Achilles' Heel

Just finished a pingpong doubles game with Philip as my partner. We played against Candy and Mike. Unforch, my not being able to return Candy's services was our Achilles' heel. Oh, man!!! Philip and Candy are excellent players. I need to practice more ;oP

I Love Fermina

When I reached Fairview yesterday and saw, to my horror, that there wasn't any FX waiting, my heart was crushed. 'twas not even 9 o'clock yet!

I saw 2 Fermina Express buses bound to Ayala. It wasn't a crowded bus so I thought it's a good sign for me to try riding it.

Turned out it's a wise decision. First, the bus doesn't pick up ALL the people in the streets unlike other buses. Second, it takes the Santolan and Ortigas flyovers. Lastly, it travels fast...really fast.

I reached Makati before 10:30. I promised today that I'd wait for a Fermina Express bus no matter what. I even let 5 Ayala-bound buses passed by. Reached Makati again before 10:30. Hotdogs!!!

Thank God for Small Blessings

Received a small blessing today. Wasn't expecting it so I really thank God for this wonderful gift ;oP

Passenger Seat

Before riding an FX or bus to work, I spend at least 30 minoots in a jeep. I get to see different people on their way to their final destinations. I thought of placing tags on 'em.

Dead to the World
These are the people who instantly dozes off as soon as they find a seat. Sometimes, they request the jeep to stop abruptly because they overslept & went beyond their destinations.

Sideways
These are the people who sits sideways. Thus, occupying more space than usual. Uhm, just a reminder, you're in a public vehicle, ma'am.

Hear-Yees
I noticed that some people are just plain expressive. These are the passengers that speak their minds. Sometimes, they comment loudly on the driver speeding. You can hear them saying, "Ano ba yan? Ang bilis naman magpatakbo!!!" Back seat drivers can fall under this category. On the good side, they sometimes help with "Para dawwwwwww!" with knocking on the side.

Santa's Little Helpers
I give props to these designated assistants. They extend the hand of the driver without any given orders. They don't complain either. If you wanna be one, sit right at the back of the driver or the seat opposite this one.

BFFs
These are the people who know the drivers and don't hesitate to talk to them while the driver is doing his business. Never distract the driver, for Pete's sake!

Goldfishes
Imagine pushing the mute button on a person singing on tv. Sometimes, they look like goldfish in a bowl. They're the ones with music players plugged into their ears and like to sing along. I fall into this category ;oP

Thoughtless Pricks
This one is the worst type because even though they're not sleeping, they don't freakin' care if a hand is right in front of them and they don't even try to help the paying passengers. Hate these people. They feel like they're in a coccoon or imagine they're in their private vehicles. Wake up!

unPLEASANT HELLs

Am not the most patient guy in the world. Last Friday was the ultimate test though. I left Makati around 8. It rained a bit so the air was crisp and cold. A van appeared to pick us up after a few minoots.

Around 9:30, I was still in Cubao. 1 hour or so to go and I'll be home, I thought.

At 10ish, I reached Fairview. Since I haven't had dinner yet, I bought some McShaker fries again. This time, I tried the Chili Cheese. It tastes a lot like BBQ flavor of Potato Corner. I waited a while for a Francisco Homes jeep. My food was already consumed. Patiently waited and there it was, an FH jeep.

At 10:30, the jeep stopped at Pangarap. I uttered, "oh my gawd!" There's an ongoing road construction at Pleasant Hills and this is the effect. That place was like a mile or two from where the jeep stopped. Big trucks, cars, vans, and jeeps were scattered everywhere. Some people were already walking because the traffic was jammed. What's worse was that, there were vehicles that counterflowed already and got stuck in the process. WTF! This shows how undisciplined people can be.

Waited for an hour and we're still not making any progress. I prayed that I'll reach home soon 'cause I haven't had dinner yet. Good thing, my tummy ain't achin'.

Some movement after 2 hours. Reached unPleasant Hells around 12:30. I wanted to scream at the people working on the construction. In ordinary days, Pangarap to Pleasant Hills can be traveled in just about 10 minoots. Got home around 1 am. No appetite but I had to eat sumpthin. To make me feel better, I played some Dungeon Siege before dozing off.

Channeling Bree Van De Kamp Again

I gotta have a break from my gaming. So after lunch yesterday, I didn't go immediately to my station. Instead, I picked a damp cloth and started to clean up my room. First, I targeted the refrigerator. Cleaned up the outside first. Will go for the insides some other time. I made sure that I setup the magnets afterwards.

Next, I worked on an old medicine cabinet. Dad took my new one and placed it inside his room. I didn't wanna take it from him so I just made sure that this old cabinet can house my toiletries.

Went for my closet next. Refolded some clothes.

Bed was next. Changed the sheets and the pillowcases. Love the smell of fresh sheets.

If there's one chore I hate the most, it's waxing the floor. I haven't been to the gym lately so I treated this as my exercise of the day. Broke a sweat.

My room looks cool now. I need to borrow a drill to setup my blinds and paintings.

No to N90 Modem

When I found out that I could use my N90 as a modem, I was thrilled that I can go online without the usual landline connection. For a month, I tried using my cellphone... connecting here and there. This week, I got my phone bill and was shocked to see the crazy charges. Crap! I should have applied for a DSL. Today, I bought a PLDT VIBE prepaid card. I just hope it works whenever I wanna surf in Bulacan.

And it did work. Now I can save up on internet bills ;oP Imagine 100 bucks for 20 hours. TTOW!!!

Broken World @ Last!

After spending five straight days on "Dungeon Siege", I finally completed the game on Level 44 as a Sorcerer with 400K moulah. I got bored with completing some secondary missions so I switched to "Broken World" with excitement.

I was praying that I could bring in my character (that's the point of repeating from the start, eh?) to this latest version. And, lo and behold, I was able to. TTOW!!! Plus, I brought with me my barkada: Lothar (my hitman), Vix (my tirador), and Grey (my aso).

I noticed in the first chapter that the movie that comes with it is in high-res. Cool. The trees are in autumn state (red, green and gold). The enemies are somehow boring. Not much of a challenge. Well, it's just the first chapter so it's kinda expected.

Weekend gaming it is gonna be.

It Runs in the Family

Kuya first did it. Then it was handed down to me. Now it's Lance's turn. Oh, Fiona too ;oP Enjoy these adorable pictures. The mooning is my favorite. Got me in stitches... Lance tried wall climbing at D'Mall in Boracay. Hmmm... never tried that one.

Want a Cool Wallpaper?

Found out about this site from VLADSTUDIO while looking for a wicked wallpaper ;oP I downloaded the cutest one for me laptop. Check out the other wonderful creations and tutorial section. TTOW!!!

It's in the Bulb

It's been awhile since I last used my lava lamp. I recently bought a yellow bulb. Didn't know it would have this effect. Minus the light, the water is bluish with little silver dolphins. Now it's the color of a grape juice with too much water ;oP

Sumpthin Fresh

Last Sunday, I tried the Extreme Hotshots from KFC. I thought it would be super spicy but unforch, it wasn't. A bit disappointed. I suggest they give the customers some spice powder so they could make it more spicy.

And that's what McDonald's did to their latest french fries offering: McShaker Fries. I think they used to have this years back. They have 2 flavors: chili cheese and sour cream. Tried the latter. The fries come in a big bag and a separate sachet of flavoring is given to you so you can do the shakin' yourself. 'twas otay especially for a hungry tummy. Will try the cheese next time.

I also visited the latest expansion of SM North Edsa called "The Block". Once you're inside, it will remind you of "Mall of Asia". Some shops will be open by October. But lemme warn the asthmatic peeps out there, it smells bad in there. The intense paint smell was too much for me. I had to leave the place immediately.

Dungeon Siege 2 Restarted

When I installed the latest Dungeon Siege 2 "Broken World", it wouldn't let me play it without the previous version. Crap! I reformatted my laptop a few months ago so I lost all DS files. Many thanks to Nicho for bringing his CDs. Today, I restarted playing Dungeon Siege 2. I already forgot the commands so I underwent training again. Started playin around 2 in the afternoon. When my tummy started achin' for food, I checked the clock. It was already 10 pm =o)

I'm fascinated by these game makers. They really make it a point to have the visuals really stunning and realistic. Can't wait to see the "Broken World". Will tell y'all about it once I'm done with the current one.

What I'm really, really, really excited about is the release of the latest "Neverwinter Nights". Expect a lot of sleepless nights when that comes out.

Yawning Bug

While I was traveling to my mom's workplace to pick her up, I sat beside this guy who's such a yawning machine. Everytime I glanced at him, he had his mouth open. Of course, when you see a stimulus like that, you can't help but yawn yourself. Very similar to once a dog barks and another dog hears it, it is likely that the second dog would bark too.

Recently, Mythbusters featured this yawning bug. The Mythbusters assistants picked people randomly and put them in a room seated in a semi-circle. The test subjects waited for a few minutes with nuthin to do. They were informed not to speak either. After awhile, they were given this boring piece of document to read. Still no one was yawning. Then suddenly, this young woman yawned. The mythbusters thought people would jump on the bandwagon but they were wrong. The test was inconclusive.

The Mythbusters hosts, Adam & Jamie, joined in. They did it once more but with slight changes. This time, the assistant yawned before she guided the test subject inside this portalet-looking cubicle (causing a stimulus). With nuthin to look at, the person inside were told to wait... and wait... and wait. There was a small hole so the camera can pick whatever is happenin inside. After sometime, the person waiting started to yawn. Success!

There was a good percentage difference when the assistant yawned and when she merely guided the subject inside. The show concluded that the myth is busted.

On the Sideline

Friday night gimmick started with my friends and I having dinner at North Park. Table had visited her dentist recently so she was planning to have some soup only. When our food arrived, it turned out to her liking. The lemon chicken and the beef with broccoli were cooked very tender.

Nikks and I (minus Table) proceeded to Giligan's to meet our other friends. Earl, Mike, Adrian, Jimmy, Beng, and Richie were already there drinking and enjoying the not-so-healthy pulutan. Joy arrived later.

We continued the fun at Ice bar. En route to the bar, we met Aedner. We spotted Katya Santos with her friends. Aedner grooved with Nikks and Beng. Even Mike and Adrian danced!!! There was a lot of dancers strutting their stuff on the ledges. At one point, one "guy" grabbed Beng and Nikks so they, too, could dance. Earl joined 'em.

As for me, I wasn't feeling too well so I stayed on the sideline. Didn't even dance. But it was fun watching my friends enjoying themselves ;oP

Reunited with My N90

Nikks and I went to the mall last night to claim my phone. There was a lot of people claiming their phones so it took awhile before I was entertained. I also noticed that they are now selling the new N93. Hmmm, I held the unit in my hand and felt it calling me. Teehee... It's 3.2 megapixels, baby... and you can watch the videos you've filmed directly on your teevee. TTOW!!!

I'm planning to sell my N90 ;oP Please help me find buyers.

While waiting at the mall, we saw Gerald of Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition. I immediately texted Kendz. We also spotted a very B-E-A-utiful girl shopping for a phone with her mom. She looks like the leading lady of Richard in "Captain Barbell".


Last night at Rockstar: Supernova, I was super happy that Magni performed "Creep", one of my favorites. The only thing that bothers me is that when he reaches the high notes, veins on the right side of his face appears like it's gonna pop out or sumpthin. Another cool thing is that Ryan sang again "In the Air Tonight". Like his voice when he's being accompanied by piano. Dilana rocked the house with her performance with Supernova. Freakin' great!!!

Late for 10 Minoots

Woke up at half past 7 today. My cough is back. I entertained the thought of not reporting for work today. Not feeling too well. Anyhoo, I tried to get up and prepare my coffee. Left my place around 8. When I reached Fairview, there wasn't a single FX in line. Crap! That means, I had to continue my ride to Philcoa. When I got there, there was an Ayala-bound bus so I took it. Reached the office at 10:40. Not bad. I thought I'd be super late.

Toby Streaking

Watched "Rockstar: Supernova" last night. 'twas one of the craziest episodes. The contestants went to Vegas to see the Joint (where the winner of the contest would perform with Supernova on New Year's eve) and feel how to party like a rockstar. The suite that they got for the party has a jacuzzi overlooking the Vegas strip and a freakin' indoor bowling alley. Lukas and Toby got hammered. I suddenly remembered my last Friday's experience. Teehee...

Of course, the funniest moment was when Toby streaked for a performance with Gilby. As for the other performances, I liked Magni, Dilana, and Ryan's. I think Patrice would go home tonight.

A Ride with Nimfs & Mon

Woke up at 6:30 today. I prepared myself for the long travel and possible late arrival at work. And then I saw a van parked in front of my friends' house. I saw Mon, the hubby of Nimfa, and asked if I could go to Makati with 'em. They offered too. Sweet...

And so, we took the Marilao-Balintawak-Munoz-Edsa route. Luckily, traffic ain't that bad today. The stretch of Ortigas to MegaMall was clear. I reached the office around 9. That means, I can go home at 6. TTOW!!!

Start Again

Met my participants today, Lindsay and Ariel. I will be training them for a month. With the new version of our software, I experienced some glitches in the installation. Joe helped us out but couldn't find a quick fix. We decided to use Oracle instead as our backend. Finished the class at 6 pm.

Played pingpong with Earl, Adrian, and Mike. Won some ;oP

Role Reversal

It's always fun to wake up with good food waiting for you. That's how it is in my family. Dad cooks for all of us. He's also a mean cook. But since yesterday, there has been a role reversal.

Got a knock on my door and when I opened it, it was Mom. He told me that Dad fainted and was now sleeping upstairs. He also vomitted. Oh, man. I hate sickness.

Instantly, I became the designated cook. I walked to the nearest talipapa and bought some veggies and pork. I planned to cook sinigang for luncha. For dinner, it will be garlic shrimp (the way Kneel makes it).

I used to buy stuff from groceries. It's been awhile since I last visited a real market. Not much to choose from though. I'm not also sure if what I buy is fresh.

Monitored his health the whole day. I also prepared his snacks and coffee.

I hope he gets better soon. It ain't fun to see your dad sick.

Mo' Drinking

Got a text message invitation to a party. Was told that they have lechon and beer so I accepted it. When I got there, I found out that it was the 80-sumpthin birthday celeb of the grandmother of Doc Jayson.

I quickly grabbed some lechon and rice. Afterwards, we began our drinking session till 6.

One of our neighbors cooked the head of the lechon, put some Mang Tomas in it, and voila! Instant lechon paksiw. Sarap putek!

No Mo' Absinth

Felt shitty today. I reek of vomit. Dunno what happened but I woke up in the rec room alone...

Last night, we (with Nikks & Tabel) started the celebration with a dinner at Italiannis. I'll be talking about why we're celebrating in a little while. We're supposed to have a free dinner with Earl but he backed out at the last minoot. Sumpthin happened maybe. We checked out first "Fish & Co." but after looking at the menu, we thought of eating at Chili's instead. While walking towards the place, we spotted Italiannis and decided quickly to just have our dinner there.

Mikel was our waiter for the night. We ordered Ceasar salad with grilled chicken and Shrimp Fra Diablo pasta. For our drinks, we experimented on different mix of fruit drinks. Mine was dalandan and apple. Not good. We asked Mikel for his advice on our red wine. He suggested Chianti.

Food was good. I was expecting much from the diablo pasta. Wanted it to be more spicy. Mikel served the pasta before the salad and asked for forgiveness. He offered to give us free dessert (Panacotta). Sweet!

While we're having our free dessert, Kendz-Pao arrived. We told 'em about our free dessert. We also concluded that Mikel likes Tabel so our conversation went that way.

'twas already 11 and our friends over at Absinth were already looking for us. So after paying for our dinner (Tabel gave a good tip), we walked towards the bar where the group of Joy and our visitors from the US were drinking already.

Spotted Rene drinking a bottled water outside. You can tell he's been drinking a lot 'cause of his reddened cheeks. I also saw an old officemate (Patrick) drinking with his friends outside the bar.

Hugh and Vinod welcomed us at their table. The other peeps in the party were Joy, OJ, Jimmy, Boy, Max, and the new crush ng bayan, Jeff. They told us that they'll be leaving soon for a boy's night out so we ordered our drinks immediately. Joy ordered us Absinth. The drink threw quite a punch. It tastes like Becherovka that Arlyn brought home from one of her trips. We requested for water right away.

Tabel and I went to the bar and ordered some more red wine. Oh, before I forget, the reason why we're celebrating is that I lost 5 pounds in the last month. I guess the gym visits and diet work ;oP

When the live music started, Nikks danced with me, Kendz, Tabel, Joy and even Jeff. Who says white men can't dance!

'twas a fun night filled with drinking and dancing. I've had not just one Absinth, but 5. So after the fifth drink, the knottydon passed out.

I'd like to thank the peeps who took care of me. I love you, guys! Dunno your identities yet but your first drink is on me next gimmick time ;oP

Push It Really Good

Been pushing the envelope as to how late I can leave Bulacan. Today, I woke up at 6 am. Left my place at 6:30 and was able to reach Fairview past 7. There was a queue so that's a good sign that an FX would be picking these passengers up. Although I got scared a bit because it took quite a while before a van showed up.

Reached Makati around 9. Sweet!

Latur Than Usual

Woke up at quarter past 5. I dunno what time I'd reach the office now. I quickly drank some coffee and then took a warm shower. Left Francisco Homes around 6. Reached Fairview at 6:30ish. No sign of FX nor van. There was a manageable queue.

After a few minoots of waiting, there came a van. The barker shouted, "DBP!" It's a block short from my usual stop but I could walk. Unforch, it started to rain when we reached Makati. Crap!
I took a cab so I could reach the office. Clocked in at 8:10. Not bad.

Team JT

Every morning, the FX drops me off at Paseo. Then I do my morning walk to work. JT's latest single, "Sexy Back", keeps me company. It's a good song to listen to when you're walking. Gets you in the mood. I really x10 like this song now!

Missing Pillow

En route to work today, I remembered a pillow that I use in the office. I haven't seen it in ages so I thought of sending everyone an e-mail about the missing pillow. Hopefully, someone will return it today.

The Other Side

What is worse than taking a bath with cold water at 4:30 in the morning?

Remember that yesterday I had the shower heater installed? Well, today I was excited to try it. Got me some coffee before entering my bathroom. First, I tried the lowest setting. 'twasn't that hot for me. Tried the second. Still not hot. Third and last setting. Perfect!

Washed my face and some parts of my body (where it matters). Then boom! The light in the heater went off. I also noticed that the water is getting colder. Fuuuuck!!!

I stopped my bath. Couldn't continue. My teeth were already chattering.

Where the hell is my hot water?!!! Will call dad to have this checked. Taking a bath with warm water is the best thang. Once you've gone to the other side, you cannot go back.

If you see me with soad suds on my hair or any parts of my body, lemme know ;oP

Rough Morning

Woke up at 4:30 today. Drank my coffee before battling the cold water. Left the house around 5.

There was a huge traffic buildup in Fairview. It was very near the gas station where the Makati-bound FXs are waiting for passengers. I decided to walk instead of waiting inside the jeep.

When I reached the gas station, there was a long queue. No FX. Crap! I found the end of the line and waited. Then it rained. Good thing, I brought my umbrella with me.

A van arrived at quarter to 7. I normally reach the office at 6:30. Bummer!

Reached the office a few minoots before 9.

Rainy Sunday Afternoon

Dad cooked some breaded salmon and his version of bachoy. Perfect combo. I ate heartily ;oP

Didn't go out today. Finished my laundry. Watched teevee. Took a nap. It started to rain again so it was nice to sleep on a rainy afternoon.

Project: Shower Heater

After lunch, I visited SM to buy the shower heater that I needed. Contacted Allen to be my "alalay". Before going back home, we had burgers at BurgerKing. I wanted to eat at McDonald's but the place was packed.

Can't wait to have this heater installed. It ain't fun to splash cold water at 4:30 in the morning.

Some Silly Notes

Remember that I went home around 4:30 yesterday? I found out that the Fairview FX station was relocated at the back of our office building. Sweet!

Got home around 7. Was able to watch the elimination night of "Rockstar: Supernova". I was happy that Supernova requested Ryan to do the encore.

Didn't forget my face towel today. My cough is getting persistent. It's freakin' embarrassing.

Y'know that I hate roaches, right? Last night, I saw one crawling on my bathroom wall. Immediately, I grabbed a can of Raid. I just bought this nicely-scented version. I sprayed on the insect. I dunno what's freakin' wrong with cockroaches. It didn't die. It flew directly towards me. Fuck! I ran like a little girl. I grabbed an old can of Raid (the original version) and sprayed on it again and again and again. It stopped moving right away and with feet in the air, like a breakdancer in the middle of a stunt and the music suddenly stopped playin'.

Back 2 Werk

Woke up at an ungodly hour today (4 freakin' am). Heard some roosters crowing. Y'don't get that everyday. Made some coffee to perk me up. Took a bath. The cold water instantly washed away all traces of sleep from my system. Dressed up and left my house before 5. Dad was surprised to see me leaving so early.

I walked uphill to where the jeepneys are stationed. It's still dark outside. Good thing, it wasn't raining. I asked the people where I could find some FX going to Ayala. They told me that sometimes there's one at noon. Crap!

Anyhoo, I rode on a jeep going to Cubao. 'twas a stressful ride since the driver kept on stopping at every damn corner. Imagine a dog lifting one of his hind legs everytime he sees a fire hydrant!

In Fairview, I found a van going to Ayala. The fare was 50 bucks. I got a seat at the back of the van and positioned myself for a quick nap. Didn't know that it would be such a quick ride. When I opened my eyes, we were already in Boni. Reached Makati around 6:30.

Bought me some brekky at Jollibee. Took my medicine.

Around 11, we had our quarterly meeting with the Admin group. We discussed our new performance evaluation process. Afterwards, we decided to have our lunch at North Park. Since the place was full, we proceeded to Super Bowl in Glorietta. I requested our driver, Jimmy, to drop me off at Sanry's since I needed my dollars exchanged.

For the first time, I'm leaving the office at 4:30. I hope there ain't much traffic on my way home.

Sleeeep

Told peeps at work that I couldn't report today. My doctor advised me to take some rest. So that's what I did. Stayed in bed again. Watched tv and slept. Boring day.

I caught "Phantom of the Opera" on WOWOW. After the movie, they showed some people involved in the production. From actors, costumes, music, to stage design. Cool stuff.

While having dinner, I watched "Rockstar: Supernova". On Star World, they actually showed some clips in the mansion. After 30 minoots, it's performance night. You gotta watch Ryan's performance. It blew me away!

Pancakes for Comfort

My body felt hotter. It hurts when I pee too. My body hurts in different places. My tongue tastes metallic. I got chills too (and they're multiplyin')... I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep.

Around 5 in the afternoon, I forced myself to get up and cook me some food. I saw a box of pancake mix so I thought of cooking one. Put some butter, chocolates, and maple syrup to complete the presentation. That made me feel better ;oP