switch-on.

My legs are kiliing me!!!

2007-09-02T09:46:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :| (No stairs please.)

Last thursday (while on leave from work to rest), I went to the gym to have my scheduled personal training. Haven't been to the gym for a month as I was busy with alot of stuff. So my trainer had planned exercises for my lower body. Nabigla yata ako. The following day, my thighs felt really tired and in pain. Walking is ok, but going down or up the stairs is just torture. Until now, my thighs are still like this. I think they just improved a bit, but still, I'm still having a hard time bending my knees and havong my thighs support my upper body. ouch! I'm just thinking if I'll be having PT tomorrow. Although upper body naman siya, pero I still have to do cardio before that. We'll see.

Though Chain:Why do i torture myself? well, I'll be going to bohol 2 weeks from now. Have to lose as much weight as I can before I hit the beach. hehehe.

Insecure vs. Unsecure (computer stuff)

2007-08-28T02:20:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :? (Don't give me that look.)

I told an officemate of mine a story on how one of our customers emailed one of support group regarding how she did not continue her membership payment because she thought the system was 'insecure'. My officemate gave me a look like she was saying, "insecure? like duh, are you stupid?", which prompted me to just say, "unsecure!". Like shit, I'm not wrong! there isn't even an entry for 'unsecure' in the Merriam-Webster dictionary (http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/unsecure). There is for 'unsecureD' but not for 'unsecure'. I stumbled across this article (http://seclists.org/dailydave/2005/q3/0253.html) where another individual (not just me) is dumbfounded about this prefix problem.

So guys, get your thoughts straight about say, 'insecure wireless networks'. No, they're not crying about their narrow bandwidth nor how their neighboring networks use apple airports.

Though Chain: Off to bed. Seriously

Fringing Cool! Skype mobile for UIQ and other smartphones

2007-08-23T22:57:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (Cool!)

I just found a new application for my mobile device that sure is cool. It's called fring! It allows your Smartphone(Symbian or Windows Mobile device) to connect to your Skype account. Thankfully, one is available for the P990i. It does not only connect to Skype, it can also connect to GTalk, ICQ, Twitter and others. As fo me, I'm only really interested with Skype. The Skype chat feature works like a charm. Although I have yet to try using it to call other Skype contacts. I hope Skype would release an official UIQ Skype client. That way, I can call international locations using my Skype credit. I did a test Fring call, and it's quite cool that you're using your smartphone to do VOIP. I did it over my WiFi connection at home. I wonder about the lag if I do it over 3g. Anyway, will be testing the app for next few weeks.

Though Chain: Yeah, it has been a while since I last blogged. Will start blogging more often.

What will your last memory of this world be?

2007-07-25T09:16:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :( (Youth was something I took for granted.)

I found out yesterday that one of my dorm mates who I used to bond with died last sunday of a degenerative disease she was diagnosed 2 years ago. May her soul rest in peace, she was still relatively young to leave this earth. I haven't been able to talk to my dorm friends for quite some time. Yesterday, I just tried sending an SMS to one of my old dorm friends, and she dropped the news on me. I felt sad. I even think I got to ride a jeep with her 3 months ago. But I wasn't sure if it was her since she didn't look like the friend I used to know. She may have even been thinking the same thing while she was on the same jeep too. Somehow, I felt sad not even trying to ask if it was her. All those years I haven't seen them (honestly, I did deliberately cut my ties with them) made me very distant with them. I don't know how they look anymore. Probably they don't look like the young dorm friends I used to know. We're all starting to age. And soon, we'll all start to wither from this earth. When that time comes, what would you like to be your last memory of this earth?

Though Chain: Morbid as it may be, I've already pictured my death. At least one last meal with loved ones, one last look at the sunset, and one last i love you to the people I've shared my heart with.

Saw a great jacket which I like at Merger

2007-05-20T00:00:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (gastos nanaman ito. hehehe)

I went to Megamall today to meet Darl and pay my PLDT bill too. We chanced upon Ja and Joey inside the mall. After eating snack, we went to Tango and Merger (T&M) to see their sale items. I went there yesterday and was able to buy 2 neckties for just 500 pesos for both. Great deal if I may say. I bought a red one and a yellowish-gold one. This time, Ja was planning to buy something for her office wardrobe. While she was looking around, I went around too, to find some more neckties which I could buy. Then I decided to fit some of their coats since I was getting bored and asked for some sport suit jackets (Kunwari bibili). The guy who was their in-house consultant gave me three jackets to choose from. The first was a zipped up suit jacket. It was nice and could be worn from business casual to semi-formal. The next two looked a bit more formal (one had 2 buttons, the other, 3) but could also be worn from business casual to semi-formal. I thought at first glance that the latter two was a bit too formal and wouldn't fit me. Anyway, I tried on the next two. Quite to my surprise, the latter two were very nice and flattering. The jackets had a very nice cut which was really great (as in gusto kong bilhin bigla, hahaha). Then it occured to me that the company will be having our annual development executive cocktail (a free gathering for development executives on May 23 at the sidebar in ortigas, visit http://www.developmentex.com/eventpages/events/manila_2007 to register for the event). Anyway, so I thought of investing on this really nice suit jacket. Although the expense isn't really part of my budget for this month, but I think it will be a valuable addition to my wardrobe (since I don't have any suit jackets). I may go around a bit on Monday and Tuesday at the mall to see more jackets and compare prices (maybe G2000 or Van Heusen, M&S maybe an option also). But I'm quite sold to that jacket. You guys should try dropping by Merger at T&M at the 3/F in Mega B. Haaayyy... gastos nanaman ito. Nagkatotoo yung kunwari. hahaha.

Though Chain: I also passed by the department store after to see what they have. I don't know if i'm just biased, but I think their jackets aren't as nice as the ones I saw at Merger. :D

2007-05-19T13:51:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :( (What more can I do?)

Here's a question: How can you save your your team mate from being pulled out of the team? It's been in my head for the last couple of days. I don't want to give up on any of my team mates. I think it's the role of any team leader to do everything one can to uplift, motivate and save his team mates. But what more can I do? I talked to him yesterday and asked him his plans with his career. I hope I made it clear to him the urgency of the situation and the decisions he must make for himself. Things like these are never easy to handle. Not when you're part of the team.

Though Chain: work is just too much these days. yesterday, I went home at 3am again (came to work at 9am, equals 18 hours) just to finish work. I need a break.

Hereos is depriving me of sleep...

2007-05-02T03:33:00.000+08:00

[Mood] 8) (Trying to keep my eyes open...)

I started watching heroes last monday after months of hearing from friends that the show is ok. So last monday, I started watching full episodes on dailymotion.com which are split into 3 parts per episode (Tamad kasing magdownload sa torrent). Anyway, to make the story short, the show has caught my attention, and now I'm losing sleep from staying up and watching episodes. so far, I've only watched 8 episodes. maybe complete the season by the end of the week. :D

We went to splash Island yesterday to beat the heat of the sun. Ofcourse, we can expect that the sun beat me. So here I am, battered with sun burn on my shoulders and arms even though I applied sun block several times. Arggghhh... I hate sunburn. So right now, I started applying waterbased moisturizer to moisturize the sun-damaged skin. It alleviates the pain a bit and makes skin a bit more elastic, making it heal faster (i think, did this before, and it did work).

I'm still working on my new website, but it'll probably be ready to deploy by the end of the month. I want it to reflect my design style and have all the functionalities I want. I already bought my domain name last month, and now, I'm deciding where to host it. I'm considering a local hosting provider which charges 1,200 bucks per year for only 2GB of bandwidth per month. There are US-based hosting companies that offer hosting for 60-96 dollars for a year of hosting, but that covers 500-3000GB of bandwidth per month! I'm seriously considering getting hosting plans from the US as they are packed with more features for the cost, and they also host rails apps. I'll just decide what to get when I finish it by the end of the month.

Though Chain: U-Thought

McDo Milkshake Rules!

2007-04-26T02:33:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (Yummy!)

I was kinda frustrated with work kanina. So I decided not to have dinner (since I'm trying to be on a diet to compliment gym) and instead, take a mall break. So I headed to Megamall at around 7:30pm and went around. bought an orange shirt at Bench and this pair of undies. you better see it, it's funky! hahaha. Anyway, I also saw that Dockers and Levis both had a sale. So I browsed what was on sale on Levis, and found a nice blue shirt on sale for half the price of the original. *Caching* swipe nanaman ito sa CC. Haaayyyy... I swear, this credit card has made me shop even more ever since I got it. Although I did promise myself that I would only splurge until the next month, then todo tipid na para makaipon for a tsikot. And don't worry, I pay in full every end of the month to not incur interest.

Anyway, so masaya na. So I headed back to the office to continue coding the stuff I left. Some debugging too. Eh alas, hindi talaga kaya ng powers ng shopping ang gutom. Nagugutom na talaga ako by 10pm, and I couldn't think straight. So I decided to go down and grab a bite. Saan naman ako kakain? Lakad-lakad along emerald. I had Jollibee yesterday dinner... so pass na muna ako. Starbucks aint gonna fill my tummy (plus, kailangan cheap dinner kasi nag-shop ako). Figaro was an option, pero when I saw McDo's sign, I suddenly had the urge for fries. yeah, the grease and all! yum! Bawi nalang sa gym bukas. Anyway, my feet brought me in front of McDo. So I was browsing for something to order. And decided to get my default meal: 5-piece chicken nuggets with fries and a drink... but wait, there's something new: McDo Milkshake in Chocolate, Stawberry and Vanilla! Wow! Yun nga lang, the 12oz is 39 bucks and the 16oz is 49 yata. So I asked, "Pwede bang mag-upgrade ng drink to a milkshake?", eh pwede. So I paid an additional 25 bucks to haave my regular coke changed to a 12oz Strawberry Milkshake.

Ok, so you can't see the milkshake itslef 'coz it's inside the cup. But anyway, so what can I say about the Milkshake? Imagine strawberry syrup blended with Ice cream... That's what you get. Totally yummy and fattening and all that sinful way. Leche kang McDo ka! Pero I so love strawberries eh lalo na kapag shake! Arggghhh... baka araw-arawin ko yan. Smooth kasi yung milkshake nila. Jollibee had a strawberry shake like that too before. yun nga lang, mejo lumpy. ito, sobrang fine. Yung bagong shake ng jollibee, oks na rin. Pero mas OK yung sa mcdo! As in! try it! Something to perk you up in the heat of the summer.

Though Chain: Eto isa pang likha ng demonyo: Crema de Fruita ice cream and Strawberries and Cream in ONE ice cream tub! Leche kang Selecta ka! Two of the most delectable flavors in one tub! Fucking evil! Sinful! And they sell it in the 7-11 next to my office building! Arggghhhh!!!! Kung mag-istanbay ako sa gym buong hapon bukas, pwede ko na bang kainin yung buong tub nun? hahaha!

Tapestry 5 is Starting to be a Pain in the Ass!

2007-04-22T13:29:00.000+08:00

[Mood] >( (Pain in the Ass!)

I started using Tapestry alomost a year ago with Tapestry 3. Learning the framework was a bit of a pain (it was a steep learning experience for me), but I was still able to generate pages and a site for a project. I like the idea of Tapestry having its presentation layer in plain HTML with with additions of custom tags from their tag libraries to implement loops, output data and alot of other stuff. I was already accustomed to how T3 worked. Then I stopped developing in T3. And now, enters Tapestry 5. It's a big big difference from T3. Alot of the old implementation has been modified. And what little Tutorials they had for T3, they now have less for T5. I'm pretty damn lost in T5. It's hard to unlearn what you got used to in T3. what sucks even more is that the official tutorial doesn't work anymore since they made code changes again in the snapshot build (where the tutorial relies). Arggghhhh!!! Now, I've been thinking if it's even worth it to learn T5 or just go RoR since I've started learning parts of it.

Here's what I like about Tapestry that still wants me to continue learning the new implem:

* HTML frontend (almost seperates entirely the presentation from the logic. a true view-controller division)
* A J2EE framework (at least I wouldn't need to learn a new language)
* Since it's Java based, alot of ready options are available for connectivity, AJAX, image handling, XML parsing, etc...
* I'm not a benchmarker, but i'd say my experience with Tapestry proves it's a reliable framework
* I like thee idea of less XML compared to other frameworks

What I don't like:

* Too many dependencies
* We all know that Java is beginning to bloat. It's a heavy weight. Some say, it's beginning to be outdated.
* Many new things to unlearn and learn

Here's what I like about RoR and why I'd like to learn more:

* Ruby is an interesting language. new and promising. It features duck typing, something weird and fun at the same time.
* RoR promises fast development
* I've been using RoR at work (forced to do so), but primarily on the presentation layer only. sometimes, I tinker with the controllers. hahaha.
* Hence, would help me be more efficient at work.
* Core Ruby code is purportedly lightweight
* I've read that J2EE developers are shifting gear to RoR. Could just be novelty.

What I don't like:

* Group base is still not that big. support may be hard
* the presentation layer is in RHTML and reminds me of JSP implementation. Code snippets all around the HTML code. and partials tend to be misused and abused.

RANT SEGWAY MUNA AKO:

I stumbled on http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2005/06/ruby_on_rails_a.html, and found that people tend to expect too much from their designers. If you want them to be super designers, better get out of your programming job and let them take your place. FYI, changing mindset from presentation to logic isn't easy. Code-in-HTML is a pretty crappy process. when your application bloats, it tends to become a mess in your presentation layer. Not a pain in the ass for the programmer but for the UI person. What every developer must understand is that presentation is not as easy as everybody thinks. The complexity of managing HTML code with scripting language code with Javascript with Flash and other media and CSS isn't very elementary. Take note, I'm just implying that both business logic and presntation layer development is challenging. Please don't undermine the work we do. Trust me, you don't know much of what we do.

BACK TO THE TOPIC:

Anyway, so I'm faced with this problem. So if I can't learn T5 by tonight, I'm shifting to RoR even though it hurts the web designer in me. hahaha. Atleast it will help me in the job.

Though Chain: Is there an RoR presentation layer framework that does things like T5?

New Website... and blog too...

2007-04-21T12:46:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (...)

I'm in the process of deploying my new website. hopefully in a week's time, it'll be up. ;)

Though Chain: U-Thought

More than a woman...

2007-04-13T11:45:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (I am truly blessed.)

If i could narrate the story of my life, it would be as colorful as the pages of a child's book -- only not as gleeful.

We've experienced poverty when my dad died of cancer 21 years ago (the illness drained up all our resources, sold the business, and all property). My mom after being asked by my dad when they got married to stay at home, had to go back and find work after more than 10 years of being a housewife. She was already 40 then. How could she start her career again? How would she be able to bring up her family with four children?

Apparently, with her dedication, her love and her self-sacrifice, she was able to do it. Working as a teacher in the morning, and turoring kids in the afternoon 'til evening. She would come home at 10pm and still be able to prepare dinner for her children, teach them their lessons, and wake up at 4am the next day without fail. She never gave up on our education even though it was expensive to put four children to a private catholic school. She believed, as herself being a teacher, that good education was worth the investment. After 21 years, she has made 3 UP diliman graduates, and soon to be four this summer. :) She never failed to remember our birthdays to make it special. A small cake, some pasta and maybe ice cream was always to be expected no matter how hard it was to earn money. She always made Christmas memorable. Gifts were always part of what she saved up for the month, and when our old christmas tree gave in, she tried making a cutout tree from gold paper to put on the wall.

Memories of how we struggled life as a family, and how my mom was there to fight for a better future for us just makes me proud at how I have such a mother in my life. When I was young I would accompany my mom at times to her tutorial sessions. We would walk from our village to the next (to save up on fare) and she would buy me 2 pesos woth of mints or candies to make time pass while she taught. I remembered one time, while walking on that particular sunny afternoon her words... "One day, you'll look back at this time, and you'll be successful. And all of this will just be a memory we shared." Well, I'm not yet successful, but I'd like to think that I'm starting my few steps going there. And yes, it's a memory, not so distant, and it's something I will always carry in my heart as a mark of how you truly loved us.

So in this day that the Lord gave breath of life to you, I thank Him for blessing me with you... to the hero of my life, Happy Birthday Mama! I wish I could give you the world for you have given up your own to make my own.

Though Chain: She just turned 61.

Apparently, I do have conscience

2007-03-31T23:26:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :( (Bad Joe-e!)

We (my friends and I) went shopping a bit after we went to Tagaytay to have lunch at Sonya's (That's gonna be a different post). Anyway, while going around and looking for stuff to buy, I went in this store. We'll just call it store X. Inside store X, I saw a shirt I liked. So i placed it just on top of my torso and compared the length of the display item which was a small sized one. It was a bit longer than the shirt I wore, so I was wondering if the next size, medium, was either longer, wider, or both. Anyway, I asked the saleslady, "Is the next size bigger in width or length than this one?", and her reply was something like, "What size do you need sir?". So I asked again, "Anong difference nito and yung next size? Bigger in width or length?", and her reply was, "What size do you need sir?". Eh nakulitan ako 'coz all I wanted to know was the difference of the sizes, which would save her the effort of getting a stock size if in case I find out that the next size is even longer (which I don't like). I don't know what came into me, so I just blurted out, "Don't bother (sabay hang nung shirt sa rack), it's so hard to talk... (then I stopped myself from saying 'to you' coz I realized that it wan't nice)". The girl said she was sorry that she wasn't able to help, or something like that. And Ja came up to me and told me, "Ikaw kasi, bakit mo naman in-english?", then I realized that it was just so rude of me to tell her that it was so hard to talk to her (even though I cut the statement, it was pretty clear that I was referring to her). I don't know, is it too much of me to expect that people would understand a relatively simple statement like that? I guess it was my fault for assuming that she can understand it. Pero in any case, it was really a bad thing that I did. I saw the expression on her face when I blurted out the statement, and I knew it kind of hurt her ego. I'm really sorry ma'am.

Though Chain: I wanted to say sorry after I paid for the stuff, but I just didn't know how to say it without the akwardness. So I just hurried out after I got the bag, hoping that I didn't ruin her day.

Almost giving up...

2007-02-25T21:52:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :{ (Can I scream from the top of my lungs?)

Almost losing it. I feel I'm almost losing it. The last 18 units from the university seem like the hardest. I'm totally losing it. God, I wish there was a way out of this mess. Work is so demanding, my whole family is breathing down my neck (I wish they knew the truth of how everyday seems to be so agonizing). Sometimes, I wish I could just leap out of the window from the 21st floor. That's something not everybody can experience. Yet, thankfully I still think it's so unglamorous to be disfigured inside your own coffin. hahaha, how can I afford to make such a remark. shit. I wish it were easier to balance this whole act. I'm almost losing it. My life is a mess. I'm in this state in my life that the only time I have which does not concern work or school is during gym in the morning. How pathetic is that?! And who loves gym anyway? If I can get a great body without going to the gym, I would, but alas, vanity has either a high price tag or takes so much effort and time. Time which I don't have. time which I could use to sleep. Sleep, yes sleep, I haven't had much of that. It seems my body yearns to sleep the day. get depressed again and forget the world. have I told you that sleeping too much causes depression? Trust me, I've been there. Somehow, beyond the good pay at work, there's just no justification for the shit I'm into. God, I'm losing it. I just wanna run away. I've had days where I wish I could run away from home. But I wouldn't want to break my family's heart. Fucking heart. i wish I felt less emotions. Why does life have to be so painfully shitty. Will life give me another chance? Somehow, I feel I've used up all my chances in life. God, have you given up on me?! Somehow makes me wonder if God ever did exist. For a while, I stopped from writing this entry when I asked if God truly existed. I guess I could never really blame the world from hating God. He never showed his face to us after all.

Though Chain: Even though I ask questions on God's existence, I still try to believe He's just right there reading my rants and raves as I publish this entry. I need a miracle right now. I need more time. Where's my life?

Working in the Dark + Freaky Tuko = Freaked out me

2007-02-19T03:24:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :, (Not really afraid, just freaked out. hehehe)

I slept at around 9pm last night 'coz my tummy was still aching after we went to Binondo and ate chinese food. I don't know if it was just indigestion or the food was improperly handled, but my tummy was aching and I was experiencing a watery day in the toilet. hahaha.

Anyway, my tummy isn't that bad anymore when i woke up at 2:30 am this morning, and so I decided to work and finish the few stuff I haven't finished dealing with. I opened my laptop and decided not to turn of the light to save electricity. After checking my email and answering to some, I heard this faint tuko sound outside my window. Arggghhhhh!!! kainis! 3:30 am and there's a freaky tuko (and we all know what a tuko implies)! I opened the light and went down to the dining room to work there instead. hahaha. Nope, I'm not scared, just freaked out. It's like not expected that you'd see or hear a tuko in our place anymore considering that San Pedro is already so densely populated (and dirty, hahaha).

Though Chain: Ano kayang nakain ko sa Binondo? All I ate were some dumplings, rice, tofu and an almond cake. I hope the food wasn't contaminated. Matapang naman kasi tiyan ko eh.

Bad news and Good news

2007-02-03T00:51:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :| (pwede bang itapon na yang G-Pass na yan??!!)

The Bad news:

Aside from charging Globe G-Pass users and additional 5% surcharge per ride in the MRT, Globe is now gonna charge an additional 1% for every reload a G-Pass user makes. Ano ba yan?! pwera na nga sa may extra charge ang pagsakay, pati ba naman sa pagreload eh may bayad din?! Kakainis! I-boycott na nga yang G-Pass na yan! Besides, Globe has not yet called me regarding my 2-month overdue problem with my incorrect G-Pass deductions. Ganun ba kayo ka-cheap na hindi nyo ma-credit back yung maling dinebit nyo sa G-Pass ko?! I guess your one-man investigation team (hahaha) is taking ages to process your millions of complaints.

The Good news:

My boss just talked to me today, and am now happy with what we discussed about work. Kung ano yun, sa akin nalang yun! secret! hahaha. Tawagan nyo nalang ako kung gusto nyong malaman kung ano. hehehe.

Though Chain: Wasn't able to go to gym today... darn it! I'm so busy kasi. and so sleepy too. hehehe

A Calorific night, and a new lifestyle

2007-01-28T16:40:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (Have to burn this on monday. hahaha)

Last night, I met my good friends for dinner at Bubba Gump. It was my first time to try their shrimp. I'd say that the shrimp dishes were so-so. The pasta was good, and the caesar salad was the best. I think I'd go back for the salad, and not for the shrimp actually. I've tasted better shrimp considering the cost of their dishes. Anyway, i'll just charge that to experience.

We had dessert afterwards at Bizu. Although I do think they're kinda pricey, I have to admit that I like their cakes. The first time I tasted their desserts 4 years ago, I knew that it was absolutely sinful. And 'til now, I still think they are. But heck, they're rich and creamy! hehehe. I got to the soleil last night. absolutely wonderful. the infusion of mint, ripe mangoes and white chocolate was a very refreshing twist to a calorific dessert. hehehe. Yum!

Anyway, I think I wasn't able to blog that I am now a regular gym goer. For almost 2 weeks now, I've been working out 4-5 times a week. hope I could make that 5-6 times a week. Anyway, I recently transfered gyms from my neighborhood gym to Slimmers' World in Megamall. I got a good deal since they have super discounts. Got my one year membership for just 12k. I was gonna get a Fitness First membership, but was appalled at how arrogant the people there can get. You get the feeling like they want to convey that I should be thankful that they even took time to entertain my query. So I got pissed since they're assholes. especially the membership manager in South Mall (near my home sana) and that membership consultant in Wynsum (near work). And this is the funny part. 4 days after I acquired my membership in Slimmers, I got a call from FF in Wynsum asking me if I was already a member of a gym and if I were still interested to join them. (like duh?!) I happily told them that I wasn't any interested since I already paid in full my 1 year membership with Slimmers just to spite them for what they have done. You know Fitness First, you're not the only gym in town. I don't care about free drinks (btw, what is it with serving free-flowing soda in the gym???) or a hotel-like shower room. What I'm after is a good work out and the friendly service.

Though Chain: If you are planning to avail in Slimmers' World Megamall, look for Myrla. She's the nicest fitness consultant around. I have to admit that the facilities aren't at par with FF, yet for 1k a month, you sure are getting your money's worth for gym and aero classes. Besides, it's clean and the people are nice. Just try to work out early since it really gets super crowded in the afternoon 'til the evening.

work is killing me, but i got a compliment that made my day

2007-01-25T17:32:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (~)

The past few weeks have been crunch. Work has been real hard and so has studies. I need to recruit another team member fast to lighten the team's load. My boss has been very demending lately, yet he uttered words which made my day. while i was presenting and on-the-fly editing prototype pages in HTML, he was amazed at how fast i could manipulate pages (since I introduced to the company efficiency thru good CSS design) and said, "Where were you five years ago?" (pertaining to the time the company started). And I just replied, "somewhere around the corner" with a smile which was really genuine since the flattery was really one that would make every web artist or developer smile. anyway, here i am again, trying to squeeze so much tasks to make deadline for my team. I need to go home na. I need some rest. yes, I'll go home na.

Though Chain: I took some pictures of the sunset a few minutes ago. It was so beautiful seen from the pantry window of our office building. sayang, didn't bring my laptop to transfer my files via BT and upload them right now.

Will lap-dance for an iPhone. extra service narin. hahaha

2007-01-10T22:30:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (will lap-dance for an iPhone. hahaha)

Since I was really tired last Tuesday, I couldn't keep myself to stay awake and wait for updates on Steve Jobs' keynote speech via macrumors. So at 1am, I slept and just thought of checking the surprise new product Apple would be launching the next day. In a minute after I closed the lid of Delta and laid down, I was out. But at around 2am, I was awakened by a phone call. My hand stretched out and looked for my phone as my eyes were still closed shut. "Hello...", I said half awake, "Hoy, gising, gising, gising! May iPhone na!", my very happy and excited friend told me as some new invention was unveiled that would end poverty and bring peace to earth. hahaha. Seriously, Aldwin Lee, you are one Mac fan. If you had a million pesos, you would buy all the Mac stuff that would complete the Mac Line (since may Macbook ka na at iPod, kailangan mo pa ng iTV, the iPhone when it releases already, apple cinema display, et al...).

Although, even though the iPhone doesn't sport 3G capabilities, I do want one too (drooling as I type, hahaha). Seriously, it would go well with my Delta. Yun nga lang, mukhang takaw nakaw.

Though Chain: U-Thought

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T01:46:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (Eto nanaman tayo...)

Ok, Happy New Year guys! Finally, I've been able to log in to blogger. For the past few days, it's been so hard to get inside blogger. I guess the Taiwan thingee could be one of the causes. Or maybe it's just fucking PLDT's fault again. hahaha.

Ok, since it's a new year, I decided to make a new year's list of things I wanna achieve. My goals for this year kung baga (even though I told one of my friends that I wouldn't make a new year's resolution, hehehe). So what's inside my list:

1. Go back to gym and work out at least twice a week (well, for starters, I did renew my monthly dues with the gym already 5 days ago)
2. Lose 30 pounds! yes, you heard me, 30 pounds. It's the super ideal weight to get rippled abs. But no starvation diet for me.
3. Stick to my new diet plan. (consists of mostly white meat, almost no fat, low on carb, high on fiber and on veggies and fruits)
4. See my dermatoligist again (I need another DP, actually, maybe 4 sessions)
5. Finish my thesis (yes, I need to finish it na)
6. Complete my 2 INCs (I'm working on them na)
7. Study hard(er, 'coz hard is just not really hard enough)
8. Finally graduate (I'm dying to step out of the university, hahaha)
9. Accomplish my work goals (I posted people about my plans for the team at work, hope I can accomplish them)
10. Finally take the SCJP exam (I don't have the time anymore to brush up and review, but hopefully after march, I can go back and review for the SCJP certification)
11. Volunteer for a worthy cause (Nope, this is not cynical. I am really planning to volunteer some of my time to help the community. Just not sure yet where and how to do that)
12. Practice more patience towards others (especially slow restaurant personnel, hahaha)
13. Upgrade my delta (Btw, I'm already turning one year old as a Mac user. when 10.5 comes out, I wanna celebrate with an upgrade. Just don't know which model. Thanks Delta for getting me through the year)
14. This may be a huge goal, but I want my own car by the end of the year. (feasible, but in order to do that, I have to really save a lot. That means, good bye starbucks, less shopping, and be a hermit and stay at home. hahaha)
15. Take at least 3 vacations (thinking of Boracay, Bohol, Camiguin, and/or maybe Malaysia)
16. Make an enemy my friend (now this goal is a super hard one, but maybe, just maybe, I could do it)
17. Climb the steps of the Carillion again (I used to do this, but not sure if they still allow people to do so.)
18. Send my mom to her dream vacation (well, let's rephrase that to CLOSEST dream vacation I can save up for. hahaha)
19. Get to finish the books I want to read
20. Learn to play a musical instrument
21. Continue studying Chinese (the language)
22. Get drunk and dance the night away (actually, I just wanna have the license to dance. hahaha, and because of that...)
23. I think I wanna try group exercises from Fitness First (if only I didn't think their monthly fee is expensive, hahaha)
24. Take you out to dinner since I've never asked you to one before
25. Always wear a smile for others

Though Chain: As I write this blog, I hear our nearby neighbor singing with her friends on their rented viedoke machine with such shreaking voice. Gosh, she MUST BE the WORST singer ever. Somebody arrest her! She's drunk and a nuisance! Shit, now she's singing "I'll be there". Well, I hope you don't be ever near me while you're singing! hahaha.

Merry Christmas to all...

2006-12-25T21:54:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (smile!)

This year's Christmas has been okay so far. Although broke, I got to have some stuff that I wanted in my wishlist. I got a new laptop messanger bag from my sister (thanks!), I was able to buy that antibac skin wash that I wanted (Dermalogica), and I bought a new jacket (nicely priced, but doesn't look cheap, hehehe).

I've been eating alot. so that means I have to start hitting the gym again somehow. I'm gonna try this new sched I'm planning to fit gym in my schedule. I'll also be starting to eat right as my new year's resolution (which like everybody else's will probably foil in a matter of a few weeks. hahaha).

I hope all of you had a good celebration. I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Though Chain: Thanks to tinnerts and Ja for the gift, Liza and Regnard for the cute piggie flashlight (no batteries needed), to my boss thanks for the bonus hahaha, to the office pips thanks for the trinkets and food, and to my whole family thanks for all the nice stuff you gave me this year. sana next year hindi parin kayo kuripot. hahaha.

Wahhh... I'm poor.

2006-12-23T00:02:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :( (Happy after new year)

I'm poor. Although I'm thankful I'm already finished shopping for Christmas gifts for my family and friends. Well, that's why I am poor. hahaha. Anyway, I don't really mind as long as I have something nice and special to give to the people I care for. Only 2 days to go before we celebrate the birth of our Lord. Have a Merry Christmas to all.

Though Chain: How far can your 500 peso bill take you? How about farther than yourself and into the life of another human being? Alot of people need books, writing materials and school supplies to help educate them. Alot of Filipinos in Bicol need your help to survive this season too. Let's all let part of our blessings make things bigger than ourselves. Just think about it.

I hate G-Pass!!!

2006-12-19T13:22:00.000+08:00

[Mood] >< (Darn, this day aint right)

Argghhhh! This is the last straw! G-Pass really sucks! Parating offline yung mga readers nila in both the reloading booths and the turnstiles! Kainis! Mabagal ang confirmation message, mali-mali yung deductions, and worst, after 7pm, wala nang taong tutulong sa iyo kapag may problema! bwiset talaga! I bought this worthless piece of crap! Isipin mo... Nagmamadali kang sumakay ng MRT, only to find out na i-dedeny yung entry mo kasi ubos na daw load mo, pero pag nag-inquire ka thru text, may 198 pesos ka pa! pero sa booth, sasabihin sa iyo na 14 pesos nalang yung load mo. paano nangyari yun? O kaya, magloload ka ng 100 pesos, tapos after 4 uses mo, ubos kaagad yung balance mo. ano yun?! 25 pesos per ride? hello?! kelan pa dumoble ang singil sa MRT??? Lecheng Globe G-Pass na yan! Perwisyo! Mismong yung nasa booth sinabihan ako na ayaw nyang mag-G-Pass kasi dami daw problema at sakit sa ulo. Ang pinaka-nakakainis, pagpunta mo sa booth, sasabihin sa iyo ng isang tao na on-break yung naghahandle. hello?! tapos the only other way is via G-cash? Read my lips: Nobody fucking uses G-cash kasi hassle magpa-cash in. Buti sana kung pwedeng i-tie sa bank account para direct debit. Leche kayo Globe! Ayusin nyo nga yung service nyo! Sobrang annoying! Arggghhhh!!!

Though Chain: This day sucks!

Good bye.

2006-12-17T23:47:00.000+08:00

[Mood] ... (I lost you long ago.)

While listening to your words of bitterness as my cute little niece ate her way to her fries and her sundae, I realized I lost you long ago. Somehow, even though you have been blessed with so many blessings in life, in a twist, you forgot how to forgive and to listen. I've accepted in my heart, on my way home, as I kissed my niece good bye, and as you kissed me on the cheek, that I may not see that dear sister I loved so much... So here I am, dropping words of my sorrow with some hope that my dear sister, wherever you are, I hope I find you again.

Though Chain: You wonder why your heart is full sorrow? Empty it, that your heart may be filled with love.

4 stickers, shopping and vanity

2006-12-17T01:57:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (I wish I were rich! hehehe)

Okay, so i'm one of those people who have been sucked in the market of hype. Yes, I'm also collecting starbucks stickers. hahaha. I still need four, but I'll probably be able to fill that up this monday (since I promised the team I would shoulder coffee for the morning meeting to perk them up). Anyway, I thought the planner still had coupons bundled with them. bummer, wala na pala! anyway, too late, I'm already sucked into it, so might as well finish it. Thanks to Kami for the 3 stickers, to erik for the other 3, to tin for 1, and for edwin for the one last friday (hope you find what you're searching for in your career. sayang dude, hope we could have worked longer, naks!).

I'll be shopping next week for Christmas gifts. I so wanna buy so many things, but I know I need to save up, and not overspend. I'm really itching to buy a new ipod nano. But the rational part of my brain (no matter how miniscule it is) is telling me to hold on to my money and buy something more practical... like a wireless mighty mouse! hahaha, just kidding! anyway, I've listed the things I really need to buy like gifts for my nieces, gifts for family and friends, and some new things for myself like some shirts (saw this shirt from M&S which I like... just 600 bucks!), a pair or so (I promised myself max of 2) of pants, fresh new undies (there's this practical side in myself too you know) and socks (primarily for gym, as i plan to go back).

Vanity is really kicking in, as I'm itching to buy this cleanser to compliment my dermalogica precleanse. Kaso, now that I'm working, I feel that 1500 for a cleanser is really expensive. I think the value of money is kicking into my senses. But wait, I'm still bent on getting another DP (diamond peel) before Christmas, and also a protein treatment for my hair. hahaha. pagbigyan nyo na ako, Christmas gift ko na yan sa sarili ko. Hindi na nga yata ako bibili ng ipod eh.

So what do I wish for this Christmas:
* IPOD nano
* match that with an armband and in-earphones please
* Dermalogica Antibac Skin wash or better, Dermalogica full spectrum sunblock with moisturizer, hehehe
* Shirts
* Pants
* New messenger bag for my laptop

Haaayyyy, don't we all wish we were rich and could buy all things we wanted?

Though Chain: Beyond that, I hope most of our fellow Filipinos have some food on their tables, a storm-free season, and a peaceful celebration. There's no reason to take the finger off the trigger, and to put our personal agendas aside for the good of our fellow men. In case I get busy, Merry Christmas to all!

Odd man out... the one wearing sandals

2006-12-02T11:05:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (Not the most fashionable attire for the place)

two days ago, I didn't feel like wearing anything not comfortable and opted to wear sandals going to work. I like wearing sandals. It's the first time that I wore sandals going to work (no big fuzz since we don't have a dress code). So I walked going to work after I went down from the bus from EDSA going to Emerald Ave. I entered our building and took the elevator. Once the doors closed and saw my reflection on them, I knew I was the odd man out. I was the only one wearing a shirt, jeans and a pair of sandals going to work amongst the suit-cladded men and women. hahaha. mukha tuloy akong busabos. anyway, I don't really mind... afterall, I wear sandals because I can! hehehe. But I don't think I will be wearing sandals again for a while. mejo nahiya rin naman ako sa office na mukha akong sobrang relaxed and hindi professional. so the next day, bumawi naman ako. I wore long sleeves (green striped), jeans(i dont pair longsleeves with slacks 'coz i don't wanna look too formal. pam-porma lang actually) and a comfy pair of black leather shoes. I wonder what the guard at the first floor is thinking of my work in the building. I bet he doesn't have the vaguest idea what i do.

Though Chain: I also went to the office wearing shorts one time. hehehe.

From where I'm sitting

2006-11-29T08:39:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :O (I'm now amorning person. I have no choice.)

By now (into my 3rd week in the new job), I'm already getting used to waking up early in the morning. The office is still in the process of rearranging and maximizing space for the additional people, so I still don't have a desk assigned to me. So here I am, a nomad in the office, setting up my Delta on vacant desks, although usually I stay in the conference room. Yun nga lang, pag may meeting, evicted ako. hahaha. But it's ok, so far the room has a nice view of Ortigas. Just this morning, I got word that the new PCs are coming, which means I don't have to bring Delta to work everyday. Although I'm used to bringing Delta wherever I go, it's nice just to have a spare PC in the office in times that I'm lazy to lug around the extra weight. hehehe.

Though Chain: I'm actually liking the workplace. :D

Work + Last Sem is almost suicide

2006-11-22T13:49:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (Wish me luck)

I just accepted a full time job in this IT company in Ortigas. The people are nice, compensation is good, I get to go to work in casual clothes, and work hours are flexible. Although, since I'm on my last semester in UP, It's a bit taxing to work and study full time. Suki na ako ng MRT sa araw-araw na pag-commute to UP and Ortigas. hahaha. Although tiring, it keeps me alive and kicking. My day never has a dull moment coz I'm always on the move. I share a dual role as a web artist and a product manager by the way. So I still do web work and will learn new skills in product development planning. Excited, but I hope I can balance them both. Wish me luck. Sana hindi ako bumulagta sa EDSA. hahaha

Though Chain: It took me a week before I told my mom I was already working. hahaha. I think I was afraid she'd reprimand me and tell me to focus on my last sem. Yet, she was very understanding, and yes, she did remind me to put my studies on top priority. And I hope I will. and so will work.

Just plain pathetric! Grrrr!

2006-11-16T22:48:00.000+08:00

[Mood] >< (Gusto kong batuhin yung TV!)

Kakainis! Sometimes, I just can't take watching TV in the bus on the way home. Parati nalang channel 7, eh nanonood ako ng Deal or No deal. hahaha. Mejo nakakainis parin ang Captain Barbell, although I kinda like Atlantika, it's a different concept, and the effects aren't really bad. But the worst may be "A Rosy Life". Now this is just waaaayyyyy too much to swallow. For those who have no idea what it is, it's a Koreanovela. The plot is, there's this woman named Betsy who has 2 daughters and a husband who philanders. Betsy may just be the MOST PATHETIC character i've ever seen on TV. Her voice is utterly annoying, she's an epitomy of a stupid martyr, and she has terminal cancer. Her husband left her long before she found out she has cancer. Her in laws hate her and like the new girl of the husband, and she resorts to drinking and solitude to forget her problems. wawa naman her kids. As in, she's not the type you'd like to watch kasi she's pitiful! I guess the reason why I'm so angry is that it sends the wrong values to the audience. My dad died of cancer, but that didn't stop him before that from working to continue supporting us. When he died, my mom took over the responsibility of raising 4 kids and putting us all through school in a private Catholic school while she worked as a teacher and juggled numerous sideline tutorials. Now she's what a heroine is. She rises above a situation for the sake of her kids (unlike pathetic betsy). So GMA 7, if you think A Rosy Life is so great, put a sock in it, coz the cultural values are all twisted! Leche, I don't like watching a show at the end of a tiring work day just to feel frustrated at how depressingly stupid, annoying and pathetic a so called heroine can get. So majorly screwed up!

Though Chain: May ad pa sila, with Teri Aunor saying, "Grabe ang pagkamartyr ni Betsy (With a smile of agreement and content)". And should that actually be good?! Hello?! If you don't assert for what's right and rightfully yours, you'd better start looking for a shovel and dig your own grave! Kung gusto mong magpakamartyr, ikaw nalang! Kaya maraming tao ang naloloko at naaapi sa bansa natin eh dahil sa sinusulong nyong kultura! bwiset!

The new Macbook C2D, I want one!!!

2006-11-09T00:10:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :O~ (drool.)

Apple finally updated their Macbook line. The pros were already updated last month. This time, the Macbooks (black and white) have been updated with C2D. I want the white 2.0Ghz model. the black one isn't really worth it in my opinion. kinda expensive for me, yet I have to admit it's pretty. So I have to start saving up to get this upgrade. But I was thinking of waiting for the release of OS X Leopard so that I wouldn't have to buy an OS upgrade. Afterall, they said it would be released by January or Feb. Hopefully, I'll have cash by then. hehehe. Sana lang!

Though Chain: Sana makabili ako ng bagong ipod sa pasko. Santa Claus, sana magpaulan ka ng mga bagong cute na ipod shuffles. Small and really cute, I really like them! hahaha

Back from Sagada.

2006-11-01T17:51:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (Now that was fun!)

We just came back from Sagada last Monday evening. Sobrang ikli lang ng trip namin. The travel to Sagada took us 11 hours up and 11 hours back to Manila. It was quite butt-flattening, but well worth it when you get to see the Sumaging Cave and trek inside it for 3 hours in freezing water. Brrrrr! hahaha. Really Cool! We're planning to go back there this March for a longer trip. Sama kayo? We're gonna go back with a vengeance since we didn't get to see much sights kasi dumating si Paeng the tropical typhoon. bummer. Plus the fact na our supposed to be trusty waterproof disposable camera from Kodak turned out to be major lousy and developed only 6 shots out of 27. No pics of the cave inside. huhuhu. double bummer. Next time, ipagsasasapalaran ko na yung totoong camera. lagay ko nalang sa ziplock bag para waterproof. hahaha.

Here are the only pics my phone cam was able to get. I was so worried about the rough trip, I didn't bring a real digital cam:

Though Chain: Mejo na-underestmate ko yung trip. spent 2x than my original budget. hahaha. ala na ako pera. hahaha

Leaving for the weekend...

2006-10-27T12:41:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (Kunwari, hindi ako excited.)

Leaving for the weekendd. Be back on Monday evening. I hope I can take good pictures even though I'll only be bringing my cellphone and a disposable waterproof camera. natatakot kasi akong magdala ng digicam sa cave. baka hindi ko maalagaan. Anyway, I'm honestly excited to go see the caves in Sagada. will post pics soon.

Though Chain: Mamili na kayo ng pasalubong: pechay, lettuce, talong o jutes? hahaha. joke lang yung jutes ah!

My two cents...

2006-10-23T21:24:00.000+08:00

[Mood] Fuck Off!

To the bitch who feels so saintly yet is nowhere near sainthood, Fuck Off! Before, I tried to pity you, now I hate you bitch! Don't worry, I'm not going to talk to you anymore. You can fuck up your life for all I care! I regret the way life made us related. And if you ever get to read this, I somehow hope you figure out that it's you! Leche, if you want respect, earn it!

Though Chain: Read my lips: You are one lonely bitch! Get a life!

Hey, any of you guys use Dermalogica?

2006-10-18T19:57:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :O (Hello?!)

I'm planning on changing facial wash. I've been a Clinique guy for 2 years now, but I'm thinking of switching to Dermalogica after I've read good news about in on international forums. So, I need some local info on it from Filipinos like me. Have any of you used Dermalogica products? Particularly the antibac facial wash. Sayang naman kasi if I buy one tapos di pala maganda. Eh mejo pricey pa man din yung products nila. So I'd really appreciate the help if you have any info. Sorry ha, mejo kikoy ako lately. hahaha.

Though Chain: My breakouts have minimized na. although they're still there. I think I need to get them pricked. Argghhhh! Masyado na ba akong nagiging balidoso? Hindi naman siguro, hindi lang kasi ako likas na biniyayaan ng Diyos ng balat na hindi maarte. haayyy...

To You.

2006-10-16T23:19:00.000+08:00

[Mood] ! (This is how it should be.)

To you, the person fingering the tactile keys of this gadget, I write this blog.

It's 23:55, 5 mins before a new day. Wait, should I say 5 mins and 1 second? Oh well, who cares. A new day starts in 5 minutes as you try to finish typing this entry before the day starts. Wait, It's 4 minutes reamaining, you need to type faster than this. But you never really learned how to type with all your fingers? Didn't you? Hahaha, yeah, It never really was your skill. Maybe you'd like to start learning that. 3 minutes remaining. Wait, don't forget that 1 second. It still counts. 1 yes one, It takes one step to make a larger leap. So in 2 minutes, you need a new life. Wait, you have a life, you need a new upgrade. hahaha. Is that even valid? But wait, you promised never to use the Delete key. 1 minute to go. Ooops, I pressed the delete key for a misspelled word, and then again I did it. Not so bad, I've been doing it a couple of times already. What's wrong with trying to erase parts of yourself which you'd like to make right? What's wrong with starting over? With trying to make better the life you have? Nothing really. It's just scary to change the ways you've been accustomed to. Change is the worst enemy of fear. For fear hates change. Fear wants to leave you in the past. haha, 1 minute after the new day, It's beyond the deadline. But who cares? I do. Becasuse I want to start this day a new. I've got my morning planned for the gym, my afternoon planned to finish work for school, and the evening planned to cook a nice meal for my mom. Yes, change. You've been trying so many times to change.

So to you, the person pounding the keys of this laptop you've accustomed to love, Your day starts now.

Though Chain: To my CL151 professor, You've been one heck of a bitch in class. You've given so many requirements and readings, yet you've made me appreciate literature so differently. But still, I wouldn't want to take again your subject next sem. Only once will I enter hell and enjoy it, afterwards, it would be real stupid. By the way, I really think Philippine Literature in English is elitist. Elitist blabber to my deaf knowledge.

Wishlist and Wishful thinking

2006-10-14T21:11:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :| (I'm lazy, I'm bored, I have work to do and a paper to finish)

Since wala pa akong ganang magtrabaho (tamad magwork at tamad gumawa ng paper), I decided to blog about my wishlist, and the things I wish were available. Yung iba, pinag-iipunan, at yung iba, pangarap lang ng isang slapsoil na katulad ko. hahaha.

1. I want a new ipod nano. I don't like the 8GB coz it's only in black. I want a silver one. a green or blue one would be also nice I guess. Maybe I'll buy one after the December para mas mura na by then. hehehe. or maybe I'll buy the 1st gen. pero I'm waiting for it to hit rock bottom prices. habol ko kasi yung white 'coz it matches Delta. hehe. although, i want the new 2nd gen ones coz they don't scratch easily and they have a new earphone design.

2. I wish lumabas na yung 2nd gen na macbooks. I don't really care about the pro ones coz I commute often and I need a small lappie like Delta which remains inconspicuous in my backpack. Sana magkaroon na ng dedicated vid na yung macbooks and sana ilabas na nila yung merom chips para mas maganda yung cooling efficiency. I heard they'll be releasing the new gens early next year. wish I have money by then.

3. I saw this 3.5" HDD casing with ethernet and USB capability. cool. I want one. so that I can dump files and videos over the network to it, and play them via USB to our USB-capable DVD player which can decode Div-X and MP4. hehehe.

4. Since nangangarap narin ako, isang Sony alpha digital SLR. hehehe. yun nga lang, i haven't actually had the chance to try one. so di ko alam kung maganda. although sony cams are nice. but i heard their DSLR division was acquired from Konica-Minolta. So it may just be a repackaged K-M with additional features from Sony. Anyway, wish ko lang talaga yan. haaaayyyy... ang sagot dyan, dapat grumadwayt na para 'di lang raket-raket. hahaha.

5. 2GB(2x1GB) memory for my desktop. well, medyo over na yun actually. pero 512 lang nga lang nakalagay nagyon eh. hehehe. so maybe additional 1GB(2x512) nalang (afterall, ala naman akong pera, hahaha). pero sayang kasi yung slots for dual-channeling. malapit na ring lumabas ang Vista (but i'm loyal to OS X, hehehe).

6. Sony in-ear earphones. most probably white in color. no, not the super high end ones, the MX1 is ok for me. afterall, I'm not really a music afficionado, and besides, i think spending more than 2k on a set of earphones is pretty expensive and not worth it. sayang naman pera.

So far, that's what I can think of. gotta cook lunch muna.

Though Chain: Oh, aside from gadgets, I need a fresh batch of Clinique products. My soap is dwindling. hehehe.

breakouts! waaahhhh!!!!

2006-10-13T00:12:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :( (shit naman o!)

Lately, after my DP, I've been having pimples. I don't have pimples that much anymore, but so far, this is getting worse. I think I'm having an allergic reaction to the treatment. shit! although, I'm kinda stressed out and lack sleep lately. so it may just be a coincidence, or all these factors just mounted up. good thing I have R/S lotion which is actually effective in controlling the zits. they aren't big, but they are a bit red. afar, they're not really that noticeable. but up front, they annoy me whenever I look at the mirror! argh! Will I get another DP? well, I think I better see my dermatologist tomorrow.

Though Chain: For vanity's sake, how far have you guys gone?

The Diamond Peel...

2006-10-08T09:59:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :| (Just woke up)

I just woke up. Still a bit sleepy but decided to blog a bit. The other day ago, I had my first DP (Diamond Peel). The process just lasted 15 mins and my dermatologist told me I would see results on my third DP. I've always wanted to have a DP, the problem was, dermatologists have such a high price for the service. My new dermatologist is nice, she does her own treatments (she doesn't let anyone else do it for her unlike some clinics) and best of all, she prices reasonably. I've just seen her twice. but so far, she's been successful in treating the allergy on my ears, and lessening the pimples on my nape. So, I hope the DP does a good job in minimizing my pores and evening out my skin. Btw, she only recommends a DP once a month and she thinks it's crazy that some commercial clinics allow DPs once a week. Too traumatizing daw for the skin. Btw, after my first DP, my skin was a bit smoother. not so much change, but you can see a slight difference. And the price? just 1200 bucks (cheaper compared to Belo medical which charges 3000, woah!).

Though Chain: Kung mababasa ng friends ko ang post na ito, oo na, kikay na kung kikay! hahaha. what's wrong about fixing yourself up for presentation?

candle-lit dinners, hot nights, and 2 hours lasting...

2006-10-04T01:31:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (glad that was over)

in case my title made your mind a bit more eco friendly green, you better read though this whole blog coz it's real wholesome. hehehe. The past week was really terrible. Aside from the fact that the supertyphoon milenyo brought down houses (wawa naman mga nasiraan ng bahay), trees (depressing ngayon ang itsura ng SLEX) and lotsa billboards (buti nga sa inyo), the typhoon left the whole luzon in the dark including my home. haaayyy... sobrang init. we were in the dark for 4 days. Electricity was only restored last monday. And I had so many things to do. so many deadlines for papers, deliverables for 3 clients, and research for thesis which I wasn't able to do due to the blackout. We had candle-lit dinners with canned food entrees (we had to cook all the meat in the freezer on the first day of the blackout coz we were afraid that it wouldn't survive long) and no resto or fastfood was open for delivery (plus the fact na nakakatakot na baka wala silang generator and they were serving thawed out meat). Anyway, on the 2nd day of the agony, I heard over the radio that some parts had electricity restored. So I thought of calling up fast foods to primarily get cold drinks delivered and some food (non-burger para safe). Jollibee was still closed, and so was chowking, and so was greenwich. Mcdo was open yet they only delivered burger items and they didn't deliver drinks (double whammy). Finally, I was able to find a place that had cold drinks (daw) -- pizza hut. Yun nga lang, after 20 mins, they called me back to tell me they ran out of ice and that the drinks were only a bit cold. "Cancel nalang yung pizza and the drinks. Sorry, I was actually after the cold drinks. the pizza was just a side order". mejo natawa yung operator na mas habol ko yung drinks kesa sa pizza nila. anyway, my brother and I just decided to buy ice from the nearby ice plant as we heard they were open for business (may generator sila). so there, we queued and queued and queued just to buy 1/4th of a big block of ice which is about the size of 8 hollow blocks. Yun nga lang, the queue was 2 hours long! anyway, atleast we still had cold drinks for the rest of the days that there was no electricity. pa-conswelo da bobo sa init ng gabi at sa araw-araw na pahirapan sa tubig. cold juice and soda!

BTW: Happy Birthday Hunny Pottiepot aka Cheryl Lorica. Yung Ozzie mo nalang ang manlilibre sa amin in your behalf. hahaha

Though Chain: Since there wasn't any running water, we had to make the best out of the water reserves. While taking a bath, there was a pail under me that gathered all the bath water which I used to flush the toilet. but here's a math question: since there are only 5 of us, that makes only 5 bath water pails in a day. But 5 people go to the bathroom several times in a day. So how can you maximize flushing? hehehe. you do the math.

Brownout Blogging...

2006-09-29T00:36:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :( (I don't like brownouts)

Yep, it's brownout in most parts of Luzon, including here at home. But I needed to check my email to receive updates on class submissions and clients, so I had to do something to get online. I was able to download 2 hours of prepaid dialup internet access via my phone a while ago using my now drained backup phone. So here I am online, and now blogging in the dark and on dialup (meron kayang battery-powered na dsl modem? hahaha). But I'll just be online for a few minutes 'coz the batt of my Delta is running out. I roughly have an hour of batt life left (that is, with my LCD brightness almost so minimal, my keyboard is hardly illuminated). I kinda have this annoying mild headcahe which isn't really a migraine, but it isn't that mild either. It's just really annoying to have one in a brownout when you'd like to atleast sleep the humid night through. argghhh... maybe I'm just dehydrated. anyway, have to logoff na. Have to conserve my batt life.

Btw, Happy Birthday Tricia Orjalo. I didn't forget your birthday, my fone is just drained. Can't text you, but I atleast greeted you here on my blog! hehehe. miss ya!

Though Chain: My room smells like a damp rag. the water seeped through the windows, and room is damp. argghhhh!!!

Jologs.

2006-09-25T08:11:00.000+08:00

[Mood] ;P (Early morning blogging, well, early na ito for me)

I recently switched-on to blogger beta for convenience since I could use mg google account to sign in. Anyway, features seem the same, although layout has changed abit, aside from that, I feel the new system is snappier, and the blog publishing is really faster.

Last time, I posted about how I was into the "Greatest Day" song by Kitchie and Barbie. Alds was calling me jologs because of that. Pero jologs din siya kasi he watches Pinoy Dream Academy, including the uplate series. hehehe. Anyway, speaking of jologs, I think regular daily commuting from Laguna to QC and back has made my TV viewing different already. Every day, I usually get to catch our provincial buses tuned in to tele-fantasya shows. After the news, the whole lineup from Captain Barbell to Bakekang is what's showing while on the road on the way to Laguna.

So what can I say about watching shows that I don't watch before? hmmm... Captain Barbell still sucks in terms of story. Although I seem to have imbibed a morbid curiosity to find out if they'd pattern the next episode to Superman. Hello?! wala yata akong naaalala na may Kryptonite-like weakness si Captain Barbell sa panahon ni Herbert Bautista. Majika on the other hand is more amusing 'coz you have to admit that atleast, our special effects are getting a bit better (a warp from the time of regal movies before). Jean Garcia is a fairly good actor. Angel Locsin now looks pretty to me (before I didn't find her pretty). Eddie Garcia works well as an elder (and btw, if i remember correctly, he's already 80 years old). The plot is actually ok, but the storyline isn't. There are so many things that make you wonder, like, why don't they use their powers often when fighting? Why the heck are they plainly stupid when they should be skilled magicians and powerful? Like duh, if I were a really an artisan in the spells, I would have blasted them all to smitherines. hehehe. Bakekang is one show I really don't like. I don't find it amusing. Probably because it's supposed to be a realistic story, but you just can't seem to relate with it or see the rationality behind it (or maybe because I just really don't like sheryl cruz, arghhhh, she looks so 80's).

so, yes, I am able to watch shows like these in the evening, but I wouldn't really choose to do so (siyempre may disclaimer pa). On the other hand, since Majika is about to end, I would probably wanna catch the finale, hahaha. :D No, seriously, mejo jologs yata ako ngayon. ;P

Though Chain: Remember Kampanerang Kuba? I actually liked that story. it was humorous kasi, plus the fact that my mom used to watch that. hahaha.

The Greatest Day... (You're a winner with every sachet)

2006-09-22T22:19:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (It's one nice day.)

Ok, I just came from an exam which I don't know if I answered well. Anyway, the bright side is I have a new project to keep myself busy with.

I was able to finally able to find the song "Greatest Day" on the net. I've been looking for the song for the longest time. The tune really stuck on my head from hearing it everyday in the shampoo commercial promotion for their contest, plus the fact that you have to admit that the tune is really catchy. So, who wants a copy of the song? hehehe

Though Chain: Speaking of contests, I'm a real sucker for promo contests. I'm recently hooked on this new auction site trying to win myself a gadget or two. Sadly, haven't won yet. Oh, and btw, the craziest thing I did before was send 300 SMS entries to this promo of a bank which was raffling off trips around the world. Che just laughed at how crazy I was that time. hahaha.

Am I as cheap as two bucks?

2006-09-20T20:34:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :+ (ready or not...)

I went to Makati today to finally upload the online image database i promised the people at Makati Business Club. Well, now they can probably search and retrieve faster since it's now online (intranet). I used JSP for the fronend with a Java XML parser to parse the XML database. Just hope the system won't lag if the catalog swells to 10,000 entries (since they already have 10,000 digital images).

Anyway, I went home back to Laguna. To get home from Makati, I took a bus, then rode a trike afterwards. I took the other route going to our place since I missed the usual stop of the trike terminal. I usually pay 28 bucks for this other route. When I paid the trike driver, he told me it was really 30 bucks. So I questioned him telling him I just took this route lately and paid 28 bucks. He argued that it wasn't. I know it's just two lousy bucks, but I guess I felt I needed to just assert myself with this asshole. To make the story short, we got into a heated argument, and the last words I heard from his mouth were, "Intayin mo, babalikan kita." and I think I said, "Sige lang."

Ewan ko ba, mapapaaway pa yata ako just for two lousy bucks. Although I do think what he said was bullshit, but you can never underestimate the temper of a basagulero. Lifestyle na rin nya yun sa lugar nya I bet. You have to assert yourself or be pushed around. Sociology tells us that the feeling of powerlessness is rampant in depressed areas, and the only way to fight powerlessness is to band with the people who hold power in the area, or stay powerless. Yikes, isang tropa ba ang babalik sa akin? I have to scour for all the knives in the house. hehehe. Anyway, frankly, I don't really like fights, but if I have to protect myself, you bet your ass I'm capable of almost anything. In any case, this really sounds so cheap since the root is 2 pesos. I actually feel like an idiot for letting him get the best of me. Nag-worry tuloy mom ko. Sorry ma, I don't do this often.

Though Chain: Isipin mo nalang no? 2 pesos lang kung sakali ang halaga ko?! WTF??!! Gawin nyo namang 20 pesos. ala ka na mabibili sa 2 pesos. hehehe, nakuha ko pang magbiro. kung pwede lang sanang chain frost nalang yung taong yun, tapos damage-damage-damage. hahaha. dota na ito.

Cheap PQI Flash Disk

2006-09-13T00:44:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (matches delta.)

I bought a cheap thumb drive from cdrking this afternoon. I was looking for a 1GB thumb drive, but I wanted the PQI white one because it was polished white and closely resembled the polished whitee covering of my iBook Delta. Anyway, they were all out of 1GB variants except for the Kingston one. but since looks were equally important for me, I chose to just get the 512 white pqi variant rather than the 1gb kingston one. anyway, flash disks are cheap nowadays. this only cost me 680 bucks. I tested it while inside the store (as I have Delta with me most of the time) so that I didn't have to go back in case it was faulty or something.

When I got home, I found out something new. Call me stupid, but I only found out recently that you can partition a thumb drive. It never occurred to me before to partition my old thumbdrive. anyway, i didnt try partitioning it since I have no use for sectioning such small memory unless I want to make a bootable partition on one, and save docs on the other.

So what's on my list of things I need to buy? hmmm... I'm looking for USB powered speakers. I saw an altec lansing one but it costs 4k+ for just stereo slim USB powered speakers. kinda expensive in my opinion, but the sound is great to power up my lappie in times i need more audio juice out of it.

I have this idea for my laptop. I'm gonna make my own laptop risers. Since I think the powerball thingees are over rated and pricey, I'm gonna make my own version which hopefully works and looks good. I just need to find the equipment I need which I've set in my mind. show you here when I'm done.

Though Chain: I'm still looking for lightscribable DVD+Rs. Has anyone seen anywhere I can buy some? preferreably not expensive. I know of a place that sells them for 150+ per piece of 8x dvd+r lightscribable disk. Not worth it in my opinion since a blank benq 16 dvd+R is only 19 bucks with case. I don't need to buy something 8 times more expensive just because I can label them with my drive. But I'm just dying to try out lightscribing!

the slapsoil returns to SBC.

2006-09-12T13:35:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (bwahahaha.)

ok, so what's new while i stay here at seattle's best katipunan to browse the web? hmmm... i didn't buy my favorite raspberry mocha kiss and instead settled for an xtea and a tuna pandesal. what's not new? my cup is already empty and i have no intentions of letting the staff take it away. using it as props para di na ako kailangang bumili ng isa pang cup. hehehe. or, pwede ring kung nababasa nyo yung blog na ito ng maaga, and i'm still here, you could drop 5 bucks to help my favorite charity... myself. hehehe. help the poor ika nga. speaking of poor, mukha na ring busabos si Delta. I need to clean my baby na. There's a new hotspot here in SBC. Globequest now has a hotspot here too. akala ko nga nung una, ni-replace na nila yung AirborneAccess. buti nalang hindi. in any case, i'd rather settle for smart 3g rather than use globequest since it costs 4 times as much.

The sad thing lang while I'm sitting here is the thought na I used to sit here with friends and study and chat the night away. Now, friends are far, and I'm still reading and studying... alone. Think I need to mingle with people? hahaha. not my style. shy ako eh... bawal kumontra! Blog ko ito.

Though Chain: sabi ni aimee once sa kanyang status message, naive daw siya. naive-vak daw actually. hehehe. kanina, naive din ako. hahaha

I definitely wanna kill the guy who sang this song!

2006-09-06T01:50:00.000+08:00

[Mood] >| (OMG! I hate your song!)

The other day ago, I was with my Mom, my sister and my niece. We were on our way home and was along SLEX. I was half asleep on the passenger side (and my sister driving), when I heard the most annoying song yet. It was a song created for Centrum and sung with the lyrics, "blah blah blah ...i wanna be complete... blah blah". I'm sure it was sung by Sam Milby. And boy did my ears wanna pop out of my head! The song had a really weird rhythm, and the lyrics was just aweful! to top it off, Sam DOES NOT SING WELL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! F*ck, remember that "you're my only star blah blah" song? Hello?! PIYOK KING! ikaw ba yan????!!!! Pero I swear, when you hear his new song for centrum, you'd be appalled to buy Centrum so that they'd go bankrupt and end Sam Milby's career for good! F*ck! Stop making him sing! I hate his songs, and I hate his voice!

Though Chain: Heck, my fart even sounds better than listening to him!

50,001 Reasons why you should NOT buy Petron products

2006-08-31T17:59:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :P (Shell would have done it differently.)

Here are 50,001 reasons why you should NOT buy a single Petron product:

1: They wash their hands from a dirty incident instead of acting upon the situation quickly
2-50,001: They spilled 50,000 gallons of crude oil on our seas, detroyed countless marine life, and have made helpless the hapless people of Guimaras. Yeah, yeah, it aint your ship, BUT it is your fuel, and YOU commissioned that CHEAP OLD ship.

I'm sure Shell would have done something different if they were the company responsible. They would have the balls to clean up their act instead of waiting for their outsourced cargo handler to act up. Petron has never shown any ecological reposibility. They don't care who's fault it is as long as it's not theirs. So I say, boycott the damn Petron products (including Gasul, Buy Shellane). They pump the prices so high, yet are so cheap as to not even help in the cleaning process. Are you waiting for NGOs or the government to clean up your f*cking act? Oh yeah, I bet you're thinking, "OMG! we just lost so much crude oil!" rather than "How can we help this province and its environment?". Selfish assholes! If you (Petron) want to really help, clean up the oil spill, shoulder all the costs, then sue that Sunshine Maritime corporation for all their worth (Oh wait, I think they're worthless).

Though Chain: Speaking of Petron and blunders, I remember before that Petron had this IPO for their stocks when they listed themselves up on the board. Alot of people bought their stocks with their elaborate commercial on primetime on "...we've got the power, hands meet a vision... committed to power the nation". Yeah such BULLCRAP! Your stock plummitted after a year by more than half its value. And NO! You don't power the nation! You juice out its resources and leave it in waste! Morons!

Just like Heaven with a Splitting Headache

2006-08-30T05:48:00.000+08:00

[Mood] Mmmmm.... Ouch! (So Happy and in Pain that I could just weep for both)

I have one seriously splitting headache yesterday because I'm sick. I still went to class since I don't want to be absent for my classes anyomore. Ouch, I just wanted to pound my head on the wall while I was in my ONE and ONLY class for the day. Grrrr...

Anyway, on the lighter side, the Ozzie and the Hunnypot gave me a late birthday gift yesterday. They surprised me with my fantasy ice cream, Cherry Garcia from Ben and Jerry's. YUMMY!!!

Thanks guys. Ate it with the CRS pips and the Ozzie was there too. Ja came back with Joey from their vacation in Cebu and brought with them dried mangoes and galletas and stuff. Yum. Thanks for remembering us Ja, and thanks for not bringing otap. hehehe. Although otap is yummy, i think i'm just saturated by it's taste for now.

Though Chain: I love cherries in ice cream. I remember on the final days that Baskin and Robins was still offered here (by the same group that owns the fanchise for Subway and Mrs. Fields), they had this promo for buy one and take one. For 72 bucks per scoop which you get another scoop for free, It was really worth it, especially their Winter White Chocolate where you get white chocolate ice cream with whole chocolate covered cherries. Oh so yummy! *drools*

Older, also wiser?

2006-08-27T12:17:00.000+08:00

[Mood] ... (tamad.)

Ok, so I haven't blogged for like 10 days. anyway, I turned a year older (not necessarily wiser) the last week. yeah, whatever. hahaha. bitter kasi tumatanda na. anyway, celebrated with family and friends. I met up with my old webteam buds (aimee, aldwin, carl, olan and tina). It was so hilariously fun. we spent the whole night laughing away and ate the night away at glorietta. Sang a couple of songs too. Miss you guys again. gimik ulit tayo.

I bought new rubber shoes last week in the festival mall alabang sale (air shouri). I got my shoes at half the price! bargain! it was originally almost 4k, now down to 1900+. It's very llight and comfy and is really a running shoe.

I've always liked light nike shoes. I loved the prestos before, then transferred to nike zoom air. But i'm still waiting for the shoes my tita bought for me in the US. I asked her to buy me a pair of nike free. I hope they're on their way. hehehe. pero lately, i saw these cute white shoes (yes, white again) from adidas. i forgot the name. but it's really nice. too bad the price aint that nice. hahaha, 'di ko afford! i'm soooo foor.

I recently had a really f-ing exam. shit, just made my f-ing day when i got the results. sobrang arggghhhhh! leche, pucha namang buhay ito o! kung kailan pa-graduate na ako sa wakas. anyway, buti nalang i think nakabawi ako sa report. i'll just make good next time.

Apple has announced a new battery exchange program for sold ibooks and powerbooks due to overheating issues. apparently, my delta doesn't fall under the replacement category since it's not affected daw (according to the battery serial number). anyway, I've heard sa forums about the hassles of battery replacement in the Philippines. Appaently, super sub-standard ang service ng mga resellers ng apple sa Pinas. frankly, i'm not surprised. may katarayan kasi yung mga tao sa Ynzal based on my experience. I guess we need to have a REAL apple direct distribution center dito sa pinas and not just a reseller/distributor para naman magising sa good customer service practice yung mga resellers dito. I wonder what Apple in Singapore is doing about issues like this? It's really not making a good impression on their company. sayang pa man din since I'm already accustomed to macs. but it wouldn't be so hard to go back to a windows machine if service would suck big time once i need it.

Though Chain: U-Thought

Contrary to popular belief, I am not the Grim Reaper.

2006-08-16T13:26:00.000+08:00

[Mood] *pant* (kinda tired.)

I just finished weeding and adding soil to my plants. Yes, I do have some plants at home which I personally take care and grow. And contrary to popular belief, I DO help bring life, and not just summon death. hahaha. The picture above is tomato. there are 3 separate plants in the big pot. It's almost 3 feet tall and has alot of fruits already, although most are still small and green.

I also have a ginger plant. it's almost a foot tall. I've tried harvesting ginger before, although just a part of it.

I predict that in 3 weeks time, some of the tomatoes will probably ripe for picking. Just can't wait to taste fresh tomatoes from my plant. Just hope it doesn't taste like soil. hahaha.

Though Chain: Here's how the tomato was originally planted: mom got a really really ripe tomato from the ref, squished it on a pot with soil, let mother nature sprout the seeds while I do nothing, and when it actually did sprout seedlings, that was the only time I really took care of it. hahaha. Figured out that it could need some help in growing. The same happened with the ginger. actually, this was a sprout from my mom's ginger plant which I transplanted. the only problem with tomatoes, is that they tend to droop, so supports are needed for the plant to stay upright.

Western Digital 250GB SATA-2 16MB

2006-08-15T22:53:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (gastos, pero ok naman.)

I already bought the hard drive I was talking about in my previous post. Found a shop that carries SATA-2 hard drives. Villman, PCX, and most local shops still carry SATA-1 HDDs (I guess they're still trying to clear out their stocks). Anyway, I was able to buy this baby at a price that's the same as a SATA-1 HDD (price compared from PCX). Got the WD2500KS model with a standard 3-year warranty. So far it's running quietly, feels snazzier, natively compatible with my MoBo, and best of all, I don't need to worry for the mean time about running out of HDD space in my desktop. The funny thing was, when I was inquiring about lower storage models, the price difference of the 200GB and the 250GB was only 200 bucks (and the 200GB model has only 8MB of cache). Talk about huh?!. Anyway, if you guys are gonna get a new drive, get a SATA-2 one (That is, if you're on SATA. SATA-2 is backward compatible with SATA-1, although I don't have a SATA-1 MoBo to test out the performance diff). I can forward to you the contact details of the shop I got this from if you guys want. anyway, off to bet for me now. Got sleepy from reinstalling my system.

Though Chain: A few posts back, I originally planned to buy only a 160GB SATA-1 HDD. When I found out that I could get great deals at places from my research (and extra funding c/o big bro), I instantly wanted a SATA-2 one instead. hehehe. Now I need to pump up my RAM. This shop also carries Samsung 512MB DDR667 for just 2k. Hmmm... might buy a pair (to get 1GB) in 2 weeks time, but I need to sell first my Kingston DDR533 RAM and manage my budget too. hahaha.

Old Hard Drive out, New Hard Drive in... later.

2006-08-15T14:46:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (no really, happy.)

I sold my old IDE hard drive an hour ago with the help of tipidpc.com. I'm gonna add some cash and finally get to buy that 250GB Westerd Digital SATA-2 Hard Disk I wanted. Yey! Did I mention it has 16MB of cache? I preordered this morning and pick it up later 6pm. I wonder how good it will perform with my dual core. Hope it boosts up Monkey's performance.

Though Chain: U-Thought

A reading list...

2006-08-11T08:53:00.000+08:00

[Mood] Zzzz... (Still sleepy.)

I have an exam today at 4pm. I can't seem to get concentrated at what I'm reading. so many readings, so little time, plus the fact that my profesor in comparative lit promised us an objective exam. Yup, you heard me right. She's gonna ask the who, what and when questions because she thinks analysis is already done inside the classroom. bummer. I hate memorizing titles, authors and dates. I wonder how critical her questions can get. anyway, while reading through the reading list, I suddenly realized I haven't read a good book in the last couple of months, well, I have, but I've failed finishing the books I started. like, I never got to finish reading Milan Kundera's Unberable lightness of being because it bored me, or how the hundred years of solitude intrigued me, yet 3/4th's way through, I got busy, wasn't able to continue reading it, and a few days ago, when I picked it up again, I was already lost (since marquez used, reused and reused the names of the characters over and over again through the generations. good thing there's a family tree on the first part of the story, bad news is that some of their lifespans overlap. so somewhere in the story you'd find three people of the same name, slept with the same woman, or had affiliations with the same people and the same war). So, where was I? Oh, yeah, the realization... I realized that I need to finish the books I've started and to create a reading list of books I want to buy and read.

Books I didn't finish:

* Milan Kundera's Unberable Lightness of Being (Bored by page 100+ i think, sorry, I think I got bored with the philosophical inserts. maybe i'm just shallow. hahaha.)
* Gabriel Garcia Marquez' A hundred Years of Solitude (Really want to finish this)
* Gabriel Garcia Marquez' Strange Pilgrims (Bored by page 10, but wanna get back at it kasi sayang yung book. Gift from Dan)
* Paolo Coelho's By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept (I think by page 50, I was dead bored. second thoughts on returning to this book, besides, I don't know where I kept my copy of this book. I think somebody borrowed it.)

Books I'd like to read:

* Gabriel Garcia Marquez' Love in the Time of Cholera (Heard it's Garcia Marquez' best book, so far my favorite is Of Love and Other Demons. the first book i read that he wrote which caught my imagination)
* Milan Kundera's Slowness (heard it from my prof)
* Mich Albom's The Five People you meet in Heaven (have a copy of his book at home and his other books, but i think this is the one i plan to read at this time)
* Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code (yup, didn't want to read it, but now just curious. not gonna buy, have ebook. hahaha)
* Paolo Coelho's Zahir (don't actually know what it's about, hope I won't get disappointed)
* O'Reilly's Head First Java (for my SCJP certification, not your usual coffe table book)
* C.S. Lewis' Screw Tape Letters (heard from Macky)

well, so far, yun lang goal ko this year. Yes, year. I'm not very much of a reader, plus the fact that i'm kinda busy with other stuff such as dota. hahaha. kidding. Thesis i mean. And I usually read books of authors that have caught my interest in reading their other works. Yun nga lang, I get disappointed sometimes. Coelho caught me in the alchemist, disappointed me twice in by the river piedra, and disappointed me once more in Veronika decides to die (predictable). So, anyone wanna suggest your favorite authors which you think I'll like?

Though Chain: I have to get back to studying fo my lit exam. hehe

Ouch! your ass is on fire!

2006-08-09T22:00:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :/ (It's just karma!)

WARNING: these are rants about the humanity we've lost. If you think you feel offended by any of what i've said, then ding-ding, you must be one of those people who don't even know how it is to be humane. I don't really wish anyone harm, but I hope KARMA gets the best out of you.

I was watching the news a while ago when I heard a story of 3 more OFWs that jumped from the 3rd floor of their respective buildings in Lebanon in order to escape since their employers forcibly detained them. This story isn't quite unique. I've heard the past couple of days of recounts of our dear fellow Filipinos being worked like slaves in Lebanon, and worse, being forced to stay against their free will. Now who the heck gave these people the right to treat another human being like shit?! So now, it doesn't surprise me why another nation would want to bomb their inhumane asses! It's all just KARMA dear. Ang masaklap, kahit na tinatamaan na nga kayo ng bomba, 'di nyo pa ma-gets na kinakarma kayo! How dense can your sorry ass get?!

I know it's so bad of me to say something like that. But people who treat other people like trash should be treated like trash too. Like the other day, I had breakfast with my sister and niece at Starbucks Makati. I saw this filthy rich old hag who ate and drank with her friends while her helper watched them just sitting there in another chair away from them. Now how insensitive can people be?! Hello?! I think you're filthy rich, why not feed your companion you bitch! You just proved that your an utterly CHEAP OLD FUCKING HAG! Kaya ka siguro yumamam sa sobrang kakuriputan mo! 'di ka na nahiya sa balat mo! Aside from the fact that you fucking pay her BELOW minimum wage, you can't even be nice as to buy her a cup of coffee to warm her stomach! Bitches like you who think they own the world because they're fucking rich (wouldn't be surprised if it were out of curruption or some misdeed) deserve to rot in HELL! For crying out loud, your house help is STILL HUMAN! If you think you can afford to get house help, then pay them atleast minimum wage, or atleast give them benefits like SSS! And don't you ever dare think that "atleast they have a job blah blah bullshit", because you yourself would feel shortchanged if you had a low-paying job that doesn't even treat you half as human!

Though Chain: Ok, if you guys are gonna tell me about the fast food chains i've tormented, that's a different story. I don't disrespect them. I just give them a piece of my mind because that's a question of good service. Besides, not doing your job properly is like disrespecting the customer. Atsaka mataray lang ako sa mga mataray din sa akin. Assert your right for good service and don't settle for anything less, but assert your right too as a human being, and don't be treated like shit, but if you treat me like shit, i'll just throw back that shit at your face!

Smart 3G, the Cheapest DVD Writer, & Globe G-Pass

2006-08-09T06:41:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (Cool, Fun, and Mediocre. In that order from the title)

First of all, even though I'm at home, I'm writing this blog using my Smart 3G connection instead of the DSL connection at home because finally, I get to make my connection work. After hearing that Smart 3G rocks, I finally got myself to buy a Smart prepaid SIM, and test out the technology, and by golly, it's cool. Now I can surf the net anywhere where Smart 3G signal is available (actually, 2G can also be used, but speeds are a bit slow, but still nice if you need the connection for email access anywhere). It gives decent download and upload speeds too. I just hope Globe would offer the same rates. although currently, Smart has a wider 3G reach. Globe's 3G hotspots are sooooo limited. But if they do upgrade their network and offer the same rates, I'd stick back to my Globe plan. Btw, not giving out my smart number since I only use this for 3G. hehehe.

I bought the cheapest DVD Writer which I was planning to buy last time. For just 1900, I got a black samsung 16x DVD Writer with lighscribe and DVDRAM writing ability for my desktop. Btw, my desktop is named Monkey. Don't ask why (NOTE: aldwin, hindi bastos yan, kaya wag kang mag-isip ng kung anu-ano. that goes the same thing for you too che). anyway, i have burned a couple of DVD+Rs and it works perfectly. although i've only tried the 8x and 16x variants. I haven't tried using Generic DVD's but i bought a couple (since they are cheap) just to try it out. I would like to try writing on DVDRAMs too but the media is just too darn expensive and hard to come by. I saw this guy selling branded DVDRAM media for 750 bucks each disk. Marami-raming DVD-RWs na yun. hehehe. Btw, does anyone know of a place I can buy light-scribable DVD+Rs? Yung branded na mejo mura lang. ;)

Finally, when I went to pay my Globe bill at the Hub Glorietta, I bought a G-Pass too coz I wanted to try the technology. It costs 100 bucks with an initial load of 50 bucks. This can be used with MRTs. So here I go buying one which needs activation via your Globe Cellphone. I received a confirmation message that it was already activated, and hurriedly went to UP after to catch my class. When I tapped my G-Pass at Ayala station, it wouldn't accept it. Good thing, there was this girl who was in the booth of G-Pass nearby who helped me. Apparently, it wasn't activated yet (So much for registering and getting an activation message from globe). anyway, I got in and rode the MRT. The next trouble was getting out at North EDSA. I looked at all exit turnstiles, and guess what?! NO GPASS in NORTH EDSA! I wasn't informed by the girl in the HUB ayala that it was only to be used from ayala to cubao stations. like WTF!!! Why does Globe launch a half-cooked project?! I had to buy another ticket to get out. so, in essence, i spent 2x the fre for that ride! and i contacted good old lousy Globe, but they haven't reimbursed back the fare. I don't care how much that was (15 bucks yata), I just want it back! So I'm telling you, DON"T USE GPASS YET! It's not worth the hassle or you curiosity. Let Globe fix first their sub-standard system. Hey Globe, I want that 15 bucks back! wla akong pakialam kung magkano yun! I just want it back for the hassle you cost me!

Though Chain:

A new web browser i'm beginning to like... Shiira!

2006-07-30T00:56:00.000+08:00

[Mood] Zzzzz (Sleepy, about to sleep.)

I've been trying to search for the best browser available for Macs. The most popular ones are Safari, Firefox, Omniweb, Camino, et al... But they all seem to be resource hoggers at times. especially Firefox. It just seems that 1GB of RAM aint enough. I don't wanna spend on additonal RAM. So i opted to just search for an alternative browser. I stumbled upon Shiira. (For thee honor of Grayskull! hehehe)

It's based on the Mac Webkit engine. Kinda like Safari plus a touch of Camino and Firefox. It's smooth, simple, and lightweight (so far). It runs Java applets smoothly, and renders Flash objects pretty much like Safari or the others. The only thing i've seen so far that I don't like is that Javacript menus get to be quirky sometimes. Else, it works fine. The page tab even has a loader icon (for every tab) that tells how far the page has completed loading. It has a sidebar (drawer style) that contains rss, downloads, bookmarks and other stuff. Oh, by the way, did I tell you that it feels like it loads on application start faster than safari?

I think i'll stick with this one for a while. test it out if it holds up to its snappy ability.

Though Chain: Sleepy, sleepy, sleepy. Goodnight.

50th Post! Yey!

2006-07-18T22:26:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (Using default smile mood. don't be fooled.)

It's my 50th post for my blog. That's something for me to smile about since I've never kept any journal longer than this. Maybe that's because I hate writing (i mean, writing with a pen and paper). anyway, hope I keep this blog long enough.

Anyway, I'm gonna buy a new Hard drive sana. I'm looking for a 160GB HDD. But I wanted SATA-2. Sadly, puro SATA-1 ang binebenta sa mga shops like Villman. I think inuubos pa nila yung stocks nila. Eh sayang naman kung bumili ako ng SATA-1 when my PC is capable of handling SATA-2. Although, I wish my budget were a bit bigger 'coz I saw someone in TipidPC selling a SATA-2 Hard disk with 16MB cache. Yun nga lang, 250GB yung smallest size and it's almost 5.5K. I think it's a bit pricey for a Hard disk (for my student budget that is. hahaha). Pero cool sana! They also sell 500GB SATA-2 HDDs.

I'm buying this DVD DL Writer I found in TPC. It's selling for only 1900 and it's 16x with DVD RAM writing capability, and it's a double layer drive. Not to mention that it has Lightscribe! hehehe. I think I'll buy one next week. Mejo natatakot lang ako na 3-month shop warranty lang. It's a Samsung OEM drive kasi. O well, I'm still gonna sleep on it for a few days. sayang rin naman kasi ang 2K if it busts after 3 months. pero sweet deal kasi eh. anyway, i'll just post my rave (or rant) after 3 months if this drive is till alive. hahaha.

Though Chain: I've been a Mac owner for 6 months already. Yey Delta! Yun nga lang, i think i need to crash Ynzal to get my keyboard chacked. several keys need to be pressed with more pressure to function. and i need o get my HDD checked. i can see a metal thing from the exhaust that's misaligned. maybe i'll also inquire for a bigger capacity 5400rpm HDD to speed up things abit.

This morning just sucks!

2006-07-15T11:47:00.000+08:00

[Mood] %#@*! (This just aint fair.)
I was looking at the mirror last night, and saw how much age lines my forehead has succumbed to. A few years ago, most people would never think I was my age, they would usually think I'd be younger. Now, people would think I'm 1-2 years older. I guess I realized I aged with time. Aged with problems and trials that somehow have made marks on my surface.

This morning sucks. I just can't understand how irrational and impatient family members can get, while I reserve all my patience for them. Just so sad sometimes that even as I write this blog, I still try to rationalize why they acted such, and somehow, I don't really feel sad. Just annoyed and disappointed. So unfair! I wanna be angry, but I guess that's the trade off when you really love your loved ones. More age lines + less bitching. So unfair. hahaha. ;)

Though Chain: On the lighter side, I wonder what's the best dermatological clinic that offers diamond peel? That's to consider the price ha. My friend told me of this clinic that offers it at a cheap price. But can I really trust such a clinic? While Belo and Derm Clinic are a little bit pricey. But I've tried derm clinic before, and I somehow like them after being with them for almost a year (3 years ago). I need to boost up my skin. as in really.

Extra Bandwidth? is this permanent?

2006-07-14T16:26:00.000+08:00

[Mood] Hmmm... (I hope this is permanent.)

Before I start to blog today, I have a disclaimer. I'm not using Delta to blog, but i'm using the desktop (remember the dual core I deferred from selling, and just used instead?) at home para naman magamit ko minsan minsan. hehehe. Delta is resting.

Anyway, I noticed something different with our bandwidth lately. I've been able to download torrents at 38+Kbps on Delta, while my brother is able to surf on the desktop with still manageable speed. So type type and go to utilities.globequest.com.ph to check my bandwidth. and could this be true? 516Kbps! an upgrade from 384! I hope this stays without additional charge. I'm getting used to the extra bit of bandwidth. Baka ng-add sila ng burstible speeds at certain times of the day. But so far, at any time of the day i surf, the speed manages to remain constant. Oi PLDT, walang bawian ha! hehehe.

Though Chain: Kelan kaya magddrop ang prices ng DSL na mala-HK or Singapore na 1k lang ang 1Mbps? Kelan kaya maaayos ang 3G network ng Globe? Kelan kaya nila papalitan yung pricing nila for 3G? kasi 0.15/KB is not cheap globe! hello?! bubuksan mo palang yung homepage ng yahoo using 3G, 100KB na halos yung maddownload mo! 15 pesos na yun no! hello?! makabili nga ng Smart na SIM. dati ko pa yun sinasabi pero 'di ko ginagawa. hehehe. 10 bucks lang for 30 mins of 3G!

170 bucks and miles away from Home... Literally.

2006-07-07T23:46:00.000+08:00

[Mood] Phew! (This aint a story of triumph, but just sheer luck!)

Yesterday, I was utterly penniless. well, almost penniless. This isn't one of those stories wherein you should feel bad for me, since in the first place, it was all my fault. hehehe. I overspent this week. As early as wednesday, I already spent so much (by so much, I mean almost 2x my weekly allowance, and that's only in the span of 3 days). Eh bakit nga ba? eh kasi, nag-IMAX po ako sa SM Mall of Asia nung monday palang. We watched Superman in IMAX.

Although the screen was huge, I wouldn't say I was particularly impressed by the cinema. for one, the place was kinda crapmed. second, the screen didn't look like it was 8 stories high (siguro 8 stories high para sa mga unano). Third, I was just seated 5 rows from the front, so you could see the grainy pixels at the curved ends of the screen. bad bad. the 3D was kinda cool. but got annoying when we had to put on then off then on angain the glasses at parts of the movie. And I thought it was 20 minutes straight 3D. The cinema wasn't particularly pretty. I like the way the cinemas at gateway look. they look better, even compared just to the regular gateway cinemas and not the globe platinum one (that one, i really like. maybe i'll go back there again one of these days).

Ok, so after that, I spent more with food, stuff, and i met my friend for another movie last wednesday at gateway. so to make the story short, I was left with 170 bucks last thursday in UP. But wait, there's more, for those of you who don't know, I already moved out of Katipunan and moved back to Laguna since I only have 15 units this sem. OK, now the dillema: how do i manage with 170 bucks for lunch, and transpo going home? I didnt want to ask more money from my mom since she gave me like so much already (that's why I was able to spend 2 weeks worth of allowance). Nahihiya rin naman ako kahit papaano no?! may konti pa namang hiya sa talampakan ko. hehehe. anyway, luckily, I was so sleepy. So i decided to drop by my friends at the CRS and take a nap there. That solved the problem of lunch. It was also good that I had heavy breakfast that morning. My class ended at 8:30pm. yes, you read that right. my thursday class ends at 8:30. By this time, I was so dead hungry that I had to buy food. But alas, 170 - 7 bucks for jeep transpo to philcoa leaves me with 163 bucks going home. from philcoa, i would need to take a bus to cubao for 10 bucks, then ride another bus going to laguna for 60 bucks, then a trike to our village for 23 bucks. that leaves me with 163 - (10 + 60 + 23) = 70 bucks. Now, that estimate was based on the assumption that I would be able to ride a bus that would take me directly to Laguna. Now the problem was, what if there were no more available buses, and I would have to make shorter trips (that is, bus from cubao to alabang, then from alabang to san pedro). Now that would entail a little bit more. But I was sooo hungry, and my tummy took a mind of its own and rushed to Jollibee. I was able to control it from buying something expensive. and Mr. Tummy settled for a yum burger meal with upsized drink and fries for 71 bucks even though if it originally wanted something with TLC. hehehe.

So, holding my take out of Jollibe from Philcoa, I searched for help from higher powers to help me find a bus going to cubao under the pouring rain (Good thing I always bring an umbrella, and good thing my baby Delta didn't get wet). Got to ride a bus from there to Kamias where I waited for a bus to arrive. Was really crossing my fingers that there would still be a bus that took a direct trip, or I would have been really screwed. Thank goodness, after 5 minutes (and a little bit dizzy by now from hunger while still holding my bag of takeout and my half-a-ton backpack where Delta slept soundly), I was able to get a ride home. But this bus wasn't the regular provincial buses which I regularly take. This one passes Alabang first. For those of you who don't know, I hate passing by Alabang at night because hold-uppers are ramphant in alabang (the downtown, not the village). Anyway, as always, I was precaucious for my Delta. Wala na akong pera para palitan ito no! atsaka nandito yung thesis ko eh. That reminds me, i-back up ko nga sa gmail ko yung thesis ko after this blog. hehehe. well, since the title of this blog isn't "OMG, I got so screwed", you know by know that I got home safely, and was able to stretch my cash. Arrrrggghhh... magtitipid na nga ako... next week. I have to get a haircut pa kasi sa monday and buy a few personal items i need (i think i need, hehehe).

My Delta on my table. I'm back here at home in Laguna:

Though Chain: So how's been delta doing? dirty. but still cute. see the pic above.

Yellow Cab at 1am!

2006-06-30T01:42:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (Hehehe.)

The Hunnypot, the Ozzie, and I were watching episodes of Malcom in the Middle when in one episode, they had this pizza place that served pizza which looked o-so-good! right after watching the episode (around past 12), all 3 of us were suddenly craving for pizza. Ring ring Yellow Cab Katipunan... "Sorry, sir, we're already closed, Yellow Cab in People Support Makati is the only one open at this hour..."

To make the long story short, we traveled the distance from Katipunan to Makati to eat Yellow Cab pizza at 1am. Ordered a sumptuous 14" New York's finest which we were able to finish (considering I already ate dinner prior). Pizza somehow never tasted so tasty! Yum! Here's the Ozzie and the Hunnypot having fun with the pizza.

Silly beaws!

Though Chain: Which pizza do you guys like best? that's based on taste, amount(size), and price.

New Vidcard, yey!

2006-06-26T04:27:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :D (Now to find time to play games...)

I purchased a new vidcard yesterday for my dual core desktop. I had limited budget, so I dedided to just buy a Powercolor ATI X550. It's a 256MB GDDR (128bit) vidcard clocked at 400Mhz. I installed it in the afternoon, and tried playing a few games. pretty decent actually. Now I just have to test it out on real 3D games. Maybe I'll reinstall HL2 and set all the settings on high and see how it fairs. I'm not really a specialist on videocards, so my rating would probably just be based on the texture quality and the speed. But so far, I'm liking it, and it's actually very affordable. Now all I need is to find time for gaming.

Though Chain: Prior to this my vidcard was a 128MB GFX 5500 on my previous single core P4. I played HL2 and finished it with just the mid settings coz the framerate drops to almost 4fps when I use the highest settings. Now it's time to see if this baby will make daddy poud. hehehe.

It's been a while...

2006-06-24T02:31:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) (I'm just taking my dear precious time...)

It's been a while since I've last posted. So I decided to tell you about the new things in my life. First, I went back to playing dota with friends after they started to play the game again. Go Luna... Moonfang! hehehe. ;)

I decided to take home my dual core pc and just use it, and sell my less than one year old LGA P4. Now I just have to buy a new dedicated vidcard since the builtin intel express 950 chip sucks at 3d games. as in slooowwww... But the proc is nice and cool. the bundled fan is actually quiet. I just think i should switch from pata to sata. so maybe i'll sell my 2 month old drive in a month or so and replace it with a sata one. but i guess i'll buy that vidcard first, then upgrade my ram to 1.5GB, then buy that sata hdd. so raket nanaman ito all the way. hehehe.

we'll be having che's despidida tomorrow at burgoo. she'll be leaving for good for the US as her whole family is migrating there. Honestly, I think we'll all miss the hunnypottie. and soon, the ottie will follow her na rin. good luck on your career in the US che! sulitin na natin ang last few days of dota!

Oi! manlilibre ba ang june-july celebrators (celebrants sounds so much better, i guess i'm just used to using it)? Kelan ang pakain? wala yata akong naririnig na plans ah! hmmm... always remember, the tummy never forgets! hehehe.

UPCAT application can now be done online. soon, UPCAT applicants will be able to pay their fees online too. hope we get to make the system work by monday (fingers crossed, eyes starting to cross from lack of sleep).

I finally finished my OJT. now all I have to do is submit my journal, and get my evaluation filled up by HP. and, oh yeah, get my allowance na rin. hehehe.

dami ko kwento no? dami rin kasi araw na na-miss ko. ;)

Though Chain: Far at the back of my head as my tummy rumbles at 2:30 in the morning, I wonder when Krispy Kreme would finally open. I sure miss their doughnuts!

Ang Google at ang Pananagalog ko sa pasusulat nito. Bow!

2006-06-06T16:34:00.000+08:00

Mood: o_O (WHAT the FUCK?!)

I received an email from Google Adsense last week. As you know, my website has adsense advertisements in it. They said they wanted me to edit my post last january ads. Tagalugin ko para 'di nila ma-parse este, para hindi nila maiintindihan (nagbabakasakali na hindi pa sila gumagawa ng aplikasyon na pang-computadora na nakakaintindi sa wikang Pilipino). Balik tayo sa kwento. Sabi nila, bawal daw na maglagay na "pumindot sa mga nakalathalang mga patalastas (pagsasalin c/o tinnerts)". Binigyan ako ng 3 araw ng Google na palitan ang aking sinulat para gumana ulit ang Adsense ko. kainis! para naman kasing milyon-milyon ang kinikita ko sa Adsense na yan. lecheng buhay na ito. eh hanggang ngayon, 97 cents lang ang kinikita ko. wow! talaga namang limpak-limpak na barya! saan kaya ako magbabakasyon para gastusin ko ang aking tumataginting na 97 cents (50 pesos)? pwede akong mag-bus papuntang alabang mula sa ortigas. 50 pesos na yun. yun nga lang, cheke ang pinapadala ng Google. Wala yatang banko na nag-papalit ng pera ng cheke na 97 cents lang ang nakalagay. Baka pagtawanan ako ng teller ng bangko.

Though Chain: Tatanggalin ko ba ang mga ad-sense ko? hmmm... tinatamad akong mag-edit ng aking settings. saka na kapag ginamit ko na yung bago kong template in a few weeks time. Don't worry Google, I don't need your damn adsense!

Need to learn Tapestry...

2006-06-04T12:58:00.000+08:00

[Mood] - (I'm actually not sure.)

I'm excited that I'm about to learn something new. But at the same time, I'm scared that I won't be able to beat my deadline.

For my project with HP, I'm required to create a resource management webapp. They wanted a new J2EE framework, so I recommended that we try out Tapestry since I was intrigued with their presentation layer. They use HTML tags instead of JSTL which is fine with me because I don't really like JSTL. The whole concept to me is out of whack. I would rather use scriptlets and JSP tags than use JSTL. I guess I'm just not comfortablee with it. Anyway, the beauty of using HTML tags is that web designers who deevelop the front end need not to learn a new coding scheme since they only have to reemember additional HTML tags in the Tapestry template. This, they say, is truly a separation of presentation from logic. I just hope I get to be acquainted fast with the technology, since I'll be implementing not just the presentation layer, but also the business logic. I'm done with the database design and the the implementation of the schema. So that's one down. I've also set up the server and the libraries. Now I just have to start reading about the implementation of Tapestry, and start doing some exercises. Even my Delta has Tomcat+Tapestry. Wish me luck

Though Chain: Does anyone have a resource book for Tapestry? Peram naman o!

SM Mall of Asia!!!

2006-05-26T00:24:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :)~ (Cool!)

I went to SM Mall of Asia yesterday after OJT. Gosh, it was huge! Although at first glance, it looks as long as SM MegaMall, when you tour it, it's pretty wide and not just long.

The indoors are pretty with lots of skylights and atriums.

We visited the IMAX theater, but the shows were both documentaries (Everest 2d and Nascar 3d). So we decided not to watch and just wait for next time for a better movie.

We went around for some nice place to eat, and we were enticed to eat at this Japanese place named Sakae Sushi.

They have a conveyer that goes around the restaurant to feature their offerings. If you happen to fancy what you see, you simply pick up the plate and eat the food. They also have an lcd display in each table to show the menu. a mouse is present for you to click through their interactive menu and to place orders or to call for assistance.

The food is quite ok. But I think they're in the pricier side. a small serving of susshi (just 2 pieces) is already 89 bucks. a serving of 6 pieces of maki is 189. and that doesn't include VAT and service charge yet. Bottomless iced tea is 89 bucks too. but i'm charging the whole thing to experience.

So what's the real deal? a platter of mixed sushi and maki (around 20 pieces), 2 glasses of bottomless iced tea, and a bowl of ramen which serves 2 people set us back for 1300 bucks for the whole deal. It's not cheap I tell you, but still the place is different and the crew is quite friendly. They play J-POP music allthroughout and they have wasabe, and pickled ginger (tastes like) on the table as condiments.

Though Chain: Sorry I don't have much photos of SM Mall of Asia from the outside. My phone lost batt in the middle of taking pics.

Choppy 3G video

2006-05-23T15:12:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :| (Not particularly impressed, but it does kill time.)

I finally got to try 3G video streaming. I was idle (as usual) in OJT yesterday. Since I noticed that the 3G signal was kinda strong today, I decided to try out my luck with the 3G network. It took a while of figuring out how the heck to make the streaming thing work, but good thing it did. Anyway, I watched streaming tv from ABS-CBN. Anime was showing that time. There are images on the screen, although not particularly vivid (watching tv on a 1.2"x2inch screen isn't really the best way to watch tv) plus the fact that the video was really choppy. The sound streamed well though. It didn't make much of an impression with me, but it did make time pass. Too bad my phone didn't support screen capturing of video streaming, so I'm not able to post any images here. I tried streaming video again awhile ago. although it didn't work. something wrong with the network I think. Oh well, I guess I better do something else at work here.

Though Chain: I'm kinda hungry right now. craving for lasagna from delifrance. MBC's office had delifrance downstairs. And when I was craving their yummy lasagna, I would easily be able to eat it downstairs. Hungrrryyyy! I think I'll buy something from the manang out in the lobby. I wonder what she has there. I wish I could feel homier here at the new place. It aint really making me comfortable. :(

I wanna try 3G!

2006-05-20T22:24:00.000+08:00

[Mood] 8D (OOOOoooohhhh! I wanna!)

I wasn't been able to post before that I lost my phone just recently (about 2 weeks ago). Anyway, that's behind me already. Good thing I can still use the same number and it's a good thing that I backed up my contacts last month. So I just have to update a few numbers that wasn't backed up last month. So, now, I bought a new phone (bummer that I had to spend money at a time that I wanted to start saving up). I went around SM City North EDSA and found a phone that fit my needs, wants and most especially, my budget, hehe. I got a Sony Ericsson K608i.

Mine is a black version of the unit above. I couldn't find an image on the net, so i settled for the silver one to post here in my blog. It has everything I want: simple to use, enough on board memory, a megapixel camera, 3G, capable of video call, FM radio, and light and handy. The picture quality of the main camera at the back is good enough (1.3Megapixels), although not astounding. It's affordable, and the response is actually snappy. The bluetooth functionality seemlessly connects with my iBook, and it's quite cute too. I really had no plans of purchasing a more expensive phone since I really think that phones are not worth investing on. They depreciate in value quuicker than any gadget on the market, and they just seem to get obsolete faster too. So, for a year, I think I'm gonna be happy with this baby until my plan with globe expires and I get another plan which means a new phone too. hehe.

I just can't wait to use 3G, but the problem is, there are limited spots in the metropolis where 3G is available. besides, globe charges expensive 3G rates. So, I'm planning to buy a Smart prepaid sim since they offer 3G surfing for only 10 bucks per 30 mins! cool ha! now, I wonder if it's as fast as DSL. Anyway, I'll post my 3G experience in the future.

Though Chain:

Fridays are for Friday's.

2006-05-19T21:43:00.000+08:00

[Mood] :) :) :) (That was a nice dinner.)

I went to OJT with HP later than yesterday 'coz most of the people in the team come on later times (flexitime). My head wasn't around, so I tried reading on th available documentation (which was minimal, but still, tried to make sense of it). The pic above is the desk where i've been sitting for the past 2 days. I do bring Delta with me, but I can't connect her to the network since they use authentication via novell utilities. I went home earlier than usual. And just got home in time because the family was about to leave for Alabang Town Center. We had a family friday dinner. Whereelse but at Friday's!

Although I still do think that their fried food all tastes the same, I still love their nachos, and I tried their grilled salmon for the first time. Hmmm... It's yummy.

Since I wasn;t able to blog for a couple of weeks, I'm making this blog extra long. hehehe. Oh, btw, I already left Makati Business Club last Tuesday, and transferred OJT with HP in Ortigas. We had a last mbc lunch with a couple of MBC people in Chubby China. The food was actually good. But I think the servings are kinda small.

This pic wasn't taken with mine but with Jaecy's phone. The people in the pic (from left to right and top to bottom) are Ka, Kay, Patrick, Me, Jade, and Jaecy. Ka, Pat and Jade are regulars of MBC. While Kay, Jaecy and I are all OJTrainees. Kay is also from UP (from the same course), while Jaecy is from UA&P. Sorry guys, both of these lovely ladies are already taken. Like 5 years each taken. hahaha. I miss MBC. They were nice people, and the atmosphere was kinda fun, although the organization was considerably small (around 30 employees including Guillermo Luz).

Anyway, so what am I busy with at the moment? OJT parin, and I have a new raket with Ja in making the online UPCAT. Hopefully (and should be) we'll be done by the end of the month.

Anyway, I think I need to rush to the john. I've had too much dinner to eat. hehehe.

Though Chain: I've only tried the hush puppies of Fridays today. And good gracious, they were gross! For those of you guys who don't know what it is, it's actually deep fried cornbread. Kinda tough and chewy. Not my taste much. But the husband of my sister loved them (he's an american). I guess it's just an acquired taste like us loving bagoong and dried fish.

Apparently, fresh coffee from the espresso machine aint enough.

2006-05-05T15:56:00.000+08:00

Mood: Zzzzz (Wake me up.)

I'm super sleepy here at the office. We have an espresso machine here, but apparently, coffee aint enough to beat this sleepy feeling. I just finished making designs for the layout of the for this directory. It looks nice (alot of people say so), but apparently, the project leader is such a short-sighted individual. I've always disliked people who were shortsighted. I believe that people should look beyond and see the bigger picture at any aspect. Now he wants me to make another design, although he can't even concretely express how i should materialize the design. He has an expected output, although I guess what's in his mind is super cheesy. Hey bro, broaden your perspective. You'll end up cramped up in your little box. pathetic!

Though Chain: I don't care if you get to read this blog post. I even HOPE you get to read it. That way, you'll know how much you suck!

Dance sequence nalang, pang-regal films na!

2006-05-04T00:07:00.000+08:00

Mood: :P (Pik-Pak-Boom!)

It's like being trapped in a big budget movie starring Bong Revilla Jr or Lito Lapid. Don't worry, I won't spoil the movie for you. MI3 has the KABOOM and the BLING-BLING for every guy's attention. Nice car that they used, very explosive especially on the bridge, but beyond that, it lacks a good story to work with. One word: PREDICTABLE. I'm not biased, although I hate Tom Cruise, I tried to enjoy the film, but alas, it's just a so-so movie. I watched in GB3 with the Makati Business Club people (thanks for the free movie), and on the row infront of us, there was this guy who couldn't help but yawn so loudly in show of his boredom. Everyone just laughed in the cinema 'coz we all knew it was true. The villain was kinda good in his portrayal of a bad guy. Tom Cruise's make-up artist needs to get fired, as his eyebags couldn't get any bigger (maleta na po yan sir. would you like the bellboy to assist you with carrying that? hahaha)! Anyway, if ever there was a dance sequence in the movie, you'd surely say it was from regal films! If you saw MI1 or MI2 or both, you'd see that there's nothing different with this one. And why the heck did they have to repeat the MI1 drop cliche?! that one was really pathetic. I wonder why the critics at rotten tomatoes loved this movie.

Though Chain: In the movie, when the villain was captured, they boarded him on a vehicle which was supposed to be armored and secured. Get this, the producers tried to make it hi-tech by implementing a prox card (could have been an RFID card also) as a key to the van. Now what the heck were they thinking? apparently, for them prox outweighs biometrics which they've used in the past.

Tomorrow (at around 12:30pm), I'll be eating my words.

2006-05-02T21:47:00.000+08:00

Mood: :+ (Uh-oh, spoke too soon.)

Apparently, there are things in this world that just explode right in front of your face. My friend recently posted an idea to watch Mission Impossible 3 this coming saturday. I replied that I would not watch the movie as I am against Tom Cruise (because he's utterly annoying, ma-feeling, and because he's a die-hard freak scientologist). Anyway, this afternoon, I received a text message from one of the organizations I'll be attending my OJT with. "Please be here at 9:30 am, and at 12:30 pm, we'll all watch MI3, free treat." Bummer! Although it was really nice of them to include us with the free movie, will I dare turn down a bonding activity for the organization? I don't think so. So my mission, which I must accept, is to watch the movie. Oh well, I guess I'll be eating my words tomorrow. Yummy! hahaha. Well, atleast it's a free movie. Curse you Tom Cruise!

Though Chain: Imagine if Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz never split up and tied the knot? Mrs. Penelope Cruz Cruise. hahaha. Have I told you guys before that I also hate Penelope Cruz? Is it just me, or does she sound so annoying when she talks? So palengkera-like. hahaha.

A long way for homerun.

2006-04-29T13:01:00.000+08:00

Mood: :( (sadly getting frustrated)

I've been reviewing for several weeks now for my planned certification for java 5. Sadly, I think I've got a really long way to go before I can finish reviewing. Seems like I have so many things to unlearn and relearn. Plus the fact that I haven't tried Java 5's new features, and I'm not very knowledgeable with threads. Oh well, I still have a month to study. Wish me luck that I'll be able to finish reviewing for the ceertification exam. I don't wanna waste money by flunking that exam (and it would hurt the ego alot. hahaha).

Though Chain: I was doing some thinking. Please correct me feable analysis if I'm wrong. In this book I'm reading, there's this snippet that quoted "In an early Java speech, Bill Joy (one of the Java creators), said that 'Java=C++--' (C plus plus minus minus)" -- making the analogy that Java is C++ minus the extra things that make it complicated. Illegal in terms of real coding. But let's consider C++ as a result from a previous iteraion of C (C=C+1 --> C++). Henceforth, rewriting the statement yields 'Java=C--'.Hmmm... if my analysis is correct, theoretically, C would be referenced first in 'Java' then the decrement to 'C' would follow after. Making 'Java > (C++--)'. So wouldn't that make Java more complex than C++. Could he have said it better as 'Java=--C++'? Mali ba analysis ko?

Decisions... and more decisions...

2006-04-28T20:17:00.000+08:00

Mood: :} (No more ALT codes. So unfair on my Delta.)

I decided to drop the ALT codes since it's so unfair on my Delta. The ALT codes only work for Windows. I didn't know that when I created this blog (a week before I got Delta). So now that I think it's utterly frustrating to try to keep on looking on an ASCII table that I would never get to use in reality on my mac, I'm simply gonna type the characters instead. hehehe.

I'm having a dilemma on my internship. I'm caught between two companies I really want to join. Hopefully, I can work out a way to be able to join one, then successively join the other after I finish a couple of weeks with the first one (our department allows students to complete the required 170 hours from an accumulation of hours from different organizations provided that each organization will have a minimum of 20 hours).

Our current DSL provider (PLDT) here in Laguna sucks! Well, not in terms of bandwidth, but in terms of connection. The signal suddenly drops, and the DSL modem needs to reconnect every so often. Sometimes every 3 minutes! Arggghhhh!!!! PLDT, do something about this!!!!!
It's just utterly annoying! Too bad there isn't any other alternative.

Though Chain: I'm on my second week of being on a diet. I've only eaten rice twice this week. and I don't eat red meat or even chicken. Haayyy... nagsasawa na ako sa tuna! Pati tuna loaf, pinatulan ko na! Which btw isn't really good on salad. Anyway, I hope this diet pays off... But I do feel a bit lighter. I plan to continue this for a month. Hirap talagang magpapayat. Haaayyy... Darn this, when I clicked "Publish Post" a minute ago, the DSL signal dropped again! This is just so f*cking perfect!

Silent Hill...

2006-04-27T20:49:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 041 (Yeah, was one of the first, yet something's missing.)

Yesterday, I watched Silent Hill on the first screening in Gateway Mall Cubao. The movie followed the musical scoring from the game which was cool if you come to think of it. The texture and feel of the movie resembles the game too. Although, the story line departed from the game itself. I wouldn't want to go into details so that I wouldn't spoil the movie for those who want to watch. But for what I've seen, it lacks the scare factor. It does spook and surprise the audience every now and then, but it lacks the essence of what makes a movie horrific. I guess the reason Silent Hill spooks one in the game is because you take the first person perspective which makes you one with the game. But watching a movie needs more scare to make it a real horror movie. Good effects and nice music (used from the game), although slim storyline. Too bad.

Though Chain: Here's a spoiler for you guys... Someone dies in the movie, well, alot of people die for that matter. Oh, and btw, the last part is really gruesome that's why it's rated R-13.

Footspa at last!

2006-04-21T10:27:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 124 + ALT + 041 (Mmmmm...)

Since my feet weren't feeling their best the past few days, I decided to pamper myself a bit in Azta. It's located along Katipunan ave beside Rustan's Fresh. It has been my salon for a few months now after being with David's Katips for 5 years. They're a bit pricier, but they serve you a complimentary drink while having a haircut or any of their salon services. The place is owned by 2 (or 3) individuals. All I know is that one of them is from UP as I got to talk to the owner once. For being in UP, that gives this salon my thumbs up! hahaha. biased! Anyway, I got a haircut and a long awaited footspa (it's been like a year since my last footspa). Since it's summer, and I plan to wear sandals all the time, I decided to prep up my feet for the summer walk. The service rendered by the attendant Rachel was quite OK. she even gave me tips on how to take care of my feet even in case that I dont get often footspas (which is helpful coz this guy is usually broke. hahaha). anyway, went home happy that the soles of my feet feel really brand new. I think i'll have to start allotting a portion of my monthly allowance for fotspa. I really missed it!

Though Chain: I used to get footspas at David's Katiopunan. The last time I had my footspa there (a year ago pa), they charge 220 bucks. In Azta, they charge 350 bucks. But I guess naag-increase na rin siguro sa David's. haven't been there for a while to know. Maybe at the opening of next month, I'll try getting a massage at Natural Spa. People say they give good massages.

Silent Hill is Coming!

2006-04-16T21:22:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 044 (Yey!)

For this summer, I'm awating for the screening of Silent Hill here in Manila! Yes, I'm a fan of the game Silent Hill. Played both 1 and 2. I don't know, but the game gives me the creeps whenever I play it sometimes (especially that freaking radio and its static). I used to play it whenever I got home after class, which was usually in the evening and stretches til the wee hours of the morning. Anyway, the US debut is on the 21st of April. I don't really know the screening release here, but I hope it's not that far from the 21st. I viewed the trailers both on the big screen and on the net. Which makes me wonder, why is the child's name "sharon" in the movie? I remembered her name as "cheryl" in the game. well, maybe they changed parts of the original story from the game to match a different screenplay. But in any case, I'm anticipating its release as the movie feels much like the silent hill game. So, who else wants to watch silent hill? ;)

Though Chain: I wonder if the movie will meet my expectations. ;)

Joe-e strikes again!

2006-04-14T11:24:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 041 + ALT + 041 (Bwahahaha!)

I went to the mall the other day with my mom in Festival Mall Alabang to do the grocery in Shopwise. We were anticipating the closing of shops in the holy week, so we opted to buy lots of food for the week. Anyway, after doing the grocery, I was holding 4 heavy bags, and my mom was holding 3. We were on our way home, so we walked the long stretch of Festival to go out on the other exit. For those who aren't familiar with Festival, It's a really big mall with a mini-rollercoaster and a mini-train (with railroad tracks) that goes around half of the mall. Anyway, the train has areas which it intersects with the pathways of the mall. And there are levers which block the pathways whenever the train passes by. (let's go to the main story) There was this kid who kept pulling down the levers whenever he passed by with his parents. naturally, It would sway back and forth and hit the people behind him, including me (almost). Since I was carrying o-so-heavy bags, I shouted "stop doing that!". And to show the kid and the oblivious parents that I was pertaining to the kid, I added "annoying brat!" while overtaking the kid and looking at him with my killer stare (including his o-so-oblivious parents). Pasensya ka nalang bata, you were really annoying!

Though Chain: Before the incident, the day wasn't going really well. My mom wanted to have halo-halo at chowking. So we did. It took like more that 30 mins to serve halo-halo, siomai and bottled water and softdrinks. like as in so tagal! to add, the halo-halo was untterly dry (kulang sa milk). so i asked an attendant (very politely) for some additional milk. Naturally, it took him decades to give me the milk, so I approached the halo-halo station myself and asked for the milk there. I think he suddenly remembered and grabbed a small dish and started filling it up with milk haphazardly that the milk splattered over his left thumb and into the small dish. like hello?! I dont want extras on my milk please! so i asked for a new one, "I'd like a new one please. Yung walang ano sa gatas ko" (tried so ever hard to restrain myself from saying "Eh kung idawdaw ko kamay ko sa gatas na yan at ipainom ko sa iyo?!". I wanted to say that!) and the nerve! he got a new one na galit pa. Naku, kung di ko lang kasama nanay ko, pinatay na kita! The worst chowking ever: Chowking Festival Mall Alabang!

For sale ad, and other things the past week.

2006-04-10T18:17:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 041 (Using default smile mood. don't be fooled.)

After 10 days of not blogging, I'm back. So, what's for sale? I'm selling a brand new Intel Dual Core 2.8 GHz desktop rig (Pentium D 820). Selling it at a discounted price of 39k (negotiable). I won it as a prize and don't need it since I have my Delta. So anyone who's interested, just email me or post it here.

Yesterday, we went out to celebrate my mom's birthday. We finally convinced her to take a break and try a day at the spa. We went to Isalnd Cove since it's the most memorable resort for my mom. Back when my dad was still with us (20 years ago), we used to be there almost every weekend (back then it was named Covelandia) since they were a client of my dad. And now that he's not anyomore with us, we decided to relive the memories by celebrating my mom's 60th birthday there (less hassle too since it's just an hour away from our place in Laguna via the daang hari road to Cavite). So there, we made my mom go to the spa and get her to relax her muscles, get a pedicure and manicure, and get her a facial. In other words, we wanted her to try being extra kikay for a day. I have a feeling she'll ask us to accompany her again to the spa in the future 'coz I think she really enjoyed it. Oh well, Happy 60th birthday ma (that's on the 13th pa. hehe).

I went to UP today to get my form 5 and reg mats. I saw that the sunflowers were starting to bloom. Just so pretty to look at. I've always anticipated the summer term in UP for the sunflowers that line up the entire stretch of the university ave. so picturesque. I've always loved UP. It has really been my second home. Although I wouldn't want to stay here forever. hehehe. This summer, I'm gonna get units for practicum. I still haven't decided yet where. But the department has a list of companies to choose from which they accredit. I'll be starting coding my thesis on my idle hours to ease the load of my thesis on the first sem.

I just started ussing entourage on my mac. It's nice actually. although acts weird when I use the proxy with skyinternet with thee connection for Gmail pop. Just can't seem to connect when I use the proxy, but seems fine wthout it. bummer. I have to switch locations just to download my mail, then go back with my real location in order to browse websites efficiently. Stupid proxy! grrrr!

I went back to UP this evening to go jogging for 2 rounds. I was aiming 3, but I couldn't coz I'm not that accustomed to jogging anymore. I promised myself this summer that since I have a lighter load, i wouldn't have any excuse not to jog or finally enroll back to gym. haaayyy... I promise. I wont binge eat anymore. ;)

Though Chain: Today, I just had a sausage macmuffin with egg and hashbrowns, and lots of juice. That's all I had. I'm not really hungry, but i'm really craving for something solid! waaahhhh... I wanna eat! blasted diet! blasted!

8am on a saturday.

2006-04-01T08:07:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 041 (Using default smile mood. don't be fooled.)

Yeah, yeah, i know i'm not a morning person. but I had to wake up early to meet up with a groupmate for my last requirement this sem. So while waiting for her, I bought breakfast at Jollibee a while ago, and am now seated in the hallway outside the mainlib to be able to eat my breakfast while surfing the net. So what am I having fror breakfast? Corned beef. Too bad I wasn't able to get a few packets of catsup. I know it's quite weird, but I eat my corned beef breakfast meal with catsup all the time. It just has this sweetness blend that balances the meatiness of the corned beef. Basta, I like it with catsup! pero since wala, kain lang. still yummy for me.

Summer term is almost here, and I have to get ome applications processed for my OJT. I sent my application to HP. Although I still have to persuade the department that they should allow me to take my OJT with HP if i get accepted with their program. Anyway, my mom's birthday is up next week, and I haven't got a single cent in my name. well, I do have but I already contributed it for her surprise party. It's a good thing she only checks mail in the net, or the news. hehehe. anyway, I was still thinking on giving her something separate, but I guess I'll just have to ask for miracle for that to happen. I'm already flat broke.

Anyway, I was thinking of buying my Delta an iSkin. I want the translucent one, not the white one. I was also thinking on buying screen protectors for my trackpad so that it gets protected from the abbrasion of my fingers. But I was thinking of using the cheaper alternative... ACETATE! hahaha. talk about cheap. 5 bucks cheap that is. just ddont know how i'll attach it to her. scared that I may scar her in the areas where I tape her if i use doouble sided tape.

Anyway, I have to finish my breakfast. Good morning!

Though Chain: There's this front feature on www.inq7.net that's about the counter-signature campaign for the charter change. And I thought..."I think I'm pro for charter change". I really like the idea of revamping the election process. It's too expensive for our country to spend on, plus, it's also expensivee for the candidate's candidacy. I do hope that the UP proposed charter gets ammended. That. I'm really PRO for. Teachers need to get higher wages for them to stay with our university. plus the fact that we need to find sustainability for ourselves. If the state cannot fully support us, then we must make a way to support ourselves. It's not commercializing education. It's just self-sustainability. What's so bad about that? (may hinala akong magkakaroon ng violent reactions sa sinabi ko. hehehe)

I almost ate a beaw with hunny...

2006-03-21T19:38:00.000+08:00

Mood: i think i'll drop this mood thingee.

Yesterday, I was so tired and sleepy after not having sleep for more than 36 hours straight. well, not super straight because i was able to catch 5-10 mins of snooze for about 3 times. anyway, i went home really sleepy as in. and got awakened by accident by a beaw with hunny. I couldn't sleep again for some weird reason even though I was so sleepy. And was prepared to eat the beaw with his hunny and go hibernate for months to come after engulfing 2 piglets. anyway, i know you guys dont understand what i'm talking about 'coz it sounds like i'm talking in gibberish. But i assure you i'm not drunk or half-asleep as i write this blog. hehe. ;)

Thought chain: Today, i didn't leave the house the whole day. Finished doing my freaking Tcl/Tk MP. But i'll be leaving the house later for my regular tuesday badminton game at 9pm.

Summer is almost here...

2006-03-18T06:28:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 041 (Getting tired of typing ascii moods everytime. this was a creative yet baaaddd idea. hahaha)

Yup, summer is almost here. I noticed that when I felt the really hot days lately. As in scorching when hit by direct sunlight. So I guess the best way to beat the summer's imminent blessing of skin cancer for us is to use lots of sun block. I never really got used to using sunblock. But I do try once in a while. If i dont want to use any, I just moisturize my face every now and then with water-based moisturizer. And for that, Celeteque gets my thumbs up. I wanted to use the Clinique Superdefense Tripleaction Moisturizer to complement the Clinique Facial Cleansing bar i'm using. But it's just so darn expensive. Haayyy... Anyway, I've been using this lip misturizer that has SPF 40 and is surprisingly affordable despite the fact that it comes from Hawaiian Tropic. It's vanilla-mint flavor, and i think costs 100 bucks. cant remember for sure. it's been with me for 8 months na yata. and hasn't depleted yet. I wonder if it's more expensive na. Now i'm looking for a good sun block that won't burn a hole through my pocket. The problem aside from cost is that the higher the SPF you need, the greasier it gets. I'm not really sure if that's true with non-local brands coz they're darn expensive for me (especially dermatologica and clinique).

anyway, enough muna of that. back to real life... I'm excited for summer 'coz I always enjoy seeing the seasonally planted sunflowers along the entire stretch of university avenue in UP. It's really pretty. Makes me really say that UP is darn nice! Also, I promised myself to go back to gym over the summer. Planning to enroll at Moro Lorenzo since it's near my place and is affordable (1350 compared to Fitness First). I wanted sana to try the Loyola Spinning Studio, but I sadly found out that it's quite expensive. 300 buckeroos for each spin. or pay 3000 buckeroos for unlimited spins per month.

My friends and I are planning to go to Sagada over the summer. I hope we could really fix the plan so that it will push through. I think I want to go to bohol also. Hmmm... I wonder if i'll be able to cough up all the cash i need for my trips.

Oh, and btw, today is the birthday of my niece TJ (Therese Joanne). I'll be attending her first birthday at Pixie forest in Alabang. Boy are the kids nowadays having nice parties. Which also means that they also need nice gifts. Waaahhh... It's kinda making me broke. But heck, it's my niece naman and I love both my nieces (TJ and Kitkat). The annoying thing is I forgot to bring home to Laguna yesterday the gift from Katipunan. And I bought that last wednesday pa so that I didnt have to worry sana. Haayyy... forgetful me. anyway, i better prepare na for the party. Good morning guys.

Thought Chain: I have a class presentation today. So after the party in alabang, I have to rush back to UP and take part in the play, then head home after that again to Laguna in time for my game with my brother for badminton. FYI: I haven't slept yet!

I was never a morning person.

2006-03-07T01:54:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT +124 (mornings: why say 'mor' when i need less of it.)

After only having 2 hours of sleep, I woke up really bad to start with. As usual, I went home for the weekend in Laguna. So I had to leave early to head back to QC. There's this bus that I ride (remember the bus which I featured in a previous post that had thermal printed tickets?) which takes me to Kamuning from Laguna. There was this girl sitting next to me. She was sleeping most of the way until she woke up at around megamall. I was sleeping most of the way too... until she woke up. For some weird reason, she kept tapping her foot every so often. And it was really irritating since everytime i got back to almost dozing off, she would suddenly tap her foot in this 3 or 4 beat rhythm. utterly irritating! as in! and by the way, there wasn't any music playing, nor was she listening to music. i wanted to really tell her to stop (actually, scream, "freak, stop tapping your damn foot!"), but restrained myself in doing so because I thought it was rude to do so. Afterall, she may not be aware of her annoying mannerism. So, i tried to give her a hint. Everytime her foot would tap, I would make a thump with my foot. So after a few thumps, and to no avail for her to notice, I hurriedly transferred to the seat in front the moment it got vacated. well, atleast i was able to be nice. :D So here i am at 8:33 am in Jollibee Philcoa writing this blog anticipating to go to UP and login the wifi network to send this baby off. Oh, btw, the Jollibee thing were you get a free newspaper for every additional order of pocket pie with your breakfast meal is already over. They're back to newspaper sharing. I wonder if the goldilocks next door would already be open by the time I finish my breakfast (which comes with a cup of watered-down dalandan juice. but in fairness, the manager was prompt to hear my comment when i said it was "malabnaw". i told her not to mind replacing it.) woah! i'm not bitchy in the morning! i've known that a long time na. I guess i'm still not revved up to get my mouth speed talking in the early morning. anyway, good day to everyone (see... not bitchy!)

Thought Chain: I'm sending this blog at 2am the next day. I somehow forgot to post it the moment I got home here in Katipunan. Oh well, time to sleep.

I just received 3 rainchecks today.

2006-03-02T23:03:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 040 + ALT + 040 (triple bummer!)

I was supposed to go with a friend on a short-notice trip to tagaytay today. we planned it yesterday, and told me this morning it would push through. sadly, after my last class today, he notified me that his thesis is still being crammed by the encoder, and that he had to reschedule our supposed to be spur-of-the-moment trip. sad. i wanted to have dinner in tagaytay today then just head back to QC after in the early morning. bummer. So I just decided to play badminton with my regular tuesday-thursday badminton pals. So i left the pad and left my fone charging. Only to find out that they weren't there. So I grabbed a cab back home to get my phone, only to find out that they sent me a message after I left home that the game got cancelled. double bummer. So I just sat down, grabbed Delta to surf the net (good thing Delta doesn't cancel out on me) and after a while, texted my friend about our movie date tomorrow morning. She texted a few minutes after to tell me that she didn't forget, but apparently, she got an unresolved ticket(issue) at work which needs to be resolved by tomorrow. So that means, our movie date is cancelled. triple bummer! amazing! 3 rainchecks in just one day! can i actually get more rainchecks today (45 minutes before midnight)? Sigh! so now, i'm stuck with no plans for tomorrow, except to go home to Laguna in the afternoon. I wanna watch Memoirs of a Geisha!

Thought Chain: I ate fillet-o-fish for dinner. It's been like a year since I last ordered one. Now I remember why I rarely order Fillet-o-fish. yeeks, hope i don't forget after a year.

Life has the stench of shit.

2006-03-01T00:41:00.000+08:00

Mood: Who the fuck cares if I type in an ascii mood?

Putang-ina, my cellphone keeps on beeping to remind me that it's low in battery. Hello motorola, we dont want loud noises to notify us when the phone is low in battery or a retried call was successfully connected. If my phone didn't blend with my laptop, I swear I could have thrown it to the wall! This day suddenly feels like shit. Yes, my words could not possibly be fuckingly dirtier than it is. So shut the fuck up and just continue on reading my blasted blog.

I came home from my usual badminton game (tuesdays and thursdays: Kalayaan badminton court, 9-11pm). I was actually happy and tired. But while taking a shower, I kept on thinking so many things, and it suddenly changed my mood. All I could think of was how annoying and irritating life could be sometimes. Of how sometimes you just want to be alone, get a bottle of alcohol and drown yourself til you lose consciousness. Good thing there's a bottle of gin on top of the counter. If this mood of depression doesn't clear up, i'll have to resort to drastic measures.

Actually, right now, all i can think of doing which will ease my sadness is an early buffet breakfast at something fishy (which is only 80 bucks), a liesurely stroll after, and good conversation with a friend who could tell me that the world is poetry with the deepest meaning at the simplest lines. When can someone tell me that life does really smell like shit since all the world's fragrances have combined to make life's essence.

Somehow, I really feel the need to fly. No, I wanna experience the feeling of falling. Falling down, way down... and landing on a bed of the softest thinsg you can find on this earth.

Putang-ina, I dont know what to do. But all I can say is that my tears are long overdue.

Thought Chain: Gago ka ba? makakaisip pa ba ako ng thought chain sa panahon na ito? hello?! leche, don't expect much from me right now, i have nothing nice to say. Scram asshole!

Busy makes me happy...

2006-02-25T23:53:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 041 (New project to make me happy.)

Keeping myself busy makes me happy. It boosts my morale and keeps the creative juices flowing. Right now, I need to finish my thesis proposal. I just finished making a study layout for this web stint for a certian medical society. I'm glad I was able to think of something. Since yesterday, I couldn't get my mind to organize the content on my head. But that usually happens on the first day of a new project. And the only way to get my act straightend up is for me to pause and take a nap. and the moment i wake up, I get to rejuvinate the creative juices. so i finished the design in a blue-red-black motif. It follows the design they did for their brochure. I just wanted to make some uniformity (even just in color) kasi sayang naman yung brochures nila.

so anyway, where are my rants? i guess you're expecting that each time i post, you'd read some of my rants of the days gone passed. hmmm... let's see... oh, i know. One of my subjects is now requiring us to read Harry Potter. This is so gonna break my promise of not reading that book. FLASHBACK: about 5 years ago, I made a promise never to read any of the books in the HP series. 'coz there's this part of me who really wants to be a non-conformist, plus the fact that I really think that HP is overrated. BACK TO THE PRESENT: now, my prof will have to make me break my promise. well, i do have a choice... get a grade of '5' for the reaction paper about it. arghhhh! i better start reading that freaking book.

oi oi oi, die-hard HP fans, for your violent reactions, email me at i_dont_care_about_harry_potter@who_the_heck_cares.com

lousy keyboard! My keyboard is going crazy! the A's and the S's and sometimes the D's get doubled when I type. It's kinda erratic and utterly annoying. And now I have to freakingly bring my laptop to Ynzal in QC and leave it day for 2 days! What the heck are they thinking? I also need my PC for work and study you know... I wish there was an easier and faster solution. Hoping that there was really an Apple care center here in the Phils so that I wouldn't have to transact with half-baked Apple resellers and distributors. haayyyy...

Thought Chain: have i told you before what HP stands for with my friends? There was this one time that my friend had this tabloid at the back seat of his car. So we read it and it said "HP daw si..." blah blah blah. Apparently, HP stood for Happy Pekpek. Sorry, i think the people who read my blog are old enough for censorship. Anyway, Aimee one time started blabbing about her interview with HP while we were in SBC katips. She jokingly blurted out "I have an interview with HP... with Happy Pekpek".There was this couple (i think they're from ADMU) sitting next to us on the same table. and the guy was trying to control his laughter while the girl was kinda shocked. They transferred seats the time the table behind us got vacated. hahaha.

13 Things I need in my Life

2006-02-16T19:33:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + (Switch in... Switch on.)

13 : faith, not superstition
12 : literature, poetry, art
11 : generosity, not I
10 : respect for space, respect of time
09 : peace... of mind
08 : forgiveness, less retribution
07 : patience is a virtue which I patiently achieve
06 : discipline, not on whim
05 : health in body, health of mind
04 : smiles
03 : renewed passion
02 : (un)hopelessness
01 : you.

Thought chain: let me tell you of a poem, "the emperor's new sonnet" by jose garcia villa as follows:

:beautiful, isn't it?

Black on Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T12:27:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 124 (Not bitter. Not ecstatic either. hehe)

No, i'm not one of those guys who wear black on Valentine's Day for protest of the celebration! and no, i'm not bitter. hahaha. well, i try not to be. mwehehehe. so why am i wearin black? 'coz it's the first shirt i chanced upon the pile of clothes returned from the laundromat. Besides, I wasn't in the mood to iron any of my clothes today. So I decided to wear something low maintenance:

Anyway, it's UP Fair week. And I'm planning to either join my friends today before my badminton game or on thursday after my badminton fame. Oh yeah, I'm celebrating Valentines in the court. Weehee! hahaha. I'll be seeing tonette, toteng, wuwie, and efren later. Hmmmm... I kinda feel my tummy rumbling. need something to eat...

Thought Chain: Last year, I bought flowers for my mom and 2 sisters and delivered them directly to their offices in makati. Well, too bad I can't do that again this year. Not that very liquid. hehehe.

Hanep na bus!

2006-02-13T22:36:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 033 (!Nice!)

I went back to Katipunan this morning from Laguna. I rode a bus that takes me directly from Laguna to Kamuning. I was surprised to see their new ticketing system.

The guy who gave out tickets used a handheld device linked up to a portable thermal printer. Cool! no more bunch of tickets that clutter one's bag. I'm not yet sure if it can be accepted as a purchase receipt. But it does have the TIN printed on the ticket, so I guess maybe it can be honored for reimbursements and stuff. But i guess the nicest part of this is that we can see technology starting to take shape for regular day to day activities for the benefit of all individuals.

I wonder when the time will come that cashless shopping would be used everywhere, or when GPRS would be cheap and fast for wireless internet anywhere. I guess when that time comes, more people would benefit to the world of cyberspace (and PORN, hahaha).

Thought chain: I was thinking before of a good info service idea through text messaging: how about an MRT or LRT service that can be texted to query if the previous train just left, how many minutes before the next, and if the station can still be reached for the last trip. Para naman 'di mo kailangang kumaripas ng takbo, only to find out that the train just left. ok rin sigurong malaman yung station stats like volume of passengers, or get alerts if repairs are being done or such.

They say once you're on a Mac, you'll never go back.

2006-02-12T21:10:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 059 + ALT + 041 (How can I afford to neglect my baby?)

I went home to Laguna awhile ago after I stayed overnight at Tots and Tonette's place with Wuwie. When I got home here in the province, I almost instantly wanted to get online. So i decided to just turn on the desktop PC infront of me in my room (instead of unpacking delta from my bag and hooking her up to the dsl modem) to check my mail. Later, I found myself wanting to write a blog. In the middle of logging on, I felt bad that I was about to write my blog on a Windows machine. Ever since I got Delta, I've always written my blogs from a Mac PC. So I turned off the desktop, and decided to write my blog on my baby Delta. So here I am writing it. :D

So what happend with our overnight thingee? well, we discussed issues (aka chismis) about friends and foes. hehehe. There's nothing like a night cap of gossip. bwahahaha. we also watched Brokeback Mountain earlier that night. It was kinda boring at first. But i had to admit that the movie progressed to be nice in the end. And it was actually touching. Just be sure to be openminded when you watch the movie. And be sure to try not to get bored on the early parts of the movie. Oh, and btw, they seem to have a problem with enunciating their words, so be sure to get ready with your lip reading skills. Oh wait, this isn't applicable with Heath Ledger as he keeps a tight open with his mouth when he talks (add to that the lack of enunciating). But I guess they were trying to emulate the western cowboy accent.

So what am I doing right now in Laguna? oh well, nothing special. Just had dinner a while ago with the family, and now surfing the net while doing my blog. hmmm... I think I want ripe mangoes...

Thought Chain: Now I've realized how much I love my Baby Delta. I think I'm really sticking to a Mac. Well, except for a few moments when I wanna play games on a Windows PC. hehe. I wonder when Apple will be realeasing a 12" widescreen mactel iBook? Although I dont have the cash to buy one, I'd certainly wanna see it dual booted with windows. But i'll probably use OS X more often that Windows in such a case.

sadness almost took me away

2006-02-09T18:47:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 000 (There's this void in my heart. and it aches.)

i decided to check the course checklist to find out my deficiencies. Only to find out that I was taking a subject that was redundant with another subject i took before. i felt like i wasted 3 units of my time. but on the other hand, i was pretty much enjoying the subject. It would certainly be futile to drop the subject at this time. It wouldn't help at all. so might as well continue on with it, and work harder.

what dawned to me was that I was really old in this university. I'll be 25 next year. i'll be graduating my undergraduate course at the age of 25. Talk about MAJOR achievement... NOT! I called my mom and heard her disappointment in her voice even though she didn't have to say so. I felt sad. all i could think of was time wasted and my almost wasted life. I'm now in the middle of my last class of the day and all I felt was crying in the middle of writing this blog.

I can't concentrate much with the lesson. It's a good thing my professor gave copies of handouts for today's discussion. I cant afford to allow myself to lose my composure. It wouldn't be right. But part of me really wants to head home and allow myself to let out my grief... Of my dying youth... of my lost opportunities... of my dying hope.

It's 5:57pm in my watch. No wifi in class, can't send this blog right now. But this is all that i can do to keep me from losing myself. I can hardly make a smile. seems so painful to smile. and what's harder is holding back the sadness in my eyes... waiting to wash away the grief in my heart.

Thought chain: my mom sent me a text message. She said "You know how much i love you". And I do. but sometimes, you can't help to feel so down and out.

trampled hopes... no, seriously.

2006-02-04T12:32:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 040 (it's not supposed to be like this)

"A mother wakes up in the morning, sees no food to feed her son, and no money in her pocket except for a few coins enough for fare. She wakes her son and invites him for a long walk to a place where they can find some hope of a better life. This place is about a few kilometers away, but she'd rather walk the distance with her son to spend some quality time with him (and to save the few last coins in her pocket for atleast a piece of pandesal or two for their lunch). As they arrive to their place of hope, they see multitudes of people waiting for the same thing. they queue in: they squeeze, brawl and join the anticipation to have the chance of being in front of the crowd. a scream! panic breaks lose! the mother tries all her best to shelter her child from the stampede. the crowd loses control, and people run from all directions. a few minutes later: food everywhere, shoes and slippers scattered in the area, bodies bruised and hurt, and the child... frantically losing hope. crying in vain to wake up his mother lying on the street -- but she won't."

i woke up this morning hearing the news of how 61 people died from a stampede. they just wanted to get tickets for a noontime show's anniversary. all they wanted was to have that ticket of hope of entering the venue: to get the chance, though slim, of winning any of the prizes they had at stake. but sadly, 61 individuals lost their lives, and 61 families mourn for their loss, together with their hope for a better life and a brighter future.

life shouldn't be like this. it's just not supposed to be like this. hope is not supposed to be staked at a ticket in exchange for one's life. it's just not right.

... "the child had nothing to begin with, but now he's a boy with seemingly nothing more to lose." who will help him?

Thought chain: i was inspired to write you this story from the news of The Philippine Daily Inquirer which you can find here. The background of the story of the boy is purely fictional. But the boy who lost his mom in the stampede is ALL TRUE. my heart cries for him.

Titi... Kiki... Susu...

2006-01-31T16:28:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 000 (NULL! my brain is sleeping.)

Titi...ngin na nga ako sa thesis proposal ko. 'di ko parin natatapos yung chap 2. tinatamad kasi ako eh lately. ewan ko ba. sarap matulog sa weather eh. besides, inaatake ako ng alergic rhinitis ko ngayon. sobrang singhot ako ng singhot! I kinda feel the girl beside me is wondering if she'll catch a cold because of me. hahaha. :D dont worry ma'am (If ever you're evesdropping while i'm typing this).

Kiki...ss good bye ko na dapat ang junk food. but this morning, I was greeted by a few ruffles. oh how lovely you taste. hahaha. why is it so hard to resist junkfood and sweets? They taste so damn good! i want some go nuts doughnuts right now! waaahhhh!!! what's gonna happen to my diet (aka sugar coated pagtitipid)?

Susu...god na ako mamaya sa badminton court. Have a game tonight with Tots, Tonette, Wuwie, and Efren. We've talked about regularly playing on tuesdays and thursdays. hopefully, burn off the exceeeeessssss fat! hahaha.

I bet most of you guys read this post 'coz you thought there was something bastos about it! Hey, i'm not always green minded you know? ;)

Thought chain: If you think i'm vulgar as it is, then you need to hear this. My friends and I went to Enchanted Kingdom last year for a group fun activity. Of all the rides in the park, I've always HATED the anchor's away. as in ALWAYS HATED. I would take the space shuttle at any time, but I never did like riding that shit at any time i go visit the park. anyway, in the spirit of fun, I rode it again. Hoping that I could contain my agitation. Anyway, to cut through the chase, I ended up shouting curses everytime the ride went down and up. On the way up, I would scream shit, and on the way down, i would scream fuck. I guess I shouted so loud 'coz alot of people were looking already at the ride while I was in it. hahaha. Talk about being SO NOT WHOLESOME on a magical place for kids. ;) It aint my fault! they made that ride from HELL!

Dinuguan, Stupidity, Pancit Canton, et al...

2006-01-27T22:34:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 032 (Thinking... the SPACE between the ears.)

Caution: LONG BLOG TODAY TO MAKE UP FOR 6 DAYS. :)

I met my mom in Glorietta to accompany her home to Laguna. We settled on meeting in Goldilocks near the Ayala terminal. I think she was craving for dinuguan ('coz i was. hehe). So off I went to makati via LRT2 (like a minute away from my place) from Katipunan and then MRT from Cubao. Lugging with me was Delta ofcourse. I always bring her wherever I go (usually). I was a bit late when I arrived, but good thing that her co-teacher was there to keep her company. And so, as you've guessed, I ordered Dinuguan. yeah, I just love it. The best places to get Dinuguan are:

Chocolate Kiss in UP Diliman - 90 bucks for a serving with puto binan. kinda pricey for just dinuguan, but it's worth it since the sauce is thick and creamy and the mixture is just perfect! Yum! my other favorites there are eggplant parmignana (tama ba ispelling ko?), Caldereta (mejo nagdecrease na yung quality over the months, but still good), and seafood pomodori (for 200 bucks, it's good, but pricey).

Rodics - surprisingly, rodics does serve yummy dinuguan. for just 50 bucks ( or is it 55?) you get dinuguan and a serving of rice. minsan lang, mejo malamig na, but the taste is still ok. there are times na matetiempohan mo na mejo maraming taba, pero meron ding lean meat.

Lutong Bahay - it's been a while since i've last eaten here. Yet i do recall that they have good dinuguan and food. Tumaas na yata yung prices nila to like 40 or 50 bucks per meal. but still yummy. Of what I know, taga-UP din yung mga anak nung owners nito. kakilala nung sister ko nung kapanahunan nya sa UP.

So, back to Goldilocks, while eating, my mom started this discussion on literacy. We had this discussion before while eating breakfast. We had this same idea that Filipino kids aren't stupid. nor are they poor in math and science. It's just that the mode of instruction isn't understood fully. I firmly believe that Filipinos in their respective towns, should be taught these subjects in their own native tongue. Why? 'coz it's hard enough to learn english for a child as a second language, and it's harder to understand instructional modes and problems in a foreign language. Take for example Japan and Korea. Their children do well in math and science aptitude tests, but they aren't good in english. So why are they good in these respective subjects? 'coz they are taught in their own native tongue. My mom, a very good educator, taught us english as the first language. Not because she thought english was more superior, but becuase she knew that we had to understand concepts taught in classes with english as the instructional medium. Also, she knew that since we live in a country where most people speak in Filipino, we would eventually inculcate the native tongue easily. And I think that helped me alot in school.

So now, I heard about this new plan to pass a bill of making english as the choice of medium in all schools. Wouldn't this make things harder for Filipinos who naturally speak in Bisaya, Illongo, Tausug, and other Filipino Laguages? (Note: These are not dialects, they are LANGUAGES. a dialect is a derivative or a veriant of a language. Bisaya is not a variant of Filipino. It has its own structure. Laguna Tagalog is a dialect of Tagalog. but Tagalog is a language. Don't ever confuse the two. I owe this to Atoy Navarro) Why not teach younger levels in their native tongue, while still teaching english as a second language in another course, then just supplement this with a reading subject for youngsters to improve their reading appreciation. I have to admit that i'm not a person who reads often, but I do try to force myself to read when i have the time. Once I start leafing through the pages, I do get to be engrossed and finish the book. I've appreciated lately the value of broadening my thoughts with literary reading.

Anyway, I also heard that a survey shows that Filipinos are having worse english proficiency compared before. as 2 out of 10 call center applicants only pass the application process. -- So now, our basis for intelligence and literacy is our English skills? And now, we have to settle our statistics to call center stats? Yeah, in the future, we'll be one big super call center country. Ready to rule the world by calling all your homes and bug you with outbound sales calls if you dont pay up protection money. bwahahaha! But don't get me wrong, call center jobs are dignified, yet, we can't put the future of our country in the call center business. There's always a saturation point somewhere.

So where does the damn PANCIT CANTON enter this blog? ah, yes, upon arriving home, my brother had McDo delivered for dinner (he's not aware that we had dinner already, so we just had dinner nalang ulit). Anyway, my mom and I were talking and we somehow got to the topic of pancit canton. I told her that alot of people like eating pancit canton. lalo na kapag nagtitipid. Which is true. Magkano lang ba naman ang pancit canton? 6 pesos? masarap naman (lalo na yung lucky me na chili-mansi). pero the question is, what nutrients do we get from such food? Jokingly, i told my mom, "Kaya siguro nabobo tayong Pilipino kasi pancit canton nalang parati kinakain natin". Which is true. I had a friend before who ate pancit canton with rice as his meal. Talk about carbo-loading. But I guess since a huge portion of this country is having a hard time earning for a living, this country shall continue to be filled with pancit canton... malnourished.. weak bodies... jobless... poor... and all that's left to eat is still pancit canton. a vicious cycle.

Thought Chain: I just rememberd, I still have two packets of pancit canton on top of the fridge. haha. yeah, like many, I DO eat pancit canton. But i also remember to eat a balanced diet. protein should come with eating a carb based meal like such. I just started my diet again this week. hopefully, I can continue. arghhhh! honestly, i can't live with salad every day! Tutubuan yata ako ng halaman! waahhhh!

Of TV and Telenovelas

2006-01-21T02:41:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 016 (Switch out... looking at perspectives)

Sometimes, I just wish that mobile internet was cheap so that I could virtually surf the web anywhere. A while ago, while on my way home to Laguna from QC on a BBL bus, I found myself with nothing to do but pass the time by watching the show on the TV. It was my first time to watch "Gulong ng Palad" (since I had no choice). I have to admit that i've watched a couple of telenovelas before. May pagka-jologs din ako minsan. hahaha. Remember the times of the start of the latinovela fever with Marimar? It was waayyy back then, and yes, I chanced to watch a few episodes in the afternoon for a week (was sick for a week that time). But don't get me wrong, I was watching it at the time that it wasn't a hit yet. But somehow, it did intrigue me. The story kasi was different, and thalia was pretty. anyway, back to present day telenovelas, I somehow found their story OLD, and their dialogues OLDER. What's new about a story of a rich guy falling in love with a poor maiden? But worse, why is the dialogue so formally written? I guess what separates me from liking alot of local shows is the fact that the dialogue's tone is in written language instead of spoken language: Long formal sentences which dont usually get to be uttered. It's the year 2006, and I guess since the setting is placed in this day and age, the best thing to do is to also adopt its language tone.

The next show was "anghel na walang langit". This show i do watch sometimes. The acting of some of the kids are good. and the language somehow stays true to the current setting. It has potential for a drama, yet the story does get to be cliche at times. But take note, this show tackles alot of social issues such as child labor, adoption, homosexuality, STDs, broken families, cancer, and alot more. It does get to be branded as a soap opera featuring the journey of the lives of the kids, yet it also brings to light current issues which we do face. Sometimes, the language does get to be stiff, yet usually, you can relate to the tone of the dialogue. I don't know the name of the woman who plays the role of the person who adopted a young girl (the one in the bestfoods commercial), but she can show emotion in her acting. The latest episode (which I watched in the bus), shows her plight of being diagnosed with cancer.

So what shows do I watch currently? I like foreign shows like the humor of House, the craziness of Desperate Housewives, and I do miss the regular amazing race (not the boring family edition). Locally, I like watching the lovely girls of F (but I do miss daphney's shortlived show, "guide to urban living". she's funny there), I have to admit that I watch "Wish Ko lang" (show about life with a touch of a tear-jerker, can't get any real than this), Sometimes I get to watch the funny kids of Going Bulilit, and i chance upon "bubble gang" every now and then. 'di naman ako elitista eh (may slapsoil bang elitista? hahaha), but I guess there are local shows which just need a bit of fine tuning to make its appeal interesting to a wide scope of audience. btw, I just hope that teeny-bopper shows would stop. Nakakainis na silang panoorin! Buti sana kung marunong umarte! Number 1 na sa HATELIST ko yung Darna, then Sugo, then the teen talent searches. Its not that I hate Darna, its just that I dont like Angel Locsin. Hahaha. Ang tigas kasi ng dila nya, and she's a real BAAAAADDDDDDD actress. Generic ang emotions ng mukha nya. Let's include Richard Gutierrez on the list of BAAAADDDD actors. He looks and talks like an airhead.

Buti nalang hindi ganun kalaki ang scope ng audience ng blog ko. kung hindi, isang damakmak na hatemail na ang dumating sa akin. hahaha. sorry guys, if you like the shows, just pardon me. It just really doesn't cater to my taste.

Though chain: Once, I did try acting... in theater that is (who would have thought I ever tried even auditioning for a play, hahaha). I auditioned before for damit ng emperador in UP. We were already rehearsing the play and the songs when it got cancelled due to lack of funds. It was the 2nd edition of the said play. The first one was a smaller production showed in the College of engg theater. this one was supposed to be in the UP theater (I guess the first one raked in cash, but it wasn't enough to support a bigger one). Anyway, didn't join any play after that.

8 cents!

2006-01-20T16:15:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 041 + ALT + 041 (Can't help but laugh.)

ok, i recently enrolled for Google Adsense. Was just wondering how much one can accumulate from posting ads in a blog. So I checked my Adsense stats awhile ago... and i've earned a whopping 8 cents! wow! it's like gonna change my future! hahaha. Well, what do I expect? Hmmm... maybe you guys could speed up my earnings by visiting my blog every now and then. Daddy needs 1Gig of RAM. hehehe.

anyway, I received great news from my friend when she told me she had a prospective project. Will know from her next week if the project will push through. Anyway, I think i better head home now. I didn't buy a single item from seattle's best katipunan today, yet occupied space and used the wi-fi twice today. Iba na talaga ang makapal ang mukha. hahaha.

Thought chain: a while ago, i was in coffee bean and tea leaf helping a friend research for his mini-thesis. I was supposed to not buy anything and just use their wifi but somehow, shame struck me. So I had to shell out a few bucks for that raspberry blended thing. Btw, authentication in CBTL Gateway takes like a minute or so for you to get logged in airborneaccess. Talk about sloooowww... but once you're logged in, you'll have no problems in surfing.

Uptime!

2006-01-19T19:40:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 090 + ALT + 122 + ALT + 122 + ALT + 122 (Sleepy)

I'm still up, and it's 3:25 am. Just came home from SBC katipunan. NO, i didn't squander money on coffee. I actually studied (plus the fact that i'm still slapsoil and controlled my urges and settled for a cup of coffee which will last me for the whole week). In case you weren't able to read my status message in yahoo, I was asking for your donations as follows:

"palimos, slapsoil in seattle's. please drop atleast 5 bucks in my used cup if you get to pass by at seattle's best katipunan. for the benefit of my personal coffee foundation."

hahaha. (which reminds me, the blasted airborneaccess suddenly went down around 8pm! don't tell me it's gonna take them 1 week again to fix the problem!)

anyway, i'm happy to announce that Delta has been up longer than I have been.

>3:29 up 7 days, 1 sec, 2 users, load averages: 0.85 1.09 1.04

Maybe after 2 weeks, i'll probabbly restart Delta. I wonder if there are windows laptop users out there with 1 week uptime. I guess I'm loving my switch (to the mac). hehehe.

The slapsoil is super sleepy already. I better hit the sack already. ;)

Thought chain: i recently saw a poster of the aklatang pambata at the mainlib. I visted their blog yesterday and was thinking of joining in. Anybody else wanna join me join them?
Check out their blog here.

Chismis at iba pa

2006-01-18T14:25:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 068 (what can i say, all smiles.)

Before anything else, i'd like to greet Mario a happy birthday. Thanks sa libre sa Gerry's yesterday dinner (buti nalang free dinner ko, yagit parin kasi ako eh). Anyway, even though I was trying to be on a diet, I didn't waste the opportunity to take advantage of a free meal. But i know the December - January celebrators (sabi nila celebrators daw, hindi daw celebrants. sounds so weird: celebrators, rhymes with titilators, vibrators and ejaculators. hahaha) will have a dinner celebration on feb. free meal again! hehehe. Halata na ba talaga na wala talaga akong pera? I'm such a slapsoil!

Anyway, yesterday, I heard so many rumors and news tidbits. Thanks to my two friendly beaws, my primary source of steamy news! and i mean real steamy, my glasses (which i'm currently not wearing right now) are starting to fog up. Anyway, feel free to post your steamy chismis here. hahaha. it'll help keep me busy reading on idle times.

So, you guys want my personal chismis? hehehe. wag na. sa akin nalang yun. hahaha. pero one thing's for sure, I am happy. I think i'm coming up with a song for you guys (My humps runs at the back of my mind). Yeah, I like that song. and it has no relation whatsoever with what i'm feeling right now. But here's a little secret, the whole monkey business album of black-eyed peas is my current playlist when i'm about to sleep. You can say "my humps" is my lullaby. Hmmm... I guess that's why I'm sleepy right now (seattle's just played that song a while ago), hahaha.

Oh, btw, we did something evil yesterday. Not directly evil, so it must be indirectly evil. But not in the level of evil of the hunnypot. I'm reserving that story for a special day. hehehe.

I'm just wondering why the heck I have more urges to food trip when I'm currently trying to go on a diet. Ewan, I wanna eat doughnuts. hmmm... I can still catch go nuts doughnuts open in gateway. although that means i have to shell out for cab fare back and forth. anyone wanna make libre me some doughnuts? notice the use of coño english to seem less broke. mwehehe. pretty soon, i'll have to change the title of this blog to: "ascii: ang kwento ng isang slapsoil" if i continue being broke. sana manalo ako sa lotto. or sana may mag-abot nalang sa akin bigla ng isang bag ng pera. or i could just earn it by working "sideline". Saan ba mas malaki ang kikitain? Kung tumambay ako sa elliptical road, or kung gumiling-giling ako sa timog? hahaha. kailangan ko nang magpapayat fast para maging bankable. hahaha. :D

Though chain: There was a time in my life that I was so hooked on Go Nuts. For several weeks, almost every night, when I have nothing to do, I would catch the last LRT2 ride from katipunan to gateway. Then I would run to go nuts, get a box of six (usually consisting of berry-filled, vanilla, choco-hazelnut, and some others) and run back to the station to catch the last trip back to katipunan. The funny part is, I would usually contemplate around an hour or so every time if i were to buy doughnuts, and when I was decided to buy them, I was usually in time to catch the last trip of the train. I dont do that anymore, although I do still love go nuts. ;)

All for you.

2006-01-16T16:01:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 065 + ALT + 073 + ALT + 077 + ALT + 069 + ALT + 069 (in my mind)

In the spark of daylight
I feel nothing but excitement
I yearn nothing but hearing you voice
I sense no time, no barrier
No other moment than to be with you.

From the warmth of your company
I laugh at your every nonsense
I smile at even your grace-lacking moves
I indulge in learning everything about you
Not letting the faintest detail slip my mind

But my mind never indulges in such
I try not showing you my pain
I cover the essence of my emotions
I seek rationale in such my condition
Never allowing my heart to speak without fear

Of how I fear you seeing me
I could never offer you much
I can only do so little
I have nothing of worth to show
Nill, but will do for you all

For you this life of mine
I will change to please you
I open vulnerably to share with you
I struggle to make worthy
All, I will change to love you.

Thought chain: I'm not really sure if i'm doing the right thing. But what the heck, you know already.

Things I need to do.

2006-01-14T05:30:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 041 (Happy, Just me.)

I've planning a few things I'd like to do and accomplish this month. I guess I just want to change part of my habits in life and my lifestyle. So what do I need to change?

Well, to start off, I really feel heavy, so I need to get back to gym. But alas, the yagit state that I am right now can't afford monthly dues. So for the mean time, i'll have to contiune jogging religiously with freinds and exercise every morning with crunches and push ups i guess. Hopefully, i'll have cash to start gym next month. I was thinking of enrolling at Moro Lorenzo Sports Center in Ateneo. I tried working out there once (like 3 years ago), and saw that their facilities are okay. I just hope it remains the same. Anyway, i'm also interested with their Capoiera classes ever saturday. I'm just really curious on how they conduct the class. I've seen them perform once. FYI, it's a brazillian martial art that seems to combine dance and acrobatics. But beyond that, they also do real martial arts stuff.

hmmm... next, I need to start working on my thesis proposal religiously. I aint getting younger, and need to get out of UP as soon as possible. Waaahhh... i am indeed old. although age is biological, youth is a state of mind. and i still feel young. Just hope i still look young though. hahaha

I need to cut down on my expenses. I ain't saving anything much from my allowance. and actually have debts to pay. waaahhhh... i'm really broke! if i were conyo, i would term myself a "slapsoil". hahaha. O, bilis, bilis ang pag-iisip, i dont have all day to wait for you to think why "slapsoil" is funny. hehehe

I'm planning a badminton get together. Hirap maghanap ng common time na available lahat ng tao kasi. Yung iba, available ng sobrang aga, yung iba sa gabi, yung iba weekends lang. ewan, i'll try to find out a way to find common ground in our scheds. miss ko na kayong makasama sa badminton. hmmm... matagal tagal na rin pala akong 'di naglalaro. marunong pa kaya ako? hehehe

Thought chain: The first gym i ever enrolled in was located inside the campus of UP. It wasn't anything like fitness first or slimmers world, but what do you expect? they only charge 600 bucks that time (n years ago).

No new iBook, but new expensive MacBook

2006-01-12T19:42:00.000+08:00

Mood: ALT + 058 + ALT + 125 (Glad, Story telling mode)

I actually tried to wait yesterday for the announcement of the new technologies Apple had to offer. Although, the Sandman just had to visit and bring me to dreamland. So off I went to the land of dreams, missing the announcements as they commenced. Anyway, the following day I woke up, and with haste, flipped open Delta to find out the news. I felt Delta was happy to read with me the news that no new iBook was introduced, and instead, a new line of Macs were issued called the MacBook. A 15.4" widescreen dual core PC with so much flare! It sported DDR2 memory and a lovely highend graphics card! Now that's really a pretty PC with Brains and a powerful body to add up to (Don't worry Delta, you're still the prettiest for me. hehehe). Anyway, I wonder when i'll be able to buy one of those. the base price is roughly $2000. It's a very good PC for programming and even better for graphics! I sure wish I were rich to buy the gadgets I want at whim. hehehe. But i'm really curious on dual booting it with Windows... wow! drool... But it's still expensive. wala akong ganyang pera! mali, let me rephrase that. WALA AKONG PERA! i just overspent kanina, and now, I have to make 20 bucks stretch til friday. hahaha. no, seriously, nagtitipid ako. ayoko nang gumastos (except maybe for C2). ok na rin yan, atleast papayat ako sa di pagbili ng pagkain. tutal, nagdidiet naman ako eh. Kailan kaya ako babalik ng gym?

Anyway, I finally got to try for the first time the wifi with airborneaccess at starbucks tomas morato. The speed was pretty decent, although the connection was kinda erratic. The weird thing though is that the signal seems to bounce off my friend who was sitting at my right side. Whenever he stood up, the signal shown on my status decreased, and increased to full bars whenever he came back to sit. I tried lookin where the access point was, but I couldn't find it. actually, I stopped looking around at the ceiling when I realized I looked stupid. hehehe. But that reminds me that airborneaccess in Katipunan was down for like 2 weeks! Nakakainis kasi I wanted to surf at seattle's or starbucks to try out the wifi when I first got Delta (aside from showing her off, mwehehehe). anyway, I called 633-BUSY, ah i mean, 633-CRAP, ah i mean 633-WIFI again just this afternoon to ask if the service has been restored, and they told me that seattle's has service already, but starbuko remains offline. Sayang naman yung 2 weeks na subscription namin. pero anyway, atleast I can drop by seattles and surf already while keeping cool with the aircon. hehehe. although lately, malamig naman, kaya ok lang sa pad. naka-wireless din naman kami dito eh. wala nga lang aircon and pretty people. Ah, btw, walang pretty dito sa bahay, only handsome and beautiful people. mwehehehe. Walang kokontra at magpost ng comments ha!

So, back to my impoverished (aka nagpapaka-conyo ako sa paggamit ng term na impoverished para hindi naman ako magmukhang yagit) situation, i'm now looking for new freelance jobs. Grabe, wala na akong mga raket 'di tulad dati. oh well, may darating rin diyan somewhere. Hmmm... babalik na nga akong sym para mag-invest sa katawan ko para may fallback ako kapag wala akong pera... Pwede akong mag-"sideline". hahaha. But seriously, I have one "pick-up" story I have to share with you guys one of these days. Different post ko na ikukuwento yan. hehe.

Have to sleep na. Huy, kung may raket kayo (yung desente ah!) on web designing, programming, digital photography, layout, or anything on desktop or web publishing or programming on flash or Java, post nyo sa comments. Kung hindi yan desente, i-email nyo nalang ako. mwehehe. joke lang. Good night!

thought chain: the time starbucks came in town, I also used to hang out at bean hoppers with my friend einna. Their frap was 5 bucks cheaper, yet actually tasted like ice cream smoothie. Masarap actually (mejo maliit nga lang). Anyway, there's no bean hoppers anymore in katipunan. I don't even know if there are other branches.