Renovation

It's been 10 years since I moved into my house.

I decided that it's time to have my home renovated and address the areas that need to be fixed.

My major concern is my roof deck. The flooring on my roof deck used to be plain concrete that was smoothened and made to look like tiles.

Problem is, my former contractor did a botched up job and in a span of a few years, the concrete "tiles" developed cracks. I've made the decision of using real ceramic floor tiles this time.

I also had a new skylight installed because the old one already had cracks and leaks because again, the former contractor did a poor job of installing it.

The house will be repainted as well. That isn't the final color in the photos. It's merely the first layer of coating. The gutter also needs to be polished.

So many things to do.

Iisa lang ang bahay ko. Dapat lang na ayusin, iimprove at gamutin kung ano mang sakit meron ito.

I'm hoping that it will all be finished before the end of the month. Fingers crossed.

No grand vacation getaway for me this summer, I can't afford it at the moment.

Friday Flashback

LOL! Found this image when I was organizing and deleting files in my laptop.

I think this photo was taken during the 1990s with a camera that still used AA batteries to power it and a roll of film to save images in....and afterwards you have to go to a photo processing store and pay someone to "develop" hard copies of the images stored in your film. So much trouble back then just to get your photos huh?

I was probably 20ish in the pic.

I'll be 39 this year.

Yeah! Yeah! I looked blah! in the photo. LOL!

But what am I gonna do? It is what it is.

Ganoon talaga po itsura ko noon eh. Wala na tayong magagawa ;-)

The 1990s. Time flew by so fast.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Minor Problem

What will you do if a minor flirted and continuously nagged you into meeting him?

How do you turn down his advances without hurting his frail feelings?

The twink contacted me through a mobile "social" app.
Here's a translation.

Toyo : But you're a minor.

Twink : Can I see your face?

Twink : Hey! Please send me a facepic :)

Twink : Nobody will know anyway.

Twink : Hey!

Twink : Let's meet already please, nobody will know anyway.

The young man is only 16 years old.

I do not show my face pic on my profile in that app site which explains why he was requesting for it. The only time I disclose an image of my face is if I'm about to set meeting. I very rarely meet though.

The twink is really adorably cute, BUT I do not want to get into trouble so he's off limits.

Wala akong balak maging Freddie Aguilar junior, o ma DSWD. Hehe! 

I told him that when he's already 18, daddy Toyo will be more than willing to pop and drill his cherry.  LOL!

I was thinking of blocking him in the app site but that would've been too harsh of me to do. I know guys his age tend to be very emotional when their feelings are denied so I instead ceased from replying.

A silent treatment will be a diplomatic way of stating that I cannot reciprocate his interest, urges, and so forth...until he becomes of legal age ;-)

 Drop me a line 2 years from now twinkie and I might reconsider

No-strings-attached of course.

Sentimental Sunday...Tease

Back in the days when I was still a 130 lbs. skinhead.

I miss my size 29 waistline.

Though I'm not that much of a tease anymore, age has "mellowed" me down I guess.

This is my favorite of all of my videos in YouTube, since I am an insomniac.
I made a mistake of recording parts of the vid a week apart.
Notice how my hair in some scenes is thicker?
I was too lazy to re-shoot it.
My bathroom still has its sliding glass doors in the ummm...shower scene ;-)



Now fast-forward to 5 years later, if I remade this video, there'll probably be no side-view shots. My stomach isn't flat anymore as you can see from my photo.
A tummy comes with aging.... Yeah! That's what I keep telling/lying to myself. LOL!
I wish I could turn back time.

I used to workout regularly because I wanted to look good whenever I go out. Whenever I'm out clubbing, I can take off my shirt partying on the dance floor together with the other guys.
But I'm already retired from the "gay scene." 
I have to get motivated again to workout religiously, especially for health reasons.
I'm not getting any younger.

Helping Hand

By now,  the whole world is aware of the devastating typhoon that recently hit the central region of the Philippines including the provinces which were also hit by a very strong quake last month.

Super typhoon Haiyan, known as Yolanda here in my country, is one of the most powerful typhoons in recorded history causing widespread damage and loss of human lives.

I am appealing to anyone reading my blog right now for your kindness, generosity and helping hand towards my countrymen.

The Philippines isn't a rich nor highly-industrialized country and it needs all the aid it can get.

I'm encouraging people to give aid to legitimate organizations that they know of that are actively providing relief operations towards the victims of the typhoon.

"Salamat" Thank you for your kindness.

You can also send donations to the Philippine National Red Cross.

www.redcross.org.ph/donate

Quake

A very powerful quake recently hit the provinces of Bohol and Cebu causing widespread damage and greatly affecting the lives of the families living there.

Bohol and Cebu are some of the most beautiful provinces here in the Philippines.

I say so because I have been to those provinces and experienced the sights, sounds, and the hospitality of their people. I was in Cebu in 2003 and I was in Bohol in 2006.

The photo above presents but some of the images posted by people over the internet.

If you are interested to help the victims of the earthquake, one of the ways to do so is by

visiting the website of the Philippine Red Cross.

You can make a donation through their website.

http://www.redcross.org.ph/

Baclayon Church back in 2006

It's sad that this once majestic piece of religious architecture has fallen victim to the forces of nature.

The bell tower back in the day when it was still standing tall.

One of the wonders of the natural world, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol.

These are very tall limestone hills that look like Hershey's chocolate kisses whenever the grass covering them turns brown during the summer season.

There are reports that some of the hills were also damaged by the quake.

I wish the provinces of Bohol and Cebu a speedy recovery so that tourists can

finally visit them again and experience their natural beauty and the warmth of their people.

Below is a short video clip of my vacation in Bohol.
It's one of my oldest videos in YouTube so please excuse the quality.

Throwback Thursday

Just jumping on the "throwback Thursday"  bandwagon.

This photo was taken 10 years ago.

My bangs were still thick back then. LOL!

I miss my bangs. Why did you have to ummm..."run away" from me? Haha!

Parang nagtampo na siya at unti-unti na akong iniiwan ;-)

Reminiscing

Spent my 38th birthday last week. My goodness!

Had dinner in a nice Chinese restaurant.

It was a quiet celebration with my family with lots of food. I loved it. I enjoyed every munching moment with my shellfish, prawns and crabs. LOL! :-)

YOUTUBE VERSION



VIMEO VERSION

Now that I'm really in my late 30s, I wish to reminisce on my youthful years though a countdown of my favorite movie theme songs from the 1980s.

I love the 80s because I spent my childhood and early teens in that decade, and it was a fun and happy-go-lucky decade.

The only thing I'm not fond of the 80s were the bad hairdos and the often horrendous fashion. Mullet hair & acid washed jeans anyone? LOL!

Have a wonderful time watching, listening, and reminiscing with me :-)

PS

Thanks to my blog reader Terry,  for greeting me last week :-)  

Home Improvement

It was the middle of the night and I was suddenly awakened by the sound of falling glass coming from my master bathroom. I was surprised by the appearance of cracks on the glass sliding panels of my shower area. By the time the sun came up, nothing was left of the entire glass sliding door and panels but shattered glasses. 

I searched the net on the probable causes and what I found out was that is was probably the house setting in or old age.

The photo above was taken a few months before I moved in my house in 2004 almost 10 years ago. Time flew by so fast.

Glass blocks were used as partition for our shower area. They are easier to install.

-total cost-

Glass blocks : P4,760 (56pcs. P85.00/pc.) 

Adhesive Cement : P250.00

Grout : P50.00
Water Proofing : P200.00

Labor : Free :-)

Total Cost : P5,260.00 (US$119.54)

Palawan

A short video clip of my summer vacation in Palawan.

I always bring that white striped shirt with me during my travels. It's my "lucky" shirt :-)

There's an HD option if you have a fast internet connection.

I used a new HD cam for this video.

Have a nice time watching :-)

I ❤ Palawan

I haven't been to the beach in quite some time so we decided to

spend a week's vacation in the island paradise of Palawan.

Palawan is rich in beautiful limestone islands with untouched beaches surrounded

by crystal clear blue waters.

Some of the islands such as the one below is on a protected status, this means that

tourists aren't allowed to disembark on its shores.

Don't worry, Palawan has dozens of other islands to choose from and beaches to enjoy :-)

A visit to the underground river is a must while in Palawan.

The photo (shot merely with an iPhone) doesn't give justice to how beautiful The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is.

The underground river is about 24 kilometers long and contains magnificent formations of stalactites and stalagmites.

I wasn't able to take photos inside because I was preoccupied taking videos which I will post sometime in the future.

Although I did feel somewhat "guilty" once we were finished with our river tour. I felt that our presence was a disturbance to the bats, swifts, and other animals living inside it.

A lot of tourists were quite noisy and the flashes of their cameras ruffle the natural inhabitants of the cave.

Palawan countryside with its limestone mountains.

At Dos Palmas Island Resort...

...where I did some snorkeling and swimming with the fishes along gorgeous coral reefs.

Guests are required to wear life vests since those waters are quite deep. 

Thanks goes to divemaster Victor for assisting and accompanying me.

These shots do not give justice to how colorful and pretty the coral reefs are.

The fish are all used to the presence of people who sometimes feed them pieces of bread that they will actually approach & swim alongside you hoping for a meal.

I didn't encounter any sharks and moray eels, much to my relief :-)

I'm afraid of them.

Perhaps I should purchase a true waterproof camera so that I wouldn't have to

place my generic cam inside one of those cheap plastic waterproof casing.

I ❤ ❤ ❤  Palawan.

If you're Filipino, you owe it to yourself to visit this island province.

If you're a foreigner wishing to go on a vacation in the Philippines, then Palawan should be on the very top of your list of visiting.

It's generally clean, peaceful, relaxed, and safe.

The people are genuinely friendly and concerned on maintaining their province's good reputation. 

I will upload a video of the other islands, beaches, and sites we visited in Palawan in the future.

I promise to come back to Palawan someday since I was not able to visit El Nido and Coron.

Perhaps next summer. Masyadong na kasi akong umitim kakabilad sa araw sa mga isla ng binisita. Kailangan din mag-ipon ng budget :-)

A week wasn't enough to fully enjoy this pristine province.

Bakasyon

It's currently the height of summer here in the Philippines.
It's so hot.

I had a wonderful summer "bakasyon" (vacation) spent with my family.

It's spring in Hong Kong and Macau when we visited during the last week of March, hence the cloudy and often rainy weather.
I miss their cool climate, especially in HK.
Yes, a lot of us wear glasses in the family :-)

Tagalog Movie Theme Songs

Whoa! Haven't updated my blog for some time.

Belated Valentine's to everyone :-)

Last year, I received an email in my YouTube account requesting if I could do another compilation video of OPM (Original Pilipino Music) songs, and the person specifically asked for movie theme songs from local movies.

So, I asked a bunch of people what their favorites are, did some researching and here is what I came up with. 
The top 5 are my personal choices.

Enjoy :-)

The YouTube version isn't available in the U.S. and its territories, and in a few countries as well because of copyright restrictions.
The Vimeo version is available worldwide and has a much better quality.

Tagalog Movie Theme Songs from Toyo on Vimeo.

Happy New Year!!!

A look back at 2012 through its popular music.
Now I feel like clubbing, although the last time I went barhopping I felt 
quite ancient surrounded by teens, twentysomethings, and the early 30s crowd. LOL!

Happy New Year everyone :-)


Songs of 2012 from Toyo on Vimeo.

Regimen

Waiting for Prince Charming to wake me up with a kiss. Hehehe!

Been super stressed lately (too personal an issue to go into details of the cause) and it's starting to take a toll on the way I look.

Went to a skin medical center and got myself a facial treatment because

my face is breaking out.

I also had a procedure done on my chest and back to maintain a smooth skin ;-)

Kaartehan ba? Wala naman yumayakap or humihimas sa akin, pero nagpapakinis pa ng balat. 

Afterwards, the dermatologist examined my scalp because my hair is thinning, particularly

on the back of my head.

I'm not insecure of the receding hairline on my forehead, I actually think it adds umm..."character." However, the thinning patch on the back of my head annoys me. I want to have it treated before it gets worse.

Inaalagaan naman kita. Di naman pipitsugin ang shampoong ginagamit ko sa yo, bakit ayaw  mong magcooperate? Arte mong buhok ka ha, masyadong matampuhin. LOL!

My dermatologist injected something on my scalp. I forgot the name of the drug, I do not have my medical record with me at the moment of typing this down.

I used to be a skinhead so if the condition got worse, I can always shave my head.

But I'm not going to give up without a fight. I like having hair. I want to have some bangs and curls. LOL! 

Have a nice weekend :-)

Daddy?

I was thinking of going out for a friendly meeting. Nothing serious, no hanky panky.

Maybe seeing a fresh new face would take some of the boredom I've been feeling lately.

I took this photo to make sure I looked presentable :-)

Talaga naman no. Papicture picture ceremony pa ang inyong lingkod. LOL!

Unfortunately I had to cancel the meeting because I was informed that there's heavy traffic going on due to some road & bridge maintenance near my town.

I hate traffic and I drive a manual stick shift. Driving in traffic being stuck in 1st and 2nd gear for 30 minutes to an hour can strain one's leg and feet which at my age is becoming a sad reality. 

I've already accepted the fact that I am not as young nor fresh as I used to be.

I'm already 37 and is close to starting my middle-aged years.

I am to be honest, afraid of getting old although I'm aware it's something inevitable.

The strange this is, majority of the ones flirting with me seem to be in the younger age group.

Most of them are in their 20s but some are even as young as 19 years old. Old enough to be my son or nephew. LOL! Of course I do not "entertain" the very young ones. Baka hindi pa legal mga yun no, mapamahak pa ako or tawaging "cradle snatcher." LOL! 

Guys my age, do not seem to be interested in me.

It's amusing whenever these young ones refer to me as a "daddy."

I used to joke about the daddy term but oh well! Might as well officially accept the title.

So yeah, you can call me "dad" but only if you promised to sit on my lap wearing only your birthday suit my beloved "son." LOL! :-)

My oh my! How I've aged.

This pic was taken 4 or so years ago.

I do miss my bangs and cheekbones. LOL! :-)

Nagkaka-edad ka na talaga Toyo.

Manpower

I've made this video last October and I wasn't able to publish it here in my blog that time.

Anyone who has read my blog probably already knows that I'm fond of music and doing music countdowns.

In the past, I had presented a countdown of ballads performed by female singers, this time

it's the men's turn. 



Ballads - Male Medley from Toyo on Vimeo.

Most of the songs are power ballads from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, decades that are close to my heart since they remind me of my childhood and teen years.

Have a wonderful time listening and have a great weekend :-)

Nighty! Night!

♫  Every second of the night...I live another life... ♪

Yeah, I'm fond of that song.

Another uneventful week has ended. Another night spent in a sleepy provincial town.

Yawn :-)

I took a pic using my phone. I was bored at the moment.

I wish iPhone would improve the quality of its front-facing cam. 

It's hard using the main camera on the back of the iPhone when taking photos of yourself.

Nighty! Night!

Oops! Didn't trim. LOL! ;-)

PS

Thanks goes to a few people who commented and emailed me personally

regarding my last posting. I appreciate it.

Replay

Stayed at home for almost a week. Got a nasty cold and cough.

I hate it whenever I get sick because I feel that I do not deserve to get sick since I

take good care of my body. I don't smoke, I eat healthy, I don't drink alcohol, I workout... Oh well.... Divine Injustice!!! LOL!

Since I had nothing much to do at home, I decided to upload a clearer version of one of my earliest online videos.

It's merely a test vid.

I was around 30-31 when I recorded this.
Just fooling around in the house with my cam.
Time flew by so fast.

Journey

Land and sea. Sun and sand. A humble fishing village. A remote island. 

Back to basics. Fun times! :-)

Camera was a little shaky in some parts, I forgot to bring my tripod and I wasn't feeling
well during the trip.

You can select the HD button for a sharper image.