Everything under the sun.

Hail to the Chief

2007-10-09T16:49:00.000+08:00

Welcome back, Master Chief...

I picked up my copy of Halo 3 for the XBox 360 several days ago. And while I was there, I also picked up Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and World in Conflict for Windows. It will take me a while to get a handle on these games but the initial impressions are pretty good. The downside, ET:QW and WiC have pretty high system requirements in order to play with all the eye candy turned on.

More after this...

PayPal and the Philippines

2007-10-05T08:38:00.000+08:00

It has been a year since PayPal was made available to Philippine users. Back then, locals were only allowed to send money. Good enough, if you are buying stuff online, I guess.

Numerous petitions were made to allow local users to receive funds as well. And finally, after a year of waiting, PayPal has added the Philippines in it's list of countries that can:

"Send. Receive. Withdraw to a U.S. Bank Account or a card.

Send and receive payments in these countries. Withdraw from your PayPal account to a U.S. bank account. In addition, withdraw to a credit, debit, or prepaid card in countries marked with a (cross)."

With this development, it probably won't take too long for local banks to make the necessary arrangements with PayPal so they can 'get some of the action.' In the mean time, the best bet would be to use a debit card.

Now, who will this benefit? For one, OFWs now have one more way to send funds to their families. Then there are the web designers, programmers, exporters and retailers. And finally, there's this little website called eBay; one man's junk is another man's treasure.

Idle Hands...

2007-06-21T17:53:00.000+08:00

Way back in grade school, our art teacher gave us a block of clay to fool around with. This was real clay, the type used in making pottery. She gave us until the end of the period to sculpt a person playing any type of sport: basketball, baseball, etc. I decided to create a figure in the classic fencing pose with a toothpick to serve as his sword. The end product was a fairly decent work and I got a 97 for my effort.

Years later, I still like to create things, with most of my attention focused on scale models. I have completed dozens of kits since Grade 3, some have even been displayed in libraries and expos. Although I consider myself skilled, my talents pale in comparison with these extremely gifted individuals:

1) Michael Fictenmayer
2) 3Demonic
3) Gamera Baenre - Don't forget to click on the Completed Figures as well.

Then there are those who can create great works from regular objects normally found in a kitchen or an office. Take Patrick Laurensis' robot creation.

Yup, I still have a long way to go. *sigh*

A Fine Addition

2007-05-30T20:22:00.000+08:00

The call came in early this morning informing me that this was ready for pick up. Lucky for me, I had a meeting near the area. Now, all I have to do is find enough space for it.

Image courtesy of HobbyLink Japan

Postcard from Bree...

2007-05-26T01:03:00.000+08:00

- Click to enlarge (original resolution was 1680x1050).

This was taken inside the Auction House in Bree. This is with all the graphics set to maximum. I wouldn't suggest doing this unless your computer is less than a year old, otherwise, gameplay's going to be a slideshow. I have mine set midway, but I still have some slowdown issues when entering a highly populated area like Bree.

One Ring...

2007-05-21T20:40:00.000+08:00

I just picked up my copy of Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar from Datablitz the other day. Once I got home, I wasted no time installing the game. Incidentally, the game came in two DVDs! The game itself weighs in at a whopping 6.41 GB.

After activating my account, I logged in and waited through the usual updates. Ten minutes later, I was ready to make my first character. I liked getting into the thick of things, so I chose a female human Champion.

I'll post more details in a few days.

-----

The Shizuoka Hobby Show has just concluded. I'm looking forward to the release of these babies:

Images courtesy of HobbyLink Japan.

The 360

2007-03-25T23:27:00.000+08:00

Last week, I picked up my order for a(n) XBox 360 Premium Ed., an extra wireless controller and four titles: Gears of War, Crackdown, Ghost Recon - Advanced Warfighter 2, and Viva Piñata (for my wife). I've been saving up to buy the console since January and I must say that it's worth every cent.

Setting up the system is pretty straightforward, much like the Nintendo Wii: hook up the marked cables, turn on the system, sync the wireless controllers and play. Visual details on standard definition TV are acceptable, but the system comes into it's own when it's hooked up to an HDTV - call me impressed.

Playing alone is great, but connecting to XBox Live brings out the monster in the 360. Fighting AI gets predictable if you play long enough. In the end, nothing beats playing against other people. Of course, PC gamers have been fragging other players on the net for years so this is nothing new to me. What sets the 360 apart is the way it meshes the different processes into one tight package.

Game patches are automatically downloaded, searching for matches is painless, gameplay is mostly lag-free, even the VoIP system is good. So good, in fact, that all the nuances of an opponent's constructive criticisms are perfectly conveyed to the listener. This is where watching South Park comes in handy (Thanks Cartman), just mix in several ethnic slurs with various homosexual insults and you're good to go. One more thing, it also helps to know intimate details about your opponent's mom.

Like I said, it's worth every cent. Even my wife can't seem to pry herself away from the little piñatas. (I'll probably have to spring for another one.)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with Kill3rboi's mommy in a couple of minutes.

Sniffles in Summer.

2007-03-04T20:36:00.000+08:00

Seriously, how in the world does one get the flu in March?

I've been under the weather for a few days now: headaches, sore throat, etc. Sure, I can go out once in a while, but I get tired quite easily; I try to avoid going out as much as possible until I'm good and ready. Now, the only thing going for me is that I get to stay in bed and watch a bit of TV. But even that isn't enough since I have to get up once in a while to go check in at the office. Those are the breaks, I guess.

----------

Yesterday, my pre-order of Supreme Commander arrived. You guys might want to check it out, I really think it's worth it.

Also, on my playlist: Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Demo. The file itself is quite huge for a demo - weighing in at a little over a gigabyte. If you want to get this demo, check out the torrent sites to get it faster than you would at EA's website. Watch out for the game's release this March.

Building a Home Theater

2007-02-06T13:50:00.000+08:00

I was able to buy an Acer XD1170 DLP projector last weekend. The price was low enough to fit my budget to build a home theater.

According to the specs, the lamp will last 2,000-3,000 hours and a bulb replacement will run to about P10,500 @ P5.25/hr. Now, 2,000 hours may not seem like a lot, but at (say) 3 hours per movie, that'll run to about 666 movies. Not bad, I think.

Now, all that's left is to build the Media Center for it.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...

2006-12-06T21:52:00.000+08:00

A package arrived today from Hong Kong. I wasted no time opening the box to pull out the good stuff. Mmmmm, bubble wrap. It took a while to pop all the bubbles but who can resist squeezing those tempting nipples? Ahem... Moving on...

The bust itself came in a sleek looking box that shows off the bust details and the Three Laws of Robotics printed on the back.

Sonny was pretty heavy and feels solidly built. And like the movie version, the skin is translucent revealing the skull. The back of the head is detachable and it shows off the positronic brain which, when lit, glows a soothing blue.

The blue LED is powered by a 9 volt battery. The box says 'batteries not included' but they were kind enough to put in a battery before shipping it off to us.

The detailing is excellent, from the blue eyes down to the spine and the 'muscles', and the numbered metal plaque at the back is a nice touch as well.

All in all, I'd say it was worth every penny. The only thing left for me to do is look for a place for it.

----------

The cable thieves in our area has struck again. This time, they took out the PLDT cables leaving several blocks without telephones. At least, PLDT was able to restore most of the connections the following day.

A number of residents have already filed complaints with their local barangay chairs urging them to do something about these mofos. Maybe a lynching if they're caught, like what they did several to thieves down in Cavite.

----------

I was having trouble sleeping last night so I tried watching TV for a bit to while away the time. I flipped it to ANC and saw that there was something ugly happening in Congress. One congressman was shouting at the top of his lungs trying to make a point across over the banging of the gavel. I was half-expecting fists to start flying, but no such luck. We still have a lot to learn from the Taiwanese and South Koreans, hell, even the Mexicans.

And no, that time when an aging congressman slapped the Sargeant-at-Arms a while back doesn't count.

R.I.P.

2006-11-27T02:07:00.000+08:00

After more than six years of faithful service, my cable modem, a Motorola CyberSurfer, has finally died. It's been through a lot, it started out at 512 kbps (2000) and bowed out at 8.0 mbps (Nov. 26, 2006).

I had my reservations with it's younger and sexier sibling, the Motorola SurfBoard, at first. It scored poorly at 128 kbps when the cable guys hooked it up for the first time. After they tweaked a few settings on their end, it is now zipping happily along at 3 mbps. Perhaps it'll break the 5 mbps mark after a few calls to my ISP...

-----

'Our Lady of Manaog' is now at the La Immacualda Concepcion School. She arrived early Sunday morning and will be staying with us for a week.

Playlist:

2006-11-17T17:14:00.000+08:00

What I'm doing now:
1) Battlefield 2142 - PC
2) Final Fantasy XII - PS2
3) Guild Wars - PC
4) 4th Season of South Park - DVD
5) Ghost in the Shell: SAC and 2nd GIG - DVD
6) World of Warcraft - PC
7) Bully - PS2
8) Marvel's Civil War series
9) Battlestar Galactica - TV

Brass balls... not

2006-11-11T17:39:00.000+08:00

A spokesman for the Drilon faction of the Liberal Party has announced that they are pleased with the TRO handed down by the Supreme Court. He goes on to say, "We are ready for a fight. We will not back down."

Hardware Updates

2006-09-27T00:08:00.001+08:00

I've been planning on upgrading my gaming PC, it has been almost three years since my last upgrade. The box has been showing its age when playing the latest games - choppy framerates even at the lowest setting.

Well, I was finally able to save up enough loose change to have my upgrade. And so I paid a visit to my local computer shop and did some shopping. Here's what I got: a Pentium D 805 @ 2.66GHz, a motherboard, 2 x 250Gb SATA HDDs, a PCI-e GPU, 2 x 1 Gb RAM and an aftermarket CPU cooling unit.

When I got home, I wasted no time in dismantling my machine and getting down to business. The old parts were set aside, they will be used to make another box that will be used as the house server. The new parts were easy enough to install as all the parts and sockets are clearly labeled.

Now, I know that there are faster CPUs out there, but I decided to spring for the 805 for one reason: it's the cheapest 2.66 GHz dual-core CPU out there. Did I say 2.66? What I meant was 3.60 GHz. The secret is overclocking and that's the reason why I also bought an aftermarket CPU cooler. It can go as high as 4.1 GHz, but I don't want to risk it -- just yet.

Finally, after a last-minute check to make sure all the connections are good, I fired up the baby. The sweet sound of humming followed by a couple of reassuring beeps indicated that half an hour of work went without a hitch. The longest part of the whole process was the HD formatting, Windows XP installation and installing the proper drivers.

Now on to the next project, the one I've been putting off for quite some time: a dedicated media server.

Booty

2006-08-07T14:09:00.000+08:00

I was finally able to find some time to visit the local hobby shops. I dropped by the hobby stores in Megamall, Greenhills and the one in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

In the two days I spent braving the rains, traffic and crowded malls, I was able to get a number of hard-to-find kits. Many of which were hidden behind more popular models or in easily-missed shelves.

Most of the kits I bought were styrene kits, but I was able to get a couple of resin figures as well: 1/6 Judge Dredd (the movie version) and 1/6 The Joker (Jack Nicholson). Which brings the total number of "unbuilt" units in my collection to 72 kits, with 4 currently on the "assembly line".

The Good Stuff
Click to zoom

A New Member to the Family

2006-07-31T18:46:00.000+08:00

A month ago, Amber gave birth to five puppies but only one's left. Here he is - Bandit.

Click on the picture for the hi-res version
And he's a big one. Fat and plump, probably due to the fact that he's got the mom's milk all to himself.

Good Stuff

2006-07-05T00:06:00.000+08:00

It's finally here. It took a while, but it was worth it.

You open the box, and you get this...

And then there's this...

The shopkeeper called and said that my order was ready for pick-up. I wasted no time, I grabbed the car keys and the wife, and we headed to Greenhills. When we entered the shop, she was waiting for me. And she's a thing of beauty.

Packrat and loving it.

2006-06-11T23:00:00.000+08:00

As of last count, I have 30 unopened boxes of scale models, ranging from main battle tanks to Gundam kits. My latest purchase: an Armored Core Mirage kit.

Click on the picture to view a bigger version.

I am currently saving up for something big. Something that would probably sit at the middle of my display cabinet - if I can get around to building it, that is. I figure, I'd still have a couple of weeks of saving to go, then this baby's going to be all mine. And she will be worth every penny.

Click on the picture to view a bigger version.

Yeah, that's right. The Millennium Falcon. And when I get it, I promised the wife she can buy clothes equal to what I paid for the kit. Anything to keep her happy, and me from having to sleep on the couch.

Pictures courtesy of HobbyLink Japan

I'll Learn Ya...

2006-06-04T22:07:00.000+08:00

The school year is about to start and there's still quite a shortage of classrooms and teachers. It's the same problem we get every year.

Part of the problem is that there are more children going to school than the previous year, but population control cannot be solved overnight. The politicians, the Catholic Church, the various NGOs guarantee that this particular battlefront won't be resolved any time soon.

Increasing the funding for education, now that is something the government can address right away. It may be as simple as making a law that requires a reasonable percentage of the Countrywide Development Fund (a.k.a. 'Pork Barrel') be allocated for educational purposes: building classrooms, purchasing books and computers, and paying for a portion of the teachers' salaries.

And there should be a law that obligates the Congressman to have the school buildings named after him. Now let's see them skimp on the buildings; no self-respecting politician would have a shanty bear his name.

I was told that it costs P 1-million and about 3 months to build a single classroom, I say it can be build for half the price and a third of that time. I refuse to believe that, what with the advances in pre-fabricated materials.

----------

If the candidate failure rate of one call center is indicative of the state of the Filipino's ability to communicate properly in English, then we are in deep trouble. More than 80% of the candidates fail in their English communication skills, this, at a time when the rest of Asia is scrambling to become proficient in the language. And it is not only that, we are also lagging behind in the Sciences and Arts. Where did we go wrong?

It is the teacher's responsibility to educate the children. But what if the teacher is the one lacking in the necessary skills to properly guide the children? Their hearts are in the right place, but it is a sad fact that our beloved teachers are overworked and underpaid. They are also vastly outnumbered, with some schools fielding a teacher to student ratio of 1:90, when recent studies proffer a more manageable ratio of 1:40.

Adequate funding is the only solution. We need more funds to re-train the teachers, more funds to hire new ones, and more funds to give them better equipment and materials to aid them. The cost may be high, but one we cannot afford not to pay.

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The people in government would argue that there are more pressing matters to address. The national debt, for one. There is no denying that we need to pay our obligations. But they have also said that our number one export is our skilled laborforce, they send billions of dollars back to the country. The government has also cited the growing demand for call-centers and other similar business ventures that help bring in much needed funds, all this with an applicant's success rate of less than 20%. Imagine the possibilities of a success rate of 100%.

And so I ask this, why can't we invest more in education again? It reminds me of the whole egg and chicken problem, about which came first. We've got to start somewhere, and I say it's with education. We owe it to the children to provide them with a decent education.

And, for the record, the egg came before the chicken.

And the Beat Goes On.

2006-05-26T22:36:00.000+08:00

This just in.

The owners of National Bookstore and other bookstores all over Metro Manila are posting better than average income for the month of May, and it's all because of "The Da Vinci Code".

A saleslady at the National Bookstore branch in Megamall was quoted as saying, "I can't believe it. We had to place a re-order to the publishing house for several container vans worth of the book, as well as for Dan Brown's other book, 'Angels and Demons'." When asked why the sudden increase of interest for the book, she replied with a smile akin to that of Mona Lisa's.

In another part of the metro, I chanced upon a shoplady who was busy closing up her stall. Again, she had that same mysterious smile. I asked her why she's closing early.

"My stocks of DVDs ran out," she said, "I had the printers make a thousand covers of the movie "The Da Vinci Code" and placed blank CDs in the plastic along with the covers."

She probably sensed that I was a bit slow, so she continued, "There was this group going around the area a couple of days ago asking for DVDs of the film. They looked so creepy, suspicious lookin', you know the type?"

I shook my head. I thought that Mona Lisa smile of hers would disappear, but it didn't. "They looked like the type who would lecture other people on morality one day, and sleep with their best friend's wife the next." Ah, those types, I thought.

"Anyway," she continued, "when they approached me, I told them that I might be able to give them a thousand copies of the video if they came back today."

"And so they did, and I'm up P80,000. And they're burning blanks way over in Manila." Ah, so that explains the smile. I walked away bewildered, but content in the thought that in the end, everyone got what they wanted.

----------

And now, I'm here right in the midst of the book-burning club. And I must say that still look quite dashing in my uniform, and my boots are so shiny I could see the underwear of the woman in front of me, or the lack of it. I noticed the guy beside me was also admiring my boots, and... I'll be damned, a male version of that Mona Lisa smile.

Getting Worked Up Over Nothing

2006-05-26T00:30:00.000+08:00

My wife and I watched the controversial movie, "The Da Vinci Code", last weekend and I must say that the movie has left me confused.

I'm confused why people are up in arms over this movie. I thought it was like a present-day version of Indiana Jones (without the Nazis, snakes or horses). Like the book, I found it quite entertaining. You don't need to worry about the movie affecting your faith if you have an IQ of at least 20, well maybe, 10. Or if you can tell hot from cold, or if you can count to 3, or... You get the picture. It's all about foundations: if your faith is rooted on firm ground, nothing in the movie will lead you astray. But then again, Churchill once said: "History is written by the victors." *shocked* Oh, no!

In my opinion, an R-rating was a bit of too much. PG-13, maybe. The MTRCB blinked, but that's to be expected when you have religious groups breathing down your neck. Something for the MTRCB to think about: They're not as powerful as you think, these noisy fringe groups.

In any case, the DVD will soon be out but I doubt the bible-thumpers will be able to confiscate all of them. If they were able to do that, there's always the Internet. You can't stop the flow of information, baby.

Oh no, what about the books? They're threatening to burn those alongside the discs. Hell, I'm all for a good book burning, let me just get out my SS uniform out of the closet. Now, where did I put my boots?

I knew it...

2006-05-10T23:22:00.000+08:00

It was bound to happen. It was just a matter of time. With more than five million subscribers to it's online game, World of Warcraft, Blizzard took the most logical next step.

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And in other news, after nearly two weeks of having no cable TV, the Skycable crew finally dropped by and installed the digital cable boxes. The difference in picture quality between my old and new connections is remarkable. Everything's so crisp and clear, especially with the big TV downstairs. No more snow, and no more fuzzy lines scrolling up and down the screen.

Supposedly, with the new digital boxes, illegal cable connections will be minimized since each box has an Irdeto card (think simcard - the big one) with its own code. And without a cable box, you won't be able to watch anything but snow. No more free lunch, boys. (Related news)

The cable company's boasting that with these boxes, we can also personalize the channel lineup to our liking. In fact, I was asking the cable guy if I can get the movie package (the HBO Pak) right away. He probably wasn't paying attention, because he asked if I wanted to get the adult movie package, aha! (Maybe later)

What's next? Maybe a PVR (ala TiVo)? More U.S. channels: SciFi Channel, Fishing Channel...?

Decisions, and wasting time.

2006-04-26T15:35:00.000+08:00

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled the Administration's Calibrated Preemptive Response to rallies as unconstitutional it's back to the maximum tolerance stance stated in Batasang Pambansa 880. But... Permits are still required.

I remember passing EDSA when a rally was being held in the People Power monument on the corner of White Plains Ave. and EDSA several months back. It wasn't a pretty sight: protesters going inside buses trying to convince the passengers to join them, the dozen jeeps that carried some of the protesters parked on two lanes, etc.

I didn't know what they had hoped to achieve back then, but I can tell you this: I hated the hour I spent stuck on the same spot. That's an hour I can never have back. But I was lucky, it took only an hour to get past all that noise. Many were not so lucky, some getting home way past midnight.

It's good that the Supreme Court upheld that permits are still required when holding rallies:

Supreme Court assistant administrator and spokesman Ismael Khan Jr. said the tribunal "recognized the right of the people to peaceably assemble. But it said that the right to peaceably assemble is not an absolute right because it is subject to restrictions."

And it goes on:

The court emphasized that "maximum tolerance is for the protection and benefit of all rallyists and is independent of the content of the expressions in the rally. Furthermore, the permit can only be denied on the ground of clear and present danger to public order, public safety, public convenience, public morals or public health."

(highlights: mine)

Maybe finally we can get some peace and quiet. But wait, there's more. The SC told the Local Government Units (Cities) to designate areas in their zones Freedom Parks where people can hold rallies without permits, and they have to do it in thirty days. Or else, all parks in their zones will be declared Freedom Parks. The cynic in me would say: "Heh, I'd bet that some of the mayors will (conveniently) miss that deadline for some reason."

At any rate, I can't wait to see the action this coming May 1. Chicken wings, check. Rootbeer, check. Remote, check.

Good news.

2006-03-22T23:37:00.000+08:00

Following the recent announcement by the Irish Republican Army to give up arms and cease hostilities against the United Kingdom, the Basque separatist group known as ETA has finally declared what they call a permanent cease-fire.

This is excellent news since ETA is considered to be the "last active terrorist group in Western Europe."

I can only hope the same will happen here.

Quiet... Maybe too quiet.

2006-03-04T01:43:00.000+08:00

My friend Miko forwarded an e-mail to our e-group:

I got this from my email:

Ako ay isang middle class pinoy, isang officer sa isang malaking korporasyon at may asawa...dalawa anak. Di na importante pangalan ko kasi parepareho naman tayong mga middle-class....trabaho 9-5, inom konti tapos uwi sa pamilya, laruin si baby, itutor si ate/kuya tapos tulog na, pag wala na pera hintay nalang ng sweldo.

Sa nangyayari ngayon sa ating bansa, lahat nalang ng sector ay maingay at naririnig, tayo lang mga middle-class, tax paying at productive Pinoys ang di naririnig. Subalit, buwis natin ang nagpapaikot sa bansang ito. Pag may mga gulo na nangyayari, tayo ang tinatamaan. Kaya eto ang liham ko sa lahat ng maiingay na sector na sana makagising sa inyong bulag na pag-iisip.

Sa Mga Politiko:

- diyos ko naman, sa dami na nang nakurakot ninyo di na ba kayo makuntento kelangan nyo pa ba manggulo.

Sa Administrasyon:

- hayan ayus na ha pinatawad na namin ang pandaraya nyo sa eleksyon, pruweba dito e di kami umaatend sa mga panawagan ng people power, kaya sana naman gantihan nyo kami ng magandang serbisyo at magaling na pamumuno at malaking bawas sa kurakot naman please para kahit papano maramdaman naman namin na may napupuntahan ang binabayad naming buwis.

- saka Madam GMA, step down ka na pag parliamentary na tayo sa 2007, tignan mo, i-announce mo mag-step down ka kapag parliamentary na tayo, resounding YES yan sa plebiscite at tigil pa ang mga coup at people power laban sayo.

Try mo lang.........

Sa Oposisyon:

- di nyo pa ba nakikita na dalawang klase lang ng tao ang nakikinig sa inyo....isa ay bayaran na mahihirap kungdi man ay tangang mga excited na reporter na parang naka-shabu lagi....mga praning e at naghahallucinate.

- Bago man lang kayo maglunsad ng kilos laban sa administrasyon, pumili muna kayo ng magiting at nararapat na ipapalit sa liderato ngayon. Hirap sa inyo paresign kayo ng paresign wala naman kayo ipapalit na maayos.

Advise lang galing sa isang middle-class na syang tunay na puwersa sa likod ng lahat ng matagumpay na People Power, magpakita muna kayo ng galing bago nyo batuhin ang administrasyon. Wala na kaming narinig sa inyo kundi reklamo, e wala naman kayong ginagawa kundi magreklamo....para kayong batang lagi na lang naaagawan ng laruan.....GROW UP naman...sa isip sa salita at sa gawa.

- please lang gasgas na rin ang pagrarally nyo na katabi nyo ay mga bayaran na mahihirap, magtayo nalang kayo ng negosyo at iempleyo ang mga rallyista para maging productive silang mamamayan. Sige nga, pag nagrarally kayo yakapin nyo nga at halikan yang mga kasama nyong nagrarally!! Nung People Power namin nagyayakapan kami lahat nuon.

- Wala naman mangyayari sa mga rally nyo nakakatraffic lang, kami pang middle-class ang napeperwisyo. Di nyo kayang paghintayin ng 3 araw ang mga rallyista nyo kasi kelangan nyo pakainin at swelduhan ang mga yan. Kung gusto nyo tagumpay na People Power kami ang isama nyo....pero pagod na kami e, sori ha.

Sa Military:

Alam nyo lahat tayo may problema, pati US Army may problema, 2,000 plus na patay sa kanila sa Iraq na parang walang rason naman, pero nakita nyo ba sila nagreklamo? Wala diba kasi professional sila na sundalo.....yan dapat ang sundalo di nagtatanong sumusunod lang. Kasi may mga bagay na di kayang maintindihan ng indibidwal lamang, at ang mga nakatataas lang ang nakakaintindi ng kabuuan, kaya ito ang panuntunan ng lahat ng military ng lahat ng bansa. Pero parang military natin yata ang pinaka-mareklamo.

Sabi nga sa Spiderman "with great power comes great responsibility".....kaya maging spiderman kayo lahat at protektahan ang mamamayan. Sa totoo lang natatakot kami kapag nagrereklamo kayo, kasi may baril kayo at tangke, kami wala.

Wala ako comment sa mga mahihirap, di naman kasi sila maingay na kusa e, may bayad ang ingay nila. Saka wala rin naman sila email.

Kaya paano na tayong mga middle-class?? Eto hanggang email nalang tayo kaya ikalat nyo na ito at magdasal tayo na umabot ito sa mga dapat makabasa nito at makiliti naman ang kanilang mga konsyensya.

Signed,

Isang Middle-Class pinoy na walang puknat na binabawasan ang sweldo ng Buwis!

Peace and Quiet

2006-02-27T20:44:00.000+08:00

I have the perfect solution to escape the crazy week I've had. Watch DVDs.

On queue: The Simpsons, Star Trek: Voyager and some other shows.

See you in 3 months, crazy country. Maybe you won't be as crazy then.

--
rhochie
http://pooraim.blogspot.com

Sad Sight Yet I Felt Nothing...

2006-02-25T01:09:00.000+08:00

I'm glad I wasn't anywhere near Makati or Ortigas/Santolan earlier
today. What was supposed to be the 20th Anniversary of the People
Power Revolution turned into another rally calling for the resignation
of the President. It's quite sad really. Nothing but red flags, and to
think, twenty years ago there was nothing but white and yellow. Oh
sure, there was the contingent of the former President Corazon Aquino
bearing the trademark yellow and white.

Then there's the usual "I got cheated" crowd, the has-been(s) and
never-were(s); as well as the usual activists from UP, (No offense
to my UP buddies, but my money's paying for your education - so study,
damn it! Drop out of school and let someone who actually wants to
study fill your spot.) and the people with too much time on their
hands (which just proves the old saying: Idle minds are the Devil's
workshop). Oh, and the above-mentioned Reds. *sigh*

People Power... Whatever respect (reverence?) I have for this
occasion... It's gone. They ruined it for me.

----------

While watching the dispersion of the rallies today, I felt no pity for
those getting hit with batons, shields or fists. I have seen similar
scenes so many times these past few years that I feel desensitized by
it all. Perhaps the fact that I don't know anyone there contributed to
my less-than-apathetic attitude. Or perhaps I'm just tired of it all.
I'm sure many feel the same way.

They're willing to get hit, and why? They're fighting for my freedom?
From what? Their kind of freedom? Red freedom? Now there's an oxymoron
if ever I saw one. I'm pretty sure that what they're fighting for
isn't for me. In fact, I'm dead set against it. I like things the way
they are right now, thank you very much.

Now, if they said that they're fighting for free porn on cable TV, or
polar bears and baby seals.I'll be right there alongside them. In any
case, this whole thing will blow over in a couple of days.

Wrong labels...

2006-01-09T21:08:00.000+08:00

I've always wondered why news agencies favor one label over another.

Take for example the communist insurgents that decided to blow up several cell towers this past few months. The media stopped short of calling them terrorists, instead opting to play it safe with the tried and tested "communist rebels who have been staging an on going struggle with the government" or something similar.

Or perhaps the soldiers that took it upon themselves to attempt a change in government through violent means. What did the media call these soldiers again? "Disgruntled soldiers who have lost hope in the chain-of-command..."?

Even squatters have been given a politically-correct label - "informal settlers who are struggling to make a living in the city".

Whatever happened to the good old basic labels? Murderer, robber, jackass, saboteur, extortionist... Dropped out of fashion?

I propose we go back to our roots. Call them for what they are, instead of romanticizing them. Just like what one government official did during the height of the riots in France several months ago. He refused to call them by the "media-approved" label, instead, he called them for what they were... Criminals - and they were treated as such. Imagine that, a Frenchy kicking ass, instead of the other way around.

Picture the headlines:

- "Criminals attempted to blow up cell sites in Quezon province in extort try."

- "Criminals steal military equipment and hold Makati hostage."

In any case, look out for me, body half out the window of my car - arms flailing, screaming at a jackass who's doing 20 on a 80 lane, "Get off the fast lane, you f****** criminal!"

Damn you... Damn you to hell!

2006-01-01T23:57:00.000+08:00

There I was, patiently waiting for my turn at Bruno's in Eastwood a few days back when it happened. This girl sat beside me and started reading her magazine. I wouldn't have paid any attention to her except for that fact that she kept on coughing. Sure, she covered her mouth with her hands... By covered, I meant to say, not at all.

I tried holding my breath, but had to give up after a minute or so. Now, I'm at home with signs of the good old flu. It's a good bet that a good number of us who were in the barber shop already have it.

So, strange lady - whoever you are - here's a big fat finger from W, and from me.

T-Bone and Porkchop

2005-12-29T02:37:00.000+08:00

The puppy on the left is T-Bone, he's the first one out the gate.

The sleepy-head is Porkchop. She's a few hours younger.

Steady Hands...

2005-12-09T19:40:00.000+08:00

IPMS - Philippines is hosting the " 3rd IPMS Philippines Bert Anido National Scale Modeling Competition" at the Atrium of MegaMall Bldg. A in Mandaluyong City.

A lot of people...

Man, the guy who made this is one talented, and patient guy! This is a very large diorama, the pictures below are taken from different angles.

The figures are little under 2 inches tall.

Lousy Support... Part 2.

2005-12-05T02:12:00.000+08:00

I posted about my problem regarding my DSL connection a while ago. We didn't have any Internet connection in the house for a couple of weeks, partly because of PLDT's rather slow response to our predicament.

Well, a week or two ago, a technician from the company finally arrived to do some repairs. And sure enough, the problem was on their side. There was nothing wrong with my phoneline, there was nothing wrong with the modem, and sure as hell, there was definitely nothing wrong with my computer. It turned out that our connection to the CO was "disabled" accidentally. What the hell was that all about?

Two weeks and all the customer support people had to do was call up the Central Office (or whatever the hell CO stands for) and ask them to check my connection. Instead they kept on saying, "We'll follow up your repair request at the nearest business center."

One would think that that's the end of the problem. Oh, no sireebob. Perhaps it is their position as the biggest ISP/Telco in the country - I might be wrong on that claim, though - that they can afford to do things half-assed. Right after we got the connection back, another problem cropped up. I have this strong feeling that they assigned us to the wrong subscriber plan.

We are subscribed to the highest residential DSL plan. That's P3000 a month. Theoretically, we should be getting 1 mbps (1024 kbps) on our downloads. That was true before the 'accident'. Now that they've repaired it, we are stuck at sub-500kbps speeds. I have been calling PLDT's DSL Hotline since I noticed the discrepancy. I had to go through all the points in their checklist, again. I kept on telling them that we are capped at the wrong speed, and they kept on saying, "We will forward/follow-up your service request at the nearest business center."

I even sent them screenshots just to prove my case. Just to make things clear, the red bars represent the download speed. In the screenshot, you'll notice that it doesn't get any higher, not even spikes. That's indicative of a capped connection, and at that speed, I am definitely not getting my money's worth.

And it seems that I'm not the only one having problems with PLDT's after-sales support.

Young once...

2005-12-04T22:57:00.000+08:00

I had just finished watching Space Camp. Guess who I saw? I didn't know Johnny Cash was in it. ;)

A new grandpa...

2005-12-02T23:11:00.000+08:00

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Our yellow lab, Amber, gave birth to six puppies this morning. Two of them didn't make it, unfortunately. She had a hard time with the last five puppies so we had to call the vet to come in and help her with the rest. I have never seen a dog give birth before, and I thought something was wrong with her litter. The vet assured us that they are quite healthy and are of normal size; they looked to me like a bunch of kittens dunked in syrup.

Quick Post...

2005-12-02T02:41:00.000+08:00

I missed the D-Day landing, I had to settle for crossing the Rhine... *sigh* (Courtesy of Call of Duty 2)

Tidbits - Nov. 20, 2005

2005-11-18T22:54:00.000+08:00

- I had a chance to read the first issue (of six) of Chris Kirby and Alan Robinson's "Lost Squad." I liked it a lot: Indiana Jones meets The Dirty Dozen (well, Squad).

- It's finally here, the yang to City of Heroes' yin: City of Villains. For those with CoH, you don't have to pay for another account, just choose "Upgrade Account" in the NCSoft's Account Management site and you're good to go. It's good to be bad.

- Now, I have learned my lesson. It doesn't pay to be the first kid on the block to own stuff. That's a one-way ticket to Bumtown. Paying through the nose to get the latest gadgets (some of which may still have design glitches), that's not for me... Not anymore, at least. That's why I held off on placing an advanced order for the Xbox 360 when I got the offer. It's a good thing, too. It seems that there's a shortage of the system and not everyone who has placed their orders will get them.

- I predict that subscription costs of broadband connection will drop to the low hundreds by next year. My DSL connection at home has been bumped up to 1 Mbps (1.5 Mbps next week, I think) and the cheapest residential package (Plan 999) PLDT has was bumped up to 384 Kbps. That may not seem much, but a year or so ago, 512 Kbps was the most expensive and fastest residential package they had. (Plan 499 for 128 Kbps, perhaps?) Now, if only they could do something about their TechSupport.

Lousy Support.

2005-11-14T00:06:00.000+08:00

We've been subscribed to PLDT's DSL service since early last year. At that time, the only other broadband service available in my area was Destiny Cable. I switched the home connection to PLDT since Destiny was having problems isolating the problem at the house.

The new connection has been very consistent up until now. The problem began last Nov. 3 and they still haven't fixed it. Their tech support seems to have a standard reply whenever I call, "Sir, your service request has been forwarded to your nearest PLDT business center, but I'll file a follow-up request. Have a nice day."

Fortunately, Globe has finally completed the roll-out of it's DSL service in my area. I have already applied for their service, but I'll still retain the PLDT pipe... Just in case...

Pleasant Surprise

2005-10-18T01:14:00.000+08:00

While channel surfing the other day, I chanced upon a test broadcast of a new channel. It's called Crime/Suspense. Wall to wall crime shows: Law and Order (from the looks of it, some of the spin-offs), Kojak 2005 (starring Ving Rhames), and Murder She Wrote!

Crime/Suspense is on channel 50 on SkyCable, and it's also airing in Destiny Cable.

Setec Astronomy

2005-10-11T20:47:00.000+08:00

I signed my first Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) today. Our lawyers read it over and they said it's pretty airtight. Although I'm pretty sure I can say that I did, but I can't mention anything about what it's all about.

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

And so, for the next couple of weeks - I hope - I'll be quite busy. Which is good, since I probably won't have time to read the newspapers, or watch the news. I'm getting fed up with all the negativity: rallys, exposes, counter-exposes, Senate Inquiries, etc. Bahhh...

They'd probably have something on what I'm doing right now, though. Who knows? With my luck, our honorable Senators would probably want to stick their noses in my business, as well. That would be something:

"Senate Panel to investigate blogger in his involvement in secret deals."

Me: "I can't answer that, Senator Estrada. The NDA..."
Short-round: "Screw the NDA..."
Me: "No sir... Screw YOU!" - Smiling for the cameras while waving the 'one-fingered' salute.

Anyway, that's it for tonight. I'm going to look for something to eat, I'm hungry.

Pahabol - I'm trying a new gimmick... I've included two movie references in here. Feel free to look for 'em.

Tidbits...

2005-09-14T22:49:00.000+08:00

- I had a chance to finish reading the "Transmetropolitan" Series. It's a pretty good series, perhaps one that might be of interest to Joey.

- I'm pretty excited that Animax is going to show the second season of Ghost in the Shell known as G.I.T.S.: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig on Sept. 22 at 11:30 pm.

- It seems that SkyCable is going to have a test broadcast of their new anime channel, Hero TV, this coming October. Apparently, the channel's going to be the first All-Tagalog Dubbed Anime Channel. *shrug* This probably means nothing, but the last time they pulled a similar stunt, they announced a month later that they were going to lose several high profile channels.

- For the The Sims 2 addicts out there, Sims 2: Nightlife is now available at Datablitz for P995.

- I have just started reading Dale Brown's "Act of War". It's a pretty light read, no need to read between the lines - just like a big-budget summer action flick. If I wanted to grease the wheels in my head, I'd read this - which, curiously, is sitting on my night table.

Tightening of Belts - Part 1

2005-09-04T23:03:00.000+08:00

My folks have started to implement energy saving measures to help reduce our electric bills. The house and the offices have to comply with the new rules as much as possible.

Common sense concepts, really. Turning off lights in rooms not being used at the moment, or turning off the A/C during lunch time and breaks in the offices and using an electric fan during the day after turning off the A/C in our bedrooms. And now, we're in the process of replacing all the incandescent bulbs with energy efficient alternatives. So far so good, we're all coping quite well with the new rules.

Gas Guzzlers
The nation as a whole, I believe, will have a harder time adjusting. For one, I doubt that the more affluent people among us would be willing to use smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles instead of their behemoths. I'm not talking about the diesel-powered ones, I'm referring to the big, burly V6 and V8 powered beasts that drink gasoline like there's no tomorrow. Perhaps, with the inevitable rise in fuel costs, car manufacturers would start offering their monsters powered by the relatively more efficient diesel engines.

On the other hand, it is quite pleasing to know that Honda Cars Philippines is planning on bringing their hybrid car here in the country. If it sells well, more car manufacturers would be tempted to bring in their own hybrids, maybe. (*cough*Toyota*cough*)

Buses
One columnist pointed out, and I tend to agree, that we have too many buses going around. So many, in fact, that many of them are only half-full even during rush hour. Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate the performance of these bus operators and cancel the franchise of those deemed inefficient. An alternative to this is to give full support to the plan set in motion by the MMDA, the dispatching system.

It has all been said before: Too many buses -> Traffic and Too Few Passengers -> Waste of Money -> Operators Want to Send in More Buses -> Start again.

Someone has to break the chain, and I believe that the plan by the MMDA is the key. Also, removing a number of buses from the circuit altogether isn't such a bad idea.

Ideally, only one operator should handle the bus routes in the Metro. The drivers and conductors get paid like regular employees, but they have to follow strict time tables. Then again, that’s just my opinion.

Tricycles
Simply put, there are too many tricycles going around. The most common engine powering these death traps are of the two-stroke variety. The jury is still out on whether the four-stroke versions are more fuel efficient, but it is a fact that the two-strokers burn engine oil almost as fast as they do gasoline. Perhaps the best solution is to reduce their numbers and switch to four-stroke engines, as well as change their configurations to allow for more passengers.

The current versions are rated for only two adult passengers, although it is not uncommon to see a family of eight packed in one of these things. Now, that's an accident waiting to happen. Three tricycles occupy roughly the same area as a jeepney but with a far less passenger-carrying capacity. Fourteen (at least) versus six.

The thing to keep in mind is: The distances the tricycles' routes cover are the same as that covered by a brisk 10-minute walk. My advice: Walk... it's good for you.

To be continued…

A Package Just Arrived.

2005-08-24T19:56:00.000+08:00

It's finally arrived. I ordered this from Hobbyeasy.com and it's finally here! The model was given a great review.

Since Hobbyeasy is based in Hong Kong, the shipping is much cheaper and the shipping time is pretty short - two days.

ADD: I just realized something as I was writing this. I realized that I'm going to have to paint a believable tartan design on the model's kilt and cape. Now, this model's about 4 inches high. I'm going to need really steady hands to paint the design properly. Oh boy...

Ah well, putting the kit together would take a couple of hours. I figure the painting process would probably take a total of ten hours excluding the drying time. So I guess three weeks is probably a safe estimate.

Pissed Off...

2005-08-23T19:11:00.000+08:00

Over the past couple of weeks, my area has experienced a number of copper wire thefts. Armed with machetes and steel saws, a group of men would climb up electric posts and proceed to hack away at telephone cables.

So far they have been able to get away with three post lengths worth of cable,probably with a street value of P5,000 for the copper they contain.

Not one has been caught, despite the numerous calls to the local baranggay and police stations. Sure, the authorities arrive within minutes of the first reports, but by then, the cable robbers are long gone.

Our security guard told me that they employ several lookouts. At the slightest hint of danger, they would alert the others and scamper away. Only to return when the coast is once again clear. Since the authorities can't stay in one place to long, the criminals take advantage of the fact.

I can't stomach the fact that these criminals strike close to home, and they are getting away with it. I once had a sick thought of snatching one of the lookouts, a teenager, put a blindfold and gag on him and bringing him all the way to Ilocos Norte. Once there, give him a map of Bicol, drop him off and go back to the Metro. Let's see if he can find his way back.

Maybe use one of those high-grade slingshots with the steel ball bearing ammo and plink at the bastards while they're doing their deed high up in those poles. It would be pretty hard to tell where the shots are coming from, it's dark and the slingshot doesn't make any sound. Besides, it'd be pretty dumb for them to go to the cops and file a complaint.

Ah... Street Justice - Lite. Too bad, Charles Bronson is dead. He'd know what to do.

Visions of the Future...

2005-08-14T23:13:00.000+08:00

I woke up with a major headache today. It' not surprising, sitting in front of the computer for twelve hours straight can't be good for my eyes. I sat up and turned on the news.

Great, China just bagged big fat manufacturing contracts from Ford, IKEA and Hershey's. Now, the only hold out is Volvo (they'll come to their senses soon). That would mean more work for my department. At least there'll be a pay increase.

I finally got up and headed to the bathroom. I rifled through the medicine cabinet and found my prescription pain killers. I popped down a couple of tablets and drank straight from the faucet. I've become more and more dependent on these things since I took up my friend's offer to head one of his company's departments.

There's another chemical explosion in Vietnam, three hundred people dead. The waste disposal plant over there has been working overtime since they started accepting computer parts for disposal from Europe. It was bound to happen sooner or later. The other ASEAN nations tried to convince them to pass up on the contract. Too bad.

After a nice shower, I put on my work clothes: a pair of walking shorts and a white shirt and flip-flops. The only time we're required to dress up is when the bigwigs are coming in for a visit, maybe once every couple of months or so.

No time for breakfast. I switched off the TV and hurried out of the house. Traffic's going to be a real ball-biter; the militant left has organized another rally on EDSA while the bible-thumpers scheduled a marathon run along C-5. I hate Mondays.

I looked at my schedule for the day, a doctor's appointment at ten and a lunch with the boss at one; the rest of the day's clear. Mondays, we've got a love/hate thing going on here.

Like the radioman said, traffic was really bad, but I got in on time for the 'start-of-week' briefing. I knew my people were anxious to start so I kept the meeting short. After the meeting, I called up the front desk to arrange for transportation to the doctor's. I took the elevator up to the top floor and, sure enough, the helicopter was waiting for me.

High up in the air, one would expect an awesome sight of the Metro Manila, but I was out of luck. The smog level was at an all time high, and I was surprised the pilot could see anything at all. I was able to get glimpses of large objects on the ground, buildings perhaps.

The medical check-up was fairly quick. All in all, I'd say the battery of tests set me back twenty minutes. If I recall correctly, it took me a couple of hours listening to the 'on-hold' music while the doctor's secretary scheduled my appointment - four months ago.

After returning to the office, I received a call from my counterpart in India. He informed me that half of the new batch of people he had failed their English comprehension test. Seventy thousand out of a hundred and forty thousand isn't all that bad, but I knew I would have to pick up the slack until he gets another batch from their training centers. I told him that there wouldn't be any problems on my side, after all, he'll probably have another batch ready in a couple of weeks anyway.

I put down the phone and looked out a window overlooking the work area. And let me tell you, there's nothing more awe-inspiring than the sight of seven hundred and fifty thousand men and women answering calls from people all across the globe. As long as they keep calling, we'll keep answering - the world keeps spinning.

It's almost one. And I'm getting hungry.

Drive-by

2005-08-13T03:34:00.000+08:00

I was able to borrow my brother's laptop for a couple of hours earlier tonight. It has a built-in wireless network adapter (or Wi-Fi) which I needed to satisfy my curiosity.

I wanted to know how many people in my neighborhood have wireless networks in their homes. How did I go about doing that? Simple, I drove around with the laptop set to scan for any wireless routers, otherwise known as wardriving. Surprisingly enough, the laptop was able to detect twenty different wireless routers. And even more surprising, more than half of them didn't have any form of protection turned on. That means anyone can just hook up to their connection without the owner knowing it.

Now, my neighborhood isn't exactly a Class A type, more of a mixture of lower-B to lower-A with quite a generous helping of Class-Cs and Ds. One would have expected a lower number of hotspots in the area, but it probably goes to show that the prices of the hardware needed to set up a home network have dropped to levels that are quite affordable to regular Filipinos. Perhaps these homes have multiple PCs, why set up a wireless network for only one computer? Maybe they share their connections with their neighbors and split the bill amongst themselves?

In any case, the price of broadband is dropping, thanks in part to PLDT's aggressive pricing scheme, which means more people would be able to afford it. And, perhaps, the practice of wardriving will catch on. So, keep your box locked tight and be on the look out for parked cars in front of your homes.

"I've got the whole world in my hands..."

2005-08-10T22:47:00.000+08:00

I recently tried Google Earth and what a ride that was.

I was able to see the oil fields of Kuwait still showing signs of the scorched earth policy ordered by Saddam as his troops left the small country. I was also able to see two SR-71s parked in the open at Edwards AFB, along with several historic X planes. Even Area 51 can't escape the all-seeing-eye of the imaging satellites. (Ed. - Area 51 is due northwest of Las Vegas.)

It is disappointing that in the Philippines, the only high-res satellite images they had were those areas surrounding the former US bases: Clark, Subic and Sangley Point. Google assures its users that more high resolution images of cities around the world are being added everytime, but they have no control over which cities get updated first.

Perhaps the most important feature of Google Earth is the fact that other users can share their discoveries with other users. Their bulletin board has a quite a number of categories ranging from Military interests to Natural formations where other people can post links to their finds.

This would be a great tool for students to use, perhaps as an aid in History and Geography classes. And it's free for personal use.

TEST

2005-08-07T23:42:00.000+08:00

This is my first entry using my new phone. Now to
figure out how to add pictures.

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Diamonds in the Rough

2005-07-06T00:53:00.000+08:00

As usual, I was surfing the Net for something worthwhile to download, you know, the usual stuff. And while I was searching for comics and stuff, I stumbled upon this website, Fanfiction.Net. And, I must say, some of the people who post their stories are quite talented.

If you have the time, stop by the site and browse a little.

Good Deed of the Day.

2005-06-30T21:09:00.000+08:00

Usually, I don't like to toot my own horn. But I was quite proud of what I did earlier today. I went out of my way to help someone in need without his (or her) knowledge. I'm sure St. Peter's licking his quill right now and putting a 'good' merit beside my name.

Here's what happened. I was looking for parking in Greenhills earlier this afternoon when I noticed that someone forgot to turn off the headlights of his car. I've been in similar situations; if there's anything worse than a flat tire, it's a dead battery. So as soon as I found a parking spot, I headed for the car. I checked the doors and it was locked. I looked around for a security guard, couldn't find one. What to do, what to do?

I looked around for something to jimmy the lock with, but the wire I found didn't quite cut it. These damned Teutonic sports cars were near impossible to break into. Then it dawned on me. I wrote the driver a quick letter: "Dear Sir/Ma'am, I noticed that you left your headlights on so I decided to give you a little help. No need to thank me, it was my pleasure. Sincerely, Anonymous." I folded the note and put it under his wiper. After that, I picked up a rock and smashed the side window open. I, then, reached in and turned off the headlights. I cleaned up the seat a bit so the driver wouldn't get hurt with the broken glass.

When I turned around, I realized that I had an audience. And let me tell you, there were quite a few that had their mouths open in awe. I took a bow and said, "I know, I know. It's not everyday people go out of their way to help another." When I walked away they were still staring. What is the world coming to? Didn't their parents teach them that it's impolite to stare?

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

Just so it's clear, this is my 15 minute story. :) Cheers.

"Haven't we met before?"

2005-06-30T01:48:00.000+08:00

You've got to give us credit. We're anything but boring. Here we are again, right in the middle of another scandal that could possibly bring down another president.

If they stick to the script, people would start calling for action. First through legal means, followed by the tried and tested People Power method. We're just about to enter the first act, so I guess we should just sit back and enjoy the show.

My opinion: For such a smart woman, she sure makes some stupid decisions. I would have ordered someone else to make the calls for me; plausible deniability, chalk it up to an over-zealous aide. Sure it would look bad on her, but not as bad as being the one caught on tape.

Voyeur

2005-06-26T22:53:00.000+08:00

I like to watch.

Yes, I am a voyeur. I like watching people. A person reveals a lot about himself by his actions when he thinks no one's looking.

I'll give you one example. I was with my wife in Megamall a week ago. We decided to take a late lunch and chose a table right by a window with a clear view of the people traffic. While waiting for our orders, I was looking around and noticed this well-dressed man, probably in his mid-20s, sitting on one of the benches in the middle of the mall. He was clean cut, he wore a nicely done tie and had all the effects of a pretty successful executive on his way up the corporate ladder. One would think he's is perfect, except for that fact that he was quite engrossed with digging for the last piece of nose nugget, with his right hand, too.

And at another time, I was picking up my brother in Ateneo. As I was waiting inside the car, I noticed an elderly couple walking across the football field. I'm guessing they were there to pick up their grandson. And since the sun was still quite high in the sky, the husband was holding an umbrella for his wife. A few moments later, the man saw something on the ground and bent down to pick it up. He then gave it to his wife, she smiled and put it on her hair. It was a little white flower. I didn't even know flowers grew around the football field. Someone called out to them and they turned with a smile. It was the grandson. And with the little child in between, they walked towards the parking lot.

Watching people. Sometimes it's quite heartwarming, other times it's heartrending.

Homeless people braving the rain while pedestrians hurrying along trying to get out of the downpour.

A man offering his seat to an old lady in the MRT.

A boy looking up, with joy in his eyes, at his father while flying a kite.

A college student walking up to strangers, soliciting for some fund drive, only to be brushed off.

A security guard and a delivery boy cheering as they listen to a game on the radio.

Waiting outside an intensive care unit as the family in the next room come out screaming and crying because their beloved mother has died. Doctors and nurses going in. A minute later, they're crying again, but this time in joy, because the mother called out for ice cream.

Yes... You could say I like to watch.

Once more into the breach!

2005-06-16T20:56:00.000+08:00

The call for anti-armor support went up on the company frequency. "Multiple enemy armor spotted heading for the city center! Requesting reinforcements. Urgent..." By armor, he must have meant cheaply converted armored vans that a soldier with a .50 cal could take care of single-handedly. It was funny the first twelve times they pulled this stunt but the attacks seem to go on non-stop ever since we took the objective a couple of days ago.

Our company commander called up all the squad leaders and briefed them on a contingent plan to repel the latest enemy incursion. Several squads will have anti-armor loadouts while the rest will provide support. Air support will be present, of course, but given the close quarters in which we will be fighting in, I doubt that they'd be of much use.

After briefing my men, we piled into our Humvee and proceeded to our designated waypoint. It's a three-story building situated on the corner of a major road intersection. We were ordered to hold and defend it at all cost. I knew my men could handle it, we've been through battles more dangerous than this. I didn't think that a bunch of lightly armed militia could stand against the might of a professional army.

Just as we were settling in on our building, I saw three of our helicopter gunships explode and fall to the ground. "Goddamn! What the hell's going on here?" As I scanned the ground for the tell-tale signs of rocket trails, four fighter jets swooped in fast over our position. These weren't ours, I thought. They were SU-34s! Where did they come from?

As I stared up in awe at the newcomers, I didn't see that they had already dropped their dangerous cargoes. Everything slowed down as I saw myself flying through the air with my arms flapping. If I was still alive, I would have been laughing.

Fifteen seconds later...

"We've got multiple bogeys heading for the carrier. ETA 12 mins." The alarm klaxon was blaring as I donned my flight suit. I didn't even get to finish my lunch. I climbed up the stairs into the flight deck and ran towards my waiting JSF. This baby's just fresh off the factory. It still has that "new car" smell. And damn, if she isn't fun to fly.

As I was climbing up to the cockpit, the CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) came to life. Spewing 3 thousand rounds per minute, this beast is as deadly and as scary as it sounds. Off into the distance I saw three fireballs, the gatling gun was working flawlessly. I cycled the engines to max and set it for auto take-off. I was preparing for the jolt forward, but I forgot that this plane shoots straight up. As I took my bearings, I saw a glint in the sky. I didn't make it out first, but as it got nearer, I saw it clearly. It was an SU-34 and it was heading straight at me. I punched the throttle forward but it was already too late. The pilot was on a suicide run, and he flew his plane straight into my plane. I have been told that the resulting fireball was spectacular. And the kicker was, the enemy pilot was able to eject before the impact, steal a Blackhawk and fly back to the mainland. Asshole!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Battlefield 2.

Three Dead Horses

2005-06-08T23:07:00.000+08:00

I like to think of myself as a half-full kind of guy. Even way back in grade school, I believed that things aren't as bad as they seem. But there comes a time when even a firm believer of the "Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away..." doctrine has to say "Enough is enough, shut up and sit down."

I'm sure many people feel the same way I do, we're just too polite to say it out loud. I don't care about jeuteng, and if people want to waste money gambling then let them. There are other more pressing issues to tackle, and if our senators could just get their heads out of their asses, they'd see it too.

One other issue that seems to pop up every month: elections results. What the hell? If I wanted reruns, I'll watch "The Nanny" on Hallmark. The plot seems to be as follows:

1) Opposition: "We have new evidence that the Administration has cheated us in the elections."
2) Administration: "These are all lies, the truth is on our side."
3) Upon finding that the evidence has no legal standing and/or has been thrown out by the courts: "Justice is dead! The people have been cheated."
4) Administration: "Let us put all of this behind us and work together."
5) Opposition: "Yes. We should unite for the people."

Then a couple of months later, the same thing happens.

The only thing missing for a trifecta is a sex scandal in Congress/Senate. I do believe it's due to come out next month. Let me guess who'll be the target.

Tsk tsk... Hey Mr./Mrs. Lawmaker, not everyone has a dollar account. Some of us have to work for a living. You'll get your shot in the next election.

A Step Closer...

2005-05-24T23:24:00.000+08:00

Several years ago, it was generally thought off that buying a 3D graphics card specifically for playing games was as close to clinical insanity as one could get. Today, it is an absolute necessity, at least, to have some form of GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) in your computer.

As shown by the recent demonstrations in E3, the gaming industry will still have a major effect in speeding up hardware development. After all, gaming is big business: the spending power of gamers born in the 70s and 80s is a force no one can ignore. Don't forget the kiddies, their mommies and daddies also rake in the big bucks. Now, who wouldn't want to have a piece of that pie?

What's in store for us in the next few years? Of course, faster CPUs and stronger video cards and bigger storage capacities (terabytes?). Plus cheaper and fatter pipes to the Internet. Perhaps photo-realistic, fully-interactive (destructible, changeable, etc.) environments will be a few years away. The developments in hardware will make it possible to beef up AI - tougher enemies and smarter teammates. A word of warning, though, the quality(performance) of a number of human players will always remain constant.

Les bon temps roullet!

Getting old and the love of bacon.

2005-05-24T22:33:00.000+08:00

For the past couple of weeks, I've been having really nasty headaches. At first, I thought that it was because of the heat and the humidity. A quick check of my blood pressure solved the mystery. I was getting 140/100 on a regular basis.

It seems that eating all that bacon and hotdogs for lunch during high school, Manang's delectable 'inihaw na liempo in college, and tons of dangerously delicious food has finally caught up with me.

A quick blood test for cholesterol and triglycerides ordered by the doctor has confirmed it. My cholesterol count is 220 mg/dl but the good news is that my triglyceride level is on the lower end of the spectrum.

Now, what does this mean? Well, simply put, I'm going to have to watch what I eat from now on. The doctor's also going to put me on medication, probably on statins. And I have to start going to the gym regularly from now on. To think, I just hit 30. Ain't that a steel-toed kick in the cojones?

Anyway, I can still eat some of the stuff I love. Although my craving for the piggy delight that is bacon will have to be curbed, just a teensy bit.

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

In other news, I am starting a new project for the house. I've been looking around for a better cooking station to replace our old two-burner gas range. I'm strongly leaning towards the one made by La Germania. It has four high-pressure burners, one deep fryer, two convection ovens and a griddle/griller combo section. It is truly a sight to see up close. It's sleek, it's sexy, and it's made out of heavy gauge stainless steel. I can just imagine the possibilities: roast beef, baby back ribs, t-bone steak with roast marble potatoes...

Next up...

Calming down the wife.

A Fresh Start?

2005-05-15T23:18:00.000+08:00

The computer in our room was slowing down: programs took longer to open, choppy gaming, etc. There was no doubt about it, I needed to do a fresh installation of Windows XP and all the other necessary programs. It took several hours to finish but the computer is in tip-top shape once again. Oh how I 'eagerly' await the next clean-up.

It got me thinking, if only our society was this easy to fix. The crime rate going up? Wipe society out and start again. Poverty on the rise? Go Old Testament on society's ass: Finger of God and all. Drastic? Yes. Impossible? Not really.

Look around. People, who can afford to, prefer to live in gated communities, shielded from the 'bleak' life outside its walls. The inhabitants enjoy manicured lawns, well-lit streets, top-of-the-line security, and excellent recreational facilities and utilities. What's the catch? The trade off is that they have to follow a strict set of rules, ranging from the trash collection procedures to visitor schedules. The good thing is, creating and managing a micro-society is not so overwhelming, yes?

Perhaps the reason why so many housing projects are being built is to address the need for a fresh start - albeit subconsciously. Taglines like "A brighter future..." and "A dream come true..." alongside pictures of a sunrise and a flock of seagulls can be seen in pamphlets and posters advertising new projects.

Maybe it's an escapist attitude. After all, one wouldn't expect to see vagrants sleeping and begging on the streets of Forbes Park or drunks shouting, "PARE!!! TOMA MUNA!!!" while one walks to the village chapel for Sunday Mass.

Perhaps it is my slightly pessimistic nature, but Man always finds ways to screw things up for himself. Then it's time to start all over again.

2005-05-12T00:10:00.000+08:00

Me and my pet - A quiet morning in the forest.

2005-05-12T00:09:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the World of Warcraft.

The Devil Called...

2005-05-03T23:28:00.000+08:00

Well, it is official. This place has become hotter than Hell.

How hot is it? I took a shower right after lunch expecting to be hit by a torrent of cool water, but that was not the case. To say that the water was hot would be an understatement, I could have boiled an egg with it.

I stepped out of the shower and dried myself and upon opening the door out, I blast of hot air welcomed me from the hallway. As I walked towards my room, I could feel errant water droplets on my back evaporate and sweat starting to form over my brow.

As I entered my room, I gave a silent prayer of thanks to the inventor of the air conditioner and to General Electric. Let me tell you, they do bring good things to Life.

A Difficult Choice.

2005-05-03T22:10:00.000+08:00

I admit, I am quite worried about the proposed wage increase ~~demanded~~ requested by the labor groups.

A P150 increase would really do a great deal of harm to a great number of businesses, especially the small businesses. There are a great number of establishments already struggling to survive in the face of domestic and foreign competition.

The wage boards should seriously consider the ramifications of the decisions they are being asked to make. Of the wage increase, there is no doubt that there will be one. The critical point is the amount. There has to be a balance in all this. The problem, therefore, is how to achieve that balance. Should the wage board give in to the demands by the labor groups and approve a wage hike? If so, how much should the increase be? Too high and businesses cut expenses or close down. Too low and the workers would suffer. If not, what other options can they offer to ease the hardship being faced by the minimum wage earners?

My point of view: It is a wonder; the unemployment rate is quite high, and yet a wage increase is still being demanded at this time. The economy is picking up quite a bit, but how would the wage increase factor in its sustainability? I would feel more comfortable if a buffer were put in place, perhaps a deferment until the unemployment rate is down to more manageable levels. It would be a long and difficult process, but not an impossible one.

Allegedly Overused

2005-04-17T04:54:00.000+08:00

Allege - to state that someone has done something illegal or wrong without giving proof.

Allegedly, there is a local newspaper that has the habit of inserting the word 'allege' (and all it's derivatives) where possible. Allegedly, they do this to avoid lawsuits and such. The terms "Iwas pusoy" and "Cover your ass" come to mind.

It shouldn't be a big deal, but to use the words more than once in one story is pushing it a bit. Maybe if the alleged writers and alleged editors just used the alleged words in their alleged headers, it would allegedly save a lot of alleged space, not to mention, save this allegedly O.C. writer from allegedly severe headaches. Or so I'm told.

Big Brother

2005-04-17T02:18:00.000+08:00

Well, I finally convinced mom to have a little version of '1984' for our businesses. The plan is to have a surveillance system installed in sensitive areas like the accounting departments, and the Villa's food preparation and handling area.

We'll probably have the system up in a couple of weeks, maybe even sooner. But the question is, should we let the employees know that they are being watched? The jury's still out on that one. On one side, it will minimize slacking off on company time and pilferage, among other things. On the other... *shrug*

Would it increase work efficiency? Maybe. Or they could just pretend to work. Would it decrease the chance of theft and pilferage? Sure.

I already have a test system installed in the Villa, but I plan on widening its coverage as soon as possible. It would be nice to be able to see everything that's happening, to be on top of things at all times. And experience has taught me: "Trust, but not completely."

Couch Potato

2005-04-14T01:00:00.000+08:00

I am quite pleased with my find - the 7-season boxed set of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

It's a 48-disc set. Micki and I are just finished with Disc 1 of Season 1. At the rate we're going, we're going to finish the whole series in three months. Just in time, too. I ordered the complete Star Trek: Voyager series, and it's arriving in a month.

And if that's not enough to pin us to the couch until December, my brother's lending us his Stargate SG-1 Complete Season 1-7 set.

Now that summer is here, I'm inclined to stay indoors. What could be better than sitting in a darkened room with the A/C on 'Flash Freeze' and watching TV?

Highs and Lows...

2005-03-27T23:05:00.000+08:00

Happy Easter, everyone.

I am nursing a very nasty case of the sniffles and it's the 'head-throbbing' variety, too. I probably got it from one of the kids during last week's graduation. So I spent most of my free time resting, playing video games or loafing around the house with my wife trying her best to get me to stay in bed. She could have done a better job at it if she used that cute pout of hers, too bad.

Even with this awful cold, I still have to go to work. We hosted a children's party at the Villa and, afterwards, a staff meeting. Just when I thought everything was going smoothly, my DJ decided that he wasn't going to work tonight. It was already 8:00 pm and still no sign of him, not even a phone call. Well, that was it, my head is throbbing and my business is getting affected by his absence. Luckily, we placed a quick phone call and a backup DJ arrives; everything is back to normal.

I'm too out-of-it to think about my next course of action, stupid 'no drowsiness' medicine. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to think up an appropriate punishment; his actions affected our operations so it will have to be quite serious. Now, where's the Queen of Hearts when you need her?

Hindsight...bahhh

2005-03-17T03:10:00.000+08:00

Now, the second-guessing begins.

I should make a note to myself: "Skip the Editorial/Opinion section and go straight for the Comics, fool!"

Not again???

2005-03-14T21:26:00.000+08:00

Well, the country made CNN again. The last line speaks the truth:

Philippine jails are often dilapidated, with inadequate and sometimes corrupt staff.

The local media is bleeding this story dry. I'm surprised they haven't interviewed the brother of our driver who watched the whole thing on TV while he was buying a pack of cigarettes.

Already, there are calls for the resignation of the head of the correctional facilities in the country. There's enough blame to go around, what they should do is to think of ways to prevent this from happening again.

If only...

2005-03-13T22:41:00.000+08:00

I've been looking around for webstores that sell model kits. And I found a couple of sites that come highly-recommended by friends and experts.

The first one is Squadron.com, they have one of the biggest selections I have ever seen. They sell anything from airplanes to figures, from paint to super-detailed accessories that make your projects, well, super-detailed. They carry products from different manufacturers, including Tamiya, Revell-Germany, Hasegawa, Academy and Verlinden.

The next site is Monsters in Motion. They carry mostly movie and TV themed items. They even carry life-sized collectibles such as the Alien warrior in Alien-Resurrection, a bronze Yoda and, my personal favorite, the rocket pack from the movie "The Rocketeer".

There's a hitch, though. They're pretty expensive, at least for the large items, but one can dream.

Cop Shows?

2005-03-12T00:28:00.000+08:00

Given the 'talent' of local TV stations in imitating popular foreign shows, I'm quite surprised they haven't done a localized version of CSI or even Law and Order. We already have our own version of American Idol and Fear Factor, but no cop shows. Aside from being good PR for the Philippine National Police (God knows they need it badly), it would be a good break from the Koreanovellas and other tear-jerk shows flooding the air waves today.

How hard would it be to adapt a script to fit the local scene? And speaking of scripts, is it that hard to fit a complete story in one hour? Perhaps the writers have gotten so used to the 'soap opera' mindset that they have lost their touch in story telling?

To go one step further, it would do the Armed Forces of the Philippines good if they have their own TV show; JAG and Navy NCIS anyone?

And since a majority of Filipinos believe what they see on TV and in the movies (if you need proof, look up Estrada, Poe, Lapid or Revilla on Google), perhaps it would boost the reputation of all agencies involved. Call it '~~mind control~~ social conditioning by proxy'.

No reply

2005-03-08T16:27:00.000+08:00

Lately, I keep getting a lot of e-mail from strangers asking for assistance in getting vast amounts of money out of their country. It's either the wife of a president, a brother of a dictator or the daughter of the prime minister. Anyway, I decided to reply to one of the e-mail. Here's what I wrote:

"Dear Mrs. Xxxxx,

I am very sorry for your loss, and I would like to help you in whatever way I can. Although the millions I would gain from assisting you would certainly be most welcome, what interests me more is getting to know a fine lady such as yourself.

I have yet to meet anyone from an exotic country like yours, still I have been told that the women there are quite beautiful and are extremely talented in the ways of pleasuring men.

Hoping to hear from you soon,
Me."

It's been several days, and still no reply. So, I guess she's not interested. Oh well, I still have the princess and the brother to reply to.

Some more pictures.

2005-03-02T01:06:00.000+08:00

A snapshot

Broadside

Market-market

Already placed my order.

Pictures of the Day.

2005-03-02T00:50:00.000+08:00

Now, that's a real sports fan.

Too bad we didn't come up with this idea first.

The Trump, reborn.

One ID for me please.

2005-02-23T14:18:00.000+08:00

With the recent bombings in Mindanao and Metro Manila, several law makers are reviving the call for a National ID system. This had the human rights activists and leftists up in arms.

Well, it's a good thing the lawmakers didn't suggest building a wall around major metropolitan areas and requiring passports to get in or out of the cities. Who knows what the protesters would do.

So, what's going to be included in the National ID card? Well, let's see. They want to include residential and medical info; social security and tax information are also on the list. They also want it to replace driver's licenses, passports as well as include some biometric information such as thumbprints. Some lawmakers even went as far as suggesting that criminal records be included.

I think it's the last suggestion that has the protesters crying foul. It can be abused. Think GATTACA, but on a low-tech light. A person can be denied employment or refused a bank loan based on the information contained in the NatID. On the flip side, it could facilitate for faster approval on loans or guarantee employment.

Already, applicants for jobs are required to present a number of papers: NBI clearance, baranggay clearance, medical certificate, etc. Applying for services require a person to present several valid IDs (driver's license, BIR card, and employee ID) as well as a valid proof of billing (water, electricity, or phone bills).

It seems we're not the only ones tackling the pros and cons of a unified ID system. The United Kingdom has begun its tests. Privacy International has a site dedicated to National ID systems.

The technology is here, but are we ready?

Idiot lawmakers.

2005-02-23T03:02:00.000+08:00

A group of scavengers have taken up residence in the vacant lot in front of Brown Villa. Despite the sturdy chain-link fence protecting the perimeter, the scavengers managed to get in and make a home for themselves. Where's a big German Shepherd when you need one?

The caretaker of the lot doesn't seem to mind, but I do. It's affecting my customers. If they're not happy, then I'm not happy. If they think the scavengers have to go, who am I to argue? Besides, if you let one in, more are bound to follow.

The baranggay people told us before that the lot owners have to file a complaint so they can do something about it. Huh? I guess Trespassing isn't a criminal offense in these parts. What a bunch of lazy bums...

There's some comfort in the fact that a squad car dropped by and ordered them to vacate the premises. They'll be back, though.

Stupid Lina Law. 'Out of pity' my ass! What about the land owners? Not all of them can afford to pay the 'informal settlers', and quite a number can't even afford a decent fence. He's lucky, he's got God on his side...After all, God watches out for children and fools.

Hobby? You mean hobbies.

2005-02-16T23:43:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine asked what I do to relax. That's an easy answer. I build models, I play video games, and I read. Joey wondered in his blog entry at the 4J blog how many unfinished models I have now.

The answer is twenty. How many finished models since I started at age six? Thirty-seven. How many finished models still exist today? Eight. What happened to the rest of them? Ask my youngest brother, JR.

It usually goes like this: I finish a model, I paint it and put it on display. My baby brother walks in and sees the finished model. Of course, he wants to play with it and I say, "NO!" He goes off running to my parents or my aunt and cries. They would say, "Pahiram mo na, papalitan na lang natin pag nasira niya." ("Let him borrow it, we'll just replace it if he breaks it.") What took hours to make has been destroyed in minutes.

Over the years, he has outgrown his destructive habits, and I am, once again, safe to pursue my hobby. But when we moved to our present house fifteen years ago, and all my models vanished including a large B-17 Flying Fortress. By then, I've learned that it's all about the journey, and not the destination. The lost collection wasn't that big of a loss. I had fun building them, and that's the point.

I also have another, more expensive, hobby. And that is computers. Specifically, I love assembling them. I guess it stems from my penchant for scale model building. I just had to have the best and fastest thing around. Sometimes, I would but the first release of a new gadget, even though I knew that prices would drop sharply several months later. Luckily, running a business and working for a living has curbed my spending habits a great deal.

Now, I'm thirty, and I'm still quite into my hobbies. Fortunately, my loving wife understands and accepts the fact. Of course, she also has her hobbies. In fact, we both share a common pastime. TV. :)

I Feel for Them...

2005-02-09T23:34:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, we had a function for 80 guests. My operations manager reminded the host the day before that we can only support at most 10% extra guests, or about 8 extra guests. No problem, they said.

Come function day, guests started arriving in droves. Instead of the planned 80 guests, a hundred and sixty people showed up for the event, yeah, 160 guests. What followed was the most hectic event we've ever had since 150 extra guests showed up for a wedding late last year. Luckily, we're quite used to such instances, no panic at all. What was amusing, though, was the reaction of the hosts.

The host was in for a shock when she was told that there were still a hundred more guests waiting to be seated. My supervisor later told me that her eyes nearly popped out when he told her. In the end, everything worked out. The food for the 80 extra guests were delayed by 20 minutes but that was to be expected and the host was informed of the fact.

But I feel sorry for the host. We would have asked the extra people to leave if we were ordered to, she chose to shoulder the extra costs instead.

I guess it has something to do with our society. You invite a friend, the friend invites another, and so on. Pretty soon, the whole neighborhood is knocking on your door. Of course, you'll feel obligated to accommodate them because of 'pakikisama' (camaraderie being the closest terms applicable here). After all, you wouldn't want to lose face and be called a bad host.

It also has something to do with you feeling obligated about sharing your wealth. What is even more annoying is the fact that others expect you to share the wealth. Stop me if you have heard this one:
An OFW steps off the plane and is greeted by the entire baranggay...
It's fiesta time in Barrio San Juan, and the Mayumi family borrows money to prepare a grand feast for the guests...

I have attended several weddings in the province, and most of them often include guests bringing their own pots and pans to the reception. For what? Well, where else would they put the food they'll take home after?

I'm in a position to see these things up close on a regular basis. And it's not a pretty sight.

Fear and Paranoia.

2005-01-16T01:59:00.000+08:00

Yes, President Arroyo, they are out to get you.

I agree that putting the police force on red alert for the arrival of Mr. Estrada was a bit too much. On the other hand, if something did happen to him, the government will be in big trouble. If it were up to me, I would have just thrown his ass on the helicopter the moment he arrived. Screw the presscon/welcoming party at the VIP lounge at the airport, "Change in plans, sir." Well, they are only looking out for his welfare, after all.

Regarding Estrada's operation. Now, I've been under the knife with a simple knee operation. It was VERY painful once the painkillers wore off. It took me several weeks to walk properly once they've taken me off meds. What more with two radical knee operations on Estrada? I can just imagine how much painkillers they've shot into him to keep up with appearances. (Can I have some of what he's having?) For show, in keeping a strong front for his followers, I can understand why he had to walk off the plane and into the lounge.

Now that he's back, President Arroyo will have her hands full. I'm guessing, exposés and scandals; maybe even a rally or two. Talks about a united opposition doesn't impress me at all, they've never been able to smooth that kink out. In public, they will all be best of friends, of that you can be sure of. Expect to see press conferences of the opposition leaders shaking hands and patting each others backs. But like all alliances built on shaky foundations, it could easily crumble.

Simply put, find their weakness and exploit it.

Fearless Forecasts!

2005-01-07T22:02:00.000+08:00

It seems that the media is going into it's fortune telling phase. With the number of tragedies the world has experienced last year, I'm sure that a lot of 'psychics' are saying, "I told you so."

So, without further ado, I have listed MY forecasts for the year 2005.

General -

1) An actor/actress will be involved in a road accident; his/her family will blame bad roads instead of admitting that the actor/actress was a stupid driver.

2) A sex video of someone famous will spread through the Internet, and dibidi boys in Quiapo, San Juan, and Marikina.

3) Several typhoons will hit the country but the Department of Education will not cancel classes on extremely rainy and flooded days, but on perfectly sunny weather after the storm has passed.

4) Someone famous will get someone else famous pregnant but will deny the fact until she gives birth citing the need for their privacy, except 9 months before, they took the sex video stated in Forecast 2 while doing something that caused Forecast 1 on a Forecast 3 day. Dumbasses.

Politics -

5) Following the trend, several actors and actresses will declare their intent to go into politics. I see a fat, has-been child actor, who ate one too many of his own pastry products, become more active in politics.

6) Several exposes will rock this administration, some will be quite big and damaging to the economy. But must of the exposes will revolve around the fact that a member of the First Family flashed the finger on a box of kittens. This will have animal rights activists up in arms with the help leftist and feminist groups. The feminist groups will retract their complaint, claiming they were misled by the animal rights activist stating, "After intensive research, we have concluded that the victims were actual cats, and not just a euphemism for something else." The leftist groups will still continue the protests, since they complain about everything anyway.

That's it for now...More next time. And, remember, I can see the future. And it doesn't look too good.

Weapons of Mass Distraction

2005-01-01T01:48:00.000+08:00

It's a new year, and Filipinos know how to celebrate with style. Fireworks, and plenty of it. In fact, a reliable source told me earlier that several foreign security agencies have sent agents to keep a close eye on things. Probably to make sure that the fireworks being made can't be used as a weapon. If only they knew the real story...

Fire in the sky

Don't go into the light!

...And in other news: I went to the barber shop this morning to get a cut, but my regular barber had the day off. Oh well, there are so many juicy things you pick up in a barber shop.

The Show Must Go On...

2004-12-24T02:49:00.000+08:00

Now that 'Da King' has been laid to rest, people might actually start and talk about something else. We have all been touched in some way by Fernando Poe Jr.; either through his movies, or through his acts of generosity.

Although I disagree with his decision to run for president, I've got to admire the guy for his achievements. Not many people like him around nowadays. In fact, I'm actually quite sad that he's gone. I look at him, and then I look at his best friend then I realize that life isn't fair at all.

Of course there are the usual politicos grandstanding, spouting off illogical statements. One even said that FPJ died because he was cheated in the elections and he took it really hard. That got me thinking that there could be some truth in that, but then I look at Miriam Defensor-Santiago and write that reasoning off as pure bull.

I watched the coverage of the last day of the wake. Several personalities gave their eulogies; some were endearing but the rest are downright dangerous. The speeches they made had no place in that church, it would be more at home at a rally or a demonstration. Out of respect for the departed, the least they could have done was wait out the forty days.

It's a good thing the man has been laid to rest. At last, he is finally at peace.

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

Tests and more tests...

2004-12-06T03:02:00.000+08:00

Joey was kind enough to post a link to the quiz site. I some of the tests, and here are the results.

What's in a Name?

2004-11-24T01:28:00.000+08:00

With the player population of City of Heroes exceeding 200,000, one would be hard pressed to find a unique name for their heroes. It's a good thing that the names players have to choose only have to be unique in one server out of eleven. But still, with eight slots allotted for heroes per player in each server, somebody has to have a handy thesaurus or look to foreign languages for help.

Enter the Super-Hero name generator. Of course, you can use it if you're just doodling a cartoon character or writing fiction (psst Joey).

I tried it and it's a nice tool, you can even choose names for villains and groups. Names like Emerald Jack, Ghost Fire, Copper Guardsman and Onyx Wolf are worthy enough to be included in James Bond fiction or even the new Playstation 2 game 'Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater'

--------

I just downloaded the game 'Half-Life 2' using Steam. It took about 4 hours to get but it was well worth the wait. And best of all, it's free.

Well, considering I bought a video card a few months back with the game supposedly included in the package. But with the controversial theft of the game code, the game's release was pushed back. So all I had was a card with a code which would allow me to have the game sent to my house once it's released or download it from their website. I chose the later since I'd have to pay for the shipping and taxes, plus I'm cheap.

The game sure lives up to the hype, and it's well worth the wait.

Too Bad...

2004-11-23T03:17:00.000+08:00

It's the ultimate gift set for a hardcore Godzilla fan. But sadly, they did not include any English subtitles. It's a 30-disc boxed set of all the movies released about the big bad beast and other giant monsters. More details can be found here. I hope they change their minds about releasing a boxed set with English dubbing, or at least English subtitles.

Better Late Than Never...

2004-11-22T01:25:00.000+08:00

Well, it's official. EBay has finally opened up shop for local users. The site is up and running. Now word yet if Paypal will be made available as well.

Dirty Business...

2004-11-13T01:28:00.000+08:00

Several months ago, a competitor opened up shop quite far from my business. There's nothing wrong with that, I guess. But then a couple of weeks ago, my waiters caught a guest distributing tickets/coupons to my guests. These were for a Halloween event being held in my competitor's place.

Suffice it to say that on the day of the event, my business was quite slow. What's a guy to do? I produced several promotional packages that I knew my competition wouldn't be able to keep up with. And the results were quite pleasing; just tonight, news was they closed up early for lack of customers. I'll monitor the results for the next couple of weeks.

It's quite fun having a competitor again. It's not only about the money, it's about trying to beat them into submission without having to resort to dirty business practices. A friend of mine once told me, beating them fair and square is a whole lot better than kicking them in the balls.

And in other news...

What has become of Marvel? They're suing NCSoft and Cryptic over City of Heroes. That game has been live for several months now and they choose this time to file a suit. An interesting point is...

"Marvel also claims the companies have disrupted its 'existing and future' business prospects for licensing its characters in video games similar to "City of Heroes."

Bad form.

Fresh Start

2004-10-19T23:46:00.000+08:00

After weeks of putting it off, I've finally done the dirty business of reformatting and installing Windows XP on my office computer. It was a lot of work, I had to make sure I had all the necessary files and drivers should they be needed. And as unlucky as I am, I didn't have everything I need.

But, what the hell, I went and did it anyway. It paid off, the machine runs like a like new. As for the missing drivers and files, I just got the off the net. No worries there.

----

And now, on a more serious note, my Lola Saleng passed away the other day. She's the sister of my grandmother. She was 92. I haven't seen her in years, which is a shame, since she was a very doting grandmother, as is my two real grandmothers. It's much better that way, I guess.

In her final years, she was not quite herself. She spoke of friends and family long dead as if they were still alive. And in her final months, she was bed ridden. I would much like to remember her as the lola who prepared one mean dish of chicken adobo whenever we visited them in La Union when I was a child. And the lola who, having no child of her own, spent as much time with her nieces/nephews, grandieces/grandnephews as possible.

May God bless her soul.

Crossed Wires and Being Feared

2004-10-04T02:20:00.001+08:00

I recently increased the salaries of all my employees, some more than others. But since the start, I would tell them not to compare it with their fellow employees.

Now, I consider myself quite fluent in Tagalog, it being my first tongue, a perception which I am now seriously reconsidering. When I said, "Huwag niyong pagkumpara ang sweldo niyo sa isa't-isa," I meant, "Don't compare your pay slip with your fellow employees." So I was quite upset that, during the distribution of the pay envelopes, the first thing they did was compare with their co-workers.

Now, one of them plans on talking to me about it. Luckily, one of my supervisors told me about it. I have just finished writing a memo about the incident, stating that all decisions are final and no requests for changes will be entertained for the time being. Knowing them, some of them would still try to talk to me. I have several replies prepared, though.

1) "If you don't agree with my decision, please feel free to hand in your resignation."
2) "Sure I could increase your salary, only if you can convince your fellow employees to take a cut in theirs."
3) "I'd love to, but my hands are tied. If you want, you can talk to the owners. (Mom and dad)"
And the best one yet...
4) "Why don't you take the week off to read the memo?"

Being lenient was a mistake. Machiavelli was right, "Given the choice between being feared and being loved, it is better to be feared." I actually asked one of my Economy professors about it. She simply said, "I get enough love at home."

Now, here I am thinking, "Is it too late to become a hard-ass?"

Frustration and Elation, Then Back Again.

2004-09-22T02:20:00.000+08:00

Frustration...

As I have posted a few days ago, I bought my wife a copy of 'The Sims 2'. The graphics is miles ahead of the first game, as well as the things a player can do in the environment. But like all first edition releases, problems are to be expected. In our case, the game would run flawlessly for the first half hour or so. And then without any warning, it would grind to a halt; no activity whatsoever.

I had a feeling that my wife would suddenly forget her marital obligations unless I get this fixed. So what's a man to do? I searched the publisher's website in hopes of finding a solution. Wouldn't you know it, a lot of people seem to be having the same problems. Many of them sound desperate enough to probably be in the same situation as I. Yeah, men can be forced to stop and ask for directions with the appropriate incentive.

No such luck. They were as clueless as I was. Sure there were the staple, "Update your graphics card drivers", etc. But I've done all of those things already, I'm not THAT stupid, just desperate. My final recourse was to man-handle the beast that is Windows XP. After an hour of prodding and testing, I was down to only one step. I made the final adjustment and then ran the game again.

Elation...

It worked! The game ran without a hitch. My wife's quite happy, and so was I. But then I thought, 'She's been playing that game for the last five hours'.

And then it dawned on me, I'm back to where I started.

12 Steps Short.

2004-09-17T22:08:00.000+08:00

I knew the day has come when I would have to relinquish lordship over the dominion otherwise known as 'the PC'. Sims 2 has finally landed on our shores and I, in my all-consuming passion to please my beloved wife, rushed out and bought a copy. A 'Special Edition', no less.

For the past couple of weeks, I have had unquestioned control over the computer; indulging in my new addiction, City of Heroes. But with the arrival of the dreaded 'eater-of-time', those days are coming to an end. I will just have to console myself that she has to sleep sometime.

Change...

2004-09-15T22:49:00.000+08:00

Several days ago, my wife and I got to watch the pilot episode of 'Joey'. Yeah, Joey Tribiani's back and has moved to the City of Angels to follow his dreams of making it big as an actor. The main theme of that episode is about change, the need to strike out and face the unknown.

The pilot episode was hilarious, save for the performance of Joey's new agent. Funny thing is, her performance was forgettable maybe that's why I can't seem to recall her name. Ah there, thanks to IMDB.com, her name's Bobbi. Maybe I'm just used to the performances of the cast and extras of 'Friends'.

Anyway, here's to Matt and crew. Success and a long run.

And speaking of change... A week or two ago, the giant mall operator, SM, decided to ban all R-18 movies from being shown in their movie theaters. It was a long time coming, but better late than never. This move caused several movie producers and a lot of B movie rate starlets to protest the ban. Sure I like R-18 movies as much as the next guy, but the movies these producers make and these actresses perform in are 'straight-to-video' quality at best, it simply is not worth the money spent to buy tickets.

Several well-known and respected directors have voiced their opinions in support of the SM ban, and I agree with them. It's time for a change.

Anonymous Inc.

2004-09-02T15:20:00.000+08:00

I have never been a very social person, contrary to what my wife says. I prefer to be in the company of a small, but very close, group of friends. I feel the same way when it comes to the way I do business.

This afternoon, several mediamen dropped by the Villa. They wanted to do a piece about the place, which will also include my dad's new passion, building hogs (motorbikes). I was ordered by my father to entertain the guests and, if needed, give some taped interviews. He must have seen the look on my face because he added, "You're in the restaurant business, you have to learn how to interact with people. Even the ones you don't like. You have to make them believe that they're your new best friend."

I was thinking to myself,"Maybe that's why I hired a manager to face the guests in the first place." I also gave the manager a standing order not to introduce me to anyone unless I break the 'bubble'. This has always been the case since we first started, and I'm not about to change that for the new guests. I can learn a lot about a person just by listening to how they interact with my people. And if I feel that I have enough information regarding the person, I approach and offer my hand to the guest. That's just the way I do things, much to the disappointment of my dad.

Competition, a Dirty Business

2004-09-01T23:02:00.000+08:00

I was just informed by several, and unconnected, sources that I was partially responsible for the closure of several entertainment establishments in my area; my competitors. Although that is good news, I am somewhat bothered by it. On one hand, it will mean more business for me. But on the other, dozens of people have been left unemployed.

I have tried to keep the prices of my products at least a third lower than the competition; consoling myself to getting my profits through volume of sales. In fact, it has been three years since I had a major increase in product prices. But there's no way around it, I will be forced to raise prices once again; the prices of goods have already increased forty percent since 2001.

Competition in business has never been honorable; same way with war or courtship for that matter. The winner gets to gloat, well, until he loses. I have no intention of losing.

Busted...

2004-09-01T22:51:00.000+08:00

It happened a few weeks ago. The shop was selling airsoft guns and equipment in a very conspicuous place, a shopping mall. Details are a bit sketchy but several details seem to be pretty consistent.

An undercover agent entered the store and asked to see several items on the display case. And when the clerk took out the items and handed it to the agent, backup arrived and announced a raid. All the items in the store were catalogued and confiscated. The cops said that the shop was in violation of an ordinance prohibiting the sale of equipment for firearms without a permit. Even though the items being referred to were for toy guns, the warrant was still applicable since the cops said that it could still be used on real guns.

And as a result of that incident, several other stores that sell the replicas have become more careful in their dealings with strangers. So far, the gamesites are pretty safe since almost all are held in private properties and no one has complained about them.

Here's to hoping that things settle down as soon as possible.

It's all Greek to me, or French, or Japanese...

2004-08-31T15:10:00.000+08:00

I took up French for my foreign language class back in college. And after earning my certificate for finishing both French 1 and 2, my knowledge of the language is still severely limited.

I've been addicted to the game 'City of Heroes' of late, which is why I haven't been able to update the blog much whenever I'm online. Anyway, I was expecting to meet mostly English speaking players, but that was not the case. Actually, it depends on the time I spend online. During mornings, English is the predominant language spoken. In the afternoons, French and German. There's also a sprinkling of Japanese and a bit of Korean.

But that will soon change, for the developers of the game are going to release a regionalized version for the Asian and European markets. Some cosmetic changes will be applied. In Asia, for example, buildings and heroes will be geared towards the anime style both in appearance and in storytelling. At least, that's the plan.

And in other news, the cops in my area are becoming more visible, especially at night. Must be because of the new directives they have been given by their chief. That's wonderful and I hope they keep it up. Already, drunks walking the streets around my neighborhood are becoming less common. Streetgangs are becoming less active, and hookers are searching safer zones. So to the men in blue: "keep up the good work, guys!"

2004-08-26T06:55:00.000+08:00

Learning to fly on my own.
Rhochie

In a city filled with heroes...

2004-08-22T02:29:00.000+08:00

The blue guy, that's me: "The Horny BlueDevil" Click to view bigger picture.

The other day, I got a call from Datablitz telling me that my order was already at the shop. And that is the online game: "City of Heroes". A pretty addictive game, even made more so by the fact that most of the players are willing to help out a newbie. Even the superhero costumes are fun to make. And with a soon-to-be-released update, capes can now be added, among other things; the site says that it's a high level perk.

While playing, I saw player-characters ranging from Johnny Bravo to The Shadow, even a few Catholic school girls. There was also a bunch of players dressed up as Cobra soldiers (from G.I. Joe).

D.I.N.K.s

2004-08-19T01:34:00.000+08:00

Dual Income No Kids. My wife and I fit into that category quite nicely.

My friends, my wife's friends, co-workers and relatives eventually end up asking us one question. "So, any plans on having a baby yet?" We would just smile and say, "Nope, maybe in two years."

Maybe it's just me, but most of them seem to think that we can afford to have kids. Of course not, I keep thinking. Money? Not much left after bills and other expenses. Time? Nope, my wife's working and so am I.

Running a restaurant is very demanding, and I already have my hands full keeping those little cry babies I call employees disciplined.

There's also the need to have time alone with each other. I enjoy spending time with her. Watching TV together, little things like that. And quite frankly, I'm still not sold on the idea of kids; even with reassurances from friends and relatives that life would be better for us if we have children. In the future, yes. But not right now.

And if you'll excuse me, I think it's time for round three. ;)

Frustration...

2004-08-18T00:31:00.000+08:00

Our household has been without a cook for the past two months, so I have been using my cooks from the Brown Villa to prepare lunch and dinner for us.

One of my cooks seems to have problems following the recipes I have given him. And last night was a confirmation of that. I gave him a recipe for salted fish fried rice, which was a fairly easy dish to prepare. Anyone who knows how to make fried rice can do it. Imagine my surprise when I saw a chaffing dish filled with omelet. I asked the maids where the dish came from and they said that it was from the Villa. I sliced one open and, surprise surprise, it was filled with fried rice.

It's difficult to explain how I felt at that time. I guess it's a mixture of frustration and anger, with a dash of confusion thrown in for good measure. Here I am, just finished writing a scathing memo to the kitchen staff.

"Haven't reached your quota, huh?"

2004-08-16T02:02:00.000+08:00

It's about time! The MMDA has finally changed the way they apprehend traffic violators. Instead of confiscating the driver's license, the traffic enforcer issues a citation to the offending driver. The driver then has to pay the fine within seven days in any Metrobank branch.

And as added incentive for traffic enforcers to strictly implement road rules, they are given a percentage of the fine.

Boys, give those damned FX, bus and jeepney drivers a good ~~fuck-over~~ work-over!

"Just cuddle"

2004-08-11T02:40:00.000+08:00

There's a new fad that's slowly gaining popularity among New York's single people.

An introduction to cuddling ensues, first by hugging three people. People then get in a circle on their hands and knees, rub shoulders and moo like cows. After a bit of swaying, everyone falls to their side, which puts them into an easy cuddling position.

That's all well and good, but mooing like a cow just isn't my bag, baby.

Cutting Edge - Highs and Lows

2004-08-06T23:41:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Doom3, I now have an excuse to upgrade my computer once again. And to think, a year ago, this computer was considered high-end. Now it can't even properly run the games that were released a month ago. This leads me to believe that there's a conspiracy to force people like me to spend money on hardware.

Recently, PLDT doubled the download speed of their residential DSL packages. It was a long time coming, considering the price of bandwidth is falling steadily and the number of converts to broadband is increasing. My connection at home is at 768 kbps and so far, I have no complaints. But after reading some of the postings on egroups for the company's DSL service, I am considered lucky.

Some subscribers complain of being unable to access totally legitimate sites. I admit that I had some of those problems before; I wasn't able to access Google using DSL, for example. After a bit of fooling around with the settings, I was able to determine that the problem lay in PLDT's DNS servers. A simple change in my settings resolved the problem instantly.

In my case, I have some experience in troubleshooting network connections, blah, blah. But that is not the case for most of their subscribers, and last I heard, people are still experiencing troubles with their Internet connections.