The Vatican and the Sistine Chapel

St. Peter's Basilica

Travel to Rome is not complete without the visit to the St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel Museum.  The Vatican is the smallest state in the world and the seat of Catholicism.  The St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are the two main attractions of the Vatican.  From Rome central train terminal, the travel will take 15 minutes.  I advise tourist to avoid taking taxi, it's expensive.  You have to do some homework by getting to know the trains route.

La Pieta

Expect long queue at the Sistine Chapel Museum, be aware of  cut off time in the entrance. Once you are inside all the artifacts of the ancient times will be revealed, it's an amazing experience.  The museum have thousands of different artifacts, statues, paintings, collection of wide array of arts, gold carvings and many more.  It's a magnificent place where history of man and creation can be visualized.

Sistine Chapel Museum

The entry to St. Peters Basilica is also a long queue.  Female visitors are required to wear below the knee skirts and modest attire.  Remember, this is the main church of the Catholics. Once you enter the basilica, the La Pieta one of most famous work of Michelangelo is located at the main entrance on the right side.  The walls to ceilings is decorated with different types of arts from paintings to sculptures from marble to gold.  I wonder how creative the Romans are?  They have designed the interiors of basilica beautifully.

At the Copula

To finish your tour, be sure to climb the copula, a 320 steps.  Imagine how far you can go?  There are areas where you can take a breath while you are on your climb.  Imagine that this is a way to heaven, or may somewhat be a penance.  If you are suffering from any kind of illness that prohibits such activity better to avoid it.  Expect heavy crowd in this copula climb.

A magnificent view of the square and the Vatican City can be seen in the top of the cupola.

A view at the top of copula

Tom and Jerry

When I was a kid, the Tom and Jerry, the TV series was one of my favorite shows.  Tom was very much annoyed by Jerry's stubbornness.  The TV show became popular and gained the leading spot and became a legend for every kid; similar to Popeye, Naruto, Captain America, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and our very own Pinoy Darna.  Since I loved to watch the series, I did some readings on how it got started.

Tom is the Cat and Jerry is the Mouse.  What a very good combination in the cartoon world, Cat and Mouse.   

Tom was "Jasper" in the first appearance,  a gray and white domestic short hair cat. He lived a pampered life; Jerry on the other hand, was a small brown house mouse and lived within the proximity of Tom.  Jerry portrayed surprising strength as a mouse.  At his size, he lifted items such as anvils and metal blocks.

The "cat-hate-mouse scenario", was actually a rarity between the two.  Tom acting to devour Jerry was only his attempt to torment or humiliate him.  Tom was energetic and very determined; however, Tom was no match to Jerry's brains, wits, and high level of intelligence. 

In most episodes, Jerry emerges as triumphant, however, there are instances when Jerry's attempt to trap Tom backfires. The episodes show that malicious intentions would not result in a favorable manner in the end - a lesson that every kid needs to learn.  Taking advantage of others most often backfires!  The Tom and Jerry series equates the two extremes.  In the end, the true friendship that bonds them serves as the most significant key for them to stay happy and to survive the day to day challenges.

Tom and Jerry  series was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

The Making of Sushi - Simple and Easy

When I visited the US in March 2013, we were invited to a dinner  with Ed's mom.  The mother-in-law of Hazel who also my sister-in-law.  I was not a lover of Japanese food before but the taste of Mom's recipes changed my food appetite.  Mom's place is the best kitchen in America if I were to asked.  Dining outside was no longer an option as long as Mom's kitchen is open.

Since I loved to cook, I asked how to prepare the basic Japanese food, like Sukiyaki and Sushi.  Whoa, it's not complicated as you may thought about it.  It's so easy and simple.  I was really interested to learn because I really loved the food, it's Incredibly delicious!!

The process maybe tedious if you don't loved to cook.  But for people like me who wanted to explore the cooking experience, It's more of FUN and experience.  Firstly, the ingredients.

1.  Japanese Nori
2.  Avocado
3.  Sushi Rice
4.  Sushi Vinegar
5.  Cucumber
6.  Eggs
7.  Carrots
8.  Tuna or Salmon fillet
8.  Baby Spinach (optional)
9.  Mint Herbs (optional)
10.  Kikkoman soy sauce
11.  Wasabe
12.  Lettuce (optional)

Ok, let's proceed to the preparation.  Steam the rice and until cooked, mixed with sushi vinegar (you may add sticky rice of little quantity).  Sliced all the veggies in a length of at least two inches.  Slice the egg omelet.  Put the ingredients in different plates.  Pour in soy sauce in a cup with Wasabe.Then, get ready to roll your own hand rolled Sushi.    A delicious hand roll sushi is not difficult to devour.

Vegetarians can use avocado instead of Tuna.  Mango can be added if you want it taste sweet.

Most Traded Currencies of the World - Money

I am thinking of what to write after the PSE rally and cheered up the Moody upgrade.  I always ran over the business section ABS-CBN and I directed my attention to the special section on currencies.  If you are curious to know the most widely used currencies, here they are.

Spot No. 10 goes to New Zealand Dollar

No. 9 is Swedish Krona









No. 8 is Hongkong Dollar

No. 7 is Canadian Dollar








No. 6 is Swiss Franc

No. 5 is Australian Dollar






No. 4 is British Pound

No. 3 is Japanese Yen






No. 2 is Euro









NUMBER 1 is United States Dollar

Stock Investing Philippines - Alliance Global

For the last few days AGI, MEG shares were moving sideways.  Noted that foreign selling was heavy lead by CLSA, followed by JP Morgan, Deutsche, and ATR.  What made the foreigners panic?  Well, TSI was expected to move upward above 10 but it was stucked to 9 and swung below 8.50.  IPO of it's hotel group in venture with Genting was cut into halves.  I thought of grabbing more of AGI @ 23 but it doesn't dipped to that level.  It was supported well at 23, however, grabbed few at 23.50 and holding the shares up to 25.50 which I believe highly probable.

  Megaworld, GERI were not isolated, both were dragged down by the panic.  Logically speaking, I want AGI for it's diversified portfolio and the growth driven by Megaworld and Emperador.  GERI has a big potential on its better position of landbank in Boracay, Maribago, and the Fairways and Blue Water (formerly crown project of Fil-estate).  Resort World Manila is generating high inflows from the Casino operations.  Looking at AGI chart, it seems that the support @ 23 was strong and broke the 23.5-24 resistance, hopefully direct to 25.

In the disclosure to the exchange the backdoor listing of Emperador was priced at 8.99 below the expected price of 11-12.  I would say that the stock fall was temporary given the strong financial position of AGI.  I am optimistic that foreign BUYING will spark at the mid of the month once the issue on IPO of hotel group is ironed out.  MEG continue to show a robust growth in terms of its high end residential sales and BPO leasing.  The Iloilo BPO center will be another big cow for MEG.  The chart of MEG is trending sideways, 3.10-3.40 but still attractive.  I would be happy to enter below 3.20 for a sure upside of 7-9%, not bad.

GERI lost it's support @ 1.40 and continue its descend, dunno it the issue will dip to 1.00 par, in which I will be happy to accumulate.  This is the year low trade for GERI shares, maybe, the shares will need attention and a possible play will drive it back.  I like GERI and I believe 2.0 level is not impossible.

BLOOM is on my watch!

UAE Driver License - Elusive Quest

I wrote this article to share my quest for an elusive UAE driver license.  It took me five years before I finally got it.  I need to fly to America and get  US driver license before I managed to get Dubai driver license.  I would say that getting Dubai driver license is like finding a hundred gram of gold (the only thing, it may only be 9 carat, lol).  Why is it difficult to get the license?  How come that experienced drivers from their home countries didn't pass the RTA test?

As I went through my ordeal, I found a factor that affect the performance of the passing rate.  It was communication, the language barrier.  The instructors from different countries (mostly Pakistani's) have difficulty in English to give clearer instructions.  Often, they cannot express in deep sense what are the do's and don'ts in driving.  I am not underestimating the ability of the instructors but it's really difficult to have a good command in English if it's not your first language.  I would say that the communication barrier affects the transfer of right information from the instructor to the students.  That's what I observed when I took my pre-final test.  Since my instructor was Sri Lankan, he has difficulty of English and my mistakes was not corrected in the way that would have been done.  Since I knew that, I asked him and that's only the time that the fatal errors were clarified.

With my US driver license I did not go through the same process that others do.  I went through a direct test in which I paid $700 more or less, instead of the usual fees.  The direct test will test your ability on theoretical exams that covers road safety, signal, risk, etc. and the actual road test.  I took the road test and passed with confidence, at last I got my elusive (Dubai) driver license.  I could drive now in UAE.

Here are the tips.
Ask the instructor if you do not know the rule
Do not hesitate to open up your ideas and beliefs
Do not be ashamed or shy, remember you are a student
Be humble enough to accept your mistakes
Take note of the right of way, when to give way and when to pass
Be patient and calm during the road training
Determined to pass as the fees will accummulate if you keep on failing
Do not quit, if others can, you can do it too

Licences Recognized by the UAE.  The holder must be passport holder and citizen thereof.
GCC Countries - Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar
European Countries - Austria, Belgium, Spain, Germany, France, Ireland, Norway, Netherlands, Itlaly, UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Finland, Portugal
African States - South Africa
American States - USA
Asia and Australia - NZ, Hongkong, Australia
Canada, Turkey Greece - countries or states to present translation (of license) from their embassy or consulate.
Singapore - require passing the theory tests before license exchange.

Holder of US and Europe driver license but not citizens are required to pass theory test and road test.  However, they are not required to attend 20-40 classes of road training tests.  They need to pass the Direct Test conducted by the RTA.

BHI aka Boulevard Holdings - Stock Market Philippinnes

Part of being a trader is riding with the trends on speculations.  But, for beginners it is highly risky, it may sucked your money instantly or may give you some fortune.  We want to win, we want to make money, we play to win.  That's all what we wanted.

I admit that I play some risky issues like BHI but with limitations and carefulness.  BHI have been in the spotlight with heavy volume last week but reverses immediately and may possibly left many small time hunters in the air.  Here we go.

The chart.

Looking at the chart MACD still on the positive but volume is becoming thinner for the last six trading days.  Though I admit that I play the stock but fortunately I released again at cost.  I do not see a bright future for BHI, that's only my opinion, I would rather buy more for SLI trading below par.  Who knows, good news will come.

What are the other factors we need to look into?  NO foreign fund enters BHI if there are any, it maybe nil.  Who are  players and keep on playing?  Last six days top ten (BUY and SELL)

Stop, look and listen.  The top ten players speculated and played the stocks.  You will be happy if you bought the issue below .14, Congrats, you maybe celebrating your great adventure.  Only BDO did not release their holding, COL in and out, with TOWER and BERNARD.  The euphoria dissipates past because of the blue chips bounce back.

If you want to play, be familiar with the rules, you cannot beat them, I'm sure of that.  Do not join them unless your appetite is risk.

Bargain Hunting - Philippine Stock Market

For the last few days, I noted that traders seems so cautious.  Most are waiting for the correct entry for selected issues.  With the foreign fund exodus, local traders stay alight and waiting for catalyst to move back.  Today profit taking was noted plus the uncertainty in Syria.  Do we need to avoid the market during this time?  It depends on your risk appetite, if you are risk player you may take it as an opportunity to BUY at cheaper price and accumulate.  Patience is the key here, you need to wait and set your investment horizon.

I will feature two issues as model which I believe cheap and have a big potential to earn.

SMC - San Miguel Corporation (see the chart)

  While we know the strength of the conglomerate and its diversified portfolio, the stock has started to hit the bottom.  From high of 120 in May now it's down to 73.90, I believe its lowest since 2012.  The stock is consolidating at the support level of 73-75, I am not sure if the support will be sustained.  At the current price of 73-76, I believe it's safe to enter.

Another promising pick is CPG - Century Properties Group.  (see the chart)

I have been monitoring the movement of CPG since the correction waves, from high of 2.44 the stock  dipped to 1.08.  Despite the good performance of it's core business, and the net income grew by 11.9% as compared to the 1st half of 2012 (1,056 vs 944).  Price earning ratio of 6.40 is way below the 10% plus PE ratio of its peers excluding ALI and RLC.  From the chart, I can see an immediate bullish formation that may try the 1.40 level, then 1.60 and may possibly reach my target of 1.75, hopefully.

Cheers and happy trading.

Stock Investing Philippines - Best Picks

Today's trading day was awaited by many investors.  The index ended flat, though it show strength at the early trade.  It doesn't manage to breach the 6,100 barrier, psychological fear was on the air  heavy sell  at run-off.  The index down by .22% despite the very impressive performance of Nikkei and Hangseng.

SM regained it's momentum back to a comfortable zone of 700, BDO, SMPH, TEL were the favorite picks for the day.  The Ayala stocks may not be the favorite for the day but I believe that AC, BPI, ALI were safe.  I look at the best picks to add in my portfolio like CPG, TA, EDC, BDO.  The buyback program of CPG may bolster the stock price temporarily, I noted foreign buying of CPG and the chart shows strong supportt at 1.10-1.15.  I bought some today for CPG and look forward for tomorrow's trade to add more if ever the stock will sink further.  BEL also dipped and may lose the 4.50 immediate support ground, though, I have shares of BEL I still wanted to lower down my cost through averaging.  I waited for EDC to swing but the stock was traded sideways.  I bet for 5.60 but it does not go down to that level.  I think the Lopez stocks are safe, FPH, FGEN and EDC.  My top pick for tomorrow trade.

EDC
MPI
CPG
AC
BDO
BPI
TA

You may consider GTCAP and LTG.

I am so sad with my GMA7 that was in my basket for more than a year but I cannot sell with heavy loss.  Anyway, GMA7 is one of the best managed company with no long term debts.  Dividends pay-off is guarateed.

Stock Investing Philippines - PSE Bounce Back!

After the two day exodus of foreign funds, the PSEI bounced back Friday with index closed to 6,075 a 2.2% up from previous close.  Most of the blue chips recovered, noted that SM started to gain momentum also AC, GTCAP,  TEL, SMPH.  Foreign stock broker Credit Suisse liquidated 1.6 billion pesos of SM, noted that ATR Kim-Eng net buying was over 1 billion pesos.  The biggest dumped of SM shares came from Credit Suisse with net selling of 2.2 billion pesos over the five days trading.  Looking at how foreign fund behaved for the last five days, it seems that a see-saw was happening.  While others are liquidating others are positioning.  The good thing, not all foreign broker are scared.

I think the panicked selling gained temporary relief from the good news about the Philippine GDP growth of 7.5% for the second quarter.  The S&P, likewise, hailed the Philippines for its prudent fiscal management,while giving warning for Thailand and Indonesia's increasing debt to GDP and negative BoP's.   True, that the market was oversold but the uptrend was mitigated by the excellent performance of the Philippine economic managers.  I want to wait for Monday trading to see how the market react given the two day advance.  I sold my MBT at ex-date and it shows strength closing at 81.50, I would hope that my dividends would be sold at above 85 level on September 16.

I believe that corrective waves are still in place, open, so I want to be careful in playing.  Though, I have a diversified portfolio with little on mining.  My fund is sufficient to balance any corrections.  To those who are heavily invested in June, I think this time is the right time to lighten.  I do not see the index back at 7,500 level.  The market dipped into lows but rebounded on good news.  The US and EU markets closed in the red territory last Friday trading.  What would we expect from PSE on Monday?

In my personal view, I believe that making money in these times are still possible but no assured.  To say what to buy in particular is difficult.  I will continue to look for issues that are highly oversold and undervalued, one of them is CEB.  SM was clearly oversold but I am not yet convinced to enter at 600 level unless it will dipped back to 490-500.  If you ask if the correction has ended, I doubt it, with the crisis in Syria and Egypt investors may opt to play safe.  They may possibly divert their money to commodities such as oil, gold and silver.

Watch out!

Rome Escapade - Dream to Reality

In my childhood days, I always daydreamed.  I went out in the woods sitting in the shade of the trees, or climbing as high as I could and dreamed of places to travel.  I heard of Rome, the pope, Vatican, and the Roman empire.  I read stories in the history books that I borrowed from my classmate.  I loved reading the history of the world, the culture, the demography, and the architectures that signify the modernity of the medieval times.  I was always amazed by the greatness of human ingenuity.

that's not me,  illustration my childhood

I did more more reading about the Roman Empire and the Roman gods and goddesses.  Although, I was not astonished by what I learned, I was fascinated and puzzled.  I was in my high school then when I started to read the stories of Jesus Christ because of its connection to the Roman Empire.  It was interesting to fathom the Romans' power and how they control the world for hundreds or thousands of years, if I'm not mistaken.

The dream of travel to Rome never entered my mind during my early days.  My family lived in an average Filipino lifestyle.  Traveling has never been in our calendar, I can't remember planning to take a pleasure trip out of my little town.  However, reading has taken me beyond the borders of my physical environment.

There we go, in 2010 my wife and I visited Europe.  I made some research of what country should we visit first.  I considered Greece because of their Greek mythology taught in my literature classes, Germany because of Hitler, and maybe Spain because of the culture they imparted in the Philippine society-Catholicism.  At last, we decided to go for Rome, Italy.  We were both excited to see Vatican City, the seat of Christianity and Catholicism.  My wife who's a devoted Catholic was wowed with the idea of visiting the Vatican in Rome.  Now,  the dream of travel in my early childhood  has become a reality.

The travel to Italy had coincided with our wedding anniversary, September 29,  also the feast of my well admired saint, St. Francis of Assissi.  Excitement filled our trip, we booked the best flight we can to Rome through British Airways with four hour stop over in London Heathrow.  The waiting at Heathrow Airport seemed a long day.  I regret not to take the direct flight to Rome, but to do so would have doubled our airfare.

We arrived at Fiumicino airport in Rome at noon time.  I didn't feel exhausted (the usual feeling I felt during long travels) because of my excitement.  To set foot in Italy was truly an extraordinary experience.  It was like a dream standing at the immigration line and waiting by the carousel for our luggage.

Basilica di Santa Maria Magiore

inside the Basilica

After checking in at the hotel, we freshen up and began our tour.  Our first stop was at the hotel's restaurant and dine on some pizza.  We walked to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the first famous spot that we set a foot on.  The Bassilica was astonishing, we we amazed by the ancient architectural designs.  The big church hall, now a tourist site was one of the must to see in Rome.  The altar and artifacts inside was a creation of the best architects in the medieval ages.  Thank heavens, this place was very near our hotel.


The next must see was the Colosseum,  the place where the gladiators fought to death.  This is one of the most famous structures.  In every step I made to this place, I couldn't help but think of the hardships and sufferings of the slaves who built this magnificent structure.  Though, the Colosseum has an entrance fee, we were fortunate enough that on September 27, if my memory was correct, it was Italy's tourism day.  We entered the place for FREE, saved forty euro, but spent it on dinner.  Every part of the Colosseum was amazing, a masterpiece or priceless human creation.  It was a remnant that reminisced the Roman empire.

Rome is a fascinating place, where evidence of early human power and capabilities left a blueprint.

More of Rome on the next write up....
   

Getting US Driver License

July 11, 2013, a day that will never be forgotten in the history of my life.  The day I passed the US driving test.  Finally, my dream to get a US identification card was granted, courtesy of the DMV.

Although I'm an experienced driver, it was a big challenge to pass the driving test in the US.  I was faced with tremendous adjustments on my driving skills and habits.  In addition, I wasn't familiar with some of the road signs, they were some of the things I needed to learn from the handbook.  Furthermore, Jeff, the examiner took me by surprise when I did my driving test.  It was my second time around with him so I was expecting the same route but whoa, to my surprise he directed me to a different route which made me feel uncomfortable.  Thank goodness, during the previous test, Jeff, who was a nice man was really helpful; he explained my mistakes clearly and told me what to avoid.  I took note of them carefully and wondered if I could pass the test next time.  This time however, the thought of passing was my great motivation to get my license.  And finally, Jeff told me, "Jerry, I think you made it this time."  Thanks to John and Louie.

Louie was my elder sister, she was supportive in my endeavors.  She was so patient to take me on the road to practice my driving, the American way, not my usual way.  I admit that having been a driver for more than 15 years made it more difficult for me to have a 360 degree turn-around on my driving habits.  To be honest, I was offended when she was correcting my way of driving, it took me some times to accept that I was in a different country, with different driving skills.  A total package of discipline was needed.

When I got home, everybody was dressed up!  Ow, they will probably treat me for a dinner, I thought.  John asked me for my choice of restaurant but Charlie knew the best.  Applebees!  It was a really touching family experience, the kids were very excited I passed the driving test and were so happy to go out and dine.  We drove to Applebees for a dinner treat, I am now a California driver.  As John said, "Welcome to the world of California drivers".

My niece after I passed the test (in Applebees)
I Like Her Smile!

Maybe people may say, it's a small thing, millions and millions have it.  No, in America, they have it, but how many millions in Asia have it?  Here in Dubai, a US driver's license is an easy getaway from the expensive and time consuming driving school and the long process of getting it.  Imagine spending a minimum of $2,000.00 for the tuition fees alone, then add the driving tests fees, etc, etc..  If you are not lucky, $5,000.00 wouldn't be impossible to burn just to get a UAE driver's license.

Sarah, "the little princess" made me write this story.  "Uncle Jerry," she said, "you need to write a story about it."  "As you wish", I replied.  When I landed in Dubai, I thought of getting it done but I wasn't in my best mood to write, so I kept it in my "to do" list until now.  Thanks to Sarah!

It's More Fun to be with the Parkinsons.  

Philippine Stocks Index - Correction Continues

Yesterday, I wrote about the bloodbath in the Philippine stocks index.  Truly, the panicked in the market worldwide spurs heavy selling.  The Philippines in no case could not be spared.  Today is the continuation of the bloodbath, all the blue chips were in red lead by SM which has deteriorated tremendously during the last 5 trading days.  What are the concerns behind SM's exodus?  Firstly, the MSCI Phils reduced the exposure to SM although fundamentally strong this was perceived by investors as threat to an all time downside.   Whatever the reactions for today would be viewed as pessimism in the stock market.  Commodities such as oil breach the $109 per dollar and the gold inched up to $1,420 above the resistance level.  Investor are going back to commodities to play safe.

The ASEAN is a big economy, although the weakness in Indonesia and Thailand was perceived to be an immediate entry to the recession point.  I don't think this case is the same with Philippines, analyst and economist projected the growth for 2nd quarter slows to 7.3-7.5, a hairline low with the 1st quarter of 7.8%.  Whoa! The 15% decline in the last five trading days was a big setback for  investors.  Panic is everywhere but this time will be best  for bargain.  Imagine SM reaching the high of 1,100 p/s omg... ouch... I can't buy that, that's too much, we are now entering the correction level to challenge the stocks into going back to  fair valuation, they are simply ovepriced at the index above 6,500.   Though, I am not praying that the index will dip into 4,000 which I viewed as recession point but still my money was set side to get the good catch.

Of course, the market is volatile, so watch for trends, I still stand not to lighten my selected issues, instead, I am diligently considering bottom price buying for issues like CEB, MEG, EDC, and MBT.  I like CEB for it's aggressive market expansion, they change the mechanics of play in the airline industry.  I would say that CEB was the innovator in the Philippine aviation.  The entry to the UAE this Octoberr posed a big challenge to big airlines such as Emirates, Cathay, Singapore and other foreign carrier with flights Manila-Dubai v.v.  The price war is now open, watch out for CEB, it's time to fly JUAN in the dessert and may enjoy the dessert Safari.

The Correction Wave - Philippine Stocks

The Philippine stock market faced the hardest wave of challenge in August, huge amount of foreign fund outflow was escalated due to the weakness in Asia.  Of course, the Philippine is not isolated, whatever the activities in the region, it's always contagious.  Since I have invested in mostly blue chips I did not intend to release neither lighten my position and cut loss.  I view this correction as healthy and I have been waiting for this since June.  But August was often categorized as ghost month so what do we expect.

The PSEi didn't hold the support of 6,100, today it drops by hefty 5%, and addition to the 6% drop last week after the flood.  Heavily traded SM (_5.75%), MBT (2.19%), ALI (7.47%), AC (7.89%), MCP (12.30%), GLO (9%) and more.  It's a bloody day, bleeding.

Looking on the bright side, I set aside 40% of my cash for this correction, it's been my strategy to be in healthy cash position at any given time. I learned how to tame  and control my emotions on stocks investing, considering my long term experience in the play.  Personally, I look forward for a support ground of 5,600-5,700 before I will enter again.  This will help balance my position and to get a lower cost average on my selected issues.  I continue to like EDC, AC, MBT, MEG, MPI, SMC, looking at the EDC chart, it shows strong support @ 5.50 and it's movement was flat for thee last 3 bloody days.  While AC and MEG suffered heavy sell off, I like to view it as windows for an opportunity.  Correction is good so far.

The index of 7400 was really a danger stage to enter, it was in June, some analyst are too optimistic viewing that PSEi may reach 10,000, I did not buy that proposition instead I lighten my position in June and stay watchful for the ghost month.  Tomorrow, I will surely buy MBT as dividends ex-date is on Aug. 29 (30% stock), if MBT will detriorate by 30% and trimmed down to 70 or below, fine, it's worth to wait.  Meg is another bet likewise with AC and MPI.  I like to see SM @ 400 level before I will enter.  Comparing SM and AC, which of the two will reap good harvest?

Stock Investing Philippines - Banco de Oro

For the last few months BDO stock was on see-saw creating a grind.  I love to track the stock movement especially the activity in foreign buying and selling.  Management projected a 20bil profit in 2013, bouyed by the impressive performance of trading activities, the improving economic outlook, upgrade made by Fitch in Philippine and the robust domestic demand.  The strong remittances from overseas benefits the bank's non-traditional earning potentials.  There are rumors that BDO may acquire another bank in 2013 to strengthen it's leadership and a partnership with one of the big banks operating in southeast Asia.  I like the banks management commitment to its client base, they set a trend in customer service and attracting more businesses to join BDO,s innovative offers.  They are the first to introduce night banking in mall based branches.

According to the figures in 2012 released FS, BDO improved the loan base income, fees and other charges showed significant increase with trading gains on the record highs.  While the 2012 performance was hard to duplicate, management believes that 2013 would be a shining and another year of record for BDO.  Since 2003, dividend declaration was consistently distributed to shareholders because of the strong and healthy cash position.  In 2013, a total of 2.10 per share was declared as cash dividends, TBA.

At the current price of 91, the stock is consolidating with immediate support at 86-87, but an upswing to 95 is imminent.  Well, long term investor may be safe to project 110 for BDO.

Other interesting trades, MEG, MPI, EDC, FPH.

Dubai to LA

I have been a traveler for long time, mostly by plane.  Travel let me seat in the plane for more than an hour to ten hours.  Dubai to Los Angeles was different; a 17 hour direct flight. What a trip! Days before the flight with my wife and our friend, I think of what to do in the plane to get out of boredome.  I made sure the battery of my Ipod and smartphone are full but the 17 hour flight keep my mind alive.

We borded the plane in Dubai T3  to LAX, unfortunately the night before flight I did not get a sleep.  Finding the journey as long I taught of sleeping while cruising on air.  I was like a nocturnal animal while on travel sleep was elusive i need to fight the boredome and stiff neck plus back pains.  Hope next time i  will be sitting in the first class.

From the moment the plane took off the ground I called the flight attendant and ask immediately for an eye shade.  She was so quick to respond, when the plane reached stable altitude, flight snacks were served.  It's kind of a mean snack from Emitates Airline, if you are used to fly thru Cathay and Singapore airlines, you may look for more for the two popular airlines used to serve fabulous snacks, lunch and dinner.  At 3pm the plane landed in LAX, of course were so excited to set a foot in Los Angeles.  The long journey was over, at last we arrived safely.

Just an advise for long travels, bring your neck pillow, have a good rest before flight and drink more water while on board.  You may want to walk for a while in the aisle while cruising.  Get some stretch in your shoulders, your feet and your legs.  If you cannot sleep on board get your smartphone or ipod and listen to your favorite music and audio books.

Singapore - Side Trip

December of last year on my trip to Dubai, I got the opportunity to stay overnight in Singapore.  My flight via Qatar Airways was scheduled for the following day.  I thought of the options; wait in the airport or go out for an overnight.

I opened my email, my friend Leonard responded that they can accommodate me for one night.  There was no hesitation, I got out of the airport and took a taxi towards their place in Sengkang.  In Singapore, landlords are very strict to visitors even for just an overnight stay, mostly they don't allowed.  I was lucky!  First of all, I could save a hundred dollar for the cheap hotel.  Secondly, I have not seen Leonard and his wife Analyn for years.  And, most importantly, we could spend some time to chat and talk about the time when we worked together and our days in college.  It was great to see the couple!  They welcomed me to their home, then we dined out in the evening.

The following morning, Leonard took a leave.  We strolled through Singapore's most popular places. We headed to Sentosa, and even though I have been there several times, it's looks different  in every visit. The casino and the Universal Studios were the new added attraction to tourists.  Sentosa is a well planned park and an awesome entertainment center, anyone would love to see it again.  We continued to the Orchard, the city's shopping capital.  The high end shops along Orchard were full of tourists and shoppers.  This is the Greenbelt version of Makati.

From what I recalled, I have been to Singapore for more than five times.  Every visit was a different experience.  Fun-filled adventure awaits you, plus the excitement always brings one back.  This tiny island excites and inspires us, these are just some of the reasons why visitors keep coming back.  It's always  fun to be in Singapore!  Thanks to Leonard and Analyn.

Ifugao's Unknown Paradise - Halag 3

Halag Ifugao, Philippines

It took a long while to write this finale.  How could I end the beautiful experience and bid goodbye to the wonderful people of Halag?  No, this is not the end but the beginning, a journey to look forward to.  If God permits, I will have my vacation house in Halag in the future.  It is my dream, I will work for it to happen.

Fish Cages in a distance

The main source of livelihood of the people is fish raising.  Many of the villagers own fish cages, they are blessings by nature.  The lake supplies enough water for the them.  From fingerlings to maturity, tilapia raising takes five months before the harvest time.  The family owns fourteen cages, each fish cage is teeming with fish of different sizes.  Twice a day, Khalid and Jonathan do the feeding together. I am a nature enthusiast and enjoyed being with Khalid during the feeding.  Throwing the feeds in the cages is surely a great fun.  The swarm of fish racing to eat is a heart-warming experience.  You may dip your feet in the water while feeding and experience a fish bite therapy.  Having enjoyed the feeding experience gave me a thought of owning a fish cage in Halag.

After the Sunset

The scheduled harvest for the two cages of tilapia was last December.  My small bro. wanted me to be there during the harvest but I couldn't.  How I wish I could!  I was the first visitor to be invited by my small bro. to witness the harvest, he boasted the grilled  giant tilapia.  "Giant Tilapias"  grow in the waters for an unknown number of months or years and they could reach a weight above five kilograms.  What a big fish!  According to them, margin in Tilapia raising can go as high as fifty percent, this was a big margin for a backyard livelihood.

The simplicity of life in Halag is magical, like the old times.  The daily routine is not complicated, no rush, no emails, no stress but a smile.  Halag Ifugao, Philippines,  I will jump to that island again!

Ifugao's Unknown Paradise - Part 2

Halag is not a well known place (as described in my first write up), it has a limited exposure due to the location and the number of inhabitants.  Visitors may have ignored the place and thought of it with no great significance, but they are surely missing a lot.  My friend, whom I called small bro. didn't talk much of their place, but I was encouraged to write more about it.

Going to Halag is not complicated.  Starting from Santiago City Public Transport Terminal, you can board a jeepney going to Ramon Isabela or Aguinaldo Ifugao.  Then, get another ride from Ramon to Magat dam.  Journey may take an hour when traveling by public transportation; however, on a private car, it would only take about twenty to thirty minutes.  There is a small pier going north of Magat where you can get a ride to Halag.  There is a carpark near a military post where you can leave your vehicle safely, just inform the military officer on desk.

Group of tourists visiting the Magat Dam are often sighted.  There is a viewing deck at Magat dam where one side shows a fantastic view of the islands.  From this distant, one can easily assume that the islands are just small pieces of land covered with green bushes and trees without any inhabitants.  The other side of the deck is the view of the spillway flowing beautifully like a majestic curtain of water.

Visitors who wish to set foot on the islands need to go to the small pier where motor boats line up for passengers.  Waiting time depends on the passengers volume.  Fare is minimal, if I am not mistaken, it was P50 per person.  There is also an option to rent a small boat if you are in a hurry.


The cruising is very relaxing, the fresh air is soothing, and the clear water is calming.  People in the boat are mostly residents, there are only few visitors.  I took pictures of the beautiful basin, which used to be the biggest in the world, but now ranked second to China's.  Flocks of birds of different colors can be seen looking for fish.  Floating little houses that hold fish cages were scattered along the lake.  There are also some water lilies that the villagers gather.  They use the flowers for different types of native souvenirs such as hats, fans, slippers, etc.  There is no specific landing dock for the motor boat, each passenger is delivered to his/her own home or destination. When it was our turn to get out of the boat, I was pleased  for the travel was so short, but at the same time feeling disappointed because I was enjoying the ride.  Every family owned a paddle boat for going around.

The first thing we did was travel the entire lake.  We have two boats and we raced  for each island.  Spending all day cruising made my complexion shiny chocolate brown.  I knew that the two island boys who were with us didn't enjoy the ride as much as we did.  For us, that was the fun part, we sailed all day until our body was exhausted. Some of the villagers were smiling at us and waving their hands.  At around three o'clock in the afternoon, we packed a picnic and headed to the foot of the mountain.  We were on the boat again, two person on each boat, racing to the side of the mountain.  With me was a boy named Jonathan, the second youngest of the Uchayan siblings.  Jonathan was very happy to do the paddling while we were on the race, as young boy you can see his enthusiasm.  I helped him by using my slippers to paddle.  Finally, we reached the place after almost an hour of paddling.  Now on foot, we passed by a stream running from the mountain, and climbed through rocks until we found a nice place to enjoy our picnic which is next to a small water fall.  Afterwards, we all enjoyed a little swim in the cool water.

Ifugao - Halag

Highlights:

Island hopping
Cruising the lake
Mountain climbing
Fishing
Diving 

Ifugao's Unknown Paradise - Halag 1

Ifugao is known for the famous terraces and the panoramic mountains in Banawe and Sagada.  The Ifugao mummies are also an added attraction.  For people who want to take the fresh air away from the city life, it's a perfect getaway.  Unknown to many, there are beautiful islands floating in Ifugao.  Around twenty of them are inhabited by locals, they call the place Halag.

The place amazed me the moment I set foot on it.  It is an enticing wonderland of natures beauty and simplicity.  There is no electricity in all the islands which gives the feeling of distant isolation, but an awesome place for star gazing.  Each island is occupied by at least 1-5 families; the big ones with maybe ten or more families have the presence of public elementary schools.  I'm not sure exactly how many people are living in that paradise.  We cruised by motorboat and took us about 25 minutes to reach the place.  No one could have imagined that such place still exist at this age.  In this era where everything appears complicated,  here is the place to rest body, mind, and soul.  I couldn't have imagined small islands like these exist in Ifugao!  This may sound unbelievable but I it's real! Serene, magnificent, and just simply perfect.

The island were I stayed was owned by one family and the place has just enough  space  for their home.  There was a chicken coop, a pig pen, and a little rest house that added to the beauty.  The best thing is...it's totally private, only one family occupied the small island.  The hospitality of the Uchayan family is one thing someone could never forget.  Mr. Uchayan was a former village captain, despite of his status and popularity, he was a humble man, with good heart and spirit.  They prepared a small feast for us that made me feel embarrassed, but that's the way they welcome guests. It was fantastic!

Ifugao - Halag

They have generator in their home, we watched movies on DVD's as the entertainment for the night. At 9 o'clock, it's bedtime. Before 6 am, they are up and start the day anew. I have been to many places in the Philippines, stayed with friends and relatives for a few days and even for more than a week, but this family's hospitality and values are incomparable.  They are unique and pure.  I wish that my retirement age would be spend on that paradise.

(More story on Halag 2, How to get there? What to do? and the fun.)

Stock Investing - Philippines (SLI)

If you are following the PSEi, correction have started and and I view it as a positive movement towards an upward trend.  Analyst's from different stock brokerage firms predicts the support level will be 5850, then a possible run up to 6,100 up to 6,300.  Following such predictions,  I sold some issues that I considered volatile and retained my key stocks like SM, SMC, GERI.

SLI move upward for today's trading, this is what I am expecting few days ago when I enter @ .68.  Since the the blue chips were mostly overbought and the second liners were on see saw.  SLI trading below par would be a target, and my reading seems right.  Well, SLI have good track record in high end residential development.  They are present in NCR, Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Western Visayas and Davao Region.  Looking at the demographics, those areas are highly developed and mostly urban regions.

Four projects boosts the real estate revenue like East Bel air Residences, Orchard Towers, Monte Carlo and Neopolitan Condominiums.Davao Riverfront, a resort and leisure was developed for high end visitors which shows huge volume sales in the last years.  More surprises from SLI happen soon.

My Class and Friends

While watching a reality tv show, I remembered my family inside the classroom.  I missed them,  wish I brought them all here in Dubai.

I don't want to forget how I loved and be loved by my class friends.  Sitting in front from the right were: Joel, Dennis, Paul, Albin, Nicco, Joseph, Maricris, Joy, and maybe I missed one.  There were thirty six in the class, I'm the 37th, their eldest class friend.  Nicco was appointed as a class leader and he did well.  There was a great teamwork, friendly competition was encouraged, and everybody was eager to participate.  Each individual's contributions and  everyone's cooperation for their team's success were evident.  Motivation was the name of the game in our class in this College of Accountancy at a university in Isabela.

The beauty of the class was captivating.  I taught good values as much as I could, it was productive.  They came to loved the class and it was obvious.  Everybody was eager to SHOW UP in class!  Each meeting was always a great day for me, a great fun for learning for all of us.  I used my classroom management as an experiment to exhibit the theme, "Values and Motivation is Greater than Fear."  I can say that the strategy worked for the students.  One thing that made me proud of is none of them have cheated, I am their TRUE classmate in a some ways.

I always wanted the Niko Gallardo way, an English speaking class friend that I wanted everybody to follow.  I always like Maricris, a simple lady blessed with wisdom.  I always recall Aldrich sitting at the back because everybody wanted to be in the front.  I always like Joy for her lovely smile and hardwork.  I like them all... Juvee, John, Izaa and all, I MISS U ALL!  Some people said, many of them are repeaters but who cares, I love them, and I am PROUD OF THEM. 

I surely hope that we will see each other again.......