Shopping for Cars Online @ AyosDito.ph

More and more Filipinos are going online to their shopping.  Nothing can be easier than going online and with just a few clicks of your mouse button purchase what you want.  Then just wait for your items to be delivered to your doorstep.  You can get almost anything from the Internet nowadays; books, electronic equipment, gadgets, etc.  

I recently helped a friend to find car on the Internet.  Though I wasn't sure if we could find one online, we managed to find a site with a good list of several second hand cars for sale.  

The site we entered was AyosDito. an online buy and sell Philippines site who want to buy or sell something online.  We used the search function and we were given a list of units of the brand and type of car we were looking for.  The listing was in order of the date the seller posted his item.  What is good with this site is we were able to limit the search to easily find items in the region where we live.  My friend a fairly good deal and would contact the seller soon.

While on the subject of used cars, there's a post on the web that's worth checking out when you're planning to get a used car.  The site gives a list of used cars to buy and why they offer the best bang for the buck.  The writer also says that selecting from the best used cars to buy will help you save money and may even make you drive the car you've always wanted to have.  Hopefully someone can come up with a similar list for us Filipino used car buyers.

Why I've Been Away

Whew... It's already February and I still have only one post for the year.  So many things have happened already and I've been silent.  Let's see why.

My sister gave me a Magnavox Blu Ray player last Christmas and I've been very busy with it.  The first Blu Ray Disc I bought was the Disney Pixar movie UP (4 disc set) and can't get over it.  I love this movie and all those added features.  The first disc contained the movie and some bonus features, including two short features.  The second contained documentaries about the making of the film.  The third is a DVD version of the film.  The fourth disc enabled me to download a digital copy of the movie through the iTunes store so now I have the movie in my iPod Touch and iPad.  Blu Ray is a thingamagig! The clarity of the image and the sound are superb that you wonder what you've been missing all these years.  By the way, to get the maximum effect, you must also have a good HD TV and of course, a HDMI cable.

Another gadget I've been busy with the last two months is my iPod Touch 4th generation.  Although I already have an iPad, I was enticed to get this baby because of FaceTime! I can't get over this app because now, not only can I talk with my sisters, I can even see them. One time, I was even speaking to my sister and her kids while they were having dinner.  It as almost like being there with them.  I am really excited what technology will come out this year.  There are already talks about the second generation iPad which will also have both front and back facing cameras.  Does this mean that we'll be able to do FaceTime on the iPad soon? I can't wait!

Healthy Thirst-Quenchers at SM City Baliwag

Make an effort to shed those extra pounds from all the holiday binge eating. Opt to get fit with refreshing beverage choices at SM City Baliwag.

SUPER FRESH Shakes & Desserts

The newly opened cart offers a wide selection of delicious power drinks for on-the-go health buffs. Take a sip from their Super Shake, Super Blend Smoothie or Super Fit Juice drinks and feed your body with essential vitamins and nutrients. A choice of Super Veg drink in cucumber, celery or carrot paired with low-fat milk or coconut milk is also perfect for a high-fiber diet.  

For dessert-lovers, get an order of yummy sweetness from their Super Dessert menu to cap off a hearty meal. Enjoy every bite of the Super Jumble, a mix of shake, pearls and fruit toppings or the Super Mango Pudding minus the guilt.

DR. PEARL COOLER

For foodies who wish to reduce their calorie intake but still crave for their usual whip cream on top, Dr. Pearl Cooler drinks offer a pearl-fect choice for a nutritious drink.

Enjoy a glass of your favorite fruit shake and your own choice of flavored jellies with an order of Chantilly Blended Shake. Likewise, a ‘dairy dose’ of their Yogurt Shakes in blueberry, green tea, grape, mango and strawberry flavors will surely boost your protein and calcium needs.

Tron: Legacy

I wasn't able to see the original Tron movie when it first came out in the 80s.  My friends who watched it were all so excited about it that I was left so curious of the movie.  It wasn't after a decade or so later that I finally saw it on TV.  By then, the technology used for the film looked dated but the concept of the film remained fresh and futuristic.  I understood why my then teenage friends were so excited about Tron and at the time, I was already using a computer and I could only  imagine how it would be like to get inside the grid and battle those rogue programs.

So I was very interested when I found out that the Disney people decided to come out with a sequel to Tron.  This time I will watch it in the movie house, in IMAX 3D and on the first day screening.

The new film began some years after the end of the first movie.  Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is now the CEO of EMCON and he has developed the perfect grid.  He also has a son, Sam to whom he confessed his latest project he called a "miracle".  Then he disappeared.  

Years later, his son (Garett Hedlund) grew up as the majority shareholder of EMCON but has become so disconnected with his father's business because it has turned greedy.  A "page"to his father's friend Alan (Bruce Boxleitner, the original Tron) brought him back to Flynn's Arcade.  There he discovered the secret room and the console where he repeated a command that brought him to the grid.

Once inside the cyberworld, Sam was outfitted and provided with a data disc.  When he asked what he should do, the leader of the outfitters advised him to survive.  Sam was eventually selected to compete in the games.  He met Clu, a program created by his father to help him create the grid.  But instead Clu took over him and l now wanted to conquer the real world.  Fortunately for humankind, Clu has no means to do this. 

Sam was rescued by a program named Quorra who brought him to his the older Flynn.  He tried to convince his father to leave the place but the old man would not budge.  He was afraid that Clu might find him and get his data disc which contained the secrets of the grid and how to go to the "other side".  This made Sam more determined to bring his father back to his world, but he was running out of time because the portal he used was slowly closing and the only way to get there is to get through Clu and his army.

The movie is a visual treat.  It movie made good use of the film making technology at hand to make the grid more spectacular and detailed this time.  The lightcycle race scene was truly awesome on IMAX 3D. The music of Daft Punk complemented the visuals of the film.

The problem I have with this movie is the story, and that's a big problem.  In the original movie, the objective of the main characters was to stop Dillinger from destroying the computer world with his program.  In Tron Legacy, the objective was to destroy the computer world.  There was too much concentration on the efforts of Sam to bring his father out of the computer world and it is because of this that the movie faltered.  There came point that the melodrama was too much to bear.

Also, watching the whole movie gave me a sense of "I think I've seen this scene before in another movie."  Like that famous club scene where Sam meets up with Castor/Zuse (Michael Sheen).  It was so reminiscent of the part were Neo met up with that guy who was holding the keymaker in Matrix 2.  Daft Punk made a cameo role as the DJs but they eerily looked like the twin ghosts in the Matrix.  Other movies come into mind, like Kevin Flynn with all his Zen moments and hooded garments looked like a Jedi.  And of course the ending, it will either remind you of Obi Wan's sacrifice in Star Wars or that of Bruce Willis's character in "Armageddon."  

Towards the end of the movie, I wanted to say the exact words of Kevin Flynn when he realized who Rinzler was.  I didn't get the exact words but it was something like, "Tron, what has become of you?" 

CYMA at Trinoma Mall

We finally had a chance to try the Greek specialty restaurant, CYMA last week when my brother celebrated his birthday.  We had lunch at the Trinoma Branch of this Greek restaurant last Sunday.  My sister-in-law and I have already decided on what to order even before we went there so there was no problem on what to get once we got there.

We got one serving of their Hummus and pita bread.  I have tried hummus before but the one from Cyma was really nice. It was a really nice way to start our adventure to Greek cuisine.  I just wish that they have more pita bread per serving since theirs were really soft and really good.

For the main entree, I ordered one of Cyma's specialties, lamb chops.  I asked for the shoulder loin chops  grilled medium-rare.  I also opted for the Greek roasted potatoes instead of the rice stuffed bell peppers.  I actually prepared my self for the peculiar taste of lamb (ango in Tagalog), so was curious why my chops didn't come with the usual mint sauce.  No need for mint because the meat actually tasted fantastic, aside from being juicy and tender.  I would get another of this when I come back to Cyma.

My sister in law ordered the Pork Tenderloin Souvlaki  (Greek Kebabs).  The skewered pork came with vegetables and a generous serving of pita bread.  I tasted some of it and I promised myself that I will get some of those too when I come back.  The meat was so tender, juicy, and seasoned so well but not over powering.  It's good that there was enough pita bread that we used to finish off the hummus we ordered earlier.

My brother ordered the Greek beef stew, ribs stifado.  What I like about the dish, aside from the really soft beef, was the sauce!  I could put it on top of a cup of rice and I would be a very happy eater.  For our father, we ordered another Cyma specialty, the Psari Fournou.  It's salmon baked in parchment paper with lots of dill, fennel and I suspect a generous amount of olive oil. I also love this dish and would get it on another visit to the place.

For dessert we went for one of the more popular of Cyma's offerings, the  Flaming mangoes.  It is not a flambe but before the server puts it in your table, they will set it on fire and the restaurant crew will cheer OPA! in unison.  Unfortunately, that day they only have one order left so we had to choose another dessert.  We chose the Skolatina which was recommended by our server.  We really don't know what we're getting but we were all happy with it.  It's a molten chocolate cake with chestnut sauce and vanilla ice cream on the side.  I have to admit that I liked this one better than the Flaming Mangoes.  I don't know maybe because the mangoes were on the sour side.

I am sure by now that you know how I truly enjoyed the food at Cyma.  But I am also happy to tell you that the price is very affordable.  For the service and the good food, it's also worth it.