Where Are My Posts?

Actually, I have a lot of stuff I wanted to post lately:
1. TM Christmas Party
2. Seiichi's new haircut
3. My new haircut
4. My Birthday Party (or lack thereof)
5. Christmas at the Sabio's
6. The Transformers 2-Disc DVD Set
7. Jeanne D'Arc for the PSP
8. Nymphadora Tonks
9. Vagina Dentata
10. Heath Ledger = Joker
***Just waiting for the videos and pics. I've been doing mostly text-only posts for the past month, I wanted to have pics and videos with my next posts. Also tamurd comes to mind.

Ol' Bruce Wayne

I have to admit. This is the best comic book I have read. Ever. I didn't want to necessarily agree with Drei right away when he said this is the best ever, even before reading it.

Besides, I have come across some pretty good comic books during my time: Infinity Trilogy, Adam Warlock and the Infinity Watch, X-Men: Omega Red Series, Punisher WarZone, Legion Quest, Identity Crisis, Stormwatch Series, just to name a few.

But the Dark Knight Returns comic book has it all. Story, art, character development, scope. There are also a few things I have never seen before on a comic book or a story told that way (spoilers ahead) i.e. Superman's "Where?" message and the added focus on his "super-hearing" ability, the idea that heroes are what makes villains villains (no superheroes, no super-villains), Batman as ruthless f@#k, and children actually killed by the Joker and then his "twist" at the end.

Yep, this book actually takes the cake.

(image from Wikipedia.org)

What Is Wrong With Miami?

One and seven for the past eight?? Blechh. The offense is killing us right now. No movement, and absolutely lethargic on the wings. Only Haslem and Wright have shown to want to win all the games. And Dorell, doesn't even get enough playing time.

What would it take for this team to get back? Wade's back but still not a hundred percent. Pat Riley is contemplating retirement. Shaq is.. well Shaq is old. The Smush Parker signing is proving to be way awful. And all tradeable assets have been dealt (draft picks and Doleac).

So where? Where are they going to go from here? You can only ride the Wade-factor for so long. And besides, you have to get to the playoffs first, before Wade and Shaq and Zo can carry you, right?

So what do we do? If it were up to me: (1) Start Dorrell Wright (2) Trade Smush and Barron for a young Jarrett Jack-type PG; a point who hustles, gets to the hole, and knows how to feed big men, and a marginally-decent defender (3) Shaq 25 mins, Zo 20 mins and (4) transform Ricky Davis into a purely defensive SF (it is apprent now, that his offense cannot be trusted to win games).

Actually easier said than done, and might not have apparent results, but it should definitely be a step in the right direction.

Riles Finally Rid Of Walker

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-timberwolves-heattrade&prov=ap&type=lgns

"Antoine Walker's turbulent time with the Miami Heat is over.
The Heat traded the three-time All-Star forward to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in a five-player deal that came one day after Miami completed a winless preseason.
Walker, backup center Michael Doleac, oft-injured forward Wayne Simien and a conditional first-round draft pick were sent to Minnesota for former Miami swingman Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount.
The deal gives Miami the third scoring option it wanted in Davis. The Heat will try to fit him in alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade -- the 2006 finals MVP who'll miss a few more weeks while recovering from knee and shoulder surgeries. "

Seems to be a good deal for the Heat. A few things to note though: Blount's longer contract and more importantly, less playing time for Dorrell Wright as Davis seems to be figured to eat into the starting 2 and 3 spots, as well as backup for each position.

Nice Song from a New Band

http://zelletheband.com.ph/music.htm

Select the song "Sabihin"from the embedded music player. I haven't gotten around listening to the whole playlist but their sound looks to be promising and refreshing. Hopefully, they don't turn out to be like SinoSiKat -their album sounds like one endless loop of a single song (even though I did like Safety Off). Here's to the five-beer vocalist and to the new band, Zelle.

Chichi Koko is Sick

Get well soon, baby. Hopefully you recover both body and mind sooner rather than later.

Save the Cheerleader. Save the Galaxy.

I know it's against weblogging etiquette to link to other blog sites, but you guys have to check this out. Fascinating.

Huh? I Didn't Get It..

Motion pictures that I don't comprehend (in an intellectual level, at least) come few and far in between. But not since Revolver's awful plot did a movie make mo go.. "What the hell.. I didn't get it.."
And then, I saw The Fountain (starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz) on DVD. I just didn't get it. Well, the future part at least. But from the looks of things, a lot of people are struggling with their theories as well. Check this out.


"The hills are alive.. with the sound of.."

Things I Learned This July

1. Although the Transformers movie is exceptionally good, 300 is still the movie of the year for me.
2. I will always watch Robert Rodriguez' films. Planet Terror (Grindhouse) is just so dang cool on so many levels. Even the "Machete" trailer was a treat.
3. We absolutely, positively, must have a nanny for Seiichi.
4. The Nokia 6288 is a nice phone.
5. There is a shortage of good RPG games on the PSP.
6. I wasn't that concerned when the NBA and FBI found out that one of its referees is being investigated for "game-fixing."
7. My work demands so much of my time. My body feels like a train wreck from the extended work shifts and changing schedules. But often times, it has to be that way, you know.
8. Prison Break is almost the same level, watchability-wise, as Heroes. Almost, but not quite.
9. On the other hand, I'm confident in my masculinity when I say that Michael Scofield is ten-thousand times more watchable than Peter Petrelli. (Acting)
10. I can't keep up with my credit card bills.
11. PLU PLU needs help.
12. My wife does like sissy songs. Typecast, anyone? She claims the band's music is punk. Its sissy whichever way you look at it.
13. I'm nearing the 200-pound mark. Which means i'm almost 30 lbs overweight. Which means I need to start taking pearl white again.
14. The best game I have ever played on the PSP is the easy-to-understand-but-hard-to-master Puzzle Quest game.
15. I need more blog posts.

She Wanted Me Less and I Wanted Her More

We won. First place at the Battle of the Bands competition here at TM.
We played four songs, Seven Mary Three's Cumbersome, Nada Surf's Inside of Love, Radiohead's Creep, and the song that I think won it for us: a heavy metal version of Breathe's Hands to Heaven.
It was funny actually, we were practicing and we didn't know what our last song would be. We spent an entire practice session just thinking of what songs we could play. Hands to Heaven came up because I remembered this was only a four-chord song from start to finish. We arranged the music in 5 minutes, complete with the intro, pauses and drum solo. We practiced it once and hoped for the best. Didn't imagine that after we played, the song would get a lot of good reviews from our mates.
(On a side note, this wouldn't be my first time joining a band competition. I have had some success with my previous company band as well: Shrek: Movie Theme Presentation and Rec Event Retro 80s Theme. Fun times.)

Just so I don't forget, here are a few videos from our practices as well as small clips from the event itself (i know we should have had full videos of the event, but hey, the cam's battery died out, so..):

Creep Clip

Hands to Heaven Clip

Inside of Love Practice Clip

Cumbersome Practice Clip 1

Cumbersome Practice Clip 2

Cumbersome Practice Clip 3

***Note to self: The other band played a heavier remade version of Scorpion's Still Loving You (I think they got it off of some band's remake). Anyway, the song was great and hopefully I get to play it one day.

***Note to readers: Playing at a stage on a beachfront is an amazing experience. Hope you guys get to do it even once in your lifetime.

What?? Nathan Petrelli, I'm Not!

Your Score: Nathan Petrelli

You scored 0 Idealism, 0 Nonconformity, 0 Nerdiness

I'm a shark, Pete.

Congratulaions, you're Nathan Petrelli! You've got all the qualities of a stereotypical politician. You're ambitious, practical, and you've got more than a healthy sex drive. Still, as much you want to succeed in your field, you don't enjoy the attention that comes from being "different", and you are willing to lie to fit the image you want to present. Your worst quality: Ambition--you will make your way to the top of any career. Your worst quality: Anything for the votes--you will do whatever it takes.

Link: The Heroes Personality Test written by freedomdegrees on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Where Have I Seen You Before, Claire Bennet?

Oh that's right, you were the assistant coach's little kid in Remember The Titans (2000). Nice role in a nice movie: a kid who knew all the offensive sets of the football team and how to run them. Save the Cheerleader. Save the World.

The 2007 Playoffs are getting... Boring

With Detroit up 3-0 over the Bulls, Cleveland ahead 2-zip over the Nets, and playoff-history-makers Golden State now down 2 to nothing against the Jazz. It seems that the NBA Playoffs are getting... yawn... boring. Maybe it's just that my team isn't playing anymore. Or maybe we're getting nearer and nearer to a repeat of the 2005 NBA Finals San Antonio versus Detroit, which most say was the most uneventful and boring finals series for the past few years.
Anyway, what I really mean is: there are no more subplots to hold the story. Last year, we had Wade, Nowtzki's 3-point play against the Spurs, Detroit's collapse against Shaq and the Heat, Kobe against the Suns, a number of Game 7s. Last year's NBA Playoffs was the best. Ever.Now that the 1st round upsets are over. There are no more side stories to hold it all together. Sure there's Amare whining against San Antonio's "dirty" players. There are even articles about how the Jazz-Warriors series reperesnts the old vs. new style of NBA Playoff basketball. But is that it? Pfft. For a die-hard NBA fan, it's getting harder to watch the playoffs. I couldn't imagine what a casual fan would like this year.


'N Sync?

Miami Swept

Okay.
I just have to get this out of my system.
The Miami Heat was swept 4-0 by the Chicago Bulls in the first round.
I knew it wasn't Miami's year, but to be swept???
In the first round???
Ghastly.
Okay.
I don't want to talk about this ever again.

Movie Products We Wish We Had

Maximonline.com ran an article about their 10 best fake movie products that every consumer would wish they had.
It had a number of amazing things like Envy's Vapoorizer: which instantly vaporizes dog poo; or Brain Candy's Gleemonex: which cures anything from depression to gayness by putting your mind in an endless loop of your happiest memory; and who can ever forget the cool hoverboards from Back to the Future: Part 2?
Yes, they're all amazing products.
But they forgot to include the best movie product of all: the Orgazmorator from the movie Orgazmo.
The Orgazmorator is an arm-fitted ray gun that stops criminals in their tracks by giving them powerful orgasms!
I bet even James Bond and Batman would give all their gadgets and their cars for one of these babies.

"Bloggety Blog Blog Blog" said the Blogger Man

Things that have been on my mind lately:

1. Our car's non-existent airconditioning..
2. How fat i've become (187 lbs, 38 around the waist, and growing)..
3. Needing a bigger memory stick for my PSP..
4. Needing a wireless router at home..
5. How much is an N93..
6. Seiichi's shots..
7. How small our new refrigerator is..
8. When the DVD of 300 is coming out..
9. Poker/Tong-its/Baccarat
10. Tlend Mayklo
11. Sissy Songs
12. Miami Heat's Playoff Seeding

My Wedding (from a different perspective)

If you ask either me or MaeDei, we would have done a lot of things differently with our wedding. Wish we could have done this, wish we could have done that.. Wishe we didn't hire these people, wish we hired those people.. Wish we bought this, wish we bought that..
So it was particularly refreshing to read another person's take on our special day. Here's Dylan, one of the production designers over at The Mango Farm and his blog about our wedding day:

http://vatelmanila.blogspot.com/2006/12/sabios-november-2006.html

FutureMe.org

I have been working in a technical support call center environment for more than six years now. As a technical person myself, this type of work suits me considerably, and I believe myself to be a very good manager, with my impeccable people skills and my top-notch decision making as my strengths. Currently, I am a glorified slave in a multi-million global software company who specializes in anti-virus programs and Internet security. The pay is good, much higher than my previous job, the workload is okay, much bearable than my previous job, and I am in a higher management position.
I started here last September, along with a few other managers, because the company wanted to inject new blood into their operations and that they wanted to adapt a real call center environment when it came to technical support with their Internet security software.
Anyway, during my first few days when I still had some idle time, I came across a site that would let you e-mail your future self on a pre-determined date. You could ask yourself anything, ask yourself how you are doing, tell something to yourself, ponder what happened with you, what you ate today, what the price of gasoline is, how many times you picked your nose. Anything.

Anyway, so at September 18, 2006, I e-mailed this to myself, to be received at March 4, 2007 (the day that I will be regularized):

(The following is an e-mail from the past, composed on Monday, September 18, 2006, and sent via FutureMe.org)
Dear FutureMe,
So was it a good decision? Are you still with the company? Made any friends yet? Making an impact? Personally and professionally?
Just remember, whatever happens, life will get better.
-Filip 9/18/06 5:15pm

So there it was. A question I asked myself that was meant to make me think of how I was doing in this new job. For the past 6 months, I thought I had done pretty well. I had new friends. I was doing my work pretty efficiently. I was able to do all tasks assigned to me in a relatively acceptable manner. Then it happened.
One night, while I was out with my friends, my boss called me to check where I was and see if I was okay. He told me that there was an e-mail sent to everybody at work from an anonymous person.
It had me in it.
It was a complaint letter "apparently" from a disgruntled worker here at the office. The letter complained about the new managers not doing their job, not knowing how to motivate their people, questioned our motives, and just basically said that me along with the other new managers are doing a bad job and that we are not qualified for our management position. This e-mail was sent to everybody. When I say "everybody" I mean everybody: peers, subordinates, upper management, general manager, CEO, president, etc.. Needless to say, I was shocked that someone would question me personally about my work and my work ethic.
Anyway, since the e-mail was badly written, had no real purpose, and did not address anything real, the news died down just about after one or two days.
The thing that got to me is, I didn't expect that the e-mail I wrote to myself six months ago would have so much relevance to what I would be experiencing in a new environment. I've learned a long time ago that you cannot please everyone but as long as you work hard for the people around you, everything will turn out fine.
I guess, the moral of this story is: In hard times and in good times, it is in yourself that you can find strength to overcome whatever hurdle is in front of you. Sometimes, you are your own motivator. And sometimes, you are your own voice.

300: Best Movie of the Year

"We're in for one wild night."

Within the first few seconds, you'll realize that you're in for a wild movie. I can't even begin to describe how good this movie is. I can even go as far as saying that this is the best movie ever not in a trilogy.


The images that Zack Snyder and Frank Miller give the audience is almost intoxicating. You can really get a visual high from the movie. I lost count of how many "Astig!" "Ungas!" "Hanep!" "Ta***na, ang galing!" "Bangas!" "Lupit!" "F**k, sobrang ganda nito!" I might have said while watching the movie.


Honestly, it is that good. My wife said that this was the only movie (along with LOTR) that she couldn't find a fault with, cinematics-wise. Personally, the one thing I sort of got bored with in the movie was the Queen's speech in the council chambers. I felt like this was wasting 5 minutes in the movie and the speech itself was terribly done. (What am I saying? 5 minutes? If it wasn't for all the slow motion, the movie could have been over by 30 minutes! Ha!) Anyway, the story more than made up for this at the end of her speech when she did something that'll make you think: "Wow, she is a Spartan woman!" My point is, my wife was right. There really is nothing bad you can say about this movie. Even though it was a historical representation of the Battle of Thermopylae, it was never meant to educate on the accuracies of it but rather a fantasy story based on it.


All aspects of it are great: cinematography, sound, plot, dialogue, directing, editing, characters and even acting. Could anyone have given a better Leonidas' than Gerard Butler? Or David Wenham's (Faramir/Dilios) voice-over narrative. Or even Xerxes's performance? (Who by the way was Randy Emmers in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Who would have thought?)

I left the movie wanting to be a Spartan. Wanting to be part of something so great, so violent, driven by purpose, driven by a "No retreat, No surrender" principle. This is hands down, the best movie of the last four years (LotR:RotK 2003) and can possibly be for the next few years.

Spartans! Enjoy your breakfast, for tonight we dine in Hell!




Image from IMDB.com

Miami Heat say "Bye-bye" to the Season

"Dwyane Wade dislocated his left shoulder as he was attempting a steal in the second half of their game against the Houston Rockets, February 21, 2007 in Houston, Texas. Wade left the court in a wheelchair and was taken to a hospital."

- ESPN.com

There has been much talk on how grave the injury is. Earliest diagnosis is that he'll be out 6 to 8 weeks, and that's the optimistic view to it. Some say that this is a career-ending or rather a career-changing injury for Wade. No one ever really comes back the same again after an injury like this. I guess we'll have to wait until after a few more days for a more precise diagnosis.

There has also been some debate between Heat fans on whether it would be best for Wade to sit out the season or push himself and try to come back in the playoffs.

Obviously, for Wade's career it would be best if he rested this season (he will undergo surgery by the way). If he manages to come back and play, his conditioning will be suspect at best, specially in his left arm where he'll definitely be weak. His mental conditioning is a factor as well, we don't know if he'll still be attacking the rim relentlessly like he has for years,

On the other hand, the Miami Heat franchise cannot afford to be in a "rebuilding" mode. Players that surround Wade are old and past their prime. Shaquille O 'Neal may be the glue that holds the team together, but Dwyane Wade is their heart and soul. The way that Riley built his franchise is with a "win-now" mentality and they would need Wade as soon as he is available. I'm thinking Riley is not even considering bowing out of the playoff race in the slim hopes of a good lottery pick.

Whatever happens, if Wade plays or not, the season is already lost. Miami is currently the 8th seed in the East and realistically cannot go any higher than this with Wade injured. And with the way the Pistons are playing, it seems that no one can catch them on the 1st seed. With that said, optimistically, the Heat will meet the Pistons in the first round. Realistically though, even if the Heat manages to stay in playoff contention, it is almost impossible for them to beat the Pistons without Wade. The season is practically over.

For true Heat fans, we can only just pray for Wade's health as we convince ourselves of the reality of this infamous 06-07 injury-riddled season. We may have lost the season, but what's important is we do not lose our franchise player for good.

Ghost Rider = Elektra

Overall, both movies were good. But man, they had some awesome villains!! Well it can probably be attributed to Mark Steven Johnson but can you find anything cooler than the Four Angels?
Anyway, save for a few glaring plot holes (such as Mephistopheles being powerless against his own creation) and bad dialogue, Ghost Rider was a good movie. It had its moments, and the CGI team did a great job of not making Ghost Rider as too cartoonish (although as a Marvel fan, I had other ideas of Ghost Rider's voice, he sounded like a clown with a bad case of strep throat). This movie is really what you'd expect and I can't wait for Stan Lee to make an ok for a Punsiher/Ghost Rider crossover movie. Actually, a Marvel crossover movie has been long overdue. When do we get to see the X-Men and the FF4 try to contain the Hulk, Stan??


(Pictures from IMDB.com)

Poverty Week

Yes, I survived! Finally sweldo na ulit. After an extremely long "kinsenas" (half-month pay period) which lasted 20 days, I'll be able to put food in the ref; gatas and diapers for Seiichi; pay Meralco, Nawasa, the Yayas, Globe, Metrobank, BPI; and we'll have baon again for gas, parking, and office food.

Ohmagad, let's hope my sweldo lasts 5 days this time...

He's Not Billy Corgan

Do you remember the 80s TV Series: Small Wonder? The story revolved around the Lawson family and a robot named V.I.C.I. and their struggles to keep her identity a secret.

For the longest time, me and my friends thought that Jamie Lawson, the son, was indeed Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins.

Anyway, just got this excerpt from wikipedia:

"Over the years he has been the subject of countless internet rumors that include his involvement as a roadie for the band Alice in Chains and that he was actually Billy Corgan from the successful rock band Smashing Pumpkins."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Supiran

Although, the resemblance is striking, Billy Corgan he ain't. Naniwala ba talaga ko dito?

Random Blog Entry - Best Ever Awards Part II

Best Sex Scene Ever:
Halle Berry in Monster's Ball

Honorable Mention:Angelina Jolie in Original Sin, Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon in Bound, sex scene in Team America

Best Jackie Chan Movie Ever:
Who Am I

Honorable Mention:
Armour of God

Best Trilogy Ever:
The Matrix Trilogy

Honorable Mention:
Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Godfather Trilogy, Star Wars: Episode I to III

Best(Worst) Villain Ever:
Keyser Soze in Usual Suspects

Honorable Mention:
Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs

Best CG Animated Movie Ever:
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Honorable Mention:
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Best Car in a Movie Ever:
'86 Trueno in Initial D

Honorable Mention:
Christine in Christine, The Tumbler in Batman Returns

Apocalypto

I am convinced that Mel Gibson is a good director. Braveheart was a revolutionary classic, violent, and even inspiring. The Passion of Christ was.. well it was okay. But his new movie, Apocalypto, just puts him at another level.
In essence, Apocalypto can be summarized in a single paragraph. One single paragraph: They are living peacefully in their community. A violent and disruptive tribe invades their village and kidnaps the men and women of the tribe. He escapes and journeys back to his family. "Apocalypse" begins.
With such a simplistic plot outline, this is where the genius of a director comes in. He can transform the story and screenplay into a riveting adventure. With Apocalypto, Mel Gibson was able to tell the story in a manner which immerses you in the whole movie. You actually feel that you were living with the Mayans and you actually felt that you were running with Jaguar Paw (lead character).Another thing to take into consideration was that he used a native Mayan language throughout the entire film. This concept was not really well received with The Passion of Christ. But with this film, after watching it, I actually couldn't picture the film with English as the spoken language. I think it would have removed a rather large piece of the overall beauty of the film if Mel Gibson used English. Unlike with The Passion's Hebrew and Latin usage, the Mayan language you hear in the film is not even remotely distinguishable. But it still adds to the ambience and mystery that surrounds the entire film. That, in itself, is pretty amazing.

Overall, this movie is brilliant. The cast was chosen extremely well. The acting was top-notch. The camera angles used were amazing. Sound was good. The storytelling was great. And, the director was able to hold all of the important pieces of the film together.

Random Blog Entry - Best Ever Awards

Best Car Chase Scene Ever:
The Matrix Reloaded

Honorable Mention:
Ronin

Best Gunfight Scene Ever:
Heat

Honorable Mention:

Scarface

Best Amnesia Movie Ever:

Memento

Honorable Mention:

The Jacket

Best In-Movie Song Ever:

Nacho Libre - Encarnacion

Honorable Mention:

Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny - Classico

Best Multiple Personality Character Ever:

Identity - Malcolm Rivers

Honorable Mention:

Fight Club - Tyler Durden

Worth A Look

Here are a number of movies that most of you probably haven't seen.
They have proven to be somewhat good in their own genre and can probably be worth a look. At least, by my standards.
These are the Anti-Hulk and Anti-Narnia movies (where you go in and expect a film industry revolution instead you leave with a whole lot of nothing).
These are the movies that you didn't expect to be good but were.

**Note: I will leave from this list classic movies that you probably haven't seen but have heard to be good or have established themselves as cult-hits with its own following, i.e. Trainspotting, Reservoir Dogs, Goodfellas, Y Tu Mama Tambien, etc..

1. Timeline - Plot Outline: A group of archaeological students become trapped in the past when they go there to retrieve their professor. The group must survive in 14th century France long enough to be rescued.
Source: IMDB


2. Mindhunters - Plot Outline: Trainees in the FBI's psychological profiling program must put their training into practice when they discover a killer in their midst.
Source: IMDB


3. The Life of David Gale - Plot Outline: A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.
Source: IMDB



4. Four Rooms - Plot Outline: Four interlocking tales that take place in a fading hotel on New Year's Eve.
Source: IMDB



5. The Prophecy - Plot Outline: The angel Gabriel comes to Earth to collect a soul which will end the stalemated war in Heaven, and only a former priest and a little girl can stop him.
Source: IMDB




-list to be updated-

Banch of Lanch

Girl 1: "Wut's dut?"
Girl 2: "I am itting Banch of Lanch."
Girl 1: "You cun itt it anywur?"
Girl 2: "Yes, you cun itt it ivin at duh bitch."
Girl 1: "I didn't know dut."
Girl 2: "Ivin if ets hat at the bitch, you cun itt a Banch of Lanch durr."
Girl 1: "Relly? Now I know, thanks."
Girl 2: "You're welcome."

(I Like) Sissy Songs

Panic! At the Disco - But It's Better If You Do


Panic! At the Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hm9g4o47XI

Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IqPFfUPptg

Jet - Look What You've Done
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zf3v3Z1ck8

Motion City Soundtrack - The Future Freaks Me Out

Fastball - You're An Ocean

Fastball - The Way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzcKCkUIMWk

Fastball - Out Of My Head
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7reY8OyYmLI

All American Rejects - Swing Swing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qklm1Fxns24

Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

Keane - Everybody's Changing

Keane - This Is The Last Time

Pangarap Ka Na Lang Ba, o Magiging Katotohanan Ka?

Php 15,500.

PlayStation Portable.

Downgraded to Ver. 1.5 Firmware (apparently, you cannot play homebrew games/emulators/hacks if you have a firmware version any higher than this).

Plus a 2GB Sony Memory Stick Duo.

Plus 20 or more games.

Music Player and Video Player.

Wireless Internet Surfing.

All for PhP15,500.

Fifteen thousand, and five hundred reasons I can't have a PSP.

Seduced By The Dark Side of the Force

I just finished my Star Wars marathon. First off, let me say that this is one of the best stories of our generation, aside from the obvious fact that this epic is an amazing visual masterpiece and a kick-ass sci-fi action adventure, it also deals with a number of psychological and cognitive concepts. And in that thought lies the questions: Did Anakin have to turn to the dark side? What made him turn and why?

I always thought that what happened to him was not enough to be seduced by the dark side. Too shallow. Yun na yon? Darth Vader ka na? I was expecting a definitive change or even an over-the-top moment where Lucas would clearly show that Anakin would have had no other path but to walk to the dark side. Let us look at the different factors of why he turned and maybe we'll get some definitive answers if not a more percetible idea of how he was easily seduced by the dark side.

First, let us establish the fact that people fully seduced to the dark side use their negative emotions (i.e. fear, anger, hatred, etc..) to fuel their power. This in turn, increase their affinity to the dark side every time they use it because they become extremely attached to the power that they gain. Every time they call on the power of the dark side, they get addicted to it.

In the movie, the easily identifiable factors of Anakin's turn were: the fear of losing his mother, the anger and rage that fueled him to kill his mother's captors, the confusion that was put in his by Palpatine of political issues labeling the Jedi as traitors and that they wanted to take over, and the fear of inevitably losing Padme to death.

I think Padme's impending death was what Revenge of the Sith portrayed as the main reason why Anakin "chose" the dark side.

But there are also underlying factors as to why Anakin turned to the dark side that may not be easily presumed by anyone watching.

First, Anakin was a slave and being a slave meant being deprived of any freedom of choice, whether it be social, material or spiritual. These factors are known to lead young people on the path of criminal, anti-moral, and destructive activities.

Second, he left his mother for a chance to be a Jedi without thinking of the consequences that he would have to face in the future: he missed his mother so much it was giving him nightmares and sometimes he lost focus of the present and even went against a direct order of the Jedi Council. Granted this is not an excuse, as children of his age might not yet be fully aware of their decisions or its consequences. But nevertheless, he showed that he was an impulsive child and he had an inclination that he should get whatever he wants.

Lastly, I believe that it was his destiny to be a Sith. Lucas commented that the prophecy was right: Anakin was the one to bring balance to the force. He was the one close enough to the Emperor to destroy him. Sidious was far too powerful for any Jedi (he defeated Yoda and killed Mace Windu in a swordfight on the same day) and too wise to let his guard down around anybody he did not trust. I believe that this is where Anakin's destiny to become Darth Vader comes in. In the end, he needed his son, Luke, to clear his thoughts but it was ultimately him who was the engineer of the Emperor's death.

Turning to the dark side wasn't really a decision at all. Or even one awful mitigating event that happened (Anakin cutting off Windu's hand) to finally set you on the path to the dark side. It is a culmination of events. A long process of mistakes and negative emotions that we see Anakin had endured his whole life.

I guess if you look at it this way, Anakin really would have fallen to the seductive power of the dark side. It was just vaguely represented by the movie. This is where the screenplay needed a few more tweaks, I guess. Remember, the first, second, and third episodes were supposed to clearly establish the events that happened at the end of Revenge of the Sith, instead it was presented as vague and undramatic. Don't get me wrong, I don't presume to be better than the Lucas or the writers. I will never think I could do a better job or anything like that, but I just wish they could have just put a little more effort in to the telling and showing of that climactic event.

Fantasy NBA Part 2

I've lost my #1 ranking last week due to injuries to Yao Ming and Brevin Knight. Now, another blow has been dealt to my team with Redd's injury. He'll be out at least 6 weeks due to a tear in his patellar tendon. With Yao, Redd, and Knight out because of injuries for a number of weeks, I don't think i'll even make the fantasy playoffs. And, even if I manage to reach the fantasy playoffs, I don't think my other players can hold it. I still have Bogut and Okafor. And thank god for Deng who has been on a tear lately, as well as Mutombo who gets a few rebounds in place of Yao. But other than that, my roster is still filled with mediocre players who rarely gets 10+ points a game. With my three top players out, i'm losing more than 60 points, more than 10 to 15 boards, and around 10 to 15 assists a week. Not to mention the threes, free throws made, steals, and blocks.

But I have to admit, the real Miami Heat team is in more of a mess right now than my fantasy roster. Shaq is still out. Wade is still recovering from a freak hand injury. Walker and Posey are suspended because they didn't meet the team goals for body fat percentage. Riles is in an indefinite leave of absence because of health reasons. Doubters are suddenly everywhere. Some are even thinking Miami might not make it to the playoffs. I guess we'll see. I still have faith in them though. Health is a very big factor for an aging team like Miami, but if they manage to stay at about 80% health from March and then make it in time for the playoffs, they still have a pretty decent chance of defending their championship and doing a repeat.

The Theory of Inevitability

Theory 1a: "Everything proceeds to an unchangeable inevitable pattern. When you know enough about any situation its future is entirely predictable"
Theory 1b: "All events are predictable, therefore inevitable and all events are inevitable, therefore predictable".

After almost two years of being a normal person, I am once again in the graveyard shift. (Note: call center people will often refer to oneself as a "normal na tao" when they have a morning shift or a midshift schedule) Last time I was in the graveyard shift, I was still working in call center. Now, i'm in a software company, but the department i'm in is essentialy the same: Technical Support. Night shifts are an inevitability.

I got a dayoff in between transition. Spent the day with Robert Band and The Girls at Eastwood. We were all hoping to have scored some tickets to the Razorback and Wolfgang reunion concert, but it seems that every single rocker in the greater Manila area had the same plan too. So instead of the concert, our day had turned in to "kita-kits inuman" style. Trust me, this would have been an entirely different blog entry if we had gotten those tickets.

Do You Believe In Ghosts?

It depends.
If they are compulsive liars, then...

Seriously, i've had a number of encounters with the "supernatural," so to speak. Personally, I never wanted to believe in them. I was raised by my parents in a conservative sort-of way when it comes to these things. I can almost hear my dad saying "Mga guni-guni niyo lang iyan!" whenever something spooky would happen at the house. My mom is a religious person but talks nothing about ghosts or monsters or spirits or whatever. Being raised that way, I never really thought I would be susceptible to these supernatural shites. On the other hand, ever since I was a young kid, I kind of felt that I had a connection with some "things." Let me tell you a few stories that I experienced first-hand.

One time, probably when I was in grade school, my mom and dad were away on a business trip. I was sleeping in my room one night when suddenly my yayas had to wake me up. At first, I thought there was a fire or something: There was a thin layer of smoke inside the house, almost like a fine fog, and I saw on their faces a look of panic. It turns out the smoke was everywhere in the house. I mean, everywhere. Wherever you go, whatever room you're in. Standing up or crouching down low, the smoke was in your face. The smoke had a smell too. It smelled like candles. It was sort of like the whole house was filled with you know that smoke coming from lighted candles? Yes, it was like the house was filled with hundreds of lit candles. But there were no candles, not a single one in the house. This went on for three days. On the third day, my yayas couldn't bear it anymore. They packed up my things, had our tito pick us up, and we all slept at our other house (Acacia, St., Q.C.). On the fourth day, we returned and everything went back to normal.

Another story I distinctly remember was when we were about to leave the house for an out-of-town vacation with some relatives. No one was going to be left at the house so I remember my dad making sure that everything was locked and every electrical appliance was unplugged from the wall sockets. I remember I was the last one to get ready and everyone was waiting for me. I was brushing my hair in my room. Adjacent to my room was the bathroom. From the bathroom, I heard my cousin (who was supposed to drive for us that day) speaking to me. He said in a deep voice, "Filip, wag ka na umalis ngayon." I was like, "Pfft, lahat tayo aalis eh. Wala namang maiiwan, bakit tayo hindi aalis??" Again, my cousin replied slowly, "Basta wag ka na umalis." As I was hearing this, I was walking towards the bathroom to ask my cousin what's up with him. When I turned the corner, no one was there! No one was actually inside the bathroom! After looking around for a few seconds, I heard the car honking. I rushed to go outside and I saw everyone was at the car already, all packed up, seated and ready to go. No one was in the house but me! I asked them about it, they said they were all there in the car waiting for me. They didn't really pay attention to my questions as they were already half-pissed that I took so long to get ready. But my mind was racing, I couldn't figure out what just happened. Oh my, who the hell was I just talking to..

These were my main experiences with the supernatural, smell of candles, hearing voices, etc.. I even have a lot of minor supernatural memories that may or may not be guni-guni. But that was it. A lot of my experiences were smelling, hearing, even feeling. I haven't actually seen a ghost. Or a monster. Or a spirit. Or whatever. Until. Monster Dog.

Yep, that's what my friend, Robert called it. Monster Dog. I shared this story with them but no one believed me. Absolutely, no one. And I swear, this story is true.

It happened one night, I was driving home I had another cousin in the passenger's seat. We were listening to rock and roll. The windows were rolled down. It was a typical night. As I was driving up north at Rancho Avenue, from the distance, you can see there was like a cat or a dog on the horizon. I knew this because its eyes were glowing from the reflected light from the car's headlights. As I was nearing it, I realized something strange. Usually when a dog or a cat sees an oncoming car, it gets the hell out of the way. This strange fella didn't. It simply stood its ground. It was in the middle of the road and was just standing there on its paws looking at the car. And then, as I was getting near it, I realized this was no ordinary cat or dog. It was bigger than the car! It stood on all fours but its head was a feet or two above the roof of the car. As I was driving past it, (I had to slow down and steer to the right to avoid hitting it.) I swear the monster dog was looking at me. From the driver side you can see that its head was almost as big as the car window. It had fiery-red eyes. It had spikes on its back. You can sense that this mofo was angry. It had fangs about 5 to 6 inches long. It had its mouth half-open. It was drooling. If I reached out, I could have touched it. That was how close I was. I was really close. But the thing did not make a single sound. Not a growl or scratch or whatever. I remember my cousin, upon seeing it and passing it, quickly hid below the glove compartment at the passenger's side of the car. He was shaking and his eyes were wide open the whole time. After I passed it, I looked and saw the creature on the rear-view mirror. I glanced at the road and looked at it again and it was gone. A few seconds later we were home. (Yep, this was just a few blocks away from my house.) I had a hard time convincing my cousin that everything was okay and that he could get out of the car now. He didn't open the passenger-side door, instead he went out of the driver-side door, all the time he was clutching me. That's how scared he was. As for me, that was a surreal experience, I wasn't really scared. In fact, I'd like to see Monster Dog again. No one believes this story and I want to prove everyone wrong. Next time I see MD, I hope to bring a video cam or a digital camera or even Robert. Monster Dog can even eat Bobby's fingers just to prove he exists. I'm sure Robert wouldn't mind.



Writer's own depiction of M.D.

Turning Japanese-ah

FS: Name and occupation?
RR: Jasper Roy Rebong, programmer by day millionaire playboy by night..
FS: Current location?
RR: Ichikawa Chiba, Japan
FS: Hometown?
RR: Manila, Phils.
FS: What made you decide to go to Japan?
RR: Money, the chance to see a new place for free.. to experience living abroad and expose my self to another culture - for personal growth in short. but mostly about money.
FS: How long have you been staying there?
RR: 5 months
FS: Is this your first time in Japan?
RR: No, ive been here about 6x before.. cumulatively, ive already stayed here 2 years previously
FS: What do you like most about Japan?
RR: Convenience.. everything is just a few short walks away.. trains, malls, etc.. its just a rich country.. If you have the money, and if you work here, you surely would.. anything you wanted can be bought..
FS: What do you hate most about it, then?
RR: Its too lonely here.. i feel like the prototypical old geezer, living alone with no one to talk to and nobody to go out with.. plus, the japanese work style is a little too mechanical.. do this, do that.. etc.. very little freedom.. lots of rules and such.. not very casual..
FS: What do you like most about the people?
RR: I dont know about the guys here... i dont go near them.. but the girls.. i can spend all day just looking at all those little things passing before my eyes.. japan is a heaven for perverts.. good thing im not one.. hehe..
FS: Ok, sure. If you say so.
FS: What don't you like most about the japanese people?
RR: I dont know.. they are as alien and foreign to me as when i first met them.. I dont understand them at all.. We have no connection whatsoever.
FS: So you don't consider yourself turned-japanese?
RR: No.. I mean I can speak japanese.. but sometimes, i dont know if what im saying and what they're understanding is the same.. and vice versa.. i used to think i wanted to settle down here.. but after thingking about it.. i dont think i can.. the land rejects me like i am starting to reject it now..
FS: Ok, this is for everyone: Teach us how to swear in japanese..
RR: chikuso! i dont what it means.. but it means something bad.. or hari! you have little pecker.. hehe.. it means shit or something.. i heard it in manga, anime, etc..
FS: What's the equivalent of putangina or son of a bitch?
RR: Wait, now i get it:
chikuso is damnit
kuso is shit
hentai is pervert
kisama is bastard
okama is a homo
ama is bitch
FS: Ok. So how do you say "Dammit, you piece of shit! I knew you were a bastard-homo!"
RR: Haha.. just connect them all? chikuso kisama.. hentai-nakama deshou seems about right.. or chikuso kisama.. hentai-okama deshou
FS: What's the biggest difference or change that you had to cope with, with your recent stay there?
RR: The weather.. i've not experienced such cold..
FS: If you can bring something to japan (from the Phils), what would it be?
RR: I think superficially.. the japanese way is superior from the filipinos. But they are too materialistic.. Perhaps they just need to relax some more.. It is too intense at work sometimes..
FS: If someone you knew was going to go to Japan to work, what would you say to him/her?
RR: Mahirap pare!!! palit na lang tayo ng kalagayan... ayoko na dito... waaaahhhh..... or something like "Japan is really beautiful.." and the money is good.. but f***k, its kills you inside.. So if you can exchange your soul for money, then go ahead and do it.. but if you can't... then just stay there and dont turn your eyes from places such as this.. its like getting that pretty girl youve always wanted.. but when you finally get her, you realize you two are way incompatible.. she wants you to spend, you want to save.. she wants to go out partying.. you want to raise a family.. and so both of you are miserable..
FS: Nice analogy.
RR: Something like that, only.. the only one miserable is you.. and the family you've left behind..
FS: How bleak...
RR: A lot of filipinos are here.. but all ive met.. wanted to go home.. maybe they couldn't so they stay.. but they long for it.. its the one thing thats common among us here.. that hunger to go back home.. but maybe for a sabio it will be different..
FS: Hehe. Maybe. Maybe not.
FS: What is the single most unforgettable experience you had in Japan?
RR: It was not a single moment.. but rather, a culmination of a process.. three years ago i was stationed here too for a year..at the start i was really happy.. going out and so.. but then i started missing my family.. and more and more everyday i got unhappy.. by the tenth month.. i was bitter and angry.. i realize then that i should have handled my emotions better.. but at that time.. i started fighting with everyone.. with my boss, with my coworkers.. i just made everybody's life miserable.. its just not a good thing to do.. i didnt recognize the me of that time.. i hope never to become like that again..
FS: How did you cope?
RR: I wasnt able to..
FS: http://www.wikihow.com/Adjust-to-Life-in-Japan
RR: Thankfully, i came home..
FS: And now you're there again...
RR: And started returning normal.. i thought i can do better this time.. since i was aware of what happened.. i thought it can be prevented.. but.. its starting to drive me crazy again.. and the food pala! I'm sick and tired of japanese food.. bleach!!!
FS: Hehe, japanese food? Tonkatsu? Maki? Yakiniku?
RR: Yeah.. they taste the same.
FS: What do you do in your free time?
RR: Nothing..
FS: Nothing??
RR: Haha.. I just sleep.
FS: No videoke?
RR: Nah. With whom?
FS: No anime movies?
RR: Sometimes, I watch.
FS: No drifting practice?
RR: Nothing.
FS: No samurai swordsman lessons?
RR: Hmm.. I go to places and such.. but nothing social.
FS: No watching "gaki no tsukai?"
RR: Ano yun?
FS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjUkS63mfVY
FS: Panoorin mo yan. Eto pa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcofZqccSQA
RR: Hahahahaha!! Ang wierd talaga nila..
FS: Last question.
RR: Yup.
FS: Any regrets?
RR: Yeah.. lots of regrets.. why, why did i have to do this.. if i was there, i could have prevented ***some text missing*** if i was there.. i wouldnt be like this.. Nagregret ako.. i mean.. i was supervisor and stuff.. tapos nasayang yung careerko.. nanghihinayang ako... sa career ko..
FS: Ok pwede na 'to. Ano kaya astig na title nitong blog entry na to?..

Check out Roy's own blog at: http://mrnezhmetdinov.blogspot.com/

Stories From Behind The Cubicle Wall

I came across a really interesting website about working and the shite you have to put up with to earn a paycheck. I think all working people can relate to more than a few stories from this website. Access the website: here. This site, workingfortheman.com: "humorously explores the horrors and absurdities of the workplace, and provides a much-needed antidote to the doldrums of dealing with a bad boss and a dead-end job." I particularly liked the The Strategic Planning Meeting and the Ruled by a Paranoid Control Freak journal entry. Very funny and very well-written. I've already lost about three of my workforce hours reading through the entries on this site. I'm sure everyone can relate to a story or two. Don't get me wrong, I love my work and I enjoy working with the people around me (well, most of them..) but, it seems that I understand where these people are coming from. Besides, there is a little comfort in the thought that other people have experienced the same shite that you have and some have experienced even worse.
Anyway, here are some of the amazing views from my cubicle. These are low-res images taken with just my cellphone. The first image is a view towards to north, on the left side of the image, you can see Libis going to Katipunan. The second and third images are views to the east, the second image shows the Eastwood City view from my 23rd floor office and the third picture shows essentialy the same view with the horizon.