From an article on Forbes by contributor Beth Greenfield, the Philippines ranked number 8 in the HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey, released last month. “This country is friendly on wallets, too: 47% report an increase in access to luxuries, including domestic staff, swimming pools, and owning properties,” the survey revealed.

And I thought we were ranked number one or somewhere in the Top 3! (Nah, not really…)

The top three nations dubbed as friendliest of all countries ranked highest in the following: they are the easiest to befriend locals, learn the local language, integrate into the community and fit into the new culture.

15 France

14 Singapore

13 Mexico

12 Italy

11 Brazil

10 Malaysia

9 Spain

8 Philippines

7 United Kingdom

6 Turkey

5 United States

4 Canada

3 South Africa

2 Australia

1 New Zealand

via Forbes on Yahoo News

From Time Magazine: This year’s top 10 viral videos include a baby Darth Vader, a “nasty” honey badger, a 90′s crooner, an epic gigglefest and of course- Rebecca Black’s “Friday”

Top 10 TV Programs – Regularly Scheduled

1 American Idol-Wednesday FOX 14.4 (% of Homes in U.S. (Rating)
2 American Idol-Tuesday FOX 13.8
3 Dancing with the Stars ABC 12.0
4 NBC Sunday Night Football NBC 11.7
5 Dancing with the Stars – Results Show ABC 9.9
6 NCIS: Los Angeles CBS 9.8
7 NCIS CBS 9.4
8 NFL Regular Season L ESPN 8.8
8 Sunday Night NFL Pre-kick NBC 8.8
10 The Good Wife CBS 8.5
Source: The Nielsen Company
*Top primetime programs: Note Data from Jan 01, 2009- November 29, 2009, regularly scheduled programs. Household
Ratings include Live and Same Day timeshifted viewing. Excludes programs with less than 4 telecasts and programs under 5
minutes

Top 10 Online Web Brands (U.S. Home & Work)

1 Google 147,301 (Avg Monthly Unique Audience (000))
2 Yahoo! 134,179
3 MSN/WindowsLive/Bing 112,389
4 YouTube 100,211
5 Facebook 94,459
6 Microsoft 92,086
7 AOL Media Network 91,548
8 Fox Interactive Media 68,951
9 Wikipedia 59,226
10 Apple 58,503
Source: The Nielsen Company
Note: Data from June – October 2009

Top 10 Brands Accessed Over Mobile Phones (U.S.) –
January – September 2009

1 Yahoo!
2 Google
3 MSN/WindowsLive/Bing
4 AOL Media Network
5 Weather Channel
6 Facebook
7 CNN Digital Network
8 Fox Interactive Media
9 ESPN
10 Apple
Source: The Nielsen Company, Nielsen Mobile NetView (January 2009-September 2009)

Top 10 Mobile Video Channels (U.S.)
Rank Brand
1 YouTube
2 FOX
3 The Weather Channel
4 Comedy Central
5 CBS
6 ABC
7 MTV
8 NBC
9 ESPN
10 E!
Source : The Nielsen Company, Nielsen Mobile Video Report 2009 YTD, Q1 2009-Q3 2009.
Rankings based on average audience 2009 YTD.

Top 10 Box Office – All Theatrical – thru Nov. 30, 2009
[Rank Title]  [Distributor]  [Cumulative Total US$]  [Open Date]

1 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Paramount 402,111,870 6/24/2009
2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Warner Bros. 301,948,049 7/15/2009
3 Up Disney 293,004,164 5/29/2009
4 The Hangover Warner Bros. 277,283,642 6/5/2009
5 Star Trek Paramount 257,730,019 5/8/2009
6 Twilight Saga: New Moon Summit 255,363,052 11/20/2009
7 Monsters vs. Aliens Paramount 198,351,526 3/27/2009
8 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Fox 196,573,705 7/1/2009
9 X-Men Origins: Wolverine Fox 179,883,157 5/1/2009
10 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Fox 177,243,721 5/22/2009
Source: The Nielsen Company / The Hollywood Reporter
Note: Data from Jan. 5, 2009 – Dec. 6, 2009 US and Canada Only. Traditionally, box office sales see significant increases
during the holidays.

Top 10 DVD Sales
Rank Title Distributor Release Date

1 Twilight Universal Home Entertainment 3/21/2009
2 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Paramount Home Entertainment 10/20/2009
3 Up Disney/Buena Vista Home Video 11/10/2009
4 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Paramount Home Entertainment 2/6/2009
5 Dark Knight Warner Home Video 12/9/2008
6 Gran Torino Warner Home Video 6/9/2009
7 Star Trek Paramount Home Entertainment 11/17/2009
8 Bolt Disney/Buena Vista Home Video 3/24/2009
9 Marley & Me 20th Century Fox Home Ent 3/31/2009
10 Quantum of Solace 20th Century Fox Home Ent 3/24/2009
Source: The Nielsen Company
Note: Data from Jan. 5, 2009 – Nov. 29, 2009; several key 4Q titles have not yet been released as of Dec 8. Note: Based
on Aggregate Disc unit sales (DVD, Blu-ray, etc.) from Jan 4 2009 thru Nov 29 2009. Does not include data from Wal*Mart.
Most other sell-through retailers are included.

Top 10 Music Albums
Rank Title Artist
1 Fearless Taylor Swift
2 I am…Sasha Fierce Beyonce
3 Dark Horse Nickelback
4 Twilight Soundtrack
5 Hannah Montana: The Movie Soundtrack
6 Circus Britney Spears
7 808s & Heartbreak Kanye West
8 The Fame Lady Gaga
9 Relapse Eminem
10 The E.N.D. The Black Eyed Peas
Source: Billboard 200 / The Nielsen Company
Note: Data from Billboard issue dates Dec 6, 2008 issue through November November 28, 2009
(sales data from Nov. 17, 2008 through November 15, 2009).

Top 10 Most Listened to Songs on the Radio

1 Love Story Taylor Swift
2 You Belong With Me Taylor Swift
3 I’m Yours Jason Mraz
4 Knock You Down Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo
5 Boom Boom Pow The Black Eyed Peas
6 Just Dance Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis
7 Blame It Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain
8 I Gotta Feeling The Black Eyed Peas
9 Poker Face Lady Gaga
10 Live Your Life T.I. featuring Rihana
Source: Billboard Hot 100 Airplay / The Nielsen Company
Note: Data from Billboard issue dates Dec 6, 2008 issue through November 28, 2009 (airplay tracking dates of Nov. 17, 2008 through November 15, 2009).

Top 10 Most Digitally Downloaded Songs

1 Boom Boom Pow The Black Eyed Peas
2 Poker Face Lady Gaga
3 Just Dance Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis
4 Right Round Flo Rida
5 I Gotta Feeling The Black Eyed Peas
6 Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) Beyonce
7 Gives You Hell The All-American Rejects
8 Love Story Taylor Swift
9 Heartless Kanye West
10 I’m Yours Jason Mraz
Source: Billboard Hot Digital Songs / The Nielsen Company
Note: Data from Billboard issue dates Dec 6, 2008 issue through November 28, 2009
(Sales data from Nov. 17, 2008 through November 15, 2009).

Top 10 Mobile Phones in Use (U.S.) – January -October 2009

1 Apple 3G iPhone 4.0%
2 RIM BlackBerry 8300 Series (Curve, 8310, 8320, 8330, 8350i) 3.7%
3 Motorola RAZR V3 series (V3, V3c, V3m, V3i, V3i DG, V3) 2.3%
4 LG VX9100 (enV2) 2.1%
5 LG Voyager 1.7%
6 Samsung SPH-M540 (Rant) 1.5%
7 RIM BlackBerry 9530 series (Storm) 1.4%
8 LG VX9700 (Dare) 1.3%
9 LG Vu series (CU915, CU920) 1.3%
10 RIM BlackBerry 8100 series (Pearl, 8110, 8120, 8129) 1.2%
Source: The Nielsen Company

Top 10 PC Game Titles in the U.S.

1 World of Warcraft Blizzard Entertainment (Publisher)
2 The Sims Electronic Arts Inc.
3 The Sims 2 Electronic Arts Inc.
4 RuneScape Jagex Ltd.
5 Halo: Combat Evolved Microsoft Game Studios
6 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Activision
7 Left 4 Dead Electronic Arts Inc.
8 Call of Duty Activision
9 Diablo II Blizzard Entertainment
10 Fallout 3 Bethesda Softworks
Source: The Nielsen Company
Note: Data from Jan 5, 2009 – Nov. 29, 2009.

About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.

Happy 2010!

This site is a member of Entrecard, a network of bloggers driving and boosting traffic all around the blogosphere. At least that’s the idea. I have been a member for about six months now and it has its pros and cons. One thing is true- it is a fun way of discovering blogs which you would have otherwise never found on your own! Its directory has thousands of blogs divided in 52 categories where you are sure to find some great ones.

The idea is to visit each other’s site by way of dropping an internet business card- dubbed as entrecard. You drop and I drop sort of thing and along the way come upon blogs you really like and then you can say to yourself that you have time well spent surfing. I am not a regular user (because it could be time consuming) but I do enjoy being a member.

This post is in response to the Entrecard team initiative of holding the first “Top Dropper Day”. Most sites have been doing such recognizing their top visitors or top droppers but has never been official until today.

Covering the very best and tops of 2008 in the United States, here is the ultimate list for you:

Top Ten Box Office hitmakers (… and the dollar figures are just domestic grosses!)

1 The Dark Knight $530,896,852
2 Iron Man $318,313,199
3 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull $317,023,851
4 Hancock $227,946,274
5 WALL-E $223,783,432
6 Kung Fu Panda $215,434,591
7 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa $174,862,381
8 Twilight $167,325,198
9 Quantum of Solace $164,302,659
10 Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! $154,529,439

Source: Box Office Mojo as of December 30, 2008

Top Ten DVD Sales (with release dates)

1 Iron Man 9/30/08
2 I Am Legend 3/18/08
3 Alvin and the Chipmunks 4/1/08
4 Enchanted 3/18/08
5 National Treasure 2 : Book of Secrets 5/20/08
6 Wall-E 11/18/08
7 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 10/14/08
8 Sex and the City – The Movie 9/23/08
9 Bee Movie 3/11/08
10 American Gangster 2/19/08

Source: The Nielsen Company (January 1 – December 7, 2008)

I wonder about this list with Batman, The Dark Knight not making it into the Top 10 DVD sales considering it is the top grosser in theaters worldwide! I guess most people just watched it and not buy the DVD (like I did) whereas Iron Man people watched and bought the DVD (which I did too!).

Amazon.com The Best DVDs of 2008

1 Juno
2 The Dark Knight
3 Iron Man
4 John Adams (HBO Miniseries)
5 Mad Men Season One
6 Dexter Season Two
7 The Office Seson four
8 Sex and The City, the Movie
9 30 Rock Season Two
10 3:10 to Yuma

Source: amazon.com

Top 10 TV Programs (with TV network it is on)

1 AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY (performances) FOX
2 AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY (results night) FOX
3 DANCING WITH THE STARS (performances) ABC
4 DANCING W/STARS RESULTS (results night) ABC
5 MENTALIST, THE CBS
5 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL NBC
7 CSI CBS
8 NCIS CBS
9 60 MINUTES CBS
9 SURVIVOR: GABON CBS

Source: The Nielsen Company, as of December 7, 2008

Most Popular songs on next page…

I was in my usual site hopping when I discovered something profound and it hit me with some unexplainable emotions. Was it his emotionless stare? Was it the sadness in his eyes? the stoic look? Was it the music? the simplicity of it yet the obvious labor the project commands? the unceasing dedication? its symbolism? the meaning of life? Perhaps it’s all of the above or that it just caught me in my softer moments, whatever it was- it made me feel something.

Noah Kalina was 19 years old when he started on an ongoing project, a personal idea of photographing himself daily. He began in January of 2000. His photo project took a remarkable turn in August 2006 after seeing a similar work done by a graphics designer and experimental filmmaker named Ahree Lee. She has been taking pictures of herself every day for 3 straight years when she put it up in a video- short film format. This inspired Noah to create his own by putting together all his photos into a time-lapse, life-in-a-flash video and put it on you guessed it- YouTube! In a matter of weeks, the video called “Everyday” became a worldwide internet sensation.

From August 28, 2006 when he first placed his clip on YouTube and Vimeo, his life was never the same and he became sort of instant celebrity with the media (print, TV, radio and internet) wanting a piece of him. His clip appeared on TV shows all over the world. The New York Times and Washington Post did a story on him. The Simpsons did a parody! He even had a photo session with Hollywood celebrities like Paris hilton, Fergie and Will.I.am and Hayden Panettiere. He is still getting press news to this day. And get this: as of this writing, his YouTube video has had over 11 million views and counting!! That’s excluding Vimeo views!

Isn’t it far-out that over 11 million people have already seen and heard of him and this is my first encounter of him and his great big idea? Have you heard of him before today?

On his website, he calls his first video release a work in progress, dating January 11th, 2000 to July 31st, 2006. He affirms that he will take his photo daily- today, tomorrow and until the day he dies and plans on releasing his next video on the 10th anniversary of the project. A new video every 5 years thereafter is on his plan until the “final conclusion.”

Watch this ‘trance-inducing’ video of him and tell me if this does not move you… To fully appreciate the video, please turn on your sound.

The powerful and gripping music is an original work by his former girlfriend, Carly Comando. Thanks to the video, her popularity has grown as well and her music noticed. The music can be downloaded in iTunes, Rhapsody and elsewhere.

Now 27 year-old Noah is a New York professional photographer. His website shows his amazing work porfolio and you can find it at noahkalina.com, interiors.noahkalina.com, Flickr and you can also follow his daily self portraits at the site.

Continue on next page…

01. Call an old friend, just to say hi.

02. Hold a door open for a stranger.

03. Invite someone to lunch.

04. Compliment someone on his or her appearance.

05. Ask a coworker for their opinion on a project.

06. Bring cookies to work.

07. Let someone cut in during rush hour traffic.

08. Leave a waitress or waiter a big tip.

09. Tell a cashier to have a nice day.

10. Call your parents.

11. Let someone know you miss them.

12. Treat someone to a movie.

13. Let a person know you really appreciate them.

14. Visit a retirement center.

15. Take a child to the zoo.

16. Fill up your spouse’s car with gas.

17. Surprise someone with a small gift.

18. Leave a thank-you note for the cleaning staff at work.

19. Write a letter to a distant relative.

20. Tell someone you thought about them the other day.

21. Put a dime in a stranger’s parking meter before the time expires.

22. Bake a cake for a neighbor.

23. Send someone flowers to where they work.

24. Invite a friend to tea.

25. Recommend a good book to someone.

26. Donate clothing to a charity.

27. Offer an elderly person a ride to where they need to go.

28. Bag your own groceries at the checkout counter.

29. Give blood.

30. Offer free baby-sitting to a friend who’s really busy or just needs a break.

31. Help your neighbor rake leaves or shovel snow.

32. Offer your seat to someone when there aren’t any left.

33. Help someone with a heavy load.

34. Ask to see a store’s manager and comment on the great service.

35. Give your place in line at the grocery store to someone who has only a few items.

36. Hug someone in your family for no reason.

37. Wave to a child in the car next to you.

38. Send a thank-you note to your doctor.

39. Repeat something nice you heard about someone else.

40. Leave a joke on someone’s answering machine.

41. Be a mentor or coach to someone.

42. Forgive a loan.

43. Fill up the copier machine with paper after you’re done using it.

44. Tell someone you believe in them.

45. Share your umbrella on a rainy day.

46. Welcome new neighbors with flowers or a plant.

47. Offer to watch a friend’s home while they’re away.

48. Ask someone if they need you to pick up anything while you’re out shopping.

49. Ask a child to play a board game, and let them win.

50. Ask an elderly person to tell you about the good old days.

51. During bad weather, plan an indoor picnic with the family.

52. Buy someone a goldfish and bowl.

53. Compliment someone on their cooking and politely ask for a second helping.

54. Dance with someone who hasn’t been asked.

55. Tell someone you mentioned them in your prayers.

56. Give children’s clothes to another family when your kids outgrow them.

57. Deliver extra vegetables from your garden to the whole neighborhood.

58. Call your spouse just to say, I love you.

59. Call someone’s attention to a rainbow or beautiful sunset.

60. Invite someone to go bowling.

61. Figure out someone’s half-birthday by adding 182 days, and surprise them with a cake.

62. Ask someone about their children.

63. Tell someone which quality you like most about them.

64. Brush the snow off of the car next to yours.

65. Return your shopping cart to the front of the store.

66. Encourage someone’s dream, no matter how big or small it is.

67. Pay for a stranger’s cup of coffee without them knowing it.

68. Leave a love letter where your partner will find it.

69. Ask an older person for their advice.

70. Offer to take care of someone’s pet while they’re away.

71. Tell a child you’re proud of them.

72. Visit a sick person, or send them a care package.

73. Join a Big Brother or Sister program.

74. Leave a piece of candy on a coworker’s desk.

75. Bring your child to work with you for the afternoon.

76. Give someone a recording of their favorite music.

77. Email a friend some information about a topic they are especially interested in.

78. Give someone a homemade gift.

79. Write a poem for someone.

80. Bake some cookies for your local fire or police department.

81. Organize a neighborhood cleanup and have a barbecue afterwards.

82. Help a child build a birdhouse or similar project.

83. Check in on an old person, just to see if they’re okay.

84. Ask for the recipe after you eat over at someone’s house.

85. Personally welcome a new employee at work and offer to take them out for lunch.

86. While in a car, ask everyone to buckle up because they are important to you.

87. Let someone else eat the last slice of cake or pizza.

88. Stop and buy a drink from a kid’s lemonade stand.

89. Forgive someone when they apologize.

90. Wave to someone looking for a parking space when you’re about to leave a shopping center.

91. Send a copy of an old photograph to a childhood friend.

92. Leave a pint of your spouse’s favorite flavor of ice cream in the freezer with a bow on it.

93. Do a household chore that is usually done by someone else in the family.

94. Be especially happy for someone when they tell you their good news.

95. Compliment a coworker on their role in a successful project.

96. Give your spouse a spontaneous back rub at the end of the day.

97. Serve someone in your family breakfast in bed.

98. Ask someone if they’ve lost weight.

99. Make a donation to a charity in someone’s honor.

100. Take a child to a ballgame.

And last, but not least…

101. Forward the list to at least 10 of your friends, or post to your blog and tag the ones who tagged you with it (that’s a sure way to make one smile! )…

I’d like to make the following people smile with some link love

My Consoling Asylum | The Chronicles of a Pinay Dreamer | Digital Guide for Techie Ladies | My Emotional Recycle Bin | Snippets of a Quaint Quill | Stacie’s Blog | The Zen Bitch Speaks | Joan Joyce Says… | Bituwinfish Unwritten | Ink blots Life Unravelled | Linky Love | Pulse by Em Dy | Comics Mix | Ansichtskarten and more | Blogs That Follow | Literary Ek-Ek | Jesie Blog Journey | Malawika | Julia Aquino Blog | Thinking Out Loud | Not a Lawyer | Being Human | PJ Bacolod | 100% Batangueno | Jericho Central | Soapbox Spectacle | Filipina Images | Cyberpunk’s So-called Life | Tech at Hand | No Need For ink | I am Rozeh | Potpourri | Prudence and Madness| Modern Musings | Webbyman | Flygirl | Warmstone | Waliz Diary | Mental Stimulation | JMom | Pusang Maganda | A Linux Sysad Blog |

• FAMILY
• prayer
• MUSIC
• warm hugs
• COFFEE
• a pat on the back
• an ice cold coke on a hot day
• a walk on the beach
• holding hands
• a swimming pool
• the open waters
• fresh squeezed orange juice
• SISTERS
• faith
• trust
• loyal friends
• gourmet coffee
• the laughter of a child
• old photographs
• old memories
• soft conversations
• a massage
• crying with a friend
• holidays
• an mp3 player
• a great book
• a picnic
• salad bars
• candlelight dinners
• aromatherapy
• smell of fresh greens
• a long, tight embrace of a child
• a nap
• breakfast in bed
• learning from experience
• a hearty laugh
• PARENTS!
• convenient stores
• the internet
• making love…oh yes!
• a comfortable shoes
• a ‘home’ to come home to
• an ice cream
• lazy weekends
• hot chocolate
• a letter from a lost friend
• to love
• and be loved
• a feel-good movie
• slippers/flip plops
• kissing
• a cell phone with a full bar
• a cell phone with a charged battery
• text messaging
• a genuine smile from a stranger
• digital camera
• a high end printer
• a reliable computer
• an even more reliable internet connection
• making love…some more!©