Remember The Time

I usually arrive at the office just right after 7 in the morning. Office doesn't, shall we say, start by 9. So during that period, to kill time, I usually plug in my MP3 player into a PC speaker. As I was waiting to get to 9, I heard an old Smokey Mountain song entitled "Kahit Habang Buhay" which brought me memories of my high school days.

Though, you may consider it not really that pleasant. I remember back in my third year in St. Andrew's, I joined the COCC at the same time the Glee Club. In the Glee Club, we were doing some singing and stuff, and some of my co-members got a fancy on me and my friend's fooling around singing of the said Smokey Mountain song . Kahit Habang Buhay, as some of you know, is a duet by a boy and a girl. And, as some of you may also know, that St. Andrew's is an exclusive for boys school.

Anyway, I have a co-member in the Glee Club who happens to be a Cadet Officer in the CAT. Since me and my friend is a COCC, whenever we were at duty, that Officer would order us to sing that song complete with second voice and all with all the students to see. So as you can see, it was a pretty awkward moment eventhough it was just for fun.

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TIME Asia Heroes 2005

Check out this site:
http://www.time.com/time/asia/2005/heroes/

There are 3 filipinos who are nominated for TIMEasia's Heroes for 2005:

- Cory Aquino

- Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

- Manny Pacquiao

You can vote for who ever you want and as many times as you want. Voting ends on October 3, 2005

As of my last vote, Korean superstar, Rain (popularly known as Justin in Full House) is already 58% and Manny Pacquiao is a distant second with with 38.6%.

In my opinion, I would rather go for either Cory or Manny. But, to be perfectly honest, I'd go for Manny.

Go Manny!

Feeling Guilty

I don't want to give any details, but last night I felt guilty about something. So whatever it is, I'm sorry.

Peace

Pinoy Big Brother

"Picture this: You will live in a house where TV, radio, newspapers, phonelines and mobile phones are non-existent. Will you survive this lifestyle?"

Such is the line from the new hit reality game show Pinoy Big Brother. Pinoy Big Brother, as the title suggests, is a local spin-off of the popular Big Brother franchise. There has been alot of local reality shows that have been aired recently and this one is totally different. 12 people lives under one roof for 100 days and see who'll survive to win P1Million, a House and lot and a brand new car. Two (2) have already been eliminated, one (1) voluntarily exits the house and a new one is added replacing the one who exited.

People had mixed feelings about the show because it's a totally different new concept for local television. Some say that Pinoy Big Brother is scripted. Some say that it'll never work. To be perfectly honest, I didn't quite like the idea of the show. But after watching a few episodes, it gets to be interesting. It's funny because it's like you're eavesdropping in the private lives of these contestants. The problem with this concept is the contestants, once they get comfortable with each other, will show their true self. Some turned out to be good natured, yet some, well, let's just say, is too good to be true. Hehehe...

One time, the MTRCB, Movie Television Review & Classification Board, has ordered the suspension of the show for exhibiting scenes that were, according to them, unfit for a PG classification. Pinoy Big Brother complied and got a 1 day suspension. For me, I think, they should've seen this one coming. If they really don't have control over the contestants, it's bound to happen that things would get rowdy inside the house one way or the other. Even if there is a Big Brother lording over the contestants, what they do in their free time in the house is way beyond his hands. You see, the show that's aired during primetime weekdays is already edited. Though, they do show it live every midnight and if you subscribe, you'll get to watch the whole show unedited and live over the cable. Cool? Well, sort of. There goes their privacy. Hehehe.

Anyway, I don't usually get to watch the show. When I get home from work, I'm usually too tired to watch tv anymore. Instead, I keep track of the show thru their website. I know it's not as exciting as watching it in TV, but just by reading the latest on what's going on in the house is enough.

Bounce!

All's Well That Ends... Well?

A thorn has been removed from a rose. Wouldn't that feel comforting? Though somehow, removing it just isn't enough. In the beginning, it would give you a big sigh of relief. As time goes on, you would feel something lacking. Thinking that removing it is really not the solution. But then, you come to a conclusion that you really have to weed out the problem starting from its roots.

I'm not getting through to you, ain't I? Darn it. I wish I was as poetic as my friend.

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Advent Children

Before I start commenting Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, I would like all of you to know that I haven't played the Final Fantasy VII game on PSOne. So I'm not really familiar with the characters and story of this new FF VII except from what I hear from my friends, who are actually fans of the game (and perhaps the whole Final Fantasy series). I, on the other hand, am not that much of a fan of RPG's in computers, particularly Final Fantasy. I buy the games just for it's eye-popping graphics.

First off, I don't know what to make of the story. I don't know whether my comprehension of the story is so shallow or the whole story is so deep that the only people who'll understand it are the fans and the writer. I didn't understand all that Mother thing that Kadaj and his group keeps mumbling about and the Geonstigma virus that, from what I understand, has all the children afflicted with it. It could be that the whole thing is self explicable if you have played the game in the first place. But for us who haven't, it's really frustrating. Plus, if the beginning of the movie is some sort of explaination on what has transpired, well, it didn't really help. The narration is so deep. I guess, the same goes to alot of serious Japanese anime and films. But, in fairness to this film, I liked the story more than that of Final Fantasy Spirits Within. But then again, for those who do understand the story of FF VII, then, good for you.

Though, what I do like about the film (and most of the FF series) is the graphics. As a 3D artist, I very much appreciate the eyecandy. Square-ENIX did another job well done. They have already raised the bar with their last Final Fantasy game and now they're doing it again with this film. It's so hard to catch up with these guys.

I can see that I didn't make much of a comment. Well, anyway, this movie is a must see for those who are die hard fans of the Final Fantasy series and people who like anime. Check it out.

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Blog: what am I to do without you?

After reading a blog of my friend, I suddenly thought whether a BLOG works to your benefit or not. So what does one put in a blog? I, for one, write down my thoughts, feelings and daily activities in there. My kuya warned me in writing bad things about the company I'm working on, for I might get "dooced" in the process. According to him, Dooce is getting fired by your company upon reading malicious and ugly things that you wrote down in the internet (ie. blog). And I think the same goes to what you write about people you care about.

Well, I've been very careful in writing such things and if I did, I never put it bluntly. To be perfectly honest, I never thought that someone else would be reading my blog except for my kuya, and probably his wife, too. But later I found out that some of my friends did read it from time to time. Which is kind of embarrassing because, like I said before, I write down my thoughts in it and I've written something there that kind of caught them unaware.

Now, let me get to my point. Is a blog advantageous or not? In my case, it's a little bit of both. First, disadvantageous, because lately, I've been ranting about something that my friends wrote in their own blogs and never thought that they, too, would be reading mine. It's kind of awkward, I tell you. Now, an advantage, because because of that, we got to know each other's problems and get to fix it on time. As my friend would write in her blog, "saved our 5-year friendship". Thank goodness. ^^;;

Anyway, after the incident, I don't know whether to write everything I'm thinking in my blog or not. Which in turn, is kind of hard to do because, my blog has become an outlet for me. Whenever I can't talk to anyone, I write in my blog, then everything's ok. Sigh. What a dilema.

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Posting Woes

Don't you just hate it when you've already typed something, and it happened to be a very long one, your computer then crashes down or the power goes out or whatever kind of unlikely disaster happens, and you haven't saved it or atleast (in Bloggers case) haven't published it? That's what happened to me last night. I was in the zone, typing this and that. Then, my PC at home, for no apparent reason, shuts down! It was so frustrating. Earlier, I've been trying to recall all the words that I've typed last night, but to no avail. Recover Post wasn't a bit of a help either. *sigh* I'll try to jog my memory so later I can post whatever I remembered from the post that I was making last night. Very very frustrating indeed.

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There's Always A Catch

It has come to my attention that the restaurant known as Kamayan has somehow tricked us. Kamayan has this eat-all-you-can buffet for a very low price. Having an eat-all-you-can buffet means that you don't need to get a menu. You just walk on to the table with the food on it and take one. But, drinks are not included in the promo. You have to order them separately.

In cases like this, you don't have to look at a menu to ask for a bottomless iced tea or juice. You just call the waiter and ask them for one. Upon serving of the drinks, we were amazed that the iced tea comes with a plush doll (see exhibit A at the left). We thought that it was a cool promo. For every iced tea or juice that you order you get a free plush. But as every good thing goes, there's always a catch. You see, upon ordering the drink, we didn't get to look at the menu. And to our surprise, the bottomless iced tea costs P150... each! Well, the plush doesn't come free after all.

One thing I learned, from now on, always ask for a menu and look carefully at the promos. Anyway, if there's any consolation to all this, the plush would look good in my car. ;)

Bounce!

Weekend Happenings

Well, it has been a fun filled weekend for me.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Well, nothing really happened on this day. I thought that me and my friends could go out and watch a movie or something. Sadly, they had some where else to go. Instead, I went to Glorietta myself and bought myself pants (which I didn't realize that I already have a pants with the same design) and 3 audio CDs for my car: Barbie Almalbis Singles, Mojofly and Mishka Adams.

Barbie's CD is more like a compilation of previous works (from her Hungry Young Poets days to Barbie's Cradle) plus some new ones including the latest Close-Up single Just A Smile. I really liked music and I must say this is a must for all Barbie fans. Next is Mojofly. Now Mojofly is a band formed by a former member of Hungry Young Poets. One of my friends has a copy of their album in the office and I liked it so I bought it. Anyway, they're all over the TV nowadays and are currently promoting their latest video (that happens to be a creation by some of my friends). Then Mishka Adams. To be perfectly honest, I don't know who she is. But Her music is great. I don't know how to categorize it but it sounds more like lounge music or jazz. It's great for easy listening. She's a Fil-Brit by the way. Well, that's according to her album.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Yesterday, I went out with my gym buddies and played Badminton. It was really tiring but I must say, for an obesse person, I sure can move. The only problem that I encounter after playing Badminton is that my knee and ankle begins to ache (and sometimes leads to an arthritis attack). That's why I bring along a lot of my pain relievers with me in such cases. After playing, we went out to eat in Kamayan. And it's an all you can eat buffet! That's the only funny thing that we've been doing after playing badminton, we eat alot. So all that burned fat comes back again. Oh well. Maybe I'll try to pass next time. Anyway, one of my gym buddies ask me if I'd like to take boxing. Actually, I've been planning on taking boxing for sometime, but according to some of my friends, it's very tiring than going to a gym. My gym buddy told me that this one's different. The trainors aren't that strict and won't give you a hard time. So I guess, maybe this week, I'll try it out.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Fight Night! Or shall I say morning. Double Trouble is aired on TV. Once again, the Philippines went silent because Manny Pacquiao went head to head with Hector Velasquez. This time Manny Pacquiao went back to his original division and won. Congratulations Manny! The main event was Erik Morales (Manny Pacquiao's previous opponent which he lost to) vs. Zahir Raheem. Eventhough Erik Morales lost to Raheem, Manny Pacquiao said that they're long awaited rematch is still on. Well, here's to hoping and good luck on your next (re-)match.

Also, my cousin, I don't know what went through her mind, decided to join the auditions for Star Struck, which was held earlier in SM Southmall. I must say that she did pretty good and I wish her luck in her quest to stardom.

Well, that's pretty much of what happened to me over the weekend. Till then.

Bounce!

That's How the Cookie Crumbles

Once upon a time, there were three friends, Dave, Stan and Sunny who decided to make their own Cookie Factory. Before, they work for a Candy Factory back in California. They then thought that at their age, they should be going in the business also. But seeing the Cookie business is more flourishing than the Candy business, they took the risk in going to the Cookie business instead. They made research after research until they realize that making cookies would be great if they go to Philadelphia. Labor's cheap and a lot of talented pastry makers could be found there.

They made a cookie factory there in Philie, gathered atleast 10 talented pastry makers and named their factory SweetTooth Pastries Inc. The three told their people, to make a good impression on the big supermarkets, they should deliver a thousand cookie boxes in just a span of a week. The pastry makers, even though they are good, couldn't believe what they were hearing. At their number, plus the lack of materials they have at the factory, it would take a miracle to finish it and deliver on time. But still, these pastry makers put their trust on the three and carried on with their work. The three, checking the status of their work, decided that they should hire a supervisor to (what else) supervise the factory. Dave and Sunny went back to California to look for a good supervisor. They went to every cookie factory, and under the table, they talked to the other pastry makers. Until they got one. Bastion. The name sounds french but he definitely is not. Bastion is not from the factory, but from a Cooking school. He was supposed to be a dean in cooking. He knows all the ropes in making pastries. His students were top pastry makers in the US alone. Well, that's what he led them to believe.

So off they went, expeditiously, back to Philie and quickly placed Bastion as the supervisor of the factory. The other pastry makers didn't know what to make of it. It's only a few days more and they're almost done, but still the three insisted that they hired Bastion to quicken production. The pastry makers, without any choice whatsoever, went on with the three's decision. Little do the three realize, Bastion made life hell for the pastry makers and also for the production. He seemed knowledgable in the field but that knowledge was just for show. Instead of making it on time, the production got messed up in the process and what's supposed to take only weeks, took months.

The big supermarkets were growing impatient. The three really can't see what's wrong. They thought they had it all laid down so perfectly that they would finish on time. The pastry makers told the three that it was Bastion's fault. The three couldn't believe what they heard. Their best man, incompetent? But he's a dean, they thought. He has so many students who are already big time cooks and pastry makers. So they thought, it was just a grudge. Instead of removing him, they remove three pastry makers. Being low manpowered as they are, the remaining pastry makers were dumb founded at the decision.

The long delayed production grew even longer. What was already extended to a month, took another 2 months more under the supervision of Bastion. By that time, a new Cookie factory opened. This is no ordinary cookie factory. This one is a sister company of the biggest candy factory in the whole Philadelphia area. This means that what ever the loss of the cookie factoy, could easily be resolved by the bigger one. This means stability. The three pastry makers that were fired became the heads of this new factory. They also required more better pastry makers so they turned to their friends at SweetTooth Patries Inc.

Word of the hiring got to Stan and was alarmed at the situation. He kept asking the people what was wrong. The people only answered one thing, over and over. Bastion. Stan can't still see how Bastion could be the root of all this. So he neglected this. The pastry makers really doesn't know why Stan and the other two won't listen to them. Does Bastion got a big hold on the three? How does he smooth talk his way out of the situation? Then from out of nowhere, one by one, the pastry makers of SweetTooth Pastries Inc. resigned and went to the other factory. Stan, being the most alert of the three, quickly gathered his people and asked again what was wrong. The people kept on explaining to him that it was all Bastion's fault. Over and over, they explained. Seeing as to they're going to lose all their men, decided to let go of Bastion.

Now, I don't think it was a real solution to this. Good that they got rid of Bastion. But their actions only meant that they won't listen to the demands of their workers and by a mass resignation do they only open their ears. There's no real lesson in my story. It's just something I thought off and would like to share to you readers.

Bounce!

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

I know to those who are usually fond of reading books may find this silly, but I too have grown fond of reading books recently. I guess I'm such a late bloomer. Yesterday, I finished reading CS Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Very fascinating story. I remember back when I was a kid when I was first introduced to The Lion.. it's not by book but in the form of animation. Actually, the animation became sort of my visual aid while reading the book. (I dunno if this is considered a spoiler but be cautious reading anyway) I also remember crying when Aslan offered Himself to the White Witch in exchange for Edmund and then had his mane shaved and was killed afterwards on the Stone Table. The scene was very emotional. I also remember being creeped out when the White Witch turned a group of merrymakers (including children squirrels) into stone. After reading the book, I then realized that the animation is true to the book.

Sometime ago, at the time when The Lord of the Rings movie was shown, I just learned that CS Lewis based some of his characters from the Bible, particularly The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Aslan being Jesus who died on the cross to save mankind from its sins. Mankind represents Edmund, decieved and tempted by the Witch. And the Witch being evil itself. That's why when Aslan was resurrected, I had that funny feeling that I've heard that story before. Also, CS Lewis wrote some Christian books along the way. Funny thing, though, my aunt (who is a born again fanatic) regard the works of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien as works of the devil. Her reason being that there are characters in their books who are magicians, witches, monsters and all that. How could she think that when the authors themselves are Christians and are trying to teach Christian values with their writing? Oh well, I guess to each their own.

The Movie

Lately, we've been seeing alot of the trailer for The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The movie stars Tilda Swinton (Constantine) as the White Witch and Liam Neeson (Batman Beyond, Star Wars, to name a few) as the voice of Aslan. To be perfectly honest, I don't know what to make of the movie. The book is very short and most of the scenes were just explained briefly by Mr. Lewis, especially the battle in the field. Mr. Lewis gave more particular detail on Aslan's resurrection and His turning the statues back to normal. The battle on the other hand was a just a brief narration compared to the latter. In the mini featurettes, it seems like they're giving more emphasis on the battle. Well, right now, who am I to judge? The movie hasn't been shown yet. I'm not as excited to watch this film than that of the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Though, what I've been wanting to do for a very long time (but haven't found the time) is watch the stage plays of The Lion. For the past few years, Repertoire Philippines and Trumpets have been holding stage plays of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And of all those years it was shown, I haven't been to any one of them. I think it's because of the budget constrains back in college. But if ever another play opens, I'll definitely watch it.

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Fun Fun Fun

Where to start. Well, last friday, I was supposed to go to a rock concert with my friends (who by the way made the cool MTV for Mojofly. Two thumbs up guys!) but in the last minute, another friend of mine called in and said that he want to celebrate his birthday in advance before going back to Dubai. The friends who I'm "supposed" to be going in the concert happens to be in the same circle of friends as the one who's going to celebrate. Bad luck is, he only announced that he was going to celebrate it on that day, while the concert was planned for some time now. So that means, my other friends can't back out of the concert since they were like "guests of honor" for they made that wicked video. As for me, I don't have a ticket to go to the concert. The plan was when we get there, that's when we'll buy the tickets. Weighing things over, I decided to go to my other friend who was going to celebrate his birthday. I tried to explain to him why the others can't come. If he wasn't stupid enough to call way ahead then they could possibly had come. Anyway, no regrets on my part. Atleast I haven't shelled out P600+ that night and got to eat free pizza instead. We got to celebrate his party with our other friends who are still in the same circle of friends but were working in a different company (uh... sounds confusing, doesn't it?). After the party we got to hang out in one of my friends' apartment and ate the remaining pizza and drink some... soda and watched some Justice League cartoons. The others drank "Lambanog". Anyway, we had fun (especially those guys who were at the concert).

Then yesterday (Saturday), my other group of friends (my college buddies) and I went to Tagaytay to celebrate one of my friend's birthday (also). The bad thing was, it rained so hard that day. But that didn't stop us from enjoying our trip. She treated us to Josephine's and stayed there for some time enjoying the view of Taal Volcano. Sadly, there wasn't much of a view for it was raining and a thick cloud was covering it. We waited for the rain (and the clouds) to subside to get a better view of the volcano. It was awesome. Then we planned on going to a seminary up there but it was alreay closed. So we just went to Starbucks and talked. There I saw Allona. She's a singer btw, for those who are not in the know. Actually, I think I'm the only one who realized that it was Allona. Nobody seemed to know who she is. Oh well, she's cute for an older person. She's like 21. I think she's already in her 40s or late 30s. Anyway, I had a blast that day. We promised that we do that more often like every other saturday or the saturday after pay day. Now that will be fun. Also next time, I'll bring a camera with me. Darn it. Hehehe..

Today, well, nothing really exciting happened today. I slept all morning and in the afternoon I watched a Korean movie called Innocent Steps which starred one of my favorite Korean actresses, Moon Geun-Young. Sigh. She's great in the movie. Oh, the movie's great too. Then I watched Initial D the movie. It's based from a popular manga/anime from Japan with the same title. It's like the japanese version of Fast and the Furious only this one's more dangerous for they have to tackle corners on the mountain. They were like racing like hell downhill using a technique called "drifting". It's cool. I recommend you watch it. It's awesome. Then I went out in the evening and watched a movie called Sky High. Sky High is about a kid, who has parents who are the greatest superheroes in the world, and is high time to study to his parents' Alma Mater, which is Sky High. Sky High, apparently is a school where sons and daughters of superheroes go to study. Think of Hogwarts in Harry Potter. It's funny, especially for a comic geek like me. You've got to watch it.

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Ber Months

Today is September 1st. Wow. It's already September. How time flies so quickly. Here in the Philippines, whenever the year reaches the "ber" months (ie. sept, oct, nov and dec), it's almost considered as Christmas already. I really don't know who started it and what gave them the impression that September is the start of the Christmas season. Don't get me wrong here, I have no qualms about that. It's just one of the funny things our culture got used to. By this time, you'll be hearing Christmas carols being played on air by radio stations (and somtimes malls).

Also, around this time, friends and relatives would ask me whether I'll have a girlfriend by Christmas time. It kind of depresses me at the same irritates me whenever they ask that. I'm not really in a hurry to have a girlfriend (yeah, right). It's only a matter of time (-ing) before I find the right partner. You can't really hurry these things, you know?

Bounce!