Cluttered Thoughts and Photographs

2008-07-19T21:16:00.004+08:00

|moving_out|

after 244 posts, i'm moving into a new home. please do update your links. see you all there.

thanks! :)

2008-06-04T16:49:00.008+08:00

|if_dogs_could_talk|

i was browsing an online classified ads site looking for a potential buyer for my phone and i chanced upon this posting.

these are the people that don't deserve to own pets. sure he has reasons for doing this, but looking at the ad, it just sent the wrong message.

if the dog could talk, i wonder what things she would say to the owner.

2008-04-27T17:14:00.007+08:00

|saving_up|

when i was a kid whenever i wanted to buy something my parents would always tell me to do two things: 1) pray and 2) save up for it. the praying is all easy but it's the saving part that takes a while to do. in order to save, i'd have those piggy banks made of porcelain and everyday i put what remains from my allowance to save up.

fast forward to 2008, i noticed that i have loose change on my cabinet and table in the office, when i empty my pockets, inside my bags, under the bed and in ever corner of my room. so i did a little experiment and collected my five and ten peso coins and see how much i'd save up. in a week, i saved Php110. multiply that by four (weeks) and it's projected to Php440 in a month. in a year's time, that's projected to around Php5280. not bad considering that these are just loose change that we forget about.

it's never too late to go back to your fundamentals of saving money. times are hard and it's best to prepare no matter how little the amount. tomorrow i'm heading to the store to buy those big colorful piggy banks that are made of plastic. after filling it up, i may end up buying myself a dslr. *wink* *wink*

2008-01-09T10:57:00.000+08:00

|hny_2008|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger.
click here to view my flickr page.

10:49am: i stare on the computer screen. i know there are things scheduled to do for today but i can't figure out how to do them or what to prioritize. things are blurry and not in focus. maybe it's just plain laziness or i have a cluttered lazy head. just take a look at my desktop screenshot.

nine days after the start of the year and slowly wasting away.

happy new year!

2007-09-29T22:13:00.000+08:00

|they're_back|

photo taken from abc.

my favorite doctors from seattle grace hospital are back! catch the latest season of grey's anatomy at abc every thursdays 9/8central or download the episodes from your favorite torrent client. =)

2007-09-03T00:33:00.000+08:00

|i've_got_the_mole|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger.
click here to view my flickr page.

i'ved always remained a paper and pencil guy even when pda's, smartphones and other portable writing devices have dominated the so-called electronic age. and being a loyal follower of the paper and pencil movement, i've been wanting to get hold of a particular brand of notebooks i've seen being sold everywhere but here. these were expensive notebooks plus they were not available here until recently. i first heard about them when i was just a lowly lurker at the philmug forums during my pre-mac crossover years. i really didn't have an idea what made them so appealing, but after browsing the official website, http://www.moleskine.com, i just wanted to have one.

so today i finally got one! it did cost me and by far it's the most expensive notebook i have but good news to notebook fantics out there, i got it from a local importer. i initially intended to buy the classic ruled large size but i ended up getting the classic squared large size notebook instead. the squares appeal to me much like a graphing paper or a notebook i had in school for math class. according to the label, these are the legendary notebooks of hemmingway, picasso and chatwin (err). the squared notebook is 13 x 21 cm with 240 pages of acid-free paper and an expandable inner pocket.

to those who want one, moleskine notebooks can be ordered locally from moleskine philippines.

2007-08-18T21:20:00.000+08:00

|expected_ downtime|

i know it's been a long while since i last had updates on this blog. there will be a much awaited needed repairs starting this weekend. i'll be in the process of revamping key functionalities in this blog site.

i'll start by addressing some performance issues during pageload when using the internet explorer browser. some errors are encountered in ie that do not manifest in other browsers of which are security access restrictions in nature. second, i'll see if updates on the rss feeds can be applied at this time. third, i'll verify if the numerous javascript codes embedded are still functioning and if there are ones that need to be removed. and lastly, though the user interface would still be the same; links would be updated but will basically maintain the overall feel of the page.

my limited knowledge on these things is put to the challenge once again! =P

2007-06-17T10:43:00.000+08:00

|hfd_nostalgia|

my dad's office was a stone's throw away from my school. i remember that during my elementary years my dad would drop-by school so the two of us could have lunch together within campus under our favorite acacia tree. way back then when i didn't know any better but to be the brat that i always was, i despised it because it took away the little time i had to do what kids do best, do mischievous things in school. there were a few times that i enjoyed his company though, it was whenever he brought take-out fastfood which wasn't very often. but more often than not, father-son lunches were not my thing. then came high school, then college, then my short stint working in the same university where i got my college degree. we never had those lunches again. even up to now.

i guess being father's day today, i get to realize and understand the bigger picture of the littlest things that dads do that we didn't learn to appreciate when we were kids. it's never too late to value the things in life that we didn't took notice of before and remembering father's day may be a good start of all this. and this goes not only to all dads, but to moms and other people who matter to us the most.

but for today, my greetings go to all fathers out there. have a good one!

2007-06-16T11:35:00.000+08:00

|blog_crisis|

i think it's been going on for a year now. after i switched to mac, i've always blogged using it and have not been using internet explorer as my browser. i never enjoyed using internet explorer anyway. it was only a few days ago that i realized something is not right when my blog is viewed on an internet explorer browser. the blog itself stalls during pageload hence the lightbox plug-in i installed will not initialize. it ruins anyone's blog viewing experience.

i never could understand why this would happen when all other browsers i have on my mac seem to be working fine-- firefox, safari and camino.

help! help me find a solution for this. this blog is simple enough that it should work across all platforms and browsers.

2007-06-06T23:57:00.000+08:00

|fiona_turns_one|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger.
click here to view my flickr page.

i'll always be glad i made the right choice to switch. it was exactly a year ago when i was a mere mac-wannabe and became a mac-owner. it was my very first mac portable computer. and life had never been the same since.

it has been a blissful year for me and fiona. there were lots of fun, learning and getting used to. but i can't discount the fact that there were trying times that made me doubt if it was all worth it. there were numerous times that i had to bring her in for checks, repairs and replacement of parts. the hardest part when the random shutdowns started and i had to wait for a heatsink replacement for four weeks. but amidst all these, i still keep an optimistic mind.

what better way to celebrate the first year? to get the extended warranty plan. with the AppleCare Protection Plan, i'm good to go for the next two years for parts and service. i can't see what troubles will come along my way but i know i'd have protection to rely on. and that will make me sleep better at night.

amidst all the hype we hear about apple, they didn't ever promise to come up with a perfect product. but it's nice to know that they're in the business to make it almost perfect. and that's good enough for me.

2007-04-22T22:36:00.000+08:00

|time_for_change|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger.

on this day people all over the world continuously campaign for a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

global warming. greenhouse effect. ozone layer depletion. radical climate changes. nuclear waste disposal and management. rapid mass extinction of plant and animal species. food and water shortage.

these are the things that we should be taking action before everything is too late. whatever your crusade may be, are you making that change to make a difference?

happy earth day, everyone!

2007-04-17T19:26:00.000+08:00

|paxton_dies|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger.

paxton kept me company for a good number of years. i hoped it would've been longer but it was beyond me and fate wasn't on my side, this time. our tandem was unparalleled. we had the same likes in music- old and new. he was fairly neat and had a way to keep disorganized things organized and systematic. he also enjoyed photography and took care of my photos in a manner that he knew given that we had the same cluttered head.

he tagged along wherever i went since he also loved traveling-- i'd say he was a perfect travel companion to keep you up and about anytime and anywhere. he survived the metro traffic with me. he kept me going even if i had to stay in the office for long hours. we endured long waits in the airport for delayed flights, dreaded boat rides to the far flung isolated islands and the roughest road trips.

the last trip we took together was in boracay island in aklan a week before my birthday where we frolicked in the long white stretch of beach and basked in the march summer sun.

paxton, my 4th gen 40gb ipod konked out and died last wednesday. he will be greatly missed.

2007-04-08T12:50:00.000+08:00

|sheer_curiousity|

i was watching tv.

i wasn't bored but there wasn't anything interesting on. for some cosmic reason i got drawn to the screen of the tv and knelt in front of it. i then sticked the tip of my wet tongue out and licked the surface of the tv screen. and there it went, i felt a strange tingle jump from the picture tube surface to my tongue. then i realized the stupidity that i just did.

i pondered on what just happened and recalled things i learned from college that i would otherwise think would be useless crap.

the tv puts positive charge on the inside surface of the screen. the negatively charged electrons are attracted toward the positively charged screen and collide with the phosphors at high speed, causing the phosphors to emit light. this scheme works well and allows you to see a bright image. putting positive charge on the inside surface of the glass screen has some interesting effects on the outside surface of the screen--the part that you can touch and for those who are curious, lick with their tongue.

having the inside surface of the screen positively charged causes negative charges outside of the television to approach and stick to the outer surface of the screen. because of the large positive charge inside the screen's glass surface, any negative charges in the air outside the television set are attracted to the screen's outer surface, where they stick. there's a low voltage charge that has accumulated on the surface. when the screen got licked, the charge transferred to the wet tongue and caused the strange zapping sensation.

and yes, i want to correct myself-- i was bored. and after it all, i knew better.

2007-04-07T11:40:00.000+08:00

|surviving_the_holyweek|

it's the time of the year once again. being a predominantly catholic country, the rest of the country is in observance of the holyweek where there's no work and most fun establishments are closed. it's that one time in the year that our busy life halts or slows down for a few days.

this being a major holiday besides christmas, it depends on how these days are spent by anyone. for some, it's time with family or friends as they head off to various vacation spots to bask in the sun or to cool off the summer heat in and around the country. for others, it's time to practice their catholic religion and do whatever it is that they do to make it all worthwhile. i'd say to each, his own and do whatever is deemed relevant, appropriate, acceptable and significant to one's faith.

so how do i really survive the holyweek wherein i'm stuck in our own house?

for me, this is the time i look forward to a major cleaning of my room. the rest of the year, it will just continue on and gather clutter until this cleaning fest! cleaning my room or whatever place within the house that needs cleaning isn't at all that bad. my room is often neglected and can become a real dump. soiled clothes, papers, receipts, books, magazines-- they gather dust and a major clean fest can keep me busy for days.

cleaning is no fun all by itself. in-between breaks makes it funner! for that, stack up on your comfort food a few days before stores close for the holy holidays. take a break with your cleaning and munch on chips, cookies, chocolates, fruits, juices and soda while watching cable or listening to music from your ipod. emphasis on cable tv viewing and ipod music listening since local tv and radio stations are off the air.

while still on-going with your cleaning, download a movie, your favorite tv series or music on the internet and just leave it to do it's own thing. on your second, third, fourth spring cleaning break, surf a bit and watch those much viewed videos for the day in youtube or go ahead and create a blog entry. otherwise, update your photos up in flickr or view activities happening within your friendster domain. why not sign-up for another social networking application- facebook is the new kid on the block!

watch those movies or tv series on dvd that you bought from your favorite pirated vcd and dvd store. catch up on your reading with all the magazines and books that you've managed to collect and of which have no time to read.

after it all, it'll be back to business as usual. after easter monday, it will be back to the usual life. another year ahead to a room to mess up. onto the next spring cleaning in 2008!

2007-01-15T14:40:00.000+08:00

|food_nostalgia|

i've been feeling nostalgic since the year started. it was after i got a Christmas present that reminded me so much of me being a kid! i received a box of Hello Panda, panda shaped biscuit shells with a rich chocolate filling. this kiddie treat is being manufactured by Meji Seika Singapore, the same company that brought us the Yan Yan Dip-Stick Snack, both of which i am equally fond of!

so there it went, i was having a food nostalgic moment. aside from these, i've been finding (and buying) other similar treats from the grocery store shelves (of which will be mentioned in next entries).

what foods bring back fond memories of your childhood or of years gone by?

2007-01-03T03:09:00.000+08:00

|me_and_the_lomo_lc-a_compact_automat|

click on the top image after loading to see it bigger.

i have always been fascinated by the lure of lomo cameras and what makes it special for some people. is it its ease of use? the flexibility as it dares you to break out of the norm of conventional photography? the whimsical use of saturated colors during exposure? the ability to produce stunning images even with low light? these are all for me to find out!

short after christmas, i got one as a "late" christmas present. it's the lomo lc-a compact automat and someone is jumping up and down with joy and delight and can't wait to start snapping pictures. photos on my first attempts on lomography to be posted soon.

read more about lomo cameras and lomography here.

2007-01-01T10:48:00.000+08:00

|save UPIS|

there are lots of things in this world that needs to be saved. it's just a matter of choosing which are the most relevant ones in your life and the closest to your heart. i choose my school among many because high school is never a thing of the past to anyone.

happy holidays and i hope everyone a great 2007 ahead!

2006-09-25T15:31:00.000+08:00

|i_saved_the_world_today|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger.
photos courtesy of alan mercado.

i finally got to do it. i got myself started in doing some volunteer work last weekend. volunteering and signing up for this initiative was one thing. committing to waking up bright and early and dragging myself to the manila bay area at 6am was another. indeed, it was a challenge on my part.

there was so much trash floating and being washed to the shore. as we went down behind the breakwater near the u.s. embassy perimeter fence, trash was just overwhelmingly all over. it felt like i was stepping on heaps of trash that no matter how deep i went, is still found rubbish made of polystyrene, metal, plastic, broken glass and rubber. and yes, there were hospital waste such as syringes and medicine bottles as well.

last saturday was international coastal cleanup day in partnership with hands on manila and the manila dragons rowing team. and on that day, i fervently believed that i made a difference in saving the world. and that made me so proud that i and other people like me volunteer our personal time to give something back to the community.

2006-09-19T00:51:00.000+08:00

|meme_fun_fun_fun|

six_random_facts_about_me

me like this. i got tagged by consuela to do this fun meme and to make six of my friends do the same. and so on, and so forth.

so here's my random six:

:: i delight going to airports and seeing commercial airplanes. from the check-in counters, the concourse overlooking the neatly "parked" planes to the aerobridge.

:: i dream of becoming a professional photographer someday and would almost do anything to have a dslr with decent lens.

:: i can't go hungry at any time. i easily get ticked off when i'm hungry. an absolute no, no.

:: i love shrimps! it doesn't matter how it's cooked-- blanched, steamed, sauteed in garlic and butter, etc. but i don't enjoy eating fish.

:: things that i can't live without: my mac lappy, my ipod, my camera, my phone, tons of food!

:: i need to have my daily dose of caffeine from at least one of the following sources: cola, chocolate, coffee.

for this i'm tagging the following people: abby, toni, Abaniko, iskoo, justice and Rey.

2006-09-14T00:39:00.000+08:00

|alphabet_eraser_recall|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger. click here to jump to my flickr page and see more.

we had a massive eraser recall recently at work. we noticed something politically incorrect and disturbing that was printed on the erasers being supplied to us. take note that these are the same erasers used by kids in school. it was then escalated to a manager and a few emails after, appropriate action was taken to have them pulled out from our supply cabinets.

according to the manager, the erasers are juvenile in nature that doesn’t convey professionalism and that the marking saying NEGRO with a caricature of a black character would be appalling to our colleagues especially those traveling from other offices. he even suggested that maybe a check on the other icons in the other erasers would be done and true enough we found GUN for the letter G with a caricature of a hand holding a gun. what was the manufacturer of these erasers thinking when these were being designed?

-----

i'm so getting used to the concept of 'recalls' now. not only are laptop batteries and other faulty electronic components being recalled but other items that deem inappropriate nonetheless. but then again, i digress.

2006-09-11T07:29:00.000+08:00

|9.11.2006|

its been five years since that fateful day that changed the whole world forever. with the extent of damage it has done to us, we're ever vigilant now as before of the acts of terror that can happen at any place at any time as we still live in constant fear.

where were you during 9/11?

2006-08-29T00:14:00.000+08:00

|g-pass_from_globe|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger. click here to jump to my flickr page and see more.

a few weeks back i bought a g-pass chip for the blue line mrt. since i don't regularly take the mrt to and from work, i only got to use it recently. the pack costs ~$2.00 (Php100) that includes the user's manual and the chip itself with approximately a dollar worth of credit (Php50). as i was listening intently to the "globe" lady giving out the instructions on the use if the g-pass, i only got to remember the part she said wherein the load couldn't go below ~30 cents (Php16), the maximum fare of the mrt from end to end. the rest i didn't pay attention to anymore when i should've.

instead of sticking to the "standard" cards used in the ez-link in singapore and the octopus card in hong kong that's the size of a regular credit card that fits nicely in one's wallet, they made it the size of a peso coin with the blue globe telecom logo on one side. it's not only easy to lose because it's significantly small but it would be more appropriate to be placed in a coin purse rather than in your wallet.

i then read through the manual that came with the pack only to find out that every use of the chip would add 5% of your train fare to cover globe's operational expenses (e.g. the intallation of the turnstiles, loading stations, etc.). with that, all information pertaining to the remaining amount in your chip and station exits are sent to your phone via sms.

aside from the hidden charges, i think it's about time that we introduce this kind of technology to make traveling a lot quicker and ease the congestion at the ticket counters. a lot has to be improved on though, and i hope i can be part of their focus group if they have one. other than that, this is another initiative from globe telecom, where they're still making great things possible.

2006-08-22T06:30:00.000+08:00

|trouble_going_to_durian_republic|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger. click here to jump to my flickr page and see more.

e-tickets or paperless airline ticketing technology should work for everyone no matter what. this trip reminded me that there was more to than just giving out your credit card number over a secure network to pay for your fare. that instructions (even in fine print) should be read and have to be remembered--what to bring entering the airport, what cannot be brought with the hand-carry, what time to be in the airport to make it to your flight, yadda-yadda.

what i couldn't understand was that this wasn't my first time to travel. having no e-ticket print-out at hand and getting to the airport late...ehr after the gates have closed will definitely cause the plane to be delayed. up to now, i refuse to admit the fact that i was partly responsible for the plane off to davao to be delayed. but somehow at the back of my mind i'm starting to believe that it was my fault.

after getting through the baggage checking-in counter last, boarding the plane and getting seated at the very back of the plane, everything was all set to go to the durian republic. i was looking forward to this long awaited vacation, there was nothing that can happen to dampen my spirits. go, go, go!

riding the cebu pacific "new" airbus a320 was truly a trip to remember. it's a small plane wherein one can see the whole span of the cabin from end to end. the flight was full since it's kadayawan festival season. for a 20-peso promotional fare plus taxes, we're even lucky to get c2 green tea drinks. for that, the gokongwei's had it all covered.

my achievement that day, though having a distorted body clock and not getting decent sleep hence coming in late to the airport and still managed to make it to the 8:50am flight. that was the highlight leaving manila. i then dozed off almost throughout the flight oblivious of the things happening around me. an hour and forty-five minutes later, we landed at the davao international airport. we had a bad landing--i gave it a 6 over 10. my brother shamelessly gave it a 3.

2006-08-15T19:37:00.000+08:00

|woo-hoo|

it's vacation time once again! i'll be off to someplace nice from wednesday to sunday. i hope for favorable weather, great company, good food and lots of places to be visited. i'll post my pictures, yes i was able to borrow a digital camera in time for this trip (thank goodness) when i get back.

2006-08-14T15:07:00.000+08:00

|product_recalls|

it was a sad monday for me.
i took my camera to the canon repair office with a cloud hovering my head, figuratively and literally speaking. the canon peeps were very attentive to me maybe because they saw my long frown on my face. they identified my camera as part of their ccd malfunction recall and that it would take fourteen (14) working days (at least) for it to be repaired depending on parts availability. so they looked at the problem, removed the battery and CF memory card and checked it in. *sigh*

over a month ago, i took my clie to the sony service center for what may be a ccd malfunction as posted on their website (copy of the notice from the sony website pasted below). i've noticed the problem shortly after the warranty expired because i seldom use the 2.0MP camera of the clie since i have a digital canon camera anyway and it drains much of the battery. when i had some time off work i then went on to have it repaired. a few days ago they called and said to claim my unrepaired clie because parts are not available locally. *double sigh*

i called sony philippines and was told that the clie was not officially launched here in the philippines hence they don't carry support. i was told to bring the clie to the store where i bought it from (complink makati) for them to refer me to their distributor for other options which baffled me nonetheless. after calling complink, i was then referred back to sony (which made more sense) since they'd be the best ones who'll be able to handle this concern.

these are two different companies with a similar issue-- a malfunctioning ccd that needed to be recalled. one just took action on the issue while i'm still waiting on my fate on the other one. being an electronics consumer, i acknowledge the fact that these things happen. i admire them for admitting product faults and providing options to remedy the situation aside for some exceptional cases. i guess all i have to do it sit and wait. for the rest of you who are wondering what will happen, you just sit back and wait as well. and the waiting kills me...

---

Notice to Owners of Sony CLIÉ Handheld Computer (PEG-NZ90/G and PEG-NZ90/H)
03-10-2005

Dear Valued Sony CLIÉ Customer:

An issue has been identified with the CLIÉ handheld computer, PEG-NZ90/G and PEG-NZ90/H manufactured from October 2002 through March 2004, which incorporates an image sensor device, or CCD, that may exhibit the following condition:

When the product is used in camera mode, the LCD panel exhibits either a distorted image or no image.

To request a repair for an affected CLIÉ handheld computer, please contact your local CLIÉ Service Centre. A list of Sony service centres can be found in the Support Network page.

*The actual repair service will be available from January 2006 (as additional production of repair parts is currently taking place).

As part of Sony's commitment to product quality, the repair will be provided free-of-charge, within the scope of warranty or out of the scope of warranty to the owners of the above two specified CLIÉ models exhibiting the above-mentioned condition caused by the image sensor device.

Sony sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience this may have caused and will continue to make an effort to improve its quality assurance in the future.

* Privacy Statement
Personal information, such as your name and mailing address, provided to the contact above will be kept and used only for the free repair service. The information will be strictly controlled and will not be used for any other purposes.

2006-08-13T22:12:00.000+08:00

|this_can't_be_happening.not_now.argh|

those were the sentences i uttered when i discovered something terribly wrong with my camera. it was last night during my dad's birthday party celebration when i saw it happen. my canon camera is so busted that when i looked at the lcd, i only saw blurred imagery with purple tinted fringing.

this can't be happening in a time when i am seriously contemplating on getting a dslr that i cannot afford as of the moment, the canon 350d. i just can't afford a new one. i don't even know how much it will cost to have this one repaired.

not now when i have so many things lined up-- upcoming out-of-town vacations.

argh! i just can't afford not to have a camera. i hope my camera didn't do this on purpose knowing that i was planning to buy a dslr. hehehehe.

---

i'll take my camera on monday to the canon shop near my office to have it checked out. for my trip on wednesday, i guess i'll just have to borrow a camera if there's a good soul around me who'll lend me one. =P

2006-08-10T14:41:00.000+08:00

click on the top image after loading to see it bigger. click here to jump to my Flickr page and see more.

buri beach resort kids
puerto galera, oriental mindoro
philippines

|lending_her_hands|

at lunch today i overheard my colleague mention about a website that she wanted to show us. since i was being the usual autistic self that i am, i was busily doing my own thing in my cube with the remaining lunch time that i have, i didn't seem to care. when i glanced through the monitor i saw that she got featured as 'volunteer of the month' of hands on manila, inc.

great work, que! keep it up, it's nice to know that someone is actively doing His work for others. i hope that this inspires everyone (myself included) to the spirit of volunteerism.

2006-08-08T23:44:00.000+08:00

|nokia_disconnecting_people|

click on the top image after loading to see it bigger. click here to jump to my flickr page and see more.

nokia is beginning to bring out the worst in me. well it's their customer service that's making me tick at the very least. a few months ago, my brother got himself a 'free' nokia phone from globe that's tied to a 2-year subscription plan. it was the plan that he was interested in and the 'free' phone just comes in as an added bonus. he actually hated it so my ~~scheming~~ sweet talking brother made his way and convinced me to trade-in the sleek razr v31 phone that i was happily using to his nokia 6020. we're family and i felt like a good brother to him *wink* *wink* hence i gave in. prior to this, he discovered that the infrared device of the nokia was busted and it being under warranty, it had to be taken in for repairs in the greenbelt nokia care facility. this one i was fully aware of.

so the deal was signed, sealed and the phone switch with my brother (who had been drooling for the razr v3i for the longest time) was done while the nokia 6020 was still in for repairs and was awaiting for a replacement part from singapore (so they said). i kept on doing follow-up calls until it had been a month already. talking to them so very often made me conclude on these things:

1) they couldn't replace a brand new phone with a defective infrared device because it's beyond the allowed period of days to warrant a unit exchange-- just parts replacement.
2) they couldn't provide me with a service unit to compensate for the inconvenience caused by the delay of the part. i guess it's not standard policy to do that. and i could just imagine what was going in their heads, "you wish! it's a cheap 6020 for us to treat you special as if you had a high-end phone."
3) i even offered to PAY for the repairs even if it was under parts and service warranty just to get things fixed ASAP.

again i found myself at the mercy of the nokia care guys. so i couldn't go bonkers on them on the phone to get my way with things and instead sweet talked them to the brink of begging (just tried my luck) that they'd give in and act on my phone issues asap but to my utter dismay.

then one day, i received a call that the phone was already fixed and can be claimed already. whoopeee! my brother just had the paperworks with him during claiming but not the battery, the phone casing and the keypad to get it tested. we just took the girls good word that it was indeed tested and went home.

as of writing this blog entry, the infrared device is still busted. with all the hassle, now tell me how would you like me to feel about nokia?

-----

it seemed like the tables have turned over and i can feel what it was like to be on the other end of the phone with a lingering issue that hasn't been resolved appropriately-- it was frustrating and disappointing at the same time. at this moment, their manner of providing the appropriate customer care that was due to their customers was way, way beyond what i know and learned from my previous work. i wish i could've been treated differently, even just a bit close to how it should've been, not for anything else. not because it was the right thing to do but it felt it was the right thing.

2006-08-07T16:54:00.000+08:00

|lost|

click on the top image after loading to see them bigger. click here to jump to my flickr page and see more.

manic, manic monday
office workspace
makati city, philippines

i've not been my usual self lately. it must have been brought about by: 1) getting sick; 2) rains due to the monsoon season; 3) flooding in the metro because of the rains. it's really absurd and baffling how i factor-in and blame these things to realize that it has a profound effect on the workings of my head. does it? that, i don't know and i can't even begin to explain.

again, i digressed and have totally forgot what to blog about. crap.

2006-07-20T15:51:00.000+08:00

|allie's_birthday_bash|

click on the top image to see them bigger. click here to jump to my flickr page and see more.

after nikki's wedding festivities came allie's suprise birthday bash. monics sent an invite that she and allie's bosom buddies were brewing this one hell of a surprise. the plan was to all converge in her home long before she arrives from work, find a sweet spot in their big living room and sit still. then kaboom, scream a 'happy birthday' greeting once she steps in.

i left work early (yeah, 6pm is early) that drizzling evening since it is a long jump to quezon city where she lives but i got to hitch a ride from cecille and ish. adrian tagged along coming from his office in quezon city and we all then trooped to allie's house. running a bit late (as usual), i got a call from nikki who just arrived from their honeymoon asking why the bloody hell i'm late again. before i could give my long overrated excuse for not making it on time and before she gave me the litany of a lifetime, my phone went dead with no juice left.

when we arrived, everyone and everything was all set and busily awaiting for the birthday girl. food was already prepared and a big yellow and light blue cake from dexter's served as the centerpiece. her whole family was of course a part of this whole fiasco of a surprise and made sure that she doesn't suspect anything.

to make things short and really corny, she came home and got a real birthday treat. best of all, it was shared with her closest friends from school (that's us) and her family. it was an evening of good food and great company of friends which i haven't seen for the longest time. it turned out a mini high school reunion of sorts.

2006-07-18T14:07:00.000+08:00

|it's_all_about_nikki|

click on the top image to see them bigger. click here to jump to my flickr page and see more.

nikki's bridal shower
nail bliss - katipunan
loyola heights, quezon city

things had been in a real whirl lately. not only do i slave away during weekdays with work but also with my weekends when i attend to other matters...not concerning work. at least.

i got invited to a luau-themed wedding shower of our good friend, nikki. actually, there may have been more guys who were invited but it's just that only adrian and myself made it. it was an afternoon filled with games with the bride and our closest friends from high school. while all games were wedding related and it was pretty apparent that everyone had fun, it was also the time again to meet up and enjoyed each other's company. since it was held in allie's nail spa in katipunan (nail bliss), not only the bride but the girls enjoyed foot spas and other foot pampering treatments.

click on the top image to see them bigger. click here to jump to my flickr page and see more.

nikki and dan tied the knot!
sta. maria dela strada church
loyola heights, quezon city

two weeks after her luau wedding shower, nikki and daniel got married in a ceremony attended by a small number of people. for that it felt especially solemn--the ceremony and all up to the wedding reception. it was attended by some friends from our high school, from college, colleagues from work and relatives from both dan and nikki's family.

again, congratulations to dan and nikki!

2006-06-30T14:48:00.000+08:00

|iSight.photbooth_and_other_macbook.happenings|

click on the image to see it bigger or click here to go to my Flickr.

macbook in the coffeehouse
starbucks coffee
manila, philippines

the macbook had been begging me to be taken out strolling. ~~shortly or~~ a few days after i got acquainted with it, a visit to the nearby coffeehouse was the very first bonding experience we had. wifi internet surfing over honey-sweetened warm latte on a quiet saturday evening is always a good thing. i also tried writing down some things on my notebook shortly after an hour of surfing but instead ended buying more prepaid credits for more surfing. [note: this coffeeshop or establishment did not offer free web surfing services]

one of the many neat things on the macbook is the built-in iSight and the Photo Booth application that lets you take snapshots. images are low-res, around 640x480 but the add-ons are a real treat. change your photo effects from b&w, sepia, colored, negative, thermal or even add distortions to the image such as swirls, dents, bulges, etc.

the bluetooth mouse came a few days later after i got the macbook. the dealer forgot to ship or order it together with the macbook. going wireless surfing is the way to go these days and pairing it with the bluetooth mouse that go so well with the macbook without the entagled wires is great for a neat-freak like me. the only thing wired i have now are the earphones of my ipod. wireless earphones? hmmmm...

2006-06-27T21:05:00.000+08:00

|beach_dreamin'|

click on the image to see it bigger.

waterfront beach resort
morong, bataan
philippines

i had been on vacation since friday not for anything but because i just had offsettable hours to burn. so today ends my 5-day mini-vacation and i'll be going back tomorrow. it feels weird but i'm starting to miss work and the stress that comes with it.

i would've wanted to go to the beach, bask in the sun while reading a good book, feel the roughness of the sand while walking barefoot along the shore, feel the warm breeze on my skin and savor the distinct smell of the ocean. but this vacation was totally unplanned for-- a storm hovered the country over the weekend plus other lame excuses that i thought of.

-----

2006-06-17T23:20:00.000+08:00

|happy_father's_day|

click on the image to see it bigger.

1st world pyro olympics
manila bay complex
pasay city, manila, philippines

this may come a few minutes to early in this part of the world. to all the dads out there, happy, happy fathers day!

this is one of the images i took during the pyro olympics held in manila late last year. since i was busy timing my camera to capture the fireworks, it was only during post-processing that i noticed the father and son moment captured in this shot. it turned out nice afterall, it has become one of my favorites, actually.

2006-06-08T19:16:00.000+08:00

|mac_envy_no_more|

click on the top image to see them bigger. click here to jump to my flickr page and see more.

i'm done drooling. i didn't get to buy the ibook g4 that was initially the object of my technolust. by the time i had the money late may, apple already released the intel-based macs hence i ended up getting the 13" macbook from dindin. i'm glad i made the switch from pc to mac. and for that i'm a very happy camper.

indeed, a happy, happy, joy, joy.

what can say about the 13" macbook? it's white, thin and sleek. excellent screen resolution where colors are alive and graphics are crisp-- just the way i like it. the dashboard is a treat and very fluid when you hover your pointer over the icons. i like the manner the screen minimize and maximize as it is a joy to look at. communication with the wireless router was effortlessly done on its own and with it i was surfing in no time.

i'm so enjoying my macbook eversince i had it yesterday and with the independence day weekend coming, hence more time to love it all the more.

2006-06-04T17:11:00.000+08:00

|gone_blogger_hiatus?|

nope, i'm not about to have a blogger hiatus, i just had one...somewhat like that and now i'm back.

click on the image to see them bigger and the thumbnails to jump to my flickr page.

golden afternoon walks
university of the philippines (diliman campus)
quezon city, philippines

once upon a hot summer day, i ditched work and visited my school.

it was the middle of the summer break hence there weren't much student activity except the ones attending summer school. it was midday when i decided to take snapshots around. i liked how the sunlight peered through the canopy created by the acacia trees lining the campus. plus the way the foliage meet up in the middle coming from both sides of the road. everything was green- the trees,the grasses and all!

my next stop was the lagoon. it was a designated area in the middle of the campus. coming from the university avenue, it would be located at the back of the oblation, behind the amphitheatre. i gazed around walking along the jogging/ bike lane that traverses the area. there had been stone seats and tables for picnics, outdoor meetings and the like that had been placed around. i love the lilies and hyacinths that were in bloom. i just had the urge to take a stop and rested a bit.

2006-05-13T00:03:00.000+08:00

|save_the_date|

click on the images to see them bigger.

dan and nikki's save the date card
manila, philippines

i recently received my save the date card for nikki and dan's wedding. nikki and dan are tying the knot in july of this year. now that's great news!

this early on, i'm sending my best wishes to you two as you weave your lives together as husband and wife.

2006-05-12T00:33:00.000+08:00

|green_minded|

click on the image to see it bigger.

w-gril
glorietta 2, ayala center
makati city, philippines

i thought i was seeing green the night i took this picture. smirnoff, hite, j&b, absolut vodka, absolut kurant, baileys, artic and so much more-- all green.

=) i liked how this picture turned out.

---

i took a two-day break starting thursday to re-energize. not that i was seeing green again but because of another issue. moreover, the weekend ahead is a bit busy-- it's time for summer office getaway hence more basking under the sun and water fun.

the fun starts when the bus stops at FUNtana! here i come!

2006-05-05T11:56:00.000+08:00

|blog_technical_problem|

click on the image to see it bigger.

hermit crab
pandan island, philippines

i need help.

i've recently discovered something off when i open my blog using the mozilla firefox browser. the dotted lines that box the blog contents do not extend all the way down to the last entry or toward the bottom of the page. however, if i open it via internet explorer, everything's fine. i've gone through the code and i couldn't trace where the problem is. i think it's more of a firefox issue more than the blogskin code itself since i didn't make any changes on the skin recently and it's the same skin that i've used eversince. or a new plugin from firefox caused this and tweaks have to be done on the script of the blogskin.

i better stop rambling now. bottom line is that i need help. help, anyone?

2006-05-03T19:00:00.000+08:00

|blogger_and_flickr_happy|

click on the images to see them bigger.

sentro
greenbelt 3, ayala center
makati city, philippines

i think this would be my last post on blogger and flickr happiness. i've been very happy with the things i've added to my blog (little by little) and one of them is that i've been able to fully use my flickr images for the fancy pants image viewer that i've introduced last weekend.

i've recently renewed my flickr account for another year. i've been very pleased with flickr to host my images that it wouldn't hurt so much to shell out $24.95. paypal was a bit of a pain though if used here in the philippines, but i got it working. but then again, my eternal thanks to astrid for giving me a free pro account last year as a gift. otherwise, i wouldn't have known the joys of flickr.

2006-05-02T19:53:00.000+08:00

|200th_blog_entry|

click on the image to see it bigger.

birthday party luminaries
paranaque, manila, philippines

woo-hoo! i've reached my 200th post since i started blogging here at Cluttered Thoughts and Photographs. there are so many things i have blogged about since i started way back oct of 2003. what's the big fuss about the 200th post then? well, nothing. i missed making a big deal of the 100th entry so it's only now that i'm doing this.

labor day weekend went pretty smooth. french class in the morning then coffee afternoon to cool off the summer scorching heat that reached 37 degrees on saturday. 37 degrees should not be something to rant about if it weren't for the humid whether we have. it just makes you feel all sticky. my good friend, cecille celebrated her birthday and had a luau type dinner party at her house. it was the only time that i got to see my good friends again after a long time. last time was during jenny's birthday dinner. when i got home shortly before midnight, the whole family was there up and about and the rowdy nieces were up to their usual antics.

sunday was uneventful but productive still. i was online all day until the whole day monday doing stuff for work while blogging and flickring on the side. thank god for wireless broadband internet at home. i can surf even while in the garden or toilet, for that matter. i don't have to go to a local shopping mall with free wifi internet access just to get things done. i think i'm addicted to blogger and flickr. *wink*

how did your labor day weekend go?

2006-05-02T00:16:00.000+08:00

|die_cut_metal_sheet|

click on the image to see it bigger.

mrt blue line
manila, philippines

a late evening train ride home. it felt so cold and lonely taking this photo. maybe because there weren't much people riding unlike during the rush hour.

---

i am currently implementing a new image viewing feature in this blog among the many changes i plan to make. just wait for the page to completely load and click on the image to see a bigger and better version.

2006-05-01T17:24:00.000+08:00

|i_quit|

after two weeks of struggling to make cluttered photos in wordpress work, i'm ditching this project and incorporating it within this blog plus some cosmetic adjustments-- at least nothing major. wordpress is a great web publishing tool wherein it's a one-stop shop with all its add-on features. for me, i also need the flexibility of being able to alter my code as necessary. this posed as a major limitation from day one.

i'm excited and looking forward to seeing the changes here as i continue on blogging.

i hope everyone had a great labor day weekend.

2006-04-24T00:41:00.000+08:00

|blog_development_weekend|

i had an interesting weekend that was spent solely on developing my photography blog, cluttered photos. this photoblog will contain photos i've taken and the exif data accompanying that photograph.

i initially wanted to create it in blogspot because of my familiarity with the application however template issues prevented me from continuing for now. i experimented and somehow succeeeded in creating it in wordpress but there were still limitations in the modifications i could do. for now, i'll continue on using wordpress for cluttered photos and blogspot for cluttered thoughts.

v1.0 is out and the link for my photoblog is: http://clutteredphotos.wordpress.com

so many things to learn with so little time. i have yet to fully understand how to work with rss feeds, meta tags, etc. to fully utilize what wordpress has to offer. another issue i have yet to resolve is on tweaking the html code so that i can post bigger images. as of now, page layout customizations are not implemented in wordpress but i'm hoping it to be included soon.

2006-04-23T17:47:00.000+08:00

|kohikan_no_more|

click on the images to see them bigger.

it was the first and last time i went to this japanese specialty coffee store, kohikan. a few months after this picture was taken on january 28, 2006, the store closed down less than a year from the day they opened.

another one bites the dust.

2006-04-18T23:11:00.000+08:00

|it_should_be_not_one_less|

on last thursday's episode of the probe team, the program featured the plight of the don pablo lorenzo memorial high school, the largest school in mindanao, in the philippines. the school sits on a 6.5-hectare land with 14 school buildings totaling to 108 classrooms, has an indoor gym, tennis and volleyball courts and a large field. the school accomomdates over 7,000 students but with all this, it can only sit about 2,000.

the story proved to be alarming and inspiring at the same time. alarming because this is not happening in mindanao alone. all over the country, especially in the remote barangays, the challenges facing the public school system are very much evident-- from the shortage of school buildings, books and other educational aids, well-educated teachers and now, school chairs! going back to the don pablo lorenzo memorial high school, only students belonging to the top of the class are privileged enough to sit comfortably on a chair [note to self: only now did i realize that having a chair to sit on in school is a privilege taken for granted by many]. and for the rest of the population, they have to follow the first come, first served policy employed by the teachers. otherwise, if the student comes to class late, it will be the window sill or the floor. while some fight over the chairs, others are more contented with a chair with no arm rest and using their laps instead as they take notes. there is even one student who brought her own chair made by her dad (who's a carpenter) just for her not to sit on the floor.

on the other hand, the story also proved to be inspiring because amidst the little resources that they have, not expecting much from the government, they took it upon themselves to take action and have a work around to help alleviate their condition. and this is something truly admirable about them. for one, they ingeniously developed the 'shoe cloth' to prevent dirt from outside the classroom from entering since most has to sit on the floor. this piece of fabric is bound by rubber with a hole in the middle that hugs the whole shoe. this thereby prevents their skirts and pants from getting soiled since majority of the students are poor and only own one or two sets of uniforms. not only that, this maintains the cleanliness of the floors as well.

this is very saddening and disappointing for me. for someone who in all of his life attended a public school from kinder to one semester of graduate school in the university, upon learning that there are students who are subjected to conditions far worse that what i experienced during my school days is plainly cruel. it's stupid that they have to carry this burden going to school instead of learning. it's stupid that no one can provide a viable solution to all these at this time. i could not bear and imagine sitting on the floor all day for the rest of the school year making do with the situation just to get the education that all are entitled to. i went to a special public school all throughout and we are privileged enough to be one of the top priority schools when it comes to allocation of school funds but i still feel for them who are not as fortunate.

these all boil to one of many things, lack of money appropriately allocated to the education sector. insufficient policies in place to be implemented and regulated to safeguard the educational needs of the people. and yadda-yadda-yadda...blah-blah-blah. the truth of the matter is that one way of looking at it is that they (the school) have managed the situation on what they saw fit, no argument about that. shouldn't there be something that can be done (long-term) to address this coming from people other than the government? i don't expect anything much from the government nowadays since this and so many things had been dragging on for so long and for sure there isn't any bit of care left for these kids.

---

*to read on related articles about this blog, click on the following links:

the mindanao blog

sun star zamboanga news article

*photo taken from the mindano blog.

2006-04-17T10:53:00.000+08:00

|of_what_was_easter_sunday|

easter sunday was not as i hoped or expected it to be. while preparing to go to the hospital to give blood, i received a message that my dear friend's dad decided that he had too much going on and and went on. she was holding him on her arms when he passed away that morning.

it was very sudden for the family, myself included where they made me feel i'm a part off. i am very saddened by what happened.

afternoon was spent alone reading a book over a venti sized iced latte and a free venti iced tea-- an easter sunday promo (buy one and get another one free). people were still on their way back to the city and i couldn't find anyone within range to invite over. it wasn't that bad as i expected it to be. i had quality time with myself which what i needed afterall to reflect on so many things. it's was good thing.

|bangalore_greetings|

traffic on a monday was pretty bad going to work. thoroughfares were packed and it was irritatingly hot at 8 o'clock in the morning. there was a long queue of people hurrying to get a shuttle ride to the business districts of manila. if not all, most people are in "work mode" starting today. am i still in "vacation mode" or back into "work mode"?

i received this sms this morning from a friend who recently got thrown to bangalore, india for a 2-week training.

Message 9

It's 809am in the land of curry, bangalore! Dis bustling city, with massive infrastructure constructions left n ryt, has lots of obnoxious men (attitude n smell).

From: xxxxxxx xx
10:56am 17-APR-06

this friend of mine was the least likely person we know who would go to india for anything but he still got sent there for an business. choosing between bangalore or manila, i'm still better off here to bear the hustle and bustle of city life more than anything else. if i ever get to go there, i will go though. why not?

---

have a great week ahead of us all!

2006-04-16T08:00:00.000+08:00

|happy_easter_sunday|

happy easter, everyone!

so today marks the end of the long weekend slash holiday in the country. being easter sunday and all, tomorrow means that ~~all~~ most people go back to work, myself included. i hope everyone was able to make use of these days for whatever it deemed relevant to them.

for me and the family, it was family togetherness and it was spent at home. other than christmas and other national holidays, it's the time that we've got to all converge and spend quality time together amidst the hot scorching heat of summer with day temperatures estimated to have reached 36 degrees. is it just me or is it hot in here?

so it was, the nieces were running all over the house breaking whatever they nudge or topple over. they entered all the rooms getting anything that they can get hold of from cellphones, ipods to biscuit canisters. this reminds us to me ever mindful that we have to keep the house toddler-safe. they run all over our small home and scream like hell enjoying each other's company. what better way to vent off the summer heat but to take a dip into the pool. well, it was just for the kids anyway, it was a kiddie pool. the brothers were all over the house tinkering with their laptops (were they working?) configuring something that i had no idea of. with the sisters, they were either with mom in the kitchen or watching k-drama on tv or logged on to http://www.youtube.com. dad was occasionally playing with the grandkids and busily cleaning the car and keeping it in tip-top shape. where was chuckie all this time? he was nicely tucked away in his own space under mom and dad's bed, enjoying an air-conditioned doggie life, oblivious to the things happening around him.

---

what do i have in store this easter sunday? i'll be visiting the dad of a very dear friend in the hospital and having my blood screened for donation *yikes*. in the afternoon, look for friends to have coffee with since i have two free starbucks drink coupons for easter.

---

how did your long weekend go?

2006-04-12T10:38:00.000+08:00

|of_having_a_new_toy::phone_predicaments|

i have a new toy. it's sleek, it's stylish, it's lightweight. it's a true eye-candy. it's part aluminum metal, part chrome and a bit of plastic. i give it four out of five stars for ease of use.

i have a new toy, it's a motorola razr v3i mobile. i like.

---

how it was acquired is irrelevant on what i realized about myself. like always, with any new acquisition or mere materialistic possesions i have, it brought much joy and happiness getting it. it was something that i really wanted for sometime now. being a visual person that i am, the overall steel appeal gave it all away. the moment i started tinkering with its cold metal keys, it made an impression that this would be my next phone. it made me smile in delight that no one took notice of. after much inspection of the contraption and decided to have it for myself, there were questions that lingered in my head long after i've gotten over the short-lived ecstasy of finally having a new phone. one question was if it was really necessary to get one when i still have one that is working absolutely fine. my life wouldn't be any different if i got this. moreover, it didn't make my life any better by having it. so i just concluded that i'm getting it for all the wrong reasons that i could think of.

then again after realizing these, another question popped out of my head, am i truly happy with it?

2006-04-11T15:57:00.000+08:00

|baskin'_the_sun|

click here to see bigger images.

what to do when in pandan?

1) scuba dive to busuanga and apo reef.

2) snorkel around the island and appreciate its flora and fauna in the water and out--pure unspoiled beauty.

3) worship the sun and get a good tan.

4) party with the guests and locals--pandan style and enjoy great food.

i got to do almost all of that when we were in pandan except to dive. the island resort is popular for its relative close proximity to few of the greatest dive spots in the philippines. bummer that i didn't get to do that for obvious reasons. during our stay, we explored the island and found ourselves to what they referred to as the "wild lagoon". wild would entail that it's a secluded part of the island wherein you can go literally wild depending on your definition of the word. a 25-minute walk and we found ourselves admiring the place for its sheer beauty and "virgin" look. we loved the place!

took some shots of the place. applied sunscreen all over the body. swam a bit and snorkeled. chatted with hazel the whole morning. had a hefty buffet lunch back at the resort. relaxed at the beachfront chairs with a good book. dozed off all afternoon. it was the life!

2006-04-10T16:53:00.000+08:00

|paradise_found:pandan_island|

click here to see bigger images.

i was off to pandan island last week with two of my very good friends. we left on sunday, the second of april and got back on wednesday, the fifth. with that, i went back to work the following day. during the rest of that week, i was in vacation mode with my mind wandering off half the time. i enjoyed pandan so much that i couldn't get it out of my mind. it was indeed a long travel from manila but the place was breathtakingly spectacular and the people i met along the way and made friends were truly great.

pandan island is located off the coast of sablayan, occidental mindoro. there are several ways to get there--land, air and water. due to budget constraints, we opted for the hardest and "funnest" way, combined land and water mode. this was how much hours we burned getting there: approximately 2 hours to get to the batangas pier by bus from manila, 3 hours from the port to abra de ilog in mindoro, another 3 hours by land to sablayan and a 20 minute water taxi to pandan island. and then again going back to manila. it was truly an adventure worth keeping!

information about pandan can be found at their website, http://www.pandan.com.

2006-04-02T02:32:00.000+08:00

|work_update.vacation_update.another_hiatus|

click here to see bigger images.

work proves to be more and more challenging with development tasks keep pouring in as the team is in the middle of the software build phase. with all deliverables laid out and delegated-- tables, stored procedures, data transmission services (dts) and audit scripts assigned to me had been coded, reviewed and signed-off. woo-hoo!

sometimes i feel like i'm working in a software development assembly line, busy coding all day and keeping up with the demand. more important to be noted is that i'm liking it more and more as i delve deeper. aside from that, there's diversity in the things i do like continuing with product testing later on down the assembly line up until the product goes live. and so the cycles begins again.

~~~

my body and mind is begging off for a much needed r&r (again). not even a cold front will spoil our vacation plans. this had been planned for months and had been approved by management weeks prior. with all things going well at work, meeting and exceeding work expectations, it's but proper for a short and quick vacation. so, where is it this time? more info when i come back but for now, take a plunge with me and make a wild guess.
clue: an island destination named after a palm tree.

~~~

Tu viens avec nous demain?

2006-03-23T14:57:00.000+08:00

|blog_definition|

a good friend of mine recently commented about my blog in terms the content and aesthetics. he's no blog expert but i welcomed an 'outsider's' point of view to appreciate what one can feel as he or she reads through the stuff that i post.

he said that with regard to aesthetics-- layout, formatting, color scheme, theme, it is something pleasing to look at especially with the great photos. anything interesting to the eye is a good thing. so the use of photos with vibrant colors and the overall color scheme of the page itself is acceptable. there was something unexpected though on his comment about the content. he said that though there's some irony in the title of the blog page, 'cluttered thoughts', the photos are properly laid out and the links are organized in a way that suggests that it is 'uncluttered' at all. thoughts are systematically written and does not appear mishmash. proper flow can be observed as you read along. sentence construction, syntax, grammar, spelling and word usage is not an issue as well. thoughts are easily expressed using simple words and do not appear as jargon. it's a web log anyway, not a technical paper, not even close to being a dissertation.

what was striking though is that this person know me so well but he said that my entries appear detached. i appear distant to the things i say in my blog. though the topics appear to be of general interest like places i go to, things that i do, no nonsense misadventures all over the metro, he didn't feel anything about me being 'in it'.

i didn't quite understand what he meant hence i checked out the definition of the word, 'blog'. here's wikipedia's definition:

A blog (or weblog) is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed with the newest at the top. Like other media, blogs often focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Since its appearance in 1995, blogging has emerged as a popular means of communication, affecting public opinion and mass media around the world.

everything holds true to wikipedia's definition except that it's not a diary...at all. maybe he was looking for a conventional diary-type blog. this is not it.

2006-03-22T18:12:00.000+08:00

|ym_status_messages.on_learning.and_other.musings|

at lunch today, amidst the tons of work that are due by the end of the week, i tried reading some of the status messages found on my ym contact list. i found some interesting one-liner quotes that are worth sharing. what makes it interesting the more is when you try to relate or analyze how you can identify the message with the current disposition of the person saying it.

here's my list for today:

--So no one told you that life will gonna be this way, your job's a joke, you're broke and your lovelife's DOA...

--I've already found a dream that I could call my own.

--Don't look around and feel at the things others may have got.

--Tastes like Chocolate Kiss!!!

--Ikaw na lang sana...nuon pa...

--Me, Myself and I

--The Law of the Chains

--FS: MacBook Pro 1.83...1 unit only...

--a Songbird flew last month

--sleepless in manila

--I am currently away from the computer

as for my own message, it was a line taken from corrine may's song, angel in disguise:

--Take a look at the ordinary, don't need to look at Paradise, you could be next to an angel in disguise

*****

with the short span of time that i taught korean students, i managed to learn one song in korean. it's the 'happy birthday song', korean version. i say words are easy to remember much like the english version. here's how it goes:

Seng il chuk ka ham nida

Seng il chuk ka ham nida

Sa rang ha nun [put name here]

Seng il chuk ka ham nida

it's always a good thing to learn something new and that we should never stop learning and the more we do so, the more reasons that we should pass it forward to others as well.

2006-03-21T17:12:00.000+08:00

|life's_moving_too_fast|

i'm in the middle of a meeting in the office and my mind just can't help but wander off to la-la land. something's coming up this week but i'm not expecting much but for it to be just as uneventful as any ordinary day in my life. enough said. something else excites me more than anything these days. i'm looking forward to going on a short vacation (again) to momentarily halt the fast paced life that i have. the details and pictures to follow really soon.

work is starting to pile up more and more as the week goes by. this means more deliverables per less time. for now, i got to go with the fast flow of life.

2006-03-21T11:45:00.000+08:00

|corrine.may_music|

i first came across corrine may when i got to watch her interview in channel news asia last february 23. her music style isn't something new but similar to sarah mclachlan's works. her strong vocals with a piano accompaniment was something that was pleasant to listen to. weird but i found it relaxing, soothing and inspiring. as you read the song lyrics, it seemed as if she's narrating personal experiences with some catchy music running in the background.

the moment i listened to her new album song samples located in her website, i knew she'll be a personal favorite for 2006. unfortunately, both of corrine may's albums (safe in a crazy world; fly away) are not yet available here in the philippines. i guess if i want legit copies of her songs, i'd have to purchase her cds online. songs to look out for in her safe in a crazy world album include:

1) little superhero girl

2) save me

3) free

4) everything in its time

5) safe in a crazy world

6) angel in disguise

it's 6 out of 11 songs. that's more than 50% of her songs in the album hence i'd say it's definitely a good buy. her fly away album i have yet to listen to and check out.

**corrine may was born and raised in singapore, educated in singapore and berklee college of music and making a huge splash these past few years on the L.A. indie pop/rock scene and beyond. more info about her plus sample music can be found at her website, http://corrinnemay.com.

**image taken from http://www.amazon.com/.

2006-03-20T19:30:00.000+08:00

|hong_kong_tales_part.cinq|

click here to see bigger images.

february 26-- sunday was the day that all good things had to come to an end. it was the day that we went back home in spite of the political turmoil that was happening in the country at that very moment.

the only worry that we had was if there'd be a problem coming back home. as it turned out, things went well. and for the family, all of us were happy campers as we headed home. tired but definitely happy and safe from this crazy world.

2006-03-13T00:55:00.000+08:00

|hong_kong_tales_part.quatre|

click here to see bigger images.

february 25-- saturday was ocean park day, mega ikea shopping spree, dinner @ the pacific place with my uncle, auntie and cousins and last stop to victoria peak.

2006-03-12T13:55:00.000+08:00

|hong_kong_tales_part.trois|

click here to see bigger images.

first agenda on the list would be to visit disney! for this, a whole day was allotted from the park opening to the fireworks display. not only were the kids excited about this but also to us who remains a kid at heart. this being a family thing all together makes the experience go beyond magical. nothing beats going to disney with the family. disney is simply synonymous to family fun.

disney is disney no matter what disneyland you go to, which ever part of the world you're at. but it pays to know your way around. and for that, understand the basic layout of the theme park. from the big surfin' mickey fountain toward the entrance gates, you'd get to main street, u.s.a. where everything will remind you of, what else but the u.s. of a! continue on and you'll get to pass through sleeping beauty's magnificient castle as the park breaks away further into three parts-- fantasyland where everything is oddly colored and full of whim, adventureland where the base color of things would be brown and olive drab with an amazonian twist and tomorrowland, where the ambiance would tell you that it's all cosmic and the surrounding color would be silver. best of all, the basic identifier to which part of the park you're at would be the garbage bins. =)

things that caught my interest while lurking around the park were their manicured lawns and tons of flower beds. i couldn't resist and took some pics along while being absolutely clueless of what these flowering plants are called.

a whole day of being happy. that's what disney is all about. that for one day, you get to leave your cares behind and capture and experience the magical moment that you'd treasure in the years to come. well at least that's what disney has done to me, even if it were just for a day. moving forward, after dinner along the streets of mongkok, we went around the night market scene and looked for some good buys before returning to our flat.

it was a good and fun day.

2006-03-10T13:53:00.000+08:00

|hong_kong_tales_part.deux|

click here to see bigger images.

february 23, ~10:00pm-- after a rough landing and transfer, we finally got to our flat in hong kong. i'm bad with directions and geography, all i could remember was that it was in hong kong island >> wanchai district >> tai wong street near the tram line (johnston road) and southorn playground. it's such a busy place, lots of development going as it's part of the ongoing urban renewal project of hong kong.

click here to see bigger images.

february 24, ~8:00am-- the family got up early and prepared to visit the happiest place on earth...hk style! first we were off to a tram ride from johnston road to central-- strolled around and gazed at the skyscrapers, had a quick bite, got our octopus cards loaded and bought tickets for ocean park which we were to visit the next day. from central to admiralty via the island line, we switched to the tsuen wan line to reach the lai king station. we then transferred to the tung chung line and headed to sunny bay and the final transfer to the disneyland resort line to get to lantau island. travel time ~1.0 hour, difficulty level in discerning the subway map and following the arrows, 5 out of 10. could it be any harder?

february is winter in hong kong where the temperature during the day averages at ~16 and drops at night. it was cloudy and misty all throughout which made my picture taking challenging.

2006-03-09T15:49:00.000+08:00

|hong_kong_tales_part.un|

click here to see bigger images.

february 23, ~2:10pm-- i was bored out of my wit at the so-far loneliest airport in the world that i've been to. i strolled around and took some pictures while waiting to board the plane that had been delayed for an hour. i wasn't surprised at this point though. what else is new?

i saw two women with their heads colorfully wrapped with a piece of cloth required among muslims. they were malaysians waiting for a flight to kuala lumpur. the color combination was such an eye candy that i couldn't resist taking a snapshot of them together. purple and green...green and purple...purple and green.

in times like these, it would be greatly beneficial to have a good book with you. beat boredom by staying productive as i brushed up on my photography skills with a book i got from a used book shop.

click here to see bigger images.

i have read an article recently at the Boeing Jetliner Safety Site that the notion of the wing area of the plane being the strongest part is absolutely untrue. it said there that one seat is as safe as another. hmmm, so much with the paranoia of flying. as soon as we got to the cruising altitude of XXXX meters, above the clouds, i started enjoying the fluff and took pictures from the view from my window seat.

taking pictures of anything that's interesting to my eyes-- angle, composition, color, etc. this is how i amused myself during the flight that took less than 2 hours. i kept myself so busy i could hardly remember how long the whole trip lasted. as would be seen with the pictures i'll be posting, i fancy taking 'series' pictures. so there you see airplane seats, overhead cabin buttons, knobs and consoles and airplane windows with the inclusion of my usual favorite- the coke soft drink can and its aluminum tab.

2006-02-22T18:37:00.000+08:00

|havin_a_break|

i'm off to the happiest place on earth with the family. woo-hoo!

happy, happy, joy, joy!

2006-02-22T01:50:00.000+08:00

|balloons_on_parade|

click here to see bigger images.

february 12- as early as 3 a.m. i've been up already and preparing to leave for clark field, pampanga to watch the hot air balloons take flight at 5 a.m. during this year's philippine hot air balloon fiesta. this annual event, now on it's 10th year, showcased balloons of all shapes and sizes from all over the world. it was a warm sunday as people flocked the omni aviation complex grounds.

with no vip pass for any of us, we had to content ourselves with taking pictures from a distance. that being the case, with my trusty digital camera and tripod, it still didn't prevent me from taking great pictures and enjoying the moment to see so many balloons getting inflated and flying up to the sky and disappearing one by one.

i've been wanting to ride on one balloon for the longest time. but this year, i got one step closer to achieving this dream- i got to attend the event itself to watch and enjoy the festivities. i hope that next year i can finally get to ride one.

2006-02-20T10:10:00.000+08:00

|monday_madness|

click here to see bigger images.

and i thought this would be a monday like no other. anything that deviates from my daily routine is considered a crazy thing. and i like it when it happens.

it started when i got to the train station. there weren't much people considering it was a monday. but the influx of people riding the trains is very unpredictable nowadays, i can't find a pattern whatsoever. with the volume considerably light, i saw a cream colored labrador retriever a few meters from where i was happily lying on the floor with his K-9 unit handler right next to him. they got on the same station of the lrt purple line and joyfully alighted at katipunan. i could see on his face and his wagging tail that he enjoyed the very short trip. he couldn't care less about the people staring at him with such mystery. i think deep in his heart, he was trotting as he walked side by side with his handler. for him, it was just another day, another life.

as i got to the mrt blue line, the case would be the same. not much people rushing to work considering it was a monday, blah, blah, blah, yadda-yadda. but then again, i wasn't complaining. at least this time i din't feel like i was an anchovy being stuffed in a can sitting in my own oil.

upon reaching the office and logging on to my PC i got this link from a colleague via instant messenger. this is such a crazy way to start my monday morning. i hope you guys have a crazier one. just don't run off with scissors.

this is a video link so it may only work if you have broadband and it may take a while. this was taken from google video.

2006-02-14T14:03:00.000+08:00

|just_because|

just because it's time to celebrate valentine's day once again. i wish you'd all have a good one whether it's spent with your spouses, families, partners, friends, colleagues, employees, or just by being alone.

2006-02-02T19:16:00.000+08:00

|pinatubo2006_climb|

click here to see bigger images.

my trek to the pinatubo volcano crater was my first out-of-town trip for the year. this was a long anticipated one since i've been invited to other climbs for the nth time and for some reason i always had to cancel last minute.
saying 'yes' to the invitation and actually going with the group was easy. we had the pre-climb meeting and notes were handed out to give us a brief of the trip. expectations were set based on the stories of those who've been there before.

early saturday morning, victory liner bus station was our meeting place and we were 30 minutes late. we rode the bus going to dau, pampanga where a mountaineer and an aeta local was waiting for us. fyi, no one is allowed to trek the mt. pinatubo crater without an aeta guide for they revere this volcano as if it were their god. another jeepney ride and we got to the jump-off point that they fondly referred to as the "hacienda". a 6x6 military truck carrying water hitched us a ride to a body of water which for the life of me i can't discern if it being a stream or a river. dang!

this was the longest walk that i had in my whole life. for most of the two days, i was just walking, walking and walking. what made it difficult all the more was carrying a backpack with it our tent, sleeping bag, four liters of drinking water, some clothes, toiletries and trail food. the pots, pans and the cookset weren�t even included in my bag. we started past nine in the morning with minimal stops only for a few minutes and had lunch a little over two. once we started ascending, there were more and more vegetation, boulders and less sand and rocks. streams were getting bigger and the currents were stronger but still we constantly had to cross them. the temperature was slowly dropping because of the ascent and dusk was already fast approaching. because my friend liz injured herself along the way, we had to stay behind and set camp along the path, about five to six hours away from the summit. mountain evening dinner consisted of corned beef, dried salted fish and rice-- nothing fancy but it was still good food.

liz decided to save her strength for the walk back home and rested her injured leg. hazel decided to stay behind with liz since she'd been there before. by day break, popsy and i resumed walking to get to the supposed camp of the others. from there, it would be another three hours of walk and crawling up. sunday, around eleven o'clock in the morning, we reached the volcano brim overlooking the spectacular blue green waters of the crater lake. everyone just stood in silence and was in awe of the sight. it was difficult going there but it was well worth it. a few minutes of rest and taking of photographs and we were on our way back. we didn't get back to the "hacienda" until around ten o'clock in the evening.

this was a trip that involved a lot of walking on fine sand slash ash and sharp rocks, countless crossing of brooks, streams, rivers, and not to forget the hot scorching sun. for someone who likes the outdoors but isn't physically fit to endure, this is not the mountain to climb. i should have known better. from a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, ten being the hardest, i'd give it a 12. but above it all, the serene lake on top of the summit was all worth my troubles.

2006-01-31T17:25:00.000+08:00

|december2005_revisited|

christmas came and went that i hardly felt it with so many things happening. nonetheless i was able to capture the essence of it. here's my condensed december 2005. better late than never...

|christmas2005_at_the_shang|

click here to see bigger images.

we had our annual gift-giving slash pajama party at the shang now in its second year. presents were given out even though nikki and daniel who weren't able to make it because of their tight schedules. a fun time for merry-making amidst our hectic schedules and our own personal affairs. i even crammed for my christmas gifts since i was unable to finish my chirstmas shopping spree. next year will be definitely better and advanced planning will be done. one thing's for sure though, it's still going to be a pajama party at the shang.

|cheap_thrills|

click here to see bigger images.

the night that we had our christmas affair at the shang, i also got my starbucks 2006 planner. so nice that even in the age of personal digital assistants, smartphones and blogs, nothing beats having a paper and pen to scribble down thoughts and ideas and even those not to forget to dos.

|december_wedding|

click here to see bigger images.

midway december we saw ourselves attending the wedding of our dear friend glenn from highschool. it being a weekday, we took the day off and went to the UP chapel where the wedding ceremony was held. it was also a pleasant visit back to school on a december which for some reason that i could not explain brings a different feeling all together. it's unfortunate that i wasn't able to take a picture of the newlyweds but i was able to take a pre-nup picture of these two who's tying the knot next year. go nikki and daniel! =)

|christmas_2005|

click here to see bigger images.

what would be christmas if not spent with the family? well, it would be something uneventful if not something not to look forward to. but mine is differently special and that makes it the most wonderful time of the year. spreading christmas cheer to one another and spending quality time to the people who matter the most. because with them, there are lots to be thankful for.

|a_date_to_remember|

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my good friend cecille and i took the day off a few days before the end of december and spent some quality time together. we wanted to treat ourselves to something fancy hence we found ourselves having merienda at the much talked about museum cafe* at greenbelt 4. the cafe is located at the ground floor of the ayala museum, hence the name museum cafe or simply m cafe.

the place looks inviting as you can see through it with all the glass and the interiors of the place. since it's an artsy-fartsy place, walls are vibrantly colored with decors from artists that admittedly i am not familiar of. the lighting brings a warm tone to the place as key lights highlight the showpieces of the cafe. it made it look like you are dining in an art gallery. a staff gladly welcomed and assisted us to our seats. food servers were attentive and made suggestions on their "must try" selections. after a few minutes of waiting, they served us with their version of the pesto with an asian twist-- with tuyo (dried salted fish) and white cheese made from cow's milk (kesong puti). we also shared a piece of beef sandwhich altogether and drowned on duhat fruit shake.

for m cafe, i'd give it 4 out of 5 stars for the cozy ambiance, vibrant decorations, modern asian fusion food and good service.

*m cafe is located at ayala museum, greenbelt 4, makati avenue cor. dela rosa st., makati, philippines 1200.

|fireworks_for_the_world|

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two days of pure fireworks! people flocked to the esplanade along the soon-to-open SM mall of asia to take part in the 1st pyro olympics. there were a number of participating countries in the five-day competition. i couldn't recall what country i attended but we were there during the closing ceremonies where the award was given to australia.

2006-01-26T11:41:00.000+08:00

~~|boogie~~busy_nights|

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i was working late and decided to take a break from what i was rushing on. i sneaked to one of the conference rooms with a view of ayala avenue. apparently it wasn't only me that was working late that night. i took some shots in the dark with the shutter delayed to about 15.0 seconds.

and i'd say my pictures turned out great!

while walking that chilly evening, i took more shots and played around with the settings little by little. i was so happy with the results that i lost track of time, it being almost midnight.

2006-01-20T14:56:00.000+08:00

|basket_case_cats|

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our cats, all eight of them as of last count have their own quirkiness. one early morning, i've seen two of them in action. cat 1 just loves the confined and crampped spaces so much that he's willing to fit himself into this small woven plant basket. cat 2 however had been scheming an evil plot to prey on the two lovebirds but to no avail. as of this writing, cat 2 is praying and hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe this time she'll be successful in having these two birds for herself.

*****

i have so many pictures to share but have little time to do so. even my weekends are devoted to various tasks and responsibilities. i must, i must...make time longer. or better yet, ditch on some of my duties.

*****

i'm looking forward to my first out of town trip for 2006 to mt. pinatubo this weekend! woo-hoo! i'll be back with more pictures to be posted.

2006-01-03T14:14:00.000+08:00

|sarap_to.the_bones|

click here to see bigger images.

i've always loved max's fried chicken. this is how fried chickens should be. i don't know their secret but their success is definitely not a secret worth keeping. their humble beginnings even got to be featured in a local tv program. according to my mom, the very first branch of max's was where they had their wedding reception! cool!

i love their platter meal which consists of the quarter piece chicken, side dish (pancit canton), steamed rice, dessert and drink for Php 170.00 ($3.20). for that, service is good and everyone is attentive to your needs. they make you feel like you're a king. nice, nice! this is one place worth coming back to.

i can't speak for all branches if service is the same but this blog is referring to max's fried chicken in shangri-la mall, ortigas.

2005-12-11T13:46:00.000+08:00

|what's_inside|

click here to see bigger picture and some notes.

here's what you'll find inside my crumpler camera bag:

1) Creative Muvo TX FM 256MB MP3 Player

2) Nokia 6510 mobile phone

3) Sony Ericsson Z600 mobile phone

4) 40GB 4G iPod

5) iPod remote and earphones

6) Sumajin Smartwrap

7) iPod USB cable

8) Sony Clie NZ90 PDA

9) Sony Clie remote and earphones

10) Canon Powershot A95 digital camera (not included)

11) Canon camera USB cable

12) 4 Sony Ni-MH (2500mAh) AA batteries

13) spare memory cards: Compact Flash, Memory Stick

2005-12-06T01:14:00.000+08:00

|one|

my trusty canon powershot a95 digital camera turns a year old. still taking great pictures as it gets better and better everyday. this camera gives me the quality pictures that i like. one of my favorite toys that i can't live without as i take pictures of the things around that fascinate me.

2005-12-05T01:37:00.000+08:00

|long_weekend_11042005|

i have been longing to blog about a recent getaway of the family to take advantage of the long weekend (the end of the feast of ramadhan). for the long weekends, this i have to give credit to gma and her holiday economics initiative. i give her high marks for that! way to go!

the family decided it was time to have a quick getaway to tagaytay for quality time with one another. aside from family dinners that we have every now and then, this is the next activity we do as a family and everyone was eager for it, especially the young ones and the young at heart.

it was time for mom and dad to unwind. no work for dad, no domestic activities for mom, just time for each other and a bit more. this was also a chance for them to spend time with the grandkids.

it was a bit tiring from the start. i lacked sleep and the kids had inexhaustaible energy in them. i envied them for that. first stop was at sonya's garden-- a quick visit to her bed and breakfast inns and her wonderful garden.

we did a quick peek into one of the many homes in her property. there were so much things that gave it a rustic character and yet a modern feel into it. very nice, warm and cozy.

and what would a trip to tagaytay be without the flowers? there were lots of flowers around. it being a garden, flowers of all sorts and sizes lined the pathways, the houses, everywhere!

to view bigger pictures, click here.

after sonya's, lunch at leslie's and more sightseeing of the taal volcano from the taal vista hotel viewing area until the early evening. had a late merienda and called it a day. everyone was tired, exhausted but i'm very much sure all were happy. it was a good thing.

2005-12-02T18:37:00.000+08:00

|weekend_at.a_glance|

november 26

november_rain

last saturday was a wet one. sudden downpours in the afternoon that lasted only for a minute or two. it happened all throughout the afternoon till the early evening. good thing these were just localized rains and didn't affect the opening ceremonies of the 23rd sea games the next day.

november 27

how.not.to.go.to.the_SEA_games_opening_ceremonies

everything was wrong from the start. the whole experience was horrific. it was hot and humid and there were no people to manage the crowd. people were fighting, arguing and pushing one another just to get to a good spot to view the whole spectacle. participants of the ceremonies from a religious group had little space for them to perform that made the audience agitated. note to self: the next time the country hosts the sea games, whenever that may be, i will stay home and watch it on cable instead.

:: all trains (lrt and mrt) had a free ride day. everyone hurried to ride the trains and the queue was unbelievably long. trains took a while to arrive due to the sudden volume of commuters.

:: getting a quick bite in one of the food stalls inside the taft station of the mrt. here's one serving of squid balls with the weird tasting sweet sauce.

:: from the un avenue station of the lrt, it was a long walk to the grandstand which can be seen from afar. it wasn't raining but it wasn't sunny hot either. it being a sunday, flocks of regular park goers did their own thing and people like me watching the opening ceremonies were in the area.

:: i'm back to the rizal park after a long, long time. it's also the first time that i got to it this close. i'd say we should have more parks. people are happier if they have a place to converge and mingle. it's a socialization thing.

:: the long walk gave me an opportunity to see that there had been so many changes made to the metro. things are more pleasing to look at no matter where you turn to.

:: traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and road markings are clear and visible. the park was surprisingly clean. maybe it was because of the sea games festivities and all. i hope they get to keep it that way.

:: since the cam lost it when i tried doing night shots, i attempted taking shots of the fireworks display without the tripod. the pictures weren't that spectacular but it wasn't that bad either.

:: night falls in the park. the ceremonies finished and the games have formally started. the rizal park is still rizal park. i couldn't get any closer, the guards insisted that we had to keep distance.

to view more pictures, click here.

2005-12-01T09:46:00.000+08:00

|it_only_happens_once_a_year|

indeed it only happens once a year and it's my favorite. like the song goes, "...it's the most wonderful time of the year." it's the first day of december and everyone's going busy, busy with a lot of holiday planning. for me, i'm still busy with work.

starbucks featured beverages are out-- creme brulee, toffee nut and my favorite peppermint mocha had been filling cups and had been ~~selling~~ spreading like wildfire. about the 2006 starbucks planner, i still have lots of stickers to fill my starbucks christmas traditions card but i'll be done with it before year-end.

2005-11-23T01:25:00.000+08:00

|real_happiness_from.the_littlest_things|

happy, happy, ~~happy,~~ joy, joy, ~~joy~~.

amidst the tons of load at work, series of unfortunate events that transpired recently, and a whole lot more, there are still more reasons for me to smile and be thankful for than to mope.

thanks to the people behind the Philippine Blog Awards 2005 for nominating my blog for the Best Blog Site Of The Year award. it's just a nomination but it feels like i'm a winner already. congratulations also to the other nominees.

2005-11-14T15:05:00.000+08:00

|shots_from_all_around|

flowers from home

for bigger images, click here.

living in an apartment is very much different with what i've been used to. from our home up in the mountains, i've moved to a vertical structure that's concrete all around where space is limited and seeing plants and flowers is at a minimum. one thing i truly miss seeing everyday would be my mom's flowering plants, each of their names i couldn't even remember. good thing i get to go home every weekends and during this time, i get to take pictures of the various flowering plants that we have.

massive cucaracha annihilation

for bigger images, click here.

living in an apartment building has its ups and downs. a definite downer for me is living amongst creepy crawlers. i cannot be with roaches. the fact that multitudes run around the kitchen counter, apartments walls and bathroom is a definite no-no for me. what more if these start flying around? all hundereds of them! initially when we moved in, i tried and finished 2 aerosol cans of roach sprays and two sticks of roach chalk to get rid of them. then i tried using blattanex ultra gel upon recommendation of a colleague--a bit pricey for such a tiny amount but it was worth a shot. this roach killer from bayer is in gel form and is neatly placed in a small syringe. according to the product label, the 5-gram gel is good enough to cover an area twice as big as the apartment. so this must be good!

after identifying places frequented by roaches in the apartment, a drop 5-mm in diameter was placed all around the apartment. within minutes, they started eating the bait containing the neurotoxin and soon enough they started dying. blattanex was the hero of the day! i'm so happy to be living in a roach-free environment! thanks to bayer for a wonderful product to get rid of pests.

the urban facelift

click here to see bigger picture.

this is one of two fountains under the buendia flyover in makati city. i only noticed this while walking to the newly opened makro superstore. this could be part or the start of the beutification campaign of the metro. it's a good thing, i'd say. it's a cosmetic facelift that should have been started a long time ago. it's about time that we start spending on these things. another challenge to all these would be to maintain all these beautification endeavors.

2005-11-05T20:24:00.000+08:00

|food_adventures|

it may not look like it but i love to eat, i really do. not only do i love eating, i also like taking pictures of the food and blog about it.

shushiya robinson's galleria

click here to see bigger images.

this taken was sometime september when we had one of our family dinners to celebrate chel's birthday. so-so japanese food, not bad at all. great place to go for your japanese food cravings.

teriyaki boy glorietta, ayala center

this was my second teriyaki boy dining experience. the first one was in sm baguio. the place was also pretty crampped but the food and ambiance was great.

buttered garlic tiger prawns delight

cooking at home should not be difficult and should taste as good as if you're eating out. for this, the cleaned and washed prawns were soaked in some sprite for about an hour. chopped garlic and onions are sauteed in butter until golden brown. the prawns were added next and some of the sprite marinade should make the dish a bit sweet. let it cook for about 2 - 3 minutes (depending on the size of the prawns) or until bright orange in color. added salt and pepper to taste.

san sung korean restaurant

makati avenue, makati city

i finally got to dine with my korean students and their family before the halloween long weekend. i got to experience korean food cooking in an authentic korean joint that they own. the food was very tasty and was a different dining experience all together. they served soup, rice, kimchi, tofu rolled in kimchi, kim bob and so many more. the main course of pork slices cooked on a hotplate in the middle of the table was something that i'll remember with the distinct taste of sesame oil as you wrap the meat, rice and some soybean paste in lettuce leaves. yum!

cafe breton at the podium

i'm not a big crepe eater but i always like watching how it's been prepared. their swift movements show how they've mastered the craft from dropping the right amount of batter on the hot crepe machine to get the desired thickness to neatly folding of the crepe and topping it with ice cream, whipped cream, thinly sliced nuts, confectioner's sugar and a drizzle of chocolate. and of course, you can't help but notice them smiling when they serve it to you. they must like what they do! who wouldn't?

dulcinea greenbelt 1, ayala center

dulcinea is one of my favorite restaurants because they serve the best churros con chocolate in town. it's a pleasant merienda to have on a warm sunny afternoon. as the staff welcomes you and take you to your seat, you enter the laid back cozy atmosphere. it's very inviting as you see their pastry cabinet, light orange walls, wooden tables and chairs and tungsten lighting.

must trys would be their seafood paella (good for two).

max brenner greenbelt 3, ayala center

i am addicted to milk chocolate. enough said.

click here to see all images featured here through my flickr page.

2005-10-31T11:24:00.000+08:00

|a-choo_and_a_boo|

i have allergic rhinitis that's been acting up for the past few weeks. as i'm typing now, my nose is stuffed and itchy. and so as my eyes too. dang! it's a seasonal thing for me. it starts to get bad when it gets cooler around october until the warm months of march-april come in.

way back in college when my rhinitis worsened, i thought i just happened to have a filthy, dust-filled room that i haven't cleaned for ages. when i had myself checked by a doctor, i was given steroids for a month and a big bottle of nasal spray of flixotide (i think...). it got better for a while but i was told that it would just mellow-down things and not cure it. it's an allergy not a disease.

it's a wet halloween once again. but more than that, i'm so enjoying my long weekend--quality time with the family, friends and the chuck, our family dog. have a good and safe one to all!

2005-10-26T10:33:00.000+08:00

|of_random_ramblings|

chuck and his "guwapo" picture. click here for more.

i didn�t get tagged by anyone for this. today, i just felt like rambling about things about me. i got this from neng's site, Rackyroad.

1. addicted to anything with caffeine in it-- cola, iced tea, chocolate and coffee.

2. anything about photography. aspires to become a pro someday.

3. anything about traveling. passionate about seeing places, doing cross-culture stuff.

4. wants to become a pastry chef someday though being in an IT firm doing software development isn't helping in reaching my dream as of this time.

5. favorite tv program of all time-- Sesame Street.

6. favorite toy of all time-- LEGO.

7. favorite time of the year-- christmas. i love it so much that i can smell it.

8. my comfort food-- large fries and large coke from mcdonald's.

9. 3 techno gadgets i can't live without-- iPod, digital camera, mobile.

10. never been confined in a hospital for anything.

11. being a chemist, i've tasted triple distilled deionized water out of curiosity.

12. fascinated by the turquoise blue color.

13. eager to ride a hot air balloon.

14. loves to sniff a wide array of scents-- petrol, leather, new books, and coffee.

15. favorite rainy day meal-- mom's mung bean stew. i don't know why but i crave for it every time.

16. despises roaches (especially when it flies toward you) like hell.

17. an animal person. loves the company of animals especially those who cannot fend themselves against human abuse.

18. doesn't know how to drive nor has attempted to acquire a learner's permit.

19. likes to blog and hop.

20. listens to mike francis, aimee mann, annie lennox.

this is fun. i like this, and it's a good thing. i'm tagging the following people to do the same:

ninner

may

ten

even if you don't get tagged and wants to share your 20 things, do so! �

2005-10-21T14:10:00.000+08:00

|eating_kimchi_with_korean_girls|

this is my yahoo messenger 'away' status when i leave the office everyday. i don't eat kimchi with koreans as soon as i step out of the office but it's close enough of what i do.

for almost three months now i've been tutoring korean girls after work for three hours everyday. initially it was tutorials for conversational english but since i know high school stuff well, they decided that i teach all subjects instead (and still got paid the same). i agreed on teaching all subjects, cover to cover except christian living education or CLE (later on they realized why).

teaching 14-year old koreans is difficult because it�s a struggle to gauge what's going on inside their heads. for one, you have to make philippine history lessons interesting even if it means memorizing dates, names and places in english, spanish and tagalog. to perk up their senses, there has to be games incorporated with the lessons as long as it's their own. for them, jeopardy is considered corny even if it involves a healthy competition for rewards. but a modified, wild, korean-version of paper, rock, and scissors with hand and leg movements to the point of me dancing isn't and is considered fun. talk about the confusion that i have to deal with everyday. =) second, we know that we were kids once and we are just as guilty of the same things as they are. for that, they love to cram, do last minute things and purposely forget about school work (books, notebooks, homeworks, etc). what can i say? they are ordinary chinky-eyed teenage girls with interesting fashion sense who are conscientious with school and aspire to have good grades. i can feel their struggle to do well in school and at the same time search for a coping mechanism being away with their loved ones.

i am enjoying what i do. i enjoy the challenge of cross-cultural differences and working together to ease their difficulty being in a foreign land. plus, i always have liked teaching kids not as a profession but something i would do on the side. i learn a lot from these girls more than what i see on korean movies and telenovelas that i watch. i hope they also can say the same.

before i left last night, my tutee asked me the same question that she�s been asking since monday.

tutee: teacher, when are you having dinner with me?

dan: hmm, i can't tonight.

tutee: when? (whining this time)

dan: i'll see next week.

tutee: why not tonight?

dan: because i'm shy. do you know what shy means?

tutee: (thinks for a bit then nods her head. still lost for words, she acts out the meaning of being shy, smiles and bid the tutor goodbye.)

dan: (waves at her goodbye.)

for several times now, my tutees and their guardians have been asking me to have dinner with them. but every time, i decline and give some lame reason. maybe next time i will sit down, eat kimchi with my korean girls and understand them more.

2005-10-14T13:39:00.000+08:00

|cluttered_thoughts|

|1:peace_offering|

i got an sms last night from laundry shop no. 3 asking if i'm already home. i sent out a reply saying that i was still out and would be coming home late. little did i know that the three owners of the laundry shop came by and left a cake. is this cake as a sign of goodwill? maybe in this part of town this is how they say they are truly sorry or they are preventing burning ties with their customers. anyway, it's known for a fact that a dissatisfied customer will share such experience with ten others while a happy camper will share it with only one person. i didn't get to talk nor meet with them anymore but most importantly i think i know what this meant. i sent them another sms thanking them for the gesture.

being sorry seems to be the hardest thing to say, but there are definitely ways of showing it.

|2:fortune_in.a_cookie|

today i passed by the convenience store near my office and bought my fortune for the week. (note to self: i should routinely buy my fortune cookie on a weekly basis. anyway, it doesn't tell me my fortune but just something profoundly proverbial. and it's a good thing.) i liked what it said in it so i'm opted to share it here. after reading it, i got hungry and ate the fortune cookie shell.

A kind word is like a perfume. If we spray on others, a couple of drops will stay with us.

it's not exactly good english but you get the drift of what it means.

|3:not_another_award|

they've done it once more! etelecare global solutions won the Employer of the Year award from the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). i'm so happy, joy, joy. this is my company of choice in the service industry. they have truly earned their mark. read the article from this link.

2005-10-12T11:00:00.000+08:00

|vulnerability|

it becomes frustrating and outright disappointing when there are people around you or events that transpire that pull you down or suck the life out of you. you wake up one day filled with optimism and hope that this will turn out to be the very best day of your life (or at least have an outlook that it will be) but untoward incidents just cause things not to go your way as you hoped it. you try to fight it, but you lose in the end. maybe because you simply get tired of fighting back all the time or you're not the fighting kind. maybe you�re just vulnerable and succumbed to defeat.

i know there will be better days. on different day than today, i will make a different choice. but for now, it's time for me to do some damage control and turn things around for the best.

2005-10-11T13:36:00.000+08:00

|disaster_at_the_cleaners|

bigger images can be viewed here.

i've heard a lot of horrific stories such as disasters at the cleaners. now here's my two cents on a so-called start up laundry shop near my place. i know so little on clothes washing; i'm no guru that's why i leave it to the experts.

ever since i moved out to an apartment in makati last april, i never had a problem with the washers. the 'lavandera ko' along reposo took care of my laundry and i had no qualms with how they handled it. they charged a lot more but i got excellent service and they really took good care of my stuff. if you're a bit OC with your clothes like me, they'll follow your instructions to the dot. being a first time laundry shop patron, i thought paying that much was the usual rate but i didn't complain because i was happy.

i moved to another apartment least september and 'lavandera ko' was too far for me to bring my clothes for washing. i looked for laundry shops at the lower floors of citiland 8, 9 and citiland executive towers and learned that there were a lot of them and it's cheaper per kilo of wash load and they do laundry pick-ups and deliveries as well so i tried one thinking how different would it be with 'lavandera ko'. little did i know of things to come.

laundry shop no. 1

they failed to finish washing my clothes within the time they specified and gave tons of excuses. my week's worth of work clothes that i sent over on saturday for washing was delivered wednesday of the following week. it's just wash-dry-fold, nothing more. lavandera ko can do all these overnight.

laundry shop no. 2

after having my clothes delivered, i noticed black specks of stain on my long-sleeved shirts, undershirts, pants-- all over. i decided not to go back to them anymore.

laundry shop no. 3

i noticed bleach stains on the lower portion of my shirt. when i informed them (take note: informed not complained), they indiscriminately said that it was not their fault since they don't use bleach on machine washed colored clothes. i'm not questioning how they handle their washings but neither would i go through all the trouble of staining my clothes if they are trying to tell me that the damage was because of my own doing.

i still politely informed them that they even inspected my clothes and they listed down all my laundry so how could they not see the stain if i caused it? anyway for the trouble that it had caused, they offered 50% off on my next laundry bill. i stepped out of their shop before i could get hold of a torch to burn the place down. i went home and had a quiet dinner since it was getting late.

i'm whining like this not because i'm asking for them to pay for my shirt. that's the least of the things that i want from them, nor am i asking for concession for my troubles. it's a good expensive shirt, my favorite in fact. there are only a few stores here that sell shirts by collar, sleeve and chest size unlike the usual S, M, L and XL size options where none of which i can fit into. i just wanted them to acknowledge the fact that accidents such as these happen and that they are truly sorry for it. i would still have been a loyal customer had they been genuinely sorry for what happened. but no, they still insisted that it wasn't them that caused it. *sigh*

now, i'm contemplating of going back to 'lavandera ko' along reposo unless i find another laundry place nearby and save me from another disaster. i've learned that the extra you pay for laundry goes further to their impeccable service and for that, less headaches. for me, it's just one of those things in life. we live, we learn.

2005-10-09T11:52:00.000+08:00

|planning_ahead|

the previous week was a good one, not so busy but it wasn't that dry either. i know ninner wouldn't agree with me since she had a crazy week but it's something she ought to share on her own blog space...hehehe.

i recently discussed with a life planner my death and such unfortunate events of the future. early on, about two years ago, i already have made preparations for such because this guy wouldn't want to be wrapped in a blankie and thrown to the river for bacteria to feast on his remains as it rots to oblivion. with that covered, my life planner opted to create something that will compliment the plans that i already have. the proposal wasn't that bad in an ideal setting for a happy turn out of things in this mad world. it said that i pay a certain amount every quarter for 15 years and wait for 5 or 10 more years before i'd start getting what i paid them plus a certain projected conservative amount that would serve as to how much my money would have supposedly earned within that span of time. in essence it's a pension plan-- i save and i get it back plus more. since the earnings would be dependent on dividends that in turn is dependent on the performance of the economy (yikes!), that was where i got nervous. but since this company is well established in the world, has an excellent track record providing life insurance plans, pension plans, retirement plans, etc. and is listed in the nyse, i decided to get it rather than save it in pesos in a bank and earn a measly interest. everything's a gamble when it comes to investing your earnings but that's what you live for and the most important thing is, whether it turns out good or bad, you learn from it. i'm happy that i'm thinking of things ahead so it's not something that i worry about later on.

2005-10-07T11:14:00.000+08:00

|globe_still.making.great.things.possible|

yesterday i got a message via instant messaging that globe has a cash rebate program of some sort for loyal subscribers. according to the information that i got, all i had to do was to send an sms by typing 'CLAIM' on my mobile and then send it to 2279. the information supposedly came from a reliable source and being the gullible person that i am i went ahead and sent the message and forgot about the whole thing.

when i woke up this morning, this was the text message that i received.

07.10.05 01.54 am

From: 2279

1/2

Thank you for

making your journey

with Globe. Based on

your total

relationship with us,

we wish to reward

you with P5000.00 for

account no. xxxxxxxx.

By

07.10.05 01:54 am

From: 2279

2/2

claiming this, your

account will be locked

for 1 year/s. Reply

GO to confirm claim.

my mind was still wandering in la-la land so it was only when i got to work that i decided to call globe to check what this was all about. after i punched in the numbers, i was told via the ivr that i am qualified for the 'globe for call rewards program'. whoa! this turned out to be real good news anyway. no scam whatsoever.

sidenote: i've been a loyal subscriber since college, i should be well qualified!

while waiting on queue for about 5 minutes and verifying tons of info the csr politely explained to me my rebate options and so i opted to use it as credits for my billing. she said i can get it via g-cash or use it to upgrade my phone to a newer one. the g-cash thing i wasn't interested about but i asked about the phone upgrading scheme. she offered phones slightly above Php5000 but none of which appealed to me. i was hoping she can give me a real great deal on their high-end phones but they'll just slash Php5000 from the srp or offer paylite options. still happy with the good news, i just used it to add to my payments for the next 12 months.

even though this would be the case, in these hard and trying times, i'm glad globe can still offer these things to the people that matter the most- their customers. and for that, i'm one happy camper!

2005-10-03T16:37:00.000+08:00

|drooling_over_the_ibook_g4|

i want this so bad that i can almost taste it. i want one, i want, i want.

i've been reading a lot about the iBook and there's nothing that says anything bad about this to-drool-over toy. this is too good to be true, i've got to have one, hehehe.

2005-10-01T23:03:00.000+08:00

|bali_blasts_again|

Twelve dead as Bali hit by blasts

At least 12 people have been killed in a series of explosions on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

Many others were reported to have been injured in the blasts at Kuta beach - the area most popular with Western tourists - and at Jimbaran beach.

There is no firm word yet on what caused the blasts which happened just before 2000 local time (1200 GMT).

Nearly three years ago, 202 people died in nightclub bomb attacks in Kuta that were blamed on Islamic extremists.

Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told the BBC there had been two explosions at Jimbaran and another in Kuta, within about 10 minutes.

He said the Kuta blast "took place in a very crowded area, so obviously if it is confirmed as a bomb, then it is aimed at causing as many casualties and victims as possible, it would appear."

A British tourist who was in a building next door to a restaurant that was hit in Kuta said there was a "thunderous boom" that caused all the shop's windows to blow out.

"It was just chaos," Daniel Martin told the BBC.

He said there were people lying in the streets with serious injuries, with everyone pitching in to help.

A hospital official told Reuters news agency that at least 35 wounded foreigners had been taken to the island's main hospital. However he was unable to say whether foreigners were among the dead.

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has condemned the blasts, Reuters news agency reports.

His spokesman said he was heading to the island.

Warnings

The blasts come less than two weeks before the third anniversary of bomb attacks that killed 202 people - many of them foreigners holidaying in Bali.

The 12 October 2002 bombings have been blamed on Jemaah Islamiah (JI), - a south-east Asian militant group which is said to have links with Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

JI is also suspected of being behind a suicide bombing at the Marriott hotel in Jakarta that killed 11 people in 2003, and a suicide bombing at the Australian embassy last September in which eight people were killed.

The BBC's Tim Johnston in Jakarta says the authorities had warned that militants had been planning further attacks on Western targets in Indonesia, although there had been no particular alerts over the past few days.

for more details and updates, click on the link. breaking news and image taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk and http://www.cnn.com

*****

these are pictures taken from my recent trip to bali.

taken from the jimbaran beach, denpasar, bali indonesia in july 2005

starbucks and hard rock cafe store in bali

scooters for rent along kuta square fronting the matahari mall

the bali bombing memorial in kuta, bali

it was only last july when we were in bali for a so-called vacation. so sad that bali was bombed again, one in kuta, the same area of the 2002 bombings and also in jimbaran beach where beachfronts are frequented by tourists for evening seafood dinners.

once again, bali is victim to terrorist attacks by militant groups but nothing is confirmed as of this time. kuta, known for it's surfing beaches is densely populated by tourists with storefronts along kuta square. within the area are popular stores like hard rock cafe, starbucks, bubba gump and the matahari mall are located.

2005-09-28T11:11:00.000+08:00

|writing_workshop_advertisment|

KUTING HOLDS WRITING FOR CHILDREN WORKSHOP

Kuwentista ng mga Tsikiting (KUTING), the premier organization of Filipino writers for children, in cooperation with Phoenix Educational Systems Inc., will be conducting a Writing for Children workshop on October 22, 2005, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the 5th flr. Robinson's Galleria Corporate Center, Ortigas, Pasig City.

Workshop topics and KUTING speakers are the following: Why write for kids? Why not?! by Dr. Luis Gatmaitan. M.D., 2005 Palanca Hall of Fame Winner and TOYM Awardee; Writing for Kids : Labor and Love by Carla Pacis, Palanca Winner and National Book Awardee, Resident Fellow, UP Institute of Creative Writing, and Professor of Children's Literature at UP Diliman and De La Salle University; and Rhyme and Reason : Writing Poetry for Kids by Heidi Eusebio-Abad, Gintong Aklat Awardee and Professor of Creative Writing & Children's Literature at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.

Workshop fee costs Php 1,000.00 inclusive of snacks, lunch and workshop kit.

A 15% discount will be given to early registrations on or before October 15, 2005. For reservations and inquiries, please contact 09164340167 or 0920960288 and 723-0481 loc 424. Or email eruannie@yahoo.com/ pinktikbalang@yahoo.com

Founded in 1995, Kuting is composed of professional writers for children from various fields, headed by its current president Mae Astrid Tobias. It aims to promote an awareness and appreciation of Philippine children�s literature through the production of quality literary works. Among its past presidents are book authors Carla Pacis, Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, Natasha Vizcarra, Augie Rivera, and Lara Saguisag.

**for those who want to learn how to write, why not learn to write books for kids? it's always a good thing and you're doing it for all the right reasons.

2005-09-24T22:12:00.000+08:00

|our_wifi_home|

i go home to our house in antipolo during weekends to unwind. nothing beats quality time with my parents, my brother, chuck, our loving rott, our lovebirds and our 8 cats. this evening, these are some things i observed when i got home:

1) my dad was on the dining table doing some work on his laptop; checking on the satellite weather forecast from nasa for coming rains or other weather disturbances.

2) he's connected to the web via a wireless pcmcia card to my brother's pc serving as the host computer for the net connection.

3) when i checked on my brother, he's online doing some work and talking to a colleague in new york through voip. apparently he's testing out the voip box to be used in his start-up company.

4) likewise, my brother is wirelessly retrieving data from my dad's laptop and vice-versa.

5) a few minutes later, my dad printed out some satellite images sent to the printer located in the opposite side of the house.

everyone seemed busy today when i got home. even my mom was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen as i came by and gave her a kiss. though it was awfully quiet and there weren't too many noticeable moving entities around the house. but there was too much wireless signals being sent all over the house. for that, with no one to talk to, i just turned on and sat in front of our big tv. chuck then came and sat next to me asking for some quality time. i know he wanted a good tummy rub. and that was all that he wanted. and he was okay with that, and so was i.

happy weekend everyone!

2005-09-22T09:11:00.000+08:00

|pop_goes_the_world|

here's another one i like to do when i'm all stressed out, pop bubble wrap! nothing beats randomly popping them one by one, pop after pop. there is so much relief i get from popping. and when you get hold of a fresh sheet, once you pop, you can't stop!

image taken from virtual bubblewrap.

��

2005-09-20T10:31:00.000+08:00

|not.another.survey_for_the_isko_and_iska|

i've been tagged by ninner!

i'am not into surveys really but as long as it's for school spirit, why not!?

.:. ANO'NG STUDENT NUMBER MO? 96 - xxxxx - the 5-digits of my student number i do know it by heart. for that same reason, i cannot disclose such information.

.:. NAKAPASA KA BA OR WAITLISTED? i passed, diliman campus, of course!

.:. PAANO MO NALAMAN ANG ENTRANCE EXAM RESULT? during the time that wireless communication technology was still in its infancy here in the country, i was informed not through a beeper message but a phone call from a good friend cecille who lived in campus and had easy access to the phan where the old registrar's office was located.

.:. ALAM MO BA ANG UPG SCORE MO? nope. it's not something that is given to you if you pass the upcat. you get that a year after you get in which i wasn't able to do anymore.

.:. ANO ANG FIRST CHOICE MO NA COURSE? bs biology, aspiring doc during those days.

.:. SECOND CHOICE? bs chemistry

.:. ANO naging COURSE MO? bs chemistry, hoping i'd be able to continue to med school.

.:. NAGPLANO KA BANG MAG-SHIFT? yes, to biology since i was so passionate in becoming a doc. well, good thing i didn't.

.:. NAKAPAG-DORM KA NA BA? nope, with that something tells me that i missed an integral part of my college life.

.:. NAKA UNO KA NA BA? yep! major science subjects pa!

.:. NAGKA-3? yes, my freshman pe class - badminton. she only gives a 3.0 or a failing mark so i guess it's fine. guess who this terror teacher is and you win a prize!

.:. HIGHEST GRADE: 1.0 in my major subjects including one semester of thesis.

.:. LOWEST: 5.0, i got the best of both worlds. also a 4.0 and INC pa. all grades in the classcard spectrum minus DRP. i never dropped a subject.

.:. WORST EXPERIENCE SA UP: waiting for classcards...the grueling wait.

.:. LAGI KA BANG PUMAPASOK SA KLASE? yes, i had to. i didn't breeze through college like the others. i was no whiz kid. i happen to be studying in the best university in the country. pressure mounted in all directions!

.:. ANO'NG ORG MO? up association of chemistry majors and enthusiasts (up acme) and up circle of entrepreneurs (up ce)

.:. MAY SCHOLARSHIP KA BA? scholar ako ng bayan, enough said.

.:. PINANGARAP MO BANG MAG-CUM LAUDE? yes, for some weird reason.

.:. KELAN KA NAGTAPOS? april 2001

.:. FAVE PROF: my biochemistry professor, dr. flerida carino - i see her passion for teaching every time she curse proteins to oblivion and my soc sci teacher, the late prof. concepcion dadufalza who taught me things that made me survive through the harsh realities of life.

.:. WORST TEACHER: my math 17 teacher who knew nothing but to skip our 7:00am class and expected us to learn a lot.

.:. FAVE SUBJECT: my biochemistry (chem 145) lecture class and geology 11

.:. WORST SUBJECT: all of my calculus series (math 53, 55 and 55) subjects

.:. FAVE LANDMARK: the up diliman sunken garden

.:. BUILDING: quezon hall. that�s a spectacular view of the diliman campus.

.:. PABORITONG KAINAN: the beach house tops my list!

.:. Noong ESTUDYANTE KA PA MAGKANO BA ANG BINABAYAD MO SA JEEP? i rode the ikot jeep, but i already forgot how much. i think it's 1.25 nga.

.:. LAGI KA BA SA LIB? yes. sa cs lib kasi aircon and i can spend all day studying or sleeping. sa eng'g lib since most of my thesis stuff was about materials science engineering. and in the main lib, since it was open till 12mn so i can study in peace or cram all night.

.:. NAGPUNTA KA BA SA CLINIC NUNG MINSANG NAGKASAKIT KA? infirmatay? never!

.:. MAY CRUSH KA BA SA CAMPUS? naman...meron! lotsa!

.:. BF/GF? hahahaha. flings?

.:. MAY BALAK KA BA MAG-MASTERS O MAG-PHD? yes, i had a grad school stint but the plan died shortly as soon as it was materializing.

.:. ANU-ANO ANG MGA NAGING PE MO? badminton, tai-chi, stretching, weight lifting (hahahaha!); i also took extra pe classes for fun - wall climbing, social dance.

.:. KAMUSTA NAMAN ANG BLOCK NYO? super nice, super bonded like superglue! we still go out from time to time. some are grad students, medical doctors, etc.

.:. NAKAPANOOD KA NA BA NG GRADUATION SA UP? yup, i even got to go on stage with my parents! ain't that cool?

.:. MEMORIZE MO BA ANG ALMA MATER SONG? yes, I've been singing it since kinder! this one is a pure-blooded fighting maroon all throughout.

.:. MEMBER KA BA NG UP VARSITY TEAM? i wish.

.:. NAKA-PERFECT KA NA BA NG EXAM? yes, in a lab exam in physics.

.:. ANO'NG AYAW MO SA FINALS WEEK? sunud-sunod sila!

.:. DITO KA BA NATUTONG UMINOM NG BEER? - nope.

.:. ANO'NG GUSTO MO SA UP? EVERYTHING.

.:. ANO'NG AYAW MO? maraming mashadong nagmamarunong!

.:. MAGANDA BA ID PIC MO? the id itself isn't something to rave about. what more the picture in it.

.:. MAY GINAWA KA NA BANG ILLEGAL SA LOOB NG CAMPUS? meron. *wink*

and who else am i tagging? all my fellow iskos and iskas in the blogging world!

the rest of my up diliman pictures can be found here.

2005-09-15T11:27:00.000+08:00

|on_coffee_beans|

while waiting for the barista to call your name for your coffee order, try burrying your hand in the coffee beans placed near the bar. clench your fist and dive into the beans as far as it can possibly go. once it's in, open your hand and twist it around. this feels good and relaxing to the touch as the sensation of the beans press your skin seem to infuse small amounts of pressure all around.

it's a good thing. what is it that you do to loosen up and shake off stress?

2005-09-13T13:06:00.000+08:00

|southeast_asia_on.a_shoestring_budget|

day 5_jul_22

the next day, we started early (as ever), packed our bags and rode a 5-hour bus trip that will take us to singapore for the last leg of our trip. we paid RM 28.00 for a one way trip and hoped to get there around lunch time. traffic was minimal but it was because of a road widening construction project. here, traffic is caused by congestion of cars, buses, jeeps and the like, pedestrians who ride and alight at the wrong places, ignorant drivers, etc. the bus is spacious enough and have a provision for the seats to be reclined all the way. since we barely had sleep, we took this opportunity to rest and dozed off for a couple of hours more. i had to be awaken twice during the whole trip since we had to go through immigration in johor bahru, the last point in malaysia and at the woodlands, the first stop upon entering singapore.

no time was wasted and as soon as we checked into the hotel, we freshened up and explored the city. since the hotel was located in little india, a few steps after queens st and a quick lunch at mcdonald's, we were at sim lim square--the it and electronics mall of singapore; well, one of the many it malls in the city. it can be likened to virra mall in greenhills but it's about 7 floors of electronic stores. looking for a good buy and getting a hefty discount was a challenge since there were a lot of stores to go to. from mobile phones, digital cameras, mp3 players, desktops, laptops, pda's, accessories to computer peripherals, all can be found at the sim lim square. after an hour, i got a remote for my iPod at half the price compared to the apple center there and here in the country. i was a happy camper.

it was hot in singapore. humid late afternoons can be as hot and sticky as manila with not much trees to provide shade but all concrete. while looking for the next mrt station that will take us to our next destination, we had to stop and cool ourselves with singapore's version of "dirty ice cream". this was the ever green ice cream sold along the streets and i shamelessly tried it. sandwiched ice cream on marbled sliced bread pieces was such a delish treat with all its fancy colors. it was so hot that the ice cream was starting to melt even before i finished the whole thing.

the bugis mrt station (ew12) was a few walks from sim lim square and og mall as we ventured to orchard road. after getting the SGD15.00 ez-card, a quick change to the ns line and we got to orchard (ns22)--the ultimate haven for shopoholics in singapore! did a bit of shopping, a quick bite at mcdonald's and we were well on our way to our next destination, the night safari! the subway map was easy to understand and signs were not difficult to follow. according to the night safari map, from ns22, take the red line train to ns16 or the ang mo kio station then another bus ride to get there. total travel time, 45 minutes! bus was packed with commuters going home from work and those going to the park on a friday night.

***this is the fifth part continuation of my 7-day travelogue. previous entries can be found here:

day 1

day 2

day 3

day 4

***more pictures can be found here:

kuala lumpur

bali

singapore

2005-09-11T11:13:00.000+08:00

|9.11.2005|

people are still mouring after four years. the memory of the 9/11 tragedy will never be forgotten.

America will never forget.

***photo taken from last year's entry.

2005-09-02T14:22:00.000+08:00

|the_ber_months_are_here|

christmas pictures from last year

the 'ber' months are finally here. this is where shameless christmas fanatics like myself start on the countdown and do things that are chirstmassy. some start planning on what christmas theme to have for this year in their homes and what decorations to put up. others start making lists and begin christmas shopping and soon bazaars appear left and right. amidst the terrible things happening around and about, i still have my own way of celebrating christmas and anything nice about it. i'm unleashing my christmas spirit and with it my childish innocence and start spreading christmas cheer to the people around.

it's the start of the first day of september and i feel fine.

2005-08-29T13:50:00.000+08:00

|my_fortune|

Listening is the key to understanding.

i'm not desperate that i rely on a fortune cookie to tell me what the future holds for me. well at least not yet. this was being sold in a convenience store, bought one and took some shots during lunch.

it didn't say anything about the future but just a proverb that we can probably learn from and live by.

2005-08-26T10:44:00.000+08:00

|on_being_filipino|

this is a copy of an email that was forwarded to me at work. though for me all forwardables are destined to immediately go to the trash bin, this would be one of the rare exceptions that i make. it made me ponder on what a filipino individual is and the things that can be done on our own to initiate change. from here others may learn a thing or two and look at things through another perspective.

*****

-----Original Message-----

From: xxxxx

Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 10:29 AM

To: xxxxx

Subject: FW: 12 little things a filipino can do

From: xxxxx

Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 8:55 AM

To: xxxxx

Subject: FW: 12 little things a filipino can do

SOMETHING FOR EVERY FILIPINO...

THERE'S a booklet making the rounds in Metro Manila that every Filipino who loves his country should get hold of and read, and hopefully put the points it raises into practice, in order to help our nation...

"Twelve (12) Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country," by Alexander Ledesma Lacson, may be a "voice in the wilderness"; but as Fr. Rub en Tanseco, S.J. puts it, what Alex proposes are "very concrete, practical and doable" actions for us ordinary Filipinos.

1. Follow traffic rules. -- Why is that the most important? The answer is simple. Traffic rules are the simplest of our laws. If we learn to follow them, it will be the lowest form of national discipline that we can develop. Since it is totally without monetary cost, it should be easy for us to comply with, and therefore should provide a good start.

2. Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt. -- If a seller does not issue an official receipt when you buy a product, the seller may or may not remit the tax to the government. Without an O.R., there is no record of the sale transaction, and the tax that you paid may not be remitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

3. Do not buy smuggled goods. Buy local, buy Filipino. -- It may not be good economics to buy 100 percent local products. What I suggest is for us to take a "50-50" buying attitude. This means that we must develop the attitude of using 50 percent of our budget for local products and the other 50 percent for imported choices.

4. When you talk to others, especially foreigners, speak positively of our race and our country. -- this is best addressed to the rich and the middle class in our country, who have contact with the outside world. It is they who talk to, dine or deal with foreigners either here or abroad. It is what they say and do which creates impressions about us among foreigners.

5. Respect your traffic officer, policeman, soldier and other public servants. -- There is nothing like the power of respect. It makes a person proud. It makes one feel honorable. At the same time, courtesy to others is good manners. It is class and elegance and kindness. It is seeing the value and dignity in the other man. It is, in fact, a mark of a most profound education.

6. Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve. -- As Louis Armstrong says in his song: "I see trees of green, red roses, too, I see them bloom for me and you and I think to myself, what a wonderful world."

7. Support your church or charitable/ civic organizations.

8. During elections, do your solemn duty. -- Honesty, more than a masteral or doctorate degree, is what gives credibility. And credibility is essential because it is a leader's link to the people. It is what makes the people look to one direction,follow a common vision, and perform a uniform act. In short,credibility is what makes people follow the leader.

9. Pay your employees well. -- No exercise is better for the human heart than to reach down and lift someone else up. This truly defines a successful life. For success is the sum, not of our earthly possessions, but of how many times we have shown love and kindness to others.

10. Pay your taxes. -- In 2003, P83 billion was collected from individual income taxes. But 91 percent of this amount came from salaried workers from the government and private sector, people who had no choice since their income taxes were withheld mandatorily. Only P7billion of the P83 billion came from businessmen and professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountants and architects, among others.

11. Adopt a scholar or adopt a poor child. -- You can make a difference in the future of our country by making a difference in the world of children.

12. Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and to love our country. -- Today's children will someday rule and lead this world. But whether they will be bad rulers or good leaders will depend largely on how we raise them today. Our future is in the hearts and minds of our
children.

i do 10 out of 12 on this list, not bad for someone who feels so strongly negative about his country doing an exponential spiral nosedive to oblivion. i may still be hopeful of better things to come for us but i'm not hopeful of that happening in my lifetime.

2005-08-25T15:08:00.000+08:00

|southeast_asia_on.a_shoestring_budget|

day 4

along the beaches of bali, one would find countless batik sarongs of all colors and textures-- a lot similar to what we have back home. stores are all lined up selling various handicrafts and wares. what better way to start shopping by going through the streets of kuta by foot or by other possible means. but before anything else, there was the usual quick stroll along kuta beach, relaxed a bit on its sands as we prepared for a busy day ahead. this was the 4th day of my southeast asian misadventure.

getting through the streets of bali requires a lot of talent. the streets are narrow and one can get easily lost with its meandering roadways. with all the walking that we did, not knowing where our feet would take us, we got to the bali bombing memorial. a few meters away, for a few thousand Indonesian rupiahs, someone offered a scooter-for-rent around town. no driver's license or permit required... i think. i then ditched the thought of going around on a scooter unless it was a vespa and rode the taxi instead. i trust transportation with more wheels. it was time for lunch and what a sumptuous meal it was-- shrimps! who cared what it was called or how it was cooked, shrimps tasted the same no matter where in the world you are.

the flight back to kl was at 830pm hence we had the rest of the afternoon to finish our so-called tour. with us done with shopping, denpasar was the next logical stop since it was nearest to kuta. we took some pictures at the denpasar fountain and headed to the avenue that led to the posh hotels, e.g. the grand hyatt bali. somewhere in between, i got mesmerized by this flower along the roadside and took a close shot of it. it turned out nice!

last stop was the ulu watu temple where the monkeys are revered to be sacred. it was a good half hour drive from denpasar before heading to the airport. the temple is located by the edge of a cliff with a breathtaking view of the ocean. naughty monkeys would get anything that they can hold on to from the tourists, cellphones, eyeglasses, jewelry, etc. what naughty monkeys indeed!

i left bali with a heavy heart but it's normal for me to be like that. i get attached to the places that i go to. maybe because i always find a connection (in any form or entity) no matter what. though may it be, on the plane i had a warm meal consisting of by far the most expensive cup noodles, ribena juice drink and a snickers chocolate bar. it being a light flight with only a few passengers, the cabin crew decided to have games and gave out airline merchandise. this was so cebu pacific but no one did mind. we had a few laughs and went on to a vacant row, lifted the arm rests, lied down and took a power nap. =)

close to 4 hours later, we landed at the klia ahead of schedule. it's a good thing for an airline that's known to be like pal-- plane always late. close to midnight, we took the last trip of the much talked about klia ekspress to kl central. nice, nice smooth ride to the city!

back in malaysia, truly asia and back to the backpacker's inn for the night. it was already past midnight but we still had the craving to have dinner. plane food isn't something to rave about. a few steps after the pudaraya bus station was chinatown as we searched for a chinese eatery to satisfy our hunger for a decent meal. nothing fancy but along the shop houses, we found one that was still open for business. with so much gusto, we ordered the first thing that came into our minds. it was chicken...lemon chicken to be exact!

2005-08-23T09:00:00.000+08:00

|tribute_to_a_hero|

august 21, 1983 marked a very important time in our country's history. if benigno "ninoy" aquino, jr. didn't get shot at the tarmac of the manila international airport, how would this hero supposedly have changed the nation?

below is a copy of a poem that ninoy wrote while in exile. this was published on last sunday's paper, the philippine daily inquirer.

Burning the Candle of My Life

By Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.

I am burning the candle of my life

in the dark with no one to benefit

from its light.

The candle slowly melts away

soon its wick will be burned out,

and the light is gone.

If someone will only gather

the melted wax, reshape it,

give it a new wick

for another fleeting moment

my candle can once again

light the dark

be of service

one more time

and then...

Goodbye.

March 12, 1976

3rd anniversary of our exile

to Laur, Nueva Ecija