Mike’s Personal Blog

I think I’m starting to become an RC buff. Well, I’ve been always fascinated with airplanes and rockets ever since I was a child and it is only now (I’m already 30) that I’ve actually got my hands on my own RC airplane. My first plane was a Silverlit X-Twin which already crashed thrice - the first two crashes reported here and the third crash here. It flies elegantly and is able to do loops. It’s small, about 1 foot wingspan, easy to fly and is very sturdy.

After about two months of flying my little X-Twin, I thought I’m ready to fly a bigger RC airplane so I went back to Toy Kingdom and bought myself a Boeing 747 model airplane with DHL markings. It’s huge with a wingspan of over w feet and it’s a definite beauty.

But that’s where the fun ends. Like the X-Twin, the 747 is a hand-thrown electric powered model with two engines. After fully charging its battery, I gave it a try. Me and my family and a few other relatives went to an open meadow near our house to see it in its maiden flight.

I put it on full throttle and threw it… then it crashed! No signs of flight whatsoever. It just went as far as I threw it and then gravity pulled it down. I tried three more times but to no avail. I think its too heavy or perhaps the engines are not powerful enough. Either way, it’s like a rock with wings and with DHL on its side.

Front View - Fan blades removed for cleaning

I meant to shoot a video of it flying or in this case crashing but the camera’s battery went dead. I guess the camera just didn’t want the world to see me embarrassed but embarrassed I was because aside from the family and relatives watching, there were about 20 or more people around anxiously waiting for me to get it flying. All I got was some dirt getting into the engine cowling which I still have to clean.

Now my question is, has anyone ever got this plane to fly? If so, I’d be glad to hear from you or perhaps see a video. The plane’s manufacturer is Dickies-Spielzeug and there website is www.simba-dickie.com. Is it a good product? It’s too early to judge. I’ll wait for what customer support will tell me first. If ever I get it flying, I promise to shoot a video and post it here.

Nevertheless, I’d still be flying Remote Controlled Airplanes for a very long time.

After my X-Twin’s first two crashes, it flew again then it crashed again… This time the damage was a bit more physical. The nose of the plane was broken after it had a high speed dive towards terra firma.

The outcome? This:

Looks bad with the nose separated and the receiver showing huh? But the Silverlit X-Twin surprised me again. After gluing the nose back to its receiver in place, it flew again and here’s a video of it flying again.

I guess I’ll be flying this plane a lot more in the future. Nice toy!

I bought an remote controlled battery powered airplane about two months ago and I’ve longed to blog about it ever since. Too bad, I was either too busy or too lazy to do so. But after it crashed badly for two times, I think I wouldn’t want to let this opportunity pass again.

I bought the Silverlit X-Twin at Toy Kingdom SM Makati but you can actually buy it anywhere. They have different models and they have helicopters too. The one I decided to buy cost me P3,100 in total - P2,500 for the airplane itself, P300 for the rechargeable batteries, and P300 for the battery charger. It’s worth the cost as me and my family enjoyed flying it. Added satisfaction is provided by the oohhs and ahhs by people who happen to see it flying.

X-Twin Charging

X-Twin Parked

Now, on to the air crash investigation…

Crash No. 1. It was about 5:30 in the afternoon (can’t remember the exact date). We were flying the plane at an open space in Bulacan. Kei (9 years old) asked me if she could try flying it and so I did. She was flying it well when a sudden gust of wind passed by. The plane, being made only of styrofoam, was blown away towards a grassy and thorny bush. The grass was taller than I am and the thorns were all over. Me and my brother-in-law searched for it until evening to no avail. We decided to look for it again the next day and we did. The plane was caught hanging between a group of tall grass and thorns. I got lots of scratches and geez they were itchy. Two things made me smile that day - one was seeing the plane and the other was seeing a family of owls in their nest nearby. The owls probably got scared of me so they flew away. Quite a nice view. Bad thing was I lost the landing gears. As of the plane, it flew again - hand thrown.

Crash No. 2. This time, I was flying the plane alone in a park in Makati City. T’was a sunny morning but the wind is pretty strong. Despite manufacturer warnings telling me not to fly it on windy days, I still decided to give it a go. After about 5 take offs and landing - take off being hand-throwing it and landing being catching it - it flew off course. It was about 10 meters high when the wind blew it away and out of control. It fell on the room of a small building near the park. Sad thing was the building was practically desolated and there’s no way of going to its rooftop except from using a ladder - a tall one. Heart-broken, I left it there - watching it from the terrace of my rented condo unit in Makati. It was December and the weather is quite erratic - sunny and rainy. The plane suffered the heat of the sun and was soaked in strong rain at times.

Today, I finally was able to borrow a tall ladder. Actually, I was able to borrow an entire truck with a basket lift - the kind used by electric companies when fixing overhead electric lines. After politely asking them to help, they obliged. They picked up the plane and gave it to me. I gave them P100 for the trouble. I also tried giving another P100 to the person guarding the building but he wouldn’t accept it.

What building? What company owned the truck? Who’s the guard? Sorry, I can’t mention those. I learned that the building is totally restricted to outsiders so mentioning their names or the building or the company owning the truck here might end up in one of the people who helped me losing their jobs. Thanks to you guys - if you happen to read this.

This time, the plane is quite damaged. The plane’s built-in battery got soaked in rain and I doubt if it’ll still work. I guess I need to buy a replacement. As for the electronics, I don’t know yet. It might need a few repairs. Here are some aftermath photos.

X-Twin Paint Job Damaged

Bottom side looks fine… or is it?

As you can see the paint job of the plane was damaged - probably due to the elements - but that’s the least of my concerns. A quick look at its bottom side appears to be fine but a closer inspection reveals otherwise.

X-Twin Battery and Receiver Assembly

Close-up of Battery and Receiver Assembly

A close look at the battery’s charger pins show some green stuff - dunno what it is - but it’s the same thing I see on damaged batteries. I guess this battery is dead but I’ll give it a try.

Well oh well… now that I have it, my only hope is that it would fly again. Wish me luck!

I don’t know if its my good looks, my jolly attitude or my good voice that make people invite me either to be the master of ceremonies of and/or to sing in an event. I guess it’s all three.

I was asked by my wife’s aunt (Tita Marissa) to be the emcee on her wedding day last Saturday. Not only that, she also wanted me to sing and so I sang one song - “Ngayon at Kailanman (Now and Forever)” by Basil Valdez. I sang so well that I couldn’t help but admire myself. Of course the audience also loved it and I had more than 10 “You sang great” handshakes afterwards.

See how I looked like:

Congratulations to Jon-jon and Tita Marissa. May you have lots and lots and lots of kids in the years to come!

I’ll try go get a copy of the video of me singing and post it here when I get it.

This is a very very very very delayed post.  I should have done this two months ago but I was just too busy and too tired to blog.  Anyway, here it goes…

Celebrating someone’s first birthday is a once-in-a-lifetime event and I believe that it must be memorable. Last November 24, my first baby boy celebrated his first 365 days on earth and it was a blast. Lots of people came to the party and Jae wasn’t just Jae that day but SuperJae as we dressed him up as Superman. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

To Jae, may you have more birthdays to come!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

If you love kicking and punching and just plain brawling then mark December 9 on your calendar for an event that you will never want to miss.  Platinum Fighting Productions took great efforts to gather the world’s best MMA fighters and set them into a collision course at the Araneta Coliseum, Philippines.  The Ring of Fire of starts burning at 1pm.

To be fighting in the blazing ring are:

• Koji Oshi (Barnett) vs. Karen Darabdeyan (Gokor)
• Yuki Kondo (Barnett) vs. August Wallen (Gokor)
• Renato “Babalu” Sobral (Barnett) vs. Rodney Faverus (Gokor)
• Jeff Monson (Barnett) vs. Hakim Gouram (Gokor)
• Ginele Marquez (Barnett) vs. Amanda Buckner (Gokor)

Start to feel the heat and watch the videos at PFP website and if you’re an MMA fan then go ahead and get your ticket at TicketNet.

Paul, my brother is now a superstar - or at least that’s what he thinks. Hehehe. My mom sent me a link to a Youtube video and only God knows what kind of abomination this is. Hehehehe… Watch it.  The guy who keeps on putting his face to the camera is my brother…

Vhi’s comment was, “Parang tayo daddy, makulit” which translates to “He’s just like us dad, so naughty”. Well oh well, I guess it runs in the blood.

This is a special announcement:

The Members of the Cyberpress is going to have a fund raiser for former colleague Betty Daguio-Jose who is sick with Lupus and is in need of a kidney transplant soon. She needs about 1.4M to finance her transplant. the Cyberpress thoughtof  a homecoming concert with Anna Fegi, Toti Fuentes and Special Participation of Rachel Anne Wolfeto help raise the amount she needs.  This even will be on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007 at Merck’s Bistro 7:00PM.  Tickets are at P1, 000.00 with free drink and appetizer.

For tickets, please email anne.generoso at gmail dot com or text 09178296919

Just how much are people willing to dedicate their lives to a leader?  Just how far will they go to honor him?

As I watched National Geographic’s “Inside North Korea”, I can’t help but be amazed at how much reverence Kim Jong Il gets from the people of North Korea.  The story focused on a humanitarian mission by a doctor who’s goal was to treat cataract patients in the communist country of North Korea.  He was able to treat 1000+ people with cataract and as the bandages were removed from one person to another, the first thing that they would do is to face the the large portrait of their leader and give him praise, honor and thanksgiving as if he is a god.

I felt uneasy seeing these people on TV giving praise to Kim Jong Il despite all the hardships that they are suffering inside their country.  The form of worship they give him is so reminiscent of Christian worship - bowing down, kneeling, falling prostrate, raising hands, and shouting “We praise you!”.  Some even went to the point of making promises not just for themselves but for their families - through all generations.

While watching, a question arose in my head - “Are they sincere or are they just afraid?”  After all, any form of disbelief to the North Korean system will result to imprisonment - not just for the individual who made the offense but also most likely for his/her immediate and extended family.  Again, very reminiscent of Christian doctrine.

They may have seen light through their newly treated eyes but it’s clear that they’re still blinded to the fact that they’re not free in the country that they live in.  I can’t help but be sad…

To all those who celebrate or at least have fun with the each year’s Halloween - Happy Halloween to you.  I used to be a strong believer of ghosts and the paranormal back in the old days and while I still can’t explain some of the weird stuff that I experienced in my life, I’m now more inclined to search for practical and logical explanations to things.

Anyway, for the sake of the spirit of Halloween, allow me to share on of my own personal ghost stories…

I was only 6 years old and we were living in an apartment in Coronado Heights Subdivision in Mandaluyong.  I won’t tell the exact address for the sake of the apartment owner’s privacy and business but I will tell you that one of the room sin that apartment seems to have something weird going on in it.  It was the only room in the house that feels eerie and we were not the only ones to have noticed it - previous and current residents of the apartment report the same.

My mom sleeps in this room but I slept in my grandmother’s room since I was afraid of this supposedly haunted room.  One day however, I was convinced (can’t remember if it was my mom or my aunt who convinced me) to sleep in this dark, humid and really weird feeling room and little did I know that I was about too experience one of the most horrifying experiences in my life.

Moments passed by and I wasn’t able to sleep.  My mom was already deep in her slumber but I stayed awake thinking of my “crush” Susan.  I was somehow thinking about next day’s playtime hoping to play the game Doctor Quack-quack so I could touch Susan’s hands.  While I was fantasizing, I had this weird and cold feeling that someone was looking at me by the window.  Though I knew it was impossible for someone to be looking at me from outside the window because the room was at the second floor of the house,  my childhood curiosity still took control of me.

To my horror, I saw what looks like a decaying head (no body at all) staring at me.  I screamed loudly shouting, “mommy, mommy, may pugot sa bintana!” (mommy, mommy, there’s a floating head at the window!).  My mom immediately woke up, looked at the window and so nothing but I was so sure that it was there.  My mom consoled me and said taht I was just having a nightmare.

The next day, I told my experience to the rest of the family and my friends and eventually realized that I was not the only one to experience such weird things in that room.  Some stories say ghosts were seen floating outside the window while others claim to suffer regular nightmares sleeping in that room.  Years after, I went back to that subdivision hoping to meet some old friends and had a chance to ask around and found out that just about every tenant of that apartment complains that the room is haunted.