10 MAY 2k7: Pamangkins
At last, I was able to go to Cavite to visit my cousins there. The reason: Hanz Franco's christening. Ate Vida + Kuya Mayo = handsome baby. But wait, I have more cute 'pamangkins' there; pictured below are Angela and CJ. It's very difficult to take good pictures because, aside from a not-so-good camera, these kids wouldn't stop moving until it's bed time. They're so active that I wasn't able to take a picture of Mia who's been real good at evading my camera.
Mom's got a new grandson, and I've got a new nephew. Welcome to the world (drumroll..) Caile Heart Androwe G. Garlera!! (clap, clap, clap). I find his eyes very cute and can be blindfolded with a dental floss.
Recently watched movies: 300; Hannibal Rising
06 MARCH 2k7: Punchline; Apocalypto
Another first, not too long ago, together with my dear cousin and a couple of her friends, we went to Punchline comedy bar along Quezon Ave. and near Aberdeen Court. Time was 9pm. In summary this is how the show went: opening songs; greetings; making fun of guests; stand-up comedy acts (individual, pair, group); dance numbers and additional song numbers. The special guests for that night were Chocolate and Ate Glow; I forgot the other performers' names. When they make fun, they make fun of almost everyone: the waiters, seniors, OFWs, teens, and themselves too, even management. The performers acts are a bit crude, and the put-downs they throw at the audience may not sound nice. But if taken with an open mind, you won't be offended and will definitely be amused. To make things clear that it's no personal thing, audiences are warned beforehand that the acts involve no holds barred verbal abuse. What's the main reason you came to the place after all? To be entertained. For me, the comedians did their job well because most of the time I had fun listening to their jokes. The fee of Php 300.00, even if it's non-consummable, is worth it. By 1 am, we went home; we've already had our fill of humor, we didn't finish the show anymore. What a night full of laughter.
Movies watched during the past few weeks: Apocalypto; Eragon; Night at the Museum.
I have a Swoosh-branded sneaker once again!! Yeyy!! It's a Nike Free Trainer 5.0 with a shade of blue and strokes of white. Nice!
13 JANUARY 2k7: "Late"-est updates for the New Year
December's been a busy month, so here's the latest stuff..
Pacquaio's third and final fight with Morales last November 19 was such a sweet victory, bringing the famed Mexican boxer down in 3 rounds. That's amazing! With that achievement, I really think he's the best pound for pound boxer in the world right now.
07-14 December: I found myself in 7ID, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija to assist in deployment of computers, connect them to the main network here in Makati, teach new users the PIS web app of our organization, and troubleshoot problems that were encountered. I managed to visit some places there. One such place is Sapang Lawa, a beautiful lake near Tent City (a wide field, where Filipino and American soldiers train together). I visited the place with Tsg Dadale, a ranger I worked with during the mission, on the last day of my sojourn, jogging its 3 km. distance (approximately) on combat boots.
21st of December, I finally got to E.K. I went to the place with three other workmates; we were so eager to get there that we had to take lunch while traveling. We took on almost all the rides, even the carousel just for fun. Many of the them had their speeds set slower in consideration for the younger people. One of the rides I didn't like was Rio Grande Rapids. Not too much excitement; you simply get wet; I'd prefer taking a shower instead. The rides that I liked the most were Anchors Away, Bump Cars, and, the best that was saved for last, Space Shuttle. First time we rode on it, we were rattled a bit. Second time, not so much anymore. On the third, we almost weren't affected already, except for Emil, who was already shaken on his first try and lasted until the second ride only. One more thing worth mentioning is the Go Kart. Although we had to pay an additional fee, we went for it because we thought it would be fun; also, I have planned to do it for a long time already. That's hitting two birds with one stone. The experience definitely was fun. You get to be a race car driver for a few minutes driving a little race car in a little race track. We enjoyed the trip much, so much so that we came home at closing time, which was twelve midnight.
31 December: Ayala corner Paseo de Roxas was the place where I's at; our group totaled four persons. Countdown to 2007. Bands (Sandwich, Rocksteddy and Itchy Worms were among them), food stalls; Asia Agcaoili, nice. The party was for the benefit of typhoon Reming victims, which ravaged the Bicol region weeks ago. At the stroke of twelve, a fireworks display ensued and lasted twenty minutes. Stunning display, I'd say. We made a short trip to Greenbelt to have some coffee over a little chat before going home; after that: sleepy time.
Wow, another year has passed and another's unfolding already. I hope I'll be able to keep my resolutions for this year. Good thing for one to have 'em, and do them, and track the progress being made, so that one can become a better person with each passing year.
07 NOVEMBER 2k6: Less than a year to go
November 1, 2006; people commemorate their dearly departed. We celebrate All Saint's Day annually. But this day has another meaning for me. This year's 1st of November marks my 2nd year in the "service". I've got less than a year to go before my term ends and I'm wondering what's in store for me "outside" ...
Interesting link: ACII-O-Matic - Upload your picture (make sure dimension is: 60[height]x50[width] pixels) to get the ASCII character graphic equivalent.
12 OCTOBER 2k6: Supertyphoon Milenyo strikes Metro Manila
28th September made many areas of Metro Manila step back in time. The onslaught of typhoon Milenyo brought about black-outs and water shortages. Thankfully, the condition ddidn't last for a week. Thus, me and my housemates didn't have to make many trips to another area just to source water. But the cleaning that we had to do.. was a lot. We started cleaning late Thursday afternoon. And until Saturday, we spent at least 2 hours gathering leaves and branches and other debris plus cutting down things that needed the deed. Sunday was time for rest, but come Monday we still had things to do. We even needed a payloader and a dump truck to do the job; four truckloads in fact. Some places were more unfortunate; hopefully things will be back to normal again in a short span of time. Milenyo was a really strong typhoon.
Showtime for Dead or Alive in the U.S. was slotted for December; I'm surprised it was shown here two weeks ago. I discovered it accidentally during a trip to a mall with some friends, and lucky me, I was able to watch it, for free (thanks to J)! The flick was about a fighting tournament held annually in an island that promises lots of money for the winner. Some contestants have other reasons in joining like prestige for their school. One lead character was a princess searching for her brother who joined the tournament during the previous year. Unbeknownst to the participants, the organizer of the event was collecting fight data and use it to make a eye-worn gadget that, when used, will make the user a very strong martial artist. The main characters are four females. The one I liked the most was Holly Valance acting out the part of Christie, a professional thief. This Australian model/actress/singer is really hot!! Back to the story, I'll give it a 6 overall. Good fight sequences, depth of the story is fair. The development of some characters was'nt good enough.
12 SEPTEMBER 2k6: Clicking life away
Being a big fan of Adam Sandlers, me, together with two buddies, watched Click a couple of weeks ago. Very good movie. Comedy all through out. When the story is about to reach its climax, there's some heavy drama, but, the makers of the movie still managed to inject funny moments into it. It's about an engineer who gains access to a "universal remote control" that can control his life (pause, fast forward, etc with some limitations). He uses it to accomplish more work, but in the process he neglects his family. Moral of the story: Give higher priority to the people in your life over work/money/possessions. ouch!!????
I'm not a exactly a gamer, but as of now, I'm enjoying (very much) Super Dragon Ball Z for the Sony PlayStation II game console (one of my buddies own two and brought one in the camp). I'm playin' versus mode only with my buddies. The selectio nof characters from the Dragon Ball Z cartoon series is composed of the main heroes (Gokou, Gohan, Krillin, Trunks, Chichi, Piccolo, Vegeta) and the super villains (Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu, Android 16-18). There are different combos for each character but button combinations are mostly the same. Animation's nice. My favorite character is Trunks. He has special moves for close- (multiple slash attack), medium- (dash), and long-range (crescent wave) attacks, but he is more of a close-combat player in the game. I like this game so much that it made me think of buying a gaming console in the near future.
13 AUGUST 2k6: Trip to Batangas
Before 1st half of July ended, Glenn invited me to attend his niece's wedding at Laurel, Batangas and to have a taste of what's life like there. We arrived at night time Friday. The food trip, which started during lunch hours, will last until 24 hours later. I was introduced to his two female cousins Leah and Leni, twins; a proud dad thier father must be. Eight pigs have been butchered and enough rice will be available for the said period to feed the whole neighborhood. That's one of the things a guy must do if he'll marry a Batanguena. "Kapeng barako" was, of course, bottomless. Videoke is still a part of the ceremonies. Next day, our group (Glenn, his GF Marjorie, me, Geleen, his sister, his cousins, and some kids) checked on the chickens and pigs, climbed up the mountain to see if the traps have caught any bayawak (monitor lizard; yum yum!!) or alamid (wild cat). There was no catch for today. We had litsong manok done the traditional way and rice for lunch. After that, we went to Taal Lake. Laurel is one of the towns/cities surrounding this body of water in addition to Tagaytay. Water is clear although there are some unnatural objects (like plastic wrappers) in the water. We took turns riding a raft and enjoying the view of the majestic volcano. Following day, we packed up and went back to Metro Manila, thus ending the beautiful short story. Bow.
Had my 3Q PFT during 11th of August. Stats were: 40;45;16:50. Preparation was a week only. I had hoped I could do better. One factor was my reduced weight. I haven't noticed the drop but when I took my weight two weeks ago, I was surprised that I'm just 132 lbs. I was 137 lbs a couple of months ago. I think it's because of the 1 cup rice per meal I'm having and less sleep I'm getting. But then, during two-mile run, pain struck at my right side. It made me walk for a while and resulted in a longer finishing time. I hope it'd be much better on the last quarter PFT on November.
Movies watched this month: (1) Pirates of the Caribbean II - fun and adventure. Good enough story. But this movie was "bitin" so I'll have to watch out for Pirates III for the story to end. (2) Scary Movie 4 - this flick is purely for fun only, parodying movies like The Grudge, Saw, The Village and War of the Worlds. (3) Miami Vice - watched this for "historical" reasons even if I wasn't able to watch the series back in the 80's. It transcended police TV shows and set a fashion trend during its time.
12 JULY 2k6: Pacquiao does it again!
My beloved grandma turned 92 last 25 June; 8 years more to being a centenarian!!
Had my 2nd quarter PFT last 14 June. Stats were a bit better (40;45;16:15). It's hard to make a significant improvement. Will try again on PFT-3Q-2k6.
Movies watched this month: Cars - This movie has automobiles as its main characters. And even some elements in the surroundings are car-like such as the clouds and the mountains. There were flies in this movie, but they're winged VW Beetles!! And the cows are tractors. Talk about creativity. The story is about a hotshot rookie race car, Lightning McQueen, having his career's best year so far. He ends up in Radiator Springs when he got lost in the desert and meets interesting "people" who helps him become a better "person". The moral of the story: Life is about the journey, not the finish line.
Last July 2, Pacquiao and Oscar Larios fought a 12-round battle. Although Pacquiao got battered in the third round due to Larios' vicious right hand, he recovered and also made his challenger fall in the 7th and 12th rounds. It was evident that he was the superior fighter, employing an arsenal of powerful punches, attack strategies and footwork. He won unquestionably by unanimous decision; clearly ahead in points. Larios is commendable for having been able to take Manny's lethal blows and endure them 'till the match was over. Matibay din. Another victory for the champion and for the Filipinos!! Next fight will be on Nov; it will be Pacquiao vs Morales III!
06 JUNE 2k6: Mall-aki!
Congrats to Jimi and Zina, who just got married a couple of weeks ago!! If two people are really in love, marriage will just be around the corner. I'm very happy for them! Come to think about it, the bachelors in my high school batch are slowly decreasing in number. I'm quite sure I'm not the next one to get 'tied' anytime soon. I don't have a 'significant other' at the moment, and I won't be having one any sooner.
Belated happy first birthday to Shaina Jenelle! This cute godchild of mine is growing up a pretty girl.
Special mention: my niece Andrea Jane, turning four on the 13th is now in kindergarten! Seems like that just weeks ago (that'd be around 160 weeks), she was just learning how to walk. Time flies so fast that next time I come home, she'd be a young lady already.
SM Mall of Asia is now open; since 21st May! The Philippines' biggest mall is also the world's third biggest; the largest in S.E. Asia. It's roughly the size of Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. People say that you can't explore this mall for just one day. And there's this IMAX theater; a really big movie house where the screen is eight stories high, with 3D viewing support. I'v made it one of my target places to visit this June.
Movies watched this month: M.I.:III, The Da Vinci Code, X-Men III. MI is a good action flick; just about equal to the previous releases. DVC the controversial novel is now a movie. Slightly above average movie for me; but much, much better executed in its original form. Focusing on X-Men III, the last installment of the trilogy based on the popular comic series, it covers some issues regarding being normal, and toleration for those who are 'different'. You can relate these themes to homosexuality. Gays are usually under fire, but they are people and have rights too; this is being advocated by Ian McKellen, the actor who plays, guess who.. Magneto. I remember, during high school, budding or suspected homosexual students in school were being called X-Men too ('ex-men': males turning out to be females at heart). Action scenes: great. Story: a bit disappointing for me because I was able to watch many episodes of its cartoon series. The fate that befell some characters and the ending was far from the original. Well, that's how it was translated; nothing more that can be done with it. For the rest, it would probably be a great movie overall.
08 MAY 2k6: For the love of: water, Java & the Condor Heroes
April 21st - At a not-to-be-disclosed resort in Laguna, a PAU conducted its 'team building' (synonym for: summer outing) activity by letting its men (and women; and their kin) harass four pools almost all day long. Humans weren't classified as amphibians, but these people behaved as such due to their affinity to the water. This resulted in a sunburn for the careless ones. Contrary to the majority of the population, a subgroup assumed it was winter and went directly into hibernation, which was unlike another subgroup; members first stored carbs before engaging a long sleep. Still another subgroup behaved like environmentally friendly vehicles by guzzling alcohol instead of gasoline; but at a rate that would dry up a well in a span of 36 hours, or less.. okay, maybe much less. Anyways, 'twas a really fun and exciting event!!!
April 25th - J.I.M. III. Freebies (coffee cup shirt!!!). Good food. Foreign experts that seemed to be chanting Latin due to accent. Coffee session after. Book reading after. Went home, watched a bit, then slept happily
ever after.
Another accident led to the discovery of Ali G / Borat / Bruno. Three distinct characters played by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Each appears on the Ali G Show and interview people (some are prominent ones). Ali G (the main character) is an English living in the tradition of hip hop and gangsta; he interviews with stupid misconceptions about the topics he tackles, sometimes interchanging completely different but similar-sounding terms or phrases. Some of the people he had interviewed are: Kobe Bryant, former UN top brass Boutros-Boutros Gali, Posh Spice and David Beckham, representatives from DEA, FBI, NASA, and executives from the TV and publishing industry. Borat is a naive Kazakh reporter and asks about cultures (British and American) and in the process relates his own culture as well. Bruno asks mostly about fashion; claims to be an Austrian gay reporter, and sometimes forces straight males he alleges as homosexuals to confess their being gay. Though the portrayal of these characters have sparked protests because they delve on controversial topics (misogyny, anti-Semitism, racism, etc..), the producers defend that by exposing these matters, they make the world aware about what's going on.
For a change, I'll try to watching TV regularly so that my monitor won't have the sole responsibility of destroying my eyes. The show I'll be watching is entitled L*** of the Condor Heroes and airs @ 9:30 pm weekdays on GMA7. Originally named as Return of the Condor Heroes, it is the second part of a trilogy by Jinyong (a Chinese novelist), and is about the love story between martial artists Yang Guo and his teacher, the beautiful Xiaolongnu; she's older only by four years. The setting of the novel is during the Mongolian invasion of China. I was able to watch a cartoon version of the story called Legend of Condor Hero on AXN but unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish it. Maybe this time I'll be able to watch the conclusion of the story. The production has such a high quality of visual effects / fight scenes for a TV series. Another reason to lower workaholism and net addiction.
06 APR 2k6: PFT Meltdown
Had this year's 1st PFT 2 weeks ago. Pushups: 40; sit-ups: 40; 2-mile run: 16:15. First two went down by 5 again to improve running time by 15 seconds. The night before, I can hardly sleep due to doubts of passing the said test. Too much work hampers me from improving on it and my increasing appetite is exponentiating my fat mass. I PROMISE TO IMPROVE FOR THE NEXT PFT!!!
A buddy accidentally found a streaming video of a stand-up comedy on the web; this video rocks! It's about a comedian, Pablo Francisco, imitating the voice in movie previews. This video definitely is of the must-watch kind.
Movies watched this month:
Fearless - Based loosely on the life of Huo Yuanjia, a Chinese martial artitst who started the Jing Wu Sports Foundation. During the period after China lost the Opium Wars, Americans, Brits, Japs and some other foreigners occupied the country and sought to humiliate the Chinese by staging martial arts contests. Huo participated in several matches and his victories raised nationalism in his fellow citizens, and became a national hero for it. Great film for a Jet Li fan, but a bit disheartening too because it had been rumored that Fearless would be his last martial arts flick. And don't leave out the word "loosely". Being a Hollywood film, spices had been added to the story and was skewed. The movie shows that his young daughter, still a toddler, was murdered and that's the reason his grandson is suing the producers. Also, he didn't die during his last match; he was invited to dinner by Japanese martial artists. During that dinner, his food was laced with poison. He died three months later. The formulaic plot: arrogant child made a terrible mistake that led to a family disaster, went away to recover, and came home to become hero. Always earns tops. Forgivable enough for many. Otherwise, it would have earned much less, unlike Alexander, a Colin Farrel starrer about the popular conqueror, Alexander the Great. It had been true to history, but its box office traction was poor.
But would it be better if a movie wins admiration not because of following a tried-and-true formula, but because of employing novel ways to deliver spectacular entertainment?..
Damn right! As you'd witness in this "show's" next feature, so don't change channels, we'll be right back after the commercial break...
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Ice Age (!!) - I loved the first installment which was about the possible life animals during the dawn of the Ice Age. This movie is better if not equal to the first (I say it's better). Many funny moments here, mostly not slapstick. The odd herd of a mammoth, sloth and tiger returns. Manny, Sid and Diego this time have to exercise their survival instincts to escape a brewing catastrophic flood caused by the global warming phenomenon's melting of glaciers. They're joined by a pair of happy-go-lucky possum dudes and their "sister", a female mammoth blindly convinced that she's of the same species. 3D animated movies are relatively new in the movie world. And the one-of-a-kind story generates a lot of scenes that make you laugh through the end of the movie. Another addition to my "greatest movies of all time" list. To attest to my love, I ordered a BK kid's meal to avail of a Scrat (the acorn-loving, "accidentally cool", prehistoric squirrel) toy.
05 MAR 2K6: IRREVERSIBLE
After reading the Da Vinci Code, the next read was Angels and Demons; it's the first novel that the hero Robert Langdon is featured. This time it centered around antimatter, CERN, Catholicism, the Vatican, Italy, the sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini, the ancient Illuminati brotherhood, ambigrams, and assassins. Some friends say it's better than the Da Vinci Code, but I like the former due to its reference to Da Vinci, one of the humans I admire most. I hope I'd be able to read his other two novels: Digital Fortress and Deception Point, although they are novels by Brown that have different protagonists. An upcoming novel, which would be Langdon's third adventure, may (or may not) come out soon. I hope the legal battles Dan Brown is facing won't shut out this work.
I wouldn't want to miss on mentioning a local author, Bob Ong. His style of writing is one which I'd like to write in, but I'm far from being near his level yet. The stories are entertaining, and the ideas have depth, focusing on issues like being a student, religion, local politics, and writing. I just finished Stainless Longganisa a few days ago. Last year I've read ABNKKBSNPLAko and Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Liro ang Pilipino. That's 3 out of 5. Two more to go: Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas and Ang Alamat ng Gubat.
Weeks ago I attended Shaina Jenelle's christening. She's Kuya Sammy and Ate Jen's first baby. The rites were held at St. William's Cathedral, San Fernando City, La Union. It was also Deilmer's 5th birthday celebration. Then we spent almost the whole afternoon at the beach; singing, eating, and hosting games for the kids. I had to bail before the party ended because I had to be back to Metro Manila before midnight.
The Oscars results are out. I think I'll be able to watch half of the winning entries, or maybe even more. Recently watched:
(1) Munich - eleven Israeli athletes were murdered during the 1972 Olympics, this movie relates what happened after the terrible incident;
(2) IRREVERSIBLE. The tag line: Time destroys everything. French Film by Gaspar Noe which came out 2002 starring Monica Bellucci and Sam Cassel, the lucky man that would later on becme her husband (ouch!). Kinda old already for some moviebuffs; but would surely be new to others because it had a limited release and wasn't publicly shown here in the P.I. One possible reason behind it (other than not being a Hollywood film) would be gruesome scenes. Think in a fire-extinguisher-kisses-person's-face-many-times way; imagine such object being used to alter a person's dental profile or utilized to administer a 'facial makeover'. But still, it's a good movie. Artistically done in a novel way: the scenes were shown in reverse order, meaning the last scene was, basing on the story's timeline, chronologically the first. The movie shows it's hard to be rational when some jerk does something horrible to your loved one/s (in some other cases in real life, the tragedy may be the result of an accident). It hurts you more if you're partly to blame. Fits of rage ensue; and it becomes difficult to avoid doing stupid things (like being violent). The people closest to you may or may not understand your situation. But in the end, there's nothing more you can do to take back what happened. Yes, in life, we sometimes wish we could turn back time. To correct what we did wrong. But what's done is done. Don't cry over spilled milk. The best thing to do would be to learn and move on. elbisreverri.
05 FEB 2k6: Pacman mabuhay!!! ; March of the Underlings
Pacquiao and Morales had their rematch weeks ago so that Pacquiao can avenge his defeat last March. It'd surely be remembered as a classic showdown. I had confidence that Pacquiao would win, although I almost bet on Morales just so that not everyone else would be against him winning the fight. But surely enough, Pacquiao got the best of his opponent. Things were a little in favor of El Terrible during the first few rounds but by round 6, the turning point of the fight, Pacman nailed him to the ropes and was saved more humiliation by the ringing of the bell. More rounds went by, and by the tenth round, Morales fell. TKO. The first that was inflicted on him in his entire career. And that was given by no other than the Philippines' best pound-for-pound boxer. Pacquiao's career will surely skyrocket internationally, and this may herald Morales' downfall.
I forgot to mention it months ago (it's not that important): I'm now a rank higher: Private first class. That marks one year in the service. Only (less than) two more to go..
After the conclusion of the next recruitment cycle, me and my buddies now have juniors ("underlings"). New enlistees we can also give orders to at will. Even though there are ten of us, our number was too small to be able to tackle the projects in The Organization. Now, there are 20 more (50 persons were recurited all in all, but the other 30 won't be programmers) undergoing training (I'll be helping on the technical side.). This would make things easier for us guys, who have been doing all sorts of multitasking just to satisfy the information requirements of our Clients; and would push further the Organization's modernization program.
My Valentines this year will certainly be different compared to the past four years. But its alright. One can be "whole" even when alone, and I believe in the concept of "alone but not lonely".
New & recently watched: Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Underworld Evolution
05 JAN 2k6. New year. New beginning (!?)
The new year is already here (not to mention , and for me, symbolizes a new beginning. Time to start over but not necessarily a drastic one. Who says that you'll need to start from zero?! Even though the previous year was not so great, with the right attitude, this year could be a much better one. 2006 is the Year of the Dog, and I was born on another Dog year. Seems like I'll be luckier. A good start would be to finish some tasks which were left not completed because yours truly was still a busy man during vacation; busy with friends and family. My spending time with loved ones is something in which starting over does not make sense; just have to build on it. And, yeah, I'd give effort for my new year's resolutions.
I recently finished the Da Vinci Code this week. A mystery novel covering topics such as cryptography, art, history, religion, and Da Vinci, it was a book that was definitely entertaining and informative. An excellent novel by Dan Brown; so good it will be adapted to the big screen and will be in theaters on May 19th (2006 will be a good year for movies..). Some such things were: Leonardo da Vinci, Da Vinci's popular paintings, Fibonacci sequence, Atbash cipher, PHI, Divine Proportion, Knights Templar, Louvre Museum, Catholicism, Priory of Sion, Holy Grail, Opus Dei, Paris, London, Westminster Abbey, paganism, and ancient/modern symbols. Although many consider it to be anti-Catholic/anti-Christian, many people also think otherwise. Best thing to do is make some research too and decide. Besides, if one has faith, he/she won't be troubled by this book because having faith means that you believe in something even if no evidence / logical explanation (that may prove or disprove it) exists.
Movies watched last vacation: Hercules (animated movie); King Kong
DECEMBER 5,2K5: PFT-Q4/2k5; FIGHT CLUB
Just attended a presentation this morning regarding the current system I'm co-developing with others. We've had four presentations during the previous month. This system (which started October) is still in its infancy and incorporates an email/SMS alerting system (that's my focus). I've also been assigned as the server admin (an IBM xSeries 236) and install source control and build automation software (CVS-CruiseControl). The project is based on AppFuse (a Spring-based web app kickstarter) using JSF and Hibernate. I'll also work on reports (Jasper, iReport). Previous work (wow, it's only now that I mentioned these..) included: some class to extract text from a PDF and search for a certain regexp regarding serial numbers; MSSQL-PostgreSQL migration of a huge DB necessitating complex scripts and small specialized Java apps for dealing with the data; running Liferay and Wordpress; installing infosystems, Linux or Windows, running apache / mysql / postgresql / bugzilla / mvnForum / searchblox / Liferay and some other software I've forgotten about; some R&D on these things mentioned; presentations; proj documentation; teach html, MS office, Java; readings on XP and agile methodology, OOAD, some EJB. Seems like an awful lot, but I could have done much more, and should have become more specialized in Java. Next year, I'll make it an even more productive one.
Had my fourth and last PFT for this year last Nov 29th, and my stats for 2-min push-ups, 2-min sit-ups and 2-mile run are: 45, 45, 16:30 min. First two stats went down from 50 and my running time went down by a minute. OMFG!! I've gotten slower! And it's because I got heavier. I had wanted to gain weight and my goal of exceeding 60 kg has been reached, but the other goal, maintaining speed even with additional weight, wasn't achieved. I haven't been running often, maybe that's why, but laziness isn't the main culprit. I'll work on that, I still want to cover 3.2 in 15 min. or less.
Almost forgot: I met with close college friends days ago, and another one about three weeks ago. Some I haven't seen in a year, but most I haven't seen for a couple of years; that was since graduation. It's great having seen them again, here in Metro Manila, even though time was short (had to go home at 2 am 'coz I'll be on duty at 8 and I'd need a few hours of sleep), and I'm glad everyone's doing just fine. High school friends, we see each other every couple of months or so. Everybody's busy, or away and unavailable. If not, then some have gotten lazy. Because of being too busy. Because they got too tired already. It's a common situation for many people moving on to the next stage of their lives: experiencing much much more of the "real" world, and having to work. You'd have to distribute time among family, friends, workmates, and other people. Throw in some party / fun / adventure and also some "lows". This is life as I currently know it..
New page: my understanding of Existentialism
Recently watched:
Merry Christmas - fraternizing during war. World war 1, 1914, Christmas. Brits and Scotts were fighting against the Germans. This movie was based on a true story, centering around the lives of the leaders of each camp and a German opera singer. Despite days of exchanging bullets and grenades, on Christmas day, they found themselves shaking hands with each other on the "no man's land" (the area between opposing sides' trenches), drinking together, and playing soccer (or was that football). Higher officers of each camp which were not on the "front" learned about this and transferred their men to other areas, but the real story was that fighting resumed during the afternoon. This act never happened again in any subsequent war. My entire life, I've never seen a war movie such as this. A war is going on but enemies befriended each other, albeit briefly, to celebrate the birth of Christ. Very nice story about the spirit of Christmas. And did I mention Diane Kruger is the leading lady?
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Harry's adventures continue. Voldemort is back. The truth is out thWWWere.
Fight Club - Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.
In connection with this month's new page, Existentialism, we focus on Fight Club, an Edward Norton/Brad Pitt/Helena Bonham- Carter starrer and is based on Chuck Palahniuk's novel. The main character/narrator who is about to be killed traces back his life months before he arrived at his current situation. From being bored with corporate life, to attending support groups of survivors of fatal diseases, harboring anger against a female fake survivor, to meeting a good friend, their initial fight, establishing a club, the planning terrorist acts by his friend without him knowing, we witness the events unfold. His friend, whom late in the movie became his enemy, was no one else but a product of his imagination. His friend was someone he may have envisioned himself to be. One of the more important aspects of the movie is that it compels us to think about our lives and how we live it (e.g. the perception of a reality; on society; one's identity); it raises questions that many wouldn't even dare ask (if you wake up at a different place at a different time, would you still be the same person?). Many ideas of this film is based on a nihilistic/atheistic type of Existentialism. But if you'd read more about this philosophy, early Existentialist ideas relation of a God and humans. theistic. It was only later that an atheistic form developed. I'm not qualified as an expert on these so you better watch and read if you're highly interested.
NOVEMBER 5,2K5: Busy month, air hockey, home again, MySQL 5 & OOo2
It's been a very busy month, really!!! Had to work during night time. And things won't change till next year, I think. And before I typed this, things got a bit more complicated. My dual-boot workstation won't boot Windows XP. I'd have to finish a summary of October using Linux Fedora Core 4. I'm still more acquainted with Windows. I'd want to be more proficient in Linux if only my work doesn't require such a fast pace. But hey, I won't let work kill other aspects of my life.
Even though I was real busy, I got to go home again this month, whew. Was able to unwind a bit. Yeah, I followed (not everything, though) the travel route I detailed months ago. Kinda tiring? Nah! It's way of enjoying when I have the chance to get away from work. I went to Jollibee with my three cute 'pamangkins' and my sisters. My nieces, Andrea/AJ and Trisha/Xatot, and nephew Anjo, have grown taller and more 'active', to the point that my sisters-in-law get to their wits' end. Yup, my pamangkins are slowly growin' up. -- change topic -- I also got to watch two movies. The Aviator and Sky Captain. Aviator's about the life of Howard Hughes, a pioneer in the aviation industry. Sky Captain tells of a future with robots and old-school planes and some mad scientist planning to destroy the world. Both have funny scenes, with Sky Captain having more of those. Speaking still of movies, I got to watch Gone in 60 Seconds just hours ago. Nice movie too, touching on the dazzle of cars, gang rivalry, and that fraternal bond. Got 70 plus more to eliminate from my list of movies to watch (excluding currently showing and upcoming ones). Good luck!!!!
I don't usually go to gaming zones in malls; I'd only watch people who play arcade. I had a liking for, but wasn't able to play, Soul Calibur. But I'm not much into that so it's just fine for me. There's also that machine you punch to test how strong you could deliver a blow; the thing is, there's not much excitement about it. But recently, I got to try, and went on to love, one of the attractions of a gaming zone: Air Hockey. It's super, duper fun!! The first time I played it with 3 buddies, we played the game for over an hour. When we finally stopped, we're all dripping with sweat already from all the rapid action and laughter; the aircon didn't have much use. From now on, gaming zones will be more frequented and won't be left out on mall trips anymore,where there's an Air Hockey table, that is.
Two of the most popular open source tools in the world have just been released last month. One's a database and the other an office suite. MySQL 5, released 24 Oct, is an enterprise-grade DBMS . Some enterprise-level features like triggers, views, cursors and stored procedures have been added. Though Postgresql is more advanced, MySQL is used by more developers. Another product, OpenOffice.org 2, was released October 20. It's composed of office productivity programs that can serve well average office suite users. Although not quite on the level of MS Office, it's gaining loyalty from many individuals and organizations across the IT world. Why? Because, like MySQL, it's a quality product and it's free. You get a good product for no cost at all, and there's no need to pay for features you'd rarely use! Congratulations to the developers who made these great products!
OCTOBER 10,2K5: Something to look forward to; Canon; Parting wishes
During a conversation with a friend a couple of weeks ago, I got reminded (indirectly) of one of the things that keeps us people going on through life. Although in my friend's case, it was (maybe) just a small matter, considering it on a higher level makes a lot of sense. My friend wouldn't want to miss this reality TV show, even when faced with lots of tasks to do under a very busy schedule. However tiring the work day is, this friend does everything just to be home on time and be able to watch the show. My friend has something to look forward to. Making a day a week, it may be that one's motivation would be to get together with friends by weekend. Now, if you stretch the time frame and have a greater goal in mind other than watch TV, wouldn't it be very motivating to hang on through all those years of your life 'till you finally reap the fruits of your hard work. A simple but very noteworthy concept.
Recently, I've been scouting for MIDI files because the MIDI format have gained a new use for me. One of the first pieces I searched for was Pachelbel's Canon in D Major (and next was Metallica's Fade to Black, Ruruoni Kenshin opening theme Sobakasu, and X-Men theme). Right now, I got 40 plus of files of Canon, including jazz and dance versions (there's even a 'psychotic' version!). The music was created by Johann Pachelbel during 1690 (Baroque period of European music, which came before the Classic period). It's very popular; Vitamin C's Graduation Song and the Pet Shop Boys' Go West was loosely based on it. My Sassy Girl (a Korean movie / love story) featured it. And it won't hurt to note that it's also being played at weddings. The Canon's msuic genre is said to be relaxing and stimulates the mind, as some studies showed. I can attest to it. If you haven't done it in a while, better listen to classic music too.
Two immediate seniors in our directorate have "jumped off" during the first to undergo a year of OCS (Army officership for those who didn't go to PMA) training. Next time I see them, they'd be First Lieutenants already. Now, I've heard life can be grueling at training camp (lack of sleep, 7K+ runs and exercise 3 times a day, extensive study on Army doctrines, lots of workouts, limited food, involvement in some battles against insurgents; much more so that they're training for officership) so I'm hoping the best for them. Good luck and God bless to Pfc Valenzuela and Pfc de Guzman!!
I'd also want to give a goodbye to Corporal Andes who joined our Creator just last month. At 27, it's kinda sad that someone has to go so early. But that's how life is.
Watched this month:
Cinderella Man
It's about a boxer's the rise and fall during the United States' Depression Period, and then climbing back to the top once again. James Braddock was a promising boxer, but he narrowly lost the championship during 1929. Having to provide for a family of three kids and a wife, life for him was very difficult during the Depression years; working at the docks even if his arm was injured. When he became involved in a certain boxing match, the audience was astonished to see him win. He then got involved in other matches until he finally won the championship against Max Baer during 1935. In each of those bouts, he was the underdog, but each time he fought, he won, which earned him the title "Cinderella Man". This enabled him to finally make life better for his family. Also, he became the American masses' idol, they believed that his quest for glory symbolized America's recovery. That was what the story focused on. But his story was also different. He wasn't like other heroes' story of striving to help the country or do something helpful to the world. He was just a father who did all he can to take care of his family. And that's what makes this movie a gem.Final Fantasy: Advent Children
This is not a sequel to the original Final Fantasy movie. But still, it was a great visual treat. 3D animated graphics at its best. If you haven't played FF7 (the game from which the movie's storyline stemmed from), you could at least read about it (think Wikipedia; lots of good reads here). To sum it up, it's about Cloud's (the hero, a would-be Soldier) getting over his dark past while dealing with new enemies (Kadaj's gang) who threaten to revive the main villain, Sephiroth, who was destroyed (concluding the plot of the game's storyline). Improvements in 3D imaging made Tifa (sigh..) really beautiful, and Bahamut was kinda scary. Action scenes were impressive too (lots of them during the second half). FF lovers surely wouldn't miss this movie.
Other Notable links:
stoptazmo.com - manga source (Japanese comics: Naruto, Yu Yu Hakusho...)
southparkstudios.com - South Park web page
SEPTEMBER 15,2K5: Ber Period
The Ber Period (months ending in 'ber') is here, which started September first! Amihan is starting to cool our place; the rains don't help. Christmas is now "just around the corner"; I hear Christmas songs already!!! But before Dec 25th, All Saints' Day comes first (November 1). And after Christmas will be New Year, which for me, is a better symbolization of hope because there is a new period for starting over again. I am very eager about new year already, because this year has been somewhat a disappointment. With the coming of another year, a new period will dawn, and will usher better times.
My Conversations with God book 1 is missing. Searched all over for it at home; can't find it. Sheesh!!
Been at Star City just last week, I enjoyed some of the rides. I wasn't able to try all of them. I also tried playing at some game booths (or whatever they're collectively called) and after literally throwing away 200 pesos, won a small toy: a dog lying on its belly. I did'nt get to keep it. Why? Because its photo is not displayed on this site (?!). But, primarily, it was for Jerald, my female officer's toddler that I babysit sometimes. This sojourn is one of many firsts again; I wasn't able to experience Star City during earlier years due to its location and my inclination for such places, but certainly not due to fear. If you think otherwise, I dare you to ride on Round-Up three or more times, successively. Or maybe take me to E.K. (next target) and let's get on the ride that gives adrenaline rush the most any number of times. Quitter = pathetic.
One other first I had this month was to go to a spa with two buddies. The place is Humanessence Spa, somewhere in North Ave, Quezon City (near PCCorner). At Php 295 for shower, sauna, massage, and a choice of coffee or tea (sipping it while you're in the lounge; watching TV or listening to music), it's a very good deal. I don't see it as vanity but as giving oneself TLC. One should break off from the busy world once in a while and indulge in relaxation; this will recharge your batteries and will liven you up once again. I'll be back there in about 3 months and by that time, almost all of my buddies will be with me. Sweeet!!!
New stuff:
AUGUST 11,2K5: PFT; Korean movies, South Park (!); Children's Birthday Party and Conversations with God
Just had this year's third quarterly physical fitness test this morning (with some workmates in our unit) and got 45 push-ups, 45 sit-ups, and covered 3.2 km in 15:30 (passing scores for my age bracket are: is 36,36,17:09). 1st and 2nd stats I had were: 45,45,14:xx and 50,50,14:xx. Guess I have to change one statement I put in my Friendster account profile whcih says I can cover 3.2 km in under 15 min., or train harder to regain the record. It'd be hard, though, 'cause I've been puttong on some weight; I had to gain some to look like a normal, healthy human, you know. But this weight gain, and lack of training, slowed me down, which led to my having doubts in passing the PFT. Good thing, I was able to get through. By the way, while having the exam on running, the rain poured. It's half enjoyable (running while feeling raindrops hit your face) and half not (you'd have to laundry clothes immediately, and the shoes too, oh no!). I remember, during the previous month, I've joined two 'Fun Run' sessions (with a large group) where it also rained; my shoes were sounding squish, squish every step when my feet got wet.
On movies: I watched two Korean movies, My Sassy Girl and Windstruck. Both were romantic comedies, although Sassy Girl has a happier ending. Interweaving love and comedy, the lead female characters in each movie (played by the same actress; Jun Jyung or something; gorgeous!) were dominant over the lead male characters (Is somethin' goin’ on here? hmmm..) Take note, the latter movie is not a sequel. A buddy said that watching these movies makes you feel the joy of fallin' in love once again. Whatever. But matter-of-factly, I enjoyed both movies, mainly due to the humor-filled scenes. I'd recommend them as movies worth viewing. It shows that Korean movies have substance, another good alternative to cliche-ridden Hollywood films. That's why I'm watching out for Arahan (Korean martial arts flick) right now. Hey, I'm not done with movies yet.. Finally after ?? years, I was able to watch South Park the movie, South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut. If you don't know what's in it, it's about grade school students being influenced by bad media; they cuss, do nasty things, and the like. Then things go wrong in the neighborhood, blah blah blah. Never mind how it all ends up; my point is, I was able to watch the movie of a cartoon series wherein I only had a few episodes watched, and which I enjoyed so much because of its great job of parodying people or other shows and current issues (Lord of the Rings, David Blaine, etc.). Very funny and entertaining indeed.
Last week, I attended to an officer's kid's birthday party (with some buddies) and had the pleasure of setting up the classroom for the birthday. Imagine, a troop in battle attire, blowing balloons, setting up the room for a birthday party, giving the food to the children, playing with them, singing with them. That's so cool!! One of the perks I had was having to eat a kiddie meal too, haha. Of course we had a birthday cake, I even ate hotdog and marshmallows on stick and that drink that looks like two hotdogs joined together, and in which you'd bite one end then suck out the juice. Good practice for actor-wannabies aiming for a Dracula role.
Before the said birthday party but just after setting up the place, I had a break and a chance to read some books in the adjacent one-room library. It's actually the community library, and found books ranging from coloring books to even 'mature' ones; what a good mix of reading material. One of the interesting books I found was Conversations with God II. There are three Conversations books; I've read the first years ago (forgot the ideas there too); the third one I have yet to read after I finish the second, which I got the chance to start reading at that time. I'd like to finish the books II and III (after I finish re-reading the first one) 'cause the ideas here are so damn profound and enlightening. Although the author Neale Donald Walsche's system of beliefs are branded as a New Age religion, it coincides with my own set of principles. Very timely because I need to reorganize (internally) right now. Gotta fix things that got broken. A Gem of thought before parting: Never ever, ever ever, EVER, attempt to fix something that ain't.
New stuff:
Wish List
Tips on choosing kicks
JULY 10,2K5: "It's what you do that defines you." - fr. Batman Begins;
family & travel route
- Viewed Batman Begins weeks ago (and Incredibles after that, on VCD, very cute!!!), and it was very interesting. I sure do think it lived up to its hype even though it disappointed others. This movie is a prequel to the original Batman movie played by Michael Keaton; it explores the life of Bruce Wayne after his parent's death and before becoming the Batman we came to know about in the very first movie. Although there are things that are different from the original storyline, it's still a very good movie considering the content, cinematography and (some of) the values exhibited. The most interesting idea here is about one's actions, which goes something like "It's your actions that define you." In my view, this is a very true principle especially when coupled it with making one's decisions. Rephrasing the line: "It's your decisions and corresponding actions that define you". No matter what background you have, what kind of life you've had, it's how you decide who you're gonna be and what you'll gonna do about it that matters the most. Why? Because even if you belong to some religion and even if you're a member of a respectable family when you don't act the way an individual of such background should, you can't be considered to be a representative of such even if it had been expected that you be one. On the contrary, if you've been a bad person (or recognized as the fruit of one) in your earlier years and have chosen (AND MADE THE APPROPRIATE ACTIONS, ) to be good, then you can be called a 'good' person. If you've always wanted to avoid telling lies (note the decision made), but do nothing in telling the truth, you're still a liar 'coz you didn't do anything about it (shame on you). You are someone who will be judged (in this world) by your actions. What makes a man a man (or a woman a woman)? The decisions/actions/choices he/she makes.
- After missing my beautiful niece's 3rd birthday last June 13th and the disappointment of not being able to come home during my grandma's 91st birthday last June 25th (I even bought her sandals with two other male buddies; but the 'organization' was on red alert status on this day), I finally managed to go home to the province just last friday (1st of July). I arrived 2 am, woke up 7 am, and spent quality time with my family (gave the gifts, took care of my nieces/nephew, chat w/ parents) 'til 11. By 1230 I spent time with friends at Sn Fdo, til 330 pm then went to my maternal grandparents' home there to spend time with uncles, aunts, and first cousins and their kids. Shaina Jeanelle, Kuya Sam and Ate Jen's first child is now over 1 month old. She's very cute, it's in the genes you know (huh??), and will surely grow up taller than most girls her age. Her birthday is May 28; a gemini (very good zodiac sign) just like her uncle (that's me!!!). Of course, there's Deil (now in kindergarten) and Dean, 'mga makukulit at malikot', very hyperactive kids (but interestingly, Deil behaves at school). Come 5 pm and I was on my way up to Baguio to spend the night with still another friend and with my sisters studying 'on the mountains'. Stayed at the City of Pines til 3 pm then went home. (This is not yet the end of the story)... I spent more time with my family upon arriving at 5 pm, went on to prepare my things, slept at 9 pm, woke 11 pm, and by 12 am, I was heading back here, Metro Manila trying hard to get some sleep while sitting in different positions in the sleep-depriving aircon bus. 4 am, I reached the barracks slept a bit, and when the clock struck 8, I'm at the office again. (whew!!! very busy schedule!!). You see, this will be my probable life & travel route every month. Go far north, attend to family an friends, go north still a bit, go upward to the east, go down westward then go far south, then work again.. Not mentioning the life during regular weekdays and weekends, this would be my so-called-life for over two more years.
New things on this site:
my freindster pix; I've now put them on this site
new links (scout around the page for them)
passin the SCJP exam and blog links - in the Computer section
kicks i have - in the Kicks section (I wonder what took me so long here)
Lastly.. I found a catchy (for various reasons) line: "I was an athiest until I realized I was god." ... I'm sure readers will have mixed reactions about this. Whaddya think?
---END--
JUNE 1,2K5: Rediscovery
- Over a month has passed since the separation; so how are things going? Can say everthing's just about ok. The transition can be a bit rough but with the companionship of newfound and old friends alike, life is more enjoyable. We're starting to enjoy re-living the life of what I call a single-and-available individual, just have to re-learn it. Also, gotta learn from and figure out how to avoid the mistakes of the past. No commitments for now, maybe not in a few years, but one can never be absolute regarding these kinds of things 'coz you never know when you'd fall for someone again. By the way, you may have observed that the chronology of news entries before the announcement don't seem to jive; details weren't publicized til everything about the issue got wrapped up.
- So what to do with life right now? First, the usual stuff: work and enhancing profession-related skills (technical and non-technical), go home once a month to see my parents, siblings and nieces and nephew and also my relatives. In addition to that, I'd hang-out with workmates/buddies, and friends and go visit places I haven't gone to. Theres more: just recently, we had a family reunion at Mandaluyong, I got to meet some aunts, uncles, and 2nd cousins I haven't seen in a long time. Last time me and my 2nd cousins saw each other was when we were in grade-school. They used to go to the province and have their summer vacation at our home. When we got older, they weren't able to come over during summer anymore. Now'd be a great time to spend time together again.
- Another thought: it seems that after high school and upon entering college there were a lot of interests that suddenly got scrapped. It wasn't so sudden, but some things I used to do, I didn't do in college anymore (special mention: reading Pugad Baboy and comic books!!!). I'm reintroducing these things again (especially those relevant to the present). I should also regain zest I used to have in discovering things; much as I had it several years ago. What could be a better time to rediscover (and discover new things too, of course!!) than now; restrictions have been lifted. I'm kinda 'Unleashed' (great movie this one is .. having a bad past and choosing a good future). But this unleashed thing better not take me far into the dark side, or else I'd be misusing the Force ( great movie, too, Star Wars Episode 3; enjoyed very much witnessing Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader). Movies I'm watching out for in the next few weeks: Batman Begins!!!!!!!, Sin City!!!!!!!, Fantastic Four!!!!!!!, Mr. and Mrs. Smith!!!!!!!.
- By the way, I just read last night in a new Nike feature about Steve Prefontaine, a very famous US (rebel) athlete. Check out Nike Running to know more about him. There's this quote attributed to him that struck me, and I want to share it; great thing to ponder on. It says: TO GIVE ANYTHING LESS THAN YOUR BEST IS TO SACRIFICE THE GIFT. This is closely related to Nike's motto: JUST DO IT. Next thing for you to do is: think; contemplate. News ends here, til next time!
MAY 1,2K5: Rad & Rei no more; Rad the SCJP
- After three years of solidarity (or bondage, perhaps; haha), 8 months of disintegration , 2 months of revelations, emotional turmoil, verbal exchanges, and, after concluding talks last week, the unity that was Rad and Rei has now become a thing of the past. Things change, people change (or maybe they [disappointingly] did not change at all). I don't believe in alchemy, so probably nothing will ever be turned into gold, but some things turn into sh-t, believe me! (One such example will be the food we eat, isn't that true? hee hee) If differences become so great, compromises can't be reached, and the mounting problems turn into massive landslides, then termination is necessary. Let time heal the ~painful,pathetic~ wounds of the past. Anyway, the friendship, or what's left of it is still there. **can still laugh at it** So from here, we'd have to move on...
- ... and we're really moving on, so here is the next item: Two weeks ago, an unexpected/freak incident, or maybe call it God's will, suddenly forced me and a workmate to review for the SCJP exam (ask best friend Google what it means). I objected due to many (valid) reasons (read on to find out), but the objection was overruled, because the "organization" is not an ordinary one (warning: this is mentioned not in a negative manner). The past months I tackled a not-so-related project, so I wasn't exactly ready for the exam due to lack of practice, putting also to mind that even if the project concerned the said "subject" of the exam, it won't ensure that I'll pass. Why? Because it covers some aspects that don't need to be bothered much with during development. I had tried to study for the said exam almost a year ago although I knew I won't be taking it very soon; I had forgotten much because of undertaking training which was not focused on passing. This meant that two weeks won't be much time to review. Luckily, resources were available, including the certification guide book and accompanying CD from Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates, and a slew of sites which provided pointers, concepts, and mock exams for free; some have been listed in my Computer section's Links page. The rush review still had the risk of failure due to limited time (I had to go home the past weekend), add to that the emotional stress I was having during the past weeks [see paragraph 1]. Maybe I really am blessed, fortunate, or maybe the stars do favor me (thank goodness), because I passed (my other workmates also; there's an 's' because some other workmates have been reviewing for over a month already) the exam with satisfying results. Part of my dreams came true; achieving SJCP status was one of my main career goals. And despite having to carry still a heavy burden, I feel lighter now (plug: 2l, bes pren, tnx 4 sharin' & helpin' out, u did mch), ... Life is B.E.A-utiful!
- I don't hear often from some friends, but one I got recently was the Ferds is now a licensed engineer. Congrats!! Attaboy!!! Furthermore: Xtans's got a new job right now. Zina & Jimi are enjoying Puerto Galera's beauty as I type this entry (too bad I can't come; I can't even go home and enjoy our town fiesta til the 8th, dang), and some people are turnin' 22/23 this month (happy birthday!!!!). Guess who.. [see bday celebs page]
- Not much changes in the site, only a few not-so-obvious ones: I now have the explanation for the shoe design in the Kicks section and some maintenance things. But anyway, news will come monthly at the least. That's all for today, folks!
MARCH 29,2K5: after Lenten Season 2k5
- Kinda disappointing, Pacquiao lost to Morales last 19th. There could be many reasons behind this, but to me, his loss wasn't an embarassment at all. He survived 12 rounds although he sustained a headbutt, got bloodied and pummeled. I wasn't able to watch the fight because I learned the results before it was aired on Philippine TV; I already lost interest in viewing the match. Anyway, it won't signify anything bad for him at all, I have high hopes for Manny, a modern-day inspiration for the rest of us Filipinos.
- Thankfully, our office admin gave us a Lenten season break. I had 3 days (Fri-Sun) to expend time for what I want; for types of employees such as me and my buds, that's a lot of time already compared to the common professional. I was allowed to leave Thursday afternoon, arrived late at night, and spent almost a whole (work) day updating this site the next day, Friday. Believe it or not, that span of time isn't enough to accomplish many things with my site. I still got a lot of things to plug to Rad_Site. I just hope I can push through with the digicam-like theme, I've yet to have enough time to work on it and to improve my graphics design skills well beyond the basics. One signifant new page: the Need to Have Apps page in the Computer Section.
- After updating this site, I spent the folllowing days with my loved ones, catching up on things 'coz nowadays, I'm only able to see them at least once in two weeks, my nieces and nephews are growin' up fast! Then, just the other night, I traveled back here in Makati to focus on work once again. For giving more time to family and taking a trip late at night, I wasn't able to get the right amount of sleep. But that's alright, my time was time well spent. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to meet with friends during the Lenten break..
- .. BUT: my military training has ended. We were recognized last March 11; we had a simple program: a few marches, drills with arms, oath-taking and the open collar ceremony, afterwhich came the best part, food trip! --- WHICH MEANS: Now that I'm recognized, I'm free to roam the metropolis when work hours are over. Surely I'd be spending hours going to places and night outs with my peeps. Got to relax you know. There'd be plenty of time for work and play; Life is Beautiful!!
MARCH 08,2K5: Near end of training period
- Come March 11, me and my buddies' quasi-military training will come to an end . We had two months of physically and mentally demanding activities. It started last January 11 when my batch had our reception. We were made to perform different things for almost half a day. We had to do (100xn counts!!): push-ups, pumpings, mountain climbing (argh!), jumping jacks, helicopter. Officers and personnel made us crawl through a muddy canal, immerse ourselves in a drum of cold and dirty water, roll over and over on dirty ground, do silly things like stupid dance moves, walk in squat-like position while holding your heels, lie down with arms and legs stretched out straight (still very tiring!!), eat lots of chili, produce bubbles with a buddy/2 buddies using toothpaste by touching and rubbing lips vigorously (EWW!!!!), share candy among our troop til it's gone (yuck!), and submerge in a murky lake where carabaos bathe (aargh!).
During the first few weeks after recognition, we had to wake up at 5 am to jog more than 2 kms, and that was just the beginning. After 3 weeks we were jogging for almost an hour to cover 10 kms. Hey wait, before that we had to perform the Army Dozen stretching and strengthening exercises, plus another three warm-up exercises. Kinda hard to perform 4 counts (to make things short: performing push-ups or some other exercise twice will only be counted as 1), 30 repetitions for this regimen. Our batch often had to repeat an exercise over again (another 15 or so repetitions) when one is not in sync with the others. After the exercise and the running, we had to clean the surroundings, offices, and water plants which totals almost an hour even if there are 13 of us!! Things must be finished before seven so that we can clean up and change, eat and brush, then go to work at eight. At 11:30 we'd form at our quadrangle for drills (marches, facings, etc) til 12 noon. After that we'll have lunch then rest till 130 pm. We'd go back to work by then and have military classes at 3 or 4 pm (the most interesting one was about weapons: M14/16; .45; canons & artillery), have more drills, then rest at 5pm. That rest means: clean the compound again for almost an hour. At 6 we eat and rest. At seven we could either go to the office or stay at the barracks but the main things that should be done were to make projects or assignments. Our shelter, obviously the barracks, is almost considered to be cramped but it was enough to house 10 boys and 3 girls; of course the room was partitioned to give the girls a private place.
For these last weeks, our schedule was changed to having exercises in the afternoon in order to pass our Physical Fitness test, which we had a week ago. We practiced push-ups and sit-ups so that we can get a minimum of 35 push ups in two min., 36 sit-ups in 2 min., and run 3.2km in 17 min and 09 seconds or less. Those were the minimum, so we did a lot more than that during exercise periods. All these were done so that we will be physically conditioned; some of my buddies were either not keen on exercising in the past, or were a bit overweight, so some thing had to be done about it. Failure to pass would mean you'd be assigned in war-torn Mindanao, meaning you'll be a front liner in the battale, so you better not fail. Luckily all of us passed the physical fitness test; my stats: 45;45;15:30.
Even though we were having training 8-1130 and 130-3/4 are hours dedicated to working in the office. Focusing on projects is more important than our training, so our training is not actually the Basic Military Training that most soldiers get. We are special enlistees; we became soldiers because of our technical skills, not because of our physical prowess and battle/weapons proficiency. I've been working on a CMS/blog system, so my work, together with a femail buddy, mainly focuses on web technologies like content management, open-source portals, RSS, portlets, and HTML. We are to deploy the system using JBoss+Tomcat/Apache when it finishes by this month. At work it's hard to get by without coffee. Less than 7 hours of sleep makes you really sleepy. There was a week taht I had to drink 4 cups everyday (that is great amount for me already).
This week we're having drills with arms (M16's; the real, bullet-spitting stuff) and practice for recognition day (at last!!!!!). Anyway, before the rights, we will be having a 'second reception' (waaa!!). During the ceremony, we'll have to bend backwards, head up, and wait to be made to stand straight over and over by more than 40 seniors/officers. Two months seem to be a short period, but it seemed a long time when we were having it. Much had happened in the outside world; believe me, we were rarely able to get out of the camp. But after the training, we'll be 'free' again. What's with the quotes? Well, it's not 100 percent applicable to guys like us. Can't wait to get home soon, I need to catch up on many things already; I especially miss my beloved and my nieces and nephew. And after I get back here in Metro Manila, I can now find time to go out with my friends and go many places I'd want to visit, yahoo!!
FEBRUARY 19,2K5: 4 yrs; going strong; still counting...
- Today, me and Elaine (aka Rei) celebrate four years of being 'us'; in sharing a relationship. May we always share the love we have cultivated for (not-)so long. Sad thing is we're celebrating this moment while we are far from each other. Four years can be a short period of time, but the love we have will transcend through eternity. (corny ko, 'no?)
DECEMBER 28,2K4: LATE-EST NEWS
- Geeezzz, more than two months have passed with updates on this site. I must have been very busy (or lazy) you'd think. Yup, I was actually very busy the whole time. That great, big announcement I was talking about, it was all about my having a new job (yippeee!). So now, my morale is a few notches higher than a couple of months ago.
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Lolo Raf/Lola Alex & family, Sir Ralph, Xtan, Kyle, Kuya George
- My new job is what I've really wanted: programming, which is also a hobby. Specifically, I'm a J2EE+Spring programmer in AMIC - the Phil. Army's I.T. Dept., located inside Fort Bonifacio, Metro Manila- , working on web applications. I had rigorous training the past weeks; the pace was virtually in hyperspeed mode. By next year, I'll be developing web-based programs (much more complicated than guestb book and shopping cart systems). What adds more excitement to this is that I'm also an enlisted personnel of the army, in short: a soldier. But my case, together with 9 more buddies, is a special one. If ever we get to infantry training, it would be at a later date. And we will concentrate on programming, unlike normal soldiers. Also on 2005, me and my buddies (Darryl, Don, Mike, Tew, James, Ferdz, Glenn, JB, and Emil) would undergo something called 'Beast Barracks'; training concerning military lifestyle --- 3km/5km/7km runs, 35+ sit-ups and push-ups, army dozen exercises, stay at the barracks, finishing your meal in only a couple of minutes, take a bath and change in 5 minutes flat, shooting practice ... Astig!!!
- On the Sport side: I'm not a die-hard boxing fan, but when Manny Pacquiao will be one of the fighters in the ring, I gotta watch the match. So last Dec. 11, I watched (on TV) his fight with the Thai, Fahsan 3K Battery. Very amusing fight, lasting only 4 rounds. Pacquiao is really a powerful boxer, a world-class athlete, and it makes me prouder to be a Filipino. He had been improving his right hand's power because he's left-handed and obviously, his right hand had become more deadly. I'm eagerly awaiting his rematch with Marquez come February; this would surely be the fight of the year for Filipino Boxing; I guess you already know to whom I'll bet on.
- Wazzup with the shoe world right now: I 'predicted' (I probably ain't the first to) it a couple of years ago, and now it's out - a shoe with a brain/microprocessor/computer. I half-expected Nike to be the first at it, but Adidas got to manufacturing one first. This shoe is aptly named the ADIDAS_1. It works by adjusting the suspension system of the shoe depending on the user's body weight: softer for light people, tauter for heavy ones. Formal launch is on Mar2005. Check Adidas' home page for more info.
- A short obituary for the passing away of RadFlash, my USB flash disk. Got electrocuted 3 weeks ago. Having been shortly moved from a very cold air conditioned room, it perspired due to moisture condensation, and when it was inserted on a certain jinxed PC, its lights dimmed out and its electronics went on short circuit. Next thing I know, I smelled the odor of an IC fried to kingdom come. I'm unable to replace it immediately because of the 'trauma' I had and the cost of buying a new one. Waaahhh, 1,700 pesos got scorched in milliseconds!!! =(
- The new face for this site would probably take longer to implement. I just hope I could start it already, but time's the enemy specially now that I've got a job already. Anyway, I posted a new program in my computer section. I call it iCounter; a simple program with a couple of features for managing a list (tasks, things to buy, etc..). Just fiddle with it if you're interested.
OCTOBER 12,2K4: The Tiger has been unleashed
- Aloha! First off: Good luck to my friends who are taking their board exams this month: Noel, Tita Windel, Christopher (engineering), Thea (accounting) and also to my other friends who, without my knowledge, are also undergoing their board exam review classes right now.
- Congratulations to Carlo and Dorothy! Their little bundle of joy, baby Naomi came into the world on September 27. And by the way, my cousin Elijah turned two on the twenty eigth and Mario's baby Kate turned one year old two days later.
- New pages/links/pictures: You'll have to look around for them, he he he.
- Tiger's out, yay!! JDK/J2SE 5 came out last September 30, promising more speed, efficiency and programming ease with features like: generics, metadata, autoboxing of primitives, variable arguments, and improved desktop. Yeah, Java's just become better, AGAIN; it is very obvious that many improvements have been made; this giant leap had become comparable to Java's ascent from 1.1 to 1.2 (Java 2). I haven't got a copy yet but I'll have one soon enough; I'm curious how the new Ocean Look&Feel looks like. I just can't wait to get my hands on, in my opinion, the world's best and most popular programming language/platform, my favorite one.
- It's hard to but it's time to say goodbye to Kicksology.net. This site concerning shoes, has shutdown after only four years of operation. It had been a big help to the kicks world. The in-depth and very informative shoe reviews, the criticisms and praises to the shoe manufacturers, and all those other shoe stuff will be missed. It was here where I learned the 'science' of shoes, particularly sport shoes. I doubt that any site (at least, not for a relatively long period of time) will surpass this site's impact to thousands of shoeheads out there. I became a shoehead because of this site; after encountering it, my whole perspective on shoes changed, I didn't look at them as 'just something to wear for my foot ' anymore. They're foot rockets. We salute you Prof. K. for having done a great job in running Kicksology.net.
- I also want to announce a theme that I'd be implementing sometime later. It's unnamed yet but it'll be patterned after the looks of digital cameras: chrome & matte surfaces, etc.... With this, I announce the indefinite postponement of the completion of the Night Vision theme 'coz it ain't related much to I.T. and I'm focusing my energies on more worthwhile things. This unnamed theme will be more pleasing to the eye, but still visually interesting, as what was initially promised for the Night Vision theme.
- Lastly, I'm waiting on something before announcing some real big news. Watch out for it...
SEPTEMBER 14,2K4
- Been a bit busy during the previous weeks. I've been learning things and applying at a company as a Java programmer. I really am interested in a Java programming career and I really hope I'd get the job.. I also met with some friends: Xtan, Kyle, Sir Ralph (THANKS GUYS!). By the way, I'm applying at the Makati/MM area already. I stay at my grandma Alex's and Lolo Raf's (and family's) house in Mandaluyong whenever I have to go back south. (MUCH THANKS PO!!!)
- New pages, have been around for a few days already: Gallery PHOTO ART, entirely original pieces of photographic art (I think. On the art part. Nah, I'm really sure about it. THEY ARE WORKS OF ART ACCORDING TO... ME! You got no art sense if you don't appreciate them [i hope]). Another brain child of mine is a shoe design. I just want to show it (at first; almost no one would care to read the boring details). Still another one is the small Psychological/Personality Test. I received the text thru e-mail, and, had to make a web version, although there already is an app version in the downloads section (remember the PTest entry?), due to insistent public demand ('public', in this context, is composed of two things: M and E = ME).
- Updates coming ~~~soon~~~~ [again]. And by that time, hopefully there'd be a very, surely, truly, undoubtedly, really, amazingly, wonderfully, good news. (hint: think big belly, brainstorming for a name, bad moods, bottles and diapers...JUST KIDDING!!!!! PREGNANCY'S NOT IN THE LIST OF POSSIBLE GOOD NEWS (AT LEAST, NOT IN THE FIRST 3 QUARTERS OF THIS DECADE)!! NO, REALLY... GOTTA HAVE SOMETHING TO PROVIDE FOR A FAMILY FIRST. =)
AUGUST
11,2K4
- Hi ya. What do we have here: It's Rad_Site II on Night Vision Theme, Alpha stage. I also modified the style sheet for the Computer Section pages to show you the prototype of CSS based Rad_Site. Also, we now have the meditation page. Additionally, there are the the feedback and birthday celebrants pages (nothing fancy here; an Events page will be good too..), the first PHP-based pages. Now available for downloading, the FileJigsaw, my own version of a file splitter/breaker. If you want to see some other new things, just roam around.
- Just watched 50 First dates, starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandlers a couple of weeks ago, and it sure was fun. You know, a good mix of friendship, animals (you love patting them, not kicking them, don't you?), comedy and love, plus some things that are hard to believe, but are probably true. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's already their (I'm referring to the lead stars only) second team up; the first was in The Wedding Singer (I have yet to watch this movie). As you've been reading here, I really, really liked the movie; I literally watched it daily for a whole week. No need to discuss Spidey 2 already 'coz you'll expect nothing else but praises for that movie from me (the robotic arms are cool, but the movies version of its fusion with Doc Ock was a deviation from the original; anyway, it's still a wonderful movie). Well that's all, till next time posting again. No Worries! (I'm trying real hard to live up this motto)
JULY
21,2K4
- Hey yo!! Welcome to Rad_Site II / 2 / Two, whatever! Today's the formal launch of my site's second rendition. Take note, it's 'SITE', not 'SYT' anymore. Let's face it, the former name's lame. There's no overhyping on this event, it's just my personal celebration of the release of the 2nd version. For Rad_Site II, I hardcoded almost each file from scratch to make sizes smaller. In addition, this site is now located on a different web address (just look at the address bar), not Geocities anymore. It's hard to upload a web site if a host doesn't provide FTP support. There are some new content, like jokes and pictures, and mini java apps, just roam around my site. I have also sectioned Rad_Site into 3 parts. I hope you like the new look and feel I was talking about, but no NightVision theme yet. All the pages have the same structure, but have different stylehsheet files so each section is different in some ways. Many more stuff to come.. +++ I got my PC back already so it feels like I'm on steroids again. I've recently been working with my Linux OS, and it's really very enjoyable albeit some system flaws. It's a refreshing experience not to do Windows. I just wish major apps will have a Linux version already. The home pic is a view of my Linux desktop. As you can see, the X Window system and the Gnome desktop of Linux is far more advanced in many ways. I've been reading on some Linux details so that I can admin Linux boxes. You can't be a ComSci/IT/ComEng grad and not 'really know' Linux, as in 'using it', not just 'reading about / seen it'.
- 2nd thing: My grandma Azon just turned 90 last June 25. Ten more years and she'd be a centenarian. I don't think I'd reach that age; that's quite a feat, she even had a grand celebration for it. Also, my Aunt Laureana had her 67th birthday on July 4. Aunt Laury has the same birthday as my elder cousin Sammy. More birthdays to come! (>>> a Happy Bday page seems like a good idea...)
- CONGRATULATIONS to Elaine for passing the board exam last May. It's only her first time to take it, and now, she's a CPA already! Congrats to all the others who passed their board exams too. For those who didn't, there's still another chance, you can do it. Work harder.. JUST DO IT!
- About work: none yet, I'm still looking so I'm just here at home. Making my PC a SW dev't. lab. I go out sometimes to surf the net. And on some Sundays, I'm a lector at church (IMPOSSIBLE!!!.. but true). More news next time..
MAY 12,2K4
- Election day has passed. I only hope that this 2004 election was a clean one. At least, on the precinct I carried my duty as a pollwatcher, everything went smooth. Although I wasn't able to vote because I wasn't able to register (for the second time already), I helped make a difference in this election by volunteering as a Namfrel pollwatcher. FPJ and Loren had the highest votes here in Agoo. I prefer Lacson because I think we really need discipline right now, but any president will do as long as he/she is not stupid and/or corrupt. I hope everyone who voted did it wisely.
- Also, several days have passed since I left my training. Yah, I got out already. I don't have to mention the reason here. As such, I'd had more time to work on this site, but I forgot what the new pages are so please just look for them if you want to see them. As of now, I'm rewriting Rad_Syt; the next release would be the 2nd version already. There'll be another new look , some new pictures, and new pages/scripts and will retain some content. I also envision having a theme (buttons & colors) for this sight, the first one will be the Night Vision Edition, and my experiments with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets, a tool for formatting web page elements) are showing positive results. With it, I can virtually change the look of this site daily (weekly/monthly would be more practical)! I'm carrying out some more changes. You'll have to wait while I haven't finished with it yet.
- Advanced/Belated happy birthday for the birthday celebrants this month including: Ate Grets & Rhian (2nd), Christan (17th), Dots & Alex (23rd).
- Last but not the least: GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS to those who will be taking up their (licensure) exams this May, most specially to my girlfriend, Elaine, who'll be taking up the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensure examinations. She'd sacrificed and worked hard enough for her upcoming exams already and she'll be a CPA soon (yahoo!).
APR 21,2K4
- Well graduation has passed, but it's never late to congratulate the graduates: Noel, Pearl, Thea, Jenny, Rose, Geps, Donald, and to all the rest as well (can't remember anyone else right now). Congratulations and best wishes too for those who have just been married (Carlo & Dots, etc...) and for those who just had their nth baby (Bert, etc...). Belated happy birthday to to uncle Jim and Rocelle. Advanced happy b-day to Rachelle.
- I also hope and pray that my Uncle Jim will get well soon, he just had an operation due to a colon-related disease. I'll ***soon*** be uploading dear Uncle Jim's and Aunt Laury's picture for everyone to see. These kind and generous relatives of mine have always been supportive to our whole family and one way of showing my thanks is putting everything I can (I'll start with some bits only first) in my website as tribute to their generosity and love. Aunt Laury & Uncle Jim, hope to see you again next time you go home here in the Philippines.
- Not much additions yet as of now. I'm rethinking this site and it may take a long while. Maybe I'll put some more content first (the IT section, as promised) before embarking on changing the look and feel of this site, which will really take long (I think). Can't wait to get new pictures of my nieces and my nephew. I'd like you to see how cute they are. I also plan to include pictures of my 1st cousin's, (Ate Lanie's) kids, and many more pictures of my relatives and friends. I'll be creating mirrors (copy of my web pages on another web site) too some time later.
- About my training... ... just forget about the topic being discussed here. Just ask me when you next time we get together.
MAR 06,2K4
- New sections in this web are sprouting. It's been too long since I've done anything. Actually, some changes were performed this Feb: revision of content and addition of pictures. Right now, there are some new pages (and pictures): the My Beliefs page and an article on computer security. Coming soon: a Computer/IT-related section and a Footwear section. Tons of revisions will still be added, of course (lots of them would be invisible to the eye), but a Guestbook may take a while because the Yahoo Geocities Web Hosting Free version does not support web application development (I ain't got no money to spend for it).
- You might be wondering what's happening with me now, and why have there been too much delay in updating this ~~~beautiful~~~ site. Well it's because I still don't have any job yet BUT am (BUSILY ?!??) training (in a company occupying a place in Baguio, whose name will soon be disclosed) to earn one. This started last February 9, and will take 10 weeks. I'll have my exam after that, and if I pass, I'd be very happy(...-ly employed). If not, I'll have to search for another one and hope my rusting skills won't let me down. So what I do right now is to add new skills and polish existing ones through the training. I'm working with a Mandrake Linux (a different kind of operating system. DIE, WINDOWS!@!!!#$^!!*%!) system right now; trying to be comfortable with the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite. There's a heck of a lot more apps, stuff and goodies in Linux that I gotta learn. Take note: all those things are for FREE (So, pessimist, are you convinced that the concept of "free lunch" exists?!). But I have to admit that Windows is still unrivaled and I still have a liking for it. I'm also learning Java, Dreamweaver (so that I can scrap Frontpage, the one I'm using to make this site), e-commerce solutions formulation, and some other things. My training also touched Apache, PHP, and MySQL DBMS. If you hardly understood what some or most of the terms mean, you'll be enlightened (o, dear wonderer) when the computer section goes online. Until then, continue living in puzzlement, or better yet, surf the net to upgrade your I.T. knowledge.
JAN 15,2K4
- A new look; a new feature; revised pages. 1) I was thinking over how I can improve loading speed and readability of my site so I came up with optimization to make this site simpler, more readable, and more uniform albeit some tradeoffs. I think you'll agree with me on this. 2) We have a new feature, the Downloads page, where I'll post some free software I have collected. More features to come... I guess this site won't ever be finished 'coz there'd always be things to be added. 3) I also have added new content on some pages as well as having fixed the Gallery problem, I'll make you search for them ala Easter egg hunt. Okay, okay I'll give you one, we have a new link concerning Tai Chi in the self-awareness section of my links page.
JAN,2K4
- I now have 2 nieces and a nephew. My first niece is Andrea Jane, first child/daughter of my eldest brother; she's 1 year and 6 months old. The second one is Trisha Pearl, my second brother's first child/daughter, she was born this new year. My nephew is named Antonio Jose, my eldest bro's second child and he's the first male grandchild in the family; he was born last December 2K3. You'll be able to view their pictures at the Gallery.
JAN,2K4
- Welcome to Rad's Web Page! Finally, after years since its inception, I finally got to construct and upload a web tailored to my preferences. Although this site still won't be finished in a few months (or years), I'm now feeling a sense of completion. Anyways, pwede na 'to!! Happy navigating!
