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.