Body Shot Boy

You call it Valentine's Day. I call it...

2011-02-12T13:39:00.001+08:00

...the day before my birthday. Single or not, I know I'm happy on the next day. =)

Ranting for the nth Time

2010-05-12T11:23:00.002+08:00

Here I am, supposedly on my 3-day vacation, yet I find myself working on the email updates that my teammates are sending me. Understandable for 2 of them since I left what they're running as incomplete, but as for the other one, I did 5 day's worth of input and all she had to do was update everything. WL P DXPTT ABSN XL DILLYENNW NSNZJXAPYQ? QLND XL DALG GABX HPYW LE GLZHNZ DAN PD. RLUITBPY EPZDX, GLZH TBXNZ.

UVDX KN ZNBT ABYWJ XL ABSN XAN KLDD BD JLVZ KNDX EZPNYW...

Exiting Gracefully

2010-04-26T00:57:00.004+08:00

Here comes that feeling once again. I'm no longer satisfied with what I'm doing once again. No, scratch that - I find that I am resenting the fact that my workload is encroaching my personal life once again. It's not just the occasional sacrifices (it's a Philippine holiday, but it's business as usual in the other side of the world, and since my work is kept in sync with the other side of the world, then I have no choice but to report for work). There are a lot more reasons, but suffice to say that I no longer feel security in my line of work.

Time to break out that letter once again...

I'm Back! Well, Almost...

2010-02-10T14:32:00.002+08:00

It's been more than a year since I last posted. Not because I didn't have anything to post, but because I've had no time to post. Is blogging even the in thing now? Well, now, there's nothing much to share, but I would still try to post every now and then. Not because I want everyone to read about my inner workings, but because I consider this as a sort of therapy. A way of letting off some steam.

Food for Thought

2009-01-01T18:07:00.002+08:00

It's the New Year! Finally I'm back in the blogging world. You'd think, though, that after a year of sporadic blogging, I'd be back in full force. Still, there are few instances that happened in the past year that were blog-worthy (or I chose not to remember them, of course - that's always as good an excuse as any not to blog). But, since I got my home computer back up, I'll be able to blog with a little more regularity than last year.

Anyway, just to share a little food for thought...

"You can take a monkey out of the jungle, bathe him, dress him up in clothes, put expensive perfume... If he chooses not to change his ways, then that's all he will ever amount to - a monkey trying to pass for human."

To the Monkey Man

2008-10-20T09:27:00.002+08:00

Man, you really outdid yourself this time. From the first glance I already knew that you were an asshole, but now you've just proven it to the rest of the world. No wonder no one likes you.

The Body Shot Boy is Getting Old!

2008-07-30T21:38:00.004+08:00

...Damn. Gone are the days when pulling all-nighters came as naturally as breathing. Gone are the days when drinking beer all day long was my forte (not that it ever was). Gone are the days when clubbing was all the rage. Gone are the days when spending money came as easy as 1-2-3.

Now, it's all about how much OT I can render without feeling like a zombie the next working day and how much sleep I'll be able to get with my schedule. Money never stays too long in my wallet, since it goes to bills (damn this cashflow! My expenses are almost equalling my salary).

Well, that's all part of growing up (and growing old, and hopefully growing wiser as well).

I still miss the old me, though.

16-Bit Heaven

2008-06-22T21:32:00.002+08:00

I remember the days when owning an SNES was the in-thing. Of course, the young gamers nowadays would have no idea as to what the letters stand for, and probably would not even recognize one if it hit them on the head. SNES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo's 16-bit console that was very very popular during the early to mid-nineties. Among the SNES's (then) huge library of games, one title I remember very clearly - Super Mario Paint.

I remember playing SMP with the SNES Mouse, drawing (horrible) pictures and composing (horrible) music. At best, I could make like a kid with a coloring book and choose preset pictures which I could color, or render the birthday song on SMP's music composer. But this video is completely out of my league. Younha's Houki Boshi, completely done in SMP.

Back to Work

2008-06-08T00:28:00.002+08:00

As it states above, I'm gainfully employed once more. No more bum days. No more late-night-DVD marathons (at least, not on work nights). No more slacking. Limited time for blogging - but then again, I haven't been blogging for quite a while. At the very least, I'll be paid for rendering overtime (finally! A job with OT benefits - no more OT-Y). And hopefully, I'll be able to focus better on my five-year plan this way.

Spinning the Wheel of Fortune

2008-04-02T19:39:00.002+08:00

"Bankrupt! Lose a turn! Big Money! Higher! Nooooo!!!"

Famous words from the Philippine version of Wheel of Fortune. After all the days that have passed, I still can't believe that I was able to go through the whole experience of being a studio contestant (and conversing with Kris Aquino, if only for a few minutes, but that's not the point).

I didn't win the big prize that I wanted (not the car - I'd rather win money than the car), but at least I was able to bring home a substantial amount of money in exchange for all the money and time I spent during the whole screening process. And of course, even if only for a few hours, I made a few more friends. And I had my fifteen minutes of fame.

Life is good.

Now is a Good Time...

2008-03-10T17:43:00.002+08:00

...for a bookdrive.

end of the school year na. clear your shelves for the summer. kung di ka naman bumagsak, di mo na yan kailangan. i-donate mo na. go.

pwedeng ihatid sa Saguijo. pwedeng mag email sa books@rockedphilippines.org para ipasundo.

anytime is good time to give books to students who can't afford it.

PS: kung gusto nyo mag rally, mag rally kayo. kung ayaw nyo --wag. pero mag donate pa rin kayo ng libro, maski ano pa desisyon nyo tungkol sa mga politiko.

Text by: Gang Badoy

Updating

2008-02-08T17:25:00.000+08:00

Just a week to go before my birthday. Another year to add to my bean counter called age. And, come to think of it, this will be the first time I'm celebrating my birthday while I'm still officially a bum (though I prefer the term "freelancing"). Sorry guys, guess my treat's gonna have to wait. Of course, gifts are a different matter. I accept all major credit cards, check, and COD. Just kidding.

Anyway, it's been years since I've looked forward to my birthdays. This year's no different. I've never really celebrated my birthday with cake, balloons, the works (and I don't plan on starting now). Maybe a birthday dinner with family and a few close friends, nothing too fancy.

**********

Soon on WOF! :P (keeping my fingers crossed)

Bus Ride of a Lifetime

2008-01-17T13:12:00.000+08:00

Been to Bulacan last night for business expansion. And after a few months of self-imposed isolation from the business, I was asked to present the business structure to potential business partners. Boy, was I nervous. I couldn't read my notes right, and my thoughts were disorganized, to say the least.

It's kinda funny that whenever I join my business partners for these trips I end up with a more positive outlook in life, however bad my day was before I accompany them. I believe that it's as Kuya Mike says, "You don't have to search far and wide to have a more positive outlook in life. If you know the right people, and you hang out with them more, then you'll have a more positive outlook as well. Hawa-hawa lang yan."

More positive people please! I'll take them anytime of the day.

I Really Should...

2008-01-01T12:38:00.000+08:00

...dedicate an entire gallery for my nephew. I enjoy taking pictures of him and, at the same time, perfecting my photography skills.

Picture taken by yours truly, using my (sister's) Sony CyberShot DSC-S40. Roxas District, Quezon City. December 25, 2007.

It's the New Year!

2008-01-01T12:35:00.000+08:00

This is what New Year is supposed to be. Glorious fun with family, friends, food, and booze.

Picture taken by yours truly, using my (sister's) Sony CyberShot DSC-S40. Quezon City, Philippines. New Year 2008.

Threesome

2007-12-30T15:51:00.000+08:00

Gheof, pa-kopya ng picture! :P

Spent almost the whole of December 16th with Trix and Gheof at the Mall of Asia and Global Fun. A whole day of fun with friends. Makes the whole friendship thing worthwhile (not that it wasn't worthwhile to begin with).

Wishing this could happen more often.

Picture taken by yours truly, on Gheof's mobile phone (sorry, forgot what model it was). Global Fun, Pasay City, December 16, 2007.

New Year, New Life

2007-12-29T20:16:00.000+08:00

This is it. Only a few days left before the New Year. As I mentioned previously, it's time to end my one-year vacation from reality. I've already put in my last hour in handling other people's (virtual) money. Well, actually, the work wasn't getting to me; I kinda liked the nature of the work. What I was increasingly discontent about were the working hours I have to put in, as well as differences in... well, let's just say I wasn't too happy about an incident that happened just this month.

Oh well, water under the bridge.

I shouldn't start the New Year with such thoughts. I don't want to be contaminated for the whole year.

Anyway, what I'm looking forward to next year are things I have to make happen, no matter what. I've already checked out quite a few details of what I hope to be doing next year; I just need to finalize some details before I actually do it.

Happy New Year!!

Picture taken by Trix Gumban, March 2005, UST Manila.

Moving On

2007-12-21T14:45:00.000+08:00

...Time to end this one-year vacation from reality. Nothing can be gained from remaining here. And I have no more desire or will power to keep on carrying the world on my shoulders. I'll leave that for the shoulders of others foolish enough to keep on carrying that weight. Time to move on.

Catching the Photography Bug

2007-12-16T16:42:00.000+08:00

One of my earliest experimental pictures (ha! I even used myself as a guinea pig for such a thing). Photography has always been a subject of amazement for me, especially since I've been able to see for myself the works of professional photographers (well, not the formal ones, anyway). I guess that was when I started to get the photography bug.

When I actually started taking pictures, it's been usually taken using OPC (other people's cameras). Of course, that was the most inexpensive way for me to be able to learn to take pictures. Of course, anyone can point a camera at anything and take a picture, but I guess it takes real skill to be able to use the surroundings to emphasize or complement whatever it is you're taking a picture of. I remember Kuya Mike (fashion photographer and proprietor of QF Studio on Holy Spirit Drive) saying, "Nakakalibre ka ng photography lessons sa akin ah!" Makes me feel I should take formal lessons, as there are lots of things I have yet to learn about photography.

Wishlist for next year (well, for anything and everything photography-related):

a basic Sony CyberShot camera
a good-quality digital SLR camera
supply of high-capacity memory cards
a variety of lenses (I've been wanting to experiment with fish-eye lenses for quite some time now)

Of course, I'd have to make sure my wallet doesn't suffer too much.

(Feeling) Model: Yours truly. Photo credits by yours truly. Taken using my (sister's) Sony Cybershot DSC-40 and a mirror wall. Hyatt Regency Manila, October 2006.

Marié Digby

2007-12-01T16:16:00.000+08:00

She's Marié Digby (pronounced mar-ee-ay), a singer who started posting her videos on YouTube and has now signed a contract with Hollywood Records. Hope she goes a long way in the industry.

If perchance I were to become a comet...

2007-11-29T13:27:00.000+08:00

I looked up at the night sky alone and saw a comet go by
It popped up for a split second then disappeared again
When I think of you I start to hurt
I want to see you now, but I can't fly through the sky

If I were to become a comet
I could fly through the sky
No matter what happens tomorrow, this thought is strong
So this comet will never break up

When I complain about the rain
Even now I remember what you said
After the rains, the stars will brilliantly come out again
When I think about that, I guess I could like the rain too

If I were to become a comet
I would shed an overflowing light
And whenever you were sad, looking up at the night sky
I'd shine even brighter, so that you would smile

You are always alone fighting something
I can't do anything but be next to you, but

If I were to become a comet
I'd surely fly through the sky
And this instance of light would definitely reach you
Lighting you up for that time, flying around the sky

If I were to become a comet
I'd always be next to you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Go Youn-ha, or Yunna in Japanese, is a Korean K-Pop and J-Pop singer. Yup, K-Pop and J-Pop. Yup, she's Korean. She's active in Japan, speaks Japanese well, and is one of the few Koreans to rank on the Oricon chart. Gotta love her.

The song featured above, Houkiboshi (Jap. Comet), is Younha's second single released on June 1, 2005, and was used as the third ending song for the animé Bleach.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yozora o miage hitori houkiboshi o mita no
Isshun de hajikete wa kiete shimatta kedo
Anata no koto omou to mune ga itaku naru no
Ima sugu aitai yo dakedo sora wa tobenai kara

Moshi atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
Sora kakenuke tonde iku, donna
Ashita ga kite mo ko no omoi wa tsuyoi
Dakara houkiboshi zutto kowarenai yo

Ame ga futte iyada to boyaiteita toki ni
Anata ga itta koto ima demo oboeteru
Ame no ato no yozora wa kirei ni hoshi ga deru
Sore o kangaeru to ame mo suki ni nareru yo ne to

Moshi atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
Afureru hikari furasu yo itsumo
Kanashii toki yozora miru anata ga
Egao ni naru youni motto kagayakitai

Anata wa itsumo hitori nanika to tatakatteru
Soba ni iru koto shika atashi ni wa dekinai kedo

Moshi atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
Sora kakenuke tonde iku kitto
Kanarazu todoku ko no isshun no hikari de
Anata no IMA terashi sora o megurou

Atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
Kitto soba ni ite ageru, donna toki mo

Thoughts

2007-11-15T03:49:00.000+08:00

Is there a written rule somewhere that identifies what type of relationship you have with someone over the phone? I seem to be hearing that quite a lot nowadays. I've known a lot of guys who are normally loud whenever they talk, but when it comes to phone conversations with a girlfriend (or a boyfriend, in some instances), the decibel range of his voice ranges from just audible to near-silent. It's kinda funny that way, actually, since others would immediately assume that the person you're talking to on the other end is a girlfriend, and the immediately drop comments like "Alak pa!", or "Binibitin mo naman yung ka-table mo eh!", or even worse, "Akala ko ba 'tong kasama natin yung girlfriend mo? Ba't may iba ka pang kausap d'yan?"

I recently heard someone speaking in this manner. I'd say it was pretty obvious that there was some hanky-panky involved. Why, you ask? The guy (whom I heard on the phone) was married, and his wife was in the other room at the time, and therefore couldn't be the one the guy was speaking to. I would have said "Way to go! You're really a hit with the ladies!", but then it got me thinking. Is it really such a good idea to fool around with somebody else when you're already married? Now, among my family members, almost all the male members have had their own share of dalliances, but I guess they got over it already. What does it really prove, anyway? Is it a requisite for being a real man's man? Is it really worth risking a marriage?

Call me silly, but I really don't believe in playing around when you're already married or committed. If you're single, then by all means go ahead and be a player if you want to. I know I haven't had my share of relationships (not so much from lack of opportunity, but from other reasons), but I'd say I wouldn't be able to do that. Never say never, though (as I know the temptation will always be there), but I think I'd rather burn all that excess energy in chasing women BEFORE I get married. Or maybe not. I'd rather spend my energy (and money) looking for someone with whome I can have a real relationship, not some one-night-stand who I won't be calling the morning after, anyway.

Inday! Ang Sosyal na Katulong

2007-11-07T18:23:00.000+08:00

Amo: Inday, bumili ka nga ng mga isda.Oo nga pala, Inglesera ka na ngayon. Would you please purchase many fishes for our food this week?
Inday: Judging from your statement, I believe you meant a variety of fish. The term “fishes”, although rarely used, connotes a plethora or an array of different kind of afformentioned gilled creatures. But the more pressing question before I traverse the road to the market would be : What certain type of fish? Fillet or not? Frozen or just right smack the day’s catch?
(pauses)
Aaahhh….by manner of careful extrapolation, given the meager budget of this household’s quasi-peasant middle class taste, I assume then that I will source the staple ga-lewng-gowng, am I correct?
Amo: Leche!
Inday: You meant the freshwater milkfish? Then, ba-ngooz, is it?
(Hanep, hindi lang nosebleed, internal hemorrage pa!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a sample of the many text messages that were circulated regarding the life and times of Inday, ang Sosyal na Katulong. Now Inday has her own blog! If by any chance you missed out on any of her trademark comments, you can check it out at Blog ni Inday. Be sure to check out her Biodata! Heh heh heh...

Finally!

2007-11-04T21:58:00.000+08:00

For a few months I felt as if I've been sent back to the Industrial Age. Well, my computer broke down (I think it was just time for that computer to finally be put to rest). Well, right now I feel revived, or more accurately, reborn. I got a new PC today! Yes! I'm back in the blogging world! Hehehehe :P

Watch for a few more updates in the coming days! :P

Double X Powered!

2007-09-15T06:45:00.000+08:00

Me. On top of a wall. Powered by Nutrilite Double X. 'Nuff said.

Picture taken by Ritche Gorospe, 25 August 2007, Le Pavilion Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

Dreams

2007-08-23T03:51:00.000+08:00

I have a phlegmatic personality. Yes, I am pessimistic by nature. Yes, I am also an introvert - I'd much rather spend my time reading or watching videos than interacting with other people (at least people I do know personally, anyway). But that's not to say I don't have dreams of my own. Every so often, I find myself wondering about what I want to be doing in a few years' time. But pessimism rears its big ugly head more often than not - engulfing my visions of paradise in roaring flames of disappointment.

Whatever. I do have dreams. I do want to make my dreams come true (though, of course, that is limited to those dreams that are physically possible). For instance, I don't want to spend the next 40 or so years of my life working at a job I don't really enjoy, and finally retiring with 40% less than what I made in my whole career working. And there are other dreams I want to make into reality. Sometimes it's what keeps me going during those tough times.

As a wise man once said, not all our dreams come true. But those dreams that come true would not have come true were it not for an idea to make it into reality. Now, all it should take for our dreams to become reality is for the right idea to keep us striving to fulfill our dreams.

Live in the present, but place importance on dreams as well. It really helps a whole lot.

Finally!

2007-07-31T06:03:00.000+08:00

Yes, I finished Book 7 of Harry Potter. Yes, my previous post about the so-called "spoiler" wannabe is totally unnecessary. Yes, what he mentioned about the story is a pile of do-do. But no, it didn't take me more than a week to finish Book 7.

I went to claim my order from Trixie last Saturday. Months and months of waiting, all to be gratified, with all questions to be answered. The final leg of Harry's journey into the Wizarding world is upon us (Now, I'm actually kinda glad I ordered from Trixie, since I was able to avoid the tidal wave of Muggles all eager to pursue Harry's adventure in the final installment of Harry Potter; I have to repay her back somehow).

Well, suffice to say that I was able to finish reading the book by Monday morning (I would have been able to finish the book by Sunday morning, had I not have had some other things to do as well). I was almost teary-eyed as a lot of the characters met their ends. But the final showdown, the epic battle, whatever you might wish to call it - that really was the best! Kudos to Ms. Rowling for such an amazing run with her brainchild.

Now, if only Jo would satisfy the needs of all the Harry Potter fans and complete her planned writing of the Harry Potter encyclopedia...

No Spoilers!

2007-07-18T04:45:00.000+08:00

Amazing how some people would go to such lengths to spoil other people's happiness.

(I guess I don't have to hide the text anymore, as the information that the hacker supposedly got from the publisher is a load of - well, you know what I mean :P )
[BEGIN]
************************************************************
* Harry Potter 0day
*
************************************************************

Dear my brothers,

Voldemort killed Hermione. Yes, that's true. And we knew that 2 days ago.

This is the end of the not yet published (someone could call that 0day) book

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows .

At the end of the story Hagrid was killed by Snape in the attempt of ambush Hermione and Ron.
Ron and Hermione flees in privet drive but Voldermort, surprising them, engaged a magical duel with Ron and Hermione.

Voldemort attacked trough the imperius curse and Hermione, to protect the life of Ron fight hardly for more than 6 pages and then finally die.
(boring, very boring... it's always the same story!)

Then, to make a long story short, Harry came up, killed all the bad guys and Hogwarts against became a good place to stay and have fun.

Ah, i missed one important information about Draco Malfoy, he started to create Horcrux (for fun and profit!).
The end.
************************************************************

Yes, we did it.
We did it by following the precious words of the great Pope Benedict XVI when he still was Cardinal Josepth Ratzinger.
He explained why Harry Potter bring the youngs of our earth to Neo Paganism faith.

So we make this spoiler to make reading of the upcoming book useless and boring.

The attack strategy was the easiest one.
The usual milw0rm downloaded exploit delivered by email/click-on-the-link/open-browser/click-on-this-animated-icon/back-connect to some employee of Bloomsbury Publishing, the company that's behind the Harry crap.

It's amazing to see how much people inside the company have copies and drafts of this book.
Curiosity killed the cat.

Who kill curiosity?

To protect you and your families

God bless you

Gabriel
[END]
Quite amazing, really.

By the way, I don't believe that Harry Potter is a vehicle of Neo-Paganism. I mean, come on! We're all rational people here, right? And just to get things straight: I'm Catholic. I am secure in my faith, and my being Catholic doesn't prevent me from enjoying the Harry Potter books. Conversely, my enjoying the Harry Potter books doesn't prevent me from fulfilling my duties as a Catholic. It's not as if my reading these books will damage or shatter my faith in God, since I understand (as I am quite sure many others who read Harry Potter do) that Harry Potter is a work of fiction. And if anyone who reads the books understand this fact, then there's no way that this will damage one's faith in God.

Now, I hope nobody will say that the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings are works pertaining to the devil, and that Jack and the Beanstalk is blasphemy. That would be too much.

Tabemashou!

2007-07-13T04:00:00.000+08:00

Out of sheer boredom, I thought about my answers to the following questions. ANyway, here they are:

Ano ang iyong almusal kanina? (What did you have for breakfast today?)

A tin of Del Monte's Fruit Express with Passionfruit juice. I work crazy hours, so I almost never eat breakfast on breakfast time. For the most part, if I'm not sleepy at breakfast time, I eat whatever light fare is available.

Ikaw ay may itlog — nilagang itlog. Paano mo ito kakainin? (You have a hardboiled egg. How will you eat it?)

Depends on whatever I'm craving for at the time I possess said hardboiled egg. Usually, though, I just eat the hardboiled egg as is - no seasoning, no rice, no bread, no nothing - just the pure, eggy goodness.

Ano ang paborito mong local na junkfood? (What's your favorite local - meaning Filipino- junkfood?)

Does Boy Bawang count? Hehe.

Actually, there isn't much that I don't like to eat (obviously), though I'm trying to cut down on my junk food intake. But on a normal day, if I can get my hands on any of the following, then my daily snack problem is taken care of: V-Cut Barbecue, Taquitos Ranch Barbecue, Chippy Chili n Cheese, Chiz Curls, Potato Chips, Piknik Chisnak (yes, the ones that cost 1 peso per small snack pack).

Ikaw ay kinuhang TOP CHEF sa isang engrandeng pagtitipon. Ano ang iyong ihahain sa mga bisita? (Note: Ang mga pagkain na ihahain mo ay ang mga alam mong lutuin. Bawal magsinungaling) (You have been made Top Chef for a grand affair. What will you serve? Note: You can only serve what you know how to make yourself. No lying.)

I experiment a lot with my food, so I do know a thing or two about cooking. as to what I would serve, hmmm, let me see...

- Caesar salad with fresh Parmesan cheese

- Penne Rigate pasta in meaty red sauce with cheesy white topping

- Steak ala Pobre with homemade gravy

- Mango Bravo (I'm gonna cheat a bit on this, since I don't usually make dessert, so I'll settle for the Mango Bravo, available at Conti's)

- a good red or white wine (I'm never really sure which goes with what, when it comes to wine)

Kung ikaw ay makakain sa restaurant ngayon din, saang restaurant ka pupunta at bakit? (If you can go to a restaurant right now, which would you choose and why?)

Good question. Right now I'm not really craving for anything in particular. But if I really had to choose, I'd say Teriyaki Boy. I'm kinda missing their Mapo Tofu, and theirs is one of the good ones I've tasted so far (bit funny, though, as it's a Szechuan original cuisine, yet a Japanese-themed restaurant is serving it).

Saang restaurant mo gustong makapunta, pero di ka lang nakakarating pa? (What restaurant would you want to visit, which you haven't been to yet?)

I'd say the restaurants of either Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora, or Masaharu Morimoto (Yes, they're all Iron Chefs).

May pizza sa harap mo. Ano ang ayaw mong makitang topping sa pizza mo? (There's a pizza in front of you. What don't you want to see on your pizza?)

Anchovies. Anything but anchovies on my pizza.

Ano ang madalas mong orderin sa Jollibee? (What do you often order at Jollibee?)

1-piece Chickenjoy with rice, dalandan juice, and if I feel the need for dessert, either the Strawberry Cream Frost Blend or Ube Keso Ice Craze.

Paano magluto ng Sinigang? Marunong ka ba? (How does one cook Sinigang? Do you know how?)

When it comes to sinigang, I am much more adept at consuming it than at preparing it. I prefer either a really (I mean REALLY) sour sinigang with tamarind and lots and lots of gabi, labanos, and kangkong, or sinigang sa bayabas.

Ikaw ay may fried chicken sa harap mo. Ano ang dapat niyang kapartner para masarap ang kain? (You have fried chicken before you. What would be its perfect pair?)

Siyempre, rice!

Oh, wait, are we talking about dips and sauces? In that case, I like dipping my fried chicken in Mang Tomas Hot and Spicy All-Around Sarsa. I also like mixing ketchup with soy sauce, McCormick's Crushed Chili Peppers, and a small amount of calamansi juice. Yum yum!

Kumakain ka ba ng dinuguan? Alam mo ba kung saan ito gawa? (Do you eat Dinuguan? Do you know what it's made of?)

Yup, but I only prefer the Nueva Ecija style of dinuguan (called tinumis). I think it utilizes tamarind instead of vinegar. Of course, dinuguan is not dinuguan without pork blood.

Missing You

2007-06-29T04:06:00.000+08:00

"...Like a cold summer afternoon / Like the snow coming down in June / Like a wedding without a groom / I'm missing you / I'm the desert without the sand / You're the woman without a man / I'm the ring without a hand / I'm missing you..." Case, Missing You

A lot's been happening to me, and yet nothing much has happened. Work, family, friends, my other work (which I hope I can improve on in order to replace my original line of work), and other stuff leaves me almost no time for resting, let alone blogging. Somehow, I miss a lot of the days when I was busy and yet having fun.

Case#1: school - Nowadays, I'd much rather be in school than at work. It's easier to remedy your mistakes in school than at work.

Case#2: school org - Yup. I had what I believe to be the most fun being in an org. Lots of pressure, but with very big rewards.

Well anyway, that's life. Cherish the memories of moments past, but don't delay in moving onward.

~~~~~~~~~~

I keep telling my folks at home that I don't have a steady girlfriend right now. Same with some of my other friends. Right now, I don't have time to go steady with a girl (wow, I'm beginning to sound old. Is the phrase "going steady" still being used nowadays?). Well, that plus the fact that I don't have much cash to spend on dates and movies and whatnot (I believe in going on dates only if you have enough money to spend). It's not like there aren't any girls whom I'd like to date. But I do miss the feeling of being in a relationship.

~~~~~~~~~~

I'm planning to take up photography lessons sometime in the next few weeks or so. Good thing I know an up-and-coming photographer with his own studio who's willing to teach me for free. Well, not exactly free, since we're partners in a business venture he came up to me with. But anyways, it sure beats going to photography school.

Techie Repression

2007-05-18T02:40:00.000+08:00

I can't surf at home! My PC's in one of those days when you can't browse the web, a lot of things are going wrong with the system, and the system doesn't respond as fast as it used to. Well, I could still watch online episodes of Bleach at home, but it would take probably 45 minutes to 1 hour to watch a 23-minute episode, even with DSL. Darn it!

So here I am, making a shopping list for my PC. New hard drive, more memory, maybe a video card and a sound card, but my top priority right now would be the hard drive and the memory. Ubos na naman ang sweldo ko. Where's a pot of gold when you need one?

Hmmm... might as well buy a new PC. Or maybe a laptop. Maybe later, when I'm already earning twice as much as I do now.

Good Times

2007-05-02T06:25:00.000+08:00

Watched Spiderman 3 yesterday with Trixie and Gheof. It was actually my bright idea to ask them to go to the movies, since it was Labor Day yesterday, so they had no work (unfortunately for me, it didn't apply to my work sked since it's during the US holidays that we don't have work). Anyway, we went to Gateway for the first movie screening. Lo and behold, a lot of other people apparently had the same idea, so the Gateway Cineplex was literally crawling with people intent on one thing: Spiderman 3.

Anyway, I digress. The movie was very good, but that's not the whole point. I enjoyed going out with my best buds from school, something that we've never done since college (actually, I've gone with Trixie to the movies, but it was just the two of us, so I don't think it should count). It was the same good thing, albeit a little more sosyal, as we obviously had more money to spend now than when we were in college. Coffee in Figaro, bookhunting at Fully Booked, movie watching at the Cineplex, late lunch at Cafe Ten Titas, searching for Haagen-Dazs ice cream and a bunch of chocolates at Rustan's - these were things we certainly couldn't have afforded back in college.

Isa na lang ang kulang: si Rheza. Were she here, I'm sure the whole movie bonding experience would have been much more enjoyable. Rheza, uwi na sa 'Pinas, dali!!!

(Stupid me, I forgot to bring a camera. Plus, my phone wasn't charged, so I wasn't able to take pictures.)

Picture taken by Gheof Hilario, using his Nokia 3230. Taken 1 May 2007 at Cafe Ten Titas, Third Floor, Gateway.

Ako ang Eraser Mo

2007-04-27T14:24:00.000+08:00

Ang sarap magsulat ano? Lahat ng naisin mong isulat ay naisusulat mo, at lahat na ng pwedeng pagsulatan mo ay napagsulatan mo na. Papel, pader, sahig, dahon ng saging, tissue paper - lahat ito ay naging biktima na ng pagnanais mo na mailahad ang nadarama mo.

Mangilan-ngilang beses ka na ring nagkamali sa mga isinulat mo. at sa mga pagkakataong iyon, ako ang nasa tabi mo. Ako ang eraser mo. Tagapaglinis ng mga pagkakamali mo. Lahat ng pagkakamali mo, maliit man o malaki, ako ang naglinis. Andito lang ako sa tabi mo. Kailanman ay di ako nagreklamo, dahil trabaho ko talaga ang linisin ang pagkakamali mo. Sa katunayan, natutuwa ako kapag ginagamit mo na ako. Fulfilling para sa akin ang gamitin mo ako.

Kamakailan lamang ay nakita ko na ang tunay mong ugali. Enjoy ka sa paggamit ng panulat mo upang labanan ang kung sinong tao na minalas na makabangga mo sa landas ng buhay mo. Lahat ng maibubunyag mo, ibinunyag mo na. Ayos lang yun, sabi mo. Freedom of expression yan. May karapatan ang mamamayan na malaman ang lahat ng mga isinulat mo. Eh kaso, hindi na totoo ang ibang isinulat mo. Gumawa ka ng kontrobersya, para lang mapag-usapan ka. Nagkuwento ka na nang nagkuwento, na ang kinalabasan ay parang isang horror story na ang kinahantungan ay ang pagkamatay ng lahat ng mga kalahok sa istorya. Ok lang, sabi mo. Dapat lang siya ibagsak. Tanga siya dahil ikaw ang kinalaban niya. Lahat ay inimbento mo, para lang masira mo silang lahat.

Ang laki ng pinagbago mo. Noo'y masaya ka na kapag mailahad mo ang nadarama mo. Walang halong paninira sa kung sinong ponsyo pilato. Ngayo'y kahit sino ay titirahin mo, kahit na maling mali ang isinusulat mo, para lang maibenta mo ang panulat mo.

Ako ang eraser mo. Kaya kong linisin ang mga pagkakamali mo. Sana lang ay matauhan ka na at burahin na ang mga maling komento mo. Kaya ko lang linisin ang pagkakamali mo - hindi ko kayang gawin ito kung hindi mo nanaising linisin ang mga mali mo. Sana ay maging responsable ka sa mga isusulat mo - hindi ko kayang burahin ang mga paninira mo kung wala ang pagnanais mong burahin ang mga ito. Hindi ako diyos na makakagawa ng milagro. Eraser mo lang ako.

---------------------

A little something I wrote for Penster

Tribute to a Filipina (by Heart)

2007-04-21T07:51:00.000+08:00

She may not have been born a Filipina, but her unselfishness and love for the Filipinos in the community where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer certainly endeared her to their hearts.

She will be sorely missed, especially by those whose lives she has touched.

May she find peace in the afterlife.

Picture taken from the late Julia Campbell's blog

Pichur!!!

2007-04-06T15:38:00.000+08:00

I forgot when this picture was taken (and who took the picture, so unfortunately I can't give credit to whoever took it), but it would be approximately 5-6 years ago. As I mentioned to Gheof (who gave me this copy), "Ang payat ko pa!!!" But come to think of it, me, Gheof, and Anna were all slimmer back then. Dunno about Rheza though, since I haven't seen her in person in over 4 years.

This picture brought back a lot of memories of my early years in college. All four of us would attend classes and sit together almost always (Rheza was always a bit far from us because of our last names, and we were almost always arranged alphabetically), have lunch together, and be groupmates in projects and activities. Almost always, that is. I also remember hanging out at the botanical garden at this particular swing, where we would all review for quizzes, do homework, practice, and basically just goof around. That swing bore witness to a lot of activities in our school lives.

God, I miss those days.

WTF?!

2007-03-25T22:12:00.000+08:00

I have quite a messy work environment. All I see is paper, paper, and more paper. Add a few boxes of - what else? - paper. Plus, when all the printers are being used, one would have to shout just to be heard above the cacophony of the old dot matrix printers. Nevertheless, I find it easier to work in that environment. I've read an article somewhere that a messy work environment acts as a natural reminder. Somehow I see the logic of that. For example, if you file every bit of paper neatly, more often than not it would go the way of the file-and-forget stuff. But if you just pile every scrap of paper somewhere on your desk (or on the floor surrounding your desk for that matter), while searching, you might come across something that you meant to take action on but for reasons unknown, you completely forgot about it. Plus, if you constantly keep your workplace neat and tidy, it means you spend too much time cleaning up than working. Of course, that doesn't mean that you have to be a slob, though.

My computer area at home is messy. Yup, I know. It doesn't fit in with the overall neatness of home. Still, I prefer to have my area that way. I don't want anybody cleaning up there, 'cause what happens is that, 99% of the time when somebody else cleans up, a lot of stuff goes missing. Program CDs, important scraps of paper, data cables - that sort of thing goes missing. Which is why I almost always get worked up trying to find them, especially when I need to use them, or need to get information out of them. I'd publish a photo of my computer area, but it's too messy for human eyes. Hehe.

I don't get to celebrate the long Holy Week vacation. I have to work until Good Friday morning. Sigh. I might not be able to purchase other stuff I need, since most of my sal- er, allowance - would be allocated for transportation. Another sigh.

Summer na!

Escape

2007-03-03T13:21:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last posted. I haven't even had time to do my birthday post, but enough about my birthday. I never advertised my birthday to my new co-workers, so there. :P

Anyway, I've been thinking of doing lots of stuff I've never done before. The only hindrances that I could foresee would be funding and availability. Although right now funding is not a problem, since I'm getting paid quite a bit for my work. It's not as much compared to other people, but considering what I used to make from my last work, the sum is quite sizeable. So therefore my real problem would be availability.

So many hobbies to pursue, so little time. Damn. Such is the way of life. When will I escape this rat race?

Me as a Character in LOTR

2007-02-13T11:40:00.000+08:00

Apparently there are a lot of name generators floating all around the web, telling people what their names would be were they characters in fiction. This is one such generator: http://www.myprecious.us/name_generator.php

Now, were I a character in the Lord of the Rings, I would be known as:

* Merebo 'the Small' Goatcloset , Ring-bearer (Hobbit)
* Sylla , King of the Noldor (Elf)
* Telin son of Rorin (Dwarf)
* Rynry King’s Archer (Human)
* Tharkûn , Lord of the West (Wizard)

...

2007-02-03T23:01:00.000+08:00

Tumatanda na 'ko! Damn.

1] I crave more sleep, but end up getting less than what I'd hoped for.
2] ~~Videogames rule my world~~ I don't have time for games.
3] ~~Spendaholic~~ Budget freak; I'm much too worried about future repercussions of my spending money today
4] I don't enjoy partying as much as I used to. (Oh wait, I wasn't even a partyboy in my teens, so maybe that's just my nature)
5] ~~Alak pa!!! Hic! Hic! Hic!~~ I give up after three bottles of beer.

Oh wait a sec. I'm not even in my mid-20s, and yet here I am yammering away like an old geezer on Viagra. Jeez.

Drive

2007-01-28T00:54:00.000+08:00

I've been learning how to drive these past few days. Well, I can certainly say I've improved a lot, since I can already drive myself to and from places (yay!), but I'm not a full-fledged driver yet. For one thing, I can't navigate well (yet) if I'm the one behind the wheel. It's one thing to point out every possible shortcut when you're in a taxi, and it's quite another to use the shortcuts as a newbie driver altogether. And another thing, I've been driving for four days, or a grand total of five hours. I still can't cut it as a driver (yet). Maybe in a few weeks, I'll be better than I am right now. Still, there's quite a long way to go.

"It's driven me before, and it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal. But lately I'm beginning to find I should be the one behind the wheel." - Incubus, Drive

It's Almost Official...

2007-01-22T00:21:00.000+08:00

...My bum days are almost over once more. I've got about a week left before I start work. This will be the third company that I will be working for (if you include my OJT stint in college). Why almost? I haven't signed anything yet, so I still don't have anything concrete so far. If all goes well, maybe I could even get a chance to be assigned overseas. I'll just have to do my very best for this to happen.

In the meantime, if I do get in, some of my very-very-short-term-goals are:
* Buy belated Christmas presents for people to whom I've promised presents
* Treat my family to dinner (or lunch, whichever applies)
* Buy a new phone for myself - I've been eyeing the Nokia N93 phone, but I saw it would be too expensive for me, so I'm thinking of choosing either a Nokia N80, a MotoRazr, or a Dopod International P800W (if I could find one here in the country)
* Get a PS2 (still a questionable goal, as I don't think I would have time to play games often)
* Treat myself to a full service spa - aromatherapy, shiatsu, complimentary free iced tea, the works

"If your phone is too basic, too old, and too, well, crap (like mine), it's time to upgrade!" - Oli Pettigrew on Animax Asia's TechnoMax

The Year That Was...

2007-01-18T11:01:00.000+08:00

It may be a bit too late to write about the past year, but hey - better late than never, right? Oh well, whatever.

2006 was the year when...
... I really enjoyed hanging out with my workmates, but not at the workplace
... I learned that sleep is very very important
... I regretted not sleeping in the afternoons when I was a kid
... I first stepped on the sandy shores of Puerto Galera
... I got transferred from campaign to campaign
... I got 15k in June, but spent almost all of it in about a week
... I got 16k in November, but spent all of it in about 2 weeks
... I saw a lot of friends come and go
... I finally got fed up and retired my TSR headset, and resolved to never wear one again
... I started (but never finished) dieting at least 10 times
... I first learned how to care for an infant
... I had less than 500 bucks in my wallet at Christmas
... I renewed old ties with some of my classmates
... I resurfaced as a Rock Ed volunteer, but due to financial constraints was unable to participate in a lot of the events
... I learned the real difference between love, infatuation, and lust
... I was out of blog action for at least 6 months
... I remained the only one of my siblings who can't drive a car
... I tried to put my energies into writing poetry, but the words just wouldn't come to me
... I learned that the best time to go to the movies is at the first screening
... I gradually increased my beer capacity from 3 bottles to 5 bottles
... I resolved to never drink gin without mixers again

That seems to sum up much of my 2006, though this doesn't cover all of my doings. Maybe this year would be better. Somehow, the next year always is.

Christmas

2006-12-25T02:05:00.000+08:00

Pathetic 'no? It's 2:08am, December 25, and I'm not even partying. Well, actually - I haven't partied hard since, well, I don't even know when. Anyway, I'm not posting here to rant about anything at all. Ranting about anything can wait until the new year. So... Merry Christmas! Logging off till next year ;)

Options

2006-11-25T23:59:00.000+08:00

In life, you don't get a lot of options. You could be a thumbsucking infant waiting for your mom to give you your baby formula (which you might not like the taste of, but you have to endure because that's the only one available). Or you could be a grammar school kid assigned to the seat behind the smelliest kid in class who does nothing but pick his nose all day long. Or you could be a bum, period. With no options whatsoever.

Well, that's how I used to see life then. Back then, it was always do this, and there's no OR to the bargain. As a programmer might say, it's not always a CASE:1,2,3... scenario. It might not even be an IF...THEN...ELSE scenario for that matter.

But enough with the rambling. I've had something which you might call an epiphany of sorts. It goes something like this. It might seem that you don't get a lot of options in life. It might also seem sometimes that you have no options whatsoever. But what we fail to realize is that there are lots of other options available. It's just up to us whether we choose to recognize these options or not. It's just like finding what's behind the door that is one door away from heaven. If your heart is closed, you will find nothing behind that door. But if your heart is open, you may find other people also searching for the door to heaven, so that you may search for the door to heaven together.

-----------------------------------

While browsing through my other archives, I noticed this particular entry that I made three years ago:

"...My friends Gheoffrey and Rheza say I never look or seem worried about anything, not even a bit ruffled about anything that goes wrong. I know I seem like the laid-back sort, but I still am human. I worry, I panic, just like any other normal human being. I suffer from panic attacks and stress, I break out in hives, almost anything that falls short of a massive attack of the proverbial shakes. It's just that I try very hard to handle everything that comes my way. The question is, how long before I truly break down?"

Now, my question to myself is, do I still project that same aura of an unconcerned, laid-back person? I still worry about stuff that has happened or is yet to happen, that much I know. But can I still manage to project that particular aura? Or am I already non compos mentis and just not realizing it?

-----------------------------------

To sleep early, or not to sleep early - that is the question (to me, that is).

Who Cleans Up After Spiderman? At Kung Anu-ano Pa...

2006-11-07T00:09:00.000+08:00

(All English entry? All-Tagalog entry? Taglish entry? Oh well, bahala na.)

Spiderman roams the streets of New York in true swinger style, making full use of his webslinging abilities. Pero do we even stop to think kung sino ang naglilinis nun pagkatapos niyang gamitin ang web? Or does it dissolve into thin air kaya walang trace ng web ang makikita sa mga walls? Wow, magic.

Damn. I need physical exercise. Hindi lang sex (although mukhang kinakailangan ko na rin nyan para maka-focus na ako sa ibang mga bagay bukod dito), but physical exercise na may physical exertion, yung tipong pagpapawisan ka at nakakapag-pa-energize sa 'yo. Pero di ba sex also meets these two requirements? :P

Thinking is good mental stimulation, kaya kung hindi ka marunong mag-isip eh mabuti pa magtanim ka na lang ng kamote sa bukid. Ay teka... kakailanganin mo ring mag-isip pag magtatanim ka. Hehe. Pero it's also bad kung masyado kang nag-o-overthink sa mga bagay-bagay, baka mabaliw ka naman sa kakaisip ng lahat ng possible consequences ng pagtayo mo sa upuan mo matapos mong basahin ang entry na 'to.

Haay buhay talaga. Parang life. :P

Celeb Lookalikes (of my sis)

2006-10-14T16:19:00.000+08:00

Naaliw sa resulta ng lookalikes ang ate ko, kaya nakigaya rin siya, at eto ang lumabas...

Celeb Lookalikes (I guess...)

2006-10-13T15:35:00.000+08:00

Just what hours of aimless web surfing will turn up...

Rock Ed Concert and Rockregalo!

2006-10-13T14:51:00.000+08:00

Oct 15-16, 2006 -- TUMAYO TAYO!
UN Anti-Poverty Rock Ed Concert
Marikina Freedom Park
Concert starts at 4pm

Featuring: Radioactive Sago Project, UpdharmaDown, Juan Pablo Dream, Giniling Festival, Paramita, BrownMan Revival, and many many many more.

//

Dec 2, 2006 -- ROCKREGALO LAUNCH!

Free Concert/Christmas Gift Drive
Eastwood Main Circle
Concert Starts at 730pm

Featuring: Radioactive Sago Project, UpdharmaDown, JuanPabloDream, Giniling Festival, Outerhope, Paramita, Drip, and the list is growing... abangan...nag te-text pa kami ng mga mababait na bandang tutugtog nang pro-bono... hehehehe

Dec 8, 2006 ROCKREGALO @Gweilo's Makati
Featuring Radioactive Sago Project and more... (abangan)

Dec 9, 2006 ROCKREGALO @Aruba Metrowalk
Featuring 6CycleMind, ProteinShake, Paraluman and CallaLily

Dec 10, 2006 ROCK THE RILES 2006!
Performances @ 8 MRT Stations
Rock Ed Artists Gathering for Human Rights!

Dec 15, 2006 ROCKREGALO @Bagaberde, Pasig
Featuring Itchyworms, Salindiwa, Bagetsafonik, and more

Dec 16, 2006 ROCKREGALO @Aruba, Tomas Morato
JuanPablo Dream and more.... (abangan)

Dec 22, 2006 ROCKREGALO @BlueWave
Chicosci and more.....(abangan, inaayos pa...)

Help Bislig!

2006-10-05T16:00:00.000+08:00

(entry taken from Joey's blog)

October 3, 2006. Bislig, Surigao del Sur. a massive fire ate up approximately 3000 households in the public market area of the seaside city of Bislig Surigao del Sur. Many of the affected are small scale merchants who live on the stores surrounding the public market, and fishermen who rely heavily on the public market for deals. This is the biggest fire in the history of the town, rendering around 15000 people homeless and with little supply of food. The town is still in shock. As of this writing, rescue and relief operations are being done to find the bodies of those trapped in the fire. The town depends on the public market for their daily supply of food, and with the market now gone, they will need every help they can get. Bislig is five hours away from Davao and Butuan.

Help can be of any form: clothes, food, utensils, medicines, cash etc. for those who can give please send your donations to Rockedphilippines and we will make sure these will reach the proper authorities in Bislig. Let us know how we can reach you for pick up of goods thru our email rockedphilippines@yahoo.com. For those who are giving cash donations you may send it to the rocked bank account: Bank of the Philippine Islands Loyola Katipunan QC Branch. bank account name: ROCK ED PROJECT . bank account # : 3080-0073-44. please send us an email with the details of your donation (amount, deposit number, date and time) so that we can give you back confirmations.

video footages by joe climaco found here: video1 video2 video3 video4 video5 video6

La di da...

2006-10-05T15:44:00.000+08:00

Go USTE! Go USTE! Go USTE! Go go go go!
Go USTE! Go USTE! Go USTE! Go go go go!
Go USTE! Go USTE! Go USTE! Go go go go!

It's been a joy being able to shout these words again with pride. For the first time in 10 years, the UST Growling Tigers, under first time coach Pido Jarencio, won the UAAP seniors basketball crown against Ateneo de Manila. As they say, it's been a Cinderella story for a team with a 6-6 standing at the end of the regular season. Who knew that UST was gonna go from 6-6 to champions? Congratulations to my alma mater!

~~~~~

Donate old books to Rock Ed Philippines' Bookbigayan Night @ mag:net Katipunan on Monday, October 9, 2006. Stay for the concert at 9pm, featuring Salindiwa, Bagetsafonik, Cherry Cornflakes, Shifting Sand, etc.

Wow...

2006-09-25T17:03:00.000+08:00

Almost one month has passed since I retired my TSR headset. Well, here I am still, enjoying(?) my one-month vacation from life's harsh realities. But still, life's realities are already starting to intrude in my existence. Gone are the days when 'having coffee' meant going to the nearest Starbucks chain to order my favorite Mocha Valencia frappuccino. Nowadays, 'having coffee' means opening a pack of Nescafe's finest 3-in-1. Sucks. Yeah, I know. And now, with my wallet screaming drought, hunger, despair, desolation (the list goes on and on), I begin to think. Maybe hanging up my TSR headset was too soon. After all, my wallet was at its straining point when I wore the headset. Hmmm. Whatever.

In other news, my nephew was deemed 'obese' by his pediatrician. Geez, obesity affects even the most innocent of people. And my nephew is already deemed obese at a mere 2 months. How obese, you might ask? Let's just say that his weight at 2 months old is the weight that any other 6-month old baby should have. There. And the verdict: milk at lesser intervals, and vitamins every other day or so instead of every day. Geez, dieting at 2 months old? Almost unheard of.

I went to Eastwood last Saturday on a 'date' with Trixie. Suffice to say that we spent 2 hours talking about stuff over frappuccinos and hot tea at Starbucks, then 2 hours of watching "John Tucker Must Die" (where she learned that getting even isn't all it's hyped up to be), and 2 more hours talking about more stuff over pasta, pastries, iced tea, and a chai latte at Gloria Jean's (everything, of course, was her treat, but don't get the idea that I forced her at gunpoint to do so - everything was voluntary on her part, I think).

With nothing else to be said, I bid thee farewell.

My Furry Guardian Angel

2006-09-20T15:43:00.000+08:00

Also seen at my gallery

Model: Albretch Iñigo G. Javate, and my stuffed Eeyore. Photo credits by yours truly. Taken using my (sister's) Sony Cybershot DSC-S40. August 2006.

Rock Ed Book Bigayan

2006-09-14T13:50:00.000+08:00

Rock Ed Philippines is accepting donations consisting of grade school and high school textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, Philippine literature, picture books and other educational materials. You may bring your old books, materials, etc. to Rock Ed events, listed here.

**********

Again, Rock Ed Philippines is now on SMS!

Type KEYWORD and send to 2948 for GLOBE and SUN CELLULAR subscribers, and 3940 for SMART subscribers

ROCKEDPHIL About Rock Ed
ROCKEDPHIL D For Donations to Rock Ed
ROCKEDPHIL E Weekly Rock Ed Events
ROCKEDPHIL REG How to Register to Rock Ed Philippines TxtDomain
ROCKEDPHIL V How to Volunteer

Thanks Tricia M. Fernandez of Megamobile!

Pic Sharing

2006-09-11T15:27:00.000+08:00

This will be all about pictures of the past few months.

My first ever Keno bet, where I won over three thousand bucks in cold hard cash

The facade of the UST Main Building. See how the front has changed drastically in under two years?

Some of my pictures with my officemates (err, I guess I should say former officemates, since I already resigned from 24 by 7). First three pictures are with Jada, then with Ria, Happy, Dorcas, and Ria again.

Pictures taken by yours truly on my Nokia 3660 phone, 2006.

Rockin' On

2006-09-08T14:55:00.000+08:00

Finally, I get to go back and show support to Rock Ed Philippines! After quite a long hiatus, I'm back! Enjoy talaga!

White bands. Symbols of support for the goals of Rock Ed. Wear the white band now. Available at all events and gigs where Rock Ed Philippines is present. To learn more about Rock Ed Philippines, how to volunteer, event skeds, and whatnot, visit their website at RockEdPhilippines.org. Or you can also text the keyword ROCKEDPHIL and send it to these numbers: 2948 for Globe and Sun Cellular subscribers, or 3940 for Smart subscribers.

It's about time. And as the first picture says, "No more excuses, Philippines!"

Pictures by yours truly. Captured using my (sister's) Sony Cybershot DSC-S40 at Dish ABS-CBN, ELJCC Building, QC, on September 7, 2006.

Remembering

2006-09-01T15:12:00.000+08:00

Facing death at such a young age forces you to reflect on the mortality of man. When you hear of a person of advanced age who died, somehow we subconsciously think that it's supposed to happen. But if it's someone much closer to your age group who dies, that's when your mortality comes into clear focus.

It's usually the young ones who don't worry about their future so much, and also think that they will live forever. But the Reaper can be cruel, snatching someone's life when you least expect it.

I recently heard that my sister's high school classmate died of an aneurysm. Damn. Dead at age 30. Also, there's the UST mountaineer who died of a tragic accident in the mountains; dead before college graduation. And then there's Steve Irwin, who died due to a stingray barb to the chest; dead at age 44. Dreams not yet realized might never be.

What's the point? You might ask. No, there's no point in all of this. At least not on the surface. Just rambling on and on.

To Marvin, Prana, and Steve, and to the countless others whose death became final before their prime, your memories will live on. Thank you for gracing the earth with your presence.

Changes

2006-07-15T16:14:00.000+08:00

Change is constant. We are always reminded of this basic fact. Wherever we go, whatever we do - nothing else is constant. We are taught to accept change, or embrace it if we can.

Change is constant. Changes affect everyone no matter how little or how big these changes may be. With change, we either learn to accept and grow with these changes or remain closed and stagnant and never really moving forward.

Change is constant. With change comes the maturity of accepting whatever comes our way, and then doing what we feel is right for us. For it is never without change that we progress. And it is never without change that we really learn to appreciate whatever it is that we have right now.

*************

I haven't been blogging for so long that I've almost forgotten how to blog. Again, it's real hard to blog when you're not at your own computer and you don't have the luxury of customization and limitless leisure time with which to use for blogging. Sigh. I miss blogging.

*************

It's only now that I realize fully that being a student is the best life experience ever (maybe going back to school and taking up something new might be a good option, but then who knows? I might even do it soon). It's real easy to apply changes in school than it is in work. At least, in school, the eraser is always within easy reach, and if you screw up, it's easy to make corrections.

Sigh.

Gyaaahhh!!!

2006-05-12T16:07:00.000+08:00

IT's been so long that I almost forgot how to blog... I miss my PC (too bad I still haven't had the time to fix it, I've got lots of ideas for blog entries and it just isn't the same blogging on a different PC)... Maybe a longer blog entry is in order, but perhaps after my PC's fixed...

Puerto Galera pix soon!

Procrastinating and Whatnot

2006-03-21T13:59:00.000+08:00

I hate procrastination, yet I am guilty of procrastinating on a lot of things. I tend to make up a lot of excuses in order to convince myself that procrastination is not what I am doing. Like for example - blogging. I promised myself an update weeks ago. But I tend to find the most ridiculous excuses not to do it. I'm tired; I can't publish; nothing comes to mind - most common excuses. Sounds familiar?

I hate procrastination, yet I procrastinate even on the most trivial of things just to suit my circumstances better. I'll take out the trash later, or maybe I'll finish cleaning later, or I'll fix my stuff tomorrow, next week, in a month's time, or never. Usually never - that is, until I become reminded about it and then procrastinate yet again. The cycle goes on and on.

Enough about procrastination. I think I'll procrastinate about it later. Procrastinating yet again!

~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes I tend to forget my age. No kidding. Well, not really forgetting that I'm over the age of 20 (that's kinda hard to forget), but forgetting the responsibilities attached to adulthood might be more like it. At times I think like a mature individual, yet the kid in me tends to materialize more often than not. I still enjoy watching cartoons - the type of cartoons designed for kids under the age of 12. I even enjoy watching Hi5 on Nick Jr (though this might be because I'm amorously infatuated with Kathleen de Leon - yep, that might be it). Animé is a different story altogether. A lot of adults (not just me) enjoy watching animé, so that might not fall in the category of childish behavior. Or whatever - there might just be a part of me that's never grown up with the rest of me. Oh well. Boys will be boys.

Mick Foley is in Manila!

2006-03-12T22:07:00.000+08:00

Pictures by yours truly, using my then-phone Nokia 7650, at the Raw Live Tour on February 25, 2006.

...Whatever.

2006-02-14T18:18:00.000+08:00

It's been almost a month since my last entry. I've really been very busy catching up on much-needed sleep (especially after all the downtimes our system has been experiencing - it's not our fault, but we have to suffer for it by making up on Saturdays, leaving us with little or no time for Sunday recreation. Boo-hoo).

I really am starting to (insert word for a word stronger than hate here) my job. Or maybe it's because of the effin' (bleep)ers (I don't want to mention the place) with whom I get to talk to. Them effin' (bleep)ers are so rude.

It's less than six hours before my birthday, and I still don't have any idea how to celebrate it - or if I'll be celebrating it at all. I dunno - it's just not the same.

The Champ is Here! WWE Raw Live Tour comes to Manila on February 24-25! Can't wait for the 25th, I'll be watching the tour on that day with my brother and his officemates. John Cena said it best - "You want some, come get some!"

...Whatever.

Finally, an Update!

2006-01-16T11:05:00.000+08:00

Finally, my first entry for the brand new year of 2006! Not that I didn't have a lot to write about, but it's just that I haven't had the time and the energy to write about my wheelings and dealings for the past few weeks.

First of all... Happy New Year guys and gals! Though it may be quite a bit belated, but still... hehe.

***

My sis gave me the Christmas gift I'd requested ages ago - a seven-book collection of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. Suffice to say that I finished reading Narnia (as in the whole seven books) in about a week or so. And as expected, a lot of my officemates were borrowing the said book (isa-isa lang! andami niyo eh).

***

Isha's rendition of Torpedo still makes my, er, sensitive parts tingle. Wala lang, maybe it's the way she sings the song (sort of reminds you of the way a woman you're coupling with breathes your name while doing it, hehe). To each his own. Yebah!

***

I feel I'm walking a very fine line between enjoying my work and getting tired of it. Some days I enjoy my work, other days I despise it. I guess everyone goes through the same period, that this is just a normal phase for all working people. I guess the only thing that reminds me to keep at my work, however tiring and demoralizing some things about it are, is the thought "What if God said He was getting tired of His work? Where would we all be if that happened?" Just a short thought to consider, but well worth considering anyway.

***

Have you ever said I love you to someone who thinks that you're not even half-serious about what you said?

***

Haay, tama na nga ang drama. I need some breakfast.

Ghosts of Christmas Past and Other Stories

2005-12-30T15:29:00.000+08:00

I didn't enjoy this year's Christmas.

These six words sum up everything I've felt during this past Christmas season. It's not because I didn't have money (on the contrary, I was financially richer this year than I was last year, even with all the aguinaldos coming from ninongs and ninangs). It's not because the family wasn't together even with Kuya getting married (actually they're temporarily living in the apartment next to ours). I don't exactly know how to explain what I'm feeling. It's like my 20 previous Christmases were much more special than this year's is.

Then again, it might be because I'm still having a hard time accepting that I now reside in the real world outside the confines of the university. Or maybe because last year's Christmas was just more meaningful than this year's is.

***

My December wasn't also as enjoyable as last year's was. For the first time, I wasn't able to join the Paskuhan in UST because I had to work (sob). I'm not particularly happy with my work environment because of one particular person (who is so dense that he can't even begin to realize that I'm really pissed off, but then again, he might really be just very dense and stupid --- ooopps, sorry, I promised myself I wouldn't speak out again about his shortcomings, but damn! It feels good to let it all out).

***

Yesterday I bought the Eheads tribute album UltraElectroMagneticJam. Wala lang, ang kulit pakingan lalo "Ang Huling El Bimbo" (Rico J. Puno) at "Alcohol" (Radioactive Sago Project). I can actually imagine Corics singing "El Bimbo" while dancing the El Bimbo wearing the white Elvis jumpsuit. Heh heh. As for RSP, what more can I say? Astig.

Lit

2005-12-14T10:51:00.000+08:00

I will never settle for a few
when most are within reach.
I have no interest in ‘okay.’

I will never confuse a fad
for commitment.
I will frustrate the cynics.

I have been stubborn when necessary.
I have been easy when offered collaboration.

I have lit fires.

I am a Rock Ed volunteer.

Lit: a Rock Ed Volunteer Manifesto by Gang Badoy.
Picture taken by Mike Campillanes, December 2005.

Wear the white band. No More Excuses, Philippines. End Poverty Now.

Long Weekend

2005-11-28T09:59:00.000+08:00

With the Thanksgiving season just these past few days, we had a long weekend to, err, relax. How? We went to Batangas for an overnight teambuilding (translated: magdamagang inuman sessions). It's really funny how it all came to be. Right after our shift ended on Thursday morning, our TL called a post-shift meeting to decide on how we were going to spend the long weekend (and the prize money that both our teams collected last Tuesday). It was then decided to have a beach outing, as Sir Matti's team were going to spend their weekend in Galera (of course, they've been preparing for this for weeks now). So, the venue was decided, and the final destination: Matabungkay in Batangas.

I don't think I'll relate the finer points of our stay in Batangas. Suffice to say that some had a good time, others more so than the rest. Moral lessons learned during our overnight stay:

(1) Never drink more alcohol than you can handle.
(2) Be careful with your stuff.
(3) When going swimming near coral reefs or the like, make sure you have aqua socks or slippers at the very least.
(4) Never fart in a vehicle, especially after a long night with Granma (translated as Gran Matador Brandy).
(5) Above all, after all has been said and done, mas masarap pa rin jumebs sa sariling palikuran sa sariling bahay.

I Like to Read a Lot...

2005-11-16T10:31:00.000+08:00

...and here's proof.

JK Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

Ian Caldwell's and Dustin Thomason's "The Rule of Four"

Mike Gayle's "My Legendary Girlfriend"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyway, moving on... Here's something I picked up from the Friendster bulletin boards...

A - Age : 21
B - Band listening to right now : as in right now? wala...
C - Career in the future: Web Developer... bahala na hehehe
D - Dad's name: Mario
E - Easiest person to talk to: si _____
F - Favourite song at the moment: Fever (Michael Buble)
G - Greatest fear: solitude in a desert island with nothing to eat or drink
H - Hometown: Jaen, Nueva Ecija (but I was raised here in good ol' Manila)
I - Instruments: none, di ako masyadong musically-inclined
K - Kids: kahit ano, as long as sigurado akong anak ko! hehe
L - Longest car ride ever: Manila to Iba (Zambales) and Manila to Bolinao (Pangasinan), whichever is longer
M - Mom's name: Zenaida
N - Number of siblings: 1 guy and 1 gal
P - Phobia[s]: really high places
Q - Favourite Quote: "If you don't do it, who will?"
R - Reason to smile: family
S - Song you last sang : Pinoy Ako (Oranges and Lemons) lss kasi eh...
T - Time you wake up: usually 3:30am; other days at 8:00pm
U - Unknown fact about me: I like watching chick flicks occasionally
V - Vegetable you hate: okra
W - Worst habit: staying up late, thus ending up not getting enough sleep
X - X-rays you've had: chest (routine physical examination)
Y - Yummy food: Tuna Sashimi and California Maki
Z - Zodiac sign: Aquarius

Photos by yours truly, November 2005.

Well Wishing

2005-11-09T15:24:00.000+08:00

Someday when I'm awfully low / And the world is cold / I will feel a glow just thinking of you / And the way you look tonight / You're lovely, with your smile so warm / And your cheeks so soft, there is nothing for me but to love you / And the way you look tonight / With each word, your tenderness grows / Tearing my fears apart / And that laugh that wrinkles your nose / Touches my foolish heart / Lovely, don't you ever change / Keep that breathless charm / Won't you please arrange it / 'Cause I love you / Just the way you look tonight / With each word, your tenderness grows / Tearing my fears apart / And that laugh that wrinkles your nose / Touches my foolish heart / Lovely, don't you ever change / Keep that breathless charm / Won't you please arrange it / 'Cause I love you / Just the way you look tonight. Michael Buble, The Way You Look Tonight.

Words will never be enough to describe how happy I am for you both, my brother and my soon-to-be-sister. May you prosper in your love for each other.

picture by Fitz Javate, October 2005

Light Life Love

2005-11-05T15:15:00.000+08:00

There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea. You became the light on the dark side of me. Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill. But did you know, that when it snows, my eyes become large and, the light that you shine can be seen. Baby, I might compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey. Ooh, the more I get of you, stranger it feels, yeah. And now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey. There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say. You remain, my power, my pleasure, my pain. baby, to me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny, won't you tell me is that healthy, baby? But did you know, that when it snows, my eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen. Baby, I might compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey. Ooh, the more I get of you, stranger it feels, yeah. Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey. I've been kissed by a rose on the grey, I've been kissed by a rose ( on the grey)... And if I should fall, at all, I've been kissed by a rose (on the grey). There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say. You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain. To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny, won't you tell me is that healthy, baby? But did you know, that when it snows, my eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen. Baby, I might compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey. Ooh, the more I get of you, stranger it feels, yeah. Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey. Yes I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey. Ooh, the more I get of you, stranger it feels, yeah. Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey. Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey. Seal, Kiss from a Rose

Picture by Tim Dono, August 2003.

Epiphany

2005-11-03T11:49:00.000+08:00

I just had an epiphany.

I was just sitting in our office pantry just a few hours back, thinking about my work options, when suddenly it hit me. Ang trabaho, parang relasyon 'yan. Kapag masaya ka sa relationship, magtatagal kayo. Ganyan din sa trabaho. Kung masaya ka sa ginagawa mo, kahit ano pa ang trabaho mo, matatagalan mo yan.

Now what made me realize this? I guess, hindi na ako ganoon kasaya sa trabaho.

Chocoholic

2005-10-18T13:09:00.000+08:00

I love chocolates.

Milk chocolate (which I am told is really not chocolate at all), dark chocolate (which is my second favorite kind of chocolate), mint chocolate, truffles, Belgian chocolate, choco balls, black forest, fruity chocolates, nutty chocolates, chocolates with rice crispies, peanut butter, or almost every other ingredient you can think of (I am told that there is a certain brand of chocolate that is sweet and spicy at the same time, with cayenne pepper in the mixture, but I have yet to taste this).

Which is why my determination to trim down on my weight was put to the ultimate test last Sunday. We went to Robinsons Ermita for lunch and a bit of shopping, and when we got to the circle near Chef d'Angelo, we saw that Red Ribbon was celebrating its Chocolate Festival, where people were invited to come and taste the chocolate. What made it impressive was a sixteen-foot-high fountain of melted chocolate, where people went in droves to dip pieces of marshmallows in the chocolate, sort of like a giant fondue. I was torn between lining up amongst the multitudes of fellow chocoholics and sticking to dieting. I was like, tang'na naman, pa'no ka papayat kung ganito ang mga makikita mo? Damn.

End of story? I went to Ice Monster and bought myself a Mudslide. Not quite as yummy, but delicious nevertheless.

101005

2005-10-15T14:03:00.000+08:00

October 10rs of UST-BSCS-CS2K5 (with a few missing persons who, unfortunately, had to work) at Friday's Glorietta, Oct. 10, 2005.

Standing (L to R): Rouie, Edwin, Dya
Sitting (L to R): Poli, Anna, Michael, moi, Gheof, Jonathan

Insomnia Zombie

2005-10-12T12:11:00.000+08:00

Staying awake for more than 24 hours has quite an interesting effect on me. How should I know? I've been awake from Monday morning at 7am til Tuesday at around 11am or 12nn. I know, it's my fault, that I should have slept before going to work, but what the hell. It made for an interesting day.

What happened? I woke up on onday at 7am, and it was a pretty normal Monday morning for me. Staying at home, Internet, etc. I was supposed to be sleeping from 3pm til 11pm for before going to work. But fate conspired not to let me sleep. First of all, it was the 10th of October, and I promised to meet with my college friends for dinner in Makati (it's a tradition that they started in college) at 8pm. So, sleeping til 11 was no longer an option. Second, I had a hard time sleeping. I was still wide awake at 5pm. I set my alarm for 6:30 so that I'd have enough time to prepare, but no go. I was still trying to sleep when the alarm went off. So there.

I met with my classmates (some of whom I haven't seen since March) at 8pm in Friday's Glorietta. Dinner til 10:30, and then a lot of goofing off and picture taking (no, I don't have the pictures, and I'll post in greater detail when I get copies of the pictures). No chance to ride the MRT, as it was already closed when we got out of the mall, so we opted for a northbound bus instead. On the way, it started raining, so I had to ride a tricycle from EDSA to Sct. Borromeo, as I had accompanied Jonathan to his apartment (and I had limited options as my money had just about run out). So, from Borromeo, I walked in the rain to Timog Ave. Not only was I sleepy, I got wet on the way to work.

When I got to the office, it was downtime. "Yes, I can finally get some sleep," I thought to myself. But no go. Our team leader insisted on doing a lot of stuff during the downtime. End result? I ended up trying to annoy everybody, but in a funny and naughty way. My besugo (translated as best friend) Happy even said that she'd never seen me so naughty. I was slapping her butt, mentioning a lot of sexual innuendoes, and generally just being naughty. And all this continued up until our shift ended. Imagine, me being as naughty as I was, and all because of lack of sleep. Maybe I should try this again (hehehe) but not anytime soon. :P

~~~~~~~

Here's my picture taken on October 1 for Da Crew's planned support activity for RockEd. Just felt like sharing. :P

Questioning

2005-09-29T23:00:00.000+08:00

Is my current job the right one for me? Lately I've been having a hard time going to sleep in the afternoon and waking up in the evening. What usually happens is me trying to sleep at noontime, but eventually drifting off to sleep four or five hours later. And the hardest part is trying to sleep from 7-10pm, while telenovelas blare from the TV in our room while my mom and sis watch.

Yesterday there's been a flurry of movement in the center, because of the current reassignment of positions (and not to mention the downtime we had during the first few hours). I asked my supervisor about the possibility of a reassignment, but no go. I'll just have to try to stay alive in operations.

Can't wait for March next year... Maybe then I'll be able to find my true career calling.

No More Excuses, Philippines!

2005-09-19T15:10:00.000+08:00

Our country is in a dire situation right now. Oil prices have gone nowhere but up, the cost of living is becoming too expensive to be afforded by our fellow countrymen. Salaries stay almost the same, we have so much problems with traffic, garbage, crime, graft - you name it, we've got it.

What can we do? Do we need new projects?

I say (and a lot of other people say this too), we don't need new projects. What we need are new ways to implement existing projects. It's there already - from traffic rerouting to garbage segregation - the works. Basically our main problem is discipline (or, shall I say, the lack of it). If all people were disciplined enough to keep their candy wrappers in their pockets and wait till they get to a proper trash bin to throw it out, then our streets would be a lot cleaner. If our drivers were disciplined enough to follow the traffic rules and regulations, then our roads would be a lot less congested, and fewer accidents would occur.

The thing is, we always tend to put the blame on a lot of factors - the MMDA is not doing its job properly, we don't have good roads, garbage collection is almost nonexistent, we're not getting support from the government, much-needed funds for country-wide development projects are being used for country clubs and mansions of the corrupt officials, etc., etc. The question that arises now here is, SO WHAT? Should we worry about who to blame for everything, or should we worry about what we can do to help lessen these problems?

We should not be so hasty as to assigning a scapegoat for our problems. All of us - myself included - are guilty as to why we are all suffering. We are all guilty for our lack of self-discipline. No more excuses, Philippines! It's time to stop quacking, get off our asses, and start actually doing something to lessen these problems, one small step at a time. Believe me, big accomplishments start with small steps.

Join Rock Ed Philippines and start making those small steps.

Friends?

2005-08-24T13:20:00.000+08:00

"I can't carry it for you, Mr. Frodo, but I can carry you..."
- Samwise Gamgee in LOTR: The Return of the King

What is the mark of a true friend? Is it the one who says that he will stand by your side, no matter what? Or is it the one who will not say anything more, but just stay with you throughout your darkest hour?

I Ain't Changin'

2005-08-15T06:57:00.000+08:00

It's funny how people will always talk behind your back. Even those whom you counted on as friends. It's quite sad, really, especially when these people are saying nasty things, like how cowardly you are, how bad, how nasty, etc., etc. I had a sudden moment of insight - no matter what they say, these people are the real cowards, when they can't even work up the guts to face you and say these things to your face. Pathetic, really.

To my detractors and would-be detractors: say anything you want about me, my lifestyle, my personality, but you ain't changin' me. Say you know me, but I know myself better. I ain't changin', especially just to suit your needs or just to please you. If I do change myself, it will be because I wanted to, not because you told me to.

Updates

2005-08-13T03:43:00.000+08:00

Blogger's Note: At last I've been able to update my blog (that should be all right with you, Gaget)...

It's 3:45 am right now, and we're not doing anything as of the moment. We're supposed to make calls (in short, work), but systems are currently down as of the moment. So as I sit here doing nothing, I can hear my officemates either snoring away or crowding around our team leader's desk as they try to guess every word in Text Twist. Just goes to show what people would do out of boredom. And speaking of boredom, I'm bored... Sigh.

I'll be planning to update this blog weekly, or (if I can manage it) a few times a week. Or whatever, whenever I can manage it.

Humdrum

2005-07-19T22:18:00.000+08:00

Monday morning: wake up, have breakfast, watch a little TV
a little later: grab lunch, then watch more TV, then sleep for 8 hours
Monday evening: wake up, eat dinner, take a shower, get dressed
Monday midnight - Tuesday morning: "I need to speak to the person that's in charge..." ad infinitum
*Repeat until Saturday morning
Saturday noon: grab a bite to eat, then sleep for 8 hours
Saturday evening: wake up, eat dinner, shower, get dressed, go to (insert gimmick place here)
Sunday, 2 or 3am: go home and sleep for 5 or 6 hours
Sunday morning: wake up, eat breakfast, shower, get dressed, leave for mass
Sunday noon: go to (insert restaurant name here), eat lunch
Sunday afternoon: wander around
Sunday early evening: watch a little TV, sleep for 8 hours
**start all over again

I guess this is why most of my friends have been telling me (when I was still a student) that nothing beats going to school. I used to be disbelieving, until I experienced it firsthand.

I guess this is what it means to grow older. Even if you try to deny it, a sense of routine will always overcome you. But it doesn't mean that you have to live with routine all your life.

Thought of the day: Be spontaneous.

Yatta yatta yatta.

Heard During Office Hours...

2005-07-13T11:13:00.000+08:00

Person 1: "Asan na yung kape ko?"
Person 2: "Kinuha ni _____..."
Person 1: "Mga magnanakaw..."
~~~~~
Person 3: "Nakailang benta ka kanina habang kasabay ka namin sa inbound?"
Person 4: "Naka-apat akong benta..."
Person 3: "Lahat galing sa amin?"
Person 4: "Yup..."
Person 3: "Magnanakaw ka... Layas!!!"
~~~~~

It's quite funny, once you hear these things being shouted almost at the top of their voices, especially the term magnanakaw. I dunno, but maybe it's just another form of camaraderie. It's kinda hard to describe only using the written words, since you can't even begin to describe the flavor of these exchanges, but it's funny, especially if you get to hear them in person. =)

Tagged

2005-07-12T15:03:00.000+08:00

It's obvious that I don't have anything to post. Anyway, here's something I got from Anna...

three names you go by:
1. AJ
2. Arriane
3. James

three screen names you have had:
1. s3cr3tiv3
2. -=DSD=-
3. Body Shot Boy

three physical things you like about yourself:
1. eyes
2. hands
3. ears

three physical things you don't like about yourself:
1. tummy
2. thighs
3. feet

three parts of your heritage:
1. Filipino
2. Spanish
3. (not sure what else)

three things that scare you:
1. not-so-benign ghosts
2. really high heights
3. really tight places

three of your everyday essentials:
1. cellphone
2. money
3. glasses / contacts

three of your favorite musical artists:
1. Hale
2. Michael Bublé
3. Mike Francis

three of your favorite songs:
1. Blue Sky (Hale)
2. The Way You Look Tonight (Michael Bublé)
3. Let Me In (Mike Francis)

three things you want in a relationship:
1. love
2. trust
3. openness

three lies and truths in no particular order:

lies:
1. I'll eat almost anything
2. I have a very radical outlook
3. I'm ultra-conservative

truths:
1. I can't see clearly without my glasses
2. I procrastinate on dieting
3. I swear a lot

three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you:
1. eyes
2. body
3. (the last one isn't physical - actually, this will always have the highest appeal for me)

three of your favorite hobbies:
1. reading novels
2. blogging and reading other people's blogs
3. hanging out with friends

three things you want to do really badly now:
1. sleep
2. go on vacation
3. movie tripping

three careers you're considering/you've considered:
1. graphic arts
2. literature
3. IT

three places you want to go on vacation:
1. Bali
2. Seychelles
3. Cayman Islands

three kid's names you like:
1. Lauren
2. Sophia
3. Martine

three things you want to do before you die:
1. go kart racing
2. (hmmm... haven't really thought of it)
3. (hmmm... haven't really thought of it)

three ways that you are stereotypically a boy:
1. I go out for sports
2. I'm a bit dense at times
3. I eat a lot and belch loudly ('specially during nights out with the guys)

three ways that you are stereotypically a girl:
1. I have my nails done regularly
2. I love to cook (or at least, experiment with cooking)
3. I watch chick flicks without flinching

three celeb crushes:
1. Reese Witherspoon
2. Elisha Cuthbert
3. Jennifer Garner

Tag 3 bloggers:
1. Aglaea
2. SMD Kai
3. Gaget

Back Again

2005-07-05T15:09:00.000+08:00

It's been quite some time since I last had the time or the energy to blog. Yeah, yeah, it's been less than a week, actually. But hey, I was almost constantly online during the past two months, and a few days of me being offline - that's something almost unheard of. Maybe it's one of the few disadvantages of having to get up to work. You sacrifice something in order to continue working. In my case, I sacrificed my almost daily fix of the World Wide Web.

It's quite hard not to be able to go online as often as you used to. I kinda miss my old life, when I used to have the luxury of leisure time. But I guess that it's a sign of the times. As you get older, you gradually seem to lose leisure time. It's something like this - when we're young and in school, we always wish that we already were finished with school and that we had jobs, so that we'd earn money in order to be able to spend it on leisure. Now that we're done with school, here we are wishing for that lost innocence, when we didn't have to worry about income tax or trying to please your boss or whatnot. Which goes to show that people will never be content about every aspect of their lives. There will always be something that will make them realize that something is lacking in their lives.

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9Ball Cafe, Tomas Morato, Quezon City
June 18, 2005

Yatta Yatta Yatta

2005-06-27T01:46:00.000+08:00

I got my first paycheck last Saturday. Technically, it wasn't a real salary as of the moment, since it was, as they said, a "training" allowance, but still, it feels good to finally be earning money on your own. I've been in training for two weeks, and I've only gotten my allowance for the first week, but they said that we'd be able to get the allowance for the second week sometime this week.

I'm getting kinda used to the work schedule by now, but my only problem is surviving the weekends. I could make do by going on nightouts on Saturdays, but then again, Sundays would be another problem. Just like what happened last night and this morning. I went out with my workmates on Saturday night, just to celebrate payday. We ended up drinking up to around 2:30 am, and then went cruising for still-open billiard halls. End of story: I went home around 3:30 am, fell asleep at 4:00 am, woke up at 6:00 am, went to church with the family at 10:00 am, had lunch at 11:30 am, went shopping from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm. Tiring.

Of Kisses and Other Things

2005-06-18T08:03:00.000+08:00

Part Expert Kisser

You're a kissing pro, but it's all about quality and not quantity
You've perfected your kissing technique and can knock anyone's socks off
And you're adaptable, giving each partner what they crave
When it comes down to it, your kisses are truly unforgettable

Part Romantic Kisser

For you, kissing is all about feeling the romance
You love to kiss under the stars or by the sea
The perfect kiss involves the perfect mood
It's pretty common for kisses to sweep you off your feet

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

It's kinda funny how most blog quizzes get stuff about you right, and how others get them wrong. Well, as to how this latest blog quiz relates to me, well... I really don't know. Ha ha ha.

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It's been a week already since I started training for work. The schedule was a bit unmanageable at first, but I eventually got used to it. Anyway, the people I work with are fun to be with. I still remember the laugh trips (most 'specially the most recent one... Laugh trip kung laugh trip talaga). It's been good... And as a lot of my co-trainees put it, "Sana, walang ma-ligwak sa atin."

Que sera, sera.

Adbentyur Tweeping

2005-06-13T16:08:00.000+08:00

Nothing much to tell. Oh, I watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith with my brother and sister at Greenbelt. We were supposed to watch at the Gateway Mall, but the number of people was unbelievable. So we opted to go instead to Greenbelt to watch.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith: Astig *thumbs up*

Oh, and I also bought my first ever original audio CD. I bought a copy of Hale's new album at Music One. And, like others before me, I think that the album was a steal at P250. I mean, it's really worth every peso. ;)

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh... can't finish this post due to all the messages in YM. Maybe I'll finish this sometime later. :P

Mama Fund

2005-06-10T16:30:00.000+08:00

Mama Fund

I implore everyone to please click the above link. Here I am hoping to help in some small way. I figured that I could do my part by spreading the word, so that more and more people would be aware.

Nothing touches the heart more than a parent's love for his/her children, or the children's love for their parents.

Pichur Pichur

2005-06-08T20:15:00.000+08:00

Okay... A few pictures of the very fun time I had in Zambales...

Which of us is the real Supah Bins? *ROFLMAO

DMC's beach tradition

The inuman sessions

Cards, anyone?

Special thanks to Tim for the pictures.

Zambales Part Deux

2005-06-05T23:25:00.000+08:00

My shoulders and the back of my neck hurts. It's been a while since I've had a sunburn like that after swimming. Mostly because I usually went swimming during the early morning or the late afternoon, when the sun isn't too hot. This time was an exception, though. I went swimming at around 11am or 12nn. And I stayed until around 2pm. Then I went back for more after a few hours. No wonder I got sunburned. And I've got darker skin - darker than my usual complexion. Ha ha.

There are a lot of pictures that were taken during the outing, but I still don't have copies. Maybe I'll upload a few (of course, with Tim's permission - it's his camera, anyway), but I'll have to wait first.

Attendees: Iki, Adolf, me, Tim, Aaron, Yzza, Alvin, Donna, Baji, Larae, Billy, Mike, Abet, Timmy, Gaget, Bobet, and Sonny.

Details later. My skin hurts. :P

Down

2005-05-30T00:47:00.000+08:00

I'm not really in the mood to blog right now. I just needed to give my mind and my fingers some exercise. (Exercise for the body will come tomorrow, so there.)

Lately I've been feeling so down. Doesn't often show since I usually am quite good in concealing my feelings, but I read somewhere that it's a very unhealthy way to cope. Instead of paying a lot of money for a shrink (err, excuse me... a psychiatrist, I mean), I'll just do my own psychoanalysis.

Alter-Me: What's wrong?
Me: Nothing much. Just some pressure coming from lots of places.
Alter-Me: And why is that?
Me: It's almost June. It's been two months, and I still haven't got a job.
Alter-Me: Is that all?
Me: No, it bloody well isn't all. I'm getting tired of the same old routine everyday. I wake up, loaf around, eat lunch, do my chores, loaf around a bit more, do other chores, loaf around still a bit more, eat dinner, loaf around again, and go to sleep. Frankly, it's getting boring having to sit around the house with nothing to do except look at the four walls of my room, and then go to my parents' room to look at the four walls, and then go downstairs to look at the four walls there!
Alter-Me: So, basically, you're having trouble adjusting to the routine that's slowly being established in your life after college.
Me: Not only that, but I get added pressure from seeing almost 85% of my batchmates with jobs. I'm happy for them, of course, but I can't help thinking that I should be working already. I should be in that position already. I should be this, I should be that, yatta-yatta-yatta, etc., etc., etc...
Alter-Me: ...
Me: That's pretty much it. I should finish whatever I still have to finish, so I can find a nice decent job that offers a more-than-decent compensation and benefits package. Sigh.
Alter-Me: Good luck.

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Watched Star Wars Episode III last Friday. Now everything becomes clear. All I've got to say about the movie. Obi-Wan (to Anakin): "You were the chosen one!"

Also watched Madagascar yesterday. Just the barrel of laughs that I needed to at least start to pull myself out of the funk I'm currently in right now. Gloria (to everybody): "We're not a bunch of Melmans!"

Oy vey.

Play "Misty" for Me

2005-05-26T00:46:00.000+08:00

Eclectic. Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles. Key words: variety of sources, systems, or styles. The same may be said for my taste in music. I wouldn't feel out of place in a rock concert. Take me to a classical recital and I wouldn't go nodding off to sleep. Musicals wouldn't be something new to me. Of course, as with everybody, there are exceptions (April Boys, Mystika, etc. spring to mind). Right now, one of my favorite songs is Johnny Mathis' Misty. One of the many good songs of the past that still has a welcome place in my playlist (and in others' playlists, I hope). Goes something like this:

Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree
And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud
I can't understand,
I get misty just holding your hand
Walk my way and a thousand violins begin to play
Or it might be the sound of your hello
That music I hear,
I get misty the moment you're near
You can say that you're leading me on
But it's just what I want you to do
Don't you notice how hopelessly I'm lost
That's why I'm following you
On my own as I wander through this wonderland alone
Never knowing my right foot from my left
My hat from my glove,
I'm too misty and too much in love
On my own as I wander through this wonderland alone
Never knowing my right foot from my left
My hat from my glove,
I'm too misty and too much in love
Look at me...

Oldies.com for the picture, Dictionary.com for the definition of eclectic, and Let's Sing It for the lyrics.

Whatnot

2005-05-24T22:32:00.000+08:00

I just reformatted my PC. Yesterday when I tried to use it, an error message came up even before Windows even started. Something-or-other file is corrupted, try installing a copy. Okay... I wanted to just search for the file and copy it, but my PC won't boot past that error message. Solution: Reformat PC. So I reformatted it. And now, instead of having one logical thirty-something gigabyte hard drive, I now have three logical hard drives. Whee. Downside: I lost almost all my files.

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Went to Canon for an exam today. I was surprised to see Anna there. Anyway, it was a bit of relief to see a familiar face in a somewhat uncharted territory. Anyway, on with the exam. It had three parts - two parts on the C language (not C++, not C# - just C) and one part program simulation using EASY algorithm. Actually, the exam wasn't at all very difficult, but my only problem was that I haven't used C since second year college. Anyway, I do hope something good comes out of it.

10,000 Days

2005-05-19T13:33:00.000+08:00

While I was browsing through Joey's blog, I noticed his latest entry about what he would do when his 10,000th day arrives. That got me thinking - what would I do when my 10,000th day arrives? I got out my notepad and started computing.

10,000 days will have passed when a person reaches his 27th birthday. Well, not exactly on his 27th birthday, but a few months after. If my calculations are correct, when this day comes to a close I would have lived approximately 7,764 days. Also, if my calculations are correct, my 10,000th day will come on July 3, 2011, a little over 4 months past my 27th birthday.

What would I do when that day arrives? Hmmm, good question, but not one that merits serious thought at this point in my life. I'd have 2,236 days to go before that day arrives - essentially, I'd have at least 2,000 days to go before thinking about what I'd do then.

But until then - carpe diem. And carpe noctem for good measure.

Reminiscin'

2005-05-13T13:42:00.000+08:00

Last night I was cleaning out my two drawerfuls of junk and whatnot (yes, I do clean my stuff, although recently I haven't been able to attend to the task). I threw away old exam papers (some were mine, and others were of my scouts in high school), some old notebooks, a few scratch papers, and maybe a few other junk I haven't gotten around to throwing out. Anyway, I found lots of stuff in those two drawerfuls of junk. Some I kept, others I threw out. Anyway, here are some of what I found in there:

1. A handful of letters
I used to write a lot of letters to my friends during high school. And they wrote back. (Yeah, yeah, I know - what's the point of writing them when you can talk to them almost everyday then?) Anyway, I remember Peiah writing a lot to me whenever she was ranting about her then-boyfriend Kenny, or teasing me about Reiah. Unfortunately, I didn't know where I put her other letters - I only found one.

Also in that stack of letters were all the letters that Xiameer wrote to me (at least I think that was all, I can't remember exactly how many letters we've exchanged in high school). Anyway, this was during the time when I was courting her, and I think that period spanned a little over seven months. But, we were only destined to be friends.

2. High school retreat letters
More like notes, really. My classmates wrote notes on various materials. I even received an NBA card as a retreat note.

3. My old high school uniform with the dedications
It's traditional with every graduating batch (at least, I think it is). I had a very nice time remembering all the people who wrote dedications on it. Sadly, I couldn't remember a few of the others who wrote there.

4. Graduation pictures of my entire high school class
And I mean entire class. Those were the pictures that were supposed to be included in our high school yearbook (which never came out due to a lot of factors). I think that has got to be a record - almost every person looked like gay people with pasty complexions (no offense meant - but that was how terrible the pictures were. Blame it on the photography studio, or maybe the makeup artist).

5. My ex-girlfriend's picture and her first letter to me
These items were sent to me by my ex-girlfriend approximately 2 years ago. Seeing this got me thinking - I loved her, but at the time I found that our relationship was a bit impossible for me, since she lived in Mindoro, and I was based in Manila. The most we would have been able to meet would've been a few times in a month, and that was if I traveled to UPLB, or if she traveled to UST. Sigh.

6. My old prelim exam paper
College, first year, second semester. Mathematics 102C - Discrete Mathematics I. This was the only exam paper I kept in all these years. I was proud of that paper - still am, as a matter of fact. Not only did I get one of the highest grades during the exam, even with almost improbable odds I got a score of 113.5 over 108.5 total. Like my sister said when I showed her that paper last night, Weird.

Trips down memory lane can be soothing, or it can be disquieting. Good thing I found last night's trip to be soothing. Good for the heart, mind, and soul. Pax.

An Open Letter to the One

2005-05-08T23:20:00.000+08:00

Taking risks is a part of life - there's no getting around it. Without risks, life has less meaning. So anyway, here I am taking risks. I've postponed this for too long.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To the Brilliant, Shining One:

There are a lot of things I should've told you. Well, not really a lot of things, but maybe some stuff of substantive importance that I should have let you know before now. Mainly what I never did realize until now. I remember during the start of our third year together, how you were a bit taken with him. And what happened when he went for someone else. I never did realize during that time what I felt.

After that, I would find excuses to talk to you, even for the most trivial of things. Back then, I know I should have recognized the signs. I guess I never really recognized it because of what I thought your reaction would be if ever I did come out in the open with it. Or maybe because I was still perceived to be quite taken with another mutual friend who I happened to have courted in the past. Reasons don't matter - at least, not anymore. What matters is that finally I've realized something that my subconscious self has tried to bop me in the head with over the past two years - I've silently fallen for you.

Maybe it was your quiet strength. Maybe it was your uncommon grace. Maybe it was your intellect. Maybe it was the fact that you were able to poke fun at me. Maybe it was the siomai we ate way back. Maybe it was something I've never seen in another girl before. Maybe a lot of things - but one thing is for sure, I've fallen in love.

I'm not sure whether you'll ever be able to read this (I might just discreetly let you know). But whatever - that won't change the fact that I've already fallen hard.

With love always,

-=BSB=-

Rat Killer

2005-05-08T22:40:00.000+08:00

The Vampire Lestat (when he was still an ordinary human named Lestat de Lioncourt), together with his two mastiffs, has slain a pack of wolves during a cold winter season. Due to this fact, an ancient vampire named Magnus has given him the moniker "Wolfkiller", and it was this fact that led to Lestat's becoming a vampire.

But the term Wolfkiller is not at all relevant to the topic (or is it? Maybe I'm just rambling... Then again, maybe not). But why did I put this here? Hmmmm... Okay.

I killed a rat.

A big, ugly, disgusting rat. A big, ugly, disgusting, dying rat. Okay, so it had to be done. The said rat had been terrorizing the neighborhood lately (Okay, that was a bit exaggerated). As far as I know, the damn rat had been sneaking everywhere, leaving filth and who knows what viruses behind. Solution: my mom laid out some poisoned bait. I guess the rat ate it, because when I saw it earlier tonight it was moving sluggishly. Well, not wanting to wait for it to die and be eaten by maggots before disposing of it, I disposed of it (I won't go into details - it's enough that we know I disposed of it). Afterwards, I felt weird. Like it was a very cowardly thing to do. I dunno why, but that was how I felt. And then...

...I woke up. Whew - just a dream.

Friday Fix

2005-05-06T12:02:00.000+08:00

Song Trip: She's No You (Jesse McCartney)

She's no you, oh, no
You give me more than I can ever want
She's no you, oh, no
I'm satisfied with the one I've got
Cause you're all the girl
That I ever dreamed
She's only a picture on a magazine
She's no you, she's no you

Food Fix: Ruffles with French Onion dip

Destination: Guadalupe Minor Seminary Gym

wala lang :P

Job Titles

2005-05-04T19:26:00.000+08:00

(Blogger's note: This will be my first 100% Filipino post... err, cancel that... It's actually more like 65% Filipino)

ANG BAGONG DIKSYONARYO
Mga Bagong Katungkulan (Translated Job Titles)

Siguro napapanahon ng palitan ang mga titulo ng mga katungkulan, trabaho (job title), o "elected positions" na dati nating nakasanayan.

President - Pasimuno
Vice President - Kunsintidor
Secretary - Palsipikador
Treasurer - Kubrador
Auditor - Kasabwat
Business Manager - Gastador
Public Relations Officer - Tsismoso
Sergeant-at-Arms - Pasaway

Representative - Pahamak
Observer - Usisero
Advocate - Taga-batikos
Spokesman - Bolero
Moderator - Taga-bulabog
Announcer - Manggugulat

Monitor - Taga-silip
Inspector - Taga-lapirot
Investigator - Mangangalkal
Enforcer - Tirador
Jail Warden - Sadista
Prosecutor - Tagapanlait
Judge - Pilato o Tagahugas-kamay
Aide - Taga-istorbo
Assistant - Galamay
Adviser - Sulsol
Consultant - Manggagancho
Contractor - Estapador
Expert - Punong-Yabang
Technical Writer - Manlilinlang
Spin Doctor - Taga-himas
Headhunter - Taga-silat
Headshrinker - Basagulero

Director - Taga-udyok
Manager - Taga-silip ng stock sa stock market
Boss - Busabos
Supervisor - Taga-salo ng galit ng Boss
Chief Accountant - Punong-Gahaman

Sales Vendor - Pirata
Collector - Mangingikil
Custodian - Taga-ligpit
Dispatcher - Taga-dispatsa
Distributor - Taga-kalat
Delivery Man - Taga-iwan ng Gamit
Circulation Head - Taga-bilog ng Ulo
Purchaser - Palengkera
Receptionist - Palikera
Clerk Typist - Taga-parami ng Papel
Messenger - Tagatulak ng Papel

Janitor - Taga-limas
Plumber - Taga-tagas
Repairman - Mambubutingting
Gardener - Damuho
Utility Man - Inutil
Watchman - Istambay
Security Guard - Bantay-Salakay
Doorman - Nagpapalusot
Driver - Kaskasero
Chance Passenger - Malas na Nakikiangkas
Comedian - Alaskador
Entertainer - Kerengkeng

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Thanks to Milei for this one... ;)

One Year Ago...

2005-05-03T16:30:00.000+08:00

... Working at PLDT North GMM Core Network Division, East Avenue
I was struggling to finish 300 grueling training hours, while I heard that Gheoff, Kheng and a few others were already almost finished with the 300 hours. Due to over-overtime, no doubt. I asked Gheoff, and he said that they get to work at 8am, and leave at 12mn or 1am. Workaholics, anybody?

... Went to my first foam party at Tomas Morato.
DMC went to Discontrol for the HPH foam party. Lots of people, lots of smoke, lots of booze, lots of foam. My mistake - I didn't change from jeans to jersey shorts. Ergo, I had to struggle with a very wet and very heavy pair of jeans.

... Got exposed on TV
DMC got passes for Yes Yes Show, and we went to ABS-CBN to watch and have fun. A few of us got seats almost in front of the stage (myself included), and predictably, we got caught on camera. Hehe.

... Toured several ABS-CBN sets
After watching Yes Yes Show, and after eating at the cafeteria, the ABS-CBN guys (Gino, Tim, and Ding) took us on a mini-tour, where we went to the various sets being used for the news shows. Specifically, we got to go to the M.U.B., ANC, Insider / TV Patrol sets. We also had lots of pictures which featured us goofing around on set.

... Went swimming, got a headache, recovered, drank too much tequila, got hung over, etc., all in one day.
DMC went on a beach outing in Bataan for 2 days and 2 nights. As expected, there were lots of beer and tequila. 'Nuff said.

Aaahh, the memories...

I Don't Want To Be Anything Other Than Me

2005-04-28T00:24:00.000+08:00

I don’t want to be anything other than what I’ve been trying to be lately
All I have to do is think of me and I have peace of mind
I’m tired of looking ‘round rooms wondering what I gotta do
Or who I’m supposed to be
I don’t want to be anything other than me.

I was watching American Idol with my sister (I wanted to watch WWE Raw, but I didn't have a choice - it was my sister's TV set, anyway), and I heard Bo Bice sing the theme from One Tree Hill. Got nothing more to say to bo except for two words: You rock!

This song actually conveys a special meaning for me, as it addresses what I really am about. I don't want to be someone's something for as long as I live; I don't want to live on as just a copy of another person. I have my own identity, my own idiosyncrasies, my own opinions, my own ideas, my own principles. This song just puts it all into perspective - I don't want to be anything other than me.

CS2K5

2005-04-26T21:07:00.000+08:00

Well, this may be a bit late, but better late than never, right? Just a few words of gratitude to the people who helped make my college life worthwhile.

Rheza A - thanks for showing me what it means to care. Kaso lang, gaya ng sabi ni Eric, nang-iwan ka. Hehe.

Anna G - thanks for all the help during our programming sessions, and our review sessions as well.

Lian - thanks for beating a sense of responsibility into me, and also for the study sessions as well.

Jerry O - thanks for all the rides. Sorry na rin kung madalas ma-late ang bayad ko sa mga prepaid. Hehe.

Gheof H - thanks for staying by my side for most of our four years together. Kambal. Hehe.

Abi C - thanks for introducing me to the world of blogging, message boards, etc.

Rouie T - thanks for the guidance, especially during the last year of college. ~~There are a lot more that I want to say, but maybe this isn't the right place to do so.~~

Mike O - thanks for the laughs and the support.

Dya B - thanks for all the help, as well as the laughter.

Kheng B - thanks for pushing me to do what I can do.

Edwin J - thanks for putting up with me as a seatmate. Sorry kung di kita napakain nung birthday ko. Utang ko na lang muna yun.

To my thesis groupmates, Darren S and Jed A, thanks for putting up with me as well. Kaya natin 'to!

To the rest of the PuccaFam, Reg Q and Donnlyn V, thanks for the friendship and for adopting me as part of your group.

To the rest of the CSA guys past and present, Eric A, Harry B, Mark B, Carl C, Tintin C, Aaron C, Gatz C, Glen D, Mark G, Joseph G, Regi G, Gervin L, Alex L, Marco L, Nigel M, Allan Manangan, Martin M, Steeve M, Dennis N, Khrek P, Poleeh P, Barry P, JP R, Roque R, Leah S, Odin S, Bryan S, and Tomas V, we may not have always seen eye to eye on many things, but that is what made our class the way it is. For this, no words can convey my expression of gratitude towards you guys.

To the former CSC-turned-CSA guys, Cholo A, Diane B, Joel B, Stef C, Elliel DG, Kat DJ, Darwin D, Pyke E, Philip G, Marvin H, Lele L, Wally L, and Camillee Y, thanks for putting up with our class and accepting us for what we are.

To our friends from CSB, namely: Jonathan C, Rachelle L, Edwin N, thanks for everything.

Cheers to all our futures, may we all live and prosper.

Got nothing better to do, so...

2005-04-26T00:24:00.000+08:00

1. Whose picture you keep on your wallet?
---> Lotsa pics. Mostly of me. :P But I do have pictures of other people there. Gradpics of KJ, Pi, Lian, Rachelle, Gheof, and Jerry; Vanity pictures of myself taken at qf Studios (Kuya Mike's a photographic genius); Group pictures of the CSA PuccaFam; and threesome pictures of me, Maye, and Piya.

2. What time do you go to bed?
--->Anytime from 9:30pm to 6:15am

3. What was the last thing you did before u filled this up?
---> YM

4. Who's the person you're gonna call if you need help?
---> Hmmm... Whoever can best help me with whatever I'm dealing at the moment... I mean, you can't just approach one single person with your problems all the time now, can you?

5. What's on your mind now?
---> Blessed sleep in the arms of Morpheus

6. Who's number on your speed dials?
---> 1: Home; 2: Mom; 3: Dad; 4: Bro Hans; 5: Sis Fitz; 6: Baji; 7: Gino; 8: Gaget; 9: Tim

7. With whom do you wanna be to have fun?
---> DMC, CSA PuccaFam

8. When was the last time you went out?
---> Went out as in went out went out? Last month

9. What do you hate the most for now?
---> Not having the desire, the energy, or the money to be able to go out...

10. What do you wanna do for now?
---> Finish our thesis, get a job, earn cash

12. What do you do for everyday besides eat and sleep?
---> Spend time on the Internet looking for solutions to our thesis problems

13. What pisses you off?
---> Insensitive people, and those anally retentive and paranoid schizophrenic people who insist on making my life hell by claiming that I was the one making their lives hell

14. Fave pet?
---> Spike, Napster (both dogs, but my mom gave them away), and Carlito (a cat)

15. What are the colors that make you happy?
---> Blue

16. Most fave thing in your room?
---> Aside from my books? Mini radio

17. What was the last thing you bought for your room?
---> Books (wala talaga akong binibiling iba eh)

18. Any instruments in your room?
---> Nada

19. Do you cook?
---> Sort of... I mean, I experiment and all, and sometimes my mom asks me to cook dinner... that's it

20. Are you satisfied with your life now?
---> Pwede na, although it can be more worthwhile if only I had something constructive to do

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Again, many thanks to Gaget for giving me another something to post :P