Ang mga Pakikihamok ni Kapitan Basa

Salamat Steve Jobs pero...

2011-10-14T09:07:00.001+08:00

hindi ko pa rin matatangkilik ang iyong makukyut na iMansanas. Noong Agosto, pagkatanggap ng bonus, nagsubi agad ako ng pambili ng bago kong toy...isang el cheapo Android phone sa halagang di naman lumampas ng dies mil.

Ang weird naman ng iPhone mo...

For the uninitiated, lahat ng cool na gadget na may touchscreen, e iPhone, orig man o clone. Although kung marami talaga akong pera ay siguradong bibili ako ng iPhone, ang problema e wala. Wala akong sobrang pera. Mahirap maging mahirap na techie. Kaya, noong mga nakaraang buwang lumalaway ako sa kareresearch ng sunod kong gadget, hindi ko pinili ang Lg Optimus One P500...pinili niya ako. Pagkakita niya sa akin mula sa eskaparate...sinabi niya, "Torbik, you want me. You need me."

Budget smartphone ang kategorya ng aking LG OP1. Kapanabayan ng Samsung Galaxy Ace, HTC Wildfire, at pinakakain lang ng alikabok ng Samsung Galaxy S, SII, HTC Desire, at iba pang pangmayamang mga modelo. PERO, gamit ang kaalamang humarbat ng impormasyon sa Internet at tapang na kalikutin ang bagong device na malaki ang posibilidad na ma-brick, nagawan ko ng paraang masagad ang functionality at features ng aking O1.

Bago ko ito binili, matagal akong nagresearch, nagdownload ng kakailanganing software, at nagpakadalubhasa sa pangongopya ng tips and tricks sa net. Pangunahin kong suki sa information-gathering ko ang usapan ng mga ibang lahi sa website na XDA-Developers at ang mga lokal na kakulto sa facebook page ng mga noypi.

Nung binili ko ang OP1, out of the box, Froyo (ver. 2.2.2) ang bersiyon ng Android OS niya. Ngayon, bagamat unofficial, Cyanogen Mod 7 na ang nakakarga, 2.3.7 na ang version ko. cool no? E ano ibig sabihin non? Sa pangangalikot, kailangang dumaan sa rooting, installation ng custom recovery, installation ng custom ROM, at katakut-takot na tweaks...kumbaga...ang iyong stock na teleponong Tengteng ay Captain Barbel na ngayon. Gets?

Siyempre respetado ko pa rin si Steve Jobs,kung di naman dahil sa mga pinauso niya e hindi naman lalaban nang ngipin sa ngipin sa pagsusulong ng teknolohiya ang kanyang mga katunggaling tulad ng Google at Microsoft. Pero ala talaga kong perang pambili ng kamamahal na iProducts, na mahirap pang kalikutin dahil sa kunat ng developers, at maliit lang ang komunidad ng mga hacker na nag-aaksaya ng panahon sa pagje-jailbreak. Bawat kibot mo sa hindi jailbroken na iDevice e may nakaambang bayad.

'Yan ang biased kong view sa mga bagay-bagay.

Pa-siyam

2011-06-24T11:34:00.001+08:00

Maaga ako dumating. Pangatlong beses ko noong makapunta sa lugar na ito. Una noong mag-exam ako. Pangalawa nung mainterbyu ako. Walang overpass, kaya sa tapat ng Roosevelt at Meralco ang tawiran. Hindi naman safe tumawid kumpara kung sa tapat ka ng PPH Bldg tatawid, pero may pedestrian lane. Pinagkaiba lang, 'pag dun ka nasagasaan, at least hindi mo kasalanan. Madilim ang pasilyong pasukan ng mga empleyado. Dadaanan mo muna ang butas na dinadaanan ng mga libro mula sa bodega, bago mo marating ang bundy clock na nasa ikalawang palapag. Dahil masyado akong maaga, pinatambay ako ng guwardiya sa bangko na malapit sa bundy. Hindi naman ako masyadong naburo doon. Hindi ko naman din napansin ang lumipas na mga minuto dahil para akong batang first time na papasok sa eskuwelahan--excited.

Mukha akong basura. T-shirt na luma, maong na kupas, at trademark kong Mojos na sandalyas. Akala ko noon, pag mukha kang raliyista, mas cool ka. Paniwala ko nga ako ang dahilan bakit napaaga ang pagkakaroon ng uniporme sa kumpanyang ito.

May umakyat na babae at nag-punch ng kanyang timecard. Nagpakilala siyang si Divine (sweet siya noon at hindi niya ako agad sinaktan), at tinangay ako sa ikatlong palapag. Pangalawa kong nakilala dun si Elen na inabot ng mga ilang linggo bago ko na-figure out na hindi niya ako binibiro, na tunay pala siyang paos (dahil sa recent na operasyon).

Dumating ang boss ko, si Ma'am Liza, na may lakad noong araw na iyon. Itinalaga niya ako sa isang malapad na table, binigyan ng mga sandata (bolpen, mga babasahin, lamp, etc.), at ibinilin kay Ser Raffy na isama sa pananghalian.

Alasdose nang tanghali, isinama ako ni Ser Raffy kasama si Glen at mga staff ng PDS sa pangmasang kainan sa harap ng PMI. Dun ako naging "at home" agad. Budget meals, napakaraming pagpipilian, kahit anong ulam ituro mo pare-pareho ang lasa...pero MURA. Ilang taon din kaming naging parokyano roon.

Pino ang galaw ko noong unang araw na iyon. Palingun-lingon, nakikiramdam. Isa pa, ang VP e parang maya't maya rumoronda at chumichika sa mga staff--hands on, ika nga. Liban sa mga una kong nakilala sa opisina, sa isip ko, mukha nang masusungit yung iba. May babaeng nakapuwesto sa may pintuan at laging sumisigaw. Yung mga babaeng layout artist napagitnaan ako, nag-uusap sila, nagpapalitan ng meryenda, pero hindi ako kinakausap. Malay ko ba namang mapapangasawa ko yung isa roon six years later.

Sa mga sumunod na araw at linggo, nagdatingan pa ang mga newbies na tulad ko. Natuto ako ng mga "gawaing bahay," dumami ang kaibigian (bakod lang ang pagitan ng mga department), nagsimulang mag-overnight sa opisina na tila ulilang wala nang nag-aalala dahil di na umuuwi, natutong magparoo't parito sa Dungeon, at nagsimulang kumita ng pera.

Anong point? Wala naman. Anibersaryo ko lang dito ngayon.

Siyam na taon. Kewl!

Ryan and Jhyzel

2011-06-14T11:43:00.003+08:00

Mabuhay ang Bagong Kasal!

Para sa iba pang larawan-->ClickMoKo!

Lazy Morning

2011-06-08T09:57:00.001+08:00

Pop and rock music seem inappropriate today. If it were up to me, I would jump back to our bed with steady, reggae music. I woke up to a soft drizzle outside--odd. The past weeks' punishing temperatures, an act of God in my book, seemed specifically tweaked for my sorry, sweaty butt. Today's a treat though. Rare morning rainfall beckons me to stay home, flip through cable tv, slurp hot soup, champorado...yadda, yadda.

Tapos biglang umawit ang Cage the Elephant ng...

"...there ain't no rest for the wicked
Money don't grown on trees
I've got bills to pay, I've got mouths to feed
there ain't nothin in this world for free
I know I can't slow down, I can't hold back
though you know I wish I could
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
until we close our eyes for good.

Poof! Ofisboy mode na nga lang ulit.

Video Games

2011-06-02T08:19:00.002+08:00

Walang buting makukuha sa video games.

Well, kung makadadampot ako ng double-barrel shotgun kahit saan sa oras ng pagsalakay ng mga Zombie, o makakailag ako sa mga bala sa pamamagitan ng pagdo-double jump e, meron naman sigurong maidudulot na maganda ang limitado kong skillz.

Pero kagabi, habang nagmamaneho sa Mindanao Avenue, habang pinuputakti ako left and right ng mga motorsiklo, naisip ko, sana sineryoso ko 'yung mga space shooter games tulad ng Gallaga noong unang panahon at 'yung A Space Shooter for Two Bucks ko sa PSP. Ganun ang pakiramdam, di mo mawari kung sino ang uunahin mong iwasan--yun bang may angkas na chick, yung isang buong pamilyang walang helmet, o yung pulis? Pagkakaiba lang, wala akong space guns para ubusin silang lahat.

Buti naman nakauwi kami nang walang aberya. Dapat nang hasain ang reflexes. Umpisahan ko sa Patapon3 sa PSP.

Update

2011-06-01T21:19:00.000+08:00

Ngayun-ngayon lang, pinaalala sa akin ni E-king na hindi na ako nag-uupdate ng blog. Wala akong maisip na dahilan kung baket ko pinababayaan itong dati kong playground...liban sa mas enjoy tumambay sa Fezbuk at Twitter at makisagap ng updates sa buhay ng maraming "friends."

Sige na nga, tatambay na ulit ako dito.

Rebyu: SoundMagic PL11 In-Ear Headphones

2010-12-01T17:14:00.002+08:00

Maselan tayo...gusto natin Nokia dahil Finland, Sennheiser dahil German, Chevrolet kase Amerikano, Samsung kase Koreano...pero alam naman natin na lahat ng bagay (o halos lahat) sa mundo ay mina-mass produce sa Tsina...laruan, consumer electronics, damit, pagkain, panti, brip, bra.

Hindi ito pagpupugay sa Tsina at sa kahambugan nitong tahimik na suportahan ang North Korea. Tungkol ito sa bago kong in-ear headphone. Kapalit ng aking Creative EP630 na matagal ko rin namang nakasama--higit tatlong taon.

Gawang Tsina, op kors, mali-mali ang Ingles sa kahon, pero hayop bumira. Gamit ko nga ngayon. Parang surgically itinanim sa utak mo ang full-sized amps. In-ear ang design kaya mayroon siyang malalambot na earbuds na ipapasok diretso sa kanal ng tenga. Kung maganda lang ang pagkakadesign sa tenga ko na tipong hindi malalaglag ang kumbensiyonal na mga earphone na tulad ng sa iPod at standard earphones ng iba pang device, e malamang dun ako. Kaso hindi. Kaya etong disenyong in-ear ang pinakaswabe...kahit mag-cartwheel ako o magpagulong-gulong sa lupa e hindi basta-basta matatanggal ang music ko.

Swabe, balanse, at hindi masakit sa ulo. Yan ang masasabi ko sa SoundMagic PL11. Di tulad ng mas mahal na mga buds tulad ng Creative at ng Sennheiser, hindi masyadong malakas ang bass ng earphone na ito na tipong unti-unti mong nararamdamang nagiging lugaw ang utak mo sa sobrang bayo. Tamang-tama ang balanse ng bass, mids, at highs, tipong kahit hindi ka adik sa hip hop at house music e tatakamin ka pa rin sa pakikinig ng iyong classical, pop, at novelty favorites.

Comfortable ang fit dahil meron itong kasamang tatlong pares ng silicon tips at tatlong pares pa ng foam tips na iba-iba ang laki--kahit gaano kalaki ang butas ng tenga mo, siguradong may isa man lang sa anim na buds ang kakasya sa iyo...pwera lang kung si Mickey Mouse ka. Meron din itong kasamang clip na nakakabit sa kable para secure siyang nakakapit sa katawan mo at hindi basta-basta mahuhugot kung makikipagharutan ka sa iba. At eto pa, meron pa siyang cable organizer at felt na pouch, pampakyut.

Kung tibay naman ang pag-uusapan, hindi ko pa mahuhusgahan ang PL11. Sa panlabas nitong anyo, mukhang mas matibay pa rin ang Creative EP630, pero mukhang mas matibay naman sa maninipis na kable ng Senns at ng Philips. Ang pamatay na feature ng earphone na ito ay ang...

Presyo. Easily, ang sound quality ng PL11 ay makikipagsabayan at malamang makalalamang pa sa mga kalaban nitong doble, triple, o apat na beses pang mas mahal ang presyo. Hinanap ko sa kagubatan ng Gilmore, ang PL11 ay 800pesos lang. Ang Creative na first choice ko sana, nasa mahigit 1,500 pesos...doblehin mo naman kung ang gusto mo ay Sennheiser CX300II. Pero siyempre kung isa akong panginoongmaylupa eh sisiguraduhin kong Shure ang nakapasak sa tenga ko, but no.

If you love yer music (and your pocket, too) dito ka na sa PL11. Kung nasisiyahan ka naman na sa tsipipay mong buds na free lang sa iyong telepono o nabili mo sa sidewalk, it wouldn't hurt kung susubukan mong gumamit ng mas mahal nang kaunti.

Hindi na ito Koreanovela

2010-11-24T02:39:00.000+08:00

Hindi ako makatulog kahit pagod naman kami at gabi nang nakauwi. Nababahala kasi ako sa nangyayari ngayon sa dalawang Korea. Nananawagan na ng matinding resbak ang pangulo ng SoKor sa kagaguhan ng NoKor na pagpapaulan ng artillery shells sa teritoryo nila.

Naghihintay ang mundo sa napipintong gulo. Sana, maresolba nang maayos.

Lottong Makaw

2010-11-23T07:29:00.000+08:00

Unang anibersaryo ngayon ng isa sa pinakakarumal-dumal na krimen sa post-WWII Philippines. Ampatuan slash Maguindanao masaker. Makamit nawa ng lahat ng biktima (kasama tayo dahil biktima rin tayo) ang katarungan at katahimikan.

Pero habang ginugunita ng bansa ang pangyayaring ito, lasing naman sa "pag-asa" ang mga Pilipino sa di masungkit-sungkit na 6/55 Grand Lotto. Langya, habang lumalaki ang premyo kada dalawang araw parang lalong nagiging mapanganib ang manalong bigla--hindi mo alam kung atakihin ka muna sa puso, kuyugin ng mga kakilala, abangan ng mga adik, atb.

Masaker at Lotto. Hinagpis at Pag-asa. Pusta na.

Near-death Experience

2010-11-22T18:08:00.002+08:00

Hindi ko namalayan, nabaon na pala sa limot ang blog kong ito...paano nawili sa pagbibida at pakikialam sa buhay ng may buhay sa facebook at twitter.

Sige nga, susubukan ko itong lapatan ng first-aid. Makatikim man lang ng atensiyon ang tambayang pinagbuhusan ko ng walang kuwentang kabalbalan noong pre-fb and twitter years.

Ito nawa, ang umpisa ng pagpapatuloy ng pakikihamok.

El Presidente

2010-06-25T16:12:00.000+08:00

blogger no mo?

2010-04-20T13:14:00.001+08:00

isinilang lang si twitter at fb, nilumot na ang blog...hehe.

Pasasalamat

2009-06-22T01:44:00.001+08:00

Salamat sa Diyos, buhay ang aking kapatid. Salamat sa lahat ng naging instrumento upang makabalik siyang buhay sa piling namin. Sumalangit nawa ang mga nasawing kaibigan, maghilom nawa ang mga sugat ng mga sugatan, at manumbalik nawa ang kanilang tatag ng loob.
Mabuhay ang tunay na mga bayani ng bayang tunay na naglilingkod. Wala sila sa boxing ring, sa patalastas, o sa likod ng malalaking mesa. Naroon sila sa mga kabundukan, pinananatili ang kapayapaan.

I'm Back

2009-02-10T20:26:00.000+08:00

Yep. I'm back. Thanks to my new pal, Opera Mini.
Ngapala, dami nang nangyari. Dami nang kwento. Musta na kaya si kuya kim?

Ang Pagbabalik

2008-10-09T22:20:00.003+08:00

Mga fans, sumabit si Kapitan Basa. Totoo. Permanente na akong sumabit dahil ako'y nakipag-isang dibdib/bituka/puso/utak, atb. na. Ayan ang piktyur ko at ni Mrs Karen Frivaldo.

Ang iba pang mga piktyur, susunod na. Kaso, habang pinagbabalakan kong gawin ito, at habang pinaghahandaan ang pagkukuwento, sumabit ulit ako. Yan, at iba pang kuwento, sa susunod na kabanata ng blog na ito.

Pero 'wag kayong mag-alala mahal kong mga tangahanga, babangon ulit ako. Pero dahil wala nang Internet sa opisina, (at kahit magkameron pa'y neknek nila), baka matagalan. Hehe.

Salamat sa suporta!

Beijing Olympics 2008

2008-08-23T14:33:00.003+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, the Philippine Olympic Jolens Team.

Atsepatsetse!

2008-07-25T17:48:00.004+08:00

Ako ang blog na ito. Lahat ng narito, ako. Mantsa ng madumi kong isipan ang nakabalandra rito. Ayaw mo o gusto, wala kang magagawa. Dahil ako ang diyos-diyosan ng mundong ito na yari sa tagni-tagning 1 at 0.

Akala ko naman ako lang ang masugid na tagabasa ng blog na 'to. Liban sa mangilan-ngilang naliligaw na readers e mantakin mo bang may isa akong bigating reader, na dahil sobrang naapektuhan sa aking mga pananaw, e nagpadala ng email sa akin. Sino? Walang iba kundi si . . . Kuya Kim. Sumulat siya sa akin dahil dito-->link

At dahil na rin sa basbas ng "friend" kong ito, heto ang palitan namin ng email kaninang umaga.

Hello Victor,
I can see that you hate me so much that you want me to Die!
I shall make sure to be extra careful when I see you in the flesh.

If it is anything in my broadcasting style that offends you, please feel free to specify so I can further improve my craft. If it is my face, I cannot do anything much since I was born with it.
In my field, comments are always welcome though painfully personal like yours.

Like you, I too am an avid mountain biker and have many friends in the off-roading biking community.
Please do not harm me when we see each other in bike events.

with respect,
Kim Atienza

ps. I know the Frivaldos of San Andres. Mang Jun and the old man Joe are good decent gentlemen.
pps. You look great in your pictures!

Torbik:

woah! is it really you Kim Atienza? THE Kim Atienza?

kung isa kang taga-Narra na nagpapanggap na Kim Atienza, you better identify yourself now, or else...
______________

now, wait, if YOU really are KIM ATIENZA, the first celebrity EVER to respond to anything i ever did or write, then i might as well make you my idol! Sorry na sa lahat, really, about everything, except, yeah, for the face, we really can't do anything about it.

Oh, about that "me wanting you to die", very sorry. That's obviously a joke. And ever if we meet at the streets of Metro Manila on a bike, I'd be honored if you give me a wave, or maybe i'd be the one to do the waving, i probably won't miss that hat of yours. hehe.

What's funny about this is that I'm actually thrilled to receive an email from YOU. More thrilled than the time i received an email from my other idol, the Hon. Ambeth Ocampo.

You celebrities, you really spend a lot of time on the Internet! How on earth were you able to find my "i hate kuya kim" blog entry?

Now that you've started it, I'd be expecting an e-mail from Manny Pacquiao soon. And Gloria Arroyo too.

With respect, and not wanting you to die anymore,

Victor Frivaldo

ps. You do look good in dat hat. Better than not wearing it. I've seen you without it. Honest.
ps2. don't fear for your life, all i want is an autographed hat. that's all. :-)
pss. and for my contribution to your broadcasting style, i'd really appreciate it to see you do a live report while wrestling a nazgul.
ps3. you really think I look good in pictures? wait til you see me in person. Baka bigla mo ko i-feature sa animal segment mo. haha.

Kuya Kim

Victor,

Because of your sense of humour, everything is forgiven.

I spend a lot of time doing research on the net and what bloggers fail to realize is that Celebs often self google to see how people think of them.

In our world, projection and public perception is a major factor.

Google Kapitanbasa and you shall see everthing written about you in a few minutes.

Careful what you write about next time though. Public personalities have feelings and sometimes are not as nice as me. :)

May bago kang kaibigan dito. Napatawa mo ako sa reply mo, nawala ang galit ko.

You may publish our exchange in your blog. Be sure to email me when you do so I can read it.

Keep it up Narra kid!

Bago mong friend,

Kuya Kim

ps Kalayaan kid ako when I was in UP.

pps Manny Pacquiao is a close friend. Watch us in Matanglawin, This sunday at 9:30 am. That show is for you.

Torbik

Dear Kuya Kim,

Kaibigang Kuya Kim. hmm. Now i have a lot of explaining to do to the "I Hate Kuya Kim Movement International".

Thanks!

Careful what you write about next time though. Public personalities have feelings and sometimes are not as nice as me. :)

--as for that, next time. I'd be very careful about making public my morbid thoughts of wanting anybody die, joke man or hindi. Except for those already dead, like Hitler, Pol Pot, etc.

Lovingly yours,

Victor

ps: Proud Narrehan here. Last I heard, nasunog daw. Good Thing Kalayaan kid ka, kung Yakal or Molave, I'd start hating you again! (parang Ateneo-La Salle rivalry ah)
pps: Y'know, I think we've met waaaay back. Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas assembly sa CCM, Im sure Tito Lito was there (hehe) and another, younger, quite gwapo Atienza, ikaw kaya yun? Siguro hinde. :-)
pps: Abangan ko yang Matanglawin, and I hope you greet me on air next time sa Umagang Kay Ganda!

Mas makulay nga naman ang buhay pag may ganito di ba? Ang kinamumuhian kong TV personality ay "friend" ko na. Mapatutunayan ko lang talaga kung totoo ito pag binati na nya ako ng live sa Umagang Kay Ganda. Lintek, maleleyt yata ako ngayong susunod na linggo.

Boxing!

2008-07-02T15:29:00.003+08:00

01 July 2008. Boxers from different weight divisions flocked to this boxing arena to box things up.

The Boxers: Sis/Michelle (left), Ate Mean (center), and Kawen (right)

Hard hat area. Hard, hmmm...

Rest in peace. One boxer sent this box to his final resting place.

Mood Ring

2008-06-19T14:48:00.003+08:00

This is what my Google Toolbar mood ring has to say at this very moment: 2:48PM, 19 June 2008

Ang saya! Sana totoo.

Thank You, Loren...

2008-06-18T11:39:00.006+08:00

I've avoided making a blog entry on the recent kidnapping of Ces Drilon and her team by armed men, just because I don't think it deserves to occupy precious bytes in this rant-hole. They went there to interview Abu Sayyaf terrorists, they should have expected nothing less than being sold off piece by piece like meat in your neighborhood talipapa.

But hey, Loren Legarda instantly entered the picture like an Okay Ka Fairy Ko special effect the moment Ces et al. were released! This sitcom deserved to be here after all!

Now, it seems that Loren saved them all. Never mind the Isnajis of Sulu who we thought, before Loren, negotiated for their release. Never mind the marines and the PNP who cordoned off the area and showed the kidnappers who's boss. Never mind the media, now being praised for their tact and restraint by not blowing the news out of proportion in the initial hours of the crisis. It was Loren f*cking Legarda who must be thanked for ending the crisis! Hail Loren! Saviour and future president!

Now enough with the bullshit.

What better way to campaign ahead of schedule, no? All those billboards and commercials will soon bore citizen Juan, but this? "Oh this is the shit!" as they say. I bet Bayani Fernando, Manny Villar, and Mar Roxas are now itching to negotiate the release of the next bigtime hostage. Hmm, ipakidnap kaya nila si Korina? si Mike Enriquez kaya?

___________________

Ang galing-galing naman ng media! Nakisama sa ABS-CBN na huwag muna sumawsaw sa isyu sa mga unang oras ng pagkakakidnap kay Ces and friends. Kailangan nga namang isaalang-alang ang kaligtasan ng mga biktima. Ang sweet.

E kung si Aling Anitang magbabakal kaya ang nakidnap kasama nila Charlie Adik, Lizang Titser, Leonard Ofisboy, at Torbik Piyon ang nabiktima ng mga kidnaper? Ganun din kaya ang ikikilos nila? O lalapain nila ung scoop in any way possible, di bale nang gawing kilawen ng mga kidnaper ung mga biktima? Ang sweet talaga ng media.

____________________

"They were released unconditionally." 'Yan ang sabi ni Loren kanina sa TV. Nagbayad lang siguro ng "board and lodging". Peste.

____________________

Oh, and lastly, I saw Kuya Kim again this morning in a TV ad for the Matanglawin show. He was posing with two yellow, picture frame-like objects. Apparently, National Geographic Asia chose to feature him in one of its shows. He looked so proud. National Geographic, you are so... screwed!

My First Tattoo

2008-06-02T18:11:00.001+08:00

Easiest way to get a tattoo:

Let yer mind wander while pedalling. Have your front tire slip inside a Maynilad excavation and together with the initial jolt, squeeze your front brakes really tight!

my tocino is now turning to tapa.

Oh and did I say it hurt like hell last night?

(Die!) Kuya Kim

2008-05-14T11:40:00.003+08:00

I don't know why I am feeling this unexplainable dread toward ABS-CBN's Steve Irwin wannabe--Kuya Kim. Is it his face? his hat? his father? It must be his face but there's something else about him I abhor. Whenever I see him handling a snake, a crocodile, or even a little rodent, I always wish he'd get bitten, swallowed whole, or just mangled beyond recognition. I may not know he's a good person pala off da camera, but hell, I don't care. I just hate the guy. Look at him.

E di wag mo panoorin! you say. But he's everywhere in da Kapamilya universe! I really have little choice. He's a weather forecaster, a traffic reporter, endorser for a memory enhancing drug, a HOST of his own show, da Matanglawin (groan)! And his favorite stuff is cavorting with reptiles, canines, and other slimy, slithery life forms. One time I saw him do a traffic report while lying on the floor holding a medium-sized croc by its mouth. I was screaming "Pumalag ka buwaya! 'Wag kang papayag na lapastanganin ng taong yan!". But the "poor" croc did not budge. It seems it would have played dead, rolled over, or even barked if it was told to. This morning, Kuya Kim grabbed a python by the head. Lucky Kim here got away unscathed, poor Mr Python subdued and stripped of his self-respect.

I wish he handles a dahongpalay next. Or a rabid polar bear, or a nazgul. That'd be fun.

Tantrums

2008-05-07T17:01:00.000+08:00

Ever saw a kid throw tantrums? Of course you have seen a kid throw one—arms and legs flailing, fake tears flowing, and shrieking...oh the shrieking. During these fits, you might have entertained the thought of strangling the kid, but you of course don't. You instead let out a deep sigh and calm the kid down. What else is there to do? He's a kid and kids do that once in a while. Now, imagine a grown-up throwing a tantrum...minus the shrieks, the flailing arms, add instead disgusted looks, i-want-to-be-alone baloney, i-hate-you-all shit. Tantrum-throwing is so not-for-adults. I'm now looking at one and it just ain't cute.

TOFX (10th Tour of the Fireflies)

2008-04-24T14:15:00.003+08:00

Barely two hours of sleep; alcohol still running in my veins--what a good way to start the TOFX!

With some costumed kids

Ayen da Bike after the Tour

esmayl!

PMTB's Jon with Ms Municipality of Candaba

Art, you have a lot of explaining to do

This one's for Kelly and Jep

Quezon Ave

Sungot na lang Jollibee na!

Buendia? Ayala? Basta Makati

Look happy girls! (Hingal, pawis, semplang, suka)

One of these girls figured in a spill that left a tocino on her tuhod

Ampogi. Kunwari di humihingal.

Girl1: Sino yan?
Girl2: Ewan, smile ka lang, baka mangagat e.

Starting layn

Art loves NY

With Marshal Arci

Zaido Pido

PMTBerks

Mud, Rocks, n More!

2008-02-26T10:00:00.002+08:00

This is my first trail ride for the year 2008. I spent 11 hours on the saddle. I started off from Project 8 with my buddy, Alfred. Met up with Ronald at Road 20 and then "padyak ol da way" to Sandiganbayan to meet up with ArSSi. On the way, we met and linked up with more riders. Later, somewhere in the trails of SJDM, Bulacan, we linked up with regular PMTB halimaws led by Paul (Freeman). The group had to stop on at least three occasions to let me rest my cramping left leg. There I experienced my first trail "endo" (that accident that gives you a sudden fleeting feeling of ecstasy while you are being hurled off your bike, and then suddenly hitting the ground like a rocket-propelled brick nanoseconds after). But I'm ok. An hour after that, I slipped while descending from a steep mountainside. Damn banana trunk. So after running over millions of rocks, handfuls of mud, and kilometers and kilometers of mountain soil, the trail ride ended somewhere in Licao-Licao where we had lunch of tilapia, Hakone, and sinigang in Janice's sari-sari store slash carinderia. But pain did not end there. We still were lightyears away from Project 8. The descent and the long highway ride was uneventful. We parted ways with the Commonwealth/Fairview/Sandigan guys somewhere near SM Fairview. That left me, Ron, and Alfred to fend for ourselves and ply the long, dusty, smoky road leading to our homes. That's fun!

At Sandiganbayan

At FafaRocky's crib (our retired Marine compatriot)

Carboloading at a Pares resto

Somewhere up there! Some 500+ meters above sea level

At Bricktown (where everything's made up of red bricks)

Rockhoppin'

Wipeout!

Leg cramp stop

Oh Lately It's So Quiet

2008-02-22T14:45:00.002+08:00

Well, quite the opposite is happening outside these office walls. The Chinese are mad at being dragged into the NBN controversy. Lozada is out there enjoying his superstar status. And of course, this circus wouldn't be complete without the clowns, fire eaters, high-wire walkers, and the freaks. It's a messy show. Also, it doesn't matter if you're Kapamilya or Kapuso, Kabagang, etc. Any channel you watch, you're sure to witness this earlier-than-usual senakulo...well unless you have cable tv, in which case you at least have a choice of watching real animals on the Animal Planet instead.

_______________

The good thing about these DAPs (read: digital audio players, and well, for the uninitiated and the Apple zombies--ipods), is that you can further shrink your world to a few hundreds or thousands of music tracks, thereby making your world a lot simpler, nicer, ...[time to insert more nice words here, like, world peace]. F*ck politics. Let's rock!

Oh Lately It's so Quiet
Ok Go

(Oh no) Oh lately it's so quiet in this place
You're not 'round every corner
(oh no) Oh lately it's so quiet in this place
So darlin' if your not here haunting me
Im wondering...

Whose house, are you haunting tonight?
Aw. Whose sheets you twist
Aw. Whose face you kiss
Whose house, are you haunting tonight?

(oh no) I dont think much about you anymore
You're not on every whisper, oh
(oh no) I dont think much about you
But if you're not lurking behind every curtain
Im wondering...

Whose house, are you haunting tonight?
Aw. Whose name you hiss
Aw. Whose clenching fists
Whose house, are you haunting tonight?

Now whose house, are you haunting tonight?
Aw. Who cant resist
Aw. Whose cryin'
Whose house, are you haunting tonight?
Aw. Whose name you hiss
Aw. Whose sheets you twist
Whose house, are you haunting tonight?
(oh no)

Real Love

2008-02-21T10:22:00.004+08:00

Today, I'm glad I won't have to replay songs the likes of the PCSO theme song or the latest Lucky Me Pancit Canton commercial in my head as my LSS-of-the-day.

Through the glorious wonders of the Internet and of course with a little help from a friend (you da man Kelly, wink! wink!), I discovered the double-CD album Instant Karma: The Campaign To Save Darfur. It is a compilation of songs assembled for the benefit of Amnesty International's efforts in the conflict-ridden Darfur region of Sudan. Also, it's a tribute album to John Lennon, whose songs were allowed by his wife Yoko Ono to be used for this project. The album features almost 50 artists including U2, Greenday, Jack Johnson, Christina Aguilera, Black Eyed Peas, and many more.
I urge you, my fans (ubo! ubo!) to read up about Darfur. While we here in da Land op da Morning busy ourselves arguing about the latest Lozada confessions and Malacañang denials, people are being murdered by the thousands in Darfur. Be informed. It's da least we could do. Humanity should have learned from the lessons of the Jewish genocide in Europe, the massacre in Rwanda, Pol Pot's killing rampage in Cambodia, and of course, our very own Ferdinand Marcos' exploits long ago, but state-sponsored violence against a people like the one happening in Darfur today persists.

Read up. Be informed.

Here's Regina Spektor singing Real Love, one of the songs in the album.

Sansarap!

2008-02-01T17:58:00.000+08:00

A few months ago, I did a review on the Creative Zen Stone 1GB audio player. No doubt, that little sucker continues to serve me well. It maintained my sanity during my daily commute and always led my mind somewhere else while I did my occasional solitary walks toward home. As bonus, I bought a bag for my Stone and its accessories. Also, I replaced the crappy headset with a better one, the Creative EP630.

And then something happened.

Half a world away, Andy bought his Sandisk Sansa Clip 1GB and asked me if I wanted one. Of course I refused. I didn't need another player. But the Sansa Clip intrigued me enough that I read a few reviews online. After reading the reviews, I definitely wanted one. I couldn't find any negative review about this new little bugger. But Andy was already coming home and had no time to buy another one for me. Crap.

I searched SM North EDSA. Nothing. I sent search parties to SM Southmall, Cavite, Trinoma, and Green Hills. Nyet. I scoured ebay.ph. Negative. The search took a little over a week. And then, BINGO!

Da Light

D-Day came a few days ago. While browsing through the "for sale" items in tipidpc.com, I saw a Sansa Clip 2GB for sale. I immediately emailed, sent a personal message, and sent a text message to get the seller's attention. Later, I would find out from him that I was the first person who inquired about the item. The second guy was a few minutes behind me. What a catch. We designated a meet-up time and place and within the day, I was cradling the Sansa Clip snugly in my arms.

Da Features

Sandisk seems to have picked the Creative Zen Stone Plus as a worthy opponent and so made a compact audio player to compete with it. Besides, the Apple Ipod Shuffle Gen 2 both players set out to kill was already out of the features game. Both the Zen Stone Plus and the Clip plays mp3, wma, wav, and audible audiobooks. I don't have DRM-protected tracks (Pinoy eh!) so I don't give much fuss about the Clip's ability to play one. Both have FM, FM recording, voice recording, equalizer, the works. The Clip though has a built in "clip" (obvious ba?). For the Zen Stone and the Stone Plus, you will have to buy a skin with a clip which will probably cost you 500 pesoses. And here's the catch, the Clip is way cheaper than the already cheap Stone and Stone Plus...pero...you will have to source the Clip from somewhere else. Wala pa dito sa Pinas e. The reason behind the endangered species status of the Clip could be the market's focus on the incredibly priced Ipots.

Back on track, the Clip sports a bright OLED (organic light emitting diode yata) 4-line, 2-color screen. At first I thought to myself, "Hindi ko kelangan ng screen", but hey, this one is so bright it can light up a dark room. Sige na nga, gusto ko ng screen! And its fun to check the name of the artist and the title of the album currently playing in your little world...with a quick peek at the Clip's tiny screen.

Myoosik

Again, almost all earphones that come bundled with audio players are crappy ones. My Creative EP630 partners beautifully with the Clip. There is no need for tweaking the equalizers anymore. The Clip sounds good. Very good.

Muntik Na

My Creative Zen Stone was an advanced birthday gift to me by Kawen. Getting the Clip (despite the numerous merits of such action, which I've rehearsed reciting to her many times) is like hooking up with a querida. I asked myself, "Love triumphed during the most difficult times in human history, why shouldn't it this time around?" And so she ended up lending me a thousand bucks. She loves me that much.

Happiness

Following Andy's weird practice of naming his gadgets, I christened my Clip "Buknoy". Now if any of you remembers Machineman's sidekick, you'd know where I got the name. To date, I'm still enjoying this little thing.

If I had da money, I would definitely buy an Ipod Nano, a DSLR camera, a car, a house, a Krispy Kreme donut,a laptop computer. But since I'm still stuck in this salary bracket for only-God-knows-how-long, I will definitely keep my tastes dirt cheap.

My point is IF you can find one, buy one.

Happy New Year everyone!

We Are Ready to DIE!!!

2007-12-04T16:58:00.000+08:00

"We are ready to die!" actually means "We are ready to hole up here until you bastards start filling this place with tear gas and ramming tanks in the hotel lobby and peppering us with 50 cal bullets, in which case, we will surrender without much fuss."

I dunno why i was chuckling to myself the moment i saw robert reyes and that old bishop emerge from the hotel ziptied and looking waaaay too old. tsk. what a waste...

And yes, the barong and baseball cap looked ridiculous on teofistow. sana, "santa claus hat" na lang.

__________________

Trillanes and the Magdalo boys had it right the first time...they had the sympathy of the people. Now, Mr Senator-elect blew it and probably lost all hope that he will ever step inside the halls of Senate as a full-pledged senator. Now if only they barged in a Sogo Hotel or the Winston Lodge, that would have been more dramatic. Imagine the naked tenants running out in panic and horror! I don't think seizing posh hotels are still "in" these days.

__________________

Another issue: the whining press people who were "taken as prisoners" and were "processed" before they were released. I just can't get the point...in a police or military operation, of all places, they should not have been in there. They were given ample time to move out, but they stuck around....to do their duty... bullets can't discriminate between rebel and press. They should be thankful they're still alive. Oh, especially those particularly huge 50 cal bullets...one hit, your corpse will be all over the place.

Stop VAW

2007-11-28T11:43:00.000+08:00

25 December 2007. Ride to End Violence Against Women. Quezon Memorial Circle, QC.

purple flags!

Registration...with free water, sticker, and a flag.

Team David Salon

Nips!

Handsome egghead!

Batasan Blah...Blah(st)

2007-11-15T15:41:00.000+08:00

Where are the Zaidos when you really need 'em. Tsk.

But seriously, I wouldn't be the least surprised if one smart-ass bozo dismisses this as another gas leak or something.

Very sad times for the philippines.

Expect:
1. Madam Arroyo visiting the wounded
2. Sen Trillanes coming up again with conspiracy theories, involving aliens and fairies
3. Opposition putting blame on GMA, as always
4. Some dorky nonexistent terrorist group will admit to the bombing
5. GMA weeps publicly and orders a thorough investigatin while thinking to self: Buti nga!
6. FBI, Aussie investigators, and other foreign agencies will be asked to sniff around again...and when they make their pronouncements, PNP will follow suit and say: 'Yun din ang haka-haka namin e!
7. JDV and the rest of the crocodile farm will hold a session ASAP to prove they aren't in anyway affected...but in truth they are all scared sh*tless.

But then again, the games these pe0ple play are not anymore funny. Why don't they just kill each other off instead of blowing things up, harming innocent civilians in the process.

__________________
Here is a conspiracy theory I cooked up just now: Pfizer bombed Batasan to stall the Cheaper Medicines Bill.

Manny Pacquiao Post Fight Interview

2007-10-09T18:29:00.000+08:00

I know somebody will post the Pacquiao post fight interview. And I, stealing a few minutes from my precious time, transcribed the interview for you, avid readers (ubo ubo). Enjoy. And by the way, Congrats Menny Pehkyaw!

____________________________________________

Interviewer (I) : Congratulations on your fight, you seem to fight a very controlled, very poised fight tonight, uh was that your game plan, to not go out there and not blast him and be more in control?

Manny Pacquiao (MP): well, i'm i'm careful to his head, and also i'm careful because he's still strong and y'know, he's not easy opponent, and y'know, I respect Barrera.

I: Was there anypoint in this fight, were you hurt, did he catch you with any shots that really hurt you?

MP: Me? im hurt? ah ah ahm, not not really hurt.

I: Not really? Now i noticed because i watched a lot of your fights you seem to do, a lot of sign
of the cross a lot more often and you were tapping your gloves, were you a little frustrated, with his movements, did he give you many probems?

MP: Well, you know, ahm...even before the fight I know that ah, he's going to box me and ah...we're , we're, we know that ah, that he's gonna do uhn in da fight so that's why i i prepared on that and but i'm not ahh, you know, too much ahh overconfidence and aggressive to the fight
because that's ah, that's cause of the, you know, ah, knockout if you're very overconfidence.

I: Manny, having the camp in the Philippines, did you feel as prepared as your past fights when you had the camp in the States?

MP: Well I don't know yet because ahm, we don't know who's the, my opponent but you know, ah, Filip...ay,eh, training camp in da Philippines is still ah, is good you know, and ah, it's ah like
ahh, Hollywood, but you know, we will, we'll see the on the next fight when we gonna train.

I: Well speaking of the next fight is there anyone who you'd like to face specifically?

MP: Ah well ah, as of now, im going back to the Philippines and celebrate the, the victory
tonight and you know, ah...I hope all people, all Filipino peoples enjoy and happy...

I: Excellent Manny, well congratulations and you got the vice president here with you...congratulations sir...

Noli de Castro: Congratulations too, and ah we are proud of ah Pacquiao and we are proud of the Filipinos, the real winner! (swinging a closed fist) Thank you very much!

I: Thank you sir, uhm, p..political ah, power here as well Manny Pehkyaw thank you safe travels back to the Philippines..

MP: Orayt Thank you Mark...

On Teri and Manny

2007-10-05T20:50:00.000+08:00

This is a GoogleTalk conversation I had with my good ol' friend, manyak extraordinaire, Joseph M.

7:39 PM me: napanood mo na ung racist anti pinoy remark ni teri sa youtube?

Joseph: yhep

me: wat's your take on dat?

7:40 PM Joseph: nung una since it's a comedy show... akala ko yung pagkakadeliver non eh yung tulirong character na nakarinig ng menopause tapos nagwala... tapos kung ano ano sinasabi... "some med school in the phils.." kung ganon sana pagkakadeliver okay lang eh...

7:41 PM
kaso mabagal na seryoso...

tangna..

nakaka offend nga yon...

me bago ah.. si cory slut.

sa The Daily Show..

7:42 PM yon eh okay lang ako ron..

tongue in cheek yon eh.. kahit sino tinitira...

me: cory aquino?

Joseph: oo

hahaha

7:43 PM dinidiscuss kasi yung possibility na magkaron ng babaeng president sa states...

so nagkaron ng in depth studies ng mga nation na nakaranas ng babeng presidente..

me pictures sina Golda Meir, Cory, at ni margaret thatcher...

7:44 PM ke golda OYI naka imprint...

ke cory slut...

ke margaret oops...

ganyan..

haha... tangna.. pano kaya naging slut yon.. yon ang mas gusto kong malaman eh...

7:45 PM me: yun lang.

pero oks lang.

ang take ko e guilty din naman tayo dito sa pinas sa mga ganyang slurs.

Joseph: hehehe. me katrabaho ako rito sa office nanay niya head nurse sa houston,.,

7:46 PM di naman balita don yung sa nursing scandal..

just like most americans didn't know the pakyaw barira rematch..

ganon...

totally talaga US embassy ang nag handle non...

7:47 PM feeling nga raw ng nanay niya, yung script writer non eh me nakagalit na doktor or nurse na pinoy...

25 minutes

8:12 PM me: jan ka pa?

may isa pa akong concern

Joseph: naks..

kalibugan ba yan?

me: ung Nike billboard ni Manny

8:13 PM Joseph: o.

me: may caption na "Ang Mamatay nang Dahil sa iyo

Joseph: nang mamatay nang dahil sa yo?

o yon nga...

me: pukenangnina

8:14 PM Joseph: corny nga eh.. gago yung nike. ang yaman yaman eh nag hire ng adik na market strategist.

me: dapat ang caption dun e "Ang kumita nang limpak limpak na salapi sa ngalan mo kahit wala naman talagang kinalaman sa bayan ang pakikipagbangasan ko ng mukha sa tate but thanks anyway"

8:18 PM Joseph: hahaha buti pa si erik morales..

walang kaabog abog na sinabi..

me: welekengketulad meney

Joseph: pangalawa lang yung intention niya na lumaban para sa Mexico..

unang una para sa sarili niya at sa pamilya...

8:19 PM tangna...

di bale ba kung me tig iisang libo tayo jan...

pag nanalo..

8:20 PM me: kakainsulto nga e. sabi ko nga, yung mga nakakatay na sundalo sa basilan dinadalang bangkay sa manila, ni dlawang linya sa dyaryo wala. e itong hinayupak na ito, pati almusal nya pinagdidiskusyonan sa tv. tapos bayani, e kanya lang naman ung milyones nya pantaya sa sabong e.

8:21 PM tapos ang Mamatay nang Dahil sa 'Yo? pakshetnamalagket meyn. i just dont buy that shit

8:23 PM parang sarap isulat sa blog 'tong usapan na to a. Pre, hingin ko permission mo na i-publish itong usapan na 'to sa blog ko ha.

8:24 PM Joseph: hahahaha kulang pa me dagdag pasana ako sa teri hatcher ek ek brouhaha..kaso nag log out ka..

Bumblebee Concept Camaro

2007-10-03T09:14:00.000+08:00

Finally, after almost three months, I finally got Bumblebee, that version which transforms to a Concept Camaro (2009) car. I am a TransFormers fan but not an avid toy collector...(dahil wala naman talaga akong kakayahang sustentuhan ang ganoong bisyo). But when the movie came out, I promised myself I'll get Bumblebee. But he came out in two versions, the first one, secured for me by Kuya Neil somewhere in Cavite, is already posted here. Here are pix of CC Bumblebee and Classic Camaro Bumblebee.

Ay, fad!

2007-10-02T16:40:00.000+08:00

Meron akong bagong laruan. Mas maliit pa 'to sa posporo, o sa baterya ng celfone mo, pero kaya niyang maglaman ng impormasyong digital na di lalampas sa 1-gigabyte. Ito ang Creative Zen Stone, isang mp3 player, flash disk, na sulit sa badyet ng mga taong tulad kong wala namang pambili ng Ipod (ay fad!). Walang tu tawsan pesos ang presyo nito. Pero kahit na ilang kahon din ng sardinas ang katumbas nun, kahit na isipin mong ang dami na sanang street children ang napag-almusal ng halagang iyon, lubhang napakaliit naman ng halaga nito kumpara sa pinakamurang orig na Ipod sa merkado--lampas portwasan pesos para sa Ipod Shuffle 2nd Gen.

Ito ang Ipod Shuffle, ampanget di ba?

Kumpara sa Ipod Shuffle (dito ko laging ikinukumpara ang aking Zen Stone dahil ito ang pinakamalapit na kumpetensiya niya sa merkado), mas mabangis ang itsura ng Zen Stone. Pwede mong ayusin nang nakafolder ang mga music mo at tatalun-talon ka na lang sa pamamagitan ng skip-folder button. Meron din siyang button na pag pinitik mo e rarambulin naman niya ang pagkakaayos ng mga kanta. Wow, parang Ipod, iisipin mo, pero hindi. Kase kalahati lang ang presyo nito kumpara sa Ipod ng iba.

'Yun nga lang, wala itong sariling clip tulad ng Ipod shuffle. Bibilhin pa. May kamahalan nga ang skin (clip pero may kasamang silicon protector, na alam ko namang kayang-kayang kopyahin ng mga pirata pero hindi nila ginagawa kase mas maraming fans ang Ipod) pero kung tutuusin, halos kalahati pa rin ang presyo ng Creative Zen Stone, kahit bilhin mo pa iyong belt clip.

Wala itong screen na tulad ng ibang mp3 players. Sa tingin ko hindi naman kailangan. Sa laki niya at design, swabe na ang itsura niya kahit walang screen. Yun nga lang, wala ring FM tuner, voice recorder, etsetera. Simpleng laruan lang ito para sa mga simpleng tao.

Sa kalidad naman ng tugtog, hindi maipagkakaila (konting bola lang kase hindi pa ko nakakasubok ng Ipod shuffle) na mas maganda ang tunog ng Creative Zen Stone, kung gagamit ng mas mahal na earphones. Totoo namang lakwenta ang mga bundled earphones sa mga ganitong produkto.

Fan ako ng Creative. Dati na akong magmay-ari ng Creative MuVo TXFM na lubhang nagdulot din sa akin ng kaligayahan kaya lang, inarbor ng bunso kong kapatid.

Creative MuVo TXFM

Masarap sana ito gamitin sa pagba-bike kaso baka masagasaan naman ako ng trak. Pero sa ibang mga aktibidad, tulad halimbawa ng pamamalengke, pagjo-jogging, pagmumuni-muni habang nakatingin sa kawalan, pagluluto ng pritong isda, pagwowork-out sa gym (hayop!), isa itong napakahusay na produkto.

Kung binabasa mo ito at nag-iisip kung bibili ka ba ng Ipod Shuffle o ng tsipipay na mp3 o mp4 player na nabibili kahit saan , dito ka na lang sa Creative Zen Stone, may extra ka pang pambili ng mamon at sopdrink, pangnood ng sine, pampaserbisyo sa bulag na masahista, panggrocery, at (hitit ng hangin!) may sukli ka pa rin!

Salamat nga pala kay kawen sa aking advanced happybday gift!

Shit Happens

2007-10-02T10:49:00.000+08:00

Two hours ago, the taxi me and Kawen were riding was hit from behind by a grayish blue Honda Civic. The good thing is, because traffic almost always slows down just before Muñoz, cars were not moving fast enough. We were in the middle of EDSA and I'm pretty sure the rush hour traffic jam caused by this accident made quite a number of heads to heat up.

We were pretty much shook up but that was all that.

Sue Me?

2007-09-21T14:54:00.000+08:00

God responds to lawsuit

Associated Press
Last updated 10:55am (Mla time) 09/21/2007

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- God has apparently responded to a lawsuit filed by a Nebraska lawmaker, and one of the filings seems to have dropped in from the heavens. "This one miraculously appeared on the counter. It just all of a sudden was here -- poof!" said John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha.

The response was one of at least two to a lawsuit filed against God last week by state Senator Ernie Chambers of Omaha, the state's longest-serving lawmaker.

Signed by "God," the response filed Wednesday argues the defendant is immune from some earthly laws and the court lacks jurisdiction over God.

Blaming the Almighty for human oppression and suffering misses an important point, it says.

"I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you," according to the response, as read by Friend.

St. Michael the Archangel is listed as a witness, Friend said.

Another response -- also signed God -- says the Lord disputes Chambers' allegations.

That filing lists a phone number for a Corpus Christi law office. A message left for that office was not immediately returned Thursday.

Chambers could not be reached Thursday to comment on the response.

He said in his five-page lawsuit that God has made terroristic threats against him and his constituents, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

He's seeking a permanent injunction against God.

The self-proclaimed agnostic who often criticizes Christians said his filing was triggered by a federal lawsuit against a judge, filed by a woman who was barred from saying "rape," "victim" and other words in court.

Chambers said the woman's lawsuit is inappropriate because the Nebraska Supreme Court has already considered the case and federal courts follow the decisions of state supreme courts on state matters.

Chambers said his lawsuit was serious but also makes a point: Anybody can sue anybody.

New Office

2007-08-11T11:21:00.000+08:00

Our pictures in our new office, to da tune of "Mana-mana" by Cake.

If I Had a Million Dollars

2007-08-08T11:56:00.000+08:00

What if I had a million pesos? nah. I probably won't, even if I worked my ass off. But I'm not complaining. It's just that others make it seem so easy. If I had a million pesos, maybe I'd buy a really nice bike. That's about it.

If I Had a Million Dollars
Barenaked Ladies

If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Well I’d buy you a house (I’d buy you a house)
And if I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
I’d buy you furniture for your house (maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)
And if I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Well I’d buy you a K-Car (a nice reliant automobile)
And if I had a million dollars, I’d buy your love

If I had a million dollars I’d build a tree-fort in our yard
If I had a million dollars you could help, it wouldn’t be that hard
If I had a million dollars maybe we could put a little tiny fridge in there somewhere.
“You know, we could just go up there and hang out.”
“Like open the fridge and stuff, and there’d all be foods laid out for us like little pre-wrapped sausages and things. They have pre-wrapped sausages but they don’t have pre-wrapped bacon.”
“Well can you blame them?”
“Yeah.”

If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Well I’d buy you a fur a coat (but not a real fur coat, that’s cruel)
And if I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Well I’d buy you an exotic pet (yep, like a llama or an emu)
And if I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Well I’d buy you John Merrick’s remains (all them crazy elephant bones)
And if I had a million dollars I’d buy your love

If I had a million dollars we wouldn’t have to walk to the store
If I had a million dollars we’d take a limousine ’cause it costs more
If I had a million dollars we wouldn’t have to eat Kraft dinner
“But we would eat Kraft dinner.”
“Of course we would, we’d just eat more.”
“And buy really expensive ketchups with it.”
“That’s right, all the fanciest Dijon ketchups.”

If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Wel I’d buy you a green dress (but not a real green dress that’s cruel)
And if I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Well I’d buy you some art (A Picasso or a Garfunkel)
And if I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Well I’d buy you a monkey (haven’t you always wanted a monkey?!)
And if I had a million dollars I’d buy your love

If I had a million dollars; if I had a million dollars
If I had a million dollars; if I had a million dollars
If I had a million dollars… I’d be rich!

Angel Eyes

2007-08-07T14:17:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I was able to watch a full episode of Mga Mata ni Anghelita, GMA's new soap about a miraculous kid who can chat casually with the Virgin Mary (mind you, VM lent Anghelita her eyes!), bring to life dead plants and animals, and cure a myriad of ailments. But powerful though she was, Sheryl Cruz was able to make a huge profit out of her powers. Why can't Angelita turn her into a tanglad stalk or something? Ay oo nga pala, good girl siya e. And so the poor Angelita obeys her stepmom(?) though always with hesitation, and cures the throng of sick people waiting in line outside their hut. This show will not qualify as a telefantasia if there weren't monsters plaguing the place, and so, a well-endowed actress transformed into a manananggal and battled evil flying wolves. The special effects are nice, the drama is convincing (especially Anghelita's), but this show's negative effect on the Filipino I.Q. worries me. I have a few questions that remain unanswered since GMA came up with the Mulawits:

Why, in this age of cellphones and Internet, have the events in a town like Angelita's not reached TV Patrol or 24 Oras yet when even Manny Pacquiao's pre-fight breakfast merits a full five-minute news slot?! Ewan pala kung naireport na ni Carmina 'yung mga pangyayari.

Isn't it yet time to call in the Army, the Marines, or even Arnold Clavio when monsters already butchered a lot of townspeople?

Why am I spending precious time on this crap?

Can a hunchback land other roles other than a church hand? Can he not live inside the church? Can he not have crushes on extremely good-looking girls?

Why do I have the feeling that Paolo Contis is better off delivering punchlines in Ang TV than playing the role of a trying-hard-to-be-bad villain?

In my humble opinion, this show is a total piece of crap. Mama Mary, Boobsie Manananggal, and Evil Sheryl Cruz just won’t mix—a pathetic attempt to create a tearjerker and a horror film with some Catholic flavor.

O pa’no? Hanggang sa muli, manonood pa ako ng Kokey e. Ngyahahaha!

Cybertronian Desk Guardians

2007-08-04T13:53:00.000+08:00

Bumblebee 74 Camaro, Pounce, Punch/Counterpunch, Jollibee Barricade :-) Kelly's Jazz and Starscream get together.

Meet My New Friend

2007-07-26T09:33:00.001+08:00

He's yellow, he's badass, and he transforms into a 1974 Chevy Camaro. Meet Bumblebee!

Lahat ng Hindi Ko Kailangang Malaman, Natutunan Ko

2007-07-04T15:34:00.000+08:00

Dahil sa Radioactive Sago Project, natuklasan ko muli ang panulaan ni Jose Lacaba.

________________________________________

Lahat ng Hindi Ko Kailangang Malaman, Natutunan Ko
sa Pelikulang For Adults Only
ni Jose F. Lacaba

Marumi ang pulitiko, pero malinis ang budhi
ng puta.

Ipokrito ang pari, pero may ginintuang puso
ang puta.

Nagpapaaral ng kapatid na magpapari
ang puta.

Namumutiktik sa putang ina at anak ng puta ang
malaswang bibig
ng puta.

Nalululong sa droga ang anak
ng puta.

Ayaw ng putang ina na ang anak niyang babae'y masadlak
sa pagpuputa.

Ang unang tikim sa luto ng Diyos ay ipinapatikim
ng puta.

Bukas ang simbahan kahit madaling-araw tuwing
magdadasal
ang puta.

Nagbubulungan ang mga manang na nakakasalubong
ng puta.

Ginahasa ng tiyuhin ang puta kung kaya siya
nagputa.

Talak ng kahirapan kung kaya nagputa
ang puta.

Hindi nagpapahalik sa labi
ang puta.

Kapwa puta ang mga kabarkada
ng puta.

Magandang lalaki ang nag-aalay ng tapat na pag-ibig
sa puta.

Masungit na ina ng magandang lalaki ang nag-aalok ng
pera
para lumayo
ang puta.

Kung binabaril ang bidang lalaki, yumayakap at
tinatamaan
ang puta.

Tanging kamatayan ang tutubos at magpapatawad sa
kaputahan
ng puta.

Sigaw ng puta: Pare-pareho naman tayong
puta!

LSS

2007-06-07T11:26:00.001+08:00

Mercy
(Yano E Gancio, D. Abay)

Isang marusing na babae
Na tinubuan ng bigote
Kinakausap ang sarile
O sinomang makatabe

Na'san ka na kaya
Mercyng makata
San ba gumagala
Ba't bigla kang nawala

Parang bula

Mangungulit mangiistorbo
Manghihingi sa'yo ng piso
Kapalit nito'y isang tula
Sinulat nya sa palara

Lalalalalalalalalala...
Lalalalalalalalalala...
Lalala...

Siya'y walang awang ginahasa
Simula ng kanyang di paglaya
Nawalan ng tino sa kahihiyan
Pangarap nya'y di na nasundan

Employi op da Kwarter

2007-05-23T20:28:00.000+08:00

Jep receives his certificate and check for being the cutest pet. His owner (left) beams with pride as his veterinarian (right) looks on.

Tail wagging, Jep shows off his prize.

Photo op with the pet owner, the vet, and the losers.

Congrats jep!

Exercise...

2007-05-16T10:33:00.000+08:00

Last Monday, I exercised my right. I was lazily watching TV on a lazy Monday election morning when I saw a footage of GMA casting her vote in a precinct in Lubao. I said to myself, "What da heck! I gotta vote!" If only to negate GMA's Pichay vote, off I went to Las Pinas...

Sinong binoto ko? Well that's a secret I will take to da grave. Hehe. Baka mapahiya pa ko 'pag nagloko e. But who won't? Even Chiz is destined to become a trapo someday. Mark my words. But, in the meantime, let's enjoy their moment of "pakitang gilas."

PNP and COMELEC claims a "generally" peaceful elections. Oo nga naman, less than 150 LANG NAMAN ang patay. Sa Baghdad e mga sampung car bombs lang 'yun. Peaceful talaga.

Ah, Filipinos. We're such a very lucky bunch. Peace out!

New Office

2007-05-09T21:48:00.000+08:00

Ayos. Ang ganda ng bagong office! Nice, roomy, cold, and...may glass panels. Panalo! Introducing, Dolce and Gabbana's Summer Collection.

Cancer

2007-04-19T13:52:00.000+08:00

Sa dami ng nakaimbak kong MP3 sa aking kompyuter, tila hindi ko na naririnig lahat ng mga kanta. Pero kanina lang, habang pinakikinggan ang isang buong album ng My Chemical Romance, natiyempuhan ko ang napakalungkot na kantang ito. Naalala ko bigla si Ninang, si Ka Intang.

Cancer

Turn away
If you could get me a drink
Of water cause my lips are chapped and faded
Call my Aunt Marie
Help her gather all my things
And bury me
In all my favorite colors,
My sisters and my brothers, still,
I will not kiss you,
Cause the hardest part of this,
Is leaving you.

Now turn away,
Cause I'm awful just to see
Cause all my hair's abandoned all my body,
All my agony,
Know that I will never marry,
Baby, I'm just soggy from the chemo,
But counting down the days to go.
It just ain't living
And I just hope you know,

That if you say,
Good-bye today,
I'd ask you to be true,
Cause the hardest part of this,
Is leaving you...

Cause the hardest part of this,
Is leaving you...

9th Tour of the Fireflies!

2007-04-17T11:12:00.000+08:00

April 15, 2007

kung hei FAT choi

2007-02-17T10:55:00.000+08:00

Tapos na ang kinsenas ng Pebrero, ngayon pa lang ako magpopost ng unang 2007 blog entry ko.

Pasensiya na masusugid kong tagasubaybay, masyado lang akong naging busy. Matagal ko kasing pinag-isipan kung kakandidato ako sa darating na eleksiyon. Tunay ang aking kagustuhang makatulong sa bayan. Handa akong magsakripisyo. Handa akong banggain ang nakaugat nang institusyon ng nakawan sa gobyerno. Handa akong pigain ang aking utak upang makaisip ng mga batas na makapagpapaahon sa aking mga kababayan sa kahirapan. Pero, biglang nagbago ang isip ko. Siguro kaya na ni Richard Gomez, Manny Pacquiao, at Cesar Montano ang mga iyon. Sila na nga yata ang sagot sa mga problema ng Pilipinas. Mabuhay ka Manny!

* * *

Siyempre nagbibiro lang ako. Marami nang nangyari simula noong pumasok ang bagong taon.

Tulad ng aking propesiya, at hindi mo na kailangan ng kakaibang kapangyarihan para maluhaan ito, muling nanalasa ang aswang sa Baryo Tikloptuhod. As a result, hindi na natin kasama si Azto, si Pido. Malungkot na ang mga morning bike rides ko. P****ina kang hind*t ka Lukring, may araw ka rin. Isinusumpa kong tumanda kang hindi nakatitikim na muli ng pagmamahal ng isang lalake at nawa'y mabulok 'yang dati mo nang bulok na at budhi! Oh sorry. I got carried away. Hayup ka Dickson sumama ka na rin sa impyerno baklang hitad kah! There I go again. So sorry. At wag na kayo magpaiwan dito Petrang Kabayong Tsutsu at Roderick--hindi ka makakahada kung puro ka lang pagpapaputi ng mukha! Syet!
Mayroon nang awtomatik na pampabango ng hangin. Located in certain strategic places around da office, these oversized-ipod-look-a-likes electronically spray the air with flowery scents. Para tuloy akong laging nasa loob ng CR ng Gateway, sosyal!

oh well. I'll cut the crap here. Till next post. See ya, fans. hehe.

2006-12-07T00:14:00.000+08:00

Maarat and Beyond

Added some music to Gelay's silent clips. This my friends is the ultimate migraine-trigger!

My Second Maarat Climb

2006-12-05T16:45:00.000+08:00

This is a newbie's nightmare gone bad...or worse. This clip shows a portion of our trail ride down the mountains of Rizal. Barely an hour after this clip, i suffered from leg cramps. A jeep took me down to san mateo town proper, my friends ended up somewhere in Marikina.

For the pix....click HERE

2006-11-11T09:45:00.000+08:00

Pansamantalong Tatu

Si Kelly at ang kanyang Predator?

Jepoy at kanyang Butiki/Baby Dragon

Ako at ang aking Bike

Nagpapasalamit kami kay Charlie Nievera, artist, at isang papasikat pa lang na singer. Check out his youtube debut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lKX9K4WxLE

Ayen and Azto

2006-10-28T09:03:00.000+08:00

Ayen da Bike
Azto da Bike (Alfred's querida)

Bike

2006-10-18T00:01:00.000+08:00

Most of my “thinking moments” nowadays, I do on my bike. I’ve had a few close calls because of thinking too much while on the saddle, but it’s good I’m getting another form of exercise inside my coconut shell. On a bike, I appreciate my mortality more. A wrong turn, a wrong decision, even a tiny rock could send me to the afterlife, if there was any. I appreciate life more. Though I turn green in envy every time I see pictures of mountainbikers enjoying lush greeneries while trail riding, I see no point in not biking on a deadly street because its the only available playground for me in this godforsaken city. You see, on my bike, I get to exercise my body to live longer. I also get to kill it slowly by inhaling all the fumes those darn jeepneys emit. But danger, my friend, is something we all live with, every single day.

Life is like a bike ride. Well, I dunno about you but mine is. I know where I’m going. I know how long it’ll take me to get there. I know what route to take. I know what to do. BUT, there are countless other variables on the road that can alter my ride. A speeding ten-wheeler truck could run me over and send me to kingdomcome. A disgruntled jeepney driver who has just survived a shouting match with his wife this morning might not notice me flailing my arms signaling him I’m about to make a sudden turn. An absent-minded student daydreaming about his high school crush might not see me coming toward him on a downhill portion of the road. Or God could, at the very moment I’m directly under his microscope, smite me just because He thinks it’s fun to do. Anything could happen. But will I cringe in fear of the possibilities and hide inside our house? No. I’d still do what I love doing.

With all the turmoil happening around me, I have no other time to think, except on my bike. Maybe that’s the reason I seem to crave for more rides. My new house seems sooo comfortable that I tend to relax all the time when I’m home. Work? I’m working myself to death, but nothing seems to have changed much this past year. I’m still one good-looking poor guy. It’s hard to be a “head of the family” when you very well know you can’t provide everything your family needs. But we must all pretend we can, if only for the peace of mind of our loved ones. But heck, I’d still work my ass off anyways. I know there’s some kind of lesson in this, but I can’t figure it out just yet.

In a bike ride, just like in life, the road ain’t always flat. There will be punishing uphills (darn I remember pushing my bike most of the time in Maarat) and sweet downhills. Some of us will fall off the cliff or end up as a roadkill for the birds and ants to feed on. Some of us will make it. Some will get to their destinations ahead of others. Some will arrive eons later. Some won’t.

Goodbye Ninang (1950-2006)

2006-10-13T15:39:00.000+08:00

She was the only Ninang I knew. My Mama’s best friend, she always paid us a visit, anytime of year, anytime of day. She wasn’t like most of our relatives who, during the financial crisis that befell us, all disappeared like cockroaches scampering out of the way when light floods the room. Ninang always came, most of the time, unannounced. She was the one who brought Quickie and Quackie to our lives. Quackie died within a few days, Quickie grew up to be a very good duck who thought he was a dog. Ninang gave me a chess set. The chess tutorial session she gave me was an added bonus.

She was a proud Christian and she loved God more than anyone I know. I have never seen or heard anybody pray like her. A day before I took the Manila Science High School entrance exams, she came over and she coaxed me to pray with her for guidance. I failed the test. But she didn’t loose heart. A few days before I was to take the UPCAT, she came over again and prayed for me. And though I seemed to be the person in our batch least likely to pass the test, I did pass.

She was always there when we needed her most. She helped me through college. She visited me often and gave me advice and gave me money to survive those dreary days. She always came over our little house to visit Mama.

Although she has given up on the religion she was born in, and the very religion that sealed our relationship, as inaanak and ninang, she never wavered from her role of being my second mother. Although she wasn’t there all the time, she came during the toughest times.

Then she caught the Big C. She underwent an operation to remover one of her breasts without letting anybody know. But the cancer spread and she had to undergo chemotherapy. Her body couldn’t stand chemo so she surrendered her illness to the will of the Lord.

Ninang passed away last Monday. She is now with the Lord she so longed to be with. I will terribly miss her. But I know, wherever she is right now, she’s happy.

Maarat Beybeh!

2006-09-12T11:00:00.000+08:00

September 10, 2006. Destination: Mt. Maarat. We came, reached the peak(?) , and came back alive. One friend though had a bad crash and suffered a broken upper arm, tsk.

Thanks to the PinoyMtbikers for the company and Jepoy, for the softdrinks, tubig, and sopas. Yeh!

Aswang sa Baryo Tikluptuhod

2006-09-06T10:59:00.000+08:00

Nang tumigil sa pananalasa ang aswang sa Baryo Tikluptuhod, tumigil din ang mga usap-usapan sa mga pondohan, sa mga tipun-tipon, sa palengke. "Nakakain siguro ng buong baka ang aswang! Kaya siguro siya namamahinga," anang isang magsasakang kagagaling lang magdilig ng petchay niyang tanim. Inihahalintulad niya marahil yung aswang sa isang sawa, na kapag nakalunok ng medyo malaking hayop e nagtatago muna't nagpapatunaw. Sa kasalukuyan, masaya ang mga tao sa baryo. Balik sa normal ang mga gawain ng mga tao; wala nang pangamba. Pero may mangilan-ngilang hindi kumpiyansa sa sitwasyon. Sila iyong personal na nakakita sa aswang o nakaranas ng mga kademonyohan nito. Hindi sila mapalagay sa bagong sitwasyong ito. Hindi nila mawari kung kailan muling aatake ang nilalang na kinatatakutan nila. Hindi nila matiyak kung sino naman ang susunod na biktima.

Ganun din naman ang nangyari sa baryong ito noong panahon ng Hapon. Apat na taon silang nabuhay sa takot, nagsumiksik sa mga kagubatan, kumain ng kamote't uminom ng tubig-ulan, makaiwas lamang sa mga mananakop. Pero pagkatapos ng giyera, nang magsibalik na ang mga Hapones hindi bilang mga sundalo kundi bilang mga turista, ayos na naman ang lahat. Ang mga bagong-tubo, tuwang-tuwa sa pagbalik ng mga turistang Hapones, nagpupumilit pa ang ilan na ipagsama sila sa bansang Hapon para maging mga mananayaw, para maging mga puta. Pero yung mga pamilyang biniktima ng mga sundalo, yung mga babaeng ginamit na parausan, yung mga batang naulila, mga asawang nabalo, hindi nila makalilimutan ang mga Hapones. Kaya ilag sila sa mga turista, sa mga kalahi ng mga lumapastangan sa kanila ilang taon lamang ang nakalilipas.

Noon ang mga Hapones. Ngayon ang aswang. Hindi naman natin masisisi ang ilang mga taong hindi naman direktang naapektuhan. Hindi rin naman natin maaaring husgahan ang mga taong naghirap, natakot, at nabalisa. Maganda nga sigurong may mga natitirang mga taong patuloy na nangangamba, nag-aabang sa pagbalik ng demonyo, sa gayon, kapag naulit ang kanyang mga gawi, may magkukuwento sa mga bagong-tubo, sa mga bagong salta ng nakaraan.

Pero mauulit ito lahat, dahil hindi naman nasugpo ang problema. Pero hanggang mangyari iyon, mananatiling mapayapa muna ang Baryo Tikluptuhod. Habang may oras, bumisita ka na.

Ayen da Bike Gets Her First Tattoo

2006-09-04T13:33:00.000+08:00

Here she is with her new tattoo:

Another UP Spin

2006-09-04T10:46:00.000+08:00

03 September 2006, UP

Getting ready for Bykerpong's initiation rites
Minime, Austin, and uh...Bykerpong
UP's very own Zorro poses for a quick picAction pic, while dodging joggers, naks!Our Nannies. Hehe, Kawen and KitikatWith PMTB friends, (L-R, or tallest to smallest) Arci, Me, Bykerpong, Ronald, Alfred
Cute! Let us all remember the whole colony of ants crushed under the weight of these two beauties. Hehe.

A Father's Love

2006-09-01T10:47:00.000+08:00

This video sends powerful images. It made me cry.

A touching story about a father and his son. Twenty years ago Rick Hoyt ran a 5k while pushing his disabled son in a wheelchair. After the race his son told him that while racing he did not feel disabled. They have since competed in over a hundred triathlons and marathons together.

Ayen da Bike and Friends

2006-08-28T16:02:00.000+08:00

Ayen da Bike has a new body and new fancy legs. After an incredible VickyBeloesque tranformation, here she is! I biked to the office last week, 23 kms of road and dangerous fumes. A day after, i took her to U.P. for a spin with Ayen da Misis and Alfred da Biker-slash-officemate-dude.

That's me with Ayen da Bike
Ayen da Bike with Ayen da Misis (background)Me, Kawen, and Papa Oble's nuts
Alfred and his signature pektyur stance
Like Ayen da Bike, amputi!Uuy, sweet!
Ayen da Bike with Ayen da Misis.

FUN? Well, almost.

2006-08-22T13:47:00.000+08:00

Huh?! Ano 'Yon?

2006-08-04T09:19:00.000+08:00

Slipping in and out of consciousness, I was lazily staring at people and things outside the moving bus. Then, some huge billboard in Mabuhay Rotonda caught my eye. It bears the freaky picture of three persons: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (I really have nothing against seeing her everywhere in Metro Manila), Sonny Belmonte, the mayor of Quezon City, and Carlo J Caparas. WTF? The billboard announces the celebration of National Language Month and something like a Gawad Carlo J Caparas. WTF is this? Is he dead already? Anong kinalaman niya sa Buwan ng Wika? Anything about massacres and depictions of heinous crimes can be directly attributed to Carlo J, but this? Ewan

Dahil Kay Bagyong Glenda

2006-07-25T15:11:00.000+08:00

Sa lakas ng ulan sa labas, iisipin mo umuulan na ng bigas. Ang sarap sana matulog. Ito yung mga panahon na masarap lang humilata sa loob ng bahay. Kahit noodles lang ang ulam, o munggo na may sahog na chicharon, nakupo, e swabe na. Huwag lang talaga uulan nang sobrang lakas na tipong aakyat na naman ang tubig baha sa bahay. Kaso hindi na ako elementary o hayskul. Isa na akong manggagawa. Dati, alas-singko pa lang ng umaga, hinihintay ko na yung announcement ni Nilo Rosas ng DECS. Malamig ang boses ng opisyal na tagapaghatid ng mabuting balitang ito—“Wala pong klase sa antas elementarya at hayskul…” Badtrip lang pag ang maririnig mo e “Ipinauubaya na po namin sa pamunuan ng mga paaralan...” Pag mabuting balita ang nasagap, itsa na ang sapatos sa isang sulok. Huhubarin na ang polo at ibabalik sa hanger, at lulundag pabalik sa papag. Ang sarap ng buhay. Maghihintay lang ng bago mananghali para pwede nang maligo sa ulan, sumahod sa alulod ng malalaking bahay, at makipag-wrestling sa putikan. E ngayon? Kung hindi siguro magkaroon ng mga trahedyang tulad ng mga tsunami at lindol (wag naman sana) e hindi naman masususpinde ang mga opisina—kahit pa kelangan mo na ng scuba gear para lang makarating sa kanto.

Noong kinder ako hanggang mga greyd tri, tuwang-tuwa ako pag may pasok pa rin kahit umuulan at baha. Ibig kase sabihin non, pwede kong masuot ang kapote ko papuntang skul. Napakalapit lang naman ng public school na pinapasukan ko kaya nilalakad ko lang papasok, rain or shine, may baha o wala. Pakiramdam ko noon, astig ang gayak pang-ulan ko. Para akong superhero. Short na khaki, T-shirt na puti, I.D. na nakapardible, at kapote na kulay blue. Dahan-dahan siyempre ang lakad pag nasa kalsadang may baha kase pag dumadaan ang tricycle, aanudin ka sa sidewalk. Masipag ako pumasok sa skul noon. Isang oras bago ang bell naroon na ko, nakikipaglaro ng mga laro ng tunay na lalaking elementary student—agaw-base, mataya-taya, at kung anu-ano pa. Pero pag umuulan, kanselado ang quadrangle games naming mga lalaki. Nagkakasya na lang kami sa pagkukwentuhan.

Fast forward. Nakatalukbong ako ng makapal na kumot, pero nakatutok ang electric fan habang bumabayo ang ulan sa yero naming bubog. Ayokong pumasok. Ayokong bumangon. Ayokong gumising. Pero dahil kailangang uminom ng gamot ang mga magulang, dahil kailangang may swelduhin para pangkain at pambili ng mga pangangailangan, wala akong karapatang manatili sa higaan. Bangon. Nood ng TV at abang kung mayroon bang force majeure na nagdulot ng suspensiyon ng pasok sa opisina sa siyudad. Wala, siyempre. Ligo, kain ng pandesal, bihis ng uniporme, sugod sa ulan. ’Yan ang buhay ng dukhang yuppie o young urban poor professional.

Don't Wait

2006-07-01T11:20:00.000+08:00

by Dashboard Confessional
Dusk and Dawn Album

The sky glows
I see it shining with my eyes closed
I hear your warnings but we both know
I'm gonna look at it again

Don't wait, Don't wait
The road is now a sudden sea
And suddenly, you're deep enough
To lay your armor down
To lay your armor down
To lay your armor down

You get one look
I'll show you something that the night took.
A bit too early for my own good
Now let's not speak of it again

Don't wait, Don't wait
The road is now a sudden sea
And suddenly, you're deep enough
To lay your armor down
To lay your armor down

Don't wait, Don't wait
The lights will flash and fade away
The days will pass you by
Don't wait
To lay your armor down (x5)

Come Forth, Butcher

2006-06-21T07:54:00.000+08:00

Gloria’s at it again. After five years in office, she now finally realized that the greatest threat that faces Philippine democracy is the New People’s Army. And so, she drew up a plan to crush the communist insurgency in two years. Man, isn’t that brilliant? Relatively peaceful Luzon will now be the center of an armed conflict between the military and the Reds. What better way to draw attention away from the real problems of the country—poverty, corruption, unemployment, and a fake president. Oh, and what better way also to impress our extremely benevolent brothers, the Americans. Imagine how Gloria would look good in the American press—a puny lady third-world president exerting military might over “terrorists.”

Before Gloria’s scary braggadocio even reached the ordinary people through TV in bus terminals and karinderyas, Sec. Raul Gonzalez already predicted the inevitability of “collateral damage” in this great war. This bloke doesn’t seem to understand that what’s he’s referring to are civilians dying in the middle of a government-sponsored bloodbath. Who the fuck is he? What if his family lived in the hinterlands in the middle of an NPA camp and a military detachment? Would that still be cool?

Another scary thing in this “show” are the main actors cast by Gloria to play the part of the bright military people. Jovito Palparan, dubbed as “Berdugo” is a known orphan- and widow-maker. Dozens of civilians lost their lives in the hands of Palparan’s strike forces. In fact, in these tumultuous times, the death rate of members of legal communist fronts and other civic groups critical of the Arroyo administration already exceeds the rate of shooting-star visits in the sky.

I’m not discounting the fact that the NPA remains to be a threat to national security. It’s just that history already told us that an insurgency couldn’t be crushed through a military confrontation alone. Why leave the negotiating table to risk the lives of civilians, soldiers, and rebels? Gloria’s stupid decision would only benefit the NPA. For as Joma said, because of the government’s neglect of the needs of the people, it remains as the chief recruiter of NPA cadres in the hinterlands.

Okay, enough ranting. Let’s start digging our graves, it’s the least we could do, for our poor country.

Independence Day Ride

2006-06-15T08:07:00.000+08:00

12 June 2006. Independence Day Ride. Birthday Ride na rin ni Jonie, dahil berdey niya the day before.

Balimbing

2006-06-14T11:33:00.000+08:00

Today's Inquirer frontpage photo says it all. Who knows, in a few years babawiin din ni GMA ang lahat ng sinabi niya... But who cares anyway?

Creepy

2006-06-13T11:34:00.000+08:00

Two days ago, Mama told me the story about the child of one of her high school classmates back in Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon. Apparently, the child burned up while sleeping. It seemed, according to her classmate, that the child got burned for no apparent reason. Her bed and the furniture around were not in any way touched by the “fire.” It was as if the child just literally burst in to flames while sleeping. The incident haunts the mother to this day.

I remembered stumbling upon such phenomenon (which by the way is up there in the creepy list with the UFOs and aliens) in the UP Main Library way back in college. The phenomenon is referred to as Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC). Before, I dismissed such stories as pure gimmick, but after hearing this story, I dug up a little more info and found some in Wikipedia. Follow this link if you want to know more.

Goodbye

2006-06-07T20:13:00.000+08:00

Today, at around 8 a.m., Ka Intang (Jacinta Donato), my lola, left us and made her way to another place, a place devoid of pain.

She put up a good fight. I will terribly miss her.

Para ano ba't magkikita-kita rin tayo. Paalam po.

Di bale nang mawala ang isang kapon, 'wag lang ang isang pulung-pulong...

Ang manok, kapag nasusugatan, nag-iibayo ang tapang...

--Ka Intang

SONNET 89 by Pablo Neruda (1904 - 1973)

2006-06-07T16:27:00.000+08:00

When I die, I want your hands on my eyes:
I want the light and wheat of your beloved hands
To pass their freshness over me once more:
I want to feel the softness that changed my destiny.

I want you to live while I wait for you, asleep,
I want your ears still to hear the wind, I want you
to sniff the sea's aroma that we loved together,
to continue to walk on the sand we walked on.

I want what I love to continue to live,
And you whom I love and sang above everything else
To continue to flourish, full flowered:

So that you can reach everything my love directs you to,
So that my shadow can travel along in your hair,
So that everything can learn the reason for my song!

siyempre, para kay kawen 'to

2006-05-25T13:01:00.000+08:00

The Chicago Manual of Style Guru (Chicagonensis stupidus). This is an artist's reconstruction of the last CMS Guru. There have been unconfirmed reports that a member of the species can still be found in the wild but experts continue to deny its existence pending empirical evidence. Eyewitnesses claim they have seen a black, foul-mouthed, horned CMS guru but a fact-finding committee later found that the animal being described was nothing but a mutated Tasmanian devil (Devilgracius englishinidae).

Sad Note

2006-05-24T11:02:00.001+08:00

I passed by her house this morning and the sight of her moved me to tears. She was lying limp on her papag, almost immobile. She was staring blankly at something. Cancer is slowly pulling her away from us. Until a few weeks ago, every morning on my way to work, she would greet me. Though trapped in her wheelchair, she would boast about how she beat me again to that spot and that I were late again, as always. More than once she teased me about marrying soon so that she’d be able to see my kids before God takes her away. She was the lola I grew up with. My biological grandparents were all in Bicol and she was the only elder woman I looked up to in our place—the only lola I knew when I was growing up.

We call her Ka Intang. Her grandchildren who were our playmates simply called her Lola Intang, but me and the other kids in the neighborhood stuck to the “Ka” because we were not her real grandchildren. I’ve been rummaging through my earliest memories of her in my mind but I can’t really picture her as a younger woman. When my parents moved to this place back in 1979 or 1980, I was a baby then, and she could have been in her 60s already. But anyway, to me, she was perpetually a lola.

She had a small store attached to her house. My mother told me Ka Intang had little or no formal education but nobody can fool her when it comes to her merchandise. She was an applied mathematician. I never really knew how she was able to keep an inventory of her goods, or how she gave out exact changes just by simply mumbling and looking up to the sky as if some invisible coach is giving her answers. As a kid who never really liked math, I looked up to her like she was some sort of a math goddess.

We had the impression then that she never liked little kids. I have lost count of how many times she had chased us away because we were ransacking her atis or aratiles trees. But while we kept to ourselves our secret fear of her, we loved her. She wasn’t a kid-hater after all, we later found out.

Even though the big C crippled her and banished her to a wheeled contraption, I never really thought she’d give up the fight. She is a tough old woman and I admire her strength.

I know she’s still inside that frail body. I know she’s there struggling to overcome her condition. I wouldn’t be the least surprised if she bounces back and starts moving around on her wheelchair again.

I know she has had a full life, but please God, let her stay a little longer. I have yet to show her my children.

Tour of the Fireflies

2006-05-17T07:34:00.000+08:00

Oy!Muntik ko nang malimutan! Ito ang pinakamemorableng bike ride ko dahil higit pitumpung kilometro ang tiniis ng aking bisikleta at siyempre ng aking pwet. Kasama ko sa kalokohang ito si JY at si Ritche. Masaya...kasama ng libu-libong siklista, binarahan namin ang mga pangunahing lansangang pinaghaharian ng mga sasakyang walang habas na nagbubuga ng lason sa hangin (nakngtuts, environmentalist!) Maki-BIKE KA! Wag Matakot!

Sucat...hayop, naka-jersey, kunwari nakangiti pero halos iluwa ko na ang baga ko sa pagod.

"Grin and bear it." Kasama si JY sa...Tiendesitas, starting line...pero by this time wala nang paglagyan ang pawis ko sa pagod.

Ako (foreground, obvious ba?) at si Ritche at JY (nagsusumiksik sa background), habang hinihintay na dumaan ang Miss Earth na kasali sa ToF
Sa tapat ng U.S. Embassy, bago ako sumali sa pakikipag-asaran sa gwardiyang naninita dahil bawal daw kumuha ng piktyur doon. Mr Bush will be proud of him...pwe.

JY at Ritche sa Baywalk. Nakangiti kahit na para silang mga barbekyung tinutusta sa ilalim ni Haring Araw.

Sa bahay nila JY, pagkatapos ng ToF.

Da Bike. Still in tip-top shape, habang ang kanyang amo, nagdedeliryo na sa pagod, gutom, at init.

A Lesson in History

2006-05-11T12:44:00.000+08:00

Three years ago, about the same time of year...somebody stood up against the monster.

Graceless Soul

(An Open Letter)

March 23, 2003

Dear Tungngang,

I’m sorry that things between us had gone out of hand, but I will never apologize for a “mistake” I didn’t commit. Even if my becoming a permanent employee depended on it, I won’t. I remain steadfast in my stand that I had acted as I see fit in all of the situations that brought about your multiple accusations. My actions/decisions were the right thing to do then and, looking back now, they still are.

Many times I tried to make you see things in their proper perspective, but you were so adamant to cling to your own perception of things. So I figured this letter may be the only way for me to tell you everything I need to say.

First, you have put yourself in a pedestal where you are above the rest, where no one can challenge you. You perceive yourself as somebody no one should cross. You have also set a standard for everyone, which, ironically, you yourself cannot meet. You feel frustrated when people whom you see as “lower” in rank/status/position/IQ than yourself fall short of that standard. But you always find excuses when you fail. It’s such a big deal when it was another person’s fault, but you never even see it as a mistake when it was yours. And when these very same people achieve more than what you thought they can (in most cases even surpass you), you feel antagonized. You feel challenged. You feel threatened. And so, like a tiger preparing to attack, you bare you claws, waiting for that chance when your prey unwittingly comes your way.

You want everything to be perfect that even things as minor as the use of a hyphen and a semicolon are big issues as far as you are concerned. But you fail to see that you yourself aren’t perfect, and instead of being thankful when people are able to correct your blunders before it would be too late, you feel that you, the person, are being attacked. And so your pride is wounded, your view of yourself as “perfect” is nullified. That’s why you always feel the need to prove that you are really good, that you are indeed “perfect”. So you strive hard to undo that “blemish” tossed upon your person. But for the meantime, you will have to put down the person you perceive to have “thrown mud unto you”.

And that’s why you hate me. You feel that by having an opinion different from yours and voicing it out freely is being “hard-headed.” It is not. It is having a mind of my own. It is seeing things in different perspective. It is being assertive. It is being me.

Before coming here, I’ve always been liked, if not admired, for having a mind of my own and for being unafraid to speak it out. Now, you want to change that. You want me to agree with you in everything that you say or do. You enjoy telling people what they should do, what they should think, and what they should believe. That way, you can always maintain your perceived “superiority” over them. And when they still assert their own views, you then impose your “authority.” That’s why every time we argue, your battle cry had always been, “Sino ba’ng mas mataas sa atin?”

Tsk. Did you really think that would work?

You cannot make me believe that something is right or wrong just because you say so. You can never convince any judge to favor your side simply because you are more senior in rank/age/status than your opponent. The decision will always be based on how convincing, how factual, and how well you present your case. And so in matters of opinion, I can only respect yours; I intend to hold my own.

Second, you always treated me as if I were your student—always at a lost, always needing help. You always hovered at my back (literally), imposing upon me your way and style of doing things, and worse, dictating what I should do in every step of the way. You’d somehow thought that doing things differently would make my output wrong.

The first time we talked, I did ask you to give me a little bit of space, to trust me a little more. I did tell you that what I need from you is for you to be more of a friend—someone who’s always there to help but won’t cling so close to me that I can’t breathe. You were like a parent who was so compulsive, so worried about her children. That’s fine for as long as your children are young. But soon, they would grow to be mature adults, too. They would soon want to stand on their own; their needs from you would then be different. Some parents anticipate and recognize that inevitable change and so they easily adapt. But others don’t; so their children never grow up, never able to make decisions on their own.

Our relationship is parallel to that. When I started out, I had needed your help all the time. But then I learned; slowly I was becoming better and better. I had thought you’d be proud of me. I had thought you’d be pleased with my progress, that you’d be glad that I had learned so much in so short a time. Why shouldn’t you? You helped me out. I would not have learned had not been for your helping hand. I acknowledge that, Grace, and for that I am thankful to you. But at the same time, I am rather disappointed that you don’t see that my needs from you had changed as well. Look, I am no longer a baby. I am more like a teenager now—eager to try out my wings…

Third, I told you before that I am not comfortable with the way you talk to me, particularly when you point out some corrections. Every time we tried to talk out our differences, you had always resorted to raising your voice, and twice you had had your forefinger directed at me. It would have worked if I were a child; I would have trembled and cried in fear. But in case you hadn’t noticed, I am not. So it didn’t work; it never will.

Finally, I hate to say this, but you have a temper, and you always fail to control it when you perceive that your “authority” is challenged. That explains why we always failed to sort out our differences. You are so quick at making unfounded accusations, based solely on how you perceive things are. And worse, when I try to explain myself, you always refuse to see the other side of things. And worst still, you accuse me of being hard headed. Then we go back to square one. Do I have to defend myself all the time?

Then I walked out on you. You said I was “bastos.” Hey, did you seriously believe that I would sit there and listen to you accuse me of doing God-knows-what for the nth time? Did you really think that you could still hold me by threatening me my position? Come on, Grace. You didn’t behave as respectfully as you believe you have. And in case you don’t know, “respect begets respect.”

You told me I don’t know myself well. I think that more suitably applies to you. You also told me that the people around you behave differently toward you. You did ask me to observe and help you figure out why. Come to think of it, that’s a good question indeed. Why, really? Unfortunately, the answer is not quite as good…

Dwicked Angel

Wanted: Assistant to the Editor

2006-05-10T16:04:00.000+08:00

...there are some things that can beat smartness and foresight. Awkwardness and stupidity can. The best swordsman in the world doesn't need to fear the second best swordsman in the world; no, the person for him to be afraid of is some ignorant antagonist who has never had a sword in his hand before; he doesn't do the thing he ought to do, and so the expert isn't prepared for him.
- Mark Twain in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

must be able to work under the devil herself
must not have graduated from schools reputed to be better than the University of Sto. Tomas and Siena College (Read: University of the Philippines, UCLA, etc.)
must not be able to reason out, perform tasks that require mental faculties, must accept unjust criticism, and must love emotional and mental pain a lot
must act as servile as possible and as stupid as possible
must not be friendly; being a recluse is a plus
must possess the ability to ignore blatant mistakes that may put the company at the mercy of its competitors
previous victims need not apply

I am as stumped as everybody else. I still have tons of questions . But hell I'm pissed.

The Wonders of Google Earth

2006-05-08T15:31:00.000+08:00

Top: Kita na yung bubong ng bahay namin!
Bottom: General bird's-eye-view ng Pamplona, Las Pinas and parts of Bacoor, Cavite

Last Song Syndrome

2006-05-08T10:47:00.000+08:00

can't get this song out of my head.

One Drop
Bob Marley

Feel it in the one drop;
And we'll still find time to rap;
We're makin' the one stop,
The generation gap;
Now feel this drumbeat
As it beats within,
Playin' a riddim,
Resisting against the system, ooh-wee!

I know Jah's never let us down;
Pull your rights from wrong
(I know Jah would never let us down)
Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!
They made their world so hard (so hard):
Every day we got to keep on fighting (fighting);
They made their world so hard (so hard):
Every day the people are dyin' (dying), yeah!
(It dread, dread) For hunger (dread, dread) and starvation
(dread, dread, dread, dread),
Lamentation (dread dread),
But read it in Revelation (dread, dread, dread, dread):
You'll find your redemption
And then you give us the teachings of His Majesty,
For we no want no devil philosophy;
A you fe give us the teachings of His Majesty,
A we no want no devil philosophy:

Feel it in the one drop;
And we still find time to rap;
We're making the one stop,
And we filling the gap:
So feel this drumbeat
As it beats within
Playing a riddim, uh!
Fighting against ism and skism,

Singing: I know Jah's never let us down;
Pull your rights from wrong:
I know Jah's never let us down.
Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!
They made their world so hard
Every day (we got to keep on fighting), every day;
They made their world so hard
Every day (the people are dying), eh!
(dread, dread, it dread, dread) Oh, whoa! Make dem a-go on so:
(dread, dread, it dread on dread) Ah, whoa!
(dread, dread) I'll walk (it dread, dread)
Ah, whoa! Frighten dem, ah whoa!
(dread, dread) Ah, whoa! Frighten dem, eh!
Give us the teachings of His Majesty - with a stick-up!
We no want no devil philosophy. Can you hear?
Give us the teachings of His Majesty,
For we no want no devil philosophy.

We feel it in the one drop; you're lucky!
For we still got time to rap,
And we're making the one stop
Let me tell ya: this generation gap.
So feel this drumbeat;
I tell you what: it's beating within
Feel you heart playing a riddim

Tagay-tagay sa Tagaytay!

2006-05-02T14:10:00.000+08:00

Spankin’ slammin’, pimpin’ fun! When everyone is just having a good time, without fear of retribution by a retarded, bigoted boss, the end result is this!

It was a liberating experience. Rounding up everybody except that one backstabbing, paranoia-stricken, twisted, retarded abomination, in one single out-of-town venue, and just letting loose was a victory in itself. We threw a party for the would-be married couple and inducted them to the world of chaos and bliss—married life. For some, the party was a welcome respite where they were able to speak their minds and act without being wary of their boss’ malicious eyes. It wasn’t just about drinking booze, getting wild, and having fun, it was a bonding session for the whole editorial-production family including its honorary members—remember the “hindi taga-Filipino, taga-Math, taga-Science, taga-English, pero taga-Phoenix”? Ang mga ganitong piging ay nararapat lamang magkaroon ng sequel, ng part 2!

The Uninvited

2006-04-25T11:49:00.000+08:00

Do you know how it feels to be left out? You want me to isolate you from all the rest of the species and torture you day and night and make you do things against your will just so I'd feel powerful? Do you know how it feels if I tell you, you are under my skirt and that nobody else can help you? Do you want me to accuse you of feigning sickness or making up stories just so you could take that vacation or two to cavort with your so-called beau or take care of your sick dog? Would you like me to misinterpret your actions, gestures, body language, and words, and cook-up a really spooky story about you?

You love authority. Others wield their authority with compassion, wisdom, with love. You wield yours like a soiled, stinking underwear. Look around you. You think anybody here likes you at all? People even prayed to God for you to change for the better, but Jesus, Allah, Buddha, or even the tree gods and anitos can only do so much.

You think you are intelligent, beautiful, smart, witty, fun, but guess what? Nobody here cares. Because, even if all these were true, you'd still be an asshole. Your attitude is as natural to you as barking is to a dog. There is no sense in waiting for you to realize your faults. You’re a self-made god. Let the devils pay homage. Leave us alone.

If it were my own party, I'd leave you out of it. You are the ultimate party pooper. I'd post guards within a 3 km radius to keep you out. You make people's lives miserable. You torture people's minds and emotions. You poison relationships. Oh, and yes, you make me puke.

But sadly, the party is not for me. It’s for two people who deserve our respect. I guess you were invited. But please, don't come.

El Bautismo del Fuego

2006-04-20T13:20:00.000+08:00

He was thinking of his sick mother back home when the first shots hit the truck. This was the first time real bullets from real enemies came to him. Despite the years of training he’s received from the army, nothing prepared him for this—his baptism of fire. He wet his pants; he wasn’t that brave after all. “Where the fuck was that coming from?” he shouted. “Flank, left!” his first sergeant shouted back. They all jumped out off the truck on the right side while the others who have somehow managed to fire back were providing cover fire. One private ran out of luck that day. He never even had the chance to jump out.

He was at a loss. “So this is it, huh. Twenty-one years old and I’m already dead!” he was telling himself while figuring out how he could get his squad out of the ambush area. This was his first encounter. His upperclassmen in the academy had endless stories about their own first encounters. Now, he’s experiencing his own—and he was not sure if he could live through this to tell them this story. He was expected to assess the situation at lightning speed—estimated number of enemies, direction of hostile fire, combat positions to establish, all these were piece of cake during basic training, but now it all seemed like complex mathematical problems. “Putangina, putangina!” was all he could blurt out while clumsily fumbling with his M16 rifle. His squad was already fighting back. They were all trying their best to fight back, at least to repel the enemies to enable them to pick another combat position—they were all sitting ducks as of the moment. “Ok lang yan ser, kami muna bahala sa ’yo” Sgt. Luna told him reassuringly while reloading his machine gun. What kind of young and dashing lieutenant was he anyway? He was supposed to be directing this little show, but now he seemed like a baby putting his life in the hands of the very men he should have been leading through this difficult time.

After what seemed to be ages, the firing died down. The enemy, probably running out of ammunition, decided to pull back. By this time, two of his men were dead. A couple more wounded. This augmentation mission ended in a disaster. He commanded 18 men. They were headed to reinforce a beleaguered unit being harassed by the MILF somewhere in South Cotabato when the ambush started. His hands were still shaking. He was a complete failure, and he wished he were wounded instead of surviving without even a scratch. He has radioed camp by this time, and have ordered the evac of the dead and wounded personnel. Sgt Luna came up to him and asked, “Okey ka lang ba ser?”. He replied curtly, “Oo Sarge.” Then, Sgt Luna reached for his M16, aimed at the hills, and fired a full magazine empty. “Para sa after-action report mo ser. Ipinutok mo ’yan sa kalaban kanina.” He knew what his first sergeant did. Everybody knew the gross mistake of their new lieutenant but they looked at him reassuringly. These were men who stared death in the eye every day. They may have lost this battle but they have just turned their officer, this boy, into a man.

assorted cookies

2006-04-20T10:56:00.000+08:00

I breezed through Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Pasay last Sunday on my bike. Through the entire ride, I was repeatedly using my newest bike accessory--a bell that goes "kring!". I thought it would serve the purpose of a horn, an early warning device telling people that I am about run them over. But the poor thing failed. I only got a few surprised looks that seemed to tell me "Do it again, it sounds so...cute."

______________________

Went to RFC (an old "mall" near my place) to check out if a pirated DVD version of Ice Age 2 is already available. Tsk. Wala pa rin. It's fun to scour pirated DVD stalls for rare finds. My "suki" knows a lot about his stuff. He even cites published reviews about his newest DVD movies--he's the one who told me about the documentary March of the Penguins which I loved. What would I do without pirated DVDs? Die Edu, DIE!

________________________

The evil incarnate here in the office lives again. Funny, it behaves like a boa constrictor. After devouring her prey whole, she stayed out of the limelight for a while to digest her food. Now she's hungry again and easily found another prey. Poor dude.

________________________

The Tour of the Fireflies is just a few days ahead! We're planning to hit the road so early and take the service and c5 roads. I hope I live through this, hehe.

late post

2006-03-17T15:27:00.000+08:00

The End of Reason

I was going to write about the ULTRA incident in Pasig. I was also going to write about the tragedy in Leyte.. But then, something happened. The entire country was suddenly placed by our commander in chief under a state of emergency (whatever that means). Suddenly, the people trapped below tons of mud and rocks in Leyte were history. Suddenly, those who died while expecting to get a few thousand bucks by humiliating themselves in front of the camera in ULTRA were forgotten. Well, what do you know? The dead are the luckiest Filipinos today. At least, they didn’t have to listen to the Malacañang Fighting Dwarf. They didn’t have to feel ashamed being a Filipino. And they didn’t have to anxiously wait for martial law to wake them up in the dead of the night…again. Democracy suffered fatal blows last Friday. And like a bloodied Pacquiao opponent, it is now crawling in pain.

fast forward:

Yesterday, GMA lifted the state of national emergency. Now that she feels secure again in her cozy, fortified palace, maybe she can resume digging the people buried in Leyte. Maybe she’d realize there are poor people out there still clinging to their Wowowee raffle ticket. Maybe she’d realize that to stay in power, she has to let the wheels of justice grind and seek the truth about her legitimacy. Only after that will she be able to govern. Even if she lines all her political enemies up in a wall and have them shot, she cannot quell the brewing revolution inside the hearts of many Filipinos. They will seek the truth.

My First Movie

2006-02-15T09:14:00.000+08:00

I'm proud to introduce...my first movie!

FedEx Commercial

2006-02-13T16:27:00.000+08:00

Astig!

2006-02-02T20:23:00.000+08:00

Pinoy, VAT ka nariyan sa kalsada? VAT ka nagrereklamo? Para dinagdagan ko lang naman ang hinuhuthot ko sa iyong VAT. Masyado kang mareklamo! E ano kung hindi pala totoo na mapoprotektahan kayong mahihirap laban sa mga mapansamantalang negosyante? Anong pake ko naman? Basta ang mahalaga, merong sapat na laman ang kaban ng bayan para sa mga "prime projects" ko tulad ng pantustos sa luho ng mga opisyales. Kahit maglupasay ka diyan sa kalsada, hindi kita diringgin. Sandali lang naman sabihing pakawala ka ng oposisyon o ng New People's Army. Hindi mo ba napapansin na simula nang tumuntong si Magellan dito eh busabos ka na? Satellite na si Magellan. Pera na si Rizal. Pero ikaw, nakalubog ka pa rin sa putik ng kahirapan. Kawawa ka naman. Tsk tsk. Siyanga pala, ngayon pa lang nagsosori na ako sa yo, naipambayad ko na kasi ang kaluluwa mo sa mga utang ko sa IMF-WB. Sori.

Nagmamahal,
Ate Glow

2006-01-25T08:31:00.000+08:00

Pacman did it! He beat the living daylights out of his Mexican foe, Erik Morales. Yeah, I did openly announce my support for Morales a few days ago, but I only did that to annoy some officemates, hehe (Hi Mam Liz!). I was dumbstruck at how Pacman tried to spew out the little English he knew answering Quinito Henson’s questions in Tagalog. But worse, a familiar figure appeared beside the People’s Champ. My god! What’s that freakazoid doing there? It was Mike Arroyo! Chavit and a dozen other Pinoy politicians were there too, claiming their slice of Pacquiao’s victory cake (ang lapad ngmga ngiti dahil nanalo sa pustahan ang mga tinamaan ng magaling!) Now there’s nationalism in action! Imagine having to spend the people’s money to fly to Vegas and betting on Pacquiao for the country’s sake! What could be more heroic than that! They deserve a 21-gun salute…while lined up in front of a firing squad. Freaking jerks! Would they have had their pictures taken with Pacman had he lost? No way. They weren’t there when Morales beat him up the first time. True, Pacquiao’s victory over Morales came in a very good time. The people, at least, felt proud being Filipinos, kahit sandali lang.

Switch on your televisions and look who are reaping the benefits of Manny’s win—them politicians! Korek! Manny became Gloria’s poster boy overnight! Just yesterday morning, he already issued a statement for the restive junior military officers believed to be hatching another coup plot against Madam Glo to stand down. Nice work Manny. I believe they'd rather listen to you, but you're GMA's pet, so don't count on it.

On a sad note, Ka Ernie Baron passed away the other day. His death was overshadowed a little by the country’s jubilation over Pacquiao’s victory. I just hope heaven has acres of pito-pito where he could wallow forever. May his soul rest in peace.

Virus Alert!

2006-01-24T23:43:00.000+08:00

Warning: Explicit lyrics.

It has been lurking amongst us for so long now. Now it has morphed into something so uncontrollable, that it’s deleting us one by one. What does it have to wield such power over us? Does it enjoy some kind of immunity that it cannot be stopped or destroyed? What kind of system breeds such an anomaly? Pwet! I feel so stupid talking in riddles. Putangina! (pasintabi pala sa mga puta, alam kong mas masahol pa ito sa kahit anong masama, expression lang, rest assured that you have my respect) Shiyetnamalagket! (paumanhin rin sa mga taeng nagkalat sa mga pusali, alam ko ring mas mabango kayo kumpara sa inaasal ng impaktong tinutukoy ko) At least si Hudas nagbigti, dahil inusig ng kanyang konsensiya. E itong hayup na ito, mukhang lalong lumalakas habang nakapeperwisyo ng kapwa niya tao…este hindi pala siya tao.

A virus may consist only of a few hundred lines of code…but it can render a robust computer useless—a scrap if it were not terminated. At this point, we may want to examine our inner selves, those tiny persons inside us who always seem to disagree with each other, and ask them if they are willing to stand up as one, and will this scum sucker, this daughter of the devil (again sincere apologies to the devil), to just stop. Or she may opt to drop dead instead.

Damn! Where are happy thoughts when you desperately need them?

2006-01-21T10:19:00.000+08:00

Ahh, gone are the days of eating and drinking with reckless abandon--that is, if I opt to live a long and boring life, hehe.

Sadly, Another One Bites the Dust

2006-01-14T14:48:00.000+08:00

There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man
And bring him to the ground
You can beat him
You can cheat him
You can treat him bad and leave him
When he’s down
But I’m ready, yes I’m ready for you
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
--Queen

And yet another prey expires in our midst. Like a sacrificial lamb, it came to us full of vigor and life, but now it leaves us, bloodied, out of breath. What now? Are we going to get another one and feed it again to the monster we are so trying to keep alive? Haven't we learned our lesson yet? When are we going to get tired of this sacrificial ritual? this vicious cycle? Maybe its time to send that wolf (aptly, a bitch) in the henhouse packing. Let her live off her remaining days annoying other lives--not ours, not anymore. This shit has got to stop.

Let us welcome her with a merciful and forgiving hand. Clutching the sword of justice on the other, we will lop off her ugly head.

Hapinyunyir

2006-01-12T23:08:00.000+08:00

Halos nangangalahati na ang Enero. Ngayon lang ako babati sa mga imaginary friends ko. Hapinyunyir. Simple lang ang mga wish ko para sa taong ito...

Sana wag muna ako kunin ni Lord or ng kanyang counterpart sa impyerno, kung sino man sa kanila ang may type sa akin.
Sana wala munang delubyo tulad ng mga tsunami o mga lindol para sa taong ito.
Sana matauhan na ang lahat ng pulitiko na hindi nila madadala sa hukay ang lahat ng nanakawin nilang pera ngayong taon kaya kung iniisip nilang magnakaw, magbago nawa ang isip nila.
Sana may isang messenger na mapadaan at maghulog ng dalawang milyong piso. Isosoli ko naman e...of course with full media coverage.
Sana hindi muna ako piliting mag-artista ng mga talent scouts, busy pa ako sa trabaho.
Sana gumanda ang buhay ng mga Pilipinong naghihirap, nangungulila, namumrublema, nagugutom, at naaapi.
Kung hindi pwede ang nasa number 6, sana maging miserable na lang ang buhay ng mga ganid na mga ulupong na dahilan ng paghihirap ng marami.
Sana madagdagan ng diameter ang earth para humaba ang ikot nito, kahit mga 30 hours a day lang para madagdagan ako ng panahon para sa iba pang mahahalagang bagay tulad ng pagtulog at panonood ng dvd.
Sana pag-ibig na lang, ang isipin ng bawat tao sa mundo. Sige, kung kelangan namang isipin rin nila ang ibang bagay e sana huli sa priority list nila ang paghahasik ng lagim, pagsisimula ng mga digmaan, o pananakop ng mga bansang malaya at nanahimik.
Sana manalo si Pacquiao dahil nakakahiya naman, gumawa pa naman siya ng music video.

Muli, hapinyunyir.

Rodeo Clowns

2005-11-22T21:08:00.000+08:00

Rodeo Clowns
(Jack Johnson)

sweeping the floors, open up the doors
turn on the lights, getting ready for tonight
nobodys romancing because its too early for dancing
but here comes the music

bright lights flashing to cover up your lack of soul
many people, so many problems, so many reasons
to buy another round, drink it down
just another night on the town
with the big man, money man, better than the other man
he got the plan with the million dollar give a damn
when nobody understands hell become a smaller man
the bright lights keep flashing, the women keep on dancing
with the clowns, they pick me up when im down
the rodeo clowns, they pick me up when im down

the disco ball spinning, all the music and the women
the shots of tequila, theyll say that they need ya,
but what they really need is just a little room to breath
teeny bopping disco queen, she barely understands
her dreams of bellybutton rings and other kinds of things
symbolic of change but the thing that is strange
is that the changes occurred, now shes just a part of the herd
i thought that you heard, the changes occurred
just a part of the herd

lights out, shut down, late night, wet ground
you walk by look at him, but he cant look at you
you might feel pity but he only feels the ground
you understand moods but he only knows let down
by the corner theres another one
reaching out a hand, coming from a broken man
you try to live but hes done trying
not dead, but definitely dying
with the rest of the clowns

sweeping the floors, open up the doors
turn on the lights, getting ready for tonight
nobodys romancing because its too early for dancing
but here comes the music

Death of Dissent

2005-10-07T15:40:00.000+08:00

How far will the government go to save itself from opposition from all fronts?

I've avoided reading online news or watching primetime news telecasts just to preserve that little happy person inside me, lest i go crazy and strangle the nearest government official around. But somehow, the oversupply of bad news in this country seems to have its own mechanisms of creeping inside our little peaceful minds. "Doh!"

If I had the luxury of time, and the freedom from other responsibilities tying me down at the moment, i'd probably be one of those in the streets taunting police officers to hit me for invoking my freedom. Calibrated Preemptive Response my ass.

Now that Uncle Sam wants GMA to cook up an anti-terrorism bill (Sit! Jump! Bark! Roll over!), her minions, in response, are now creating doomsday scenarios to justify this unlawful law. They even announced a terrorist's profile: (to help them catch the crook) a jittery person wearing a backpack, a cellphone, cap, and shades.

What can be more stupid than that?

Juan dela Cruz, im sorry, but, you're dead!

Nang Malasing si Torbik sa Subic

2005-08-25T10:04:00.000+08:00

Umiikot ang mundo

Habang tangan ko ang baso

Binibiyak ng ingay ang tenga

Tinatangay sa malayo ng paa

Lumiliyab ang mga ilaw

Nag-aagaw ang liwanag at dilim

Naghalo ang pawis at alak

Habang nagtatago ang gunita

Inakay ng espiritu ng alak

Ang aking hiya at kaba

Sa sulok na di nakikita

At pinawalan ang kaluluwa

Sumirko, lumukso

Umikot na parang turumpo

Parang si Moises na hinati

Ang dagat ng tao

Nang lumisan ang sapi

Tirik na ang araw

Niromansa ang kasilyas

Para isuka ang sumpa.

Tears

2005-07-29T17:09:00.000+08:00

And she left him drenched
in the middle of a storm
named Loneliness
Shivering in the cold
Bloodied and hurt, maimed
He didn't move nor seek
Refuge from this cruelty
He stood there feeling every
inch, every single pulse
of stinging pain
"So this is it" he said
The price of loving without
bounds, without shackles
Of giving too much
and never wanting anything else
The busy street seemed empty
With his heart the only
living, thumping flesh
albeit in pain
And his shattered soul
and empty dreams remain
anchored in the deepest pits
of fiery hell
In this moment
this very lonely moment
After his burning feelings
are snuffed out and trampled
He ceased to exist
For a moment he thought he could.
For the longest time
he thought he would.
But he couldn't
cry.

Ulan

2005-07-21T21:37:00.000+08:00

The rain is famous for falling on the just and unjust alike, but if I had the management of such affairs I would rain softly and sweetly on the just, but if I caught a sample of the unjust out doors, I would drown him.

—quoted in My Father Mark Twain, Clara Clemens

Parang screensaver ang ulan. Kanina lang nangangaligkig si Chikenjoy sa kinahahapunan niyang sirang kahoy na upuan sa labas dahil sa lakas ng ulan. Parang may kumalabit lang ng “off” switch sa langit, ngayon umaaraw na. Pabagu-bago nga naman ang panahon. Nabasa ko na yan sa sayans nung elementari e. Pero namamangha pa rin ako. Ewan kung bakit. Baha raw sa labas kanina. Mga tatlong pulgada. Umaagos na parang ilog. Kasama na siguro dun yung mga ebak ni Polgas na iniwan niya sa damuhan malapit sa tindahan…siyempre pati na yung mga ebs ng tropa niya.

Noong bata pa ’ko, inaabangan kong lagi ang baha. Pihado, timbog na naman ang mga gomang tsinelas, na kahit magagamit pa e niluluray na namin dahil gagawing bangka. Laos na ang bangkang papel noon. Mas astig ka kung magaling kang gumupit o humiwa ng tsinelas. Ako, simpelng bangka lang. Matulis ang nguso, malapad ang puwit. May kunwang layag pa. Masarap din magtampisaw sa baha. Oo nga’t mayroon nang mga lumulutang na ebs noon, pero hindi naman namin ’yun alintana. Wala pa namang leptospirosis warnings noon. May mga kalaro nga akong sumisisid pa sa baha. Parang isang malaking playground ang looban noon tuwing bumabaha. Habang ang matatanda, hilong-talilong sa pag-aakyat ng mga gamit, paglilimas ng tubig sa loob ng bahay, kaming mga bata naman e di mapakali kung anong uunahing gawin. Manghuhuli ba muna ng martiniko, dalag, at gurameng inanod mula sa mga palaisdaan sa Bacoor? Kakatayin ba yung inanod na tsinelas para gawing bangka? Magsuswimming ba? Ang masarap na baha e yung may kasamang malakas ng ulan. Unahan na kami niyan sa pinakamalapit na alulod. Kahit na halos mabutas ang bumbunan namin sa lakas ng bagsak ng tubig, walang makapipigil sa amin. Kahit pa ilang beses sabihin ng magulang namin na sinasahod lang namin ang mga naipong dumi sa bubong, kasama na ung mga ebs ni Mingming I (da First) at ng mga tropa rin niya, wala kaming pakialam. Pero siyempre, para safe, hindi kami tumatapat sa alulod pag kakaumpisa pa lang ng ulan. Isa pang trip noon ang paghatak sa mga sanga ng lumulundong sampalok o bayabas para makagawa ng secondary na ulan—iyon bang mga patak na naipon sa mga dahon. Gumagawa rin kami ng mga boslot—booby trap ’ata ’yan sa Ingles. Humuhukay kami sa putik ng medyo malalim na guwang, para lumusot ang paa ng kaawa-awang biktima—siyempre hindi niya ’yun makikita kasi nga baha. Masarap ding umakyat ng puno pag umuulan. Pero isang unwritten rule na na hindi maaaring akyatin ang puno ng bayabas ’pag umuulan. Ang pinakamainam na akyatin e yung puno ng mangga sa may harap ng bahay namin—magaspang ang balat, at sadya siyang mababa dahil nakahiga ang katawan niya sa lupa. Kung sa tao, siya iyong puno na may birth defect. Para kasi siyang sanggol na nasa lapag at nakataas ang mga kamay/sanga na animo’y nagpapakarga sa inay niya. Pagkalipas ng ulan, paghupa ng baha, hindi naman ako nawawalan ng pag-asa. Alam ko kasi, sa mga susunod na araw, pag hinatak ko ang sanga ng puno ng sampalok, hindi naman tubig ang lalaglag, kundi mga salagubang. Pero ibang kwento naman ang tungkol sa mga salagubang at babolgam. Sarap mag-reminisce kaso papasok pa ako sa opisina para kumita ng pera.

Mahirap rin pala ang tumatanda.

Idol

2005-07-20T17:02:00.000+08:00

The Tour ain't over yet but he's the current leader.

Weezer

2005-07-15T15:51:00.000+08:00

My favorite song for the moment.

December (Weezer)

Only love, can ease the pain
Of a boy caught in the rain.
Only hope will remember
Burning flame in December.

Only love.
Only love.

Only faith can bring to life,
One who falls by the wayside.
Only trust can inspire,
Soggy lungs to breathe fire.

Only love,
Only love.

It's only natural
The moon is just half full.
We give our best away
We give our best away.

Only love.

Only trust can inspire Soggy lungs to breathe fire.

Only love

TdF

2005-07-07T10:43:00.000+08:00

It's another Tour de France season! Catch the latest developments in the official TdF website
Lance Armstrong is gunning for his 7th. He will retire after the very last stage of this year's Tour, win or lose. And oh, I urge everybody to wear the yellow livestrong band, to show your support for people battling cancer.
For a moment, try not to think about where this current political turmoil is taking us. There are other people from whom we can find inspiration. Forget our filthy politicians. Live Strong!