Why Blog?

H4cked ßy aLpereN

2006-07-11T16:45:00.001+08:00

H4cked By aLpereN ??

Siz HayaL Edersiniz Ben YasarIm..!

Sevqi, Ho$qoru, Merhamet Yok ArtIk..!

FatalByte.Net

And Suddenly I Showed Up

2006-05-27T12:18:00.000+08:00

I haven't given much though to blogging lately. It's low on my list of things to do. In fact, it's not on ANY list that I keep. It's like blogging was part of a whole different life, the one I had before I moved up the corporate staircase.

There was a whole lot of breezing, relaxation, and fun in that past life. In this one? Well, let me put it this way. I'm at the point of tearing out those portions from the dictionary I keep in my desk drawer. No wait, I don't have a dictionary in my desk drawer -- I use spellcheck and all those nifty word processor tools. Snap. There's no way out of this corporate hell, is there?

Forgive me for whining. I'm just thinking up creative ways to let you know that I've been busy with my real job. The one that pays me the bucks. The one that pays for my cellphone bill and my Internet connection. My cow. I'm milking the heck out of it, I just never fully realized that I'd be milked back in return.

So it's been 3 weeks since I last wrote something here. Not really a record, though something I'm not really happy about. I started this thing so that I could talk to myself without having other people give me weird looks or start giving me a hard time. Talking out loud has gotten me in trouble before, and talking inside your head pumps too much blood into my brain. So writing it down seemed the next best logical thing.

I need to make a little segue here, just to mention that this seems to be my most common topic - why the bloody hell I blog. Well, it's the title of my blog, so it only makes sense. Except that I never planned it to be this way. Who bloody cares? Back to regular progamming.

Now I need to incorporate a little more work-life balance, though I hardly classify blogging as an integral part of my life. So far, I've only seen the downside of having more responsibilities -- more time eaten out of my private life. Here it is, finally, my dream, the promotion I've been working so hard for, chewing at the sides of my free time.

Now is that part of the deal? I realized, yes, it is. And it has only been recently that I have been coming to terms with that idea. Slowly the new chapter is unraveling, and I'm finally getting the hang of things. It took me long enough to get here, and now it's time to start walking again.

Random Post No. 1

2006-05-05T19:56:00.000+08:00

Now here's something blogworthy --

I just deleted ALL my messages in my phone. ALL. By freaking accident, and without my firsthand knowledge. 1 minute I looked at it, and the inbox was as empty as the day it was bought.

2 years worth of saved messages. GONE.

Well, that's that. Nothing more I can do to change all that. Unless I had that cool flying car that went back in time and a weird friend named Doc. That's not gonna happen.

================

So back to blogging I go. I haven't written anything in a while. Busy busy busy. I have to really dig in this time, having gotten the promotion and all, so I layed off all the stuff that used to get me in trouble at work before. Lots of admin stuff, paperwork, documents, meetings, stuff that I hate, which I now have to do with a frigging smile on my face.

Oh well. Comes with the territory, I guess. More rants soon. I have to get back to work. And to the frigging smiling.

Dying Rich, Dying Poor

2006-04-15T13:46:00.000+08:00

I was at a wake last night, accompanying Caren and two of her friends, Rona and K-Anne. I decided to go because it was at Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heritage Park, actually, right next to it.), and I have never been there before. Like they always, say, visit as many places as you can before you die. Brrr.

The wake we went to was different from all others that I've been to. It was high profile. To Caren and her friends, she was the mother of one of their groupmates back in college. Pretty normal, don't you think? But to me and to the rest of the world, she was actually the wife of a Supreme Court Justice Associate.

And so I witnessed how the rich died and were remembered.

The Heritage Park chapel had four rooms, capable of housing 4 different wakes at a time. This wake took up all four rooms by itself, and was averaging 1,500 guests a day. I guess Caren put it best, "That's much better traffic than in a Ministop store." Touche'.

Not only the guests were plentiful, there was a buffet table with chafing plates that never got empty. Wreaths were flowing outwards, spilling out to the lobby of the Chapel, which was a good 150 feet away from the rooms. From every significant politician, every notable institution, or as far as I could tell anyway. I saw flowers sent from Senators Lacson and Villar, A huge wreath from our VP Kabayan Noli, and of course Fidel Ramos and Family threw in a few bouquets, too. Governors, congressmen, probably from anybody who was a somebody in Philippine politics. People like that surely get remembered. So this was how the rich died. It made my head spin.

But for an entirely different reason.

It made me think about my own future wake. How will I be remembered? How do I want my wake to go? How do I want to be buried? How many people will come and visit me at my wake? And how many will visit me at my tomb?

And what about if I die rich? Will I get the same treatment as I saw last night? I was certainly overwhelmed by the hugeness of the event, like it was one big party. I'd like my own to be a celebration of my Going Home to the Big Guy Up There, though significantly smaller than the soiree last night. It was much too huge for me.

And if I die poor? Will my closest friends and loved ones come? I sure hope so. Either I die rich or poor, I just want a small congregation of people, though surely I won't be able to control that once I'm snug in my coffin. I want a simple service. And hopefully I don't get buried among many others. I hope I get buried under the shade of a big tree, on the land that I hope I'd have someday. I guess that final resting place sums up all of how I wanted to be when I was still alive -- FREE.

Postscript: I shivered and had goosebumps all over while writing this entry. But overall, it made me feel good, in a weird kind of way. I recommend you try it.

Maculot

2006-04-15T08:54:00.000+08:00

I have now been officially inducted into the hallowed echelons of the Hall of Fame for Lazy Bloggers. I just got my popcorn trophy in the mail yesterday. It was already stale. They were too lazy to send it out on time.

Enough drama. I waited a whole week to tell this story. And this isn't a story about my college classmate Gina. It's a story about a mountain. I climbed one last weekend, and named Mt. Maculot, thus the direct disclaimer for my college friend.

I went up with my girlfriend, a couple of friends with siblings, plus friends of friends, so it was a diverse group. There were veteran climbers and then there were us mainland folk. The trek to the campsite (about 700 meters above sea level), was to take 1 1/2 hours, but us newbies took three days. Okay. I exaggerated. It was no Mt. Everest, but it still took us almost four hours to climb. I personally would have liked to have ran as fast as I could to the top, but that would have taken the fun out of watching the others slip and stumble every few times. I'm cruel, I know.

I'm all for postcard-ish views and breathtaking scenery, and Maculot's view of the sunset over Taal Volcano was supposed to be one of the best. So I was particulary looking forward to witnessing that. We were just about right on time for the sunset when we got to the campsite just before 6PM (The veteran climbers in our group had gotten to the site in 2 hours, so the had all set up camp and everything). I was ready to shoot photos, after setting up our tent, of course. That took another half hour, and as soon as we were done, the sun promptly disappeared below the horizon, headed off to service the other side of the world. I had missed the sunset. I had picked the worst time to be macho and pitch a tent.

Dinner was an interesting subplot in the adventure. I finally got to the 'roughing it' part of the trip. I found all the tiny cooking stoves and pots and pans amusing. It was like he had brought an entire kitchen with us. Even dinner was mainstream, we had beef steak. I half-thought that were were just going to be eating leaves and berries or tree bark or whatever.

The roughest part was the sleeping. Our tent area was uneven, and the sleeping back saw no point in hiding the rocks and plant stubs underneath. They just poked right through. Sleeping was literally a pain. Plus the weather up there made it all the more impossible. The wind was howling fierce, that from inside the tent, it sounded like a storm was going on outside. I was worried we were going to get blown off the face of the mountain.

But I enjoyed every minute of it. It was different.

The whole essence of 'roughing it' is supposed to be anything you do during your normal, almost boring life, except you take it into a jungle, a mountain, a warzone, or a desert, anywhere, where there aren't toilets or a McDonald's or movie theaters or the Internet. It's where you go to sleep where there's space to tuck your tent or sleeping bag into, where you take a dump anywhere there are waist-high shrubs or thick enough tree trunks you can hide behind. (I kept that last part to a minimum, however, by drinking enough Loperamide to not make me go potty for 10 years.) Yes, it sounds disgusting, but the caveman inherent in all of us finds this both exciting and necessary.

Stories I Need To Tell

2006-04-02T19:29:00.000+08:00

I have not written anything in two weeks, mostly because I've been too tired. Jetlag, lack of sleep, too much work, and every time I got the notion to write, I actually didn't want to.

Oh, the excuses I come up with when I'm too lazy to write.

So I'll just get right on to telling everything that has happened in the last two weeks.

March 27. My return flight to Manila. I had been bracing myself for the 16+hour flight back home. I tell you, subjecting people to sit in an airplane 37,000 feet in the air in economy class is as inhumane as the slave trade. Somebody should do a study of people sitting in first class and people sitting in coach, and be ho-hummed by the fact that none of the 1st class passengers get jetlagged. Why can't an entire international flight have better accomodations? Grumble mumble mumble. You know, I really like to travel, I just don't like sitting in airplanes for long periods.

March 29, 5:00 AM, PHT. Land! I can't help but get over the torture of a flight that was, because I am home again. I am far away from the killer cold of Northern America, and back to the hot and humid regions of Metro Manila. And how HOT it is! At 5 AM, I was expecting the air to be cooler, but of course I was wrong. I had a wet handkerchief after 5 minutes. I haven't worked up a sweat like that in 2 months. And that was just from walking out of the airplane down to the baggage claim area, a total of a hundred plus feet. Still I didn't care. I was on the ground and home. Nothing could beat the feeling. Nothing could ruin my day... except maybe someone stealing my luggage. And that thought drove me into a state of paranoia only privy to those who live out here. I got my bags as quickly as I could and left the terminal.

As soon as I stepped outside I place a phone call to Caren to let her know I was back. She had actually planned to surprise my by picking me up from the airport. So of course my happy day became happier, because she was the first person I got to see when I arrived.

March 30. Back to work. I couldn't believe it. We were supposed to have recovery leaves allocated so we can reset our messed up body clocks from all that travel accross different timezones. But it couldn't be helped. We were needed, so we had to respond. Unfortunately for me, all the "we" I was thinking about actually was just "me" reporting back to work. Lem had actually gone home to CdO. So there I was, all groggy and not-entirely-myself, working double shifts across the weekend and into the current week until he could come back. Even right now I feel I haven't fully recovered. I still can't sleep longer than 3 hours and not wake up.

And I almost forgot to mention, I got promoted. So the week didn't turn out as bad as it did.

Last Days II

2006-03-21T20:46:00.000+08:00

Tuesday, 7:36 AM. I am just about ready to fall asleep on my feet. I've been here at the office since 8PM, manning the offshift operations with Lem. It was a relatively quiet, issue-free night. Only one issue being tossed back and forth between customer and client, with my company in between trying to hold this thing together. It still took up most of our time, but I'd rathered that it was one issue than a whole bushel of 'em. Count your blessings.

Apparently the attempt to do a perfect emulation of an existing sytem, never ends up perfect. And there's no way to find out about that until the day you roll it out into the world. It's like a newborn baby, you never know if it's got buck teeth or a double chin until it comes out and you see it for the first time. But then you realize that it's not a life-altering defect (depends on where you stand with buck teeth and double chins. I definitely have them off the facial-features-that-makes-one-cute category. Nothing against those quirks, I'm just more of a dimples kind of guy.). You live with it, or you take it to the family plastic surgeon for a little "tweaking."

It's like that at work now. There's a lot of things that we're seeing for the first time. We're fumbling along, albeit nicely, and we're still in control. I could do without the added stress, but it's nothing that I can handle. Good times.

Last Days

2006-03-21T10:01:00.000+08:00

Monday, 9:47 PM. Two more nights, 3 more days. Then I will be (un)officially on leave. I will be heading out to San Fransisco and spend a few days with my parents, before I finally go back to Manila.

I finally received my retooled itinerary. I had to contact the travel agency to have my return trip fixed because of all the changes in my schedule. I'm gonna be hopping on planes once again, my least favorite part of travel. Imagine sitting in a plane 30,000 feet from the ground for 24 hours. Wicked sick. Now if only I were in 1st class, I'd shut up and won't be complaining as much.

I can't wait to get home. I can wait to go to the beach and just bum out. I can't wait to go back to the gym and burn off all the pizza I have consumed for the last two months. All 13 slices of 'em. Pepperoni. Mmmmmm.

Sticking it to the Man

2006-03-17T12:10:00.000+08:00

How many employees get to hang out with the president of their company? Eleven.

That was how many we were anyway, as we hung out with our president and his wife. We were treated to dinner and wine in a little Greek restaurent in Rockville, my first time to eat Greek food. I had Chilean sea bass (recommended by the waiter who kept calling me "dude" and kept pronouncing it "doooood" like he was on something.) After dinnger they took us to their home for coffee and dessert and, get this, laughs. Now how many people can say that they've joked around with their company president, while he and his wife served them cake and coffee?

It was a very interesting night, I'll tell you that.

I'm lucky to have worked for a bigwig who is very down-to-earth and stayed as closed to the small guy all the time. He listened to us, he laughed and ate with us, he even gave us a tour of his nice house. (Cool game room, by the way. Any game room that has a foozeball table will always be categorized as cool in my list. I'll get one of those when I become president. You just wait.)

His wife was also very warm and accomodating. She was genuinely interested in us Filipinos and our culture. She never stopped asking questions. Ever since we got seated at the restaurant until we were sipping tea in their kitchen at home, she asked a lot of questions, like she had a whole bunch ready, scribbled on some piece of napkin she'd steal glances at when the last one gets answered. Too bad I was with a quiet bunch, and I was doing most of the talking. I attempted jokes, tried to be witty, tried to laugh at the right time. Hopefully I'll still have my job tomorrow.

The most interesting part of the evening was the house tour. They have a very very nice house (did I mention the game room?), though they live by themselves, unfortunately without the blessing of children. Well, Mr. President, in behalf of my silent friends huddled together in the corner of the room, we would like to thank you for your confidence in the Manila office. We thank you for the opportunity to get to know you out of work. I mean, come on, if you'd had approached me at work, I'd have tinkled all over myself. There can be no one more intimidating than the Man. But tonight was a nice gesture, and we appreciate it.

And you let me sit in your chair. The kind they probably only sell to presidents of companies or to famous people, or rich people with bad backs. You are the man. Now I know what I wanna be when I grow up, er... grow older. I wanna be president. Then I'll sign papers, hire and fire people, treat my employees to lunch everyday, and sit in my expesive chair. And I will have a foozeball table in my office. I will be cooler than you.

If you noticed that I mentioned that I "worked" for the Man, in the past tense. That's because it's his last day today. He's moving to a different company. So we appreciate the gesture and the good wine even more. I hope my order was expensive enough to make you at least blink and say I have good taste. Just let it be. It was your treat, and you can afford it.

Seriously, good luck. And thank you.

After 10,000 years

2006-03-15T13:02:00.000+08:00

...I finally moved in to my assigned cubicle! Actually, it was more like 3 weeks before my cube was finally made ready for human settlement. Before that I had been occupying an empty cube in the middle of a dozen others. In the wrong side of the office. Away from the people I was supposed to be working with. All because the Admin guys couldn't find a decent chair, and took too long installing the phone that I needed. Well, this afternoon after I came back from lunch, my phone was hooked up, and I stole somebody's chair from what was at first glance an empty cube. No absent-minded or distracted co-worker fell to the floor during the theft.

Now I have less than 2 weeks to enjoy my new office territory, or what Miki the secretary referred to as "settling in." (Thanks Miki for finally working up the courage, or satisfying your curiosity, whichever it was, and finally taking notice of a Filipino guy sticking out of that weird crowd, you finally got me moved. You may have saved my career.)

The only problem I have with my niche is that it's right by the door that leads outside to the inner balcony overlooking the lobby. So foot traffic is expectedly heavy all the time, people walk in and out every minute or so. My desk is against the cube wall opposite the door, so anybody stepping in and looking my way will no doubt see how much of a slacker I have been. I mean, I can't pretend to work all the time, can I? I am suddenly subjected to attentive passersby, some of whom are my bosses and can get rid of me like a booger. Looks like my office reading sessions of Highfiber and Sports Guy are to be shelved for now. It's gonna be all hard work from now on. I'm too lazy to pretend and too motivated to let it all go to waste.

But at least I got the cube.

On to other news, after another 10,000 years (or less than 2 weeks from now), I will be heading back home to Manila! Yippee! We are scheduled (on paper) to leave for home next weekend. Lem will be taking that route, I, on the other hand, will be on a plane to San Fransisco to visit my parents for a few days. All expenses paid, of course. By me. I'll be heading back to Manila on Monday, which I've been excited about ever since I left from there. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for travel and visiting places you've never been before. This just kinda overwhelmed me a bit. I find that good because I have finally gotten that first trip out of the country down, so the next few should be more enjoyable, and hopefully, NOT work-related.

I've heard that school is out now. Summer vacation. I wish we had that for work too. 2 months of doing nothing. Probably unrealistic and improbable, but I am young and still drag around high school and college baggage, er, memories, so I beg to dream about stuff like this once in a while. Have a happy summer vacation, young readers under 21. Don't smoke and drink moderately, be safe and responsible.

More news and senseless stories after a few thousand more years (2 or 3 days, more or less. I wish.)

Big fat mess

2006-03-09T04:11:00.000+08:00

Grass is the same everywhere. It's green, cows it eat, and turns brown during the summer. It's all the same. You know why I suddenly hate grass? Coz there's so much of it here. It makes me think of the Philippines, and it makes me feel homesick.

Now that I've got that out of the way...

Less than 3 weeks to go. This training thing isn't going as I'd hoped. More than a month of mostly doing the same things I can do in Manila. I think we are undertrained, if there ever is such a word. I don't know whose fault it is. It can't be the project leader's, she dropped off before we even got here because she had to go on maternal leave. Probably not our manager's, who just jumped at the idea to get me and Lem up here so they could tie us down with a metal ball and chain and we get to never leave GXS for as long as we live.

Whose fault is it?

Not mine. I don't care. I welcomed the training-slash-vacation, welcomed the temporart change in environment. I don't care. I'm getting paid to be here. In fact, I signed that damned contract. The we-send-you-to-America-you-our-bitch-forever contract. Oh snap.

Actually, forever translates into two years. And I'm still going to be 3 years from 30 by then. I'd say it's not a bad deal. I just hope I'm not in the same position I'm currently in now -- ass in the air.

Urly, looks like I've learned a few things from reading your blog.

See, the reason I'm ranting is that after all the time we've been here, we've only been utilized for the project for, oh, I'd say about 4 days. Out of 35. I can shoot a better percentage than that at basketball. Our short Tampa trip netted us about a couple of those days for training. While the rest are little patches of documentation, short meetings, crisis calls, and real issues, all of which we had to kinda put together by ourselves.

I kinda like challenges, so again, I don't care.

Attention Rona

2006-03-03T05:58:00.000+08:00

I have some pictures for you. *Evil Laugh*

What's Going On???

2006-03-03T04:58:00.000+08:00

A lot of my friends' blogs bordering towards inactivity lately. Posting either once every 2 weeks, or barely once a month at all. One even went on a 'blog leave.' Hmmmm. I smell a conspiracy. The are being given more tasks that they can barely blog anymore! Or school is becoming such a pain that blogging now takes a backseat to studies?!?! More time with the wife and kids? Are you kidding?? What is this world coming to???

I'm sorry. This onshore assignment drives me nuts sometimes.

I'll find something else to read for the meantime. Maybe a real book. Haven't seen one of those in a while.

Mang Jose: The Adventures Continue

2006-02-28T09:25:00.000+08:00

I am back again in Gaithersburg, after having spent 11 days in Tampa Bay for some more work (while actually working only 5 of those days.). I had a bit of fun down in Florida, visiting Orlando on succeeding weekends, exploring Universal Studios and Sea World and Downtown Disney. It was a cheap trip, as me and my buddy Lem just skirted around the shops, restaurants, and other attractions outside the main theme parks. We just wanted to see how these places looked. There is a relative lack of amusement parks in the Philippines, well, a luxury we don't probably need.

We at least were able to get into Seaworld. Very nice place, nice collection of animals (the coolest, of course being, the sharks. Too bad there wasn't a Great White around.) And of course, Kraken, the parks other attraction (aside from Shamu). Pretty cool rollercoaster ride, the best I've been on, and I've only been on two. (Sorry Enchanted Kingdom Space Shuttle. I moved on to better things.)

The Florida experience was a nice little diversion from work. Living alone in a hotel room, out of a suitcase, takes a little bit more effort. It's hard living out of your comfort zone. It's hard knowing you're far from loved ones. But I can't discount the fact that I am here in the United States, with the oppurtunity to make a difference, and not everyone gets the chance that I've been given/ So I'm living this out, and I'm thankful for the oppurtunity.

The adventures aren't over yet. More pictures. More shtuff soon.

The Adventures of Mang Jose - DC Episode

2006-02-18T02:32:00.000+08:00

Mang Jose goes to DC.

I already posted an entry on my trip to DC. These are some of the pictures that were taken. There are some more on my Flickr page.

I haven't had time to blog because of, oh I don't know, work?

At the Lincoln Memorial. I loved reading the Emancipation Proclamation carved out on the wall. I never thought visiting historical places was cool. There's a lot to admire about the place. The size and the architecture are amazing.

The first thing I thought about (the voice in my head took to a Southern accent) was "Forrest Gump was here."

This was my most favorite place to visit on my tour in Washington. You can find this right at the Vietnam War Memorial, the message is sadly true and simple that it's too hard to ignore. More than a 100,000 people died (at least 47,000 US soldiers) because of the Vietnam War. Freedom is not free. Think about that.

Candid moment near the Long Pointy Object. (I've been referring to the Washington Monument as that since I visited it.)

Mang Jose takes on the dreaded, er, Ninja. I had to stop in mid-air while Lem took the photo.

More adventures to come.

10 Ways Dick Cheney Can Kill You

2006-02-15T04:12:00.000+08:00

I dunno if you've been watching the news lately, but US Vice Prez Dick Cheney is all over it after he accidentaly shot his friend in the face while they were quail hunting last Saturday.

Of course, when every person in America with a wicked sense of humor jumped in and, well, as we so mildly put in Filipino -- ginawang pulutan.

American humor can be so brutal. But that's what I love about this country. Almost no censorship.

70 Virgins

2006-02-11T03:42:00.000+08:00

A lot of stuff happening down in the Middle East and in some parts of the world (9/11, The London Bombings, all the suicide bombings, car bombings, blah blah explosive stuff boom boom yada yada - or in a more political term, "radical behavior," are because of 70 virgins (Or in the words of a real terrorist, 'deflower 70 houris,' whose virginities, if there ever is such a word, is renewed when they deflower the 70th houri. Wicked sick!). You don't know them? They're the ones waiting for you in your own personal paradise if you agree to being strapped with 20 pounds of TNT all over your body, walk on a crowded street, and wait for the explosion that while scatter you along with hundreds of innocent people all over the pavement.

I just read this article about how these suicide bombers are convinced to take the last walk they'll ever take. 70 virgins waiting for you. Wow. Probably one of the last things these suicide bombers think of is "Wait, I hope some of my body parts still work when this is all over and I get to meet my 70 hot babes." It just shows you how so many people lack education, self-eestem, and common sense. It also shows you how vehemently evil others are. It also shows you how so many governments are screwed up right now that they cannot protect their own people from themselves. It is the most misguided shit I have ever heard of. You can drive a man to be so poor or so jaded or so sex-crazed, sooner or later he's going to walk into a mall and unload a whole clip on anything that moves. Really a waste of lives, and bullets.

I'd really like to break this down though. I mean, I know that many religions offer paradise in the afterlife that often transcends the physical plane. But isn't it plain obvious that what drives a person to want to spend afterlife with a multitude of ladies who submit to your whim is sexually driven? That drive doesn't transcend the physical plane, it in fact embodies it. What if the afterlife has a shortage of virgins? What if there's a shortage of Women? What if there was no afterlife? What if you didn't die in your attempt? You, the suicide bomber, might painfully go to jail at the literal cost of an arm and a leg and who knows what other body part you lost due to your stupidity

Some notes taken from the article --

The Judeo-Christian paradise is spiritual (recall Dante), fleshless, and certainly asexual. On the contrary, Adam and Eve were banished from it; you know what for. Voluntary celibacy was widespread even in earthly Christian life — the celibacy of monks, nuns, and Roman Catholic priests. The Islamic paradise offers in mind-boggling abundance what the poor do not have in their earthly life:

# Wealth, such as precious stones and other items of luxury,

# Water in springs, fountains, and swimming pools (there was a dearth of water in Arabia).

# Wine in “rivers of wine,” “delicious to those who drink it.” Yet “it will neither dull their senses nor befuddle them” (Koran 37:40-48).

# Fruits. This is another dream-in-an-Arabian-desert of the Islamic poor in their earthly life.

# The deflowering of houris, beautiful virgins. This is in response to the kind of poverty — mass sexual starvation — that does not exist in Christendom with its monogamy: one husband – one wife. The Islamic rich can have up to four wives. Hence the poor often have none. Imagine the resulting male sexual starvation and the maniacal vision of the deflowering of houris — a kind of eternal bridal night.

It all boils down to poverty and the pursuit of happiness, taking the chase to the afterlife instead. If you're extremely hungry, go get something to eat. If you're sexually hungry, don't go loading your pockets with dynamite and walking into malls to blow yourself and others up.

I've taken this (hopefully unbiased) stance because of the current debate going in one of the mailing lists I subscribe to. My friends on the list all have valid points, and we all have Muslim friends of our own. This post is not an attack on Islam. It's just unfortunate that many terrorists are using Islam the wrong way to further their cause. This is, however, against the violent path one chooses to take to further himself for a promise. And in this case, a promise of 70 virgins. It's just so wrong. Through whatever religion you look at it.

DC

2006-02-06T21:07:00.000+08:00

It has been one full week since I left Manila and headed over here to Gaithersburg, Maryland to do some work at our main office. Those seven days were a blur, as I tried to let the whole experience of traveling to another country (particularly America!) sink in, I couldn't find the time to fit everything I wanted to help enrich my experience. Plus the fact that I don't have my Philippine driver's license with me and that we only have one car (there are 3 of us). It kinda ties you down.

A few nights during the weekdays, and finally over the weekend, I (or we) finally found the time to act like tourists. With cameras in hand and ignorant appetites for the sights and sounds of the US, we headed for the tourist spots. On Saturday we visited Udway-Hazey Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, which was interesting at the least. Displays ranged from old World War II planes, missiles, stuff on aviation history, and Space Shuttle Enterprise (which wasn't really used in space).

Sunday saw us headed for Washington D.C., with the weather finally relenting a bit, calling off the rain. We found ourselves visiting Lincoln Memorial, which was the most significant site that I ever found myself visiting. Here's the guy who fought for the belief that all men are free and abolished slavery in the United States. I found myself trying to soak up the significance of what Abe Lincoln did. It was a great experience by itself. We also visited other significant sites -- The Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, and the Washington Monument. The wind was blowing something fierce, and it was too cold to continue on to the other sites in the area. We had a quick 4pm lunch on hotdogs and egg rolls and called it a day.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), my Sunday wasn't over. I, B2, and Lem headed over to our friend Corey's house to watch the Super Bowl. I was quite psyched to be taking part of one of the great American traditions -- watching the game with friends while drinking beer. The Pittsburgh-Seattle game wasn't a pretty one, but it was good enough to keep me awake (I was pretty tired after our long field trip downtown). Pittsburgh won (yeah!), and we finally (finally!) called it a night. I slept in the car on the way home.

More adventures to come.

Uncyclopedia

2006-02-02T23:51:00.000+08:00

Take that Wikipedia! Here's a more colorful way to get information. Uncyclopedia puts salt on the bland facts of life. This definitely beats looking at an encyclopedia and the anemic pictures stuck in between the entries. I get a kick reading stuff on here, as the facts are actually still in the articles, they're given a different spin.

(check out this entry on Japan --

'Japan's currency is called Hentai, and is one of the most valuable currencies around the world. Tokyo's main exports are anime, Lolicon, Hello Kitty, Dancing Furby, Pokémon and little "Made in Japan" stickers. Also, they make computers and stuff. The Japanese economy has suffered a stock market crash recently due to lousy American dubbing infiltrating their pure product. Japan is also known for the development of Methamphetamine in the early 1900s, and in recent years Metal Gear Ac!d™ and Lumines. However, Japan has recently rebounded due to their ability to harness their monsters, and have begun to export other products including Gamera, Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzirra, in local dialects), and imitation Mothra.'

So if you're looking for "un"formation, this is the place to get it all.

Make it a part of your daily reading and you'll never be bored, or boring, again.

A Happy Ending

2006-02-01T05:05:00.000+08:00

One of the blogs that I religiously followed since I started this whole blogging thing is this blog by Jeff. It's a well-written story about a guy in love with a girl (frankly, it seems that all stories start with somebody being in love with somebody, but I digress.) Anyway, Jeff chronicles his rants, misgivings, and broken-hearted, angst-driven stories about how Marga (the girl in his story) pisses him off every day, and he can't do anything about it because they're not a couple. He's just a "Kuya" figure. So he updates his blog with all these adventures which has the makings of a Hollywood movie. I've been told that a book and a script are in the works right now.

And so the story, or more specifically, the blog, has come to the end of its purpose. After all the gut-wrenching, tear-inducing stories, someone has finally slapped Marga in the face to and made her realize that Jeff was just waiting in the wings like a real gentleman, not taking advantage of his "Kuya" status, and has decided that she loves him too. Awwwww. Very cute. They are now finally a couple.

So after a looooong wait by his blog fans, all the hair-pulling and nail-biting can be laid to rest. The couple themselves have posted a single he-said she-said entry that explains the whole fiasco. Pretty cute knowing that Jeff showed Marga the blog that was brought to life because of their story. And thus I find it very fitting that they ended it together.

So I want to say thank you to Jeff for a, uhm, entertaining, blog experience. YOu should win some blog award or something. Even if you are a complete and utter stranger. Good luck to ya and to Marga.

---

And yet another happy ending. Good to see some of those stories still end that way.

Cool Blogs

2006-01-25T04:40:00.000+08:00

Millions of blogs.
Thousands of nominees.
151 finalists.
Thirty winners.

Bloggies 2006 is on, and the votes are in on the best blogs of the previous year. I'm making a point to visit all the blogs nominated, see what gets people to read them. I'd say I've only been to 5 percent of the blogs nominated (I'm a regular feeder off Engadget and BoingBoing), and I've never visited the personal blogs nominated. They seem interesting enough. And they seem to have fully transcended blogging as a medium for mass communication rather than a closed circle for private pleasures only. Got something to say? Blog it.

And if after you've examined the list, I'm sure you've wondered "Where are the Filipino blogs?" Well, they aren't on that list. They blog awards seems based on nominations, and I don't think this isn't a too known award-giving body yet. If you want to carry on the pursuit of Pinoy glory (a la Manny Pacquiao) in the world of blogs, then check out the Pinoy winners here.

Poop stories

2006-01-24T01:24:00.000+08:00

I have been holding off posting here due to several reasons:

I've been contemplating moving to a new blog, or at least updating the design. I've always thought that the title to this present one sounded a bit too cheeseball. And though it conveys how I think and feel at times, well, I don't know what else. The title just sounds too corny.

I've been busy running around the city preparing for my trip which is this weekend (already!). I'm being sent to our main office in the US for some made up training. I say made up because I think they're sending me (and a fellow worker) so that they'll have a reason to tie me up with a contract. Which they did. Which I signed anyway. But just like in everything else, I refuse to dwell on the negative. Think of it this way, I have job security for the next two years. Now if I can only get that promotion...

I've suddenly had renewed my addiction to gaming, as I've been alternating playing Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and DotA. I've been looking for added ways to destress lately, and hearing my inner demons breathe collective sighs of relief after all my frustrations are vented out on the games.

And that's it. So hear I am again, sitting for the last 40 minutes trying to think of what to say next. What should I write? Manny Pacquiao demolishing Erik Morales like it was a mismatch? Kobe scoring 81 points in a game (ho-hum... *yawn*)? The Philippine budget deficit narrowing? Our neighbor's dog pooped on our front step yet again? What's the similarity between these topics? They're all good news, but they were expected. Except for the dog-pooping. So I'm happy for Manny and the Philippines and happy for Kobe and my Lakers, and hysterically laughing because my landlord will be breathing expletives again once he starts cleaning up the stuff the dog happily leaves for him everyday. I caught the dog doing it once, and I swear it was wagging its tail and smiling like he feels that my landlord appreciates what he does.

Incessant rambling.

I have to stop now because I am now telling stories about poop, and that's not always a good sign. They say all topics and conversations lead there anyway, so I'm gonna stop right here since it looks like I've accomplished that.

By the way, thanks Nina for reminding me that I had a blog to update. I know I have the power to write or rewrite anything here, but I'll stick with the poop stories. In order for us not to get grossed out, let's just pretend that this was a scientific study, something for the good of mankind.

Later.

This Year's List

2006-01-10T05:19:00.000+08:00

I purposely held off making any resolutions at the start of the new year for fear that I might make my decisions in haste. I don't want to be the next person to so boldly declare to go to the gym more often, only to find myself buying a copy of my next favorite video game and develop a new passion for potato chips and soda, and becoming a couch potato and gain 200 pounds overnight. Not this year. These are to be tests of resolve, discipline, honesty, faith, trust. This year, I take my resolutions seriously.

So now I start my list a week into 2006.

LOSE WEIGHT. By a thin man's standards, I am now a lard of fat. At 160 pounds, I am overweight. By ALMOST 20 POUNDS. Every day my back aches from the extra weight and my shin bones always feel raw from supporting this, er, "bloated" body (I am still thin enough to fit two of me through doorways). Brrrr. My regular diet of burgers and fries is rearing its ugly head in the form of extra baggage at the sides of my belly. Bilbil, man. Bilbil. I not only suffer aesthetically, health has become a serious issue too. I recently had a nasty cold that kept me out of work for 2 days (good thing it started during my vacation -- if you can even call that a good thing.), I keep having headaches and I'm always sleepy which I think is the direct result of my unhealthy lifestyle. I take vitamins and drink fruit juices and try to get all the sun that I can, I still need a drastic change by laying off the grease. And it goes without saying that my second resolution is directly related to this one.

VISIT THE GYM AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. If it were possible to just stick a flaming torch to my side and burn all the fat away, I would. It seems that the healthier, and more fun way to achieve this goal is to work out (unfortunately this also requires a LOT more discipline.) with an honest-to-goodness, no-nonsense program/regimen. I religiously play basketball and badminton on the weekends, but they are not the total development and tone-down workouts that I need. In fact, if I can fit swimming in my schedule at least once a week, I would be on my way. I don't want bulging biceps, 6-pack abs, or firm buttocks. I just want a fit and trim physique I can confidently walk around with without trying to suck my stomach in every few seconds. My only problem is that my gym is a bit off my home-office route, but I guess that makes it the perfect gym to go to. By conditioning my mind to go out of my way to visit the gym, I instill discipline. Now for motivation, do you think I should put up an Arnold Schwarzenegger pin-up in my room? Too hardcore, I know. Probably also wouldn't sit well with my roommates.

SAVE MONEY for cripes sakes! You're not getting any younger; you're also not getting any richer. You don't have an inheritance, not a single square foot of land to stand on, no rice fields or orchards to grow old on or apples to munch on till your teeth rot and fall out. All you have are the clothes on your back and the few moths in your wallet. Grow up and get a life, a real one. Be more responsible and realize that there's a future to prepare for (though I've heard that this is one of the worst ways to die -- preparing for the future. Another would be while sitting down on the toilet reading a gentleman's magazine). Seriously, I have so many plans that are on hold right now because of a below-sea-level savings account. Right now I am making the effort on scrimping and saving. First, I set a target amount I wanted to save at the end of the year. Then I realized that it was a bit of a tall order, and since this is a first-time resolution (can you believe that??? I haven't even saved money before), I decided to set a target amount for 6 months and then go from there. Seems a bit more manageable.

That actually is the end of my list.

A pretty short one this year, but a lot more worthwhile, significant, and life-changing. I've decided to take things seriously this year, doing away with 'Eat less junk food' or 'Wear a different pair of socks for every day of each month' resolutions that just end up being scrapped in the first place. I mean, these things require NO or little resolve in accomplishing.

resolution - 1.resolving of something
the resolution of a difficulty.
2.decision
a firm decision to do something.

These probably sum it all up.

Inside the top drawer of my file cabinet at work, there is a Post-it note stuck to the side with the following question written down -- "What should I do with my life?" It is an everyday testament to the uncertainty this life treads that I acknowledge each day. Every time I open my drawer I see that Post-it note (I resisted the temptation of sticking it to the ceiling above my bed so I can see it every time I wake up. I think that's a bit too extreme.) I mentioned this bit of weakness so that I can acknowledge that at last I am making something of my life, 3 New Year’s resolutions at a time.

Homecoming

2006-01-04T22:50:00.000+08:00

I completed 2005 spending time with friends and family, thus making the year fulfilling and more satisfying. It was like therapy, relieving me of the pressures of work and life in Manila. And it was also like a week-long nightly vigil (I barely slept), parties everywhere, reunions and get-togethers with almost everyone I know. And it's always good to come home to Cagayan de Oro once in a while. I'm happy to know that I will always have friends here, and that there is always a place to go home to.

The parties and get-togethers were fun and tiring. It's amazing how I can go on 19-hour days of activities sleep the 5 hours left to regain more strength and party the next day. Unfortunately I am paying for the lifestyle I embraced while in CDO -- for I am currently suffering from a very sore throat and colds.

It was great talking with friends again, catching up with each other's lives. And as usual, the topics of discussion are so amusing. Who's gayer? Who has kids? Who's seeing whom? Who's fatter and thinner? Who's working out? Who has kids? Who's married? Personally, I think every person (more notoriously, relatives) asked me if I was married or was getting married anytime soon. I usually dismiss each question with a perplexing look and a snort (maybe a little flaring of the nostrils). It's uncanny and a bit unsettling. But I guess it comes with age. I am now 25, and so the person next to me finds himself granted with the power to assume that I am now ready to get married, that is, if I haven't taken the plunge yet. Oh well. It's not worth raving about. I just find it a bit funny and somehow humanizing (because sometimes I feel like a robot). But it's annoying at times because some get judgemental, especially now that most marriages are the cause of, er, unintended "events." Baptism before marriage familiar? Quite so.

I am also glad I was able to spend time with my sisters. It makes me feel so proud now that they're living independently, taking care of the the expense, managing the household, all while studying and completing their Nursing degrees (they're pretty good at it, too.). I know they've worked so hard on their studies, sometimes staying up in the wee hours of the morning to study and do ward duty in the hospitals around Mindanao. I am proud that they've grown up so fast, and also grown so thin in the process. I hope to treat them to a vacation when they're done with their studies so they can replenish they're strength. Guys, don't forget to eat something, and for gosh sakes, get some sleep. Study hard and play hard. I love my sisters.

To all the people I wasn't able to spend time with or didn't even see while I was there, I'm really sorry. It was a case of "so little time, so much to do." I literally was running to and from events, trying to accomodate everyone. Apologies apologies apologies. I will be home again sometime soon, and I will remember to see you. :)

Till next time, CDO.

Wakka wakka wakka

2005-12-22T04:57:00.000+08:00

This video was taken at the University of Michigan. Two students dress up as Pac-Man and The Ghost (his nemesis, in case the name doesn't register). Pacman screams in horror as The Ghost chases him yelling "Wakka wakka wakka." Just Hilarious.

Okay now here's something that was sadly lacking at my college. People dressing up as video game characters and chasing each other around campus. This was something that was right up my and my group of friends' alley. Huge laugh trip for us and for the whole school. Probably get us suspended too, knowing our school president. Ah the price of fame.

Have a looksee.
Video Link

Bad taste

2005-12-19T23:59:00.000+08:00

Apparently I have bad taste in movies. I was browsing through digg and I came across lists for the best and worst movies of 2005. Out of all the movies in both lists, I have watched (and somewhat enjoyed) more movies from the worst lineup than the attention-worthy ones.

Alas this confirms I am a man of simple pleasures. I am a monkey given a banana and when ordered to dance, will ask "How long?" I "ooh" and "aah" at every scenic spectacle just like the next movie nut. I laugh when the actors slip on banana peels and cry when they fall off cliffs or die sputtering in their loved ones' arms. I enjoy what movies offer. It's different for each movie, so I take each for what's given.

But of course I also watch films that really mean something. Oscar-worthy movies, inspiring films, indie movies that really say something. But in all truthfulness, I mostly watch out of curiosity, or because I've already read the book. Who doesn't?

My favorite movies are comedies. I just like to pop in a DVD and laugh on my couch as a way of destressing. I enjoyed Harold and Kumar. I laughed like I was high watching Jay and Silent Bob. And I laughed my ass off every Jim Carrey movie including The Majestic. Jim Carrey in that crying scene was impressive and honest, but it was hilarious at an entirely different and weird level.

But almost at the same time I enjoyed Legends of the Fall. I liked Erin Brokovich. I can't get enough of The Last Samurai. And Woody Allen films still catch my attention. I may not be much of a film critic, but I know what I like when I see it, and I'm not very easily disappointed.

I am just an ordinary movie buff. Almost every weekend I drop by my favorite store to buy DVDs to keep me busy for the coming week. So far I have watched almost each DVD twice and continue to enjoy my collection. The only lesson I've drawn from these critiques are that they are a bit elitist and probably have no other ways of making money. Or maybe the movie audience are really just caveman waiting for the next whack on the head in the form of every dumb movie they see.

Monkey...goo goo...gaa gaa

2005-12-17T00:16:00.000+08:00

On impulse and without much thought, I entered a movie theater this afternoon showing King Kong. In case you don't know, one of the few things I enjoy doing is watching a movie alone. Anyway, with Doritos and a diet Coke in hand, I braced myself for the 3-hour long movie.

Ang it was a long 3 hours.

You go through the first hour of the movie without seeing the big dude anywhere, instead choosing to go through character development while painting a vivid picture of Depression-ravaged New York in 50's style cinematography. I liked the blurry retro effect used in the sweeping shots of New York, pretty impressive.

There was this scene early in the movie where Jack Black's character was trying to sell his movie idea to movie executives. One of those execs asks a question for the ages -- "Will there be boobies?" Hysterical. 1950's movie ticket - 25 cents. Seeing boobies on a 50-foot screen - priceless. Hollywood gets away with everything. Even the little kids sitting next to me were giggling.

I guess you can say that this movie has a little bit of everything. I enjoyed it and was caught in the thrill ride a few times over. King Kong is just one cute, lonely giant monkey, basically what the whole movie is about. He found himself a plaything in Naomi Watts. Who. Is. So. BEAUTIFUL. Peter Jackson's close-up shots were perfect for her, and I just almost couldn't get enough of her. I am now officially a fan. Hey if I were a 50-foot monkey, I'd die for her too.

Adrian Brody, who beats out Pinocchio for the longest nose in showbizness, makes out with Naomi Watts (the lucky bastard), unfortunately he didn't fit in the movie. He felt more like a third wheel between the ape's love story with the pretty human lady.

Gross-out scene: The giant bugs and slugs. Brrrr. That was a nightmare come to life. And God is so wise to make these creatures small, coz you can only imagine what a 6-foot cockroach is gonna do when you try to squash it with a slipper.

Throughout the movie, King Kong battles loneliness, misunderstanding, and racial prejudice (he was the only giant mammal left on an island infested with dinosaurs and every other cold-blooded thing there is. So everybody kept picking on him, or trying to kill him for that matter). Then he falls in love with A Girl, they fool around and have fun, he acts all cute, and he's fiercely protective and loyal that he'd actually die for her. In the end, they murdered an ape because he was clumsy and had big hands and jealous that he could get a girl like Naomi Watts and they couldn't. It was sad. Why is it that our solution to things that we don't understand is to destroy them? The monkey didn't mean any harm. And it's nobody's fault he's bigger than a tank.

All in all, I'd give the movie an 8 out of 10. I'd have given it a 9, but due to the movie's length, I had to hold back peeing for about an hour longer than usual and has probably damaged my bladder permanently.

Oh, and by the way, if you haven't seen the movie, there might be spoilers in here. (Hint: King Kong dies in the end.)

Everything is a Test

2005-12-14T05:02:00.000+08:00

Loyalty. Love. Friendship. Fidelity. Faith. Strength. Wits. Everything. Everything is a test. Being the geek that I am, will compare it to a totally cool RPG game where you earn experience points for every kill you make, every quest you complete, every level you conquer. It's as simple as that. Everything is. And those that do not learn anything from anything is nothing and barely human. The simple and naked truth.

Hahahahahaha. Okay I probably scared everyone off with the into by now after coming back and posting a blog entry after a VERRRY long layoff. I am sorry, and I say this to myself and everyone who mildly cares about reading the stuff I quip. The reason I started this blog was because I missed writing, and I missed self-expression. It was either writing songs or poems or this. This won out, while songwriting keeps trying to barge it's way back into the limelight.

So there it is. I just simply missed writing, and here I am suddenly typing very fast about nothing in particular.

So now I guess I owe this blog some content. Hmmm. What has happened since I last blogged? I've joined the Church choir and have attended an outreach program for special kids to further my cause in, er, spiritual fulfillment. "Attended" is the right word, because I just sat there eating Jolly Spaghetti all morning. Not that I hate kids. I LOVE kids. It's just that special kids need special handling, and despite my vast patience and awkward attempts of connecting, I more or less failed to reach any of them. But I enjoyed immensely, because throughout the whole program the Pinoy Big Brother theme song was played, so all the kids just danced. It was entertaining because they new the steps to eat. Special kids. They really are special. I couldn't help but give out the mandatory "Awwwwwwww" talk.

The company christmas party also happened without me blogging about it, so I will correct that mistake now, because I was famous at least for that night (and hopefully will hold out at least for the next few weeks) because of our Christmas presentation where we shot a music video, where we did a Pinoy Big Brother adaptation. Here's the thing -- I am a laid-back individual. And the limelight is something I avoid whenever possible (except when I'm playing with my band, where I am an entirely different person, which makes for an entirely different story). But I am a goofy guy and I like to make people laugh, though I never imagined what I did was fit for a camera and an audience of more than 500. See, the idea for our music video was supposed to depict how us Managed Services guys were serious about work and just as serious about fun. The video would show us doing our work and also taking time off at opportune times to drive stress away. The way we did it was pretty funny. The camera would work it's way around our department during the verses and then whoever the music caught at the song's chorus would stop working to get up and dance the Pinoy Big Brother dance. It was hilarious.

Now where did I fit in all that? Okay, now I'm proud of this because this was my idea -- There was a lavatory shot. (Uh-oh. Toilet humor? Hear me out.) There we were, 3 guys facing the wall doing our business (pretend of course, we didn't want the result to be too messy, if you know what I mean.) And then you know what happens at the chorus? We dance. And after seeing it, I immediately knew why I preferred singing. Not too imaginative sounding on paper or blog, but way WAY hilarious watching the end result on that screen. There were other pretty funny parts inserted in the movie, and apparently the judges agreed coz we won 2nd place (1st prize went to another video camera wielding group who ass-kissed their way to victory. I'm not bitter. Their video was also funny).

All in all, a pretty eventful party. Food was okay. I had 15 seconds of fame. And the jokes and catcalls were aplenty. Perfect night.

Now that I have kept this blog (and you, perceptive reader) up to speed, I am now once again free to completely ignore this blog and not write again for the next few weeks or so. Bwaahahahhahaha!

I'm kidding. More experiences on the way.

A Little Lighter In the Head

2005-11-22T05:52:00.000+08:00

Yes. I feel a lot less heavier load now that I'm not a student again, now that I'm back to being a corporate working-boy, I'm back to normal. Aren't I?

For those who didn't know, I was gone all of last week, hidden from the outside world for 8 hours a day, to undergo a company-sponsored training. Down and dirty with the basics of POSIX programming. I was excited the first few hours of each day, as I've always wanted to go back to school again. I was to pretend I was back in school, all nerdy and dorky again :D

The subject sure helped, because it was a nerdy and dorky subject. Not that I loved it. It has been a looooong time since I learned anything useful (in my line of work, I mean). The training was basic and technical, visually unappealing, (just look at the machines we used. Fossils.) and dangerously sleep-inducing. Despite all that, I was actually enthusiastic and attentive.

5 days and 19 modules later, me and my fellow classmates had passed the course. I was actually eager to get to work so I could try some of the stuff that I learned in class. Now, after a whole business day, I have yet to try any of that stuff. It's been an unusually busy Monday. Probably because the Americans are all trying to stuff all their business slated for the week down a small drainpipe into all our servers in time for the Thanksgiving holidays. By then they'll be enjoying turkey, and I'll be sitting in my office chair drinking C2 till 6 in the morning. The joys of outsourcing.

I think I killed a little bit more brain cells than usual, trying to force what I learned in training straight to my job, to the point that I was already straining my eyes, trying to will myself to write a fancy script combo where a simple 'grep' command would do. Ah well, they pay us to innovate, nothing lost on my end, really. Just the brain cells. Sayang. I could have just killed them the traditional way -- beer. Video games. South park episodes.

Or I could just have someone mention Cueshe, and my left brain will immediately collapse.

Brrrr.

Cue-what???

2005-11-17T01:19:00.000+08:00

While I was sitting down in front of my PC listening to the new Itchyworms album (which is lukewarm in some spots, btw) at the same time trying to think of anything interesting to write about on here, Nat2x tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the music video on TV.

It was Cueshe.

Thank God for the power of logic and common sense, else I would have strangled Nat2x that instant, because I realized he was messing with me almost too late.

So as a warning of sorts, please please PLEASE do not ever mention this band's name ever again. Have mercy on the human race, or more t the immediate people within my arm's reach.

I guess I've made it obvious enough that I f-u-c-k-i-n-g HATE this band. And if you are a real music fan, you would not need an explanation why. Actually, this already borders beyond hate. This is unhealthy. This is unnecessary. This is stupid.

Though I realize all this is true, my sense still overload everytime I hear their songs or their names mentioned. They who steal songs and rip off other famous and RECENT artists. They who epitomize the biggest reason behind the sad state of this country, driven deeper into this anarchic shithole because of corruption. They who... they who... okay, that's enough. I've ranted more than they deserve. I'm accusing too blatantly and making you uncomfortable, aren't I?

One of the reasons why I love music is that each song and melody identifies a unique personality, state of mind, emotion, or thought. A musician taps into any of these areas to come up with a combination of notes to convey how he feels. Music is personal, and when shared, is a different experience to each person who hears, and is thus reaches out to the person listening and becomes his own personal experience. Thus we appreciate our musical artists, because they amplify our feelings and stir our thought.

But when one copies another's work for mass-production, he is showing the highest form of disrespect to the original composer, but also slapping the consumer on the face and calling him stupid.

I write songs myself, and the reason a majority of the songs I write I do not go ahead and publish or complete is because they sound like many of the songs I have heard. Perhaps out of a 100, I barely completely finish 10 songs. I find it more gratifying to finish a song fueled by hard work and inspiration.

Are there not enough melodies in the world? Who knows, 100 years from now we'd be at packed arenas listening to some guy blow air through a straw, and we'd be screaming our lungs out and women would have his babies because of his musical talent. Who knows if traffic hustle and bustle becomes the most requested tunes on the radio. Who's gonna get us to enjoy that stuff we consider garbage now? The innovators. The ones who start a new movement. The ones who pursue their Personal Legends. Bands like Pedicab, who have started the Dance Funk alternative, otherwise known as Dunk. Those who play music for the love of it. Not for the fame and fortune that success might bring.

I hope I don't get sued for this.

Many Thanks

2005-11-12T06:12:00.000+08:00

I just wanted so say thank you to all people who remembered me on my birthday, and also those who remembered me just now, and for those who will remember me tomorrow or a few days from now, there's still hope for you. I'm still currently accepting gifts till before Christmas. Late compliments and greetings will still be noted and replied with the obligatory thank you. =)

Seriously, I am in such a thankful mood. I had a genuinely happy birthday, and I was especially happy receiving all the notes and messages from my friends and family and co-workers. I have not felt this kind of gratitude flowing through me, and it strangely reminds me of Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys 2, in the scene where he had ingested X. I am seriously loving everybody right now. Including the ugly fish with the big eyes.

Maybe a sign of old age? Am I becoming a bit too nostalgic and soft? I seriously hope not. I am arguably still an 18-year-old trapped in a 19-year-old's body (you know I'm lying), still with a penchant for mischief and goofiness and the occasional bouts of stupidity due to overexposure to the Playstation and Naruto and bags of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream.

I hate it everytime I go into a contemplatory mood everytime my birthday comes around, or is this a built-in system in our heads where we think about all we've done in the past year, if I had led a life wasted playing video games or if there's still hope lingering in the horizon, and if I can finally get that promotion. Birthdays get me thinking if this will finally be my year. I start thinking of all the money I'm supposed to be saving, and if all the goals I have set for myself can finally be jumpstarted out of the burrows.

I am guessing this will be a very interesting year.

Still I have a lot to be thankful for. I have had too many blessings worthy of a man. I am surrounded by good people, and despite my misgivings and my blatant selfishness and immaturity, they stubbornly stand by me. I guess that's why we call each other friends. :) You all know who you are. Thank you.

Don

New Toy

2005-11-07T22:22:00.000+08:00

Call it second childhood, or the pursuit of a unextinguishable dream, or an angry-at-money splurge, I went ahead and bought a shiny new electric guitar. More importantly, it's a birthday gift from Caren (she paid for half of it.), and a huge step towards my dream of playing a Manila gig.

And get this: Jimboy bought cymbals for his drum machine. Nat2x bought a bass amp. Woah! We just went mad and bought what we've dreamt of having since college. Even now the reality of it still hasn't sunk that deep.

I cannot, for the life of me, explain how we went about a rampage and bought musical appendages to extend our passions beyond what we carry in our hearts (deep!). Oh, wait. Actually, that sentence just explained it. Extending our passions beyond our dreams and frustrations. We are now on the comeback trail of living the musical dream.

We are all happy with our new toys, and we're enjoying jamming and recording again. Yet there is one thing that makes this from being perfect - Wala si Aldion.

Wala si Aldion. He's in Cebu. And though we're enjoying the life we've decided to take on again, at the back of our minds we're still thinking the same thing. We wish Aldion were here. But you might say, 'Why not look for a new lead guitarist?' Yeah? Why not? We can't. It's just against the group dynamic. 4 friends who love music. Friends whose acquaintances go farther than each other's musical preferences. Friends first before bandmates. So I dedicated my purchase to our now married guitarist by buying the same type of guitar that he used and had made us successful as a band.

So here's what we did. We looked for a sessionist. Fortunately for us, Nat2x has a teammate that plays guitars and has a bit of the same musical tastes that we do. Case closed. We now have a guitar sessionist. I can't play whack when I have to sing, and I can't sing whack when I have to play. Not with the kinds of songs we're covering.

So now I have added more spice into my life. I have stretched the hours of the day to make room for practice, to make room for jammings and recordings. I have downloaded tabs, notes, lyrics, any reference on guitar-playing. I'm also saving up for voice lessons and joined the church choir to at least practice singing the right way. This time I want to be better. And this is the time to get better. This is our make or break. But still, we all wish Aldion were here.

This is probably the most dramatic shiat I've ever written. How gee.

Thriller Night

2005-11-01T21:33:00.000+08:00

I and a few of my officemates accompanied my expat friend James to Embassy at the Fort last saturday, me going more so to satisfy my curiosity as to why this place was popular. Embassy was a club. Call me old, but I would rather sit down at my favorite Bistro (more on this later) and listen to music or talk with friends, than dance the night away, which is, ironically, what we did at Embassy. Ah, the mystery of the human psyche.

I must admit I enjoyed it there. I was literally rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, with the bold and beautiful, and also, with those that TRY to fit the profile of the rich, famous, bold, and beautiful.

What made the night doubly enjoyable was that it was a full-blown costume party. Though we weren't in costumes, we still got in because we paid a requisite hundred bucks to have our face painted. I had never been to one before Saturday night, and I was really, really impressed. These weren't just cheap costumes, too. They were creative, expensive. I saw Jin Kazama, I saw a polar bear (and stuck my head in it's mouth and have a picture to prove it), I saw gangsters right out of the Godfather movie. I even saw Buzz Lightyear. I hope that guy won something for that.

The night actually got to being three times as enjoyable because of one thing: Tequila. Make it any kind of night, and tequila will save you. As long as they sell it cheap anyway. And if it's free, even better, which was how it was in our case. Boy oh boy.

I enjoyed the momentary thrill of that night. I haven't gone out and enjoyed like that in a while. I was too busy trying to chill, relax, act mature. I enjoyed the fast pace for once, and wouldn't mind trying it again once in a while.

At least, I got to scratch another thing off my list.

__________

Things to do before I die:
.
.
.
25,678. ~~Visit Embassy.~~
25,679. Buy bling-bling.
25,680. Get an afro.
.
.
.

My "Yayay" Story

2005-10-21T16:19:00.000+08:00

While reading Gio's story about breaking his arm, I remembered my body was hurting too, though several levels less serious than what he has. I have a strained right calf muscle and a bruised shin that hurt real bad during the nights or when it gets real cold at work. I got both injuries on separate games of basketball a day apart. Tough luck. Though these days they don't hurt as much (except that the strained calf has lead to cramps that are just the painful fuckers that they are. They make me feel like a pregnant woman.)

I'm just amazed though how he can talk about it in such a toned-down manner, like he just stubbed his toe into the corner of the couch instead of having his wrist broken.

The girl problems must be more painful, right Gi? Broken heart takes the prize. I'd better hook you up, man. You worry me.

======================================

In light of all the health consciousness drives going on out there, I can't help but re-evaluate how I've been treating myself lately:

I take vitamins. I eat right, though it's really hard to keep up the 3-times-a-day routine with the work I'm in and the hours I keep, but I try. I'm also cutting back on the carbs. Down to 1 cup of rice per meal. I'm sleeping right, I guess. 6-7 hours on the average. 8 hours is a luxury. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Carpe Diem and all that crap.

I drink a little and go out once or twice a week. 10 beers through both, more or less. Less than 10 shots of whatever the bartender thinks he can put together. The party animal in me has mellowed down significantly, though I take the opportunity to spend time with friends (especially those I don't see often) when possible.

I don't smoke, No.

Physical activities? Basketball at least every Sunday. At least twice a week in the gym. Badminton during Saturdays. And any other sport my friends can come up with. Think Tazmanian Devil who has too much pent-up energy (or so I think.)

During the weekends I see my girlfriend, eat, sleep, watch DVDs, play video games. I play the guitar. I read books. See? It doesn't sound like a dangerously unhealthy lifestyle. I've even gotten fatter during the last 2 months. 20 pounds at the least, and I'm working hard to turn all that fat into toned muscles. Yeah baby. *Baywatch theme playing in the background*

But in spite of all the seemingly normal things that I do, I still feel unhealthy. Too much time in front of the computer perhaps? Too much time sitting down? Do I eat too little quantities of fish? I don't know. Maybe it's time to see a shrink. I don't want something to snap inside of me and turn me into someone health nut. I happen to be comfortable with my lifestyle. And if I die living it, then I guess I was wrong.

I believe this shiat.

2005-10-20T18:24:00.000+08:00

This is almost boringly long, but it's a good read. And this should kinda fit with the situations most people my age are in. Read on. Or if you're not into long articles, just check out the sugary quip at the end of this post. At least you can say you read something while visiting this excuse of a blog. :D (which, by the way, I am VERY thankful for. mwahmwahmwahmwahmwah!)

*ptui*

PARTNERS AND MARRIAGE
By Eduardo Jose E. Calasanz

I have never met a man who didn't want to be loved. But I have seldom met a man who didn't fear marriage. Something about the closure seems constricting, not enabling. Marriage seems easier to understand for what it cuts out of our lives than for what it makes possible within our lives.

When I was younger this fear immobilized me. I did not want to make a mistake. I saw my friends get married for reasons of social acceptability, or sexual fever, or just because they thought it was the logical thing to do. Then I watched, as they and their partners became embittered and petty in their dealings with each other. I looked at older couples and saw, at best, mutual toleration of each other. I imagined a lifetime of loveless nights and bickering and could not imagine subjecting myself or someone else to such a fate.

And yet, on rare occasions, I would see old couples who somehow seemed to glow in each other's presence. They seemed really in love, not just dependent upon each other and tolerant of each other's foibles. It was an astounding sight, and it seemed impossible. How, I asked myself, can they have survived so many years of sameness, so much irritation at the other's habits? What keeps love alive in them, when most of us seem unable to even stay together, much less love each other? The central secret seems to be in choosing well. There is something to the claim of fundamental compatibility. Good people can create a bad relationship, even though they both dearly want the relationship to succeed. It is important to find someone with whom you c! an create a good relationship from the outset. Unfortunately, it is hard to see clearly in the early stages.

Sexual hunger draws you to each other and colors the way you see yourselves together. It blinds you to the thousands of little things by which relationships eventually survive or fail. You need to find a way to see beyond this initial overwhelming sexual fascination. Some people choose to involve themselves sexually and ride out the most heated period of sexual attraction in order to see what is on the other side. This can work, but it can also leave a trail of wounded hearts. Others deny the sexual side altogether in an attempt to get to know each other apart from their sexuality. But they cannot see clearly, because the presence of unfulfilled sexual desire looms so large that it keeps them from having any normal perception of what li! fe would be like together.

The truly lucky people are the ones who manage to become long-time friends before they realize they are attracted to each other. They get to know each other's laughs, passions, sadness, and fears. They see each other at their worst and at their best. They share time together before they get swept into the entangling intimacy of their sexuality.

This is the ideal, but not often possible. If you fall under the spell of your sexual attraction immediately, you need to look beyond it for other keys to compatibility. One of these is laughter. Laughter tells you how much you will enjoy each other's company over the long term.

If your laughter together is good and healthy, and not at the expense of others, then you have a healthy relationship to the world. Laughter is the child of surprise. If you can make each other laugh, you can always surprise each other. And if you can always surprise each other, you can always keep the world around you new. Beware of a relationship in which there is no laughter. Even the most intimate relationships based only on seriousness have a tendency to turn sour. Over time, sharing a common serious viewpoint on the world tends to turn you against those who do not share the same viewpoint, and your relationship can become based on being criti! cal together.

After laughter, look for a partner who deals with the world in a way you respect. When two people first get together, they tend to see their relationship as existing only in the space between the two of them. They find each other endlessly fascinating, and the overwhelming power of the emotions they are sharing obscures the outside world. As the relationship ages and grows, the outside world becomes important again. If your partner treats people or circumstances in a way you can't accept, you will inevitably come to grief. Look at the way she cares for others and deals with the daily affairs of life. If that makes you love her more, your love will grow. If it does not, be careful. If you do n! ot respect the way you each deal with the world around you, eventually the two of you will not respect each other.

Look also at how your partner confronts the mysteries of life. We live on the cusp of poetry and practicality, and the real life of the heart resides in the poetic. If one of you is deeply affected by the mystery of the unseen in life and relationships, while the other is drawn only to the literal and the practical, you must take care that the distance doesn't become an unbridgeable gap that leaves you each feeling isolated and misunderstood.

There are many other keys, but you must find them by yourself. We all have unchangeable parts of our hearts that we will not betray and private commitments to a vision of life that we will not deny. If you fall in love with someone who cannot nourish those inviolable parts of you, or if you cannot nourish them in her, you will find yourselves growing further apart until you live in separate worlds where you share the business of life, but never touch each other where the heart lives and dreams. From there it is only a small leap to the cataloging of petty hurts and daily failures that leaves so many couples bitter and unsatisfied with their mates.

So choose carefully and well. If you do, you will have chosen a partner with whom you can grow, and then the real miracle of marriage can take place in your hearts. I pick my words carefully when I speak of a miracle. But I think it is not too strong a word.

There is a miracle in marriage. It is called transformation. Transformation is one of the most common events of nature. The seed becomes the flower. The cocoon becomes the butterfly. Winter becomes spring and love becomes a child. We never question these, because we see them around us every day. To us they are not miracles, though if we did not know them they would be impossible to believe.

Marriage is a transformation we choose to make. Our love is planted like a seed, and in time it begins to flower. We cannot know the flower that will blossom, but we can be sure that a bloom will come.

If you have chosen carefully and wisely, the bloom will be good. If you have chosen poorly or for the wrong reason, the bloom will be flawed. We are quite willing to accept the reality of negative transformation in a marriage. It was negative transformation that always had me terrified of the bitter marriages that I feared when I was younger. It never occurred to me to question the dark miracle that transformed love into harshness and bitterness. Yet I was unable to accept the possibility that the first heat of love could be transformed into something positive that was actually deeper and more meaningful than the heat of fresh passion. All I could believe in was the power of this passion and the fear that when it cooled I would be left ! with something lesser and bitter.

But there is positive transformation as well. Like negative transformation, it results from a slow accretion of little things. But instead of death by a thousand blows, it is growth by a thousand touches of love. Two histories intermingle. Two separate beings, two separate presence, two separate consciousnesses come together and share a view of life that passes before them. They remain separate, but they also become one. There is an expansion of awareness, not a closure and a constriction, as I had once feared. This is not to say that there is not tension and there are not traps. Tension and traps are part of every choice of life, from celibate to monogamous to having multiple lovers. Each choice contains within it the lingering doubt t! hat the road not taken somehow more fruitful and exciting, and each becomes dulled to the richness that it alone contains.

But only marriage allows life to deepen and expand and be leavened by the knowledge that two have chosen, against all odds, to become one. Those who live together without marriage can know the pleasure of shared company, but there is a specific gravity in the marriage commitment that deepens that experience into something richer and more complex.

So do not fear marriage, just as you should not rush into it for the wrong reasons. It is an act of faith and it contains within it the power of transformation.

If you believe in your heart that you have found someone with whom you are able to grow, if you have sufficient faith that you can resist the endless attraction of the road not taken and the partner not chosen, if you have the strength of heart to embrace the cycles and seasons that your love will experience, then you may be ready to seek the miracle that marriage offers. If not, then wait. The easy grace of a marriage well made is worth your patience. When the time comes, a thousand flowers will bloom...endlessly.

This is my life summed up in one statement --

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means you've decided to see life beyond the imperfections. So, don't say you're happy because everything is alright. Be happy because everything sucks but you're just fine..." -- Anonymous

Have a nice day.

Must... not... fall... into... trap...

2005-10-18T16:58:00.000+08:00

I've started to not blogging again. Everytime I want to, something gets in the way. Work, primarily. The only workstation I have, my laptop, which I lazily leave at the office during weekends, has reached a multitasking limit, and I cannot bear to burden my laptop with more resource-hungry applications when my work requires me to load oh-so-many.

Yep, that's my primary excuse. My second is that I am in an absolute mental block right now. I mean, I have so many thoughts running through my alimpatakan (read: mind), and that's the problem: they all just run straight out my ears, and I'm left with a buzzing sound in my head. Or more precisely, that sound a flatline makes. After work, I am usually braindead.

So I am right now sneaking in this useless blog entry just so I can write something new, and frankly I'm sick of looking at my outdated blog. Actually a lot has happened since my last blog entry. I got harrassed by cops, I attended a mass celebrated by Gaudencio Rosales, I hurt my calf and my ankle playing ball. I read a book while doing potty. See? Pretty interesting life I lead.

Some words to live by

2005-10-06T22:11:00.000+08:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us: it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
- Marianne Williamson

If you don't remember this quote, you didn't watch Coach Carter. This was beautifully delivered by Rick Gonzalez (look him up if you're into that kind of thing.) While the Richmond High Basketball team was taking their exams inside the gym. This was the defining point of the movie for me (right next to the drug-related shooting Rick's character's cousin violently dies from). I have been looking for this quote so I could have it framed and I can wear it around my neck. Yeah, it's like that. That's how much I embrace these words.

a rant about work... episode 3.

2005-10-06T19:31:00.000+08:00

This is how I feel about work sometimes --

Comic (click here)

I can almost swear that this dialogue has gone through my head a few times already. Such are the comforts and benefits of a hyperactive imagination and the relative lack of balls to apply these things in real-ife.

The good part is, my workload has become considerably lighter despite all the new stuff coming in. The new guys I've trained are now 6 months into the job, and they have also considerably done well. I've unloaded quite a lot of stuff on them, which is only fair since I'll be shouldering whole new motherloads of sh...tuff in a few weeks' time.

Ga-Gym Ka part? Oo.

2005-10-05T16:01:00.000+08:00

I started going to the gym today.

No I don't want rock-hard abs, steel buns, and such. I just want to get rid of what my roommates half-jokingly call "love handles." Bilbil. And also maybe get rid of the pot belly that I worked so hard by logging insane hours sitting all day at work and mastering my couch potato techniques at home. Overall, I just want to be fit and trim. I look forward to the day when I no longer have to struggle into my size 32 pants, or turn blue from all the holding my breath in so my stomach won't uninvitingly prod the next person standing in line at the movie theater (this unfortunately has happened once or twice.)

Gio and I talked about this before... what did I want out of it? Why go to the gym? Why not just lift a couple of dumbbells or a half sack of rice in the comfort of your home? Why shell out precious coffee money and divert it to monthly gym membership dues? Or why not just go FAT and get it over with?

My reply was a simple 'WHY NOT?' Wait, it wasn't as simple as that. I actually said a bunch of other stuff. I said that I wanted the responsibility and the discipline. The moment I said that I realized something. I wasn't taking care of myself the way I was supposed to. I was neglecting my health and my obligation of keeping competitive in the rat race.

And if keeping ahead in the rat race requires a flat tummy and pants that fit comfortably, then by golly I'll do what it takes.

Besides, I'll be 25 in less than a month. I've decided to go and submit myself to a discipline. Something I know is big enough to merit enthusiasm and I know I can do and won't ignore.

I'd rather pay to run on a treadmill than even be paid to run in the streets of Manila even on the busiest time of the day. Pick your poison. Plus it did help put matters in perspective when a friend of mine helped in getting us a ridiculous discount in membership dues in some fancy gym in Makati. It is unbelievably cheaper than my water bill. (Unfortunately, it's not something I can offer to everyone else.)

Reliving the Past

2005-09-22T10:55:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow night, I'm having dinner with my highschool classmates, those who are in Manila, at least. Everytime I am around our out with these guys, a mix of emotions all come rushing back, most of them not good (Sorry guys, nothing personal. I'm sure you all understand teenagers -- we were all one once.)

I guess I was in what you'd call a "crisis," one where you never really know where you are or what direction you're going; you don't know the persons you walk and talk with even after 4 years of sitting next to them in class; you don't know whether to fit in or to stand out (or even regress into the background), and you try so hard to do either or all of the above that you trip all over yourself and you just end up being embarrassed.

That's what I was and that was how I felt in high school. Sometimes I was compelled to fit in, strutting with the popular guys. Laughing when they laughed, cheering when they cheered. I even bought a couple Giordano Classics shirts because anybody with a sense of fashion was wearing it.

And the truth is, I never really got anywhere with all that trying. So throughout my high school life, I decided not to try. I didn't hang out with cool or more popular classmates. I didn't aim for A's. I kept away from the limelight as much as I could, rarely volunteering for anything. The closest thing to anything resembling fame was becoming a member of the High School Baseball varsity, and even that didn't get too much attention.

I underachieved.

No, I don't blame my classmates for me wallowing near the bedrock of mediocrity. It was my choice. It was my interpretation of events, of the signs that pointed the way out of high school. Just like a real spy -- lay low, be wary of your sorroundings, know where exits are, and in situations of extreme duress, disappear. I was very good at that.

I submitted myself to be the role player in a team of superstars. That was my high school journey.

I changed all that in college. I had more friends. A girlfriend. I was an officer in our college org. I played college baseball. I played in a band. In my little world, I was the superstar. I had reached a whole new level of self, and I owe it all to the weirdness I put myself through in high school. I experienced so much more, because I didn't put myself through something I knew was difficult to handle then, but in college, I knew I was more than ready to take all the responsibility and hardships and attention. I stepped up then, transforming me into who I am now.

So there. Thus all the apprehension for these reunions. I fear I will revert back to those ways, to relive high school again. Though it never shows in the exterior, my mind is racing through all those memories where I sit back and just watched my life be molded by others. That part of my life almost disattached, hanging only on threads of real friendship and sincerity. But despite all doubts and apprehensions, I take part and look forward to seeing them still.

My former classmates are still my friends. And it is now that I cherish their company the most.

Busy busy busy Part II

2005-09-19T09:05:00.000+08:00

September so far hasn't let up. It feels like it's now 2 months in the running, they way work has been piling up. And this is just on the first 2 weeks. It has taken its toll in the form of two separate sick leaves (two days a week apart), and missing Beegee's birthday bash at the Discovery Suites last Saurday. I was really looking forward to that one, except my body had other plans. I had no choice but to rest.

--

At least, in spite of the craziness at work, I have plenty of things to look forward to this week and the next. It's like that now, my days are passing by too fast for me to plan them hour by hour, I've decided to spread them out week by week. I'm going out with my high school friends this friday, I'm subscribing to a DSL service (or hopefully call someone to talk me into it), and next week, Caren's birthday, and I'll be ordering Cagayan de Oro's finest lechon!

Of course, I have to shove a couple weeks worth of training sessions at work in between all the fun.

--

I was texting with Gio yesterday, trying to come up with at least a half-wit plan for Friday, and somehow Bananas got into the conversation. It sounded funny, so I asked him to blog about it. So far he hasn't complied yet. You should check out how he writes. Entertaining stuff.

--

I'm going to try to do the High Fidelity thing and come up with an all-time top 5 list of everything and anything -- perfect for me, the guy who whines about everything AND anything. It's time I did some self-exploration and see if I can identify the things that have stirred my glass for as far back as I can remember. Does it hurt to look at life objectively? I don't know. Does it hurt to look at life at all. Yes, a bit. But that's the whole point of it, isn't it?

The Real Filipina

2005-09-13T14:09:00.000+08:00

Try it. Type the word Filipna in any search engine, and the winner by miles and miles would be --

Filipina brides! 100% docile and domesticated! Order one now!

Now how sick is that? Makes you want to karate-chop to death those awful foreigners looking for mail-order brides.

Many Internet businessmen have abused the power of Google and the technology of personalized searching, selling away and diminishing the image of the Filipina to a mere object you can buy online.

I am now on a roll on the the road of advocacy. First poverty, and now the redefining of the tarnished Filipina image. How can we help? audienceone has beautifully explained it all on his blog. Or just grab one of the link buttons

on his post regarding the plight of the Filipina, and display it on your blog or website. Or you can do it the simple way -- bomb your site with the Filipina word, so when search engines look up Filipina, they'll bring the searcher to your website or to aPro-Filipina movement online newsletter, instead of directing them to all that Internet smut.

So here's my contribution to the movement --
Filipina Filipina Filipina Filipina Filipina and Filipina.

I tell you this advocacy stuff feels great.

Making a difference

2005-09-12T11:10:00.000+08:00

It has always been a nagging thought at the back of my mind - finding a way to make a difference. Certainly, making a blog is not one of those ways? I don't know. I think it is. Many people have altered and revolutionized the way the Internet is supposed to be used. An online diary! Now why didn't think of that?

But like I previously posted, I don't want to be famous because of blogging. I, however, want to contribute, there's a difference. A significant contribution, one that goes a long way. And then, while browsing through mungkey's blog, I noticed the way cool ribbon you now see on the top right corner of my site.

MakePovertyHistory.org is pushing for the changes to help alleviate the alarming conditions of poverty throughout the world. Now I am not a rich man, and can barely support myself, so what can I do? WHAT I CAN, of course. Help spread the word, chip in to the effort, PRAY.

I mean, 30,000 children dying because of poverty. EVERY DAY. If that doesn't make you sad just yet, think of your own children, born or unborn. No child, no PERSON deserves to go hungry. So let's do something about it. Help spread the word. Be aware.

When I get off work, I'm going to go look for that white band. Not only does it look cool, I get to help people. This is something I really want to get serious about. I've never been an advocate for any cause, not publicly nor strongly, but I believe it's the right time, and I think this is the right cause. I also urge you to at least take a look at the website. Please help save more than 800 million lives.

Down with the sickness

2005-09-12T06:46:00.000+08:00

My throat hurts. My body aches in parts. My nose is doing it's best impression of that reindeer's who's usually popular during Christmas season. On top of that, this cold has got me snuffling like a drug addict. It's driving me nuts.

I hate being sick. I had to drink 2 nibs of Advil and those knockout pills that're supposed to relieve you of sore throat and phlegm, instead they made me sleep for 11 hours, and more importantly, made me miss my Sunday basketball workout. The f--! I always look forward to basketball, but this time my body said no. It sure has a funny way of telling us that we need rest or that we're overexerting just a little bit. I mean, there shoul be an alarm that beeps if you've been working too hard, or staying up too late, or have had too much potato chips and ice cream. Everyday on TV, I see that ad for multivitamins, catchy slogan and all -

"Bawal magkasakit."

If that were a real law, everybody'd be in jail, and I'd be an ex-convict 9 times over. The cons of having a work schedule with rotating shifts has done me in. I've worked nights for too long that I've screwed my body clock over.

I have to admit, however, that I guess I've overused this magnificent specimen of a body (after my friends read this, they'll all be laughing till they die).Sleep about 6 hours on the average, delayed eating shcedules, sports, inclement weather, the works. Problem is, I never usually listen. I like going all out, no matter how tired or sleepy or lazy I am, I try to go and take the opportunities the day presents. Carpe Diem on steriods. All the time in the world, and we sleep 8-10 hours away a day.

Gosh golly darn. I really am sick. In the head. I've got to stop torturing myself, get myself some rest, get healthy. Else I might get something worse than a cold. I love my magnificent specimen of a body(Hahahaha! Even I can't help but laugh at this. What a joke.), I gotta start treating it right. And if I think about it, my getting sick is really the bell alarm that I was ranting about earlier. It's the warning to correct a potentially dangerous situation.

Heck, I have a doctor for a cousin! You'd better check me up Gio. Make me better, and I'll redesign your blog as payment. Or give you guitar lessons, or tour you around Manila, or, or, or...

Some Poetry

2005-09-07T15:04:00.000+08:00

This is one of the poems/lyrics I wrote during my, er, "melancholic" moments. Those are long gone, I think. :P

No matter the situation (and believe me I am a very happy person right now), I've been writing about areas like these. So don't mind me.

I don't know myself anymore than you do
But I'm trying to
I know your name and the other things you keep in pretense,
You're less than honest
I guess that's not true
I just don't know you well enough
To keep on bleeding like this
I wish to know the taste of your kiss
But bliss... falls short...
And this won't work.

I keep on dreaming like consciousness is absurd
I keep on dreaming
The days I grow into are harder to live by
Last I heard
You're still with him
And I just hope you're well enough
So I won't keep bleeding like this
I wish it were my lips you kiss
But more than this
I wish
This would stop.

I don't want to be famous...but not quite.

2005-09-06T11:44:00.000+08:00

I decided to take down my picture from the sidebar, and replace it with a long, useless rant that I wouldn't really allow myself to post on Friendster (too a-cry-for-help type of thing, I think). So there, if people want a picture, there's Friendster. I would rather have people want to visit my blog because they're wondering what I'm going to write next, rather than come here to look at my picture (which, by the way, is a very conceited comment from me. Please ignore it.).

Not only have I removed my picture, I've also removed my name and address. Wouldn't you find it weird if people came knocking at your door because you wrote some blog you started as a de-stressing tool? (Again, another conceited comment. I'm on a roll.)

I don't want to be famous... but that's not quite true. Everyone surely has his or her own illusions of grandeur. I want to be a rockstar, but not quite. Why? I like a quiet life, away from attention, the way it was in high school. I just stood in the background, and I blended with the walls. I could've hidden behind a potted plant and no one would notice. Sure I had friends, but I got comfortable only with a few. No one could really figure me out. Our high school yearbook staff came up with this gimmick where someone in your class would write about you, and it would come out in the yearbook with your picture on it. Mine came with a lot of blank words ("Uhm, er, uh, hmmm... yeah. He's a nice guy. There's not much I can really say about him. He fits in, doesn't stand out. Good kid. Yadda yadda."). With no ill will intended to whoever wrote it, I always find it funny.

Again, I'm not sure where I'm going with this, so I'll finish this off. With all my grand plans of affecting planetary trajectory and contributing to the daily content (*cough* garbage) circulating on the Internet, I still want to maintain some degree of simplicity and privacy to a very hectic and turmoiled life (self-loathing mode). I mean a very happy and satisfied one. I'm one happy customer. Really.

I never knew the sun could be so bright...

2005-09-05T15:49:00.000+08:00

... and I'm saying this even with clouds hanging low from the heavenly rafters. I swear, a lazy one just passed right by our 35th floor window. It's just so bright I'm squinting. Working the night shift for 10 straight months has really taken its toll on my eyesight, and my entire system for that matter. I don't even know if my biological clock is set right anymore. Life is now skewed. S-k-e-w-e-d. Not screwed. That's different.

So I am literally coming out of the darkness and into the light. I am a morning person again -- a VERY EARLY morning person. 4AM shift. Which is not so bad, considering I get off at 1 or 2pm. Plenty of time to do stuff, go places. Plenty of time for myself. I can pick up my girlfriend again like any normal boyfriend should!

Normal for two months. Wattalife.

--

My head is a mess right now. There is so much I want to say, yet the words in my head just can't seem to find their way to my fingers. And when I realize that, my brain suddenly flatlines. There... it goes... again...

I've to go now. Mustn't waste the daylight.

I came across ...

2005-09-03T08:18:00.000+08:00

...an interesting, funny, and must-read blog today. Setting Her Free talks about one of the most discussed topics over beer -- a certain Girl. (This ranks right up there with Basketball, foot fetishes, and food... but I'm sure most would beg to differ. Including me.)

Anyway, I recommend that you check it out, and make sure to read it from the very first post. This is the blogger version of the personal experiences of practically 85% (give or take) of the male population. Worldwide. Yes ladies. We stutter and stammer when we look into your eyes because they're very pretty (others might use a different version of this gimmick). So give us a break.

This blog has quite a following. I'm sure if this guy doesn't make it, they're going to start a relief fund or something. Still don't know what I'm talking about? That's because you're still here and not checking it out! Come back later.

If the link doesn't work, paste this link

http://settingherfree.blogspot.com/

in your browser, or find it in my Link'd Blogs menu
(somewhere over there --->).

BER

2005-09-01T07:46:00.000+08:00

September 1. I somehow feel inclined to write an entry today for my loyal readers out there (all 2 of them). Just because it's September 1. I'm only too happy to oblige (my readers will be ecstatic).

Again I'm fighting the urge to write about that co-worker of mine that pisses me off. I keep telling myself that he does not deserve my attention, but here I am ranting about him. So let's bury this topic (and him along with it).

"Ber" months are here again. And I can still remember our last office christmas party and the food I ate that day. I'm just thinking how time has really flown. August just went zip. I snapped my fingers and it's gone. I've been really busy with work, trying to finish the trainings and all the documentation required of me (a grudging price just for me to work in the morning shift again). In between those gaps I've been working on my daily tasks. When I get home I just sleep the vacant hours I have away, and wake up again to go to work. On the weekends I try to spend as much time with Caren, go to my basketball games, go to church, and spend my alone time. What an August.

I feel a vacation is needed soon. I figure, maybe in a couple of months.

--

I received an enriching e-mail from a friend today. Gayle has included me in her list of 7 people that she will pray for, an activity their church started. It feels good knowing that someone will be praying for me. I need all the prayers that I can get. I've decided on starting my own list too. Sort of like a Pay It Forward thing. Instead of the people I usually pray for (actually generalized in a short list, but I gotta stop doing that), I'm shooting for someone I know who actually needs all the holy intervention they can get. And you know what? I've come up with 7 in less than a minute. I happen to know some very needy people, God bless them.

A Picture Paints A Thousand Words

2005-08-31T03:22:00.000+08:00

Okay, I can come up with a lot of half-wit quips for this picture:

You're better off bald.

You look like a hosed down version of Carrot Top.

The wacky hair can't take the focus off your eyebags.

What are you doing in the Women's section of a department store? And is that a shoulder bag you're carrying?

---

So I guess shocking pink isn't my color. Caren and I were trying out wigs in Shopwise Libis after our MBL game 2 weeks ago. I was looking for an afro but they were fresh out.

Which File Extension Are You?

2005-08-30T08:40:00.000+08:00

I found this quiz linked on mungkey's blog. It looked interesting.

Half-lame, half-amusing -- exactly the type of person that I am. Pfffft. Sorry. Just bored and tired. I'd better head on home.

Or maybe I can entice you to take the quiz too.

This Last Week of August

2005-08-30T06:57:00.000+08:00

I just realized a very important fact -- It's hardest to wake up on Mondays.

Oh well. I got over that one quick when I realized that I had to come in early for training. Scratching my head and smacking my lips, I looked at the clock to see what time I had to get to work and how much time I had left, and realized I was two hours late. Ah yes.

I fixed up quicker than usual, wearing my favorite blue long-sleeved shirt that Caren gave me, and the usual black pants. Monday is business attire day. I contemplated wearing a tie, then decided to just be loose today -- no tie. Black shoes, still looking a bit shiny, they should work. I packed my newly bought orange mouse into my backpack, and I was done. The corporate working man ready for battle.

I want to talk about my new mouse. It's a thing of beauty. Encased in clear plastic with the scroll wheel glowing blue. Though I kinda don't like the way that tiny red lightbulbs light up whenever I move the mouse. It reminds me of those squeaky baby shoes that light up and squeak whenever the kid walks here or there. However, my mouse blinks when you don't hold it. It calls out to me. How cute is that?

---

I got to work, and I realized that this is my last week on the evening shift. Finally, at least 2 months of normal days and nights! It sucks though, that I'll be earning 30% less (what a difference Night Differential pay makes!). That means 30% less spending for 2 months. The horror! If I really think about it, it's bad timing. My birthday is in 2 months, and Caren's in less than 30 days. Again, the horror! Oh well, I guess I'll have to make do.

I worry about the people I leave behind in my old shift. They're good kids(actually, they're all older than me, except for one girl who's 22 and can kick my ass in Tae Kwon Do), but they're relatively new to the job. I, the proverbial mother hen, will be leaving them to fend for themselves. I am letting them loose. Good luck to the world. I hope they'll be okay and that the other seniors will watch out for them now and then. They're good kids.

And so begins my countdown. It is tuesday today. 3 more days. One last week, and I'll be waking up to the sun again.

I just want to say...

2005-08-27T07:37:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Ice :)

I hope life has treated you good, bai. Bahala na si Batman! =)

Take 2

2005-08-26T07:09:00.000+08:00

I've been using after-office hours (in case my bosses start bloghopping)to continue working on making my blog look owned and original as it can be -- and I think I've made a few dents into that possibility. I've cleaned the layout, fixed some of the tags, mix-matched my colors (This is a lie. My website is mostly black and white). I think it looks presentable enough. But it doesn't end here. More updating to come.

---

It's that time of the week again! No, not my menstrual cycle. I don't have one. I'm a guy, if you haven't noticed. It's friday again! My most favorite weekday. Why? Simply because it means the weekend is here! Duh.

Anyway, if you've been following my posts, I've declared Fridays as Rants/Raves day (See last friday's post). Every Friday I complain about something, and also rave about something else. How's that for an almost surefire post every friday? At least I can add 1 entry per week that I can read myself (I find the stuff I write funny sometimes. Like reading the Sunday comics).

And awaaaaay we go.

Here's this week's rant:

I have this co-worker about 7 months my senior, who has proven beyond doubt that he is a world-class lazy-ass jerk. Now I don't usually go off bad-mouthing people or write bad stuff about them, but for this one I'll make a rare exception. Like I said, Hall of Fame Jerk 10 times over. Okay, now that I've established that, I should probably tell you why.

When I was about 6 months into my job (I am now well into my 1st year), I was transferred to a shift with a wider scope of responsibility and of a more critical nature. It was exciting and, of course, scared me shitless. Being the competitive idealist that I was, I accepted it head on, knowing that I wouldn't be put in that position unless management had faith in me. It was also guaranteed that a senior will be there to take the lead and guid me through.

The first few days were good. I learned about the business and the way to conduct myself, even adding my own touch to handling issues. Slowly I became confident. I knew I wasn't there yet, but my colleagues and the seniors who had been guiding me were trusting me and teaching me more stuff every day. I was becoming good at my job. Life was beautiful.

Then came a shift change, where everyone's schedule was rotated, and some were moved up or down US primetime business hours. It was decided I was to stay in my current shift and keep at it for a month more, but the senior who was to be working with me would be different. And then there he was. My companion for the morning midshift. I had already heard rumors of the guy. Sleeping, disappearing from the shift, total slacker stuff. So I wasn't shocked to find out it was true. Almost the whole time I was "working" with him, he was either sleeping, not at his desk, late, or absent. Everytime I asked a question, I never really got a straightforward and helpful answer. Whenever he looked and resolved an issue, I never found out how he did it. I was forced to learn stuff on my own, which I think turned out pretty good for me. However, I was also put under a lot of undeserved pressure. I raised a lot of alarms then, as most of the big picture of the business I still could not see (like those huge framed 3-D posters that you have to look at cross-eyed to figure out what picture was hiding beneath all those stuff.) Management talked to me numerous times to find out why I was missing stuff, why issues were not resolved timely. Most of the times I could not get up from my own desk to have lunch because I was alone and there were too many issues to address! If this is not irresponsibility on his part, I don't know what is. I pity his children.

Fast forward to the present -- Mr. Senior is now on the verge of being promoted, so he's taking his gig to a whole new level. He now walks around the area like the self-proclaimed supervisor that he is. Emailing stuff that mentions the things that need to get done. I don't know how many times I've refrained myself from snapping back at his emails or his trying-to-be-witty quips. His luck will run out soon.

Earlier today he disappeared again. Left at lunch and came back at 4:00, an hour before we get off, and did his supervisor thing. Good luck to his subordinates once he makes it as a lead. Time will come, I'm going to have to do a Dogbert.

Now THAT was a pretty long rant. I apologize, I've been fuming on this for too long. I'm even thinking of starting a different blog for this topic. Nah. I'd be wasting my time talking about him -- a notion I'm not particularly very excited with.

And for this week's RAVING news --

GoogleTalk is the bomb. I. LOVE. IT. Though it's still in BETA phase, it's approach to minimalism and functionality look to trample Yahoo Messenger and all other IM software around. I'm sure as updates come, it will be so huge it will be scary. Imagine relying on just one source to do all the things you do online -- Google. GoogleTalk has free internet telephony. I've already talked to my girlfriend living 5 minutes away, a fellow techie who's in CDO, and a college buddy who's in Japan, and I could've sworn the quality did not suffer.

Chat messaging is in real-time. So far I haven't experienced lag or downtime (expected since it's in BETA). And the essential beauty of something that's in BETA, you get to suggest what you want to see on the software.

Using GoogleTalk expectedly requires you to have a Google account (sign up here). Easy enough.

I hope all my friends reading this sign up soon and add me up.

No, I'm not getting royalties making this shameless plug.

---

Alright, I think this post has gone on looooooong enough. In case you haven't noticed, you've already wasted half your friday reading this. :) Sorry.

Anyway, it's a friday! So go do what you do and make sure you do it right. Peace.

As if you haven't noticed...

2005-08-25T08:12:00.000+08:00

I've changed the look of my blog. FINALLY. A design simple enough I could finish in a couple of hours. I tell you, I've been away from web designing so long i was choking on my tags.

Most of what you see here is inspired from the other layouts of many blogs out there. But the real inspiration for this lies here.

I'm still moving stuff a bit to the left and right, so at times the blog may not look right in your browsers. But I am now happy to say that this is one task I finally on the verge of finishing. After this, who knows? A comeback career in web design? No. At least not in the near future. Heck, I have enough in my current job to keep me occupied. But this definitely is a start.

This actually perks me up a little. Working on the page design along with posting stuff makes it much more interesting.

How do you all like my new logo?

The Eraserheads Project

2005-08-24T06:19:00.000+08:00

Highfiber, a Filipino online community that I frequent like the 3rd floor 7-11, is one of the most innovative and unique online forums that I have ever found (Pinoy Exchange is too generic and too Megamall). That's why I've been hooked on Hi-fi for almost 2 years now.

Now Hi-Fi has come up with a project to pay homage to the greatest band the Philippines has ever produced, The Eraserheads. The community is compiling all songs from all(including EPs) albums into an online repository that every fan can enjoy. So I really implore you to dig up your hi-quality (sorry, they'll only accept anything from 192kb bitrate or higher) Eheads MP3s and upload them. Support the cause!

To see the current list of songs, visit http://www.highfiber.org/eraserheads.

Life and Basketball

2005-08-23T08:59:00.000+08:00

We played another game last Saturday for the Gillette MBL Cup, and we lost, heartbreakingly, by a point. The slimmest of margins. I can't believe we lost that game, leading by 8 points 2 minutes remaining. Then, like we did the whole game, we let them hit open shots through fastbreaks and 3 point shots. Unbelievable. We just couldn't play defense. Leading by 2 with 26 seconds remaining, the other team played for a 3 point shot -- and it went in.

We actually had a chance to win the game. 1.3 seconds remaining. Our best player asks for the ball, and we give it to him. We execute a perfect inbound, a perfect pass thrown close to the basket. Alley-oop. So open. Missed. Oh well.

It was a good shot that just didn't go in. Tough break. If we won that game we would be the leaders in the standings right now, perfect 3-0 record with 2 games left in the eliminations. Instead we're bunched in the middle with the other teams now.

Amazingly, I don't feel bad about the loss. Sure, it was disappointing at first, but I'm thinking we deserved that defeat, to humble us. I felt that if we had won, it would have gone to our heads, and we wouldn't be playing hard the rest of the eliminations. Alright, I really AM just making excuses. We lost fair and square. Play better next game. Simple as that.

--

The time is 9:08 AM, and I'm still at work. I've already rendered more than 3 hours' overtime, trying to finish my transition documents. I'm moving most of my workload to my teammates, because next month, I'll be a morning person again, 5AM - 2PM. That's off-business hours to our friends in the States, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll be working less. Ah, the nature of an outsourced job. My body will never behave the same again, changing schedules every so often.

I just visited my cousin's blog, where he wrote about his escapades in his short visit to CDO. He wrote it so well that I started feeling homesick. I missed my sisters. I missed my friends. I missed my school. I missed my favorite hangouts. I missed driving my car. However, I still feel like I belong here in Manila. Cagayan de Oro is too small for me to realize my too-big dreams, but it will always be a place where I want to go back. Someday, I'll return and stay for good. Where my final sun will set.

Manila is my stepping stone. The launchpad to the stars. My job, my work, all tiny pebbles that cause ripples resonating in a big pond. And my girlfriend lives here. It seems my heart has found its place too. I always smile when I think about Caren. :) (See?)

I'm not really sure why I'm writing about my hometown and Manila all of a sudden. Maybe nostalgia, maybe because I owe it to myself, maybe I have brain fart. It's just that sometimes, I need reasons to fill in the gaps to my story, and I always find answers when I look back to where I come from. 'Lumingon sa pinanggalingan.' Sounds like a good plan. And when I think like this, I also think about my other friends who have left CDO to fuel their dreams -- Aldion, Nat2x, Ron Michael, my cousin Gio, the Girls - Girlie, Jan2x. Everybody else. Everyone is chasing something. But do we all really know what it is? I doubt it. But I'm hoping it doesn't stop any one of us from going on. Because when I seem them keeping at it, I'm inspired to do so myself. And it feels good.

Friday is Rants/Rave day

2005-08-19T18:30:00.000+08:00

Okay... I've decided to set aside one day per week, Friday, to talk about personal stuff. Well, not REALLY personal stuff, but stuff that has been tugging at my innards or compel me to slap myself. Just small stuff, really.

I guess this would be an example --

'Dear Diary,

While I was walking to work today and was ready to cross the street with a bunch of other pedestrians, I noticed that in between the gaps of cars that were rushing to cross the intersection, people were darting here and there, crossing the streets with abandon, when the DON'T WALK sign was still blazingly on. And when the sign finally changed to WALK, there were only three of us law-abiding citizens left, looking at each other, surprised that not one of those jaywalkers had been turned to roadkill by the most maniacal drivers in this side of the world.

I said to myself, 'This country isn't going anywhere.'
It really tugged at my innards, compelling me to slap myself.

Till next time,
Don'

Now how's that for an example. Anyway, life is not all about the bad things. Don't sweat the small stuff, I always say (and my annoying conscience whispers back, 'but it's the little things that make you whole,' Tsk. Sad but true.) There's the really good stuff too. I'm also going to write about something good that happened during the week. At least I won't depress whoever's reading this. I don't want to read headlines like 'Woman jumps from 36th floor after reading blog,' Brrrr. Anyway, as I was saying, I'd like to end each Friday entry on a good note. At least, it makes me feel good going into the weekend (hopefully you'll hear about that story next friday).

Alrighty then! On to the next entry!

Halina sa Parokya

2005-08-19T06:18:00.000+08:00

I just got myself a copy of Parokya ni Edgar's latest album, 'Halina sa Parokya' (don't ask how :P), and I have to tell you, this is their best album EVER. It is also contains the funniest tracks I've ever heard since listening to those Weird Al songs of the 90's. It's typical Parokya at it's best. Chito Miranda is still probably on crack to be able to write the lyrics the way he does. But he is, after all, the heart and soul of Parokya, and they've got themselves a hit right here. I'm willing on betting they get Album of the Year honors for this.

Here's the album details for all you lovers (of music) out there --

artist : parokya ni edgar
album : halina sa parokya
source : CD
year : 2005
genre : opm alternatib
quality : VBR ~193K/s 44100Hz Joint Stereo
playtime : 63:20 (min:sec)
size : 88.5 MB

track listing
-------------
1. halina sa parokya (3:12)
2. walang nangyari (3:49)
3. para sayo (4:12)
4. gitara (4:02)
5. victor could (2:23)
6. papa cologne (3:17)
7. nandito (4:22)
8. mang jose (4:07)
9. telepono (5:56)
10. kayang kaya kaya? (3:49)
11. bagsakan (3:27)
12. the ordertaker (4:05)
13. muli (4:56)
14. name fun (2:24)
15. first day funk (2:34)
16. pedro's basura mix (3:38)
17. first day funk (+) (3:00)

I really recommend this album. Though I don't know how long it can keep me laughing, I'm sure the songs are still tolerable enough to listen to again and again. This will be staying on my player for a while.

The Best News the World Will Ever Know

2005-08-17T23:45:00.000+08:00

Greater than the invention of fire or the wheel. Greater than the Pyramids. Heck, if aliens came flying in we wouldn't even give a damn. That's no news compared to the news that, our very own, Ron Michael Khu, has jumped on to the bandwagon and created his very own blog!

Feast your eyes and finetune your other senses! This will be the best blog the world will ever read! Songs have been made, men have lived and died, countries raided, constitutions drafted, just to find out what goes on in that mind of the biggest little man on the planet!

And hopefully Ron will prove me wrong about the blog being short-lived. So while he's contemplating that, everbody check it out here!

PS: This may be the sickest plug ever.

1 Year

2005-08-17T02:24:00.000+08:00

12 Months. 52 weeks. 365 1/4 days.
I don't want to waste my time computing how many hours that totals to.

Anyway, today marks my 1st year in my current job. So far so good. Satisfying, challenging, and fresh. Something new to learn everyday. And a mild surprise from management: a raise. Not much, but enough to be felt and feed me for a few days more.

I kinda like my job and I enjoy it. At least, unlike my friend urly, who sez he is now the corporate bitch, I haven't been branded as that just yet. I'm hoping that a promotion will come next, but I'm happy enough being where I am, and I'm happy to know that management is happy with my work. That's a lot of happiness there. Happy, happy, happy.

Honestly, I hope that this will be the last job I will have to wake up to. When I want to quite corporacy, I hope to be running my own business. That's ages from now though, so I'm focusing on being good at this job.

So here's to me, and every corporate slave trying to make a living. Rise up and overcome.

Pick-Up Lines for Dummies

2005-08-16T04:39:00.000+08:00

Link

Now, I've never really found a use for cheesy pick-up lines. In fact, I don't use them at all. I think the best way to go is to be your witty, charming self. Starting a conversation and leading it is always a good step towards landing yourself in the good graces of the beautiful woman you've been eyeing ever since she entered the room. Be honest, be (or at least, SEEM) genuinely interested, and smile easily. Should work any day of the week.

But if really, really, REALLY can't help but try to seem macho and unoriginal, then try the link above. Just don't say that I didn't warn you. You'll probably get slapped in the face, or kicked in the balls if you're really that lucky -- but don't ask yourself why. You deserved it. Smart-ass.

If you're having trouble clicking on the link, paste the address below in your browser.
http://linesthataregood.com/

10 Best Resources for CSS

2005-08-15T21:43:00.000+08:00

Now who am I to post a link for the 10 best CSS resources on the web, when even my own blog is sitting on a borrowed template on a free blog hosting website?

Well, I just happen to have a keen interest on it, of course. And (tsk, I've said this probably a thousand times over) this site is going to undergo a major overhaul. I've scheduled that for September. I really hope to get it done this time. And I really intend to use these sites as reference. I tell you, they are really good.

If you can't get to the link above, try pasting this link in your browser.
http://www.sitepronews.com/archives/2005/july/20.html

Google Instant Messenger?

2005-08-15T05:19:00.000+08:00

Is Yahoo! really in trouble now? Google moving in on the Instant Messenger market? There are rumors. But when a rumor involves a company with megajillions of bucks, they can just buy into the rumor and make it a reality! They really don't have anything to lose, do they?

Well, I've already said too much, and the Google Secret Police are already at my door ready to taser me up my nose till I forget I even thought this up. So read the news here, and keep the memory on!

Basketball stories

2005-08-15T00:21:00.000+08:00

I just got home from playing ball. I just love this sport. I'm not too good at it, but I guess my enthusiasm and spitfirish competitive spirit more than makes up for what I lack skill-wise.

I'm currently on a team that's playing in the Gillette Metropolitan Basketball League Vector Cup. I mean, it's not the PBA or something, but it's definitely filled with every basketball fanatic whose not a baller with skills mad enough to be making a living out of basketball. Competition is good, and the league is organized, so I'm happy I'm playing in it and getting playing time. There are 17 guys in our lineup, so I'm happy getting 15-20 minutes a game in a forty-minute game. They turn to me to help bring the ball up, and to get myself open on the break, or find a spot on the perimeter and shoot threes.

I'm playing with great guys, so it's been fun. Even better, we're still unbeaten (2-0) in the 2-week old tournament. We have 3 or 4 games to go before the end of the eliminations, so I hope we at least finish in the top two so we can keep playing.

More info on the league found on this site.

More stories later on... hopefully.

And Yet Again...

2005-06-30T23:46:00.000+08:00

My nth blog. That, needless to say, is of no significant value to most people, because my blogs have probably never been read before. Well, the reason I started this one is bacause I think I am ready to face the hard-faced egg-throwers of the world. They can read my blog like a book, follow it like a newspaper. Something to empathize with. Throw pickets if I say something their children shouldn't hear. That sorta shit. And there goes the picket line...

Yes, I am ready for all of you. Wonder Years are over. You are now mine.