Category Archives: Journal

31
Dec

The Yearend List

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged ,

I don’t feel like typing today, so I’d rather list down instead.

People/bloggers I met this year:

* Abe Olandres
* AJ Matela
* Benj Espina
* Bro. Vince Celeste
* CVJ
* Dhon Jason de Belen
* Dra. Tess Termulo
* Ederic Eder
* Ellen Tordesillas
* Ivan Harry
* Jeff Villafranca
* Jhay Rocas
* Jove Francisco
* Joyfulchicken and the Chicken Mafia gang
* Juned Sonido
* Mam Janette Toral
* Mam Noemi Dado
* Manolo Quezon
* Marcelle Fabie
* Nalen the Manilenya
* Ricky Refuerzo
* Sasha
* Schumey
* Shari the Misteryosa
* The Jester-in-Exile
* Victor Villanueva

(If I forgot you, say Holla at the comments.)

Events that I had attended:

* The Philippine Blog Awards 2007
* iBlog 3
* Top Ten Emerging Influential Blogs Awarding
* iBlog mini: Blogging and the 2010 Elections
* The Filipina Writing Project awarding

Things I got this year:

* iPod Video 30Gb (won in the PBA 2007 raffle)
* Ganz Klar TV and DVD player (won at the company Christmas raffle)
* Sony Ericsson m600i and P1i
* MSI VR320 K2 laptop

Most memorable things this year:

* Nominated at the Philippine Blog Awards
* Finalist at the Philippine Blog Awards
* Winning that iPod
* Meeting new bloggers
* Pwning Fire Eyed Boy at karting, and totally being pwnd by others he he
* Getting into Twitter

Shame of the year:

* Malu Fernandez
* Benjamin Abalos Sr and the entire Comelec
* UP Sigma Rho fraternity
* Romulo Neri
* Juan Miguel Zubiri
* Email and comment spam
* Aggregators and scrapers
* The 2007 elections
* Gloria Arroyo
* Joseph Estrada
* San Miguel Foods and Jesus Arranza

Happy new year!

28
Dec

Annoyance of the Week: LOLCAT UI message

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged ,

For an American brand, this message is horrible. Or maybe not.

Or, most likely, the job was outsourced to China.

24
Dec

Another weird dream, 8

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged ,

I’d never had an action-packed dream as last night. It was like a movie, really.

In that dream, I was in the place where I grew up, the place I had lived in for almost 20 years. Outside, people were having the usual Christmas games. That building I grew up was quite near an estero. Then, I saw an airplane with three helicopter propellers (yeah, maybe I have been playing too much Final Fantasy games). It was an awesome sight, specially when it was dropping right at you. Yes, it was crashing; two of the propellers were not working. The pilot was wise enough to steer the plane into the estero. Only then did I realize that the estero was wider than it should be – wider than the widest expanse of the Pasig River.

Unfortunately, I forgot the other parts of the dream. I remember one more, but it was actually of the censored stuff. =P

Merry Christmas!

21
Dec

Annoyance of the Week: Can’t I just say no?

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged ,

From my Twitter twits, from the first in series of twits.

* Wondering how {name of insurance provider} got my home and work phone number.
* I want to go home and play PS2. That call got me seething, and I want to punch somebody. Can’t you just say no nowadays?
* I am so tired of my name being misspelled and mispronounced. From now on, any telemarketer or agent who mispronounce my name shall hear NO.
* And any written communication with my name misspelled shall receive no reply from me, ever.

I really wanted to end the week right, so I’ll bury myself tinkering with my new toy.

16
Dec

Surreal

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged

After a meeting with Schumey and Mam Ellen, I was on the bus on the way home when two surreal scenes unfolded.

At the corner of Edsa and Pioneer, a truck full of MMDA goons unloaded and swooped on the lone street vendor. One customer was trying to reason with the goons, but there is no reasoning with goons. When the bus passed by the MRT station, I was tempted to shout to the vendors that the goons were coming.

And then, at the Baliwag Transit terminal in Cubao, there was this man who was seated on the sidewalk gutter, with a younger man holding him. I dunno if he was drunk, or he was having medical problem. At their right was a police car, but the policemen were scarce at that time.

10
Dec

Annoyance of the Week: Is this illegal?

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged , , ,

What’s wrong with this picture?

5
Dec

Another weird dream, 7

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged ,

I had another dream, and part of it means I have to forget politics for a while.

In that dream, there was a massive flood, and I was riding a rubber boat with some Magdalo soldiers. Don’t ask me how I knew, I just knew they were Magdalo soldiers. Then we were in front of a building, thankfully not flooded. It was a long dream, but I forgot the most of the details. Boy, am I getting old.

Then, I was involved in chasing down a murderer. I was called in because (1) I chased the murderer before and (2) it was a bus chase, which again I was involved in. Sort of like the Speed movies, only this time the 2nd one was another bus chase instead in a yacht. Anyway, the bus that the murderer commandeered was cornered by he got away. The last we saw him, he entered a house.

I got inside that house, and I saw a former student (for those who doesn’t know, I taught for almost 3 years at a local tech-voc school). Unfortunately for him, some witnesses who came with us pointed to him, which was surprising. This student has three very distinguishable birth marks on his face, and the murderer does not have them.

Upon searching the house, we found a set of disguises, and one of them matched that of the murderer. Case closed.

3
Dec

Annoyance of the Week: Preferred whatever

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged , ,

Whoever says that social classes are things of the past needs to get their illusions shattered.

Just go to a nearest BPI branch, and one counter is clearly labeled “Preferred banking clients.” Yes, if you are not rich enough, you are not a preferred banking client, and you cannot line up in that counter.

I am no communist, but I just want to disillusion people about this Enchanted Kingdom.

PS: I paid my BPI bill at this BPI branch, and took me an hour just to pay a five-hundred peso credit card bill.

“We’ll take you farther.” Eh. It should be “We’ll waste your time.” More appropos, I guess.

1
Dec

“I will give you aids”

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged

Yes, after eleven months, the year is about to end now. Has anything changed in your life? Ramdam mo ba ang pag-asenso? (Do you feel the progress?)

Anyway, done with the Christmas decorations yesterday. Christmas songs playing in the music player. For the first time, decoration was done in such a late date. Hard times.

With the times getting harder than ever, I am thankful that not everyone is hard pressed like us who scour for crumbs from the table. While we scrounge to survive, I am thankful some people are comfortable with their lives. While we strive to make our lives better, I am thankful for some people who do their best to keep us where we are. While we try to change the way things work, we are thankful for some people who tries very hard to keep the status quo.

While people are being ravaged by HIV/AIDS, the Catholic Taliban continues to to encourage us to keep on guessing whether it is safe to do it or not. I am thankful that the Church and the State are separate, but who am I kidding?

As much as I want to count my blessings, I cannot be blind to what is truly happening on the ground. I am thankful, though, that I don’t have a callused conscience. And I hope I will remain that way. I hope the next year, my conscience will remain that way.

I know I am being incoherent. Life is like that. Unless you live a comfortable life, of course.

(You might be wondering about the title. It is from a Filipino comedy movie. In one scene, an American is addressing a group of poor Filipinos, spewing promises. He said, “I will give you aids.” When the people heard that, they ran away. They thought he is to give them AIDS. And yes, today is World AIDS Day.)

30
Nov

Lucky table

Posted by | Categories Journal | Tagged

Met new bloggers at the Filipina Writing Contest Winners Announcement event last Wednesday. Held at Ponciana’s Kitchen along Timog Avenue corner Scout Torillo, it was fun, funny, enjoyable, and sinful. That last word was due to that sinful lechon. Lechon should be banned forever.

Anyway, as I have said, I met new bloggers:

From left, counter-clockwise: Marghil, Joyce, Jehzeel, Betsy, and Aiza.

And because the event was free, it is only right to thank the sponsor, right? Thanks to IPVG, a company engaged in information technology and telecommunications, on-line gaming, and business process outsourcing.

Thanks to other sponsors:

By the way, to explain the title: all of us in that table did not go home empty-handed, like Marghil winning US$200, Betsy with US$100, and Aiza with US$100. Too bad Ederic was too late when he sat by our table.

Was a little bit late in arriving, since I walked from EDSA corner Timog up to Scout Torillo. =P