor
(14) Nico C., sales executive
(15) Ian M., sales executive
(16) Warren L., law firm associate

FACTS:
* Gene T. and Carlo T. co-organized the reunion.
* The early birds were Gene T., Carlo B., Mark B. and myself.
* The 16 LSC dormies consumed 3 to 4 cases of San Mig light, 2 bottles of Jack Daniels and 1 bottle of Johnny Walker.
* We spoke to the ff. dormmates over the phone: (1) John Y. while in Davao City, (2) Tony D. in Angeles City, (3) Abe T. in Angeles City, (4) Jumbo T. in Angeles City, (5) Amiel "Magic" S. in Rizal, (6) Felix T. who was abroad and (7) Johnny G. in New Jersey USA. All of them wished they were present in the reunion.
* Despite being invited, unfortunately there were no LSC lady dormmates present during the reunion. They probably realized some secrets are too sensitive to be revealed.
*According to the organizer, invites were sent to Ms. Pilar P., Mrs. Marilou M., Susan and the canteen staff, the security guards but they were not available. But I could have sworn I saw S/G Butch Dacanay.
*Carlo T. and Marky B. were officially introduced. This was necessary as a result of a senior moment. I guess somebody has to take gluthapose.
*That night, maturity was at an all time low. Apparently, the attendees forgot that dorm life ended a decade or more ago. They acted as if they were still teenagers.
*People couldn't remember how they got home. We are not sure if this is a result of a dementia or matinding kalasengan. I hope it's the latter.

ACTION POINTS:
(1) Pictures taken using the digicam of Carlo B. and Gene T. will be loaded in FaceBook asap. Status: DONE.
(2) Gene, Christian, Dennis will meet with the NoCal based dormies on August week 3. For inquiries, get in touch with these people.
(3) Another reunion will be arranged in December this year near the birthdays of Christian R. and Carlo B. Who will foot the bill? Your guess is as good as mine.

Herewith is the copy of the minutes of the meeting. Pls. let me know if I missed anything.

Thanks.

DyLac
Room 26 & 20
La Sallian Center
969 A. Francisco St.
Malate, Manila

Swing Around Singapore...twice!

Singapore Fast Facts:
Coordinates: 1° 14′ 0″ N, 103° 55′ 0″ E
Official languages: English, Malay, Chinese, Tamil
Government: Parliamentary republic
Area: 710.2 km2
Population: 4,839,400 (2008 estimate)
Per capita: $51,142
Internet TLD: .sg
Calling code: +65

Ah Singapore, it’s slightly bigger than the whole of Metro Manila yet fourteen times richer than the Philippines in terms of per capita income. Never dreamt I'd get to visit this little country twice in a span of two month last year. The first visit was in April 2008 for a personal trip and the second in June for business. The personal visit was tipid to the max as we stayed in a cheap inn near Nathan road while during the business trip, we were billeted at Conrad Hilton along Two Temasek Boulevard and right beside Suntec City, Singapore's second biggest mall.

Here's my top ten favorite pix of this tiny but developed Southeast Asia neighbor:
Subject: Images of Singapore
Location: Sentosa Island
Date: June 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Subject: South side view of Singapore
Location: On top of the Merlion, Sentosa Island
Date: June 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Subject: Sentosa Train
Location: Sentosa Island
Date: June 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Subject: Merlion, the real thing
Location: While riding a bumboat
Date: April 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Subject: Esplanade
Location: Singapore
Date: June 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Subject: Spiral
Location: Time Square at Millenia Walk
Date: June 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Subject: MRT Symmetry
Location: Expo MRT
Date: June 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Subject: Singapore Flyer
Location: While riding the SG Flyer
Date: June 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Subject: Singaporeans @ work during CommunicAsia
Location: Singapore Expo 2008
Date: June 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Subject: Singapore Visitor Center
Location: Nathan Road
Date: April 2008
Taken from a Nikon D40

Go Cart

Mount Pinatubo
Originally uploaded by dylac

Pix taken on the way home from Mount Pinatubo last February. I used to ride a carabao drawn cart similar to this when I was a kid. I hope my children will also have an opportunity to experience that instead of spending time infront of a PC or a PSP.

Suzuki Jimny

Suzuki Jimny
Originally uploaded by dylac

Early 90s Suzuki Jimny.

Specs:
(1) Yellow body color.
(2) White steel rims, size 15 inches.
(3) Original body stickers
(4) Hood scoop
(5) No tint.

Saw it one evening parked along Bautista St.

The only draw back, ex-right hand drive.

Sell it to me for P70K and I'd buy it.

B5's Recog Day

B5's Recog Day
Originally uploaded by dylac

ME. ME. ME.

They say that blogging is all about self glorification. And they are right. This entry is about ME, particularly about my son's achievement. Some may call it bragging but it's based on a fact.

My son B5 (KML) got the following awards during their Elementary Recognition Day last July 1, 2009.
(1) Academic Excellence Award
(2) Christian Living Award
(3) Conduct Award

You made us proud again, my son! Keep it up.

Dad