The Switch

It's been a while

2010-08-22T13:58:00.002+12:00

Hi. This blog entry has not been thought through unlike the previous ones. Sadly, I have lost interest in writing (mope) long blog entries, something I used to be passionate about. I blame microblogging sites like Facebook and Plurk for this creative atrophy. Alas, most of my thoughts are now confined in 140 characters or less. I am struggling thinking of what to write as I speak (or type, whatever).

I guess this is just a quick "hi" to anyone out there who might be aware of this blog. I would say that I'm doing all right as of late -- not hating my job, having enough money to buy little (or should I say, miniscule?) luxuries in life, spending time with my family, making friends at the office, being tolerably "husky". I have not much to complain about, really.

So yeah. I hope this entry opens the floodgate to my writing ability, or what's left of it.

Goal #1 accomplished!

2009-10-14T00:07:00.002+13:00

I should have written this entry a couple of days ago when my excitement is in its brink. This is just a short, underrated account of a potentially life-changing occasion.

After more than nine months of waiting, I have finally accomplished Goal #1. Yes sir, I finally got myself a job. My start date would depend on when I'm going to get my Work Permit application approved -- I'm crossing my fingers that it would be soon.

New experiences. New people. New challenges.

English as a Second Language

2009-09-13T00:33:00.008+12:00

A central theme has taken over my life a few weeks ago. I was reluctant to openly talk about it but has decided to confront it head on, since I have very few to talk about these days anyway.

English. The Lingua Franca.

If you share a common demographic as me, you too would not remember your earliest awareness of English as a language. I was born and raised at a time when Filipinos already have an ubiquitous affinity with the American culture, much of it has to do with using the English language. This is not to say that I have fully immersed myself in the language at a young age, but rather, to recognise that it has always been present alongside my first language, Filipino.

We have flattered English so much that we dedicated a school subject for it to be learned, from pre-school to college. We have fallen in love so hard with the language that we Filipinos invented a virtual caste system where people who speak, write and comprehend English are superior to those who do not or lack the ability to. I personally admit to having had this kind of thinking and I had often confused English skills with the intelligence of a person. Kung hindi ka marunong mag-English, tanga ka. We have created an unnecessary language barrier within our society.

Kung Filipino ka, maaaring iniisip mo ngayon, "Teka, kung ganun, bakit sa wikang Ingles mo pa rin sinulat itong sentimyento mong ito." At ang sagot ko dyan ay dahil mas komportable akong isulat ang nasasaisip ko sa wikang Ingles kaysa sa Taglish.

Anyway.

I probably did not begin to speak English in sentences until I got to college. Sure, I was able to write and understand English, but speaking it is a completely different skill. As much as we claim that English is an official language of the Philippines, we never really speak spontaneous English sentences in ordinary conversations unless in desperate and often awkward situations. Oddly enough, it is the language that we snob that dominates our means of verbal communication. Mix in a little English word or phrase and voila, you're "sosyal".

After graduating college, my affair with English evolved from it being a mere adornment to an absolute necessity. Firstly, job interviews were mostly conducted in English to establish a very professional platform between the company and the corporate slave-to-be. Secondly, my field has a propensity to require me to interact with foreigners. I had such an experience with one former American client. He said that we Filipinos are really good in English and that if he had met us in the States he would not have known we were Filipinos. Until now, I'm not sure if he's just being courteous or if he actually meant it.

When I moved to New Zealand to find work, my whole perception about English as a spoken language changed.

Most people in this country are native English speakers. I was often asked by friends what their accents are like. "Do they speak like Aussies?" Yes. "Exactly like the Aussies?" I wish. Take it from me, the Kiwi accent is probably one of the hardest accents in the world to work out. They speak quickly and have "unconventional" pronunciations. Hell, even Aussies make fun of the Kiwi accent.

I have struggled in my first few months with understanding Kiwi English. At times Kiwis almost sound like an entirely different language from English. Even today, I still struggle with understanding some of them but I like to think that it's growing on me.

But then, the speaking part. Or rather, the being understood part.

To put it bluntly, the Filipino accent is of no use when speaking with a Kiwi. I've lost count how many times I have been requested to repeat myself when I do not put effort to mimic a more familiar accent, i.e. the American call center accent. Over the time, I actually found it enjoyable although I still LOL inside my head whenever I do so.

My being a non-native English speaker has always been the elephant in the room during job interviews. At some point during these interviews, an opening to discuss my English communication skill is made by being asked something that pertains to my first language. This is subtly maneuvered by the interview to talk about how different I speak from them.

I never thought having a different accent is a big deal until I was turned down from one of my job interviews for this reason. They simply cannot understand the way I speak very well. At first, it was hard for me to take this kind of criticism but I eventually came to accept it as it is.

I am a bad English speaker.

I decided to do something about it and enrolled in a Conversation English class. At the beginning of the class, I had some time alone with my English teacher and I asked her if she's having difficulty understanding my accent. To my surprise she said that she's not having any problem at all and that I speak clearly.

"But it could be because I'm so used to having non-native English speakers around me." Ngek.

Thank God for Youtube, I was able to find some video tutorials on accent reduction. During my spare time (which is a lot), I obsessed with practicing correct English pronunciations. There were no tutorials on Kiwi accent so I figured that American accent would be the best bet for now.

I knew that my efforts are paying off when this week, an interviewer commented on my "American accent." She added that "it was the kind of accent I only hear on the telly." I asked if she's able to understand me clearly.

"Yes, you speak clearly although you're a bit quiet."

I didn't bother to ask what she meant by quiet. It just felt nice to finally be understood.

All this ordeal with the English language made me realise how ridiculous it is to not use Filipino when you're talking to a kapwa Filipino. How we try hard to speak English when we can be understood with Filipino. How we poke fun at Janina San Miguels and Melanie Marquezes like we don't commit grammatical errors ourselves. How we put too much effort in Americanizing our accent when our natural Filipino accent is enough to get the point across.

Me? I'll get my Pinoy accent back after I get accepted for a job. Ako naman ang magpapadugo ng ilong, neknek nila.

Week 5

2009-09-06T22:45:00.003+12:00

The routine is becoming more of a chore now. I will not even begin to make excuses. I reckon it has to do with what I have been doing aside from jogging. Mainly, it was my motivation that took a hit but let's not go there.

Anyway, starting Week 5, the day-to-day programs within the week are non-uniform. It can be observed from the trend that the total jogging minutes per day increases progressively.

Week 5 Day 1:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 5 minutes

Week 5 Day 2:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 8 minutes
Walk 5 minutes
Jog 8 minutes

Week 5 Day 3:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 20 minutes with no walking.

A hiatus of more than a week came between Day 2 and Day 3. I thought I was gonna need some backtracking of some sort when I was about to do Day 3. To my surprise, I was able to do the 20-minute non-stop jog! So far, this is the longest continuous run I have ever completed in my entire life. :-D

Week 4

2009-08-18T23:26:00.004+12:00

I finished Week 4 of my jogging program yesterday. I was finding it a little hard -- my leg muscles ached and I was almost out of breath during the first three minutes of my jog. I'm sure it has got to do with being sedentary for more than a week.

This week's program:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 2-1/2 minutes
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 5 minutes

Falling off the wagon: Why I failed to jog this week

2009-08-17T00:39:00.006+12:00

Weekends seem to be the best time for me to review my goals and analyse my progress. Sadly for me, this week I didn't even get to jog once. I came up with the following excuses:

My brother went back to the Philippines, hence leaving me the only one to baby-sit my niece after I pick her up from school (In NZ, it's illegal for parents to leave their children of under a certain age alone without the company of an adult).
The weather was particularly extra rainy this week, not to mention windy.
I was feeling lethargic, probably because of the extra servings of sweets. Damn you simple carbohydrate.

This coming week, I'm keeping a promise to myself to jog at least three times and get right back on track (look ma, I just made a pun). Here's what I'm going to do to counter my previous excuses:

Pick a time earlier than 3:00 PM to jog, that way I'd be able to pick my niece up from her class afterwards. My sister can fill in for me on Monday and Thursday since she'd be staying at home.
There's probably nothing I can do about the weather. Except hope that spring comes early this year.
Go easy on the sweets (thanks, Captain Obvious).

Marco says I shall jog today.

Do you get irked whenever I post this update on Plurk? I'd like to know. :-)

Kiss

2009-08-15T23:15:00.004+12:00

Week 3

2009-07-24T23:04:00.004+12:00

Today I started Week 3 of my jogging program and I must say that the "burn" is starting to pick up. Last week's longest required run is 90 seconds while this week's program requires three minutes. Perhaps to make up for the intensity, longer rest periods (or walking) of three minutes were put in place.

Three minutes of continuous running is pushing the limits for me and I just can't wait for the last second to be over. I expect and hope, that my tolerance builds up over the next two jogs for Week 3.

Week 3:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then do two repetitions of:
90 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking
3 minutes of jogging and 3 minutes of walking

Since this week's program requires two different duration combinations of jogging and walking I learned how to devise a mnemonic (Just imagine how ridiculous it would be if I carry a cheat sheet while I jog).

5W-1.5J-1.5W-3J-3W-1.5J-1.5W-3J-3W

The numbers and letters are pretty self-explanatory. ;-)

Week 2

2009-07-20T22:59:00.003+12:00

I fell off the wagon last week. I was only able to do one out of three scheduled runs. I resumed this week. The rainy weather is becoming more of an inconvience so I picked a smaller park near our house instead where I can do my running. The good thing about this program is that I am slowly getting used to doing longer runs at a time. So, this week's program:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 1

2009-07-05T23:30:00.003+12:00

For this week, I'm supposed to follow this program:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Although technically the week hasn't started yet, I went for a jog this afternoon and did as the program instructed. The challenge it turned out was making sure I was keeping up with the time. Hence, I was constantly peeking at my watch while running. The running part was fairly easy.

I have to admit I felt a little guilty after finishing the 25-minute program since I was used to spending more than an hour outside for this jog thing. I have to remind myself that my goal has changed from burning as much energy as I can to building up endurance.

Giving Jogging a Chance

2009-07-02T00:06:00.003+12:00

Having filed for NZ Residency early June, I have nothing else to do but wait for their response. As a result, I was left with ample time to kill and nothing to kill it with. This might be the best time lose weight again, I thought to myself.

Flashback, circa July 2008. Just got off from a very impossible project, one consequence of which is that I got very unfit. My weight got out of control and I felt something was seriously wrong. I checked in with my doctor to confirm my suspicion that bad stuff in my system are off the scale. I for one had my first health-related scare and being more hypochondriac than I would actually admit, I finally decided to act. I enrolled into a gym for some serious cardio and weight training. December 2008, hours of sacrifice paid off and I was officially not overweight since probably third grade. I haven't felt so healthy in years.

Then, start of 2009 marked my moving to Auckland, albeit plagued with a lot of uncertainties (true until now, actually). I gained 9 kilograms within the first three months and stabilised to 12 kilograms of excess baggage afterwards. I. Got. Fat. Again.

It took another person to passively get me off the couch. It was my brother who is having some weight issues himself. Every morning he would leave the house to jog. Call it sibling rivalry, I got competitive and impulsively decided to jog one late afternoon too. The track was fine. The sleep afterwards was hell. The next few days after, I transformed into a complaining machine - I ached all over and a hot water bag became my companion. Regardless of the pain, I pushed myself to endure. Did I mention it was averaging 10 degrees Celsius outside?

To make my latest adventure more exciting, things like rain and illness got in the way. I put my jogging on hold for about a week. Today, I resumed and it feels good and right. It clicked.

I have attempted a couple of times before to give jogging a chance but have failed. Mostly because my goals then weren't aligned with what was really achievable -- things like running the six laps without pausing. I have known before that it's best to slowly introduce the habit of running into my system but never took it seriously. I am going to take it seriously this time and follow a running program which begins with more walking than running and ends with mostly, if not entirely, running. My goal is to be able to run continuously for 45 minutes.

I will try to monitor my progress and post it here. This should be fun. :-)

Goals for 2010

2009-06-08T22:34:00.002+12:00

I hereby make public my three goals to be accomplished before New Year 2010.

~~Goal #1: Find a job.~~

Goal #2: Pay up at least half of my personal debt.

Goal #3: Reduce my percent body fat to at least 18%.

Hayden Kho's Facebook status

2009-05-21T16:48:00.002+12:00

Disclaimer: NOT AN ACTUAL Facebook status. Image is just a product of imagination.

I won't be back in Manila for a while

2009-05-16T15:43:00.004+12:00

Something came up last week that made me change my mind about coming back home. I received an Invitation to Apply for Residence from Immigration NZ which means I am now welcome to file an application for a Permanent Resident's Visa.

As part of the process, I am now pestering my former employers for employment certificates, payslips, and other docs. So far, they have been very cooperative, so thank you. This coming week, I plan to complete my Medical and Chest X-ray.

How long will it take? According to Immigration NZ:

35% of applications decided within four months
55% of applications decided within six months
75% of applications decided within nine months
All remaining applications decided within about a year.

I know, risky. That's how I roll.

On a different note, autumn is almost over and winter is on its onset. I am getting used to this climate, even loving it save for times when I wake up shaking.

Brick

2009-05-06T15:31:00.002+12:00

Before you even comment ala Simon Cowell, this is a product of pure guess work. I can't even read notes. I haven't gotten to the chorus part, because it's really hard.

Solving Rubik's Cube in 23 seconds while blindfolded

2009-05-02T23:18:00.001+12:00

My One Helluva Wager

2009-04-22T00:50:00.009+12:00

"Sugal naman talaga pagpunta ko dito eh."

Words I told a friend when I recently decided to set a personal deadline to my job hunt in this foreign country. Words that pretty much summarize my excuse for "giving up".

Late 2008, I made a decision to pursue employment in New Zealand. Of the most impulsive decisions I have made, it is proving to be the one I would learn from the most.

Firstly, I was already aware of the onset of a bad economy when I made this decision. Existing in a time where no global recession has ever surpassed what we are experiencing now, I underestimated the enemy. I thought it wasn't going to be that bad. Needless to say, I was very wrong. Job openings advertised in my jobs site of choice become less and less available over the months. I realized that my career portfolio has not prepared me for this kind of crisis where one should be very diversified to qualify for as many roles as possible. I specialized too much. As of time of writing, my inbox has been filled with more than 30 rejection letters from recruitment agencies and companies.

Secondly, I bypassed the due process for obtaining a proper working permit. Although I haven't done anything illegally, I took the riskier route to employment by obtaining a Visitor's Visa and overestimating my marketability. Not to encourage people, Immigration NZ does not prohibit visitors to explore job opportunities. What's important is that upon commencement of work, the visitor has already secured a Work Permit. Applying for a Work Permit is a whole new story but trust me when I say that it is not easy. It involves money and above average skills to woo the Immigration and ultimately, the sponsor company. My only safety net is that I have some of my family to support me who have settled in the country by taking the more arduous route.

Thirdly, it is only now that I became aware of who I'm playing against. Picture a safari scene in Discover Channel where the young cubs are challenged for prime position by older male lions. Metaphorically, I identify with the young cubs, competing with other people who are more experienced than I am. The IT workforce of New Zealand is comprised of a large number of migrants carefully selected from the pool of hopefuls. As a consequence, I have to compete with professionals with average to above average skills, disqualifying the less desirable half. I suspect that I am placed within the vicinity of average which, mind you, is the new below average in this game.

And so here I am close to failing because I was too impulsive. Lesson learned.

To say that this latest predicament of mine is agonizing would be a lie. During my four months (so far) of unemployment, I lived the life I wished for a year ago when office work was pinning me down to the point of working twice the normal hours in a day. Thanks to my ever supporting family, I reverted to my financially dependent self, spoiled of amenities I could never have afforded myself when I was still employed. The only downside to this ongoing extended vacation is that most of the time I was confined to this house, sitting in front of the computer flipping through social networking sites and desperate for human interaction. Folks, Chris Daughtry is right, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it all. Times four.

I am not sure if by setting a personal deadline, I have given up already. I still have roughly two more months to get myself a job or a Work Permit, whichever comes first. If fate will not be so kind, I am prepared to fly back home to my sweet third world, a place I have betrayed but nonetheless a home that will always nurture the warrior in me.

My New Zealand Dream can wait.

Catchy doesn't always mean nice. Want proof?

2009-04-08T00:44:00.007+12:00

Just try forcing yourself to shake that song by Lady Gaga off your head.

I told you so. Rick Astley is so 2007.

Work Mantra, Work!

2009-04-07T01:07:00.005+12:00

I can't wait for that day when I will finally stop complaining about not doing anything productive for the day.

I promise to love every dragging team meeting, every reprimand of the management, every arduous stage of the Software Development Life Cycle, every lack of sleep, every deadline, every extended hour spent in the office, every unsolvable bug, every frustrating code revision, every documentation, every e-mail I have to respond to, every deprivation of "me" time, every missed gathering, every untoward personality of a coworker, and every imperfect iota of a work day.

I can't wait for that day I regret making this promise. When the day comes, I shall read every item I enumerated, and remind myself how I wanted these things badly. I shall reminisce this day and bitchslap myself into appreciating what I have wished for.

I. Can't. Wait.

Why I called this blog "The Switch"

2009-04-05T21:39:00.005+12:00

I honestly cannot remember why I named this blog "The Switch" but I do know it has something to do with me switching to Blogspot from Friendster Blogs. I have this quirk of naming things and sticking to them for a long time and this pretty much explain why I haven't changed the name of this site even when the relevance has faded.

I made a mistake of saying that I was "reviving" this blog yesterday. This blog has not died but has veered away from people's attention because of how I delegated syndication to my Multiply account. I plan to make it up to Blogspot by writing more exclusive content for this site from now on which might mean abandoning my Multiply account in the future. Dum dum dum.

My Take on Chip Tsao's "Racist" Article

2009-03-31T19:29:00.001+13:00

Try typing the keywords, "Chip Tsao" and "Filipinos" and you would have an insight on how the Filipino community have reacted to an article entitled "The War At Home". I, among the many, was angered on how the author blatantly made fun of OFWs and for calling Philippines a "nation of servants". The comments against Chip also built up the hate.

Our reaction is normal.

Being curious to how a writer could write such seemingly tactless attack on OFWs because of an obviously far-off issue of Spratly Islands custody, I read Chip's article repeatedly. How could a former BBC reporter produce such a career-suicidal piece of work in this society where racism is universally taken as unacceptable? May I propose one deviated theory: he did not mean what he wrote. It was just satire after all.

I am not defending Mr. Tsao for doing what he did. If Mr. Tsao is at fault at anything, it was that he did not write his article well enough to cross the margin of doubt that separates satire from racial slur. It may even be possible that he overestimated our way of thinking -- assuming that we would shrug it off easily and not take it too seriously.

We as a nation could have done a better job at getting back at Mr. Tsao by imprinting his picture on urinal filters and exporting it to Hong Kong. Satire, back at ya sir.

So why did we react the way we did? The reason is because we are uncomfortable with the fact that a large portion of our human resource exports are domestic helpers and household maids. So what if we are labeled as such? Does it harm our dignity? Is the rest of the world so ignorant so as to stereotype all Filipinos as not being able to perform jobs other than being maids and laborers?

Now, as with the Spratly Island ownership remark, I only have one reaction. It is clearly Philippine Territory. I say that without satire.

A Friendster chain message with a (gasp) surprising twist at the end

2009-03-29T14:51:00.000+13:00

Sorry guys I couldn't help myself.

I found this bulletin post in Friendster, entitled 'PAKI DELETE TONG PUTANG TO'.

Mayrong 1 boy..habang nag aayus cya ng kanyang friendster account...pag-click nya ng "home" mayroong friend request...Inopen nya and he saw a boy named "baby_emo12"...cyempre..pam padagdag ng fwends..inaccept nya... after 5 minutes..he recieved a weirdo message saying: "hEy br0!reMembEr meH?tHanks 4 dAh aDd br0!paKikAmuSta m0h nA lAng aKow kAy m0mmy sAka kAy dAddy!" kala nya wrong send lang so dinelete nya.. after 2 minutes...he received a message again..: "hEy br0!reMembEr meH?tHanks 4 dAh aDd br0!paKikAmuSta m0h nA lAng aKow kAy m0mmy sAka kAy dAddy!..br0!bakEt m0 namAn DiNElete uNg meSsage k0h?" after nya mabasa..natakot sya..so he so logged out and natulog sya... in the morning..pah open nya ng friendster nya...nakita nya doon na na-hack na ung friendster nya..pero hindi lang y0n..sa kasamaang palad..namatay ang kapatid nya.. REPOST THIS AS "PAKI DELETE TONG PUTANG TO" OR ELSE..YOU'RE FRIENDSTER ACCOUNT WILL BE HACKED AND MAMAMATAY ANG KAPATID MO!KUNG WALA KANG KAPATID..IKAW ANG KUKUNIN NI Jeff AKA baby_emo

If we should write a chain message, we should at least make it this stupid to be funny so as not to be completely annoying.

Cheers!

My Favorite Excuses for Gaining Nine Kilos Since December

2009-02-27T15:35:00.001+13:00

I accidentally ingested dumb bells.
Wrong conversion from Calories to Kilojoules
Things are heavier in the Southern Hemisphere.
I'm doing small frequent meals to boost my metabolism, only I haven't gotten to doing the 'small' part yet.
My body is instinctively putting on blubber for the cold weather.
I'm doing it on purpose for my next Hollywood movie.

Top 10 Things I Swear I Didn't Know Until Last Year

2009-01-03T19:11:00.000+13:00

Mark Anthony Fernandez is Rudy Fernandez's son.
What walkie-talkies in taxis are for.
Suffice rhymes with device, not abyss.
I've been using an incorrect SSS number the whole time.
I do not need to use a mouse pad when I'm using an optical mouse.
DIY stands for 'Do It Yourself'.
There is a walkway between SM Makati and Ayala MRT Station.
Guitar Hero is a game, not a reality TV show.
Bicol is not a province.
Hanna Montana is Miley Cyrus.

Ambigram

2008-11-14T18:12:00.000+13:00

My answer to the imminent Angels and Demons movie hype.

There's no one home

2008-11-10T16:23:00.001+13:00

All this time I thought the basis of being homesick is one's proximity to a place. The farther you get from a place you have been accustomed to, the more homesick you get. I was wrong.

I can recount three occasions where I got homesick. The first one was when I went to college. The second one was when I moved to a city to start a career. The third one happened last Saturday.

I didn't leave, my parents did. They flew. Early Saturday, my sister texted that my parents have arrived safely to my relief. For the first time, I was left alone. Home Alone.

"I made my family disappear."
- Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister

I realized, it's not really the place you miss badly. It's the dear people who live or used to live in that place. You get peoplesick.

Nasa Sent Items ko dated October 17, 2004

2008-11-04T18:06:00.007+13:00

Wala akong magawa sa office. Nagbasa ko ng mga Sent Items ko. Eto yung pinakamatagal na. Pangungunahan ko na kayo: kupal ako dito. Pagod at gutom siguro ako nung sinulat ko to.

Oy musta?

At present, eto mga committee members ko:
1. Jekay
2. Aih
3. Melissa
4. Rachel
5. Cheska
6. Mac
7. Kulas
8. Sylvie
9. Kame

Ang di pwedeng mawala sa mga eto ay si:

Eto mga i-didispose ko sana:

Di pa ko sure kay kasi graduating na yun saka
madami na din ginagawa pero tumutulong naman sya nun
sa editing.

Kung pwede eto gusto ko sa committee ko:
1. Ling - may experience sya sa writing
2. Neph - magaling din sya sumulat kaya nga lang
kelangan din yata to ni Pabiona

Wala na kong alam na writers e pero kung may kakilala
ka, please paki-add na rin sa committee ko. Bale si at pwede mo din alisin kaya nga lang runners
sila eh. Pero parang mas kailangan ko ngayon ng mga
sumusulat talaga.

Sige yun lang. E-mail mo ko kung may problema sa
suggestions ko. Happy sembreak.

Debunking myths about Nueva Ecija, my home province

2008-09-12T12:51:00.000+12:00

Myth # 1: You get a free carabao when you order a Happy Meal. Carabaos are no longer offered as toys for McDonald's Happy Meals since July 2007 as decreed by newly seated governor Aurelio Matias Umali.

Myth # 2: Cavans of palay (unprocessed rice grains) are as good as cash for any purchase made within the province. One cavan of palay can easily weigh at least 800 kilograms. Using them as local currency will only cause major back pain for the dominantly old population and is thus just plain ridiculous. Establishments in Nueva Ecija, with the exception of those in Gapan City which still accept wooden shoes for currency, only honor government-issued notes and checks.

Myth # 3: More than half of the population are members of New People's Army. Because of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's aggressive country-wide offense against the NPA, an estimated 73% of NPA who are born in Nueva Ecija have fled to neigboring countries such as Luxemborg and Argentina. As of the 2007 Census, less than 21% of the population admitted to being members of NPA. With this steady decline in number, the local government launched the controversial "Procreate With an NPA Program" as a means to counter GMA's attempt to completely eradicate the NPA.

Myth # 4: All Novo Ecijanos speak Ilocano. Only minority of the population are fluent in Ilocano. The official language of Nueva Ecija is called Ecijanese and it is spoken by 96.4% of the population.

Top 10 Non-essential Details That I Cannot Stand But Cannot Justify Why

2008-07-08T13:26:00.000+12:00

10. Usage of improvised peso sign on handwritten notes. You know, that capital letter P with one horizontal line (moderate offense) or two (grave offense).

9. Monetary values with no decimals, e.g.:

PhP 6,700

8. Bills on wallet that don't face the same direction.

7. Not having the proper title case for the song names of MP3s.

6. Files with similar MIME types in the same directory having different usages of dashes and underscores, e.g.:

images\
image-001.jpg
image-002.jpg
image-003.gif
image_004.jpg
image-005.jpg
css\
style-1.css
style_2.css

5. Source codes that don't follow uniform indentation and spacing.

4. Not having exactly one space after a comma or a period.

3. File/directory names with mixed cases, e.g. aCuTeSyFiLeNaMe.txt. Also, e-mail addresses with upper cases.

2. Non anti-aliased texts embedded on images.

1. Phone contacts with no last names.

If at least six of these apply to you, get my attention and we'll organize a therapy session. If all ten apply, will you marry me?

Guilty Pleasure #1: How I Judge People by their Smileys

2008-04-17T15:09:00.002+12:00

	You are makamasa and a conformist. You are practical and you take a care-free approach to life and it's million and one challenges.
	You have high standards, dependable and very professional. You don't let your emotions overtake your actions.
	You're almost there, but not quite there. Details don't matter to you. For you, it's always the thought that counts.
	You are immature and dependent but you are nice.
	Dude, I don't even get you. Grow up.
	You are candy-coated yet dysfunctional. At any rate, you are annoying.

Pinakamahirap sa lahat ang kalabanin ang Self-Pity

2008-04-15T05:51:00.000+12:00

Madalas kong kausapin ang sarili ko lalo na pag mag-isa. Lately I've been working 13 hours a day, seven days a week for the last five weeks, nearing six and I'm not even close to exaggerating. I've got no friends to talk to, most of them are busy, which is good so most of the time I confine my ranting to myself (and to my teammates although we have the same problem). Ang tendency ko pala pag stressed out ay mag self-pity at mag-isip ng work-life balance tuwing free time ko. Like right now. At mabaliw. Joke lang. Or not. Ewan.

My only consolation is that I know things will return back to normal on April 23, 2008 (kala ko pa dati April 16, kaso na-postpone yung launching). The question is, will my well-being return back to normal as well? It's hard. First on the list is my sleeping hours. Thanks to the so-called Flex Time (or Flexi Time? whatever tsong), I'm having nightshift-induced jetlag. Cool no? Ulol, hinde tsong. Imagine, dati ang tanong ko sa receptionist ng Equitable Tower pag pauwi na ko ay kung bukas pa yung front entrance, ngayon ang tanong ko ay kung bukas na. At may nasasalubong akong nagja-jogging. Heck. Hindi man lang kami nag-aabot ng gising ng mga housemate ko. Nakonsensya pa nga ko kasi sa sobrang walang time sa personal stuff, dumating pa sa point na binilan pa ako ng shampoo ng housemate ko (na hindi ko pa pala nababayaran sa kanya hanggang ngayon).

Next up is my meal time. Wala na talaga kong normal na meal time. Meals often consisted of Nissin Yakisoba at Sola Iced Tea saka junk food. Perhaps one good thing about my quasi-abusive working hours is that I'm starting to lose weight again. This morning I looked into the mirror and noticed that I got thinner. But I look like crap, mukha akong adik, and my unkempt hair didn't help at all. Kelan kaya pwedeng magpagupit, ang panget na eh. Bwiset.

Eto pa. Parang ang bastos ko na yata kausap. Dahil sa pakikipag-usap sa iba't ibang klase ng tao masyado under time pressure, pakiramdam ko masyado na kong straight to the point. Ayokong humarap sa mga kaibigan ko ng ganito ang ugali ko. Kahit ako naaangasan sa sarili ko eh.

Basta pagkatapos ng phase ng career ko na 'to, I will treat myself. Uunahin ko sa lahat ang bumili ng PSP. Saka magpagupit na rin.

This has been therapeutic, thanks for reading.

Work Now, Play Later

2008-04-01T03:20:00.000+13:00

Things I ~~want to~~ will do after April 16, 2008.

File a vacation leave.
Watch three movies in one night.
Organize my iTunes Library.
Write a lengthy blog entry.
Buy a PSP.
Have a check up.
Drink booze and have no memory of last night.

A Harmless Mistake on a Global Scale

2008-03-28T14:03:00.000+13:00

The other night, people in the office were working late in the evening so Big Boss decided to treat everyone for pizza. Somehow I was the one asked to order on the phone.

Pizza Hut is 911-1111 right? So I dialled in the code to access the local landline from one of our phone extensions.

Someone picked up a phone. At this point I was about to say "Hi, I would like to order a pizza."

The other person on the line, quite an American-sounding one, surprised me.

"Do you need an ambulance? Hello. Do you need an ambulance."

And that's when I realized I dialled the code to access the VOIP line to the States. Rescue 911. How funny.

The cork from the creative juices bottle

2008-03-05T16:18:00.000+13:00

Boy have I realized some things today.

I don't update my blog that often anymore.
I'm basically clueless when I ask myself what's worth writing.
I'm more of a reader than a writer nowadays.
I find myself worrying who are going to read my blog and if they will judge me just like other people did. (Freaking talk about being traumatized.)
I'm out of ideas. Actually I'm tempted to do rants. (Well guess what? That's what I'm doing right now.)
I miss attention (from the right people).
I need inspiration.
I like writing bulleted entries.

I want to be able to write again. Give me time.

The day someone dropped the bomb on Santa's real identity

2007-12-13T18:46:00.000+13:00

Fact: 6-7, the average age a kid finds out that Santa isn't true.

Prologue

Although the normality of my childhood is debatable, my parents are pretty much very normal. I was one among the hordes of kids who their parents made believe that Santa drops by their house every Christmas, just after the clock strikes twelve.

Memories have been vivid -- waking up every Christmas morning and reaching up to that velvet oversized sock that my sister made hanging by the front door. No real surprise there -- junk food, mostly candies, some more junk food. It doesn't matter. It was from Santa! I was the happiest kid in the world.

This went on for four freaking years.

The actual moment

I remember a circle of alter boys sitting in one of those religious meetings. The facilitator, the only grown up in the room, said something about how twisted Christmas has become. Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus, not about proliferation of materialistic desires. Some more preaching and then one of the defining moments of my childhood. In a scary ass voice, a conviction echoed through the room:

SANTA IS A LIE!

He's lying! That can't be. Of course he's lying. No!

Being a real smartass kid conscious of his self-image, I tried not to react. "Ah talaga?" Darn it. The altar boys' faces were like "Dude!?" Mine was like "Bad trip." The grown up facilitator's was like "LMAO."

That was the end of it. The next Christmas after that, I walked past the velvet oversized sock. I wished nobody told me about it.

Fact: 70%, percentage of parents who never even bothered to explain.

Effects of various beverages (and additives) expressed quantitatively

2007-11-04T20:51:00.000+13:00

Sorry

2007-10-31T16:54:00.000+13:00

I don't trust my judgment well so I'm leaving everything to whatever tomorrow would bring. I want everyone to be happy but to be really happy we should know what we should be happy about. But if it's necessary for someone to get hurt to make things crystal, so be it. At least everyone can move on with their lives and be happy again.

If you wanna be sad, then be sad. I'm an ass, but I still care. But in the end, I'll still be an ass. Hate me if you feel like it, and I'd probably hate myself too...but believe it or not it would make me feel better.

My apologies. I still care, I still do.

What I love about Facebook, Multiply, and Friendster

2007-10-15T18:55:00.000+13:00

What I love about Facebook

First of all it's neat.
It's organized.
It kinda lets you know what's happening without trying too hard.
You can install apps in it so it doesn't get too boring.

What I love about Multiply

It's a one-stop shop for everything: your blogs, photos, videos, even your music.
It also lets you know what's happening without much effort.
It's easy to find and add contacts from your network.
Has built in analytics so you know how popular you are and to whom.
People here are less annoying.

What I love about Friendster

Most folks have one.

It would've been weird

2007-10-07T17:25:00.000+13:00

If six years ago, I got into a coma and I wake up just today, the following would've seemed a little weird:

That Pluto is no longer a planet.
That you can text all you want for a day for a fixed rate.
That one out of three people I know has a blog -- and lo and behold I have one.
That you can watch videos online, without downloading them first.
That two of my close friends and all three sibs are not to be found.
That shaving is necessary.
That mobile phones have earned the right to be called entertainment consoles.
That three out four OPMs are revivals/renditions.
That I live at PCARRD Street not University Avenue.
That having babies when you're single is really not that uncommon.
That floppy disks are dead.
That Angelica Panganiban and Camille Prats have grown up -- and have pictures to prove it.
That the minimum jeepney fare is PhP 7.00.
That a single optical disk can contain 12 full-length movies.

Beat My Caption Blog

2007-09-19T19:01:00.000+12:00

Something in my food this morning made me put up a new blog.

Beat My Caption

I'm going to eat nothing but malunggay from now on

2007-09-14T12:26:00.000+12:00

Say what?

I read this article from Inquirer.net an excerpt of which appears below:

In the same article, Mamaril said the malunggay was “perhaps the most nutritious vegetable available on the planet.”

“My reading had revealed that malunggay has seven times the vitamin C in oranges, four times the calcium in milk, four times the vitamin A in carrots, twice the protein in milk, and three times the potassium in bananas,” he said.

Which probably means I can virtually survive on malunggay alone.

And this would probably solve my finances. Just imagine having to buy the following items:

7 oranges : PhP 15.00 each = PhP 105.00
4 cartons of milk : PhP 57.00 each = PhP 228.00
4 carrots : PhP 6.00 each = PhP 24.00
3 bananas : PhP 10.00 each = PhP 30.00

TOTAL : PhP 387.00

...when I can consume just malunggay. Approximate cost: Hmmmm...about PhP 10.00?

AMOUNT SAVED: PhP 377.00

Sweet.

Enough of Willie versus Joey

2007-09-07T13:35:00.000+12:00

So enough of those two idiots. They do not amuse me in the first place. I think game shows should be abolished from all TV networks because they are advocating total surrender to luck. These game shows distort the Filipino's notion of 'easy money'. Yes, money is important and to get it in the easiest possible way is every man's right. But wait...waiting for an inch-thick bundle of Ninoy's to magically come out of a box? Are you for real you pancit-eating mother humper*? Get a freaking job!

We Filipinos are missing out on more relevant issues the country is facing. I noticed that most people are not even aware that Apple Inc. already revamped their iPod line (I'm being very incredulous right now). Let me ask you this question: Are you even aware that iPod Touch will be shipped starting September 28th in the States? What? You haven't seen one in picture yet? You should be ashamed of yourself. Go to your room, you're grounded for a week.

If you're one of those people who haven't got time to read/watch news, you might want to be informed that Miriam Defensor Santiago is pushing for the abolition of fraternities and sororities in universities. No comment. But I'll tell you one thing, with iPod Touch, you can browse the internet using the built in Safari browser. It even has YouTube built in. With these features, who needs beating up pledgees? I believe watching the movie 300 dubbed in Ilonggo is a lot more entertaining and intellectually stimulating.

So spread the word and do your part for World Peace.

*an excerpt from Dalagang Filipina audio clip. Pardon my French.

New things I learned from my new job

2007-08-10T13:31:00.000+12:00

That things move fast when you're 21.
That I've lost at least seven kilos in the last two months.
That transportation can cost more than food. P30.00 meals still do exist.
That, apparently, you can't match your shirt with any tie. Tie-matching is an exact science.
That there is a lot more to learn to fit in.
That when coffee is free, I shall have at least three. (I'm no poet but hell that rhymes!)
That on special occasions, pleasing people is necessary.
That there exist such colloquial words as "sakal-bibe" and "bekbek". Don't ask what they are.
That I can survive a whole week without Friendster and Youtube.
That no company is perfect -- it's just a matter of building tolerance.
That staying in one's home country is still an option, a very good one.

I'm officially overjoyed

2007-07-31T22:37:00.000+12:00

So yesterday, after what seemed to me like months of waiting (actually less than a week), I finally got a job offer from a company I want. Yes sir, I'm finally hired.

August 3rd -- that's my start date -- will definitely change a lot of things. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

So for now, I would have to cut down on Youtube and Friendster bandwidth. Sheesh I'm gonna miss those two guys, we've been through a lot, I gotta say.

This entry is called 'I'm tired'

2007-07-20T22:51:00.000+12:00

I'm tired of being nice.
I'm tired doing sit-ups.
I'm tired dealing with people.
I'm tired riding long commutes.
I'm tired being taken advantage of.
I'm tired worrying about the future.
I'm tired playing psychological games.
I'm tired selling my skills to people I don't even know.
I'm tired of loved ones leaving and thinking i'll never gonna see them for a long time.

I'm tired, ok? I'm just tired. But I'll be all right soon.

The Monday After: So this is what it feels like

2007-07-03T04:20:00.000+12:00

Last Friday I celebrated my Independence Day with my friends, except it was just me who was celebrating. It was a moment of euphoria -- thinking about what I've done for the past 12 months and what changes I expect to happen in the next four weeks. Freedom, I thought to myself, freedom finally!

Saturday, anxiety. Anxiety, thinking of how my boss took it. Was he furious? Did he understand my situation? Did I just make someone's day shitty yesterday? Restless, I checked my e-mail for responses. There were none.

The mental torment continued until Sunday when I checked my e-mail again. There were none. Restless, I checked if I have actually sent the letter. It's in my Sent Items -- which means I did send it. But did he receive it?

And then came Monday.

Restless, I prepared myself for any possible confrontation. I stepped into the office and everyone is whispering something about what I did. I did something bad didn't I? Nah, it's just me. Please let it be just me. I dodged everyone's stare by looking down.

Inbox(0). Still no response.

Wake me up when July ends.

Independence Day

2007-06-30T22:25:00.000+12:00

After months of waiting, I finally made things happen. I resigned my position yesterday. I have 30 days left to look for another job. Any suggestions where?

Money matters matter

2007-06-20T18:01:00.000+12:00

Before I begin this story, I want to tell you that you shouldn't expect a big ending.

The story begins with me feeling cheated that I wasn't getting at least as much as a fresh graduate is getting these days from his work. I felt cheated because I have always believed in myself -- believed that my abilities are at least not below average and that I deserve a commensurate compensation. I felt cheated because I cannot justify why I'm sticking to my work when I can get paid more. I felt cheated because, I know I'm feeling cheated, and yet can't really do anything about it.

For the first time, the introspective infliction of abrasive questions becomes almost unbearable that I want to quit right there. And then I realized that I'm just not the type of person who would do such thing. And so the cheating, I thought to myself, becomes more intentional by the minute. I became the protagonist/antagonist of my own novel who battles his own self.

I know what you're thinking. Why not just negotiate for a higher compensation? Simple answer: I wasn't raised that way. Is it pride? Partly. I'd really rather quit.

Should I quit just because of issues of money?

I tried to look for more reasons beyond financial reward why I should stick to my job like pursuit of knowledge, growth as a person, and all other things immaterial. Am I realizing my maximum potential through my work or is my work keeping me from it? How's my "marketability"? Has it improved?

I can't provide clear answers to these questions. It was miserable and my pride was hurt. They were right, I should've made that move to quit a long time ago.

What should I tell my boss? Will he hate me for my decision? What if he's reading this right now? Would he think I'm writing this just to scare him to giving me more? These questions scare me more than the organic question itself of whether or not I should quit.

Last night, after months I couldn't count with fingers in both hands, I prayed to God and plead for His guidance.

He didn't respond. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting an answer. There are people dying of hunger and thirst. Why answer on someone who's just concerned about getting more?

The misery and battle with my own self continues. There is no real ending to this one. Everything is expressed in uncertainties.

I might or might not quit. Although I'm almost sure the former will be for the better.

Yatta!

2007-06-11T20:52:00.000+12:00

Hahaha. So I finally bought the ticket to Heroes TV Series fanaticism train and so far it has been awesome. (This guy's a late bloomer.) Loved it! Although the the fun was cut short because I only have until Episode 9 in my DVD. Now how do I get my hands on the last remaining episodes? (Download, duh!)

My prayer has been answered

2007-06-07T23:26:00.000+12:00

First of all, this prank freakin' got me for a good minute or two. It's freakin' believable before the "Moon crashes into Pacific Ocean" part. And now, after falling victim to this freakin' prank, it's so freakin' funny.

(What prayer is this guy talking about anyway?)

(Why are his previous posts very ambiguous?)

Because it's the freakin' trend that's why!

John Grisham

2007-06-04T17:41:00.000+12:00

Just one left. Grrr.

~~A Time to Kill (1989)~~
~~The Firm (1991)~~
~~The Pelican Brief (1992)~~
~~The Client (1993)~~
~~The Chamber (1994)~~
~~The Rainmaker (1995)~~
~~The Runaway Jury (1996)~~
~~The Partner (1997)~~
~~The Street Lawyer (1998)~~
~~The Testament (1999)~~
~~The Brethren (2000)~~
~~A Painted House (2001)~~
~~Skipping Christmas (2001)~~
~~The Summons (2002)~~
~~The King of Torts (2003)~~
~~Bleachers (2003)~~
~~The Last Juror (2004)~~
~~The Broker (2005)~~
The Innocent Man (2006)

Subliminal message

2007-05-31T17:14:00.000+12:00

Ever played a game so enjoyable you didn't realize you were already tired until you lost?

I enjoyed my game, and yesterday, I decided I'm already tired. The fire has gone out. I've been watching too many movies and reading too many success stories that I kept waiting for that big break to happen to me. Sadly, it never did.

Life has a funny way of balancing the idealistic and practical yin-yang. You practice idealism but you follow practicality. Balancing the two, you achieve equilibrium. Funny, achieving equilibrium has a nice and tranquil sound to it. Don't be deceived.

So what happens now? you ask. Well, i don't have much choice. I'll just trust my yin-yang, I guess.

Bye my dear interns

2007-05-27T01:31:00.000+12:00

To my interns,

Thank you for making me fall in love again with the profession I chose. My summer could've been dull without having you in our office.

I never saw it coming. I admit when I was assigned the task to guide, I never welcomed it that much, being a newbie that I am. I was unsure of what degree of responsibility I could handle with having four people, from a respectable institute, counting on my daily task-planning. We all know I had my shortcomings but I hope I made it up to you by the countless laugh we shared.

Sorry it took me quite some time before leaving my uptight self. Horsing around the office was much more fun, after completing the tasks of course. You reminded me that I too, was once a college boy who had professors to satisfy and units to enroll.

Sorry if I ever gave you the impression that I am mandating your respect. I've been used to establishing a very professional image to everyone who I work with that I forgot it wasn't really necessary -- you're even more professional than I am.

Oh, and by the way, sorry if sometimes you have to share me your merienda. :-)

I embarked on this mission keeping in mind I have to teach four people. It turned out it was the four people who will teach me. Thank you for the thousand things I learned from all of you.

Thanks for the stuffed animal. I am yet to name him. :-)

I hope or paths cross each other again. It was nice having you. In my life.

Thanks thanks thanks a million.

To go bald or not to go bald? You decide.

2007-05-10T00:20:00.000+12:00

or ?

About being absolutely right

2007-05-02T23:57:00.000+12:00

Sometimes we tend to isolate ourselves from the outside world that it's hard to separate true reality with our own reality. We think we're absolutely right and opposing views are simply alternative ways of seeing things, hardly worth anything.

The facade we present to people, I bet, is completely the opposite. Open-mindedness right? We like to tell people, "Hey, I'm open-minded." And you visualize people to look at you and say, "Aw look at that open-minded guy, so open-minded. I bet he'll go to heaven."

Your alternative universe goes, "You preposterous dickhead."

Bad news my friend, your alternative universe was right.

Lesson # 1. You can't be sure you're absolutely right even if you think you're absolutely right.

If you think you're absolutely right, leave some room for bitter defeat. Hell, I'm not even sure if you can't really be sure you're absolutely right even if you think you're absolutely right.

Aristotle and Ptolemy once had a chat in Yahoo! Messenger.

Aristotle: I'm absolutely sure the universe revolves around the Earth.
Ptolemy: Oh my god! Me too! I'm absolutely sure about it too. Yup. Pretty much. The Sun, Mars, Venus, all those heavenly bodies out there, they revolve around the Earth.
Aristotle: Cool, man. Let's call it Pythagorean Theory!
Ptolemy: I think that term's already taken by some guy named Pythagoras. That jerk.
Aristotle: :-(
Ptolemy: How does Geocentric Theory sound?
Aristotle: Cool, term. How'd you come up with that? Nice latin-ny kick to it. I like it.

lonelyastronomer15 joins the conference.

Copernicus: Hey guys. I think Sun is the center of the Solar System.
Ptolemy: Shut up!!!
Aristotle: Shut up!!!
Ptolemy: lol
Aristotle: lmao

...and a coupla centuries later the world found out Copernicus was right! You can imagine the shame of those two pompous asses. They deleted their MySpace accounts. (Get it!? My...Space?! Hahaha)

Lesson # 2. If you think you're right, but it's too good to be true, it's just you.

Sad but true. It's just you.

There's this one time, at Cafe Lupe. Our crowd was lucky enough to take the center of the room so we have a good view of the band that's playing that night. The vocalist was -- I can't begin to describe her -- stunning. Stunning was the most modest adjective there is to describe her. Her name is Monique Rae and she's the voice behind the Nescafe commercial with a couple running around in the rain. Forget her voice, she's hot in person I'm telling ya.

Well, I don't know if it was the beer that night but she seems to be looking right at me. Out of a hundred people people that night, she seems to be looking at me every so often.

Wow, I'm in love and I think she's in love with me too.

You know the ending to this one. It's just me!

Lesson # 3. If you think you're absolutely right, it's better if you just shut up.

No one can tell the difference between humility and too much self-confidence if you're the silent type. If you're lucky you can even pass for being divine.

There's one exception to this rule. However, this exception was owned solely by Copernicus in Lesson # 1. He was absolutely right.

For now, that is...or is it just me?

UST Singers 1992

2007-04-27T21:29:00.000+12:00

iCar Disclaimer

2007-04-13T22:02:00.000+12:00

This is probably late and others might already have known that my iCar post is actually an April Fool's Joke.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ECLIPSE SPYDER MODIFIED TO BE AN iCAR. YES, IT IS AN APRIL FOOL'S DAY JOKE. ALEX, EDWIN AND KEVS ARE THREE OF MY ALTER EGOS.

iCar: Is this way too much for Apple Inc.?

2007-04-01T19:38:00.000+12:00

Whew. And I thought iPhone was a mouthful!

If you haven't yet heard, Apple Inc. just revealed its most adventurous marketing feat of all time -- five years in the making -- to tie up with Mitsubishi Motors to manufacture...surprise, surprise...iCar.

Damn right, iCar!

If you think Eclipse Spyder is the deal, well, better wait until the third week of June when Apple starts shipping iCar to Southeast Asia. iCar is basically a modified 2003 Eclipse Spyder with a coupla tricks up its sleeve. Compared to Eclipse Spyder, iCar is a BEV (battery electric vehicle) that uses lithium polymer battery packs manufactured by Celtek Batteries Private Ltd. to power its engines. Apple has been quelling criticisms from motor groups about using pure BEV engine instead of more popular hybrid engines which use internal combustion engines in addition to its electrical power supply. But with high gas prices in the Philippines, why care?

Of course, like the iPhone, iPod is intergrated to iCar. My man Steve Jobs announced the songs will be accessible using voice control and album arts will be displayed by making the front windows opaque. However, unlike iPhone, the front-window-cum-LCD screen will not be touch sensitive. Instead, the steering wheel will be used much like the regular click wheel. How cool is that?!

The speakers to be used for audio system has not been disclosed as of today but there were rumors that negotiations with Bose had been ongoing since the second quarter of 2005 despite the fact that Eclipse Spyder already uses Rockfor Fosgate's 650-watt speaker system.

What's even more amazing is that -- hold on to your seats -- iCar will be recharged from USB ports and from Apple's version of Firewire. What's been irking me is why the fuck wouldn't they include battery chargers to regular electric outlets? I mean what happened to using chargers huh?

I know, I know, it's a long shot to buying an iPhone. What more with an iCar, right? Honestly, I think it's one of those gadgets that I'd never gonna get, at least until I'm 45.

Why I think bloc voting is ugly

2007-03-16T17:13:00.000+13:00

Bloc voting is pure ugly

The decision of a few men should not mandate the decision of the whole group. Every person is entitled to his/her own belief. It violates free will. Even if the motive of the entity is good, it indirectly violates the basic right of the people -- the right to vote. The threat of expulsion when one deviates from the improvised doctrine is abuse of power disguised as an excuse to practice "unity". Forced bloc voting should not be tolerated in any level.

The Voice of the People is the Voice of God

Bloc voting is corrupt. It misrepresents the voice of the people. Who are leaders to tell the people their decisions? If these leaders insist, then in my opinion, they do not deserve respect.

Leadership should be democratic.

Separation of Church and State

Our country is spiritually divided into many sects and religion. If one dominates over the others through brute force, then the purpose of cultural relativism is lost.

Fight for your freedom to vote. It is your decision. If others dare to tell you who to vote, tell them to their face that you have your own free will and you are entitled to practice it.

Free will, man, free will. You are not a puppet. God created you with a free will. Protect it.

Back From Hiatus

2007-03-13T23:36:00.000+13:00

Been busy

Folks, I've been busy. So busy in fact I didn't have time to trim my fingernails. They're like half-inch long now and I suspect I won't need to buy Maggi's Instant Mushroom Soup from the mart because I can sufficiently make one myself. Talk about being productive!

Warning: Geek talk ahead.

So I finally learned how to make Flash animations after how many years. I've been wanting to learn Flash since my freshman year and I finally had the right occasion to self-study. I'm looking forward to making more work with this baby. Samples you say? Maybe later.

I'm thinking of expanding my writing to tech-blogs. It'd be pretty cool to have one and contribute to my pool although I'm not really sure what to write about. Have to think it through before I start it.

New territories

It's just weird that my profession -- IT -- made me aware of other fields, like Social Science, Commerce, and behold, even Political Science. My job has a human side to it, this side having to do something with these three. Somehow, anything not related to computers has been my breath of fresh air. And so I figured: is this my mother ship calling?

I don't know. Maybe I'm meant for other things. Maybe my job is just the elevator to the penthouse where I can see things from the top.

A father and son story

My dad and I was out driving one Sunday morning to visit his comatose cousin in town two hours away. The feeling was surreal. We haven't had any time together since, I don't know exactly, maybe four years.

As he was driving, I started thinking how I cannot be half as great as this man beside me. If I'm a curve, then he's my asymptote. If we weren't related by blood, I would call it being intimidated. This man, my dad and my greatest hero of all time, is the greatest man who ever lived, next to Jesus of Nazareth.

"Anak, eh kelan ka ba mag-aaral mag-drive?" he asked.

I answered with a mild grunt.

"Dapat mag-aral ka ng mag-drive," he furthered.

Yes, I really need to learn to drive, I realized. It's one step to being like him. As we passed on trees with flamboyant pictures of senatorial candidates, I can't help but think that if my dad had the chance to replace some if not most of them, our country could've been a much better place to live in.

What about your dad? Is he your greatest hero too?

Should I change blog hosts?

2007-02-06T20:44:00.000+13:00

Author's note: This used to be posted in my Friendster Blog before I migrated to Blogspot.

Mind you, I've come to love Friendster Blogs, especially after I learned how to tweak the annoying ads. Friendster Blogs leading advantage over other blog hosts is that most people already have Friendster Accounts. You post a new blog and bam, your friends see it on their welcome page.

You see, I don't categorize myself as a seller type. Sellers promote their blog and all. I like to keep it personal -- you notice it, I got your attention and you read whatever I wrote. Without the noticers (sorry, can't think of a fancier term), this blog would practically be non-existent. No egoistical blogger would ever want that, and my ego is like this big (hands extended to either sides).

But but but. There are evil eyes out there who shouldn't be reading your blogs at all. In my case that would be any of the following: a family member (no, they don't know I can write), person from work (I blurt out work-related issues here once in a while), and a stalker (like I have one, but yup, stalkers can be creepy).

So I'm thinking, should I switch blog hosts? Would people still read my blog when I move out? What do you think?

Food for thought

2007-01-24T18:00:00.000+13:00

The House That Fried Chicken Built:

The Fried Chicken That Built The House:

A Very Angry Post

2007-01-22T22:44:00.000+13:00

Grrrrrrr! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I am so angry today! Grrrrrrrrr! Angry at the world! Angry with angst! Angry very angry! My heart is full of anger! Grrrrrrrrrr!

A letter to Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. CEO

2007-01-15T16:40:00.000+13:00

Dear Sir,

I watched your keynote on Mac World and you got me really excited on iPhone. I think it's so cool.

However, I live in a third world country where orphan children work 21 hours making firecrackers by hand earning 60¢ a day. My point is, we can't afford a 900 dollar phone. My father is reluctant to sell our carabao because Dolores has been our only source of income, and it doesn't help that powdered milk comes out of her tits from old age. My father agreed to sell Bantay, my beloved pet dog of three years, to our neighbor, Mang Kanor. His wife, Aling Meding makes excellent Caldereta. Chowking was offended when I offered to sell Muning for their Siopao, because she hasn't been vaccinated yet. I even opened myself to the possibility of taking BS Nursing so I can earn money abroad. However, my Tito Boyet is having trouble getting the Board Exam answer keys from PRC. They are out of ink cartridges. You can say my chances of getting an iPhone in the near future is slimmer than MYMP coming up with their own songs, or that fat guy from Cueshe playing an actual musical instrument. You should meet him when you come here, he's so funny, he taps his knees when he's not singing the Chorus. Anyway. So I, together with my low-income-generating countrymen, beg of you, Mr. Steve Jobs, patron saint of eye candy GUIs, to lower the prices of your iPhones when you ship them to Asia in the third quarter of 2012.

Sincerely,

Jhake "GhangstaBlingBlingGhettoThePhogi" Agustin

Hi Jhake,

Good news.

We here at Apple decided to ship iPhone in two other versions for our less fortunate brothers in Philippines.

Introducing iPhone Nano* and iPhone Shuffle**. Cheaper solutions for your iPhone-centric life. Please don't make your purchase from MyAyala.com because they would cost as much as Mazda 3.

Remember, if you don't own an iPhone, screw you.

Up Yours Truly,

Steve Jobs

*Outgoing calls not supported.

**No LCD display. Sends random text messages to random numbers. Call feature not supported.

The Allegory of the Butanding Chapter 2

2007-01-14T10:01:00.000+13:00

Oblivious that his net is being pulled down by the weight of the fish he was hauling, he lost grip on it, concentric ripples forming from where it sinked. He jumped to his feet and dove right into it.

Never mind the dilapidated goggles, by the time he was seven he got used to the sting of sea water. By a tint of green, he saw the fish inside the net in delirious panic, escaping. He salvaged his catch by retightening the net but to no avail.

To be continued...

Progress Report Ba Ikamo?

2007-01-14T02:31:00.000+13:00

Click the image for a larger view.

These are visual representations of where my blog viewers are coming from. My target this year is to conquer Asia (huh!?).

Lord forgive me, I'm lusting over...

2007-01-11T00:46:00.000+13:00

..that new iPhone I saw on Apple Inc.'s website. This is my ultimate object of affection. To hell with iPod, this thang, yes that's thing with an A, has music and videos in it, too. The user interface -- fucking gorgeous I fucking swear. I never thought I'd ever say this, but Steve Jobs, you're the man, man. You're not that big an asshole as they portrayed you in Pirates of the Silicon Valley.

Man, $500.00 for the new iPhone which translates to roughly PhP25,000.00. Ho boy, that means no-fastfood, no-Zagu, no-gimik for three or four straight months. Is it worth it? Oo puta.

Things I won't leave behind from last year

2007-01-02T23:46:00.000+13:00

Memories of friends wonderfully intoxicated with booze. Those moments where nothing else seems to matter but you and your friends sharing a careless window of time from the vast sea of differences.

Lessons learned the hard way. Because there's just no way I'm throwing them away.

College degree. When you realize that the mandatory hard part's over. What you accomplish next are things that add up to prestige, bonus from God* if you will.

Material things you were able to buy from money you made yourself.

Legal wisdom and strategies from my idol, John Grisham. He almost made me consider a career in law.

*quoting Manny Pacquiao

Ganito mag-senti ang isang Java Programmer

2006-12-20T18:58:00.000+13:00

So how do you parse a Roman Numeral to an integer? You step through every character and along the way, when you find an exception, just throw it. I thought parsing was this easy, but it's a cruel world out there full of control structures ready to devour every scope in your main program.

Just when I thought Stacks can solve the problem, someone else thinks they won't. No, Stack is like Superman's X-ray vision, you only use it when absolutely necessary, else you'll be looking through everybody's clothes. Knowing Stacks are powerful is not a reason enough to haphazardly use them anytime you want. Sometimes, using Lists is enough.

Don't even get me started on throwing exceptions at the right places. I mean, for Pete's sake, as if embedding if-statements on while-loops is not syntactically confusing enough. It takes one's full integrity of character to embrace all cases or one will be haunted right after that closing curly brace. Just imagine what it would do to the industry if you afford to be careless.

At the end of the day, I pray that my method will return the right integer value. I cannot help but ponder that there are exactly 4,294,967,296 possible int values, and just one is worth giving. :-(

I need a break...again

2006-12-13T21:55:00.000+13:00

Let's see what's lined up this holiday season.

COSS Christmas Party. Can't wait to see my brothers and sisters and swim and sing in the videoke and get intoxicated.

Welcome Party at new Apartment. I heard there's a house warming of some sort.

Magellan with Camille and Wax and more company. Of course. I hope Allan's there too. Imagine Wax and Allan in the same table, hehehe. Peace!

Noche Buena. The usual. I am going to enjoy this one. Baka matuloy si Kuya sa NZ so ibig sabihin next N.B. tatlo na lang kami. Boohoo.

Media Noche. Same as N.B.

The Allegory of the Butanding Chapter 1

2006-12-12T18:15:00.000+13:00

Esteban is a fisherman in a small community in the coast of Iba, Zambales. He goes out to fish with his net in his small diesel-powered boat every day, just before the sun reveals the top of its head in the greenish blue horizon and blends to paint a rich orange halo. Esteban loves to fish, any kind of fish, and some occasional crabs. His trusty boat can only make it to just a few kilometers after the beach, but Esteban sees no problem with that because that is where his favorite fishes and crabs abound. Everyday he looks forward to coming to that line in the horizon where opportunities are easy as one's hauling of a net full of ocean's bounty.

One day, as he sets out into the open, some unusual glitter caught his peripheral vision -- behold, it's a butanding. His second cousin Dudong from Donsol once told him about this creature, and prided that it inhabits only that part of Sorsogon and nowhere else. His cousin lied to him and the proof was surfacing from thirty meters or so from the horizon opposite the beach.

Was it fear or respect that paralyzed him? He had never been humbled by a presence of a gargantuan being that seem ready to swallow his boat with his net and him with it, anytime come closer this butanding. His largest catch was a 76-kilo tambakol and it never came close to the greatness of this one.

To be continued...

Conclusion

2006-11-30T00:01:00.000+13:00

I therefore conclude that the unfamiliar arouses curiosity; that it's easy to change identities; that only your closest friends will notice when you do something with your Friendster Profile; that it's not a bright idea; that I'll never do it again; that, wait, on second thought I might do it again; that it's fun to know that Jologs in you; that, heck I'll think of more.

19 messages received

2006-11-14T22:01:00.000+13:00

Nagising ako ng isang umaga. Dinuro ko ng kanan na hinlalaki ang isang bahagi ng aking likod kung saan may mumunting sakit na namumuo. Sobra sa tulog, naisip ko.

Nang nasanay na ang aking mga mata sa kakaibang lakas ng sinag ng araw mula sa kwarto, agad agad kong dinampot ang aking cellphone, isang sobrang gasgas na 3210. Mula sa malabong paningin dala ng naipon na mga kung-ano sa aking mata, unti-unting luminaw sa aking paningin ang maliliit na letra na nakasulat sa maliit nitong screen. Yehey! '19 messages received', sabi nito. May isang di mabawing ngiti ang namuo sa aking bibig. Sa totoo lang, sa aking pagtulog ay tila mga tugtugin ng mga anghel na nagbabantay sakin ang mga tunog mula dito na mas lalong nagpapahimbing sa aking pagtulog gabi-gabi.

Wala nang iba pang nagpapasaya sa akin kundi ang mga samu't saring mga kasabihan, mga biro, at mga mensaheng relihiyoso na kelangan mong ipadala sa iba mong kaibigan. Hindi maikakaila na ito ang nagdadala ng araw ko. Makita ko pa lang na dumungaw ang mga
salitang
hindi
magkasya
sa isang
linya dahil
ito'y
isang makabuluhang
kasabihan ay
parang mga kamay na humahagod sa aking kaluluwa. 'Wow naman!' sabi ko sa sarili ko. At sa punto iyon, hindi ko na mapigilang basahin ang mga susunod na mensahe.

Nandiyan ang mga mensahe tungkol sa life, sa friendship, at meron din naman ang mga kasabihan na patungkol sa love, ang aking mga paborito. 'Wow talaga,' hindi ko mapigilan na sabihin sa aking sarili ng malaman kong u hav to luv som1 u can cry on. Awww...

At halos magising ang mga taong nasa parehas na palapag sa kwarto ng mabasa ko ang isang biro tungkol sa isang nakakatawang ginawa ni Erap sa isang restawran. Hanggang ngayon ay masakit pa rin ang aking tiyan sa katatawa. Nakakatawa kasi ang mga biro patungkol kay Erap. Hahahahaha.

Mayroon din akong natanggap na mensahe na nagsasabing magdasal ako sa wikang Latin nang apat na beses at ipasa ito sa siyam kong kaibigan. Mayroon umanong nakatanggap nito at nakalimutang ipasa sa kanyang mga kaibigan sa loob ng beinte kwatro oras at namatay ang kanyang asawa't anak. Ito ay sa isang parte ng Batangas. Mayroon din naman gumawa ng mensahe na ito at sa masamang palad ay nakalimutang ipadala sa kanyang sekretarya. Baldado na siya ngayon at namamalimos sa Ermita. 'Naku!', sabi ko sa sarili ko. 'Ayaw kong mangyari ito sa akin!', sabi ko pa. Kaya't agad-agad kong pinadala ito sa siyam kong mga kaibigan, at pinadala ko pa uli sa 14 kong mga kakilala upang makasiguradong hindi makarating sa akin ang sumpa. Walang dahilan upang hindi ko paniwalaan ang nangyari sa lalaking taga-Batangas at ang namamalimos ngayon sa Ermita, dala ng kanyang pagkabaldado. Nagpapatibay talaga ito ng aking pananampalataya sapagkat sa takot ko, mas lalo akong nananalig.
Sa isang sandali, naisip ko ang isang magandang hatid ng unlimited na pagpapadala ng mga ganitong uri ng mensahe. Salamat Globe! Sulit na sulit talaga ang 15 pesos na ginagastos ko araw-araw sapagkat nakapagpapadala ako ng mga mensahe na nakakapagpasaya din sa mga tao! Mas lalo kong pinagpapahalagahan ang tao sa dami ng pinapadala niyang mga mensahe sa akin sa isang araw.

Walang duda na ganito ang nararamdaman ng mga tao na nakakatanggap ng mga kasabihan, biro at relihiyosong mga mensahe. Dahil kung hindi, ano pa at patuloy nating tinatangkilik ang ganitong uri ng komunikasyon, hindi ba?

Yun lang. Üüü. Mwahugz!!!

Dear Friendster

2006-11-14T21:26:00.000+13:00

Author's note: This used to be posted in my Friendster Blog before I migrated to Blogspot.

Dear Friendster Authorities,

Please remove the 'Oh my god! No way!' ad. It's annoying the hell out of your users. Thanks.

Truly yours,
Marco

My version of time travel

2006-10-16T23:29:00.000+13:00

I have this mantra I invented sometime in my childhood that I still use today.

Dalin mo ko kung san andun na ko.
(Take me where I'm already there.)

It expresses my desire to skip parts of my life to get to the point where I'm already at that point. You could say I was able to create a chronological wormhole that transports my whole being to the exact time I want. There are even times I don't realize it already worked because I have forgotten I used the mantra. As if some kind of voodoo, it seems to work most of the time. If you think I possess super powers, thanks, I'm flattered, but no, I do not. And no Mom I'm not doing drugs.

It worked when I was nine when I was crazy excited for the time to come when I'm finally swimming in the beach of Iba, Zambales, which used to be my Mecca of all things good. It worked when I was on my way to let a doctor perform some pre-adolescent ritual. I used it a lot last year especially that time when I was struggling to pass Algorithm Analysis. Guess what? It worked. The last time I remember it work was when I got my part-time job.

Last night, I got to think how silly this mantra is, and why it amazingly seems to work.

I'm not sure if people understand me whenever I say during their times of personal hardship that one day they are going to wake up past it. What they don't know is that I'm already reciting the mantra for them.

As I'm writing this entry, I'm reciting the mantra and making a mental note to write a follow-up if it worked again.

So when you're in the part of the wheel where it touches the mud, find a quiet time to recite the mantra. It might just work.

What's up?

2006-10-12T01:46:00.000+13:00

Note: This blog is written by one person.

Well nothing new except I'm a teacher now.

Your fu**ing kidding right?

Seriously, I teach now.

You f*ck! You can't do that! You're harming my image. We're sharing the same body, remember? You stupid f*ck. Rockstars and board markers don't go together. You know that man. How can you do this?

It's a temporary thing I promise. We need the money, you know we do. iPod Nano, hello?

F*ck that.

C'mon lighten up. Big deal.

Big deal my ass. I admit I enjoyed the John Grisham addiction phase but don't push it. Teaching is way over the edge.

I don't know.

What?

Don't you want to explore new territories? I mean it's going to look good on my, i mean our, resume.

If you want to explore new territories, you don't teach, you go to Jamaica. That makes more sense.

(sigh)

Thanks

2006-09-26T01:02:00.000+12:00

I said I wouldn't make a big deal out of it but you guys made me feel great! I can't think of a better place to thank those who remembered. So thanks! For those who didn't it's okay, 1 out of 365 days is a hard date to hardwire to your biocalendars.

To those who still don't have a clue what I'm talking about, check my date of birth you dumbass. :-)

adobong adidas + mompo = bliss

2006-09-18T00:18:00.000+12:00

Sarap ulit-ulitin. Ulitin natin.

What time is it in the South Pole, Antarctica?

2006-09-12T16:50:00.000+12:00

Just a thought. If the world is divided into time zones, then what zone covers South Pole? Can you even tell time when you're there? Imagine you live on that exact spot and your bed at the center of your house. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed and you're 12 hours late for work. You can drive around your house and your neighbors would greet you, "Good morning!" and "Good evening!" within each lap. You jog in the morning and you get jet lag.

Get outa here

2006-09-08T19:08:00.000+12:00

It's funny how people pretend to hide something yet in the process almost sound like bragging about something. It's a gray area where you don't know if you should be intrigued or annoyed.

Some Random Thoughts

2006-08-28T16:44:00.000+12:00

Ngayon ko lang uli na-appreciate ang college days.

My health is deteriorating by the day. I hardly had any form of exercise for the past two months. I'm not a fitness buff but I do know sedentary lifestyle can lead to heart diseases. I promised myself I'm going to buy a car before I die. But if I go on with a sedentary -- I mean obscenely sedentary lifestyle, it would probably take another four months before I start to feel complications. Just like that guy from Supersize Me. And then death.

That's the reason why I miss college when scheds are somewhat flexible. I miss jogging or just having the chance to jog.

I'm sick of fastfood. College is about having lots of choices where to eat, sans the fastfood chains.

But what I miss most is having someone to talk to. The closest I can get to talking is texting, which of course, thanks to unlimited texting fever, is replete with lots of cute but useless quotes, shallow jokes, and the worst kind, your-momma-will-die chain messages.

Second college degree? No, thanks.

When I die

2006-08-23T19:18:00.000+12:00

When I die, the last thing I want is a funeral parade. A kilometer-long bumper-to-bumper queue of angry motorists wouldn't do good. Get the number of prayers I would get petitioning the repose of my soul, minus the number of the stranded people on the road telling me to go to hell and you get a negative number. What if God practiced democracy at that point? "Hey, can't you see it's too freakin' crowded in hee-yuh?!" I can imagine a ranting Satan.

When I die, I would like to sponsor an open bar for my vital organs right away.

When I die, I want to be cremated, my ashes scattered in Laguna de Bay.

When I die, I want my family to dine in Pizza Hut once every year on my birthday. The first one to cry would pay the bill.

When I die, I want my parents to tell my friends I moved to Rio de Janeiro.

The day was March 1, 2004

2006-07-18T20:12:00.000+12:00

I woke up with the unusual sounds of people outside our boarding house. Even though it was at least 30 feet from where my bed is, the chattering of the people out in the streets are audible. Nevertheless, I never took it as anything not ordinary.

It was when I got outside that I knew that day was really out of the ordinary. The jeepney drivers, yes, all of them, where in strike with the government and don’t feel like driving today. And the campus people – students, workers, and the unemployed – have no choice but to deal with what they hated most, or at least what they seem to this particular day – walking. It has to be about 35 degrees or so and the sun still hasn’t shown itself completely out of the obscure horizon.

On the bright side, I honestly feel like walking today so took some long but unhurried strides with my worn-out off-white sneakers (my new one got stolen in a beach resort a month ago) to my math class. The sight, you should have seen it because you’re not going to see this many people in the sidewalks again. Well, I was told that the strike is going to last for three days but still, the sight was pretty amusing.

There were only two of us when I entered our room and she too, looked disheveled from the long hot walk to the Math Building. Another one and another one came and at about fifteen past eight, half of the class, including the teacher, hasn’t shown up yet. It was all understandable after all. At exactly 8:24 I decided our teacher wouldn’t show up so stand up and walked out of the room to have my breakfast. Oh how I would like to have my breakfast in an air-conditioned room to relieve myself from the heat.

After I have my breakfast I went to a computer shop to check my mail and uhm, Friendster. I know if you read this maybe two years from now it would sound pretty silly, because by that time, Friendster will not be that trendy anymore. But right now it is so just bear with me. Eight unread mails and thirty-three pesos later, I logged out and went to my next class. As usual, there were few people on the roster today and my instructor decided not to check class attendance today. How kind of him.

Anyway, another boring class after another passed and I found myself helpless to read those unread mails that accumulated during the day in my inbox so I checked in an internet café. And there were four. So in a nutshell, I read them all and logged on the Messenger to check who of my friends were online. And there it was, beside a tiny yellow smiley was the name that rings a bell: -----------. Without hesitation I pinged her and said hello. She said hi back and I asked her how her day was. She wasn’t okay she said and I as a reflex asked why. She said she wanted to cry and I said why again. It took me about five minutes or so before she told me why. It was her ex-boyfriend. God, I really don’t know how I should react whenever confronted with matters like these but being the usual nice guy that I am, I asked her if we can meet-up.

The computer shop she was in was in the second floor of a commercial building. Just when I was about to enter the shop’s door, I saw her seated in a bench near the door, her eyes red with tears. I sat beside her and said nothing at first. I don’t really know I should react when someone is crying. So she told me about her problem with her ex-boyfriend, which is mostly about her having a hard time moving on because her ex won’t leave her alone. I listened to her for about twenty minutes or so practically saying nothing. I wish I can say something to comfort her but I simply can’t. She eventually stopped crying when three of her girlfriends saw her and asked her the usual what’s-the-matter stuff. They were all she needed, the same sex to understand what she’s in. And thank god she did stop crying. I asked her if she wanted to eat and she said fine. We ate in a fast food restaurant near the computer shop. And over burgers, fries and Coke we talked about things aside from her ex-boyfriend. It was nice to hear some giggles from her that evening. Well, I figured out some pretty silly things to make her laugh and it worked, thank you very much. That was it, I walked her back to her friends in the shop. Guess what? There were jeepneys again.

Me, My Parents, and Computer Science

2006-06-13T21:58:00.000+12:00

First, some essential preface. My siblings' professions are nurse, civil engineer, and architect. Nurses take care of the sick, work in hospitals often seen side-by-side with a doctor, wear scrubs. Civil engineers build houses, bridges, roads, and dams. Architects have similar jobs with civil engineers, except for some "artistic differences" (I heard from my two brothers that engineers build strong houses that look like shit and architects design fabulous houses that would not survive an intensity 1 earthquake). I can tell my parents are real proud of my siblings. For one thing, they know what they do.

The sad fact...

I am a computer analyst. Sweet mother of Satan. How would you make your parents proud if you dare throw some details. Try integrating the term Java into your explanations. Mom said, "Wow, Indonesians really do know how to program, don't they?" Imagine when I told them my thesis (or Special Problem, to some people these two are the same thing) involved creating phone applications using Java and Bluetooth Wireless Technology.

"Mom, I am NOT changing my citizenship, and I am NOT going to color my teeth with paint."

I almost opened up the subject of Open Source when I realized this would cause me more trouble. Mom is a teacher, my Dad a professor. They do not tolerate cheating.

Mind you, it's not about ego. I just find it funny that time does come when even your parents can't relate to what you do.

When I got my first (and current) job, Dad was so happy, he even told his drinking compadres. I was able to explain that the nature of work would be Business Process Outsourcing -- or BPO for short. For some strange reason, Dad called me up during his drinking session with compadres. "Will you explain what BPO is?"

I gave a clear explanation. I even put a matter-of-factly tone to stress some points.

"Aaaa. Like call centers," reacted one compadre.

Oh God no. Not like call centers. "Yes sir, exactly like call centers."

Stop Discrimination Against Male Bedspacers

2006-05-26T00:34:00.000+12:00

How many times have you seen this sign hanging on high steel gates?

WANTED LADY BEDSPACERS

I say, what's up with that? Are we men not welcome to occupy dormitories and apartments no more?

As a yuppie, I had a not-that-bad time finding work. I have to thank a school with a pretty nice reputation for that. But try finding a decent bedspace for men. Susmaryosep po. It's like a whole new discrimination against the male species who are far from their home in the provinces.

Me: Look lady, I'm not here to cause riots and overnight house parties. I'm not going to smuggle cannabis under my bed. Please let me stay in one of your for-rent rooms. If you have issues with men, tell it to my face so I can buy me a curly brown wig.

Landlady: Kasa ito iho.

I rest my case.

Remembering Panther and Keanu

2006-04-08T06:11:00.000+12:00

They say you can't teach old dogs new tricks. I say sometimes they just die.

It was tragic to find out from my brother that two of my dogs, Panther and Keanu, were dead. Keanu died and Panther followed a week after. They were bestfriends.

I don't know when, from my two months away from home, they died.

They were my pets for 11 years. No, they weren't brothers. I can still remember when I had Panther during my third grade and I played with him and made him cry a lot. He would whine during the night when we put him in a box outside the house because he wasn't allowed to sleep indoors. Then came Keanu. He was the same age with Panther when Tito Rey gave him to us. He was special because he had five toes in his hind legs. Normal dogs have four. It took a while before we get the two puppies to play together. We did and they had never been so lively. The two dogs became unseparable ever since, with one scratching the back of the other and vice versa.

They were a tag team during dog fights with the neighbor's gang of dwarf poodles(those bitches!). They got hurt from time to time and there was this one time when Keanu's hind leg was ran over by a scooter. He recovered.

Panther was my favorite between the two because he can shake hands even if we never taught him to. He would nudge his paw whenever I'm pretending to not notice him when he was sitting in the table and I was sitting on the chair. He would howl when we would sound our jeep's horn during New Years. Some dog.

I never noticed that they were getting older because I myself have to deal with my growing up. Add school and MTV obsession. Before I knew it, they were not as lively as they were before.

I think they got jealous with the new family dog Maxi, a Labrador, they weren't getting as much attention. Maxi would attempt to play with my good old mongrels but, as with people, there was age gap. Panther would snap at him whenever Maxi would jump along. Keanu simply ignored him.

On my last year of college, I got busy with academic work that I have to stay away from home for two months starting on the first week of February. When I came back today, I was told they both died.

I wasn't quite sure if there really is a place for dogs who passed away. Right now, I'm almost sure there is. There should be.

Hope i don't get fed up soon

2006-04-08T04:59:00.000+12:00

This has been my third attempt to write a blog and I hope this one doesn't end up in the trash after n months like the other ones. I'm planning on writing things that interest me and I slightly care it would interest others otherwise it would just be a waste of my time. One warning as you go along though (if you would dare) - sometimes my way of words is all over the place so it wouldn't make much sense to you. My apologies in advance.

I tend to sound too intellectual at times but try to understand a bit deeper and you would realize that i'm just trying to deceive you because i'm basically stupid. Let's face reality - bloggers are mostly egoistic and would sell themselves to get known (I'm actually expecting a comment on this one). Well, holy shit y'all, I'm getting my share.

I'm sorry, I have a split-personality and that was my rockstar alter-ego.

Shut the f*ck up or i'll reformat your drive D:.

Damnit there he goes again.