Here I go again, tallying my bestest singles of 2008.
25) 4 Minutes : Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake
24) Bye Bye : Mariah Carey
23) Clumsy : Fergie
22) Bleeding Love : Leona Lewis
21) Still Standing : Monica ft. Ludacris
20) Always Be My Baby : David Cook
19) Lollipop (remix) : Lil' Wayne ft. Static Major
18) She Said, I Said : NLT Prod by Timbaland
17) Right Here (Departed) : Brandy
16) Bust It Baby (Part 2) : Plies ft. Neyo
15) Trading Places : Usher *My Video of the Year*
14) Miss Independent : Neyo *My Video of the Year*
13) Feedback (remix) : Janet Jackson ft. Ciara
12) Superwoman : Alicia Keys *My Video of the Year*
11) Suffocate : J. Holiday
Want to know what's on top? go to My Wordpress
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas Everyone and A Hot Soulful Song!
A very special Christmas message featuring your favourite players from the ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (youtube).
And, this song from Musiq featuring Mary J. Blige was hot. I was nearly suffocated listening to the lyrics, Geez!
And, this song from Musiq featuring Mary J. Blige was hot. I was nearly suffocated listening to the lyrics, Geez!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Survivor Insights 15: Predictable Win For Bob!
Two-thousand eight will surely be an unforgettable year for the 57-year-old physics teacher, Bob Crowley. After winning the Sole Survivor Title and $1 Million + Sprint's 100,000— what could be more for Bob? Just a Merry, Happy Christmas!
To read the full article, go wordpress
To read the full article, go wordpress
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Outplacing Employees- What Should You Know About Redundancy
In UK, cutting-off jobs is widely practiced. This technique of cutting-off jobs is known as redundancy. It occurs when a company terminates an employee because his or her services are no longer needed or the company suffers from extreme financial crisis.
There is also another redundant technique known as "collective redundancy." This technique occurs when there's twenty or more staff termination in ninety days.
Although we can't control the spread of wrongful dismissal, you can still qualify for redundancy compensation.
According to Employment Law, there will be a redundant compensation to dismissed employees who's at least two years in service. Employees who are terminated from their positions due to misconduct, refusal to accept the outplacement offers, and those working in abroad- their redundant rights are revoked.
But to those employees who remain undecided to either accept the new job or not, a trial period of four weeks is given to them and if in any way he still feels dissatisfied with his new job, they can leave the job and still claim the compensation.
Redundancy and Evaluation- How It's Done?
The whole procedure for employee redundancy should be done objectively. Six important variables are measured. These are: Skills, Performance, Attendance, Disciplinary Record, Experience, Aptitude
The president has the levelheadedness to meticulously balance these variables before coming up with confirmable decisions. Rushing up this decision is one and the same to unfair dismissal.
If you are a victim of this uncontrollable scenario, patiently talk with your employer. If you think his reasons are rational, swallow your pride and simply accept the outplacement services. Participating to outplacement coaching helps you find another job in line with your interests and skills.
How To Survive Redundancy
It's scary to think that we can all be dismissed from our work. Only time knows when this scenario happens. For the meantime, I want to share with you an inspiring quotes written by Hazel Bunston on how to combat the terrible effects of layoff.
First,
"Work out your strategy well in advance"
Planning is everything. If your job plans to terminate you, research for another job you think you will easily fit in. Your workplace is your playground and for this, you need to become the strategist. Never stop planning things to your advantage.
Second,
"Plan your week"
Weeks before the termination, redo your plan board. Rewrite, relay-out your resume every time you get home from work. This technique improves the overall presentation of your resume. Most important thing of all, never waste a time, learn how to market yourself to every new opportunities week after week.
Third,
"Take full advantage of outplacement services"
Participating to outplacement coaching sessions can be advantageous to you. Outplacement packages include career coaching, training in resume-writing and psychometric training.
Fourth,
"Network like crazy"
How many ways to communicate with various people today? Hundreds if not thousands, right? For this, you need to wear your thinking cap always and market yourself like it's the end of the world tomorrow. Attend job seminars, job fairs, and job forums online. Never limit yourself; finding work has never been so complicated if you persevere.
Lastly,
"Stay positive"
Dismissal is always a part of life. These days, it's not easy to look for a new job but there are a number of ways to help you look another job. One, participate to outplacement services. Two, attend job seminars and job fairs near you. Three, browse the Internet and never stop till you find the right job that matches your interests.
________________________________________________
SurvivorDean is a prominent affiliate marketer and a student of Tim Brocklehurst, the world-renownded viral marketing expert: For training, mentorship, and step-by-step guidance on starting an online business, visit Online Business Initiative and for more news about OIB, go to http://onlinebusinessinitiative.com/news/
Photo courtesy of:
www.cartoonstock.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
What's the Significance of Outplacement to Employment Transition
Economic breakdown infuriates millions of people. Several businessmen are down and hoping for more miracles to salvage their business campaigns. However, having one's place is no longer a dilemma with the rise of outplacement.
Outplacement is defined as a professional technique in assisting a terminated employee in looking for a new job in line with his abilities and skills; and what's great with this technique is, it might salvage your shrinking workforce.
Losing a job is considered to be the most painful reality struck on you. The percentage of job vacancies is so slim. In fact, this is the whole point of outplacement! It encourages these big companies to hire outplacement agencies. Once your employees enjoy the fruit of outplacement, you can guarantee-
Company's Reputation is Protected
"Although Outplacement is chiefly aimed at employees who find themselves in a redundancy situation, it can also help protect a company's brand when it is forced to take such action," Linda Daly reported.
No Resentment Memory
Participating to outplacement counseling helps those terminated employees become a well-adjusted person who's willing to face another challenges with smiles.
Outplacement Services Eradicate Dissatisfaction
"Outplacement generally provides the redundant workers with a professional assessment or analysis of their situation. It offers them guidance on certain techniques to ensure they are successful in the future, provides them with information about the jobs market and gives them the tools to market themselves (outplacementservices.ie)."
_______________________________
For training, mentorship, and step-by-step guidance on starting an online business, visit Online Business Initiative and for more news about OIB, go to http://onlinebusinessinitiative.com/news/
Friday, December 12, 2008
Survivor Insights 14: Gullible Matty!
Sugar was in the game once again. With the hidden immunity necklace in play, she twisted the events around the camp and created a scheming masterpiece to blindside the 2004 Track and Field Olympic Gold Medalist Crystal Cox.
It's everyone's game now. Sugar already played her hidden immunity necklace to protect Matty, Bob won the immunity challenge twice in a row, Ken was an outcast, Susie could be in the finals and Matty continues to play the worst strategic game in history.
Sugar was the reason why Matty was still standing. Perhaps, Matty was too afraid to flirt with Sugar to his advantage. Matty played a "gullible-and-good-boy-scheme" but it sounds to me, he's letting his cards go and let other people do the magic for him.
Geez, that sounds "OUTSOURCING." Matty was only trying to outsource miracles to survive (LOL). Perhaps, it's Matty's strategy and who knows, this might work for him.
Bob won the reward challenge again and he brought Crystal and Ken with him. The three enjoyed a meal, shower and an unforgettable trip To Gorilla Sanctuary. They have also learned a Gabonese song, watch the never-before seen video.
But Bob continues to dominate and won the Immunity Challenge. These events only reveal Bob was a no-joke threat this season. He's 57 but his hunger to win this game was too strong. If Sugar and Matty stick with each other in the next episode, they should get rid of Bob and brought Susie in the final three. If Bob sailed in the finals, he could be the winner by a landslide.
Whoever wins this game, Sugar deserves to be in the final three. The finale is near, two days to go (December 15, 2008).... weeeeeeeeeeheeeeeeee!
Photo courtesy of:
CBS.com
Survivor Insights 13: JC Tiuseco - The First Pinoy Sole Survivor
At Last! The Old-Car-Curse came to an end and JC Tiuseco, the 23-year-old "nice-guy castaway", was officially declared as the First Pinoy Sole Survivor.
JC garnered six total number of votes from the jury and the seventh came from the 93% text votes from home viewers. No doubt, it was a landslide win for JC over Rob Sy considering he also won the brand new car.
In fact, some news items claim he played the game with integrity and this helped him bring home the bacon in the end.
Bringing Back The Past
JC started the game weak. He needed to changed gears almost all the time to survive the elements in Devil's Island. Watching the first Naak's immunity Challenge, I thought he was the first one to go but JC made a great strategic move when he sided with Kaye Alipio, the 20-year-old lingerie model from Calamba Laguna.
Somehow, JC's strategy did work for him and was not voted out. Creating an alliance is an important commandment in the game of SURVIVOR and all went good when JC made a stronger pack with Kiko, Rob and Kaye.
When his best buddy, Kiko, was eliminated during Day 24, JC immediately tied himself with another set of alliance in order to avoid elimination. That time, he finds it hard to trust Kaye.
Quite frustrating JC didn't stick with Kaye (He and Kaye could have been in the final two) and with that, Kaye was ousted in Day 32.
JC was a big threat when he won the back-to-back immunity challenges during Day 29 and 32 but his nice-guy-high behavior didn't backstab him. Cris, Charisse and Rob had all the powers to vote JC out when he gave up the immunity necklace in exchange for a brand new car.
But as what most people believed, good things happen when you're least expecting it. JC's runner-up, Rob Sy, remained loyal to him and brought him in the final two.
In their final Tribal Council, JC was emotional due to flooding unfavorable comments against him. As stated in the law, being too emotional is a taboo in SURVIVOR. Whatever happens, you must learn to control your emotions. Luckily, emotions did work for JC earning him six votes from eight jury members.
Unlike Brian Heidik in US Edition (his bet), JC failed to win the final immunity challenge but still, LUCK chose to play tricks on him to become the FIRST PINOY SOLE SURVIVOR.
Photo courtesy of:
Philippine Entertainment Portal
PEP Homepage
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Survivor Insights 12: Who will be the First Pinoy Sole Survivor?
Tonight is the night and the First Pinoy Sole Survivor will at last be revealed!
Will it be the 23-year-old basketball hearthrob from Manila (JC Tiuseco) or the 30-year-old sales officer from Davao City (Rob Sy)?
In a span of two weeks, huge events transpired in Ko Tarutao. First, Marlon Carmen became the fourth member of the jury, Kaye Alipio got blindsided and ousted from the game, Nanay Zita was also a victim of the unexpected and was voted out during the surprising Tribal Council. JC, Rob and Charisse voted her out because they thought Zita was the strongest contender and whoever will sit beside her in the finals, she will win.
JC won the final four immunity challenge but decided to award it to Rob in exchange of a brand new car. He was lucky and he wasn't still voted out that night. Rob had the power to blindside him and sided with Charisse and Cris. But in the end, it was Cris who got the fall and became the seventh member of the jury.
All went well with the final three. JC, Charisse and Rob were given a Thai breakfast feast the day after. The three fought like real warriors during their last immunity challenge. In fact, the final 3 immunity challenge was one of the toughest challenges in history. The challenge required endurance and staying power while lying in a parallel plank, with water dripping all over them from a barrel at their head part. Then, the parallel plank was adjusted every fifteen minutes until it reaches 180 degrees.
In the end, Rob outlasted the two and guaranteed a spot in the finals. He could choose Charisse over JC. Yet, he stayed loyal to JC and Charisse was still eliminated in Day 38.
Last night was an intense Tribal Council for the two remaining castaways. JC and Rob was put in the ring of fire as the eight members of the jury (Jace, Kiko, Vern, Marlon, Kate, Zita, Cris, and Charisse) aired out their dirty laundries.
I didn't know why the members of the jury felt very betrayed. Some of their comments were below-the-belt. But what can I do? That's part of the game. Whatever happens, you better outwit, outplay and outlast...
But the real question is: Who will win the title of Pinoy Sole Survivor?
Based on my assessment, Rob has laid the matured answers on the table. Although some members of the jury were literally maiming his overall personal identity, he still knew how to market himself to them. There was a sense of balance strategy in his answers.
JC could not dribble his answers well and tends to forget editting some of the details. His answers might not be strategic as Rob but hell yeah, he still needs to sharpen his insights.
Who wins tonight? Might be 51-49 call for Rob Sy considering JC Tiuseco won the brand new car.
The Old-Survivor-Car-Curse might on the playboard once again!
Photo courtesy of:
Friendster
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Siblings Win TAR 13!
Nick and Starr sailed their way to the finish line in Portland, Oregon and became the 13th champions of The Amazing Race. Of all the duo teams in TAR, Nick and Starr are a no-joke. They got the drive, the competitive spirit and the above-average intelligence to win the race.
In fact, out of eleven legs, they are in the front seat for seven times, including the finale and four consistent number one in episodes five, sixth, seven and eighth. This record is even better than Rob and Amber back in season seven.
My other personal bets who made it on TAR final three and win are:Season 1: Rob and Brennan
Season 2: Blake and Paige (third)
Season 3: Flo and Zach
Season 5: Brandon and Nicole (third)
Season 6: Freddy and Kendra, Kris and Jon (second)
Season 7: Rob and Amber (second)
Season 8 (TAR Family Edition): The Linz Siblings
Season 9: Eric and Jeremy (second)
Season 10: Tyler and James
Season 11 (All-Stars): Eric and Danielle, Dustin and Kandice (second)
TAR "won all six of the Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program awarded since the category was created in 2003 (Wikipedia)."
TAR defeated Mark Burnett's SURVIVOR but it's fine, SURVIVOR is still doing spectacular in TV Ratings. The real survivors don't need to win awards to become amazing, hahaha!
Photos courtesy of:
www.cbs.com
Meta Tags - How to Go About Using Meta Tags For Your Website
Article Author: Alakh Arpan Akhawat
Article Source: Ezine Articles
It would be foolish to leave off Meta keyword tags or Meta description tags of your web page even while these are not the chief elements that search engines apply when higher-ranking your web site. The Meta description tag adds a concise, also equally brief summary of the articles of your web page although the Meta keyword tag adds a compact listing of the active words on your web page that are of a great deal grandness. Some of these kinds of Meta tags assist in making it comfortable to utilize the internet.
It has got rather primary for webmasters to misuse the practice of Meta tags called for to acquire greater search engine rankings. This is regrettable and has led search engines to modify the emphasis knuckled under their algorithmic program when grading sites. It is hence crucial for you to recognize how to compose right Meta tags that you acquire the one and the same finest and sanctioned search engine rankings.
While composing Meta description tags it is all important for you not to apply more than 170 characters and the article that you apply must follow that one on your web page. At that place are assorted references accessible to direct you in composing suitable Meta description tags letting in LookSmart, and Open Directory. You actually should bear your description bind nearly to W3C standards and the description should be nearly associated to the articles on your web page.
As well see while composing Meta keyword tags to let in those words that will be attending on the web page because its aim is to cater summary of the crucial keywords present during your Website page or text file. It is as well executable to use Meta tag sources to simplify also as construct valuable Meta tags for your site and therefore acquires higher search engine rankings. Still bear in mind that these Meta Tag sources will never surpass a master search engine optimization advisor.
_ _ _ _ _
Article Source: Ezine Articles
It would be foolish to leave off Meta keyword tags or Meta description tags of your web page even while these are not the chief elements that search engines apply when higher-ranking your web site. The Meta description tag adds a concise, also equally brief summary of the articles of your web page although the Meta keyword tag adds a compact listing of the active words on your web page that are of a great deal grandness. Some of these kinds of Meta tags assist in making it comfortable to utilize the internet.
It has got rather primary for webmasters to misuse the practice of Meta tags called for to acquire greater search engine rankings. This is regrettable and has led search engines to modify the emphasis knuckled under their algorithmic program when grading sites. It is hence crucial for you to recognize how to compose right Meta tags that you acquire the one and the same finest and sanctioned search engine rankings.
While composing Meta description tags it is all important for you not to apply more than 170 characters and the article that you apply must follow that one on your web page. At that place are assorted references accessible to direct you in composing suitable Meta description tags letting in LookSmart, and Open Directory. You actually should bear your description bind nearly to W3C standards and the description should be nearly associated to the articles on your web page.
As well see while composing Meta keyword tags to let in those words that will be attending on the web page because its aim is to cater summary of the crucial keywords present during your Website page or text file. It is as well executable to use Meta tag sources to simplify also as construct valuable Meta tags for your site and therefore acquires higher search engine rankings. Still bear in mind that these Meta Tag sources will never surpass a master search engine optimization advisor.
_ _ _ _ _
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Ivanovic - Verdasco Sweet Moments
I am jealous :(
What ca we do folks? The World Seed Number 16 (ATP, 2008) is just so LUCKY.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Survivor Insights 11: Paranoia Sets In!
(Changing the title from Survivor Analysis to Survivor Insights as this is a more appropriate title for my review)
“How will you make the paranoia work for you and not against you.” -Jeff Probst
Matty Whitmore, the 29-year-old personal trainer, was nearly eliminated in this twelve episode as his closest ally (Ken) turned his back on him. But in the end, it was Corrine Kaplan who got the fall and became the fourth member of the jury.
This episode was all about Bob, the physics teacher. Bob opened this episode telling Sugar how disappointed he was in her nasty behavior during Randy's exit. During the reward challenge, Bob brought Crystal and Sugar in victory and finish the whirling circular puzzle to raise a flag. But in the second round, Bob nailed the sliding puzzle and won the reward.
The reward was seeing his wife face-to-face. After Bob and his wife get-together, they arrived at the camp, telling everybody that they have also their own rewards. The emotional part was Matty. He was hugging and kissing his girlfriend, Jamie, like he will never see her again and wow, her girlfriend said "YES" to his marriage proposal.
That was probably the sweetest and genuine scene in Survivor History. I felt the genuine connection between Matty and Jamie. It was not simply about lust and hungry for sex.
Next is Sugar. Her sister brought her dad's ashes in a small bottle. Near the river, they both prayed and poured the ashes into the river. Sugar missed her father very much and this event helped her become the competitive flirt in Gabon.
What I don't like about her in this episode is she didn't deliver just as I expected her to play the game. In this episode, she allows Ken to reign the kingdom.
Bob won the immunity and he and Corrine decided to poison Ken. Ken, without thinking deeply, immediately gives in to their offers and voted against Matty during the Tribal Council. If Crystal Cox voted for Matty, Matty was gone!
Six castaways remain and it's time for me to pick a tentative final three. My Pick: Matty, Sugar and Susie. Susie was not in my original list but because of Ken's decision to blindside Matty, Ken puts himself in the most vulnerable position next week and that makes Susie a powerful darkhorse. Sugar was the only sure-fire member in my list because of her hidden immunity necklace inside her bag. Matty has slim chances of being in the top three and if he doesn't win immunities in the next three episodes, he's gone.
Bob was the ideal candidate for final tree but he's too perfect. He's intelligent, he got a loving wife, he's old and for these reasons, he got no flaws to be in the final three.
Meanwhile, watch this never-before-scene in Ponderosa after Corrine got voted off.
Photos courtesy of:
cbs.com
realitynewsonline.com
“How will you make the paranoia work for you and not against you.” -Jeff Probst
Matty Whitmore, the 29-year-old personal trainer, was nearly eliminated in this twelve episode as his closest ally (Ken) turned his back on him. But in the end, it was Corrine Kaplan who got the fall and became the fourth member of the jury.
This episode was all about Bob, the physics teacher. Bob opened this episode telling Sugar how disappointed he was in her nasty behavior during Randy's exit. During the reward challenge, Bob brought Crystal and Sugar in victory and finish the whirling circular puzzle to raise a flag. But in the second round, Bob nailed the sliding puzzle and won the reward.The reward was seeing his wife face-to-face. After Bob and his wife get-together, they arrived at the camp, telling everybody that they have also their own rewards. The emotional part was Matty. He was hugging and kissing his girlfriend, Jamie, like he will never see her again and wow, her girlfriend said "YES" to his marriage proposal.
That was probably the sweetest and genuine scene in Survivor History. I felt the genuine connection between Matty and Jamie. It was not simply about lust and hungry for sex.
Next is Sugar. Her sister brought her dad's ashes in a small bottle. Near the river, they both prayed and poured the ashes into the river. Sugar missed her father very much and this event helped her become the competitive flirt in Gabon.
What I don't like about her in this episode is she didn't deliver just as I expected her to play the game. In this episode, she allows Ken to reign the kingdom.
Bob won the immunity and he and Corrine decided to poison Ken. Ken, without thinking deeply, immediately gives in to their offers and voted against Matty during the Tribal Council. If Crystal Cox voted for Matty, Matty was gone!
Six castaways remain and it's time for me to pick a tentative final three. My Pick: Matty, Sugar and Susie. Susie was not in my original list but because of Ken's decision to blindside Matty, Ken puts himself in the most vulnerable position next week and that makes Susie a powerful darkhorse. Sugar was the only sure-fire member in my list because of her hidden immunity necklace inside her bag. Matty has slim chances of being in the top three and if he doesn't win immunities in the next three episodes, he's gone.
Bob was the ideal candidate for final tree but he's too perfect. He's intelligent, he got a loving wife, he's old and for these reasons, he got no flaws to be in the final three.
Meanwhile, watch this never-before-scene in Ponderosa after Corrine got voted off.
Photos courtesy of:
cbs.com
realitynewsonline.com
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Just Gorgeous!
Ana Ivanovic done it again! After FHM, she's in Sport & Style L'equipe.
Photo courtesy of:
WTA Women Tennis
Just a quick say!
Congrats to Pacman for winning the Dream Match against Oscar De La Hoya "The Golden Boy." Pacman swept De La Hoya all the way long till The Golden Boy resigns on the eighth round.
www.bleuken.com
Photo courtesy of:
WTA Women Tennis
Just a quick say!
Congrats to Pacman for winning the Dream Match against Oscar De La Hoya "The Golden Boy." Pacman swept De La Hoya all the way long till The Golden Boy resigns on the eighth round.
www.bleuken.com
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Long Christmas Vacation! I will miss my work :)
December once again and the long Christmas vacation is coming in town.
Here in the Philippines, regular holidays will fall on:
December 24 (Wednesday)- Christmas Eve
December 25 (Thursday)- Christmas Day
December 30 (Tuesday)- Rizal Day
January 1, 2009 (Thursday)- New Year
And our special holidays, which means no work, no pay, will fall on:
December 26 (Friday)***
December 29 (Monday)***
December 31 (Wednesday)***
January 2, 2009 Friday will be a sandwich.
This is not soooo cool :(
Advance Happy Holidays to the world!
Here in the Philippines, regular holidays will fall on:
December 24 (Wednesday)- Christmas Eve
December 25 (Thursday)- Christmas Day
December 30 (Tuesday)- Rizal Day
January 1, 2009 (Thursday)- New Year
And our special holidays, which means no work, no pay, will fall on:
December 26 (Friday)***
December 29 (Monday)***
December 31 (Wednesday)***
January 2, 2009 Friday will be a sandwich.
This is not soooo cool :(
Advance Happy Holidays to the world!
Survivor Insights of the Day
The article below is written by: FashionXpert
Article Source: Men Expert
Colors evoke myriad emotions and associations. A woman who sees a man dressed in a black suit probably sees him as a man who wields a lot of power. Similarly a man who is daring enough to wear pink, like Saif Ali Khan did in Salaam Namaste, is obviously very secure in his masculinity and doesn’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone.
".... blue, again a very popular color in men’s fashion, implies that the person wearing it is a warm and honest person. It can also convey that the guy is someone who is serious and intelligent."
To read the full article, click this link. Colors That Match Your Personality
Article Source: Men Expert
Colors evoke myriad emotions and associations. A woman who sees a man dressed in a black suit probably sees him as a man who wields a lot of power. Similarly a man who is daring enough to wear pink, like Saif Ali Khan did in Salaam Namaste, is obviously very secure in his masculinity and doesn’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone.
".... blue, again a very popular color in men’s fashion, implies that the person wearing it is a warm and honest person. It can also convey that the guy is someone who is serious and intelligent."
To read the full article, click this link. Colors That Match Your Personality
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
SurvivorDean's Year-End Countdown
December again and every December comes my year-end countdown!
Since 2002, it has been my crazy routine to rank my hit-winning singles of the year, just like MTV.
I'm a R&B addict so my year-end countdown seems bias to this genre but there are still few alternative and pop genre in the list.
2002 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
2002 was a good year. I was in first year college that time and there were plenty of good R&B here and there. Luckily, there were still two non-RnB songs that made it on my list.
5) Complicated - Avril Lavigne
4) Wherever you will go- The Calling
3) Ain't It Funny (Remix)- Jennifer Lopez ft. Ja Rule
2) I Need A Girl- P. Diddy ft. Usher and Loon
1) Hot In Herre- Nelly
Nelly's debut single from his album "Nellyville" was a total fly. The music video was also hot, do I need to ask for more?
2003 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
5) In the Club- 50 Cent
4) Ignition (Remix)- R. Kelly
3) All I Have- Jennifer Lopez ft. LL Cool J
2) Perfect- Simple Plan
1) If You're Not The One- Daniel Bedingfield
This emotional-driven song is one of the bests of all-time. The lyrics were powerful Every time I hear it, I can only remember just one person. For this, I consider this song a depressing one especially if you are brokenhearted.
2004 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
5) Milkshake- Kelis
4) I Don't Wanna Know - Mario Winnans
3) If I Ain't Got You- Alicia Keys
2) Yeah- Usher
1) My Boo- Usher ft. Alicia Keys
Year 2004 was a huge year for R&B! Five not-easily-forgotten songs made it on my list and wow, my number 1 was sizzling HOT.
2005 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
I was completely busy with studies in 2005. I didn't have to listen to radio or in MTV. For this, only three songs rocks me up.
3) Candyshop- 50 Cent
2) Unbreakable- Alicia Keys
1) More Than Words- Frankie J.
2006 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
5) I Call It Love- Lionel Ritchie
4) Gallery- Mario Vasquez
3) Sexy Back- Justin Timberlake
2) Promiscuous- Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland
1) So Sick- Neyo
The first time I hear this song, I know it will be a hit. Neyo was a great composer who can also articulate what other nice guys wants to say.
2007 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
5) No One- Alicia Keys
4) Do You- Neyo
3) Apologize- Timbaland ft. One Republic
2) What Goes Around Comes Around- Justin Timberlake
1) Wait For You- Elliot Yamin
2007 was an emotional year for me and I was behaving like an idiot. This is probably the reason why I love this song by Yamin. The first time I listen to the message, it breaks my ego. Wow! how cheesy that is!
Who will be on my top list this year? Many superstars are back in the spotlight this year such as Usher, Neyo, John Legend, Rihanna, Beyonce and this will be a hell of fun.
Just wait and see...
Photos courtesy of:
www.people.com
www.mtv.com
Since 2002, it has been my crazy routine to rank my hit-winning singles of the year, just like MTV.
I'm a R&B addict so my year-end countdown seems bias to this genre but there are still few alternative and pop genre in the list.
2002 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
2002 was a good year. I was in first year college that time and there were plenty of good R&B here and there. Luckily, there were still two non-RnB songs that made it on my list.
5) Complicated - Avril Lavigne
4) Wherever you will go- The Calling
3) Ain't It Funny (Remix)- Jennifer Lopez ft. Ja Rule
2) I Need A Girl- P. Diddy ft. Usher and Loon
1) Hot In Herre- Nelly
Nelly's debut single from his album "Nellyville" was a total fly. The music video was also hot, do I need to ask for more?
2003 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
5) In the Club- 50 Cent
4) Ignition (Remix)- R. Kelly
3) All I Have- Jennifer Lopez ft. LL Cool J
2) Perfect- Simple Plan
1) If You're Not The One- Daniel Bedingfield
This emotional-driven song is one of the bests of all-time. The lyrics were powerful Every time I hear it, I can only remember just one person. For this, I consider this song a depressing one especially if you are brokenhearted.
2004 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
5) Milkshake- Kelis
4) I Don't Wanna Know - Mario Winnans
3) If I Ain't Got You- Alicia Keys
2) Yeah- Usher
1) My Boo- Usher ft. Alicia Keys
Year 2004 was a huge year for R&B! Five not-easily-forgotten songs made it on my list and wow, my number 1 was sizzling HOT.
2005 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
I was completely busy with studies in 2005. I didn't have to listen to radio or in MTV. For this, only three songs rocks me up.
3) Candyshop- 50 Cent
2) Unbreakable- Alicia Keys
1) More Than Words- Frankie J.
2006 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
5) I Call It Love- Lionel Ritchie
4) Gallery- Mario Vasquez
3) Sexy Back- Justin Timberlake
2) Promiscuous- Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland
1) So Sick- Neyo
The first time I hear this song, I know it will be a hit. Neyo was a great composer who can also articulate what other nice guys wants to say.
2007 SurvivorDean Year-End Countdown
5) No One- Alicia Keys
4) Do You- Neyo
3) Apologize- Timbaland ft. One Republic
2) What Goes Around Comes Around- Justin Timberlake
1) Wait For You- Elliot Yamin
2007 was an emotional year for me and I was behaving like an idiot. This is probably the reason why I love this song by Yamin. The first time I listen to the message, it breaks my ego. Wow! how cheesy that is!
Who will be on my top list this year? Many superstars are back in the spotlight this year such as Usher, Neyo, John Legend, Rihanna, Beyonce and this will be a hell of fun.
Just wait and see...
Photos courtesy of:
www.people.com
www.mtv.com
Monday, November 24, 2008
Internet Marketing and Storytelling
Written by: Lance D. Jepsen
For thousands of years humans have been telling stories. From the drawings on cave walls, from the story in The Epic of Gilgamesh (2,000 BC), to different religious texts that circle the Earth. The story is so central to the human experience that one can not separate the story from what it means to be human.
When it comes to marketing, one of the huge benefits of telling a story is that people can remember stories better than any other form of marketing. Marketers call this "sticky": it sticks in peoples minds long after they read or hear it. If you subscribe to the Christian faith, then you know that Jesus used storytelling with his parables for he knew that these stories would be remembered long after he was gone.
Claude Hopkins, the father of marketing, in 1919, was hired by Schlitz beer to create an ad that would save the company. Schlitz beer was on the verge of bankruptcy as was ranked a pathetic fifteenth in terms of beer sales.
Hopkins made a trip to Wisconsin to visit the brewery. He knew that he needed to know more about how their beer was actually made. Claude Hopkins knew that it was nearly impossible to create a profitable ad without learning more about the product.
The people at the Wisconsin brewery showed Hopkins the entire brewing process. They showed him how deep they had drilled their wells to find the purest water. They showed him the glass enclosed rooms that kept any contaminates from leeching into the pure water, the kind of yeast they used and where they got it. They explained to Claude Hopkins where the bottles were cleaned, re-cleaned, and sanitized a dozen times.
"My God," Hopkins said, "Why don't you tell people in your advertising about all these steps you are taking to brew your beer?"
We can't do that, answered the Schlitz executives, "all companies brew their beer about the same way."
"Yes," Hopkins countered, "but the first one to tell the public about this process will gain a big advantage."
Hopkins then made an ad for Schlitz Brewery that explained the step-by-step process that goes into making a bottle of Schlitz beer. Six months later, Schlitz went from being ranked fifteenth in terms of sales, to become the #1 selling beer in the country.
Hopkins gave this wonderful example to the world of the power of the story. If Claude Hopkins was alive today, he would literally dominate Internet marketing.
This example shows you how marketing is opposite to what you would think works. The newbie marketer thinks that most people don't have the time to read a long sales letter and so it is best to use a short sales letter. Who really has the time to read all this?--is what most new marketers think.
Many marketing tests have been done on this subject and have proven that the belief that someone does not have the time to read a long sales letter is a false belief. Hopkins did marketing research on this very topic, he writes:
Mail order advertising tells a complete story if the purpose is to make an immediate sale. You see no limitations there on amount of copy. The motto there is, "The more you tell the more you sell." And it has never failed to prove out so in any test we know.
The great 21st century marketer Ben Hart has done research that shows his two page sales letters do better than his one page sales letters, and his four page sales letters do better than his two page sales letters. Ben Hart has even written 12 page sales letters!
I am reminded of a client I had who felt that the sales letter I created for him was just too long to post on his landing page. He did not include large sections of my sales letter and then uploaded a shorter version to his website.
After several months, I contacted him to learn how his sales were doing. He said that they were doing alright but that really he had hoped for more. I recommended that he put the longer sales copy that I wrote for him up. He did as I suggested and his sales increased by an additional 40% over the next few weeks. He is now a believer when it comes to using a longer sales letter to tell a story.
For thousands of years humans have been telling stories. From the drawings on cave walls, from the story in The Epic of Gilgamesh (2,000 BC), to different religious texts that circle the Earth. The story is so central to the human experience that one can not separate the story from what it means to be human.
When it comes to marketing, one of the huge benefits of telling a story is that people can remember stories better than any other form of marketing. Marketers call this "sticky": it sticks in peoples minds long after they read or hear it. If you subscribe to the Christian faith, then you know that Jesus used storytelling with his parables for he knew that these stories would be remembered long after he was gone.
Claude Hopkins, the father of marketing, in 1919, was hired by Schlitz beer to create an ad that would save the company. Schlitz beer was on the verge of bankruptcy as was ranked a pathetic fifteenth in terms of beer sales.
Hopkins made a trip to Wisconsin to visit the brewery. He knew that he needed to know more about how their beer was actually made. Claude Hopkins knew that it was nearly impossible to create a profitable ad without learning more about the product.
The people at the Wisconsin brewery showed Hopkins the entire brewing process. They showed him how deep they had drilled their wells to find the purest water. They showed him the glass enclosed rooms that kept any contaminates from leeching into the pure water, the kind of yeast they used and where they got it. They explained to Claude Hopkins where the bottles were cleaned, re-cleaned, and sanitized a dozen times.
"My God," Hopkins said, "Why don't you tell people in your advertising about all these steps you are taking to brew your beer?"
We can't do that, answered the Schlitz executives, "all companies brew their beer about the same way."
"Yes," Hopkins countered, "but the first one to tell the public about this process will gain a big advantage."
Hopkins then made an ad for Schlitz Brewery that explained the step-by-step process that goes into making a bottle of Schlitz beer. Six months later, Schlitz went from being ranked fifteenth in terms of sales, to become the #1 selling beer in the country.
Hopkins gave this wonderful example to the world of the power of the story. If Claude Hopkins was alive today, he would literally dominate Internet marketing.
This example shows you how marketing is opposite to what you would think works. The newbie marketer thinks that most people don't have the time to read a long sales letter and so it is best to use a short sales letter. Who really has the time to read all this?--is what most new marketers think.
Many marketing tests have been done on this subject and have proven that the belief that someone does not have the time to read a long sales letter is a false belief. Hopkins did marketing research on this very topic, he writes:
Mail order advertising tells a complete story if the purpose is to make an immediate sale. You see no limitations there on amount of copy. The motto there is, "The more you tell the more you sell." And it has never failed to prove out so in any test we know.
The great 21st century marketer Ben Hart has done research that shows his two page sales letters do better than his one page sales letters, and his four page sales letters do better than his two page sales letters. Ben Hart has even written 12 page sales letters!
I am reminded of a client I had who felt that the sales letter I created for him was just too long to post on his landing page. He did not include large sections of my sales letter and then uploaded a shorter version to his website.
After several months, I contacted him to learn how his sales were doing. He said that they were doing alright but that really he had hoped for more. I recommended that he put the longer sales copy that I wrote for him up. He did as I suggested and his sales increased by an additional 40% over the next few weeks. He is now a believer when it comes to using a longer sales letter to tell a story.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Survivor Insight of the Day
"Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence."
-Vince Lombardi, a legendary football coach
-Vince Lombardi, a legendary football coach
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Survivor Analysis 10: Ridiculous Exit
The next-door Nobag's nemesis, Randy Bailey was kicked out and became the third member of the jury in 5-3 votes.
Episode ten was undeniably one of those craziest moments in Survivor History. This episode is a bomb! Plenty of unforgettable events transpired. Bob gave his fake immunity necklace to Randy, Sugar was becoming more powerful lady of the hour, Matty started to take control, Ken won the immunity challenge for the first time and Susie got a bath reward during the Survivor Auction.
The Survivor Auction was one of the highlights of this episode. The castaways "arrive at the auction and are told that the rules from last season apply – no pooling of money
and no sharing of food. (David Bloomberg, RNO)"
I don't know what's going in Ken's mind. The only item he bought is the parchment that gave him the right to send someone in Exile Island, he could have won the chocolate and peanut butter, breakfast meal, secret item to be open in the next immunity challenge and spaghetti but he chose to give it all up. Geez, that's plenty food and you should be eating after twenty eight days of starvation lol.
Corrine won the secret item and got a huge advantage during the immunity challenge. This challenge is cool, combining the concept of balance and an eye for right order.
Although Ken won this challenge, he's not the most stand-out castaway in this episode, it's SUGAR (the 29-year-old Pin-up Model).
Call her evil, I still salute her for making this episode a rollercoaster of laughter. Survivor is not only a game for the righteous morally-upright person. Apart from being the regular queen of the hour due to her hidden immunity necklace, she managed to convince Bob to give the fake immunity necklace to Randy.
Randy had no choice but be put into the pit of trickery. The funniest moment of this trick took place during the Tribal Council. The former "Fang underdogs" nailed Randy down. He was laughed at all throughout.
Seems insulting to Randy's part but what can we do? This is a game and everyone has the right to screw someone in any way.
Watch this video and witness the exit of disastrous humiliation.
Hahahaha, Sugar and Crystal totally knock this TC off!
But I salute Randy for not taking it seriously, read his interview I've anchored text in the first paragraph.
Photos courtesy of:
http://www.survivor.com/17
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor
Friday, November 21, 2008
Heidi and her Coffee Research
Article Source: Healthy Coffee and Green Tea
While watching the newest coffee ad on TV, Heidi, with a sudden surge of interest, wants to make a research on most popular types of coffee in the world. She's aware that there are many delicious types of coffee in the world and she remembered that her mother once told her the three best coffee she has tasted are: Hawaiian Kona Coffee, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee and Kopi Luwak.
Her boyfriend, Dean, is also a coffee addict and he will celebrate his 24th birthday next week. For this reason, Heidi wants to give him the best coffee in the world. But what will she give him? Is it the Hawaiian Kona Coffe? The Jamaican Blue Mountain? Or the Kopi Luwak? With these questions in mind, she hurriedly turned-on her laptop computer and search for several information in Google.
Basic Information About Hawaiian Kona Coffee
While reading, Heidi learned that Kona Coffee came from the well-cultivated slopes of Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. During the nineteenth century, Samuel Reverend Ruggles introduced this crop to the tropical region of Kona before it became a huge item in the coffee world market on 1899. Recently, there are at least six hundred farms of Kona Coffee worldwide and an average Kona farm has an area of five acres or 20,000m².
There are two types of Kona Coffee. According to Wikipedia, the Type 1 refers to the two beans per cherry and one surface is flat surface while the other side is oval. Examples of these are: Kona Extra Fancy, Kona Fancy, Kona Number 1 and Kona Prime. The Type 2 Kona bean has a round shape per cherry or also called as peaberry. Examples of this type are: Peaberry Number 1 and Peaberry Prime.
When the Kona plant grows, it produces small white flowers that cover its tree. These white flowers are called as Kona Snow. Truth is, the Kona plant will start to bloom during February and March. The green berries will appear in April and in late August, the red fruit or “the cherry” will be fully developed and ready for harvesting. For the record, a Kona Tree can produce 20-30 pounds of cherry.
The Fermentation Period of Kona
Heidi is hopping from one website to another, trying to skim other important details about the fermentation of Kona Coffee in Hawaii. At last, she found one and it goes like this.
The process of fermentation largely depend on the temperature, usually twelve hours if the elevation is low and if the elevation is high, the fermentation process will take twenty-four hours. Drying the beans will take seven to fourteen days and the optimal moisture level must be between ten to thirteen percent. In fact, one pound of roasted Kona coffee requires seven to nine pounds of cherry and by the way, a hundred pounds of cherry can yield at least twelve pounds of roasted coffee.
Purchasing Kona
Now that Heidi has gathered the basic information about Hawaiian Kona Coffee, she typed in “Buy Hawaii Kona Coffee” in the Google search box and click on the very first website in front of her.
After reading the article, she learned that a 100% Pure Kona Coffee is hard to find that's why; it is really pricey. In eBay, a 1lb. pack of farm roasted Kona Coffee will cost $29.95. From what she read, Heidi has also a warning for everyone. The term “Kona Blend” is different from “100% Kona Coffee.” Just to be sure, everyone should look for the authentic label “100% Kona Coffee” upon purchase.
Heidi yawns for a while then glanced at her wrist watch. It's already nine o'clock and her eyes are already tired and wants to sleep. This is fun to read but I need to sleep, she said to herself, better continue this tomorrow.
The next day, Heidi continues her readings after eating her breakfast. She is already done with Hawaiian Kona Coffee and what comes next? Of course, the favorite of her mom, the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.
From the wonderful island nation of Jamaica, there lies the 7, 500 feet Blue Mountain. The Blue Mountain is located between Kingston (south) and Port Maria (North). These three mountains are the highest peaks in the Caribbean. That's why; the climate is cool and the soil is abundantly rich. For this reason, the Blue Mountain is also the ideal home of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.
Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee: The Introduction
Heidi is smiling while reading the Blue Mountain article. Her imagination gone wild upon learning that Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is one of the most desired coffees in the world. In fact, many people want to taste the delight of this Blue Mountain due to its mild flavor. That means, the flavor is not too strong and this is probably the reason why its beans are also used for Tia Maria Coffee Liqueur (an alcohol drink).
What's great about this stuff is, the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica is really the one who guards the coffee farm during the cultivation period. Based on a source, there are three types of coffee plants in the Jamaica Mountains. Those plants that are cultivated at elevations between 3,000-5,500 feet are called Jamaica Blue Mountain while those that grown at 1,500-3,000 feet elevations are known as Jamaican High Mountain. Jamaica Supreme is the plant that are located below 1,500 foot elevation.
The Screening Theory and The Rate of Blue Mountain
It was believed that the higher the altitude, the better-tasting coffee is produced. Indeed, “various dimensions are used to sort the beans by size.” But due to small geographical location, the supply of Blue Mountain Coffee is still limited. That's why; it remains very expensive.
When Heidi is researching for the prices, she found out that on the average, it's $26 - $40 to a pound. In eBay, a 16oz of Blue Mountain Coffee beans costs $39.95 but good for fifty cups already.
“Holy Cow,” she exclaimed after reading the information page on eBay. “But I think it's really worth the price. Perhaps, Dean will like this. Hmmmm.... better read the last one on my list- the Kopi Luwak.”
While scanning through the pages of Wikipedia, Heidi finally found what she's really looking for- the Kopi Luwak. According to Forbes magazine, Kopi Luwak is by far the most expensive coffee in the world due to its limited supply. A recent survey shows that “only 1,000 pounds or 450 kg at most make it into the world market each year.”
The Origin of Kopi Luwak
Heidi seems shocked while reading the information about the origin of Kopi Luwak. Actually, Kopi Luwak came from coffee berries and these coffee berries are eaten and stayed inside the digestive tract of an Asian Palm Civet. The Palm Civet is a cat-sized omnivore mammal commonly found in Vietnam and eastern part of the Philippines.
When the palm civet eats the forage, their digestive tract will only digest the outer part. In fact, the enzymes inside the stomach of this palm civet breaks down and gives off the forage's bitter but unique taste. As a result, when this palm civet defecates, the bean is still covered in layers and can still be used for human consumption after thoroughly washed.
This is the reason why it's called Kopi Luwak. Kopi is an Indonesian term for coffee while Luwak refers to this Asian Palm Civet.
The “Very” Expensive Rate of Kopi Luwak
There's no need to doubt that Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world. As a matter of fact, some coffee houses are selling it by cup and it costs $300 or more. In some countries like Peter Jones in London's Sloane Square, they mix Kopi Luwak and Blue Mountain for £50 or $99.00 USD per cup. This coffee is called Caffe Raro.
Heidi clicks on another link, KopiLuwakOnline.com and the regular price of a Kopi Luwak is $89.99. There are special offers that cost $74.99 and there's also shipping special rates to any destinations inside United States. Because of the price, many people say, “The coffee isn't so spectacular that it's truly worth that amount of money.”
Heidi's Big Choice
Heidi can't really figure out what type of coffee she will be purchasing for her boyfriend, Dean. The Kona Coffee in Hawaii seems affordable compared to Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kopi Lutaw but Blue Mountain and Kopi Lutaw, although expensive, are both rare in quality compared to Hawaiian Coffee.
Yet, she has a great idea. She must go for the unique and what she thinks is the best item for Dean. He's usually drinking coffee while listening to rhythm and blues.
Can you guess it?
While watching the newest coffee ad on TV, Heidi, with a sudden surge of interest, wants to make a research on most popular types of coffee in the world. She's aware that there are many delicious types of coffee in the world and she remembered that her mother once told her the three best coffee she has tasted are: Hawaiian Kona Coffee, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee and Kopi Luwak.
Her boyfriend, Dean, is also a coffee addict and he will celebrate his 24th birthday next week. For this reason, Heidi wants to give him the best coffee in the world. But what will she give him? Is it the Hawaiian Kona Coffe? The Jamaican Blue Mountain? Or the Kopi Luwak? With these questions in mind, she hurriedly turned-on her laptop computer and search for several information in Google.
Basic Information About Hawaiian Kona Coffee
While reading, Heidi learned that Kona Coffee came from the well-cultivated slopes of Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. During the nineteenth century, Samuel Reverend Ruggles introduced this crop to the tropical region of Kona before it became a huge item in the coffee world market on 1899. Recently, there are at least six hundred farms of Kona Coffee worldwide and an average Kona farm has an area of five acres or 20,000m².
There are two types of Kona Coffee. According to Wikipedia, the Type 1 refers to the two beans per cherry and one surface is flat surface while the other side is oval. Examples of these are: Kona Extra Fancy, Kona Fancy, Kona Number 1 and Kona Prime. The Type 2 Kona bean has a round shape per cherry or also called as peaberry. Examples of this type are: Peaberry Number 1 and Peaberry Prime.
When the Kona plant grows, it produces small white flowers that cover its tree. These white flowers are called as Kona Snow. Truth is, the Kona plant will start to bloom during February and March. The green berries will appear in April and in late August, the red fruit or “the cherry” will be fully developed and ready for harvesting. For the record, a Kona Tree can produce 20-30 pounds of cherry.
The Fermentation Period of Kona
Heidi is hopping from one website to another, trying to skim other important details about the fermentation of Kona Coffee in Hawaii. At last, she found one and it goes like this.
The process of fermentation largely depend on the temperature, usually twelve hours if the elevation is low and if the elevation is high, the fermentation process will take twenty-four hours. Drying the beans will take seven to fourteen days and the optimal moisture level must be between ten to thirteen percent. In fact, one pound of roasted Kona coffee requires seven to nine pounds of cherry and by the way, a hundred pounds of cherry can yield at least twelve pounds of roasted coffee.
Purchasing Kona
Now that Heidi has gathered the basic information about Hawaiian Kona Coffee, she typed in “Buy Hawaii Kona Coffee” in the Google search box and click on the very first website in front of her.
After reading the article, she learned that a 100% Pure Kona Coffee is hard to find that's why; it is really pricey. In eBay, a 1lb. pack of farm roasted Kona Coffee will cost $29.95. From what she read, Heidi has also a warning for everyone. The term “Kona Blend” is different from “100% Kona Coffee.” Just to be sure, everyone should look for the authentic label “100% Kona Coffee” upon purchase.
Heidi yawns for a while then glanced at her wrist watch. It's already nine o'clock and her eyes are already tired and wants to sleep. This is fun to read but I need to sleep, she said to herself, better continue this tomorrow.
The next day, Heidi continues her readings after eating her breakfast. She is already done with Hawaiian Kona Coffee and what comes next? Of course, the favorite of her mom, the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.
From the wonderful island nation of Jamaica, there lies the 7, 500 feet Blue Mountain. The Blue Mountain is located between Kingston (south) and Port Maria (North). These three mountains are the highest peaks in the Caribbean. That's why; the climate is cool and the soil is abundantly rich. For this reason, the Blue Mountain is also the ideal home of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.
Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee: The Introduction
Heidi is smiling while reading the Blue Mountain article. Her imagination gone wild upon learning that Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is one of the most desired coffees in the world. In fact, many people want to taste the delight of this Blue Mountain due to its mild flavor. That means, the flavor is not too strong and this is probably the reason why its beans are also used for Tia Maria Coffee Liqueur (an alcohol drink).
What's great about this stuff is, the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica is really the one who guards the coffee farm during the cultivation period. Based on a source, there are three types of coffee plants in the Jamaica Mountains. Those plants that are cultivated at elevations between 3,000-5,500 feet are called Jamaica Blue Mountain while those that grown at 1,500-3,000 feet elevations are known as Jamaican High Mountain. Jamaica Supreme is the plant that are located below 1,500 foot elevation.
The Screening Theory and The Rate of Blue Mountain
It was believed that the higher the altitude, the better-tasting coffee is produced. Indeed, “various dimensions are used to sort the beans by size.” But due to small geographical location, the supply of Blue Mountain Coffee is still limited. That's why; it remains very expensive.
When Heidi is researching for the prices, she found out that on the average, it's $26 - $40 to a pound. In eBay, a 16oz of Blue Mountain Coffee beans costs $39.95 but good for fifty cups already.
“Holy Cow,” she exclaimed after reading the information page on eBay. “But I think it's really worth the price. Perhaps, Dean will like this. Hmmmm.... better read the last one on my list- the Kopi Luwak.”
While scanning through the pages of Wikipedia, Heidi finally found what she's really looking for- the Kopi Luwak. According to Forbes magazine, Kopi Luwak is by far the most expensive coffee in the world due to its limited supply. A recent survey shows that “only 1,000 pounds or 450 kg at most make it into the world market each year.”
The Origin of Kopi Luwak
Heidi seems shocked while reading the information about the origin of Kopi Luwak. Actually, Kopi Luwak came from coffee berries and these coffee berries are eaten and stayed inside the digestive tract of an Asian Palm Civet. The Palm Civet is a cat-sized omnivore mammal commonly found in Vietnam and eastern part of the Philippines.
When the palm civet eats the forage, their digestive tract will only digest the outer part. In fact, the enzymes inside the stomach of this palm civet breaks down and gives off the forage's bitter but unique taste. As a result, when this palm civet defecates, the bean is still covered in layers and can still be used for human consumption after thoroughly washed.
This is the reason why it's called Kopi Luwak. Kopi is an Indonesian term for coffee while Luwak refers to this Asian Palm Civet.
The “Very” Expensive Rate of Kopi Luwak
There's no need to doubt that Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world. As a matter of fact, some coffee houses are selling it by cup and it costs $300 or more. In some countries like Peter Jones in London's Sloane Square, they mix Kopi Luwak and Blue Mountain for £50 or $99.00 USD per cup. This coffee is called Caffe Raro.
Heidi clicks on another link, KopiLuwakOnline.com and the regular price of a Kopi Luwak is $89.99. There are special offers that cost $74.99 and there's also shipping special rates to any destinations inside United States. Because of the price, many people say, “The coffee isn't so spectacular that it's truly worth that amount of money.”
Heidi's Big Choice
Heidi can't really figure out what type of coffee she will be purchasing for her boyfriend, Dean. The Kona Coffee in Hawaii seems affordable compared to Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kopi Lutaw but Blue Mountain and Kopi Lutaw, although expensive, are both rare in quality compared to Hawaiian Coffee.
Yet, she has a great idea. She must go for the unique and what she thinks is the best item for Dean. He's usually drinking coffee while listening to rhythm and blues.
Can you guess it?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Djokovic Wins Masters Cup, Ivanovic Finds Love with Verdasco
I know these news are a bit late but worth reading, still.
He started this year as the Australian Open Champion and now,
"ATP World No. 3 Novak Djokovic was in devastating form as he capped a huge season by racing to his first Tennis Masters Cup title with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Nikolay Davydenko in Shanghai on Sunday (The Shanghai Master Cup)."
Djokovic also outplayed Gilles Simon (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 during the semifinal, Del Potro (ARG) 7-5, 6-3 and Davydenko (RUS) 7-6(3), 0-6, 7-5 during the first and second singles round robin but failed to Tsonga (FRA) 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 on the third.
For this win, Djokovic brought home a cheque of 1.24 million USD and just two points away from seed number two, Federer, at the ATP season end rankings.
Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai 2008- Final Highlights
On the other hand, this man on the right is so lucky.
Ana Ivanovic finally sealed a romantic relationship with Fernando Verdasco, the world seed number sixteen.
"We are very close. We spent some time together at the US Open and we get along very well. We are getting to know each other and he is a great person." Ivanovic said.
God bless this couple!
Photos courtesy of:
http://tenniswta.blogspot.com/
http://tennis-atp.blogspot.com/
He started this year as the Australian Open Champion and now,
"ATP World No. 3 Novak Djokovic was in devastating form as he capped a huge season by racing to his first Tennis Masters Cup title with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Nikolay Davydenko in Shanghai on Sunday (The Shanghai Master Cup)."
Djokovic also outplayed Gilles Simon (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 during the semifinal, Del Potro (ARG) 7-5, 6-3 and Davydenko (RUS) 7-6(3), 0-6, 7-5 during the first and second singles round robin but failed to Tsonga (FRA) 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 on the third.
For this win, Djokovic brought home a cheque of 1.24 million USD and just two points away from seed number two, Federer, at the ATP season end rankings.
Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai 2008- Final Highlights
On the other hand, this man on the right is so lucky.
Ana Ivanovic finally sealed a romantic relationship with Fernando Verdasco, the world seed number sixteen.
"We are very close. We spent some time together at the US Open and we get along very well. We are getting to know each other and he is a great person." Ivanovic said.
God bless this couple!
Photos courtesy of:
http://tenniswta.blogspot.com/
http://tennis-atp.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Survivor Insights of the Day: Call Your Doctor, If Needed!
"How can you tell the difference between a problem that will go away on its own and one that should be attended to as soon as possible? Here are six symptoms that you should call your doctor about."
This article is written by Elaine Alpert, M.D., M.P.H., read it- "Six Symptoms Not to Ignore"
This article is written by Elaine Alpert, M.D., M.P.H., read it- "Six Symptoms Not to Ignore"
Monday, November 17, 2008
Survivor Insights of the Day
"Never argue with an idiot. They bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."
-Stephen D. Glass
-Stephen D. Glass
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Survivor Analysis 9: MERGE
Fang and Kota are no more. The nine remaining castaways are now merged into one tribe and calling it, "NOBAG." But still, someone would still be eliminated and become the second member of the jury and the ousted castaway this week was the openly gay attorney in NYC, Charlie Herschel.
With Charlie's eviction, what I thought were the power players were now facing their demise. With Charlie's alliance with Marcus and Corrine, there's no need to doubt that they could swim through the final three.
However, everything changes in the game of SURVIVOR and what you believed will happen will not all the time be realized. Like what happen in this episode, the underdogs (Ken, Crystal, Matty, Susie, Sugar) merged together to get rid of who they think is the brain of the operation.
During their arrival at the reward challenge, Corrine and Charlie were in extreme shock when they saw that their biggest ally, Marcus, was voted out in last week's Tribal Council.
As expected, Matty and the rest of the former original Fang Tribe were all in smiles.
Randy was paranoid during the challenge. His behavior was completely a massive downfall this entire episode. He has below-the-belt grudges towards everybody especially to Crystal. As I see it, he needs some shrinking help to solve his old age issues.
The goal of this week's reward challenge:
"The tribes would use a three man slingshot to shoot an oversized golf ball along three golf holes. The tribe that put their ball in the hole using fewer shots would receive one point. The first tribe to score two points would win. (Wikipedia)"
Fang won and they happily participated in a Traditional Feast lead by Gabon people.
It was in the Immunity Challenge when Jeff Probst announced that the nine remaining castaways were now merged in one new tribe and were competing for individual immunity necklace.
Their new buffs are what I want, Where I can buy it? I'm a BLUE person and BLUE looks nice and when these survivors wore it, they look smarter!
The challenge was so simple: The first one to create a flame and burn a rope, using only a flint, steel and weeds, wins!
Eight of them couldn't start a fire except for Susie Smith, the 47-year-old hairdresser who has been married for twenty five years.
Susie was an underdog in the previous episodes and I wasn't expecting her to win this challenge. No denying, she nailed this game, her fire was in strong glow and for this reason, she can be now tagged as the "dark horse" in the next episodes. Let's see!
Although, Susie won the first immunity necklace of the season, the best conniving player in Episode 9 was once again awarded to Ken Hoang. Since the first twist in fourth episode, Ken has played the game of his lifetime.
He was responsible in blindsiding Ace and Marcus and now with, Charlie.
To tell you, now that the merge is realized and Ken was reunited with Matty and Crystal, I can see a better future for these underdogs.
With all these twisted blindsides he has been doing, Ken might be the ideal smart candidate who can guarantee a final three spot but can never win like Rob Cesternino in Survivor Amazon.
SURVIVOR PHILIPPINES UPDATES
Veronica Domingo became the third member of the jury after the perceived "principled" leader of Naak, Kiko Rustia was blindsided last Monday episode by Kaye and Cris.
Kaye and Chris joined forces with the Jarakay underdogs to vote off Kiko.
I enjoyed watching the episode last Friday. Charisse won the immunity necklace, JC was now learning the advantage of the nice-guy-high strategy, Kaye played I-screw-you-off-before-you-got-a-chance-to-screw-me-off game like what Parvati Shallow did in Micronesia, Marlon was a disaster in making lies to save his own skin and Rob was really furious with Kiko due to the "black pearl."
This black pearl was a new twist in the game and whoever ousted in Tribal Council, s/he will hand the black pearl to one of his castaways and whoever got this pearl will automatically have a vote in next week's Tribal Council.
I see no logic why Vern awarded this pearl to Charisse who was her original tribemate in Jarakay. Whatever her reasons, there's only one thing I want to say...
Survivor Philippines is absolutely making some INTERESTING grounds before the finale comes. This is HOT!
Photos courtesy of:
http://survivorphilippines.com
http://www.survivor.com/17/
Thursday, November 13, 2008
How To Impress A Girl In Amazing Ways
Article Source: Ezine Articles
Article Author: Benjamin Wise
Socializing and talking to women is not necessarily an intellectual skill. I think we can all open our mouth here and there. With that said to impress a girl what comes out of your mouth may have some bearing on how you make an impression.
If you asked many women what they are impressed by they would list many things. Now after that being said there a few items on that list that seems to be common to most women. Remember there are always exceptions to the rule.
One of those things that really impress women is guys who have there act together. They know what they want and are comfortable with whom they are. As a result they are confident and prepared to take action to make things happen.
Women just like the rest of us seek security. The last thing they want is some guy who is insecure. It makes sense right.
Another myth is that women are mainly impressed by what a guy drives and how much money he has. No one can deny that these material possessions may help you at the outset. No one can deny either than certain individuals will be impressed by that.
Although factually speaking material possessions become objects of desire and people who are impressed by material goods get bored easily and want the next best thing. If material possessions make people happy then dependency creeps in and they can only be happy if they have the latest thing on the street.
This kind of happiness is fleeting and will always be here one moment and gone the next. So if that's what a girl wants then you will make a far greater impression by not being influenced by her desires as it will reflect where her true priorities lie. By you being honest you will represent value.
So to really make an impression you are not going to be somebody who is easily influenced. You can read between the lines. You will be student of yourself and be intellectually curios.
Failure for you will be the stepping stones to success and as a consequence you will take action with conviction. You will look her in the eyes and be conversationally adaptable. Here and there you will inject some humor because you will be relaxed. Trust me this is what will really impress a woman.
Photo courtesy Of:
www.inmagine.com
Article Author: Benjamin Wise
Socializing and talking to women is not necessarily an intellectual skill. I think we can all open our mouth here and there. With that said to impress a girl what comes out of your mouth may have some bearing on how you make an impression.
If you asked many women what they are impressed by they would list many things. Now after that being said there a few items on that list that seems to be common to most women. Remember there are always exceptions to the rule.
One of those things that really impress women is guys who have there act together. They know what they want and are comfortable with whom they are. As a result they are confident and prepared to take action to make things happen.
Women just like the rest of us seek security. The last thing they want is some guy who is insecure. It makes sense right.
Another myth is that women are mainly impressed by what a guy drives and how much money he has. No one can deny that these material possessions may help you at the outset. No one can deny either than certain individuals will be impressed by that.
Although factually speaking material possessions become objects of desire and people who are impressed by material goods get bored easily and want the next best thing. If material possessions make people happy then dependency creeps in and they can only be happy if they have the latest thing on the street.
This kind of happiness is fleeting and will always be here one moment and gone the next. So if that's what a girl wants then you will make a far greater impression by not being influenced by her desires as it will reflect where her true priorities lie. By you being honest you will represent value.
So to really make an impression you are not going to be somebody who is easily influenced. You can read between the lines. You will be student of yourself and be intellectually curios.
Failure for you will be the stepping stones to success and as a consequence you will take action with conviction. You will look her in the eyes and be conversationally adaptable. Here and there you will inject some humor because you will be relaxed. Trust me this is what will really impress a woman.
Photo courtesy Of:
www.inmagine.com
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Love Your Girl As You Love Your Ego!
Forget the chauvinistic side of you!
After listening to Beyonce's IF I WERE A BOY, there were intangible pieces of truth that fill the empty spaces inside me.
Confusion devoured me after someone told me this line "Can We Just Be Friends?"
Yeah, I felt very weak that time as if my world cut into fragments of depression. I immediately thought she told me that because I'm not the type of man who can satisfy her standards.
But I was somehow wrong!
Lyrics | Beyonce - If I Were A Boy lyrics
After listening to this song, I realized it was not really easy to be a girl. If it's too difficult to be a man because you are regularly holding back your emotions, what's more if you are a woman. A woman's life is filled with courageous vulnerability.
They can say they are always superwoman. They can always say they have the power over men but truth is, there are times they wish they can be on our shoes just to UNDERSTAND how we think, how we feel and how we see them.
In fact, girls can only be confusing because of their body mechanisms. They are hormonal and they can come to a point that they just couldn't control their emotions.
If men hates to be emotional, do you think women also want to be very emotional too? I don't know but one thing I'm sure about, women have certain lifestyle men needs to understand.
For instance, men likes to give advices but women doesn't necessarily need it. In many cases, women only want someone to talk to. It doesn't mean we are great in giving advices in all sorts of life, women has no power to equal our intelligence.
Thinking of this, I learned to hate Filipino culture. Women are still considered the second-rate citizens in Philippines. Some Filipino men only perceived them as a sex object you can always take advantage of.
Even the Christian Bible, it was Eve who ate the fruit of life and the reason behind why the world is so sinful.
Even myself, I also grew up in a family where I was taught to think that only girls do cry. As I am growing up to be an adult, I realized that this belief was all crap.
Men and women are entirely different in terms of physiology, intelligence, spirituality, etc. We have different lifestyle and hobbies but whether we like it or not, men and women are all humans.
Although we differ in many ways, we can still choose to understand our strengths and weaknesses as we go through the roadblocks of life.
Many people say this is the most secret ingredient in happy and romantic relationship.
Truth is, there is no such thing as love. Love is perception and it's oftentimes an irrational feeling but no matter what I scientifically believed, when a man's strength is a woman's weakness and what's a man's weakness is the woman's strength, I see no reasons why there's no miracle that can exist.
I'm not an experienced lover or a player. Call me a goofy nerd for this but whatever you say, I still need to protect my ego and I will no longer use my pride for my advantage just to meet the woman of my dreams.
Once is enough. I get hurt. My ego was crashed and I felt patronized.
If you ask me if I'm still in love with the girl that knocks off my feet, the answer is I don't know.
Just like in the song:
"It's a little too late for you to come back
Say it's just a mistake,
Think I'd forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong"
If I can't love her just the way I wanted to, it's not yet the end of the world for me. We're FRIENDS in the past and this can be our present and future.
A girl wants distance and distance doesn't mean you're giving up your friendship.
It Hurts.
It Frustrates.
It's also wrong for me to move on and just look for another girl just to satisfy what other people want me to do.
That's compensation and it's not logical thing to do.
Girls are not rehabilitation centers who got the super ability to boost your self-image.
Being single is not a weakness and who knows, another door will open for me tomorrow, next week, next year, next decade....
Thanks for the song and these priceless insights pop in my head and also, teaches me to understand women the smoother way!
To watch the video of Beyonce's "If I were A Boy," visit YouTube
This single is a soul ballad and Wikipedia calls it "...the kind of all-encompassing song that exudes the fragrance of a Grammy Award nod."
After listening to Beyonce's IF I WERE A BOY, there were intangible pieces of truth that fill the empty spaces inside me.
Confusion devoured me after someone told me this line "Can We Just Be Friends?"
Yeah, I felt very weak that time as if my world cut into fragments of depression. I immediately thought she told me that because I'm not the type of man who can satisfy her standards.
But I was somehow wrong!
Lyrics | Beyonce - If I Were A Boy lyrics
After listening to this song, I realized it was not really easy to be a girl. If it's too difficult to be a man because you are regularly holding back your emotions, what's more if you are a woman. A woman's life is filled with courageous vulnerability.
They can say they are always superwoman. They can always say they have the power over men but truth is, there are times they wish they can be on our shoes just to UNDERSTAND how we think, how we feel and how we see them.
In fact, girls can only be confusing because of their body mechanisms. They are hormonal and they can come to a point that they just couldn't control their emotions.
If men hates to be emotional, do you think women also want to be very emotional too? I don't know but one thing I'm sure about, women have certain lifestyle men needs to understand.
For instance, men likes to give advices but women doesn't necessarily need it. In many cases, women only want someone to talk to. It doesn't mean we are great in giving advices in all sorts of life, women has no power to equal our intelligence.
Thinking of this, I learned to hate Filipino culture. Women are still considered the second-rate citizens in Philippines. Some Filipino men only perceived them as a sex object you can always take advantage of.
Even the Christian Bible, it was Eve who ate the fruit of life and the reason behind why the world is so sinful.
Even myself, I also grew up in a family where I was taught to think that only girls do cry. As I am growing up to be an adult, I realized that this belief was all crap.
Men and women are entirely different in terms of physiology, intelligence, spirituality, etc. We have different lifestyle and hobbies but whether we like it or not, men and women are all humans.
Although we differ in many ways, we can still choose to understand our strengths and weaknesses as we go through the roadblocks of life.
Many people say this is the most secret ingredient in happy and romantic relationship.
Truth is, there is no such thing as love. Love is perception and it's oftentimes an irrational feeling but no matter what I scientifically believed, when a man's strength is a woman's weakness and what's a man's weakness is the woman's strength, I see no reasons why there's no miracle that can exist.
I'm not an experienced lover or a player. Call me a goofy nerd for this but whatever you say, I still need to protect my ego and I will no longer use my pride for my advantage just to meet the woman of my dreams.
Once is enough. I get hurt. My ego was crashed and I felt patronized.
If you ask me if I'm still in love with the girl that knocks off my feet, the answer is I don't know.
Just like in the song:
"It's a little too late for you to come back
Say it's just a mistake,
Think I'd forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong"
If I can't love her just the way I wanted to, it's not yet the end of the world for me. We're FRIENDS in the past and this can be our present and future.
A girl wants distance and distance doesn't mean you're giving up your friendship.
It Hurts.
It Frustrates.
It's also wrong for me to move on and just look for another girl just to satisfy what other people want me to do.
That's compensation and it's not logical thing to do.
Girls are not rehabilitation centers who got the super ability to boost your self-image.
Being single is not a weakness and who knows, another door will open for me tomorrow, next week, next year, next decade....
Thanks for the song and these priceless insights pop in my head and also, teaches me to understand women the smoother way!
To watch the video of Beyonce's "If I were A Boy," visit YouTube
This single is a soul ballad and Wikipedia calls it "...the kind of all-encompassing song that exudes the fragrance of a Grammy Award nod."
Friday, November 7, 2008
Survivor Analysis 8: The Doctor Is Out!
Lots of heartpounding events happened in episode eight but no matter how he thinks he acquired the power to control the whole game, the anesthesiologist Harvard graduate from Jacksonville Florida, Marcus Lehman, was eliminated from the game and become the first member of the jury.
This episode is unforgettable and it's C-O-O-O-O-L that one of my four I-Favorites sealed a spot in the jury.
Like in Season 5, there was no merge for the final ten castaways and a series of twist transpired again upon their arrival at a beach where a feast was waiting.
First, there's this mysterious box on the table and will be only open when they finish eating.
Surprisingly, Ken found a piece of parchment under the box saying a hidden immunity necklace is up-for-grabs once again and it's buried underneath a tree nearby.
"On the sand lies a large dead log
Cradled in the crook of a tree
Beneath the end of the tree’s lowest limb
You can dig for immunity"
Ken got the great advantage to keep this secret from others but Charlie saw him and immediately grab the piece of parchment and handed it to his Kota tribemates.
After reading, the group decided to search for the hidden idol and Randy found it as soon as he dug under the limb of a tree.
This was a lucky time for Randy but I can't understood the LOGIC behind laying the idol in the table and allowing somebody to grab it. This event tells me Randy was now very confident in his position with KOTA.
With the hidden immunity on the table, Matty and Ken were tempted to grab it but no one did it.
To Matty, "taking the idol is like biting the Eden apple, and you’d be exiled from paradise. “Nobody wants to be thrown out of Eden.” (Reality News Online)
Geez, giving up an immunity idol is probably the most goofiest thing you can do in the game of Survivor.
As a result of this event, Marcus and Randy threw the immunity necklace in the ocean.
Another unexpected twist occurred when they opened the box. Again, the KOTA and FANG were switched.
New Kota:
Bob, Marcus, Susie, Crystal, and Ken.
New New Fang:
Randy, Charlie, Corinne, Matty, and Sugar.
Upon their arrival in camp, new talks, new plans were discussed. Marcus felt very vulnerable because Corrine and Charlie were not on his side anymore. He knew he could trust Bob but Susie was 50-50 with his offers.
Susie made an impression in this episode. As I see it, she was in a good shape when she decided to side with Crystal and Ken to vote off Marcus. Marcus is without a doubt a threat and there's no way of breaking his alliance with Corrine and Charlie.
In Fang, Matty was the outcast. Right from the beginning, he got no ally. He had Sugar beside him but they were still outnumbered. Corrine, Charlie and Randy were tight in their alliance and once they lose the immunity challenge, Matty would be sent packing.
Good things really happened when you're least expecting it. Matty Whitmore was the big hero of this week's immunity challenge and guaranteed three more days in the island.
"Immunity Challenge: The castaways would hold two poles on the tops of their hands up against a board over their heads. Any movement in their hands would cause the poles to drop to the ground. The last person who does not drop their poles would win immunity for their tribe (WIKIPEDIA)."
"And Crystal is out in less time than it takes me to write that sentence. Now Sugar is out after about ten seconds. Probst says this is going to hurt – quickly. Susie is out. Randy and Corinne are out simultaneously.
Ken drops his pole and it’s two on two now. Marcus is shaking, Matty is struggling. Marcus can’t do it – he’s out. Probst points out that the oldest person in the game, Bob, is the only Kota member left. (RNO)"
Matty and Bob were two last standing castaways. Matty's right pole was nearly on the edge of the board and nearly falling. Fang would have lose it but out in the blue, Bob couldn't hold on and his poles went off.
Miracles really do happen but some big miracles can still happen if only he grabbed the hidden immunity idol during their feast.
If Matty got the necklace, he will not be a target in the succeeding episodes and can have the shot to sail through the final four with Ken.
Thanks to Crystal scheming!
And she didn't give in to Marcus. With respect to Marcus, his strategic decisions in the previous episodes were all good. He was like the invincible KOTA KING but in this episode, his vulnerability devoured him.
His plan to ally with Crystal for the sake she was his best friend's cousin and vote off Ken was completely senseless. Crystal and Ken were buddies and what power Marcus has to ruin that connection.
Maybe, if he sided with these two Fang members to get rid of Susie or Bob might save his skin for three more days. The only problem is, Ken and Crystal didn't like him either.
Marcus is a physical threat. He could devise a plan better than the others and the time has came to end his reign.
Truth is, the remaining nine doesn't need a doctor anymore! (LAUGHS)
To see more HD images during this week's episode, click here
Photo courtesy of:
http://www.realitynewsonline.com/
http://www.survivor.com/17/
Monday, November 3, 2008
Just A Great Photo!
Ana Ivanovic (the Roland Garros Champion) and Elena Dementieva (the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Gold Medalist) in one fantastic photo?
Nothing to ask for, right?
These two sporty icons square off a historic match on Dessert Island to celebrate the start of Doha WTA Sony Ericsson Championship.
Photo courtesy of:
http://tenniswta.blogspot.com/
Friday, October 31, 2008
Survivor Analysis 7: Alpha Males Took the Fall
The highlight of SURVIVOR GABON (episode seven) was when Probst announced that each tribe should vote out one of their member.
At Last! The Fang Tribe finally decided to get rid of cocky Ace Gordon. To me, this might be the smartest strategic move made by the group. Thanks to Ken!
While in Kota Tribe, another castaway in my I-favorite list took the fall. Dan Kay was sent home by the onion alliance except for Marcus. Marcus didn't vote for Dan because he thought Dan has the hidden immunity idol. He voted for Susie, however, his two other co-alliance members, Corrine and Charlie, did otherwise.
If Dan could have controlled his mouth from talking, he could have save his own skin. I don't know what's on his mind why he talks too much during his stay at Kota.
I understand he's a lawyer and he has the urge to express what he wants but in the game of survivor, saying things what other people want to hear will not always work.
Seems like, his biggest mistake started when he arrived in Kota's camp after the switch and without any hesitation, he talked and talk again like a kid convincing his mommy to buy a new bicycle.
At Fang's camp, Sugar held the powerful position. Apart from the hidden immunity idol, Marcus awarded her the second immunity necklace after he won the immunity challenge.
By the way, this episode's immunity challenge was a blast.
"Immunity Challenge: The castaways would compete in a head-to-head logrolling contest in a single-elimination tournament. The final round would have three castaways rolling the log at the same time." (WIKIPEDIA)
Ace, Sugar and Marcus sailed through the final round of the challenge and these three did an awesome job. It took a while before Sugar fell into the water. Ace was a powerful competitor. His balance was amazing but he was still unsuccessful in outlasting Marcus' excellent leg movements.
Both of these alpha males stayed strong yet it was Ace who first fell in the water. Marcus just followed right through and cost him to win the immunity necklace.
No doubt, Marcus was the stand-out character in this challenge. While watching, I wanted him to win. If Ace crushed him, another original Fang member would be again ousted.
What's also great is, Marcus didn't give the second immunity idol to Ace, instead he awarded it to Sugar.
This event made me realize that Marcus was not the type of player who gives rewards for "I-salute-how-you-played-the-game" sake. Interesting!
I thought Sugar would give her hidden immunity idol to Ace but she didn't do it. At last, she did something memorable in this season.
Matty sided with Ace to oust Crystal during the Tribal Council. As expected, Matty remains to be a spontaneous competitor. His strategy didn't speak volumes. He's only focusing on what's evident and what his feelings say.
I want Matty to win but if he will continue doing his "Just-Let-Go" strategy, he won't last longer (first or second member of the jury).
This is only my 50-50 prediction:
Gabon might be one of those heartbreaking seasons where no one in my I-favorites could seal a spot in Final Four and only one can possibly make it in the jury.
Survivor Philippines Updates
Jace Flores the ninth castaway voted out from the game. This 19-year-old fitness instructor was already perceived as the biggest physical threat who could dominate the immunity challenges.
But no matter how strong you are, numbers is still needed in the game of Survivor. Six Naak Tribe are still alive and only four from Jarakay. It's plainly nonsense if Naak would keep Jace for mercy.
So good to see that JC and Kaye sit comfortably in their powerful chairs. Even these six castaways sailed through the final six, JC and Kaye won't still be a target.
Photos courtesy of:
http://www.survivor.com/17/
survivorphilippines unofficial blog
At Last! The Fang Tribe finally decided to get rid of cocky Ace Gordon. To me, this might be the smartest strategic move made by the group. Thanks to Ken!
While in Kota Tribe, another castaway in my I-favorite list took the fall. Dan Kay was sent home by the onion alliance except for Marcus. Marcus didn't vote for Dan because he thought Dan has the hidden immunity idol. He voted for Susie, however, his two other co-alliance members, Corrine and Charlie, did otherwise.
If Dan could have controlled his mouth from talking, he could have save his own skin. I don't know what's on his mind why he talks too much during his stay at Kota.
I understand he's a lawyer and he has the urge to express what he wants but in the game of survivor, saying things what other people want to hear will not always work.
Seems like, his biggest mistake started when he arrived in Kota's camp after the switch and without any hesitation, he talked and talk again like a kid convincing his mommy to buy a new bicycle.
At Fang's camp, Sugar held the powerful position. Apart from the hidden immunity idol, Marcus awarded her the second immunity necklace after he won the immunity challenge.
By the way, this episode's immunity challenge was a blast.
"Immunity Challenge: The castaways would compete in a head-to-head logrolling contest in a single-elimination tournament. The final round would have three castaways rolling the log at the same time." (WIKIPEDIA)
Ace, Sugar and Marcus sailed through the final round of the challenge and these three did an awesome job. It took a while before Sugar fell into the water. Ace was a powerful competitor. His balance was amazing but he was still unsuccessful in outlasting Marcus' excellent leg movements.
Both of these alpha males stayed strong yet it was Ace who first fell in the water. Marcus just followed right through and cost him to win the immunity necklace.
No doubt, Marcus was the stand-out character in this challenge. While watching, I wanted him to win. If Ace crushed him, another original Fang member would be again ousted.
What's also great is, Marcus didn't give the second immunity idol to Ace, instead he awarded it to Sugar.
This event made me realize that Marcus was not the type of player who gives rewards for "I-salute-how-you-played-the-game" sake. Interesting!
I thought Sugar would give her hidden immunity idol to Ace but she didn't do it. At last, she did something memorable in this season.
Matty sided with Ace to oust Crystal during the Tribal Council. As expected, Matty remains to be a spontaneous competitor. His strategy didn't speak volumes. He's only focusing on what's evident and what his feelings say.
I want Matty to win but if he will continue doing his "Just-Let-Go" strategy, he won't last longer (first or second member of the jury).
This is only my 50-50 prediction:
Gabon might be one of those heartbreaking seasons where no one in my I-favorites could seal a spot in Final Four and only one can possibly make it in the jury.
Survivor Philippines Updates
Jace Flores the ninth castaway voted out from the game. This 19-year-old fitness instructor was already perceived as the biggest physical threat who could dominate the immunity challenges.
But no matter how strong you are, numbers is still needed in the game of Survivor. Six Naak Tribe are still alive and only four from Jarakay. It's plainly nonsense if Naak would keep Jace for mercy.
So good to see that JC and Kaye sit comfortably in their powerful chairs. Even these six castaways sailed through the final six, JC and Kaye won't still be a target.
Photos courtesy of:
http://www.survivor.com/17/
survivorphilippines unofficial blog
Sunday, October 26, 2008
BIG Success For Ivanovic and Murray
Ana was understandably delighted after a near flawless display of controlled power tennis earned her a 6-2, 6-1 win over world No.9 Vera Zvonareva, and with it the Generali Ladies Linz title.
Ana Ivanovic Vs Vera Zvonareva [HQ] Title Final Linz 08
On the other hand, Andy Murray defeated Andrey Golubev 6-1 6-1 to retain his St. Petersburg title and to secure his fifth tournament win of 2008 in less than 1 hour of play.
Photo and Info courtesy of:
www.anaivanovic.com
http://tennis-atp.blogspot.com/
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