God Save the Queen!

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 


In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. 


(You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.) 


Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy). 


Your new Prime Minister, David Cameron , will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. 


Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed. 


To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect: 


1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary'). 


2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.' 


3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. 


4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse. 


5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public. 


6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour. 


7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it. 


8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar. 


9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.  


10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater. 


11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies). 


12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside ofAmerica. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries. 


13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad. 


14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776). 


15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season. 


God Save the Queen! 

---- 

I first saw this post some years ago in light of G. W. Bush's re-election. I saw it posted in one of my networks earlier, and even now, it hasn't lost its bite. There is no denying the dryness and quirkiness of British humour (not humor).  :-)

DOJ: Man-hunt out for group responsible for placing assets under Gen Ligot's name

30 MARCH 2011.  Manila, Philippines.  Former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Comptroller, Jacinto Ligot, said in a statement issued yesterday that he and his wife is requesting the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) to form a special task force to identify the person or persons responsible for placing spurious assets under the ex-General's name.  "I do not remember having houses in the US, nor bank account in the millions.  Obviously, this is the work of persons unknown, and with the help of the NBI, their nefarious activities will come to an end," Ligot said.

The embattled General, along with other former AFP officials, have been subject of Senate inquiry on corruption in the AFP following the accusations said by whistle-blower Colonel Goerge Rabusa, who was a former military budget officer.  During the hearings of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada presented various properties in California which were purportedly under the name of the General's wife, Mrs Erlinda Ligot.  The general denied knowledge of the assets in question.

The Department of Justice, said in a statement presented to the press, that they will comply with the general's request and has already formed a task force to track down the group responsible for placing assets under the names of the general and his wife.  "We must, in all haste, find out the identities of these persons and bring them to justice.  They have already done much damage to the general, and it has got to stop," the statement said.

A Little Pick-Me-Up

Sometimes, when you're particularly down, the universe decides to give you a pick-me-up; give you some answer to your needs.  I've been needing an ego-boost for some time and I got it.  But not in a way I particularly wanted.

After a slow Friday night, Chase and I decided to just call it in early, for a change.  My friend just got a snub from the first taxi we just hailed when a dark car stopped in front of us.  From the open passenger window, a middle-aged chinito asked us where we would be heading, and was offering to drive us there.  Good Samaritan, maybe, but the manner of his offer sent a different message to us.

We were being picked up.

Right in front of the mall, just a few meters from the entrance ramp to the parking -- a middle-aged man was trying to pick my friend and I up.

At first, I thought he was merely asking for directions, but when I realized what he was offering, I moved away from his vantage point.  I couldn't stop laughing!  I couldn't help it; it was happening right in my backyard (the mall, I mean) and because the guy was trying to make the moves on the TWO of us.

Right after that incident, we couldn't just go home; we were too flabbergasted, we needed coffee to calm us down.

I am quite aware that these these things happen.  Just last October, something of the sort did happen, but the driver merely rolled his window down and nodded to me to come hither.  I just bowed my head down and continued walking.  What made this encounter different was the forward attitude of the ... ummm...  picker... and that he was trying to do a two-for-one deal.

Composing ourselves after that ordeal, we decided to finally call it a night; we've had excitement one too many already.  Given that it was later in the night, we had an easier time getting a cab.  I hitched a ride going to Makati Avenue.  From there, it would be easier getting home.  But the ride was quite short, and I still had more adrenaline to burn, so I decided to walk the remainder of the way, instead of riding the jeep.

I am very fond of walking along JP Rizal; during the few times that I decided to walk the Panata on Holy Thursday, that stretch of street going to Edsa is one of the easiest to traverse, thanks to the sidewalks.  But the street has, for some time, accumulated a bit of a bad rep for being, well, a pick-up spot.  And no sooner than a few minutes of walking did I notice an SUV on the opposite side of the road, with windows down, and its lone passenger, giving me the eye.  Once more, my usual tactics was in order:  ignore, look away, and move along.

It was smooth sailing after that, until midway my trek, when nearing the Municipal Office, I glanced to my right and lo and behold! the same SUV is rolling slowly along the street and the driver is once more looking at my direction.  I quickened my pace and looked straight ahead, lest he think I'm toying with any ideas.  Thankfully, he sped away after a few minutes.  The rest of the walk going home was peaceful after that affair, thank the heavens.

Things like that doesn't always happen, and for that, I am grateful.  But I have to admit that it does perk up one's ego to know that somehow, someone still finds you palatable. 

Something to Satisfy Your Cravings

Gusto mo bang mag-69? 


Tara na, 6 inches din yun!

You can get your hands on a 6-inch spicy Italian for 69, how cool is that?!


So head on over to the nearest Subway to experience this great deal!




Subway:  Dahil masarap mag-69 ng 6 inches.

Keeping Busy

I know I haven't been blogging as often as I should have, and this time, it's not for lacking of an internet connection.  The internet gods have been kind lately and have afforded me with unlimited internet access whenever I avail of it, which, in my case, means every night.  All that access, and I still can't draft a decent enough post!  In my defense, I've been...err... busy!

And by busy, I mean I'm obsessing.  

I'm not really a comic freak, but when I come accross a series I like, I tend to gorge it in like a panic-buyer before an in-coming disaster.  For the past few weeks, I've been reading this comic about life in graduate school. I may not be pursuing higher education at the moment, but that doesn't mean I cannot relate to their antics nor appreciate their humor.  And they are humorous!

What I find interesting though is that I'm enjoying this comic this much.  The only times I get to obsess this much before was about manga, and not all manga can affect me like this, mind you.


A warning, though, the site may induce an unhealthy attack of unproductivity, so I advise you, especially these who are not well acquainted with the fine art of procrastination, to tread with caution.  You might get to enjoy it too much.

:-)

comic credits

Bibliophilia: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Arthur Dent wakes up one Thursday morning to find that his house is up for demolition to make way for a new bypass. Moments after his home is razed to the ground, a fleet of space ships descend and inform the planet that it will be destroyed to make way for a "hyperspace express route". Arthur escapes the destruction of the planet with the help of his friend, Ford Prefect, who happens to be an alien researcher, and they hitchhike their way into one of the ships.

And so begins the misadventures of Arthur and Ford into the known universe, meeting bureaucratic aliens with a penchant for murderous poetry, a paranoid android suffering from manic depression, the two-headed president of the galaxy with motives hidden even from himself, and a woman with degrees in maths and astrophysics who left earth to escape a life on welfare. Along the way, they discover the reason for the Earth's creation and the answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. But for all the advances in technology finally at his grasp, he still couldn't find a decent cup of tea.

Created originally for a BBC radio show, the Hitchhiker's Guide has grown into a cult following, producing six books, a tv series and a movie. I've heard of the book late 2005 when the movie was released, but was not able to get my clutches on a copy until last year. Thanks to Booksale for my omnibus edition, by the way. I am surprised I haven't heard of this book earlier, considering its humor and irreverence. But then, again, British humor isn't really popular in these shores.

Reading like an adventure book on acid, the Guide pokes fun at religion, philosophy, politics and science. It may not be the most logical book there is, and it is perfectly fine with that, and the reader will be, as well. Honestly, I could not stop laughing while reading the book. And the good thing is: there are five more installments for me to savor.


By the way, you might be wondering what the answer is to the great question of Life...


the Universe...


and Everything.




The answer is...





Forty-two.

Love, in Nerd-speak.

r=3(1-sin thetha)

So you see, love can be expressed as a mathematical equation after all. :-)

Laughtrip!

I have seen one of the most entertaining films of the year! I would have to give credit to the whole production team for their efforts; I was impressed. The producers went to great lenghts to create this cinematic marvel; they pulled out all the stops.

Impressive car chase? Check.

Stunning CGI graphics? Check.

Affective soundtrack. Booming sound effects. Explosions! Check, check, check!

There was even a love angle to boot!

The dialogue was superb. Punchlines were delivered to the point and with so much pananché, cola almost shot through my nose. And I wasn't even drinking cola!

The actors' comedic timing was dead-on, they're funny without even trying to be. I am not so much a fan of physical comedy, and I immensely enjoyed this film's use of subtlety to illicit a laugh.

Of course, no movie is perfect, and you're bound to hit a snag every now and then, but these were forgivable. Some directors just cannot resist including a tear-jerker moment. I say, to each his own.

Over-all, one of the funniest films I've seen this year. You should go watch, for sure you'll enjoy it!



What do you mean, it wasn't a comedy?

Then why was I laughing so hard?

:-)

New Information on President Arroyo's Assets

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo is facing raps from the public sector clamoring for a probe on her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) amid speculations that there are irregularities in its preparation.

A report from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) said that based on her SALNs, Mrs. Arroyo’s declared net worth more than doubled from P66.8 million in 2001 to P143.54 million in 2008, or bigger than the combined growth in declared wealth of her three immediate predecessors, including former President Joseph Estrada, who was convicted for plunder.

New information, however, tells a different story. "She's bankrupt," reveals a source close to the President, who agreed to be interviewed on conditions of anonymity. "In order not to lose face in the global arena, the President has been funding various government projects using her personal assets. It was all going well until a few months ago, when the peso fell depite [President] Gloria's efforts" the source said.

The President has depleted her personal assets so much, she wasn't even able to properly celebrate her 41st wedding anniversary with First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. The First Couple had to make do with a simple dinner with close friends at restaurant in New York.

Aside from funding various government projects, the President has also commissioned profit-seeking ventures to boost the economy, "at her personal expense," reiterated the source. When asked further about these profit-seeking ventures, the source revealed that the President has ventured into treasure-hunting. "It came to the President as a blow" the source reveals further, "after she failed to find treasure in the Sierra Madre property. She was so disappointed, she immediately sold the land. Finding the Yamashita treasure would have greatly boosted our economy, she [President Arroyo] told me."

As of press time, President Arroyo was out of town for comment, apparently on another treasure hunting expedition on Ilocos Norte.

Music Mash-ups

Ever wonder how Rick Astley would sound as a rocker?

I didn't.

But someone else had, and made this mash-up of Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up and Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.

I first heard this on a local radio station, and it just made me laugh out loud. The mix was seamless, and the video was such a gas.

Enjoy!

The PC from Purgatory

This is my office desktop. I've got one of the nicer monitors around, as the old monitor I was using kept changing colors while I'm using it. At it's greatest, the old monitor would turn pink, then yellow, then pink again, before bombarding me with static. After five minutes or so, it would return to normal. But I know my eyes wont. Thus, I was awarded a new monitor, along with two others, whose monitors turn blue.

Unfortunately, My new set up is just for show. Sure, the monitor is brand new, with its protective film still intact, but this shiny new toy is connected to one of the most ancient CPUs in the office. It has become normal to me to see a popup warning me of my computer's virtual memory running low, even when I only have my email, a couple of excel files and our accounting program running.

Lately, my computer has been bugging with its constant hang ups. Just the other day, the damned thing took 5 whole minutes to process an excel command I executed. And I only had two files running that time. Our MIS has advised me to clear my PC of old files so it could be more efficient. I have been doing that for the past month, starting with temporaty files and proceeding with dump files and personal files.

Tinkering with my PCs memory revealed to me that the PC I am using has been working longer than I have. I encountered files dating back as early as 1996, and whole folder files and back-up files from 2001 up to the present. I am hard-pressed to delete these, as they are working files, and should the hard copies be lost, these would be the last remaining evidence that some shmuck from ten years ago started some work that I am now continuing.

Personal files also abound in this PC, most of it saved by former employees who have gone on to better opportunities outside. I have no qualms in deleting these, but some stuff deserve a second, even a third look, before they face oblivion. I have saved a couple of these files, for posterity, like this video:

I guess they really like umbrellas.

Here, There be Monsters

My mates at the Great Place have gotten used to calling someone Monster.  I'm not really sure who gave that label, but somehow, it stuck.  Now, the name has become commonplace in cryptic talks.  I'm not one to play blameless with regard this;  I have much too much experience labeling people, but still, I try to refrain from using the label as much as possible.  It is one thing to ride with them when they use the code name, and another thing, if I relent and start using it myself.  It is rather fun, I must admit, but it is unfair, and truthfully, uncalled for.

Thinking further on this, it seems that somehow, at every point in one's life, there is this someone that would inevitably be called Monster.  My earliest recollection of a monster was when I was in Grade Four.  Back then, she wasn't even given the dignity of the english term, she was simply called Halimaw, able to terrorize any and all students with her stare.  I remember one time that I was asked to recite, it was all I could do to keep standing.  I was near the back of the class, but her stare was penetrating and deathly, that I was already reeling, my vision fading, and my world spinning.  Her rising voice just made matters worse; I can no longer think cohesively; only discordant words were reaching my slowly darkenning world.  Colorful words and phrases, most notably bugok na itlog (rotten egg) and gunggong (dummy).  I might have fainted somewhere during her tirade, I'm no longer sure.

My next monster was during Freshman High school.  She wasn't really a monster, but rather, a real character.  We called her Ipish -- cockroach, with the deliberate "h" in the end, to make that "sh" sound.  We are fond of taking advantage of any deficiency, especially in speech.  We revel in it.  She was christened Ipish, by the way, because of her fondness for eating mentos, which we used to call moth balls.

My fondest monster was in Third Year high school.  Our adviser at the time was pregnant, and was prone to lashing out on us when we are getting out of hand.  She once almost updended her desk in rage, the desk tipping upon the table of the student in front of her, while she, unmindful of the student's shock, stood up and gave us a long sermon on how we were such unruly, uncouth and unrefined students, with no regard for women, especially pregnant women.  Which was true.  She taught us English -- English Literature to be exact.  Unfortunately for her, she taught us the epic of Beowulf, so we called her Grendel.

Only after a couple of years after graduation did I appreciate the gravity of the labels we made.  I visited my alma mater one time and got into a conversation with my former adviser.  She was incensed at a student of her's, and it was getting hard for her to hide her irritation.  Unable to contain it, she recounted to me how a student of her's had the temerity to write a report paper submitted to Mrs Grendel I------.  When she confronted said student, it was found out that the student honestly thought that that was her first name.  I did not have the heart to tell my former adviser that it was us who coined the name three years prior to the incident.  No one expected the name to stick that strong and that long.

I honestly thought the labels have died in high school, until the Great Place suddenly errupted into the business of labeling.  The monsters have returned, and somehow, everything feels like high school once more.

Food, Anyone?

I was with BartSmithers and Barimel one Saturday afternoon at Tiendesitas. BariMel was looking for furnitures she could use for her new place. BartSmithers and I were there as escorts. While browsing through furnitures and discussing about the "No Photos" rule on the furnitures place, I looked up, and suddenly, my brain just shut down.

It took a while for me to recover, and I just couldn't stop laughing. Concerned, BariMel and BartSmithers asked me what the matter was, so I just pointed at the banner overhead. They looked up, and laughed with me.



I guess one man's pet is another man's delicacy. :-D

The Circus

"Just Once" Days

As expected, the days following my return from my trip would be one hell of a circus. Deadlines are up and about, some are due one after the other, and others falling due at the same time. I am tired. But the deadlines do not wait, and so I must render overtime. In fairness, the latest I've been this year is 1.30 am, compared to last year, when we got as late as 3.00 am just to finish and fine-tune our work.

On top of the annual reporting we are doing is the looming monthly (and quarterly) reporting we still have to perform, and haven't yet touched. I thank the heavens that at this point, I'm not yet dreaming about work -- something I am prone to having when I know I am late in submitting the reports.

I can't wait till all of this is finished and done with.


Eviction

Imagine going home after your trip to find all your things lying helter-skelter all over the place, some unceremoniously packed up in plastic and paper bags, the others, just piled one on top of another. Imagine further that the door that once blocked your room from the rest of the world has been dismantled. You're tired from your trip and dreaming of your bed only to find out that your bed is packed full of your things, and thus, incapable of accomodating your sleep-deprived shell. Imagine looking forward to having an alone time with your room and finding out that you no longer have a room -- you've been evicted.

Well, not really. My mom decided not to wait for holy week for the planned rearranging and repainting of the house. My old room has been dismantled to make way for a larger office space, and my things transfered to the adjacent room, which used to be the office. But the painting and other minor repairs have not yet been completed, and so, I am left with the feeling of having been evicted, with no place to stay and to rest.


Darkness Falls

I come home late from the office Thursday night and is greeted by an unsual buzzing within the walls. There is electricity in the air, and all the lights are flickering. I can sense the presense of an inexplicable wrongness all over the place and, tired as I am, I can't help but wonder what is causing this disturbance.

All of a sudden, all the lights went out. The power in my room is gone, and the same is true with the other adjacent rooms. The weirdness of the thing intensifies, for the lights on the floor above is okay, and both floors share the same electric meter. Along with the loss of power was the disappearance of that buzzing sound around the walls. Being late as it is, a deathly silence has fallen all over the place.

The circuit breaker at my floor has failed, and I am forced to sleep with no power, and no fan. On top of having lost a proper bed. Another victory for the mosquito population.

The Earth Hour was celebrated last Saturday, with most lights switched off from 8.30 to 9.30 pm. I have one up on them, as I was forced to celebrate the loss of light and power from Thursday night and all throughout the weekend. I tried to tinker with the fuse box last Sunday, but it just wont budge for me, and I had to contend playing host to EyviCat's birthday lunch without power. It was warm and humid, but at least we had enough ambient light to see what we were eating.


The Flying Bus

We had a post-climb dinner last Saturday night to discuss our last trip and to exchange photos. I was able to bring my flash disk this time, and was able to grab pictures taken by the rest of the group. They also discussed plans for the next climb, which I had to beg off from joining for "Just Once" reasons.

The meeting was held in FAiRview, which is a different world altogether from the one I am used to here in Makati. Good thing I was able to bum a ride with a mate going there. The returning is a different thing though, for my ride left early, and I had to commute going home.

Sagi warned me that the bus I would be riding was notorious for being fast. I stored the info on my thinking cap and left it at that. Late (or rather, early, it being 4.00 am) as it is, I slept in the bus as we were driving along Commonwealth. I woke up just in time to alight at Magallanes, quite a few kilometers past my intended stop of Guadalupe. Fast bus, indeed.

The Arena and the Coliseum

B-liscious: Where are you? What are you doing?
Me: Nothing much, I'm just here at home.
B-liscious: Let's watch the UAAP finals later.
Me: Sure. What time is it? Where is it?
B-liscous: 2pm at San Juan Arena. Go now, I'll meet you there.
Me: Ummm... okay... text me how to get there.

----------------

I was having my late lunch while watching Flushed Away on HBO when B-liscious called me up to invite (or rather, drag) me to watch the first game of the volleyball finals. Seeing as it was 1.30 when I received the call, I had to really rush to make it to wherever the venue was.

----------------

Me: I'm about to go now. How do I get there?
B-liscious: I don't know also. I'm taking a cab going there.

----------------

No choice. I guess I'm gonna have to cab it as well. I distrust taxi cabs and their drivers on principle, and would rather commute using public transport going anywhere than put my trust (and my hard-earned peso) upon the taxi cabs. Yes, I am prejudiced, but I have my horror stories to back me up. Still, going to uncharted territories without any hint of where the destination is is rather foolish and a clear waste of bravado. Time to swallow my pride and ride the cab.

Amazingly, I was able to hail a cab with only just a few minutes of waiting. Rather surprising, since cabs usually disappear whenever you need them, and are abundant in numbers when you don't. I got in the cab and told the driver my destination. Another surprise, since the driver didn't even ask where we should go to get to my destination. The driver knows his geography, I think to myself. Good. This places less pressure on me.

A little bit over 30 minutes, and we're in San Juan. He turns left to some street and I see a wall with San Juan Coliseum painted on it. It's past 3pm, I am late. But at least I'm already here. I pay the driver and alight his vehicle. I go straight to the entrance and at the same time, I'm taking out my phone to call B-liscious to tell my whereabouts.

But the noise from the Coliseum distracts me from my musings. There are cheering crowds, but the voice from the speaker system is rather odd, I think. It's in the vernacular, and somehow, his hosting skills does not really suit a volleyball game between two colleges. I look around, and to my horror, I realize that the cab driver dropped me off, not at the volleyball venue, but to a Cockpit Arena!

There it was, a newly painted building with centralized air-conditioning and ample parking space. The San Juan Coliseum. But this is not the kind of game I was expecting, far from it. Immediately, I give B-liscious a call. No answer. I call again, and again, and again. No answer! I am in uncharted territory, on a limited budget, and my contact seems to have vanished on me! I try another lifeline; a friend who lives near the area. No answer as well!

This is starting to feel like an episode from the Twilight Zone. I'm starting to get a little bit bitchy when B-liscious finally answered my call. At last, after innumerable attempts, my call has been answered!

-------------------

B-liscious: Are you there already? I'm still having lunch.
Me: I'm at the San Juan Coliseum, and it's a Cockpit Arena!
B-liscious: WHAT? Wait, let me make some calls.
Me: Yes, please.

------------------

My tension abated, my head finally cleared, I did what I should have done in the first place, and ask the locals for direction. The guard told me that the venue I was looking for was The Arena, and that I can get there by riding a tricycle.

Having finally located the place, I fall in line to buy my ticket and managed to watch the third set of the men's finals. Partway through the 3rd set, B-liscious makes an appearance, and we scan the area for a place to watch the game, late as it is. It wasn't too bad though, considering there was still the women's finals to wait for.

It was a good game, though disappointing at times. A group of ball-crazed fan girls and boy did obscure the view for us, and I wanted to push them down the railings. Thankfully, B-liscious held me back, and I rather contented myself with my partial view of the game and the amusing cheer from the pep squad (GO LUH-SOHL!!!).

It was a good day, and barring the misadventure, it was fun.

By the way, UST won over UP 3-0 on the men's game, while FEU won over DLSU 3-2 in the women's division.


Photo credits for Dondi Nolasco, FEU vs La Salle, 15Feb09. www.starshrek.multiply.com

Shatter the Illusion

I was tagged by Victor Gregor, and I am supposed to write 10 random things about me, one of which should be a lie. But then again, there is in the blogsphere a 25 random things happening, and, ambitious that I am, I think I’d like to opt for that, but put in the bit about one being a lie. Not to mention that I’ve been tagged in one of my social networks as well, which means I’m gonna cannibalize this post for all its worth. Haha!

1. I am a pencil-pusher, a numbers-cruncher, a table-hugger, a bookkeeper. I am an accountant, but that is just my work.

2. Work is one of my addictions. I am known to work for ten to sixteen hours a day, especially when deadlines are about. Thankfully, I’m trying to lessen it.

3. IT is one of my favorite books by Stephen King, about a monster who feeds on the fears and lives of children, and the group of misfits who defeated him. The story takes place 35 years after they first defeated the monster, and now, IT is back to take revenge. The novel has also been made into a movie for TV.

4. TV has been out of my system for more than two years now, which is big, considering I was such a couch potato. I don’t really miss it, except for Discovery Channel and cartoons.

5. Cartoons and anime has been part of my life since I can remember; from The Flying House to Visionaries, and now, Avatar and Bleach. Now that I don’t watch TV, most of my cartoon fix come from my local pirate shop.

6. Shopping doesn’t really do it for me. I don’t get the emotional high or the rush other people experience when they shop for clothes and shoes. I get more excited when I go to the hardware shop, and more so when I go to the bookstore. That’s the reason why I have more books.

7. Booksale is my favorite place, ever. I always go to their store, wherever there is one. More than half my collection of hardbound books has come from this store. And seeing as this is my third bit about books, I have just effectively typified myself as the classic nerd/bookworm. I think I should really stop this kind of talk.

8. Talking is the least of my talents. I get easily tongue-tied, and I stutter. I am also prone to talking to inanimate objects, especially to my office computer and photocopier, whenever it malfunctions; or to electronic doors, when it wouldn’t let me pass.

9. Passive-aggressiveness is another trait I am not proud of, but am prone to practicing.

10. Practicing my profession as a CPA has always been nagged at me. People see it as such a waste that I passed the board, but I don’t practice. People also nag me about my apprehension to study law, stating that being a CPA-Lawyer is da bomb!

11. Bomb-making using common kitchen ingredients has become a hobby of mine ever since I watched the movie Fight Club, and intensified when I read Chuck Palahniuk’s novel.

12. Novelty songs should be banned. They have no intrinsic and artistic values whatsoever. Also, it promotes low IQ. I mean, come on, what does boom-tarat-tarat mean?

13. Meanings – whether blatant or hidden – of words and its etymology has been a pass-time for me since high school. We used to have an encyclopedic dictionary at home and I can kill hours poring over it, looking for words and learning its definitions. I was prone to reading that till I hurt my eyes.

14. My eyesight, though far from perfect, is still manageable. I did own a pair of glasses once, which I started wearing while I was reviewing for the board exam, but the frame got broken after a couple of years. I bought a second pair after that, but that too, got broken. I haven’t bothered myself to buy a new one.

15. One of the pets we have now is a dachshund, which my brother christened Odie. My niece has a pet as well, a half-breed mix of dachshund and pincher, called Cosmo. Odie and Cosmo live at the topmost floor of our house, playing tag, humping each other, and basically driving my mom bonkers with the mess they create.

16. Creating attempts at poetry is an activity that is, sadly, becoming farther and farther from being practiced nowadays. I used to churn out half-decent lines during high school thru college, but unfortunately, I think my muse got lost along the way.

17. Way back in high school, we were subdivided into “shops”, where each shop has a technical specialty, like Industrial Drafting, or Mechanical Engineering. My shop specialized in Electrical Engineering, and, upon graduation, we were awarded, aside from our academic diploma, a technical diploma which certified us as apprentice-level electricians. Whatever I learned back then was somehow lost during college.

18. College days were not spent boozing and partying, as the typical college-themed movie would have us believe. Somehow it was spent studying, with only the occasional party to break the monotony. Unfortunately, said party is rather tame, for most of my blockmates suffer from what I call the Cinderella Complex, meaning, they have to be home before the clock strikes twelve.

19. Twelve things you will find in my room: 1) a shoe rack hanging at the back of the door; 2) a mask I borrowed two Christmases ago, but haven’t returned yet; 3) a study table that’s full of clutter, there’s no place there to study; 4) a bookshelf filled, half with books, and half with assorted knick knacks I never bothered to clean; 5) a toiletry bag hanging on the door knob; 6) a winter jacket I use when entering the store’s walk-in freezer; 7) a laundry basket brimming with at least a week’s worth of dirty laundry 8) two green umbrellas, one of which is broken 9) a bed with six pillows and a comforter; 10) a steam iron I use for my clothes; 11) two dream catcher pendants hanging on my bedpost; 12) a native rain-summoning device my mom got from Palawan.

20. Palawan is one of those local places I have always dreamt of going to, but have never gone to. Going there seems far more expensive than going to Boracay. But still, one should be able to experience going to the underground river, at least once in your lifetime.

21. Timepieces have no appeal for me. I no longer own a watch, and the last time I owned one was during freshman high school. It was a digital talking watch that tells you the time in a funny accent and has an alarm that crows like a rooster.

22. Rooster is my Chinese Zodiac sign, although when you look at some calendars, they point out that my year of birth is a Dog year. This is because I was born before the Chinese New Year, which follows the lunar cycle.

23. Cycling (that is, bicycling, motor biking or mountain biking) is an activity that is unknown to me. I never learned how to ride a bike, or anything on just two wheels. There was a time way, way back, that I tried, but I failed, and landed on my back.

24. Back aches are a common thing for me, thanks to my scoliosis. I’ve had it since I was little, but I have never once had it checked. If you’re going to grade me in guts, I guess my grade would be poor.

25. Poor Man’s Grave is my favorite song by the Eraserheads. You can’t beat those lyrics and that guitar intro! Other favorites include Anggun’s Snow on the Sahara; John Mayer’s Love Song for No One; Annie Lenox’s Into the West (from the soundtrack of Return of the King); Incubus’ Pardon Me; The Verb Pipe’s Bittersweet Symphony (from the soundtrack of Cruel Intentions); Linkin Park’s Crawling; Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life; Paula Cole’s I don’t Want to Wait; and Korn’s Freak on a Leash.


So there you have it, 25 things about me. So I guess you know more about me. But then, again, you don’t know me at all. Haha!

My Kind of News

I no longer watch TV. I don't read the newspapers anymore either. Whatever current event I know comes to me through word of mouth, and if it is good enough, then I try to search for it online ... that is, if I remember it when I'm in front of the computer.

It's just too depressing to hear the news sometimes, and wallowing in blissful ignorance is the best option especially when you are tired from work. The next option is The Onion.




The Onion is a veritable online news organization that tells the story as it is, and doesn't bother to sugarcoat anything. The staff works day and night (with no rest and no pay) to give out the news that we, the intelligent online community, craves and deserves.

Take the story of East Timor's first female dictator, tauted as "a step forward for women". Such uplifting and empowering news, as only The Onion can deliver.

Enjoy!