[busy signaL]
[Thursday, December 30, 2004]
i bought a bass guitar today. metallic blue, imitation ibanez, four strings. raon, of course. cost me 2.4k pesos. not bad actually, but the action [the distance between the strings and the fretboard at the 12th fret] is a bit high. the bridge's adjustable, though, so once i get a digital tuner, i'll probably lower the action accordingly. the funny thing is that i can actually play the bass unplugged - since the strings are unusually far from the fretboard, there's nothing stopping them from vibrating to their full capacity.
i probably should mention that renz managed to convince me to buy an extra guitar strap for him, to replace one i supposedly lost. strange how i can't remember that ever happening.
umiiral nanaman ang pagkaintsik.
but i suppose it was ample payment for his coming along with me on my grand adventure and making sure i didn't get cheated or kidnapped. well, that and free merienda anyway.
after dinner, i decided to snack on a confectionary bar gifted by one of my ninangs the day before. it was branded "torrone morbido". i thought that was funny at first, but after taking a bite, i discovered that the name was in fact very apt - there was so much sugar in the bar that there was no question of it being a harbinger of death, via diabetes.
morbid nga.
the title for this post, btw, is actually the catchphrase for the paradis chain of motels. bloody brilliant.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 11:24 PM
comments (0)
i probably should mention that renz managed to convince me to buy an extra guitar strap for him, to replace one i supposedly lost. strange how i can't remember that ever happening.
umiiral nanaman ang pagkaintsik.
but i suppose it was ample payment for his coming along with me on my grand adventure and making sure i didn't get cheated or kidnapped. well, that and free merienda anyway.
after dinner, i decided to snack on a confectionary bar gifted by one of my ninangs the day before. it was branded "torrone morbido". i thought that was funny at first, but after taking a bite, i discovered that the name was in fact very apt - there was so much sugar in the bar that there was no question of it being a harbinger of death, via diabetes.
morbid nga.
the title for this post, btw, is actually the catchphrase for the paradis chain of motels. bloody brilliant.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 11:24 PM
comments (0)
[Wednesday, December 29, 2004]
self: 'di mo alam? 'yun 'yung hayop na may malaking tainga at kumakain ng eucalyptus leaves.
asha: ano 'yon? bunny?
self: ibblog ko 'yan.
*later*
asha: e ano ba talaga? kangaroo?
happy new year.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 10:36 PM
comments (0)
asha: ano 'yon? bunny?
self: ibblog ko 'yan.
*later*
asha: e ano ba talaga? kangaroo?
happy new year.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 10:36 PM
comments (0)
[Sunday, December 26, 2004]
haven't thought about him in years. but i did today, for some reason. he was the driver of the bus service i and paco subscribed to back in zobel. i forget if it was grade school or high school, since he just appeared one day, replacing the former driver, and left just as nonchalantly.
mang eddie was very proficient at the art of driving, squeezing the tamaraw fx we rode in into gaps half its size, or climbing onto the sidewalk to overtake three cars in a row. once, he drove the fx straight across a roadside vacant lot, to avoid traffic at the intersection. what paco and i now term "gilbert-style driving", we used to refer to as "doing an eddie".
he used to sell candy and softdrinks to the kids who rode the bus, mainly to keep them quiet, as well as to work up a little extra cash. this was common among the buses parked across zobel's gate 4 [or what used to be gate 4; i don't know what they call it now]. anyway, he asked me to extend his racket by bringing a box of airheads to my classroom and selling them at no extra cost to my classmates. that worked well for a while, but i must've been throwing in one or two extra for every purchase, since i soon racked up 375 pesos in debit [at 5 pesos per airhead, that's 75 unwarranted givaways].
i didn't pay up immediately since i thought mang eddie'd stick around for a while, but as i mentioned, one day someone else was driving, just like that. if i remember correctly, the new driver was supposedly his son [nephew? friend?] and he showed me a note in mang eddie's hand authorizing him to collect my debt as soon as possible. he lasted a week, i think, which wasn't enough time for me to come by the necessary amount.
last i heard, mang eddie was in zambales or zamboanga, somewhere starting with a z. zimbabwe, maybe. rumor has it he was too strapped for cash to stay in manila. running from loans, so the story goes. it's moot to say that if he approached me now i'd probably pay him four times what i actually owed. the point is that i didn't help him when i had the chance.
if the premise of mitch albom's the five people you meet in heaven is true, mang eddie'll probably the first one waiting.
merry christmas, mang eddie, wherever you are.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 6:01 PM
comments (0)
mang eddie was very proficient at the art of driving, squeezing the tamaraw fx we rode in into gaps half its size, or climbing onto the sidewalk to overtake three cars in a row. once, he drove the fx straight across a roadside vacant lot, to avoid traffic at the intersection. what paco and i now term "gilbert-style driving", we used to refer to as "doing an eddie".
he used to sell candy and softdrinks to the kids who rode the bus, mainly to keep them quiet, as well as to work up a little extra cash. this was common among the buses parked across zobel's gate 4 [or what used to be gate 4; i don't know what they call it now]. anyway, he asked me to extend his racket by bringing a box of airheads to my classroom and selling them at no extra cost to my classmates. that worked well for a while, but i must've been throwing in one or two extra for every purchase, since i soon racked up 375 pesos in debit [at 5 pesos per airhead, that's 75 unwarranted givaways].
i didn't pay up immediately since i thought mang eddie'd stick around for a while, but as i mentioned, one day someone else was driving, just like that. if i remember correctly, the new driver was supposedly his son [nephew? friend?] and he showed me a note in mang eddie's hand authorizing him to collect my debt as soon as possible. he lasted a week, i think, which wasn't enough time for me to come by the necessary amount.
last i heard, mang eddie was in zambales or zamboanga, somewhere starting with a z. zimbabwe, maybe. rumor has it he was too strapped for cash to stay in manila. running from loans, so the story goes. it's moot to say that if he approached me now i'd probably pay him four times what i actually owed. the point is that i didn't help him when i had the chance.
if the premise of mitch albom's the five people you meet in heaven is true, mang eddie'll probably the first one waiting.
merry christmas, mang eddie, wherever you are.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 6:01 PM
comments (0)
[Thursday, December 23, 2004]
i. lazarus
Latin form of ELEAZAR found in the New Testament. Lazarus was a man from Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha, who was restored to life by Jesus. Means "God is my helper" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of both a servant of Abraham and one of the sons of Moses (see Exodus 18:4 for an explanation of the significance of the name).
inspired by pogz, i too have decided to give my pc a name. since it literally rose from the dead last week, lazarus seemed like a good enough choice.
actually, i had originally planned on naming it damien, but the name's etymology didn't sit well with me.
ii. esperanto
the concept of a universal language is quite intriguing, actually. too bad it never caught on. feel free to take a look anyway.
iii. shiny shiny
prince of persia sure has come a long way since 1989. the latest game's a lot trickier to master though, largely due to the controls. the horizontally-reversed mouse camera isn't helping, either.
but did i mention the shiny shiny graphics?
didn't think so.
shiny shiny.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 9:21 PM
comments (0)
Latin form of ELEAZAR found in the New Testament. Lazarus was a man from Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha, who was restored to life by Jesus. Means "God is my helper" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of both a servant of Abraham and one of the sons of Moses (see Exodus 18:4 for an explanation of the significance of the name).
inspired by pogz, i too have decided to give my pc a name. since it literally rose from the dead last week, lazarus seemed like a good enough choice.
actually, i had originally planned on naming it damien, but the name's etymology didn't sit well with me.
ii. esperanto
the concept of a universal language is quite intriguing, actually. too bad it never caught on. feel free to take a look anyway.
iii. shiny shiny
prince of persia sure has come a long way since 1989. the latest game's a lot trickier to master though, largely due to the controls. the horizontally-reversed mouse camera isn't helping, either.
but did i mention the shiny shiny graphics?
didn't think so.
shiny shiny.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 9:21 PM
comments (0)
[Wednesday, December 22, 2004]
i. the plot thickens
i just recalled that jen's tarot reading of my grades was that they'd be lower than i'd have wanted. well, that came out true enough. then, when i asked for a destiny reading, she drew disappointment as my past, conflict as my future, and evil intent as my present.
*insert maniacal laughter here*
ii. "haller!? so bagal!"
soju is 56% alcohol. this is one number that *can* hurt you. i hope bj's alright.
iii. vasata
my favorite painting is currently being displayed on the wall outside greenbelt 3's museum gift shop, on top of the artist's name: zobel.
iv. and the poor get richer
i took on two more teaching jobs, in order to double my savings by the first week of january. that way, i'll be able to afford a good quality bass and amplifier. as i become more adept at playing the instrument, i also find it easier to hear the basslines on my mp3s and identify their note progressions. my 'skills' on the bass are as of now six months to a year less mature than those on the guitar. not bad, but not good either. hopefully, having one at arm's length will help improve them.
v. to precious
you're a freshman, and thinking like one doesn't help matters.
a groupmate is a groupmate, regardless of whether or not he or she was able to contribute. leaders aren't chosen based on their programming capabilities; they're chosen based on their ability to discern their groupmates' competencies, and delegate responsibilities accordingly. and leadership does not, under any circumstances, give you the right to omit a member's name from the team listing, without informing him or her first.
you managed to escape liability this time, but you can't hide behind your inflexible morals forever. one day, you too are going to beg for a 1.0 and by god, i hope you don't get it.
vi. "ayoko'ng natatalo sa pusta..."
...pero mukhang ganoon na nga ang mangyayari.
not that it's a bad thing, really.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 9:52 PM
comments (0)
i just recalled that jen's tarot reading of my grades was that they'd be lower than i'd have wanted. well, that came out true enough. then, when i asked for a destiny reading, she drew disappointment as my past, conflict as my future, and evil intent as my present.
*insert maniacal laughter here*
ii. "haller!? so bagal!"
soju is 56% alcohol. this is one number that *can* hurt you. i hope bj's alright.
iii. vasata
my favorite painting is currently being displayed on the wall outside greenbelt 3's museum gift shop, on top of the artist's name: zobel.
iv. and the poor get richer
i took on two more teaching jobs, in order to double my savings by the first week of january. that way, i'll be able to afford a good quality bass and amplifier. as i become more adept at playing the instrument, i also find it easier to hear the basslines on my mp3s and identify their note progressions. my 'skills' on the bass are as of now six months to a year less mature than those on the guitar. not bad, but not good either. hopefully, having one at arm's length will help improve them.
v. to precious
you're a freshman, and thinking like one doesn't help matters.
a groupmate is a groupmate, regardless of whether or not he or she was able to contribute. leaders aren't chosen based on their programming capabilities; they're chosen based on their ability to discern their groupmates' competencies, and delegate responsibilities accordingly. and leadership does not, under any circumstances, give you the right to omit a member's name from the team listing, without informing him or her first.
you managed to escape liability this time, but you can't hide behind your inflexible morals forever. one day, you too are going to beg for a 1.0 and by god, i hope you don't get it.
vi. "ayoko'ng natatalo sa pusta..."
...pero mukhang ganoon na nga ang mangyayari.
not that it's a bad thing, really.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 9:52 PM
comments (0)
[Tuesday, December 21, 2004]
i. genpsyc: 4.0
i expected this. while i didn't exactly do my best in terms of output, i attended every class save two and submitted all requirements on time. yes, my papers were still bullshit, but i did allow myself actual points peeking through edgewise. but the grade aside, genpsyc is the best subject i've attended so far, thanks largely to the prof, sir marshall valencia [no relation to dexter donald]. so for those with genpsyc in their flowcharts, this bud's for you.
moral lesson: if you enjoy a subject, you'll do better in it. and it is possible to force yourself to like a subject. if you're acting's good enough, you can fool your brain into thinking you actually do like it.
ii. introse: 1.5
this i did not expect. all the while, i thought our paperwork was satisfactory [meaning i'd get a 3.0 or above].
moral lesson: if the prof requests for a series of papers dependent on each other and doesn't return the first, ask him or her for frequent pointers. also, try to attend classes at least as many times as you cut them.
iii. introso: 3.0
not bad, considering that i barely passed my quizzes, our report was crap, and we bullshat our final paper at the last minute. no complaints here.
moral lesson: few things are more valuable than the ability to think and write on your feet.
iv. comorga: 2.5
this is probably my crowning glory this term. my scores in the first two quizzes were 63 and 37. seeing as comorga is a 70% passing subject with a 50% fail rate, by midterms i was thoroughly panicking. so i actually started studying [something i don't endorse, except in the direst circumstances]. my third quiz turned out to be a 93-pointer and finals earned me 126 points. ayos.
moral lesson: you really can do anything if you're determined enough. i just wish i applied this principle last term, then i would've saved myself a shitload of trouble*.
v. webdeve: 2.5
a little lower than i would have wanted but still good. but given my class standing, this means i really did badly in the finals. maybe i should've studied for that test as well. i seem to be in the habit of only safeguarding against one notorious subject per term.
moral lesson: never shotgun an exam. ever.
vi. elemfre: 4.0
monsieur narvaez est très aimable. aussi, j'étudié le français dans mon lycée ainsi il était facile obtenir de bons points.
leçon morale: cherchez un professeur aimable.
vii. orient2: f
this was extremely disappointing. i admit that i had ulterior motives when i picked which section to attend, but the turn of events has confirmed my better instincts.
moral lesson: "hope is the first step on the road to disappointment."
as of this term, i have gotten every course card grade possible, from f to 4.0. although that isn't exactly something to brag about, it sure sounds better than "i got an f and a 1.5".
sige ingat.ü
---
a shitload of trouble: if i had passed anmath2, then i would've been given a slot at accenture, a slot which i would've had a 75% chance of securing, given my acting skills. also, i wouldn't have used up my scholarship's allotted failure, and the sfa wouldn't have recorded my failure in orient either, since it would have been 0.5 units, instead of the 3.5 units it is now.
posted by stani at 9:20 AM
comments (0)
i expected this. while i didn't exactly do my best in terms of output, i attended every class save two and submitted all requirements on time. yes, my papers were still bullshit, but i did allow myself actual points peeking through edgewise. but the grade aside, genpsyc is the best subject i've attended so far, thanks largely to the prof, sir marshall valencia [no relation to dexter donald]. so for those with genpsyc in their flowcharts, this bud's for you.
moral lesson: if you enjoy a subject, you'll do better in it. and it is possible to force yourself to like a subject. if you're acting's good enough, you can fool your brain into thinking you actually do like it.
ii. introse: 1.5
this i did not expect. all the while, i thought our paperwork was satisfactory [meaning i'd get a 3.0 or above].
moral lesson: if the prof requests for a series of papers dependent on each other and doesn't return the first, ask him or her for frequent pointers. also, try to attend classes at least as many times as you cut them.
iii. introso: 3.0
not bad, considering that i barely passed my quizzes, our report was crap, and we bullshat our final paper at the last minute. no complaints here.
moral lesson: few things are more valuable than the ability to think and write on your feet.
iv. comorga: 2.5
this is probably my crowning glory this term. my scores in the first two quizzes were 63 and 37. seeing as comorga is a 70% passing subject with a 50% fail rate, by midterms i was thoroughly panicking. so i actually started studying [something i don't endorse, except in the direst circumstances]. my third quiz turned out to be a 93-pointer and finals earned me 126 points. ayos.
moral lesson: you really can do anything if you're determined enough. i just wish i applied this principle last term, then i would've saved myself a shitload of trouble*.
v. webdeve: 2.5
a little lower than i would have wanted but still good. but given my class standing, this means i really did badly in the finals. maybe i should've studied for that test as well. i seem to be in the habit of only safeguarding against one notorious subject per term.
moral lesson: never shotgun an exam. ever.
vi. elemfre: 4.0
monsieur narvaez est très aimable. aussi, j'étudié le français dans mon lycée ainsi il était facile obtenir de bons points.
leçon morale: cherchez un professeur aimable.
vii. orient2: f
this was extremely disappointing. i admit that i had ulterior motives when i picked which section to attend, but the turn of events has confirmed my better instincts.
moral lesson: "hope is the first step on the road to disappointment."
as of this term, i have gotten every course card grade possible, from f to 4.0. although that isn't exactly something to brag about, it sure sounds better than "i got an f and a 1.5".
sige ingat.ü
---
a shitload of trouble: if i had passed anmath2, then i would've been given a slot at accenture, a slot which i would've had a 75% chance of securing, given my acting skills. also, i wouldn't have used up my scholarship's allotted failure, and the sfa wouldn't have recorded my failure in orient either, since it would have been 0.5 units, instead of the 3.5 units it is now.
posted by stani at 9:20 AM
comments (0)
[Monday, December 20, 2004]
seeing as we haven't gone out as a family in the longest time, i had little reason to protest when my parents announced yesterday that we were celebrating christmas a little earlier this year. i should have taken that as a hint that we were going to watch the polar express.
considering that the last movie we watched together was the parent trap, this is actually a step up. slightly darker than you might think, although it's well-hidden so kids rarely notice it. the graphics were great, though, and being a software engineer myself, it seems a shame that the movie didn't do well at the box office.
but then of course, the movie cost 250 million dollars to make, so i'll bet they got their fair share anyway.
there was naturally a lot of singing and dancing, which sucked, but steve tyler did manage a recognizable guest appearance. tom hanks played five different roles, including that of the "hero boy" [who remained unnamed throughout the whole movie]. josh groban supposedly sang the movie's theme, but in the movie it was sung by a six-year-old kid, so there you have a clear example of the wonders of digital modulation.
since it was after all a children's movie, the trailers also catered to the younger generation, but two or three of them i wouldn't mind watching myself.
a. the ayala center ad
technically this isn't a trailer, but i'd like to take this opportunity to reiterate that in the band scene, neither the 'guitarist' nor the 'bassist' are doing more than raping their instruments, given the level of incompetence with which they act out their parts. at least learn how to hold the damn things. sheesh.
b. lastikman
this isn't one of aforementioned movies i wouldn't mind watching. my sister seemed to like it, though. iww.
c. raise your voice
this movie is a thinly-disguised homage to hillary duff's foray into music. come on, the lead character admittedly has no talent but somehow wins a prestigious musical competition anyway, trouncing the professionally-trained competition? wilders are from a different pantheon, dear.
d. ocean's twelve
funny, i seem to recall that saul [the old man] had died in the first movie. so technically they should still be eleven, right?
e. blade: trinity
jessica biel's in it. that's all.
f. madagascar
it's a cgi movie about animals escaping from the wild, starring both ben stiller and chris rock. the rendering is cartoony, like 90s game graphics. promising, actually.
g. robots
another cgi movie, i recognized the voice of robin williams as one of the hero robot's sidekicks. the rendering in this movie is more realistic, plus there are a lot of shiny shiny metal gadgets. again, promising.
h. star wars episode iii
the ad was rather disappointing, with no clue as to what the movie will entail, aside from the actual transformation of anakin into vader. well, mace and yoda will probably still have extensive [combat?] scenes, given that they were two of the few non-siths detailed in the trailer.
christopher lee's still listed in the credits. that, and the fact that he's again voicing king haggard in the live-action remake of peter s. beagle's the last unicorn leads me to believe that his screen name's a pseudonym - it's actually duncan mccloud.
i. the spongebob squarepants movie
two words: david hasselhoff. two more words: kroo kroo.
wait, the only movies i was immediately attracted to were the cgi movies. pardon, my geek is showing.
anyway, we ate at max's after the movie, which makes it the second time i've eated their chicken and crispy pata this weekend. no complaints, though.
i hit the sack as soon as i got home, so i woke up rather earlier than usual. early enough to catch my sister watching some barbie movie on dvd, at least. just now, she was trying to explain to me how in the movie, the names of the guitarist ken doll and the bassist ken doll were switched.
frankly, my dear, i don't give a damn.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 5:49 AM
comments (0)
considering that the last movie we watched together was the parent trap, this is actually a step up. slightly darker than you might think, although it's well-hidden so kids rarely notice it. the graphics were great, though, and being a software engineer myself, it seems a shame that the movie didn't do well at the box office.
but then of course, the movie cost 250 million dollars to make, so i'll bet they got their fair share anyway.
there was naturally a lot of singing and dancing, which sucked, but steve tyler did manage a recognizable guest appearance. tom hanks played five different roles, including that of the "hero boy" [who remained unnamed throughout the whole movie]. josh groban supposedly sang the movie's theme, but in the movie it was sung by a six-year-old kid, so there you have a clear example of the wonders of digital modulation.
since it was after all a children's movie, the trailers also catered to the younger generation, but two or three of them i wouldn't mind watching myself.
a. the ayala center ad
technically this isn't a trailer, but i'd like to take this opportunity to reiterate that in the band scene, neither the 'guitarist' nor the 'bassist' are doing more than raping their instruments, given the level of incompetence with which they act out their parts. at least learn how to hold the damn things. sheesh.
b. lastikman
this isn't one of aforementioned movies i wouldn't mind watching. my sister seemed to like it, though. iww.
c. raise your voice
this movie is a thinly-disguised homage to hillary duff's foray into music. come on, the lead character admittedly has no talent but somehow wins a prestigious musical competition anyway, trouncing the professionally-trained competition? wilders are from a different pantheon, dear.
d. ocean's twelve
funny, i seem to recall that saul [the old man] had died in the first movie. so technically they should still be eleven, right?
e. blade: trinity
jessica biel's in it. that's all.
f. madagascar
it's a cgi movie about animals escaping from the wild, starring both ben stiller and chris rock. the rendering is cartoony, like 90s game graphics. promising, actually.
g. robots
another cgi movie, i recognized the voice of robin williams as one of the hero robot's sidekicks. the rendering in this movie is more realistic, plus there are a lot of shiny shiny metal gadgets. again, promising.
h. star wars episode iii
the ad was rather disappointing, with no clue as to what the movie will entail, aside from the actual transformation of anakin into vader. well, mace and yoda will probably still have extensive [combat?] scenes, given that they were two of the few non-siths detailed in the trailer.
christopher lee's still listed in the credits. that, and the fact that he's again voicing king haggard in the live-action remake of peter s. beagle's the last unicorn leads me to believe that his screen name's a pseudonym - it's actually duncan mccloud.
i. the spongebob squarepants movie
two words: david hasselhoff. two more words: kroo kroo.
wait, the only movies i was immediately attracted to were the cgi movies. pardon, my geek is showing.
anyway, we ate at max's after the movie, which makes it the second time i've eated their chicken and crispy pata this weekend. no complaints, though.
i hit the sack as soon as i got home, so i woke up rather earlier than usual. early enough to catch my sister watching some barbie movie on dvd, at least. just now, she was trying to explain to me how in the movie, the names of the guitarist ken doll and the bassist ken doll were switched.
frankly, my dear, i don't give a damn.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 5:49 AM
comments (0)
[Saturday, December 18, 2004]
i. "don't shy!"
we had band practice at renz'. you've probably heard about it already, but in case you haven't, he bought a drum set.
gwapo nga e. kulay itim.
anyway, i realized that purchasing a bass should be my priority for this christmas, since the riffs i practised and perfected on my acoustic guitar weren't so practised and perfected when i tried them out on renz' bass, which i affectionately refer to as tae. he prepared corned beef with basil for merienda, and i believed i indulged myself a little more than was proper. well i did warn him about telling me to help myself. the downside to this was that i had to check myself at my next stop.
ii. "come, eat my house!"
bj celebrated his birthday first with dinner at max's restaurant in robinson's place. as mentioned above, i wasn't able to eat as much as i had wanted to or he had wanted me to, for that matter. but the company was good, for the most part, and conversation didn't require the assistance of the waiter. the fly in the ointment, however, was the chicken sisig, which was chock full of mayo, such that it tasted more like chicken spread, only spicy. or rather, like regular chicken spread at home. i did finally get my gambas, though, so that made up for it.
iii. "are you drugs!?"
after dinner, we headed to bj's condo for a few drinks. it really is convenient to live right beside a mall. no problems when it comes to food, school supplies, clothes, or even repairs, if necessary. but you have to be a little on the wealthy side, i believe, since this lifestyle also increases the probability that you'll be spending a little extra cash here and there quite often.
but i digress. anyway, instead of the few drinks i had imagined, bj had prepared two pitchers and a "handy" 5 liter bottle of lalabu. owel, same difference.
bj had a copy of paris hilton's sex scandal so, yeah, we watched that. but kester was playing sponge cola's lunes on loop while we were 'enjoying' the movie, so now i can't listen to the song without remembering the porno. not that i particularly care for the song, but it plays a lot on local radio stations, and i don't fancy suddenly getting mental images of paris hilton.
i left at 4. indeed, there were some blogworthy moments, but considerably less than i had hoped for, such that i don't think i'll be posting any quotable quotes here. dig into my archives for comparison, if you want.
happy birthday, bj.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 1:50 PM
comments (0)
we had band practice at renz'. you've probably heard about it already, but in case you haven't, he bought a drum set.
gwapo nga e. kulay itim.
anyway, i realized that purchasing a bass should be my priority for this christmas, since the riffs i practised and perfected on my acoustic guitar weren't so practised and perfected when i tried them out on renz' bass, which i affectionately refer to as tae. he prepared corned beef with basil for merienda, and i believed i indulged myself a little more than was proper. well i did warn him about telling me to help myself. the downside to this was that i had to check myself at my next stop.
ii. "come, eat my house!"
bj celebrated his birthday first with dinner at max's restaurant in robinson's place. as mentioned above, i wasn't able to eat as much as i had wanted to or he had wanted me to, for that matter. but the company was good, for the most part, and conversation didn't require the assistance of the waiter. the fly in the ointment, however, was the chicken sisig, which was chock full of mayo, such that it tasted more like chicken spread, only spicy. or rather, like regular chicken spread at home. i did finally get my gambas, though, so that made up for it.
iii. "are you drugs!?"
after dinner, we headed to bj's condo for a few drinks. it really is convenient to live right beside a mall. no problems when it comes to food, school supplies, clothes, or even repairs, if necessary. but you have to be a little on the wealthy side, i believe, since this lifestyle also increases the probability that you'll be spending a little extra cash here and there quite often.
but i digress. anyway, instead of the few drinks i had imagined, bj had prepared two pitchers and a "handy" 5 liter bottle of lalabu. owel, same difference.
bj had a copy of paris hilton's sex scandal so, yeah, we watched that. but kester was playing sponge cola's lunes on loop while we were 'enjoying' the movie, so now i can't listen to the song without remembering the porno. not that i particularly care for the song, but it plays a lot on local radio stations, and i don't fancy suddenly getting mental images of paris hilton.
i left at 4. indeed, there were some blogworthy moments, but considerably less than i had hoped for, such that i don't think i'll be posting any quotable quotes here. dig into my archives for comparison, if you want.
happy birthday, bj.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 1:50 PM
comments (0)
[Friday, December 17, 2004]
expatriates in the philippines
it's the blog of a 'kanô who'd settled in palawan. although he does tend to underestimate the level of urbanization in the philippines [eg: "most houses built for pinoy are built by the owner and his entire family, and the house will be made of bamboo and rattan and nipa leaves."], i think it paints an accurate enough picture of the local color.
i would advise visitors to avoid commenting [whether to encourage or correct], since doing so would undoubtedly and irreversibly influence his future posts.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 1:02 PM
comments (0)
[Thursday, December 16, 2004]
i was able to repair my pc on warranty, despite the fact that i had opened it up to install a lan card, as well as for numerous other no-good reasons. it turned out to be a power supply glitch. the repair guy sealed up my pc again, saying that if the power supply acts up again [power supplies being unique to each casing], they'll replace my casing as well.
needless to say i broke the seal and my pc's open again.
now, after treating chudor, pogz, and dux to dinner at tender bob's, and paying for a 300 peso taxi ride home [grumble grumble sombitch gerdemmit], i still have 3.5k lying around, which will be further augmented by my tutoring during the holidays. the question, therefore, is should i buy more memory or a bass guitar?
i really should buy a bass, since i very well can't continue leeching off renz each time we have a gig. but i don't have an amplifier at home, only the stereo system in the sala, which is quite a distance away from both my pc and my room [actually, one and the same place].
if i buy more memory, i'll have 1gb of ram, but it'll be ddr ram, and with gddr ram and pci express motherboards coming out next year, it doesn't seem too wise to upgrade now.
but then again, i'll have 1gb of ram.
argh.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 7:42 AM
comments (0)
needless to say i broke the seal and my pc's open again.
now, after treating chudor, pogz, and dux to dinner at tender bob's, and paying for a 300 peso taxi ride home [grumble grumble sombitch gerdemmit], i still have 3.5k lying around, which will be further augmented by my tutoring during the holidays. the question, therefore, is should i buy more memory or a bass guitar?
i really should buy a bass, since i very well can't continue leeching off renz each time we have a gig. but i don't have an amplifier at home, only the stereo system in the sala, which is quite a distance away from both my pc and my room [actually, one and the same place].
if i buy more memory, i'll have 1gb of ram, but it'll be ddr ram, and with gddr ram and pci express motherboards coming out next year, it doesn't seem too wise to upgrade now.
but then again, i'll have 1gb of ram.
argh.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 7:42 AM
comments (0)
[Tuesday, December 14, 2004]
i haven't been able to update since my computer's fucked up again. it's back to dying after two seconds. i'll get it repaired tomorrow. i had to work up some money first, since it could either be just the power supply or the motherboard that's acting up. if it's the motherboard, repairs could become rather costly.
i. friday
first things first, vince celebrated his birthday last friday at gerry's grill, in makati. that was very fulfilling indeed, or as i like to spell it, 'full feeling'.
maraming salamat, kahit hindi ka nagpagambas.
ii. saturday
i woke up late, at around two in the afternoon. it must've been the sleep debt i incurred from coding into the night the previous two. my mother said that she had to check up on me every hour, in case i'd died. i really should thank her for that comforting thought.
bau had invited me to accompany him on guitar since he was singing at a friend's debut. between the free ride, free food, and free jam, i had nothing to lose [so i thought] so off i went. but first, i had to print out and photocopy tabs of the songs we'd be performing, so thus i began my grand tour of glorietta. some time later, when i'd finally found a backwater stall offering printing, my dialogue with the shopkeeper went something like this:
self: magkano po?
assistant: fifteen.
self: *gives 20 pesos*
assistant: hindi po. fifteen each.
omfg. then of course i had to photocopy the damn things, at two pesos each. glorietta really is the worst mall on earth. no decent printing, no decent photocopying, and no pirated cds. damn. it's places like that that really show you how fast our country's sinking.
anyway, our performance went well. it was in no way a gig, but i did manage to render when you say nothing at all without a hitch. redemption for cara's debut, at least. as for bau, let's just say he's suddenly become unpopular with the debutante's protective father. i'll leave the laglagan at that for now.
i, on the other hand, lost 400 pesos, which fell out of my pocket since i don't have a wallet.
*cough cough trish cough duct tape cough*
btw, to the guitarist of the hired band: 'tang ina ka, kung sasawsaw ka, siguraduhin mo munang tama ang solo mo, gago.
happy birthday, bau.
iii. sunday
in the taxi on my way to work, i noticed that the dashboard was studded with military insignia. the driver, it turns out, was an officer in the army; hope '92, if that means anything to anyone. he was talking on his cellphone to his girlfriend [i assume], explaining that he was plying his taxi that day so he could buy additional pre-paid credits. i remember that he was scolding her at one point about her running off to the mall with her friends:
"ay, hijo de puta, bad timing ka dire!"
or something like that. there's just something about spanish [chavacano?] that makes curses sound better.
i finished off my charge's project. based on the hours i spent working [or pretending to work] on it, i earned 3k pesos. not bad at all. but apart from the funding, the job pays for itself in terms of the fun facts i learn while on the job. take for example the dubious hero-status of martin luther king, jr.
also, my godfather*, fr. dave clay, had his book launching at the madrigal center. it's the life story of masay, a local marian visionary. i just thought i should plug it just in case anyone's interested in dat sorta ting.
iv. monday morning
traffic was heavy, mostly because of construction work on the highway. ironic [or annoying, rather] to see so many signs proclaiming "caution: men at work" when there were more rats on-site than workers. this is a big factor in the downward spiral of our economy, actually. construction drags on, costing the government much money. in the case of roads or bridges, they then recuperate their losses by imposing heavier toll fees. now, if only project bidders had to include an expected completion time and agree to a fine if they exceeded that deadline, they'd save us all from a big headache.
this reminds me about three examples my dad constantly rants about, on how the indian government is better than ours. actually i agree with him on all counts:
first, individuals in government aren't given a pork barrel. the money goes to departments and requires a heirarchy of signatures before it can be dispersed. this ensures that the amounts of money and their destinations are logical, else someone along the chain is bound to notice any discrepancy.
second, projects are always in the name of "the government of india" or "the people of india" since that's where the money is coming from. note the difference here, where projects are always done by a particular person, regardless of the fact that he or she actually spent no personal money on it. this practice encourages false utang na loob towards that person, as if without him or her, no future projects would become a reality.
and third, the salaries of those in government are middle-income. this ensures that only those with the sole motive of serving the people vie for the position. here, politics is just an alternate stage for the glitterati to act out new roles. pathetic? more like disgusting.
around election time, my dad also 'casually' mentioned that the national elections in india were completed after three days, as compared to the two weeks it took here. of course this was the church's faux pas but hey, everyone already knows that.
while we were talking, a beggar was persistently knocking on the bmw in front of us so my dad kept a few coins handy, in case the beggar decided to bother us afterwards. instead, he just gave up on the bmw and sat down on the side of the road. at this point my dad said:
"this is the real meaning of opportunity. it's not just one door, but a hallway of doors. if the door you're knocking on doesn't open, knock on another door. if you stop knocking, you lose the chance to open any of the doors."
wow. and all this time, i've been calling him ulianin behind his back. maybe he really should publish his diary, something he's always wanted. he's well-travelled, if not anything else; that should be fun to read.
v. monday afternoon
the comorga test was very forgiving. not directly easy, but a lot of questions gave hints towards answering others. plus, at 150 points over 100, it'll be that much more difficult to flunk. not that i'm sure to pass just yet. it all depends on my third quiz, the results of which haven't been returned yet.
'starbsing' with malate after the test, pb introduced me to three good poems: sharon olds' the glass, james dickey's the sheep child, and c.k. williams' alzheimer's: the wife. since i couldn't find a good link to the third poem, i might as well just copy-paste it here:
she answers the bothersome telephone, takes the message,
forgets the message, forgets who called.
one of their daughters, her husband guesses;
the one with the dogs, the babies, the boy jed?
yes, perhaps, but how tell which, how tell anything
when all the nametags have been lost or switched,
when all the lonely flowers of sense and memory
bloom and die now in adjacent bites of time?
sometimes her own face will suddenly appear
with terrifying inappropriateness before her in a mirror.
she knows that if she's patient its gaze will break,
demurely, like a well-taught child's,
it will turn from her as though it were embarrassed
by the secrets of this awful hide-and-seek.
if she forgets, though, and glances back again,
it will still be in there, furtively watching, crying.
so there. that was a mouthful, but not having a working computer at home really cuts away 90% of my blogtime, and 100% of my gametime.
so sad.
sige ingat.ü
---
godfather: i find it amusing that one of my godfathers is a priest [the aforementioned fr. dave clay], and another is a pastor [rev. jaime uy]. according to my relstwo prof, nowadays godparents have to be roman catholic. see, this is why nobody likes the catholic church. too restrictive and yet at the same time, too meddlesome.
posted by stani at 10:10 AM
comments (0)
i. friday
first things first, vince celebrated his birthday last friday at gerry's grill, in makati. that was very fulfilling indeed, or as i like to spell it, 'full feeling'.
maraming salamat, kahit hindi ka nagpagambas.
ii. saturday
i woke up late, at around two in the afternoon. it must've been the sleep debt i incurred from coding into the night the previous two. my mother said that she had to check up on me every hour, in case i'd died. i really should thank her for that comforting thought.
bau had invited me to accompany him on guitar since he was singing at a friend's debut. between the free ride, free food, and free jam, i had nothing to lose [so i thought] so off i went. but first, i had to print out and photocopy tabs of the songs we'd be performing, so thus i began my grand tour of glorietta. some time later, when i'd finally found a backwater stall offering printing, my dialogue with the shopkeeper went something like this:
self: magkano po?
assistant: fifteen.
self: *gives 20 pesos*
assistant: hindi po. fifteen each.
omfg. then of course i had to photocopy the damn things, at two pesos each. glorietta really is the worst mall on earth. no decent printing, no decent photocopying, and no pirated cds. damn. it's places like that that really show you how fast our country's sinking.
anyway, our performance went well. it was in no way a gig, but i did manage to render when you say nothing at all without a hitch. redemption for cara's debut, at least. as for bau, let's just say he's suddenly become unpopular with the debutante's protective father. i'll leave the laglagan at that for now.
i, on the other hand, lost 400 pesos, which fell out of my pocket since i don't have a wallet.
*cough cough trish cough duct tape cough*
btw, to the guitarist of the hired band: 'tang ina ka, kung sasawsaw ka, siguraduhin mo munang tama ang solo mo, gago.
happy birthday, bau.
iii. sunday
in the taxi on my way to work, i noticed that the dashboard was studded with military insignia. the driver, it turns out, was an officer in the army; hope '92, if that means anything to anyone. he was talking on his cellphone to his girlfriend [i assume], explaining that he was plying his taxi that day so he could buy additional pre-paid credits. i remember that he was scolding her at one point about her running off to the mall with her friends:
"ay, hijo de puta, bad timing ka dire!"
or something like that. there's just something about spanish [chavacano?] that makes curses sound better.
i finished off my charge's project. based on the hours i spent working [or pretending to work] on it, i earned 3k pesos. not bad at all. but apart from the funding, the job pays for itself in terms of the fun facts i learn while on the job. take for example the dubious hero-status of martin luther king, jr.
also, my godfather*, fr. dave clay, had his book launching at the madrigal center. it's the life story of masay, a local marian visionary. i just thought i should plug it just in case anyone's interested in dat sorta ting.
iv. monday morning
traffic was heavy, mostly because of construction work on the highway. ironic [or annoying, rather] to see so many signs proclaiming "caution: men at work" when there were more rats on-site than workers. this is a big factor in the downward spiral of our economy, actually. construction drags on, costing the government much money. in the case of roads or bridges, they then recuperate their losses by imposing heavier toll fees. now, if only project bidders had to include an expected completion time and agree to a fine if they exceeded that deadline, they'd save us all from a big headache.
this reminds me about three examples my dad constantly rants about, on how the indian government is better than ours. actually i agree with him on all counts:
first, individuals in government aren't given a pork barrel. the money goes to departments and requires a heirarchy of signatures before it can be dispersed. this ensures that the amounts of money and their destinations are logical, else someone along the chain is bound to notice any discrepancy.
second, projects are always in the name of "the government of india" or "the people of india" since that's where the money is coming from. note the difference here, where projects are always done by a particular person, regardless of the fact that he or she actually spent no personal money on it. this practice encourages false utang na loob towards that person, as if without him or her, no future projects would become a reality.
and third, the salaries of those in government are middle-income. this ensures that only those with the sole motive of serving the people vie for the position. here, politics is just an alternate stage for the glitterati to act out new roles. pathetic? more like disgusting.
around election time, my dad also 'casually' mentioned that the national elections in india were completed after three days, as compared to the two weeks it took here. of course this was the church's faux pas but hey, everyone already knows that.
while we were talking, a beggar was persistently knocking on the bmw in front of us so my dad kept a few coins handy, in case the beggar decided to bother us afterwards. instead, he just gave up on the bmw and sat down on the side of the road. at this point my dad said:
"this is the real meaning of opportunity. it's not just one door, but a hallway of doors. if the door you're knocking on doesn't open, knock on another door. if you stop knocking, you lose the chance to open any of the doors."
wow. and all this time, i've been calling him ulianin behind his back. maybe he really should publish his diary, something he's always wanted. he's well-travelled, if not anything else; that should be fun to read.
v. monday afternoon
the comorga test was very forgiving. not directly easy, but a lot of questions gave hints towards answering others. plus, at 150 points over 100, it'll be that much more difficult to flunk. not that i'm sure to pass just yet. it all depends on my third quiz, the results of which haven't been returned yet.
'starbsing' with malate after the test, pb introduced me to three good poems: sharon olds' the glass, james dickey's the sheep child, and c.k. williams' alzheimer's: the wife. since i couldn't find a good link to the third poem, i might as well just copy-paste it here:
she answers the bothersome telephone, takes the message,
forgets the message, forgets who called.
one of their daughters, her husband guesses;
the one with the dogs, the babies, the boy jed?
yes, perhaps, but how tell which, how tell anything
when all the nametags have been lost or switched,
when all the lonely flowers of sense and memory
bloom and die now in adjacent bites of time?
sometimes her own face will suddenly appear
with terrifying inappropriateness before her in a mirror.
she knows that if she's patient its gaze will break,
demurely, like a well-taught child's,
it will turn from her as though it were embarrassed
by the secrets of this awful hide-and-seek.
if she forgets, though, and glances back again,
it will still be in there, furtively watching, crying.
so there. that was a mouthful, but not having a working computer at home really cuts away 90% of my blogtime, and 100% of my gametime.
so sad.
sige ingat.ü
---
godfather: i find it amusing that one of my godfathers is a priest [the aforementioned fr. dave clay], and another is a pastor [rev. jaime uy]. according to my relstwo prof, nowadays godparents have to be roman catholic. see, this is why nobody likes the catholic church. too restrictive and yet at the same time, too meddlesome.
posted by stani at 10:10 AM
comments (0)
[Friday, December 10, 2004]
i'm feeling both hungry and full right now. must be, as paco said, a sense of accomplishment because our term project's up and running. the thought of emotions having physical manifestations is very intriguing. or maybe i've just been reading too much about psychosomatics [genpsyc research paper, due in three hours].
i woke up at four to type out the user manual [and take shiny shiny screenshots]. it was kinda cold so pretty soon i had to run off to the cr. i was already seated when i realized that there wasn't any tissue paper on-hand, only *three* empty cardboard rolls. hey, don't knock it - having no tissue paper is one of life's biggest tragedies; almost as bad as having one-ply tissue paper. anyway, as if that wasn't enough, there's a 50% chance that i used someone else's toothbrush this morning. my sister replaced mine last night and i was in too much of a hurry this morning to double-check if i'd grabbed the right one. it felt new, anyway.
paco and i were at the bicutan interchange when i realized that i'd left my id at home. i usually leave them in my pants [forgive me if i wear them more than once before having them washed] and since i'd donned a pair of slacks for our defense today, it wasn't in them. so i hoofed it back home and took a taxi to school since i'd already used up my two allotted 'left ids'. 200 pesos shot to hell.
after the defense, my bag was missing. rogi said he thought that the discipline officers had hauled it away [yes, they actually do that at our college] and i'd be getting a minor offense*. that would've been the ultimate irony, considering that the whole id fiasco i went through was just to avoid getting such an offense for entering campus without an id. but fortunately or unfortunately, my bag was in pogz' locker. ah, such caring friends.
and speaking of the defense, ms ethel said that the software wasn't user-friendly enough. my take is, if you're incompetent, you shouldn't be anywhere near a computer in the first place. not that i took it personally or anything. in fact, i plan to revise the software aligned to her suggestions. yes, i know that there's no point in doing so since she's not requiring a revision or even going to look twice at it, but i am a man of compulsion, after all.
or maybe i really am a 'java boy'.
posted by stani at 11:40 AM
comments (0)
i woke up at four to type out the user manual [and take shiny shiny screenshots]. it was kinda cold so pretty soon i had to run off to the cr. i was already seated when i realized that there wasn't any tissue paper on-hand, only *three* empty cardboard rolls. hey, don't knock it - having no tissue paper is one of life's biggest tragedies; almost as bad as having one-ply tissue paper. anyway, as if that wasn't enough, there's a 50% chance that i used someone else's toothbrush this morning. my sister replaced mine last night and i was in too much of a hurry this morning to double-check if i'd grabbed the right one. it felt new, anyway.
paco and i were at the bicutan interchange when i realized that i'd left my id at home. i usually leave them in my pants [forgive me if i wear them more than once before having them washed] and since i'd donned a pair of slacks for our defense today, it wasn't in them. so i hoofed it back home and took a taxi to school since i'd already used up my two allotted 'left ids'. 200 pesos shot to hell.
after the defense, my bag was missing. rogi said he thought that the discipline officers had hauled it away [yes, they actually do that at our college] and i'd be getting a minor offense*. that would've been the ultimate irony, considering that the whole id fiasco i went through was just to avoid getting such an offense for entering campus without an id. but fortunately or unfortunately, my bag was in pogz' locker. ah, such caring friends.
and speaking of the defense, ms ethel said that the software wasn't user-friendly enough. my take is, if you're incompetent, you shouldn't be anywhere near a computer in the first place. not that i took it personally or anything. in fact, i plan to revise the software aligned to her suggestions. yes, i know that there's no point in doing so since she's not requiring a revision or even going to look twice at it, but i am a man of compulsion, after all.
or maybe i really am a 'java boy'.
posted by stani at 11:40 AM
comments (0)
[Wednesday, December 08, 2004]
i spent over an hour looking for the proper french equivalent for those four words before it dawned on me that since 'long time no see' isn't in correct english grammatical syntax, chances are slim that i'd find its french counterpart anywhere apart from a greetings database [and those too are scarce online]. but while on my quest, i did manage to find a listing of 'useful' french phrases, which eventually proved useless, as well as a formal discussion on englog, something i did not expect to find online, and least of all on the wikipedia site.
i also chanced upon a writeup on the book bryan learns his lesson, written by local celebrity couple julius and christine bersola-babao. if you examine the cover page closely, you may discover why i think joey should sue them for image infringement.
in addition to my science and english duties, i'm now being asked to play basketball with my charge for an extra hour after work. they're going to pay me an additional P500 for that, of course. now if only i actually enjoyed the game.
i'm around a fourth of the way through our introse project. java sure is a bitch, but at least it's a familiar one. plus, there's a readily-accessible and relatively-comprehensible online support community, which is more than i can say for most other languages.
i should be done by tonight, god willing.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 1:19 PM
comments (0)
i also chanced upon a writeup on the book bryan learns his lesson, written by local celebrity couple julius and christine bersola-babao. if you examine the cover page closely, you may discover why i think joey should sue them for image infringement.
in addition to my science and english duties, i'm now being asked to play basketball with my charge for an extra hour after work. they're going to pay me an additional P500 for that, of course. now if only i actually enjoyed the game.
i'm around a fourth of the way through our introse project. java sure is a bitch, but at least it's a familiar one. plus, there's a readily-accessible and relatively-comprehensible online support community, which is more than i can say for most other languages.
i should be done by tonight, god willing.
sige ingat.ü
posted by stani at 1:19 PM
comments (0)