Why Blog?

H4cked ßy aLpereN

2006-07-11T16:45:00.001+08:00

H4cked By aLpereN ??

Siz HayaL Edersiniz Ben YasarIm..!

Sevqi, Ho$qoru, Merhamet Yok ArtIk..!

FatalByte.Net

And Suddenly I Showed Up

2006-05-27T12:18:00.000+08:00

I haven't given much though to blogging lately. It's low on my list of things to do. In fact, it's not on ANY list that I keep. It's like blogging was part of a whole different life, the one I had before I moved up the corporate staircase.

There was a whole lot of breezing, relaxation, and fun in that past life. In this one? Well, let me put it this way. I'm at the point of tearing out those portions from the dictionary I keep in my desk drawer. No wait, I don't have a dictionary in my desk drawer -- I use spellcheck and all those nifty word processor tools. Snap. There's no way out of this corporate hell, is there?

Forgive me for whining. I'm just thinking up creative ways to let you know that I've been busy with my real job. The one that pays me the bucks. The one that pays for my cellphone bill and my Internet connection. My cow. I'm milking the heck out of it, I just never fully realized that I'd be milked back in return.

So it's been 3 weeks since I last wrote something here. Not really a record, though something I'm not really happy about. I started this thing so that I could talk to myself without having other people give me weird looks or start giving me a hard time. Talking out loud has gotten me in trouble before, and talking inside your head pumps too much blood into my brain. So writing it down seemed the next best logical thing.

I need to make a little segue here, just to mention that this seems to be my most common topic - why the bloody hell I blog. Well, it's the title of my blog, so it only makes sense. Except that I never planned it to be this way. Who bloody cares? Back to regular progamming.

Now I need to incorporate a little more work-life balance, though I hardly classify blogging as an integral part of my life. So far, I've only seen the downside of having more responsibilities -- more time eaten out of my private life. Here it is, finally, my dream, the promotion I've been working so hard for, chewing at the sides of my free time.

Now is that part of the deal? I realized, yes, it is. And it has only been recently that I have been coming to terms with that idea. Slowly the new chapter is unraveling, and I'm finally getting the hang of things. It took me long enough to get here, and now it's time to start walking again.

Random Post No. 1

2006-05-05T19:56:00.000+08:00

Now here's something blogworthy --

I just deleted ALL my messages in my phone. ALL. By freaking accident, and without my firsthand knowledge. 1 minute I looked at it, and the inbox was as empty as the day it was bought.

2 years worth of saved messages. GONE.

Well, that's that. Nothing more I can do to change all that. Unless I had that cool flying car that went back in time and a weird friend named Doc. That's not gonna happen.

================

So back to blogging I go. I haven't written anything in a while. Busy busy busy. I have to really dig in this time, having gotten the promotion and all, so I layed off all the stuff that used to get me in trouble at work before. Lots of admin stuff, paperwork, documents, meetings, stuff that I hate, which I now have to do with a frigging smile on my face.

Oh well. Comes with the territory, I guess. More rants soon. I have to get back to work. And to the frigging smiling.

Dying Rich, Dying Poor

2006-04-15T13:46:00.000+08:00

I was at a wake last night, accompanying Caren and two of her friends, Rona and K-Anne. I decided to go because it was at Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heritage Park, actually, right next to it.), and I have never been there before. Like they always, say, visit as many places as you can before you die. Brrr.

The wake we went to was different from all others that I've been to. It was high profile. To Caren and her friends, she was the mother of one of their groupmates back in college. Pretty normal, don't you think? But to me and to the rest of the world, she was actually the wife of a Supreme Court Justice Associate.

And so I witnessed how the rich died and were remembered.

The Heritage Park chapel had four rooms, capable of housing 4 different wakes at a time. This wake took up all four rooms by itself, and was averaging 1,500 guests a day. I guess Caren put it best, "That's much better traffic than in a Ministop store." Touche'.

Not only the guests were plentiful, there was a buffet table with chafing plates that never got empty. Wreaths were flowing outwards, spilling out to the lobby of the Chapel, which was a good 150 feet away from the rooms. From every significant politician, every notable institution, or as far as I could tell anyway. I saw flowers sent from Senators Lacson and Villar, A huge wreath from our VP Kabayan Noli, and of course Fidel Ramos and Family threw in a few bouquets, too. Governors, congressmen, probably from anybody who was a somebody in Philippine politics. People like that surely get remembered. So this was how the rich died. It made my head spin.

But for an entirely different reason.

It made me think about my own future wake. How will I be remembered? How do I want my wake to go? How do I want to be buried? How many people will come and visit me at my wake? And how many will visit me at my tomb?

And what about if I die rich? Will I get the same treatment as I saw last night? I was certainly overwhelmed by the hugeness of the event, like it was one big party. I'd like my own to be a celebration of my Going Home to the Big Guy Up There, though significantly smaller than the soiree last night. It was much too huge for me.

And if I die poor? Will my closest friends and loved ones come? I sure hope so. Either I die rich or poor, I just want a small congregation of people, though surely I won't be able to control that once I'm snug in my coffin. I want a simple service. And hopefully I don't get buried among many others. I hope I get buried under the shade of a big tree, on the land that I hope I'd have someday. I guess that final resting place sums up all of how I wanted to be when I was still alive -- FREE.

Postscript: I shivered and had goosebumps all over while writing this entry. But overall, it made me feel good, in a weird kind of way. I recommend you try it.

Maculot

2006-04-15T08:54:00.000+08:00

I have now been officially inducted into the hallowed echelons of the Hall of Fame for Lazy Bloggers. I just got my popcorn trophy in the mail yesterday. It was already stale. They were too lazy to send it out on time.

Enough drama. I waited a whole week to tell this story. And this isn't a story about my college classmate Gina. It's a story about a mountain. I climbed one last weekend, and named Mt. Maculot, thus the direct disclaimer for my college friend.

I went up with my girlfriend, a couple of friends with siblings, plus friends of friends, so it was a diverse group. There were veteran climbers and then there were us mainland folk. The trek to the campsite (about 700 meters above sea level), was to take 1 1/2 hours, but us newbies took three days. Okay. I exaggerated. It was no Mt. Everest, but it still took us almost four hours to climb. I personally would have liked to have ran as fast as I could to the top, but that would have taken the fun out of watching the others slip and stumble every few times. I'm cruel, I know.

I'm all for postcard-ish views and breathtaking scenery, and Maculot's view of the sunset over Taal Volcano was supposed to be one of the best. So I was particulary looking forward to witnessing that. We were just about right on time for the sunset when we got to the campsite just before 6PM (The veteran climbers in our group had gotten to the site in 2 hours, so the had all set up camp and everything). I was ready to shoot photos, after setting up our tent, of course. That took another half hour, and as soon as we were done, the sun promptly disappeared below the horizon, headed off to service the other side of the world. I had missed the sunset. I had picked the worst time to be macho and pitch a tent.

Dinner was an interesting subplot in the adventure. I finally got to the 'roughing it' part of the trip. I found all the tiny cooking stoves and pots and pans amusing. It was like he had brought an entire kitchen with us. Even dinner was mainstream, we had beef steak. I half-thought that were were just going to be eating leaves and berries or tree bark or whatever.

The roughest part was the sleeping. Our tent area was uneven, and the sleeping back saw no point in hiding the rocks and plant stubs underneath. They just poked right through. Sleeping was literally a pain. Plus the weather up there made it all the more impossible. The wind was howling fierce, that from inside the tent, it sounded like a storm was going on outside. I was worried we were going to get blown off the face of the mountain.

But I enjoyed every minute of it. It was different.

The whole essence of 'roughing it' is supposed to be anything you do during your normal, almost boring life, except you take it into a jungle, a mountain, a warzone, or a desert, anywhere, where there aren't toilets or a McDonald's or movie theaters or the Internet. It's where you go to sleep where there's space to tuck your tent or sleeping bag into, where you take a dump anywhere there are waist-high shrubs or thick enough tree trunks you can hide behind. (I kept that last part to a minimum, however, by drinking enough Loperamide to not make me go potty for 10 years.) Yes, it sounds disgusting, but the caveman inherent in all of us finds this both exciting and necessary.

Stories I Need To Tell

2006-04-02T19:29:00.000+08:00

I have not written anything in two weeks, mostly because I've been too tired. Jetlag, lack of sleep, too much work, and every time I got the notion to write, I actually didn't want to.

Oh, the excuses I come up with when I'm too lazy to write.

So I'll just get right on to telling everything that has happened in the last two weeks.

March 27. My return flight to Manila. I had been bracing myself for the 16+hour flight back home. I tell you, subjecting people to sit in an airplane 37,000 feet in the air in economy class is as inhumane as the slave trade. Somebody should do a study of people sitting in first class and people sitting in coach, and be ho-hummed by the fact that none of the 1st class passengers get jetlagged. Why can't an entire international flight have better accomodations? Grumble mumble mumble. You know, I really like to travel, I just don't like sitting in airplanes for long periods.

March 29, 5:00 AM, PHT. Land! I can't help but get over the torture of a flight that was, because I am home again. I am far away from the killer cold of Northern America, and back to the hot and humid regions of Metro Manila. And how HOT it is! At 5 AM, I was expecting the air to be cooler, but of course I was wrong. I had a wet handkerchief after 5 minutes. I haven't worked up a sweat like that in 2 months. And that was just from walking out of the airplane down to the baggage claim area, a total of a hundred plus feet. Still I didn't care. I was on the ground and home. Nothing could beat the feeling. Nothing could ruin my day... except maybe someone stealing my luggage. And that thought drove me into a state of paranoia only privy to those who live out here. I got my bags as quickly as I could and left the terminal.

As soon as I stepped outside I place a phone call to Caren to let her know I was back. She had actually planned to surprise my by picking me up from the airport. So of course my happy day became happier, because she was the first person I got to see when I arrived.

March 30. Back to work. I couldn't believe it. We were supposed to have recovery leaves allocated so we can reset our messed up body clocks from all that travel accross different timezones. But it couldn't be helped. We were needed, so we had to respond. Unfortunately for me, all the "we" I was thinking about actually was just "me" reporting back to work. Lem had actually gone home to CdO. So there I was, all groggy and not-entirely-myself, working double shifts across the weekend and into the current week until he could come back. Even right now I feel I haven't fully recovered. I still can't sleep longer than 3 hours and not wake up.

And I almost forgot to mention, I got promoted. So the week didn't turn out as bad as it did.

Last Days II

2006-03-21T20:46:00.000+08:00

Tuesday, 7:36 AM. I am just about ready to fall asleep on my feet. I've been here at the office since 8PM, manning the offshift operations with Lem. It was a relatively quiet, issue-free night. Only one issue being tossed back and forth between customer and client, with my company in between trying to hold this thing together. It still took up most of our time, but I'd rathered that it was one issue than a whole bushel of 'em. Count your blessings.

Apparently the attempt to do a perfect emulation of an existing sytem, never ends up perfect. And there's no way to find out about that until the day you roll it out into the world. It's like a newborn baby, you never know if it's got buck teeth or a double chin until it comes out and you see it for the first time. But then you realize that it's not a life-altering defect (depends on where you stand with buck teeth and double chins. I definitely have them off the facial-features-that-makes-one-cute category. Nothing against those quirks, I'm just more of a dimples kind of guy.). You live with it, or you take it to the family plastic surgeon for a little "tweaking."

It's like that at work now. There's a lot of things that we're seeing for the first time. We're fumbling along, albeit nicely, and we're still in control. I could do without the added stress, but it's nothing that I can handle. Good times.

Last Days

2006-03-21T10:01:00.000+08:00

Monday, 9:47 PM. Two more nights, 3 more days. Then I will be (un)officially on leave. I will be heading out to San Fransisco and spend a few days with my parents, before I finally go back to Manila.

I finally received my retooled itinerary. I had to contact the travel agency to have my return trip fixed because of all the changes in my schedule. I'm gonna be hopping on planes once again, my least favorite part of travel. Imagine sitting in a plane 30,000 feet from the ground for 24 hours. Wicked sick. Now if only I were in 1st class, I'd shut up and won't be complaining as much.

I can't wait to get home. I can wait to go to the beach and just bum out. I can't wait to go back to the gym and burn off all the pizza I have consumed for the last two months. All 13 slices of 'em. Pepperoni. Mmmmmm.

Sticking it to the Man

2006-03-17T12:10:00.000+08:00

How many employees get to hang out with the president of their company? Eleven.

That was how many we were anyway, as we hung out with our president and his wife. We were treated to dinner and wine in a little Greek restaurent in Rockville, my first time to eat Greek food. I had Chilean sea bass (recommended by the waiter who kept calling me "dude" and kept pronouncing it "doooood" like he was on something.) After dinnger they took us to their home for coffee and dessert and, get this, laughs. Now how many people can say that they've joked around with their company president, while he and his wife served them cake and coffee?

It was a very interesting night, I'll tell you that.

I'm lucky to have worked for a bigwig who is very down-to-earth and stayed as closed to the small guy all the time. He listened to us, he laughed and ate with us, he even gave us a tour of his nice house. (Cool game room, by the way. Any game room that has a foozeball table will always be categorized as cool in my list. I'll get one of those when I become president. You just wait.)

His wife was also very warm and accomodating. She was genuinely interested in us Filipinos and our culture. She never stopped asking questions. Ever since we got seated at the restaurant until we were sipping tea in their kitchen at home, she asked a lot of questions, like she had a whole bunch ready, scribbled on some piece of napkin she'd steal glances at when the last one gets answered. Too bad I was with a quiet bunch, and I was doing most of the talking. I attempted jokes, tried to be witty, tried to laugh at the right time. Hopefully I'll still have my job tomorrow.

The most interesting part of the evening was the house tour. They have a very very nice house (did I mention the game room?), though they live by themselves, unfortunately without the blessing of children. Well, Mr. President, in behalf of my silent friends huddled together in the corner of the room, we would like to thank you for your confidence in the Manila office. We thank you for the opportunity to get to know you out of work. I mean, come on, if you'd had approached me at work, I'd have tinkled all over myself. There can be no one more intimidating than the Man. But tonight was a nice gesture, and we appreciate it.

And you let me sit in your chair. The kind they probably only sell to presidents of companies or to famous people, or rich people with bad backs. You are the man. Now I know what I wanna be when I grow up, er... grow older. I wanna be president. Then I'll sign papers, hire and fire people, treat my employees to lunch everyday, and sit in my expesive chair. And I will have a foozeball table in my office. I will be cooler than you.

If you noticed that I mentioned that I "worked" for the Man, in the past tense. That's because it's his last day today. He's moving to a different company. So we appreciate the gesture and the good wine even more. I hope my order was expensive enough to make you at least blink and say I have good taste. Just let it be. It was your treat, and you can afford it.

Seriously, good luck. And thank you.

After 10,000 years

2006-03-15T13:02:00.000+08:00

...I finally moved in to my assigned cubicle! Actually, it was more like 3 weeks before my cube was finally made ready for human settlement. Before that I had been occupying an empty cube in the middle of a dozen others. In the wrong side of the office. Away from the people I was supposed to be working with. All because the Admin guys couldn't find a decent chair, and took too long installing the phone that I needed. Well, this afternoon after I came back from lunch, my phone was hooked up, and I stole somebody's chair from what was at first glance an empty cube. No absent-minded or distracted co-worker fell to the floor during the theft.

Now I have less than 2 weeks to enjoy my new office territory, or what Miki the secretary referred to as "settling in." (Thanks Miki for finally working up the courage, or satisfying your curiosity, whichever it was, and finally taking notice of a Filipino guy sticking out of that weird crowd, you finally got me moved. You may have saved my career.)

The only problem I have with my niche is that it's right by the door that leads outside to the inner balcony overlooking the lobby. So foot traffic is expectedly heavy all the time, people walk in and out every minute or so. My desk is against the cube wall opposite the door, so anybody stepping in and looking my way will no doubt see how much of a slacker I have been. I mean, I can't pretend to work all the time, can I? I am suddenly subjected to attentive passersby, some of whom are my bosses and can get rid of me like a booger. Looks like my office reading sessions of Highfiber and Sports Guy are to be shelved for now. It's gonna be all hard work from now on. I'm too lazy to pretend and too motivated to let it all go to waste.

But at least I got the cube.

On to other news, after another 10,000 years (or less than 2 weeks from now), I will be heading back home to Manila! Yippee! We are scheduled (on paper) to leave for home next weekend. Lem will be taking that route, I, on the other hand, will be on a plane to San Fransisco to visit my parents for a few days. All expenses paid, of course. By me. I'll be heading back to Manila on Monday, which I've been excited about ever since I left from there. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for travel and visiting places you've never been before. This just kinda overwhelmed me a bit. I find that good because I have finally gotten that first trip out of the country down, so the next few should be more enjoyable, and hopefully, NOT work-related.

I've heard that school is out now. Summer vacation. I wish we had that for work too. 2 months of doing nothing. Probably unrealistic and improbable, but I am young and still drag around high school and college baggage, er, memories, so I beg to dream about stuff like this once in a while. Have a happy summer vacation, young readers under 21. Don't smoke and drink moderately, be safe and responsible.

More news and senseless stories after a few thousand more years (2 or 3 days, more or less. I wish.)

Big fat mess

2006-03-09T04:11:00.000+08:00

Grass is the same everywhere. It's green, cows it eat, and turns brown during the summer. It's all the same. You know why I suddenly hate grass? Coz there's so much of it here. It makes me think of the Philippines, and it makes me feel homesick.

Now that I've got that out of the way...

Less than 3 weeks to go. This training thing isn't going as I'd hoped. More than a month of mostly doing the same things I can do in Manila. I think we are undertrained, if there ever is such a word. I don't know whose fault it is. It can't be the project leader's, she dropped off before we even got here because she had to go on maternal leave. Probably not our manager's, who just jumped at the idea to get me and Lem up here so they could tie us down with a metal ball and chain and we get to never leave GXS for as long as we live.

Whose fault is it?

Not mine. I don't care. I welcomed the training-slash-vacation, welcomed the temporart change in environment. I don't care. I'm getting paid to be here. In fact, I signed that damned contract. The we-send-you-to-America-you-our-bitch-forever contract. Oh snap.

Actually, forever translates into two years. And I'm still going to be 3 years from 30 by then. I'd say it's not a bad deal. I just hope I'm not in the same position I'm currently in now -- ass in the air.

Urly, looks like I've learned a few things from reading your blog.

See, the reason I'm ranting is that after all the time we've been here, we've only been utilized for the project for, oh, I'd say about 4 days. Out of 35. I can shoot a better percentage than that at basketball. Our short Tampa trip netted us about a couple of those days for training. While the rest are little patches of documentation, short meetings, crisis calls, and real issues, all of which we had to kinda put together by ourselves.

I kinda like challenges, so again, I don't care.

Attention Rona

2006-03-03T05:58:00.000+08:00

I have some pictures for you. *Evil Laugh*

What's Going On???

2006-03-03T04:58:00.000+08:00

A lot of my friends' blogs bordering towards inactivity lately. Posting either once every 2 weeks, or barely once a month at all. One even went on a 'blog leave.' Hmmmm. I smell a conspiracy. The are being given more tasks that they can barely blog anymore! Or school is becoming such a pain that blogging now takes a backseat to studies?!?! More time with the wife and kids? Are you kidding?? What is this world coming to???

I'm sorry. This onshore assignment drives me nuts sometimes.

I'll find something else to read for the meantime. Maybe a real book. Haven't seen one of those in a while.

Mang Jose: The Adventures Continue

2006-02-28T09:25:00.000+08:00

I am back again in Gaithersburg, after having spent 11 days in Tampa Bay for some more work (while actually working only 5 of those days.). I had a bit of fun down in Florida, visiting Orlando on succeeding weekends, exploring Universal Studios and Sea World and Downtown Disney. It was a cheap trip, as me and my buddy Lem just skirted around the shops, restaurants, and other attractions outside the main theme parks. We just wanted to see how these places looked. There is a relative lack of amusement parks in the Philippines, well, a luxury we don't probably need.

We at least were able to get into Seaworld. Very nice place, nice collection of animals (the coolest, of course being, the sharks. Too bad there wasn't a Great White around.) And of course, Kraken, the parks other attraction (aside from Shamu). Pretty cool rollercoaster ride, the best I've been on, and I've only been on two. (Sorry Enchanted Kingdom Space Shuttle. I moved on to better things.)

The Florida experience was a nice little diversion from work. Living alone in a hotel room, out of a suitcase, takes a little bit more effort. It's hard living out of your comfort zone. It's hard knowing you're far from loved ones. But I can't discount the fact that I am here in the United States, with the oppurtunity to make a difference, and not everyone gets the chance that I've been given/ So I'm living this out, and I'm thankful for the oppurtunity.

The adventures aren't over yet. More pictures. More shtuff soon.

The Adventures of Mang Jose - DC Episode

2006-02-18T02:32:00.000+08:00

Mang Jose goes to DC.

I already posted an entry on my trip to DC. These are some of the pictures that were taken. There are some more on my Flickr page.

I haven't had time to blog because of, oh I don't know, work?

At the Lincoln Memorial. I loved reading the Emancipation Proclamation carved out on the wall. I never thought visiting historical places was cool. There's a lot to admire about the place. The size and the architecture are amazing.

The first thing I thought about (the voice in my head took to a Southern accent) was "Forrest Gump was here."

This was my most favorite place to visit on my tour in Washington. You can find this right at the Vietnam War Memorial, the message is sadly true and simple that it's too hard to ignore. More than a 100,000 people died (at least 47,000 US soldiers) because of the Vietnam War. Freedom is not free. Think about that.

Candid moment near the Long Pointy Object. (I've been referring to the Washington Monument as that since I visited it.)

Mang Jose takes on the dreaded, er, Ninja. I had to stop in mid-air while Lem took the photo.

More adventures to come.

10 Ways Dick Cheney Can Kill You

2006-02-15T04:12:00.000+08:00

I dunno if you've been watching the news lately, but US Vice Prez Dick Cheney is all over it after he accidentaly shot his friend in the face while they were quail hunting last Saturday.

Of course, when every person in America with a wicked sense of humor jumped in and, well, as we so mildly put in Filipino -- ginawang pulutan.

American humor can be so brutal. But that's what I love about this country. Almost no censorship.

70 Virgins

2006-02-11T03:42:00.000+08:00

A lot of stuff happening down in the Middle East and in some parts of the world (9/11, The London Bombings, all the suicide bombings, car bombings, blah blah explosive stuff boom boom yada yada - or in a more political term, "radical behavior," are because of 70 virgins (Or in the words of a real terrorist, 'deflower 70 houris,' whose virginities, if there ever is such a word, is renewed when they deflower the 70th houri. Wicked sick!). You don't know them? They're the ones waiting for you in your own personal paradise if you agree to being strapped with 20 pounds of TNT all over your body, walk on a crowded street, and wait for the explosion that while scatter you along with hundreds of innocent people all over the pavement.

I just read this article about how these suicide bombers are convinced to take the last walk they'll ever take. 70 virgins waiting for you. Wow. Probably one of the last things these suicide bombers think of is "Wait, I hope some of my body parts still work when this is all over and I get to meet my 70 hot babes." It just shows you how so many people lack education, self-eestem, and common sense. It also shows you how vehemently evil others are. It also shows you how so many governments are screwed up right now that they cannot protect their own people from themselves. It is the most misguided shit I have ever heard of. You can drive a man to be so poor or so jaded or so sex-crazed, sooner or later he's going to walk into a mall and unload a whole clip on anything that moves. Really a waste of lives, and bullets.

I'd really like to break this down though. I mean, I know that many religions offer paradise in the afterlife that often transcends the physical plane. But isn't it plain obvious that what drives a person to want to spend afterlife with a multitude of ladies who submit to your whim is sexually driven? That drive doesn't transcend the physical plane, it in fact embodies it. What if the afterlife has a shortage of virgins? What if there's a shortage of Women? What if there was no afterlife? What if you didn't die in your attempt? You, the suicide bomber, might painfully go to jail at the literal cost of an arm and a leg and who knows what other body part you lost due to your stupidity

Some notes taken from the article --

The Judeo-Christian paradise is spiritual (recall Dante), fleshless, and certainly asexual. On the contrary, Adam and Eve were banished from it; you know what for. Voluntary celibacy was widespread even in earthly Christian life — the celibacy of monks, nuns, and Roman Catholic priests. The Islamic paradise offers in mind-boggling abundance what the poor do not have in their earthly life:

# Wealth, such as precious stones and other items of luxury,

# Water in springs, fountains, and swimming pools (there was a dearth of water in Arabia).

# Wine in “rivers of wine,” “delicious to those who drink it.” Yet “it will neither dull their senses nor befuddle them” (Koran 37:40-48).

# Fruits. This is another dream-in-an-Arabian-desert of the Islamic poor in their earthly life.

# The deflowering of houris, beautiful virgins. This is in response to the kind of poverty — mass sexual starvation — that does not exist in Christendom with its monogamy: one husband – one wife. The Islamic rich can have up to four wives. Hence the poor often have none. Imagine the resulting male sexual starvation and the maniacal vision of the deflowering of houris — a kind of eternal bridal night.

It all boils down to poverty and the pursuit of happiness, taking the chase to the afterlife instead. If you're extremely hungry, go get something to eat. If you're sexually hungry, don't go loading your pockets with dynamite and walking into malls to blow yourself and others up.

I've taken this (hopefully unbiased) stance because of the current debate going in one of the mailing lists I subscribe to. My friends on the list all have valid points, and we all have Muslim friends of our own. This post is not an attack on Islam. It's just unfortunate that many terrorists are using Islam the wrong way to further their cause. This is, however, against the violent path one chooses to take to further himself for a promise. And in this case, a promise of 70 virgins. It's just so wrong. Through whatever religion you look at it.

DC

2006-02-06T21:07:00.000+08:00

It has been one full week since I left Manila and headed over here to Gaithersburg, Maryland to do some work at our main office. Those seven days were a blur, as I tried to let the whole experience of traveling to another country (particularly America!) sink in, I couldn't find the time to fit everything I wanted to help enrich my experience. Plus the fact that I don't have my Philippine driver's license with me and that we only have one car (there are 3 of us). It kinda ties you down.

A few nights during the weekdays, and finally over the weekend, I (or we) finally found the time to act like tourists. With cameras in hand and ignorant appetites for the sights and sounds of the US, we headed for the tourist spots. On Saturday we visited Udway-Hazey Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, which was interesting at the least. Displays ranged from old World War II planes, missiles, stuff on aviation history, and Space Shuttle Enterprise (which wasn't really used in space).

Sunday saw us headed for Washington D.C., with the weather finally relenting a bit, calling off the rain. We found ourselves visiting Lincoln Memorial, which was the most significant site that I ever found myself visiting. Here's the guy who fought for the belief that all men are free and abolished slavery in the United States. I found myself trying to soak up the significance of what Abe Lincoln did. It was a great experience by itself. We also visited other significant sites -- The Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, and the Washington Monument. The wind was blowing something fierce, and it was too cold to continue on to the other sites in the area. We had a quick 4pm lunch on hotdogs and egg rolls and called it a day.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), my Sunday wasn't over. I, B2, and Lem headed over to our friend Corey's house to watch the Super Bowl. I was quite psyched to be taking part of one of the great American traditions -- watching the game with friends while drinking beer. The Pittsburgh-Seattle game wasn't a pretty one, but it was good enough to keep me awake (I was pretty tired after our long field trip downtown). Pittsburgh won (yeah!), and we finally (finally!) called it a night. I slept in the car on the way home.

More adventures to come.

Uncyclopedia

2006-02-02T23:51:00.000+08:00

Take that Wikipedia! Here's a more colorful way to get information. Uncyclopedia puts salt on the bland facts of life. This definitely beats looking at an encyclopedia and the anemic pictures stuck in between the entries. I get a kick reading stuff on here, as the facts are actually still in the articles, they're given a different spin.

(check out this entry on Japan --

'Japan's currency is called Hentai, and is one of the most valuable currencies around the world. Tokyo's main exports are anime, Lolicon, Hello Kitty, Dancing Furby, Pokémon and little "Made in Japan" stickers. Also, they make computers and stuff. The Japanese economy has suffered a stock market crash recently due to lousy American dubbing infiltrating their pure product. Japan is also known for the development of Methamphetamine in the early 1900s, and in recent years Metal Gear Ac!d™ and Lumines. However, Japan has recently rebounded due to their ability to harness their monsters, and have begun to export other products including Gamera, Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzirra, in local dialects), and imitation Mothra.'

So if you're looking for "un"formation, this is the place to get it all.

Make it a part of your daily reading and you'll never be bored, or boring, again.

A Happy Ending

2006-02-01T05:05:00.000+08:00

One of the blogs that I religiously followed since I started this whole blogging thing is this blog by Jeff. It's a well-written story about a guy in love with a girl (frankly, it seems that all stories start with somebody being in love with somebody, but I digress.) Anyway, Jeff chronicles his rants, misgivings, and broken-hearted, angst-driven stories about how Marga (the girl in his story) pisses him off every day, and he can't do anything about it because they're not a couple. He's just a "Kuya" figure. So he updates his blog with all these adventures which has the makings of a Hollywood movie. I've been told that a book and a script are in the works right now.

And so the story, or more specifically, the blog, has come to the end of its purpose. After all the gut-wrenching, tear-inducing stories, someone has finally slapped Marga in the face to and made her realize that Jeff was just waiting in the wings like a real gentleman, not taking advantage of his "Kuya" status, and has decided that she loves him too. Awwwww. Very cute. They are now finally a couple.

So after a looooong wait by his blog fans, all the hair-pulling and nail-biting can be laid to rest. The couple themselves have posted a single he-said she-said entry that explains the whole fiasco. Pretty cute knowing that Jeff showed Marga the blog that was brought to life because of their story. And thus I find it very fitting that they ended it together.

So I want to say thank you to Jeff for a, uhm, entertaining, blog experience. YOu should win some blog award or something. Even if you are a complete and utter stranger. Good luck to ya and to Marga.

---

And yet another happy ending. Good to see some of those stories still end that way.

Cool Blogs

2006-01-25T04:40:00.000+08:00

Millions of blogs.
Thousands of nominees.
151 finalists.
Thirty winners.

Bloggies 2006 is on, and the votes are in on the best blogs of the previous year. I'm making a point to visit all the blogs nominated, see what gets people to read them. I'd say I've only been to 5 percent of the blogs nominated (I'm a regular feeder off Engadget and BoingBoing), and I've never visited the personal blogs nominated. They seem interesting enough. And they seem to have fully transcended blogging as a medium for mass communication rather than a closed circle for private pleasures only. Got something to say? Blog it.

And if after you've examined the list, I'm sure you've wondered "Where are the Filipino blogs?" Well, they aren't on that list. They blog awards seems based on nominations, and I don't think this isn't a too known award-giving body yet. If you want to carry on the pursuit of Pinoy glory (a la Manny Pacquiao) in the world of blogs, then check out the Pinoy winners here.

Poop stories

2006-01-24T01:24:00.000+08:00

I have been holding off posting here due to several reasons:

I've been contemplating moving to a new blog, or at least updating the design. I've always thought that the title to this present one sounded a bit too cheeseball. And though it conveys how I think and feel at times, well, I don't know what else. The title just sounds too corny.

I've been busy running around the city preparing for my trip which is this weekend (already!). I'm being sent to our main office in the US for some made up training. I say made up because I think they're sending me (and a fellow worker) so that they'll have a reason to tie me up with a contract. Which they did. Which I signed anyway. But just like in everything else, I refuse to dwell on the negative. Think of it this way, I have job security for the next two years. Now if I can only get that promotion...

I've suddenly had renewed my addiction to gaming, as I've been alternating playing Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and DotA. I've been looking for added ways to destress lately, and hearing my inner demons breathe collective sighs of relief after all my frustrations are vented out on the games.

And that's it. So hear I am again, sitting for the last 40 minutes trying to think of what to say next. What should I write? Manny Pacquiao demolishing Erik Morales like it was a mismatch? Kobe scoring 81 points in a game (ho-hum... *yawn*)? The Philippine budget deficit narrowing? Our neighbor's dog pooped on our front step yet again? What's the similarity between these topics? They're all good news, but they were expected. Except for the dog-pooping. So I'm happy for Manny and the Philippines and happy for Kobe and my Lakers, and hysterically laughing because my landlord will be breathing expletives again once he starts cleaning up the stuff the dog happily leaves for him everyday. I caught the dog doing it once, and I swear it was wagging its tail and smiling like he feels that my landlord appreciates what he does.

Incessant rambling.

I have to stop now because I am now telling stories about poop, and that's not always a good sign. They say all topics and conversations lead there anyway, so I'm gonna stop right here since it looks like I've accomplished that.

By the way, thanks Nina for reminding me that I had a blog to update. I know I have the power to write or rewrite anything here, but I'll stick with the poop stories. In order for us not to get grossed out, let's just pretend that this was a scientific study, something for the good of mankind.

Later.

This Year's List

2006-01-10T05:19:00.000+08:00

I purposely held off making any resolutions at the start of the new year for fear that I might make my decisions in haste. I don't want to be the next person to so boldly declare to go to the gym more often, only to find myself buying a copy of my next favorite video game and develop a new passion for potato chips and soda, and becoming a couch potato and gain 200 pounds overnight. Not this year. These are to be tests of resolve, discipline, honesty, faith, trust. This year, I take my resolutions seriously.

So now I start my list a week into 2006.

LOSE WEIGHT. By a thin man's standards, I am now a lard of fat. At 160 pounds, I am overweight. By ALMOST 20 POUNDS. Every day my back aches from the extra weight and my shin bones always feel raw from supporting this, er, "bloated" body (I am still thin enough to fit two of me through doorways). Brrrr. My regular diet of burgers and fries is rearing its ugly head in the form of extra baggage at the sides of my belly. Bilbil, man. Bilbil. I not only suffer aesthetically, health has become a serious issue too. I recently had a nasty cold that kept me out of work for 2 days (good thing it started during my vacation -- if you can even call that a good thing.), I keep having headaches and I'm always sleepy which I think is the direct result of my unhealthy lifestyle. I take vitamins and drink fruit juices and try to get all the sun that I can, I still need a drastic change by laying off the grease. And it goes without saying that my second resolution is directly related to this one.

VISIT THE GYM AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. If it were possible to just stick a flaming torch to my side and burn all the fat away, I would. It seems that the healthier, and more fun way to achieve this goal is to work out (unfortunately this also requires a LOT more discipline.) with an honest-to-goodness, no-nonsense program/regimen. I religiously play basketball and badminton on the weekends, but they are not the total development and tone-down workouts that I need. In fact, if I can fit swimming in my schedule at least once a week, I would be on my way. I don't want bulging biceps, 6-pack abs, or firm buttocks. I just want a fit and trim physique I can confidently walk around with without trying to suck my stomach in every few seconds. My only problem is that my gym is a bit off my home-office route, but I guess that makes it the perfect gym to go to. By conditioning my mind to go out of my way to visit the gym, I instill discipline. Now for motivation, do you think I should put up an Arnold Schwarzenegger pin-up in my room? Too hardcore, I know. Probably also wouldn't sit well with my roommates.

SAVE MONEY for cripes sakes! You're not getting any younger; you're also not getting any richer. You don't have an inheritance, not a single square foot of land to stand on, no rice fields or orchards to grow old on or apples to munch on till your teeth rot and fall out. All you have are the clothes on your back and the few moths in your wallet. Grow up and get a life, a real one. Be more responsible and realize that there's a future to prepare for (though I've heard that this is one of the worst ways to die -- preparing for the future. Another would be while sitting down on the toilet reading a gentleman's magazine). Seriously, I have so many plans that are on hold right now because of a below-sea-level savings account. Right now I am making the effort on scrimping and saving. First, I set a target amount I wanted to save at the end of the year. Then I realized that it was a bit of a tall order, and since this is a first-time resolution (can you believe that??? I haven't even saved money before), I decided to set a target amount for 6 months and then go from there. Seems a bit more manageable.

That actually is the end of my list.

A pretty short one this year, but a lot more worthwhile, significant, and life-changing. I've decided to take things seriously this year, doing away with 'Eat less junk food' or 'Wear a different pair of socks for every day of each month' resolutions that just end up being scrapped in the first place. I mean, these things require NO or little resolve in accomplishing.

resolution - 1.resolving of something
the resolution of a difficulty.
2.decision
a firm decision to do something.

These probably sum it all up.

Inside the top drawer of my file cabinet at work, there is a Post-it note stuck to the side with the following question written down -- "What should I do with my life?" It is an everyday testament to the uncertainty this life treads that I acknowledge each day. Every time I open my drawer I see that Post-it note (I resisted the temptation of sticking it to the ceiling above my bed so I can see it every time I wake up. I think that's a bit too extreme.) I mentioned this bit of weakness so that I can acknowledge that at last I am making something of my life, 3 New Year’s resolutions at a time.

Homecoming

2006-01-04T22:50:00.000+08:00

I completed 2005 spending time with friends and family, thus making the year fulfilling and more satisfying. It was like therapy, relieving me of the pressures of work and life in Manila. And it was also like a week-long nightly vigil (I barely slept), parties everywhere, reunions and get-togethers with almost everyone I know. And it's always good to come home to Cagayan de Oro once in a while. I'm happy to know that I will always have friends here, and that there is always a place to go home to.

The parties and get-togethers were fun and tiring. It's amazing how I can go on 19-hour days of activities sleep the 5 hours left to regain more strength and party the next day. Unfortunately I am paying for the lifestyle I embraced while in CDO -- for I am currently suffering from a very sore throat and colds.

It was great talking with friends again, catching up with each other's lives. And as usual, the topics of discussion are so amusing. Who's gayer? Who has kids? Who's seeing whom? Who's fatter and thinner? Who's working out? Who has kids? Who's married? Personally, I think every person (more notoriously, relatives) asked me if I was married or was getting married anytime soon. I usually dismiss each question with a perplexing look and a snort (maybe a little flaring of the nostrils). It's uncanny and a bit unsettling. But I guess it comes with age. I am now 25, and so the person next to me finds himself granted with the power to assume that I am now ready to get married, that is, if I haven't taken the plunge yet. Oh well. It's not worth raving about. I just find it a bit funny and somehow humanizing (because sometimes I feel like a robot). But it's annoying at times because some get judgemental, especially now that most marriages are the cause of, er, unintended "events." Baptism before marriage familiar? Quite so.

I am also glad I was able to spend time with my sisters. It makes me feel so proud now that they're living independently, taking care of the the expense, managing the household, all while studying and completing their Nursing degrees (they're pretty good at it, too.). I know they've worked so hard on their studies, sometimes staying up in the wee hours of the morning to study and do ward duty in the hospitals around Mindanao. I am proud that they've grown up so fast, and also grown so thin in the process. I hope to treat them to a vacation when they're done with their studies so they can replenish they're strength. Guys, don't forget to eat something, and for gosh sakes, get some sleep. Study hard and play hard. I love my sisters.

To all the people I wasn't able to spend time with or didn't even see while I was there, I'm really sorry. It was a case of "so little time, so much to do." I literally was running to and from events, trying to accomodate everyone. Apologies apologies apologies. I will be home again sometime soon, and I will remember to see you. :)

Till next time, CDO.

Wakka wakka wakka

2005-12-22T04:57:00.000+08:00

This video was taken at the University of Michigan. Two students dress up as Pac-Man and The Ghost (his nemesis, in case the name doesn't register). Pacman screams in horror as The Ghost chases him yelling "Wakka wakka wakka." Just Hilarious.

Okay now here's something that was sadly lacking at my college. People dressing up as video game characters and chasing each other around campus. This was something that was right up my and my group of friends' alley. Huge laugh trip for us and for the whole school. Probably get us suspended too, knowing our school president. Ah the price of fame.

Have a looksee.
Video Link