Doodki's WhereAbouts

Asterisks

2008-09-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here's an anecdote from my high school days:

A classmate of mine was having a science report. I was seated 3 rows from the board. Our teacher was seated at the back to check on those who are not listening. As my classmate went on about her report, she scribbled phrases of words of the board, line by line. She was interrupted by my teacher on the middle of her long report. My teacher said, "Could you emphasize what you have written on the board?" My classmate then said, "What do you mean?" "Can you but bullets on what you have written on the board?" Then she looked at me and whispered, "I don't have an idea what am I supposed to do." I said, "Just put asterisks before each line of the phrases you've written in the board."

Then she said, "How do you spell it?"

:)

Why I like The Dark Night

2008-07-29T04:44:00.000-07:00

I received a text message from a friend asking me how I find The Dark Knight (TDK). He knows I love watching movies and likes my points on what is missing and what works.

I replied, " The best. 5 out of 5".

Then he asked again, "Is it better than Batman Begins?."

"Yes. Way much better."

Then he said, "I don't like Batman Begins because it is too serious."

I said, "My only problem with Batman Begins is the action sequence. It gave me headache."

"I hope TDK is not too serious."

I said, "You will be surprised. It's definitely serious, I think you have been duped by Schumacher, you like it cartoony, and liked the Batsuit nipples."

"Hahaha."

--- END ---

It was Saturday when I watched TDK, I just woke up, no bath yet, cause I planned to watch the movie on its first showing at 10am. (The movie house is just around the corner). I usually rate a movie by how many times I go to the bathroom to pee. When I watched TDK, I never went to the bathroom for a second or even felt the need to.

Comic book movies has gone a long way, Iron was humanized, it was given a human treatment, like what if they really happen in the real world. TDK also has this idea, the acts are all about the now. The Joker is a maniac, like a terrorist and Harvey "Two Face" Dent is a charismatic public servant who would like to clean up Gotham. Bruce Wayne wants to get out of the costume, and supports Dent, so he could live a normal life. Also, this time around, all the characters have enough screen time to shine. Maggie, as the new Rachel Dawes, is a better replacement for Mrs. Tom Cruise.

It's not anymore the old colorful movie where kids get giddy at how beautiful the costumes of the villians are. This time, it was all about how human each characters are on the screen like we are living with a Batman somewhere and we are watching his biography. It is like watching Mayor Alfredo Lim-in-a-costume true-to-life story on screen.

I'm out!

Musing with Music

2008-07-23T04:40:00.000-07:00

I have to do something before I go to sleep so I was thinking of posting another blog for the sake of having something new. I've been listening to a lot of new album lately, and unfortunately no local artists here. What has been my favorite so far?

Jason Mraz - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
I was a fan of The Remedy and Geek in the Pink, but I had never listened to any of his album. Then an officemate of mine kept playing I'm Yours in the office for a gazillionth times that I was able to read the lines and found out how lovely it was written. Then I listened to his latest album, which is unexpected of Mraz. The songs from start to finish is very poetic and the melody is lovely. My favorites would be Details in the Fabric, which has the wonderful James Morrison as a guest, Love For A Child, which is about a life after maybe his parents' divorce, and Butterfly, which is a very very erotic and with a Marvin Gaye-vibe to it.

Alanis Morrissete - Flavors of Entanglement
I said to a friend of mine that Alanis makes beautiful music when she is heartbroken. The details are here in this album. You could almost here hear angry, lonely and happy. I always wonder how she makes a song out of those difficult sentences. This album also makes a very far distinction from her previous ones because there are fusions of electronica everywhere, and even a techno-inspired song. The words and the melody are good for the earbuds and made beautiful music.

N.E.R.D - Seeing Sounds
I not good with adjectives but the only word I can describe about this album is PERFECT! With catchy grooves and accompaniments, I can't help myself but dance to it. A perfect party music.

I'm going to sleep and I'm out!

Ciao!

Building Shadow with Prototype

2008-06-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

We have projects that we have to tweak with JavaScript to satisfy our customers' meticulousness on how their site will look. I'm not a fan of some site designs which rely heavily on how the site looks but not much on how the site works.

I was handed a project with a stupid design where I get to place shadows on almost all boxes on the page and not to use tables, for SEO's sakes. So I have a hard time figuring out what to do.

First, I cut the shadows to use on Photoshop by areas, top-left, top, top-right, left, right, bottom-left, bottom, and bottom-right, cause the image looks like this:

The width and the height of the content grows, so a slice on other than what I had in mind would be impossible.

Next, I was absorbing the ideas of Prototype framework and scriptaculous, so I decided to use it. For scriptaculous, I only made use of builder.js. To equalize the height of the left and right areas, I found the code somewhere which makes the heights of 2 divs equal.

So the code:

function buildShadow(itemarea) {
var objBody = itemarea.parentNode;

objBody.appendChild(Builder.node('div', [
Builder.node('div', {className:'stop'} , [
Builder.node('div', {className:'sleft'}) ,
Builder.node('div', {className:'sright'})]
),
Builder.node('div', {className:'sinner', id: itemarea.id+'sinner'} , [
Builder.node('div', {className:'sleft', id: itemarea.id+'sleft'}) ,
Builder.node('div', {className:'sright', id: itemarea.id+'sright'}),
Builder.node('div', {style:'overflow: hidden;', className:'detailsarea'}, [itemarea])
]
),
Builder.node('div', {className:'sbottom'} , [
Builder.node('div', {className:'sleft'}) ,
Builder.node('div', {className:'sright'})]
)
]));

fixH(itemarea.id, itemarea.id+'sleft');
x = $(itemarea.id+'sleft').style.height.replace("px", "");
$(itemarea.id+'sright').style.height = String(x) + "px";
}

function fixH(one,two) {
if (document.getElementById(one)) {
var lh=$(one).getHeight();
var rh=$(two).getHeight();
var nh = Math.max(lh, rh);
document.getElementById(one).style.height=nh+"px";
document.getElementById(two).style.height=nh+"px";
}
}

The css:

.stop{
height: 4px;
font-size: 2pt;
background: url('shadow_top.jpg') repeat-x top left;
}
.sleft {
height: 4px;
width: 4px;
background: url('shadow_top_left.jpg') no-repeat top right;
float:left;
}
.sright{
height: 4px;
width: 4px;
background: url('shadow_top_right.jpg') no-repeat top left;
float: right
}
.sinner {
width: auto;
font-size: 2pt;
background: white;
}
.sinner .sleft {
background: url('shadow_left.jpg') repeat-y top left;
height: 100%;
}
.sinner .sright {
background: url('shadow_right.jpg') repeat-y top right;
height: 100%;
}
.sbottom {
height: 4px;
font-size: 2pt;
background: url('ishadow_btm.jpg') repeat-x bottom left;
}
.sbottom .sleft {
background: url('shadow_btm_left.jpg') no-repeat bottom right;
}
.sbottom .sright {
background: url('shadow_btm_right.jpg') no-repeat bottom left;
}

To accomplish the shadow, I make a call to the function, passing the object(div) as parameter:

buildShadow($("divIDHere"));

Downloads:
prototype
scriptaculous

The Innocent Man

2008-06-20T03:20:00.000-07:00

Since I got hold of books by John Grisham, I have become attracted to legal thrillers. I have read countless of his books, except for his old ones like The Client, The Pelican Brief, etc. I started reading his books when my landlady hand me The Chamber. It was made into a movie but I wanted to read and know how good he is.

Fast forward, then came his first non-fiction book. When a friend of mine was in Manila, he told me that he was in Powerbooks and because he knows I read a lot of Grishams, informed me that The Innocent Man is out on paperback. I told him to buy me one, unfortunately, he doesn't have some extra cash. It was Midnight sale anyway in G-Mall so I decided to try my luck at NBS. Then I found the last 2 copies of the book. Without thinking of my budget, I bought it and hurriedly read it.

The element of thriller that are present in most of Grisham's book is still evident in the book. It was narrated in a manner that you will fell sorry for the protagonist and how he suffered the consequences of the crime he did not commit. The story then continued on his being misjudged and his life on death row. There are also religious aspects discussed on the book, on how Ron (that was his name) was denied by his church and decided to join another community. It all ended on the time of his death when he was diagnosed with liver disease.

It is a good read because you will get to realize that there are indeed injustices, not because of money or lack of it, but because people in power plays with it.

Kama Sutra for IT People

2008-05-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is rated GP (General Patronage)

Source: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ks-for-it-people

Enjuto Mojamuto

2008-05-21T03:47:00.000-07:00

This is one great Spanish cartoon, don't worry, it has a subtitle in English. Check it out

http://muchachadanui.rtve.es/videos/05-enjuto-en.html

Tinuy-an na pud!

2008-04-24T03:51:00.000-07:00

How beautiful!

The lower part of the falls.

The topmost area.

Looking down from the top.

Wala lng ko ma post!

Tedious Holidays

2008-03-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday - House cleaning in the morning, and go home in the afternoon. But when I arrived at the terminal, all the buses are full. So I went back home, left my bag in my room and watched "Weeds" episodes. This series is superb, from dialogues to plot twists and the laughter. Then I did some groceries because all stores will be close on Friday.

Friday - Since I wasn't able to go home, I cooked my first paella. I have been memorizing the recipe I got in the internet so when it was about time to cook, I tried to recall all that is on the recipe. A friend of mine paid me a visit in the afternoon. Evening came, I went to a friend's house because I was alone at home at stayed at their place until saturday.

Saturday - I woke up late and supposed to go home earlier. I was still at a friend's house and hurriedly went back to the apartment to get my things. I arrived at the terminal at 2pm, got on the bus and arrived at my most unlikable place on earth, my hometown. I don't like the place but my parents are here. In the evening, my father borrowed the trisikad of my brother so we could roam around the poblacion. Then got stuck at my cousins place. We ate balut, have a lot of catching up. Slept!

Sunday - Again I woke up late, and told my parents that we should get together at the beach. I hand out some cash to my father to buy some food for baon. When everything was settled, we went to the beach, with my cousins and pamangkins. At the beach, I only looked at the huge waves and dirty gulf. There must have been some landslide somewhere because there where lots of logs and leaves around the beach. We went home late in the afternoon with no one got wet.

Monday - I woke up early, had a cup of coffee and a cigarette. Prepared my things and headed for the terminal. Unfortunately, I came late in the office and with a news that my laptop is still unusable. Darn!

I'm out!

Something Technical: Using Tortoise on Visual Studio 2005

2008-03-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

When I transferred in this company, I asked around for the source control they are using. They were using

SVN and Tortoise. Well, I was glad that I was familiar with Tortoise, but using it for Visual Studio 2003?

I was used to Visual Sourcesafe 2005 (VSS). VSS works will for Visual Studio because the controls are on

the Visual Studio IDE already. When using Tortoise, I would have to open a separate window, for Explorer,

to Check-In, Update and Lock a file while the VSS Commands is already part of the Visual Studio IDE.

I searched the internet for solutions and found one that gave me a complicated instruction which I finally did able to accomplished. So I made another example of how to attain a command inside the Visual Studio IDE without having to open an Explorer to manipulate the source control:

Hope this will be easy for you:

1. Go to Tools->External Tool

2. Add The ff:
Title: Update
Command: C:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseProc.exe
Arguments: /command:update /path:"$(SolutionDir)" /notempfile

Title: Log
Command: C:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseProc.exe
Arguments: /command:log /path:"$(SolutionDir)" /notempfile

Title: Check for Modification
Command: C:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseProc.exe
Arguments: /command:repostatus /path:"$(SolutionDir)" /notempfile

Title: Lock
Command: C:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseProc.exe
Arguments: /command:lock /path:"$(SolutionDir)" /notempfile

Title: Revert
Command: C:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseProc.exe
Arguments: /command:update /path:"$(SolutionDir)" /notempfile

Title: Commit
Command: C:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin\TortoiseProc.exe
Arguments: /command:update /path:"$(SolutionDir)" /notempfile

3. Customize your toolbar by right clicking on any part of the toolbar.

4. Go to Toolbars Tab and Click New.

5. Name the toolbar as Tortoise.

6. Click on the Commands Tab and select Tools from the Category. (The commands added will be named as External Command N. If you cannot locate the commands you just added, you may close the Customize Dialog Box and count where the command was place then do the Customization again.)

7. Drag the Commands to the New Toolbar.

----Placing Icons

8. After all of the Commands are placed, click Rearrange Commands and select Toolbar. Select Tortoise from the dropdown menu.

9. Right click the first image below and select copy (use Firefox!). On the VS IDE, select the Control for Update, click

Modify Selection, then select Paste Button Image. You may need to edit the image if there are black spots.

(To edit, select Modify Selection -> Edit Button Image). Make sure that on the Modify Selection, the Default Style is selected. Do the placing of image for all controls.

10. That's it, open the copy of your project that is connected to SVN.

I'm out!

She's a Christian!

2008-02-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

Last saturday, my housemates and me watched 1 VS 100. Edu was about to introduce the next player when I had to go to the kitchen to get myself a glass of water. I heard one of my housemate exclaimed "She's a Christian!". My ears instantly stood up. I looked at the TV and saw Ms. Chin-chin Guttierez. Ok, so she is. Being a conscious being, I look at them and told them FYI that everyone in the Philippines is, except for Muslims, we are predominantly Christians.

Now I get what she meant, it's their way of saying that she is a Protestant. I can't understand why they label someone as Christian to identify the person as not Catholic? Do they mean that being Catholic is being not a Christian? Is this a kind of discrimination to Catholics?

I'm not sure but I'm out!

Why I Leave?

2008-02-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

I've been asked a number of times why do I have to leave my previous company. I am hoping no one assumes because the fact is that it's a professional reason. There has been a lot of changes in ex-company which affected every single detail of my work. From being not able to decide for the project to having a boss who asks questions which can be found in the report asked. I am maybe used to deciding thing for each project given to me but its a great deal for me for given such trust, and I know I haven't failed them. I done everything for the team, helped the staff to look for solutions to every complex requirements.

I was supposed to work for the Research and Development team but as time goes by, I became a team leader which is a not a step back from my older position. Things got a little bit dirtier when a new boss came to help out sort the problem. During this painful period, I did a lot of coding, a painful exercise for my brain, which is not what I supposed to be doing. The new boss asked for a report, and after sending the report to him, asked a question which is already in the report. It made my stay in the company worst.

After a month of reflections, I decided to resign. I couldn't handle the situation anymore. So here I am now in a new company, trying to find my way into the profession.

How long will I last?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

I'm Out!

The Beautiful Juno

2008-01-23T13:14:00.000-08:00

Juno, a comedy film about teenage pregnancy, stars Ellen Page (Hard Candy, X-Men 3) as a smart kid who deals with her pregnancy gracefully. Juno is a junior high school student, met a guy who's a runner, had sex and impregnated. So what's so funny about it?

Ellen Page's Juno is an acerbic wit, she's a cheerleader or a campus crush, she's just a simple girl who knows how to handle her problems. Every line she delivers is perfect, always hits the right spot. There is also Micheal Cera (Superbad) who's perfect for the role of Juno's boyfriend. She has a supporting parents who trusts her every decision. She once tried to abort the baby but couldn't handle it, so she decided to opt for adoption. She found the adoptive parents and loved them. In the end, Juno did the right thing.

The movie is funny in every part but there are moments that you get to feel sorry for the lead. But you will know that she is going to do what is best for her. The other actors, like Peter Parker's boss (I forgot his name) and Jennifer Garner act their part well. The soundtrack is also lovely, I keep playing Sonic Youth's Superstar (originally done by The Carpenters).

It's a great watch.

I'm out!

Brick

2008-01-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

She gave birth last April of 2007 to a not-so-healthy baby girl. The baby was delivered normally but has a heart problem, something about a blocked vessel, and no opening on her rectum. She and her partner consented to have the operations needed for the baby. They spent almost about half a million pesos. Luckily, her partner is wealthy and is eager to have a son or a daughter (he's married and her wife couldn't concieve, not sure either if they have separated) and gave all of his fortune for the baby. Currently, the baby is healthy. My cousin have two kids on her previous relationship and both are healthy and have no defects. So it must be the guy who has a genetic problem.

So why did she texted me? Apparently she remembered I told her about ECP. Emergency contraceptive pills is an available contraceptive pill is the US that will stop the conception three days after intercourse, if the woman knew she is fertile during the action. It's 3 days, not seven days, I told her. She asked me for alternatives, I said I have to ask a friend.

After texting a friend, I told my cousin about a contraceptive pill to be taken at an unusual dosage so that she will have a miscarriage. But before she do it, I told her to asked her ob-gyn if the pill will suit her. A couple of days later, she rang me and said that it didn't work. She and her partner have decided to go to the extreme and optioned for abortion.

I am pro-life and I'm against it but I'm also liberal and I don't want to control people. I told her about the risks and did not said a word about my being against it. It would be their decision, not mine. I told her to see her ob-gyn again if it won't risk her life.

A day has passed then she gave me a ring again and asked me where could she get abortion. I've texted a friend, my hands are uncontrollably shaking. I've forwarded the reply to my cousin and told her to take care of herself. She told me that they had she and her partner had decided to do it for they are not yet ready for another child. I kept thinking, it's a fetus not a baby (from watching too much of House). She said she will call me once her predicament is over.

I'm pro-life and anti-abortion advocate but I'm not in control of other people's lives. And I'm not a divine person either. The best that I can do is educate them and leave them to decide.

Am I right?

I'm out!

Brick

2008-01-22T18:29:00.000-08:00

A week ago I received a text message from a cousin of mine, she needed help. As an ever helpful cousin, I asked her what it is and she said her menstruation is delayed for 7 days. And she is scared, she should be.

She gave birth last April of 2007 to a not-so-healthy baby girl. The baby was delivered normally but has a heart problem, something about a blocked vessel, and no opening on her rectum. She and her partner consented to have the operations needed for the baby. They spent almost about half a million pesos. Luckily, her partner is wealthy and is eager to have a son or a daughter (he's married and her wife couldn't concieve, not sure either if they have separated) and gave all of his fortune for the baby. Currently, the baby is healthy. My cousin have two kids on her previous relationship and both are healthy and have no defects. So it must be the guy who has a genetic problem.

So why did she texted me? Apparently she remembered I told her about ECP. Emergency contraceptive pills is an available contraceptive pill is the US that will stop the conception three days after intercourse, if the woman knew she is fertile during the action. It's 3 days, not seven days, I told her. She asked me for alternatives, I said I have to ask a friend.

After texting a friend, I told my cousin about a contraceptive pill to be taken at an unusual dosage so that she will have a miscarriage. But before she do it, I told her to asked her ob-gyn if the pill will suit her. A couple of days later, she rang me and said that it didn't work. She and her partner have decided to go to the extreme and optioned for abortion.

I am pro-life and I'm against it but I'm also liberal and I don't want to control people. I told her about the risks and did not said a word about my being against it. It would be their decision, not mine. I told her to see her ob-gyn again if it won't risk her life.

A day has passed then she gave me a ring again and asked me where could she get abortion. I've texted a friend, my hands are uncontrollably shaking. I've forwarded the reply to my cousin and told her to take care of herself. She told me that they had she and her partner had decided to do it for they are not yet ready for another child. I kept thinking, it's a fetus not a baby (from watching too much of House). She said she will call me once her predicament is over.

I'm pro-life and anti-abortion advocate but I'm not in control of other people's lives. The best that I can do is educate them and leave them to decide. Am I right?

I'm out!

His Dark Materials Book III : The Amber Spyglass

2008-01-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

Lyra was abducted by her mother, Mrs. Coulter, to protect her from the Church. Mrs. Coulter found out that the Church was going to kill her daughter so as not to fulfill the witches' prophecy. Will found them and help Lyra escape, but when they are about to escape, the legions of the Church and of Lord Asriel also arrived and had a battle. Lord Asriel won but Will and Lyra escaped with Lord Asriel spies, the Gallivespians, small people the size of a hand.

The story covered the journey of Will and Lyra to the world of the dead, where Lyra wanted to seek his dear friend, Roger, who was killed by Lord Asriel on the first book. In the world of the dead, Lyra was separated, for the first time, with his daemon, and soon Will also found out that he also left his. The book describes the world of the dead as a place, like a ruined city, where harpies, some winged creatures, feed on peoples misery. It also noted that there was no heaven or hell. Soon, Will was able to help the dead people escape the city by making a window to another world. When the soul came out of the window, their soul dissipates into the air and join the atoms of the universe to be renewed, either as another human being or any matter.

The book ended with Will and Lyra found their lost daemons and the two of them fell in love with each other. There came a conflict when the witch Serafina Pekkala came with a news that the two of them should go back to their own worlds, they cannot live together for the stranger to the other world will not die young. A heart breaking scene ended it all with Lyra sending Will and Dr. Malone to their own world and with the gyptians, Lyra was back to her world.

Will also found out from the angel Balthamos that the subtle knife is the reason why the Specters existed. That everytime Will cuts a window, a Specter is brought to life. So Will taught the angel how to close all the windows and Will broke the knife.

This book is the reflection of what the beliefs of the author is all about. Through Dr. Malone's words, the author clearly points out his notion on the Church's role in the civilization and how the Church limits the free will of every individual. Also, the author points our the idea of heaven and hell, that they are invented to instill fear to keep everyone from sin.

I believe it is a good read!

I'm out!

His Dark Materials Book II: The Subtle Knife

2008-01-10T22:55:00.000-08:00

I would call The Golden Compass the softest of all three books. Soft in terms of handling the actual theme of the book. There was not much said on the book, it was more on the girl on a secret mission.

The end of the book, which was not shown on the film version, is about Lord Asriel having finally able to move to the different world. All three books deals talks a lot about parallel universe, that there are people and animals of different kinds on a world that may be like ours and are moving around but not touching each other. Not like the Jet Li movie the one, because it was about multiverse. Lord Asriel used Roger's daemon as his vessel to open the gateway to another universe. Lyra was left in her world.

The second book introduces a new main character by the name of Will, who lives on our world and who found a window to another world. In the other world, Will found out that the place was ruled by children because the those who are old where afraid of beings called Specters. The Specters are not visible to the children. The Specters consume human lives by sucking the soul or the consciousness of the person. Here in this world, the Subtle Knife was created. The bearer of the knife would be able to use the other side to cut any objects, and the other side could create a window to another world. Will was able to possess this and he became the bearer.

Another character was introduced, a scientist of our world named Mary Malone. Dr. Malone is an ex-nun who is researching on the scientific explanation of the human consciousness. She is believed to play a bigger part in the third book, which I am currently reading.

Here, the Church's role was vividly described and their plans were being laid out. They don't want anyone to know the real meaning behind their tradition.

Lord Asriel has built his army to fight the Authority, who was described on the book as not the Creator but rather an angel who assumes the role of the creator.

Will found his father, who was mentioned on the first book, but was later killed by a witch out of love. What a kind of love!

The book ends with Lyra being kidnapped by Mrs. Coulter, who was able to pass through different worlds and Will left with his dead father and able to figure out what the knife can do.

His Dark Materials Book I : The Golden Compass

2008-01-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

When I watched the movie, I liked it. If ever I have read the book before watching the movie, I would be disappointed.

An officemate of mine, you know who you are, lend me her book, the first of the trilogy. The European version is entitled The Northern Lights, which is the dancing golden light shown by Lord Asriel to the member of Jordan College. Although the alethiometer doesn't look like a common compass, I think it is a better description of it.

There are a lot of differences that I've read on the book than I've seen, really, a lot. They've made a huge change. Unlike the Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings films, where scenes not related to the main focus of the film were cut, but you could really tell that the movie is loyal to the book. The Golden Compass is not. The director said that he did so to stay away from the anti-organized religion theme but still, for me, it doesn't make sense. It was the main theme of the book, written in a fantasy genre. So to take that away means to create an entirely different kind of movie.

I would love to list down the differences but I won't. One review about the film I've read online said that after viewing, his son cried, not because the movie was touchy but the kid thinks that he was cheated.

I was cheated, I don't have to cry.

I'm out!

AI is back, and it's on QTV!

2008-01-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

The first episode of the 8th season of American Idol will be aired on January 16 at 6pm on QTV.

I'll be watching and looking for my favorite.

I'm out!

Christmases and New Years (part 2)

2008-01-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

The day before I've gone home for new year, I went to NCCC mall to have my gift certificate exchanged for the goods it is worth. It's a Fiesta Ham and the certificate was given to me by a high school classmate as a christmas gift. The supermarket was busy and the GC is only accepted on lane 12. So I went there after I got my Ham. The woman who's first in the line have 5 push carts full of items! I only have 2 items on my hands, a wine and the ham and I was the fifth.

After waiting for an hour, I decided to approach the cashier and asked her if the GC is acceptable on the other lanes. She took a look at the line and told me that it is ok. So I went to look for a fastest lane and fortunately found one. I should have ask the question earlier. Damn!

December 30, I rode a bus from davao at 4pm and arrived at around 7pm.

On the eve of new year's day, the place became a warzone. Firecrackers where everywhere. Our baby was all awake, wondering what the noise is all about. We shared a nice meal together and at around 1am, my brother and I decided to go to our cousin's place in the Bukid!

There, we spent the night drinking and merrying and went home at 5 in the morning.

I'm out!

Christmases and New Years

2008-01-03T01:29:00.001-08:00

Christmases and New Years are the only time of the year were I get to spent a lot of time with my family. I don't usually go home on Holy Week holidays.

This past Christmas was very special, we rebuilt our house and there was a new addition to our family, my sister's son, who was born last October. My father and my mother are used to be the only inhabitants of our home, since my sister gave birth, they are now accompanied with my sister and my sister's son. My mother was very eager to leave my aunt's house, which they stayed when the old house was destroyed, on the 24th of December. She wanted us to celebrate our Christmas on our new house. So glad we did, even if it haven't been furnished yet. I bought new Christmas lights and new wall clock. My brother and I painted the old furnitures to make it look new, washed the dirty dishes, and bought groceries for the Noche Buena.

to be continued...

The Golden Compass...

2007-12-14T00:11:00.001-08:00

I've read it's from a book written by a known atheist, Phillip Pullman, but i don't mind who is the author, I wanted a good story.

I'm a Potter fan and I have never heard of His Dark Materials trilogy before so watching the movie without having read the book means no expectations. So I just get inside the cinema and watched the entire show. The idea of a parallel universe is quite unique, the very idea of having a soul that is an animal is better. I wish I had one and I wanted it to be a tiger, just like Daniel Craig's. Although the idea of the story is very unique, the entire movie is somewhat rushed. Everything is put into the movie all at once and we left us no time to internalize the characters. I felt no connection to the character of Billy, who is supposed to be pitied upon, but I know nothing about him than just a friend of Lyra.

The actors were great, Nicole is effective and the Dakota is adorable. But the big names attached to the movie have less screen time than the space their names occupied on the posters.

The CGI is impressive and the battle of the bears is a history in the making for great movie scenes. Sir Ian's voice for Iorek is as powerful as the bear. Over all, the movie is an experience, a good journey to a new fantasy.

After seeing the movie, I am intrigue about the books so I'll get them one of these days. It's going to be another addiction.

"It's fiction, for God's sake!"

Part of your World!

2007-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hey guy!

Just saw this post on YouTube and enjoyed the voice.

Marco, you will envy him!

Ciao!

Apat Dapat?

2007-10-12T02:39:00.001-07:00

Wenn Deramas's comedies are known for great punchlines. Most punchlines are related to movies and pop culture. Stories are often just a backdrop, moviegoers do mind about the story but at times are more interested how the characters deliver their lines.

Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat is the latest offering from Deramas. Having delivered the box-office success to Ai-ai delas Alas's starer Tanging Ina, he again gave us another spin in comedy. The movie's theme is not laughable because most of us don't look at death as laughable. But Wenn's actors are in it to give the viewers something to laugh at. Eugene, Pokwang, Candy and Rufa Mae are good at delivering the punchlines. Problem tough is that the audio is not good and I was able to notice lines uttered like a whisper.

Some scenes are predictable, but still laughable. Eugene and Candy are more mature than the other two in terms of acting and delivery. Even in scenes that involves being dramatic, there are good in every department.

Some of the flaws, which are obvious in every Deramas' comedies, which I don't like, are the fast-forwards. I'm not sure it is necessary to tell a time is passing.

What I would love to see in Wenn's next project to have a comedy where people will laugh at the words being uttered and not on actors punching each other. That would be a movie to look forward to.

At least Wenn was able to persuade me to watch a local movie.

Ciao! I'm out!

When PREGNANCY is the subject...

2007-10-07T20:14:00.001-07:00

I got a phone call yesterday from a friend, a kababata, and I was surprised to hear her. We are not close friends but maybe because of the bond we had since we were kids she decided to call me. We talked much about our classmates and common friends we knew in Malita. Then I asked her what is she doing in Manila, she was surprised to know how did I knew she was there, duh! your using a landline! As the talking progressed, she asked me if I was already married, I said I'm not and no plans at all. I asked her back the same question, she said she doesn't have a boyfriend so that would be impossible. She said that it's ok for guys to not think about marriage or having a family because we don't have a deadline, girls do. We are both 27 and she said that bearing a child at 30 would be difficult. I guess that's what the Essence of Being a Woman is all about. :D

My brother's wife was 32 when she gave birth to their eldest son. Now, she is again pregnant at 33. I think when a lady wanted to settle down or have a bay, 30 would be a good age. It would help the population, the budget of the government would be lessen, the parents won't be having a problem sending their kids to school, everything would be happy.

As we continued our chat, I told her about our classmates who are either pregnant and married or just pregnant. She was happy for them, whatever their situations are. I told her to hire someone to get her pregnant so she won't have to deal with her dilemma. Menopause is a mile away from her.

So I told her to go back to our place because there are a lot of guys there who would love to get her pregnant.

Oi! I'm out!

What's up with these girls?

2007-09-14T04:52:00.001-07:00

These days, I've found myself falling in love with these girls' kind of music. They have different genre but they all sound good to my ears.

Lily Allen - Her upbeat music is very likeable.
Regina Specktor - A Fiona Apple-like music with rich lyrics.
Amy Winehouse - The British soul diva who has been hailed by critics for her sultry voice and no-nonsense lyrics. Her latest album tops the chart in UK and US.
Corrine Bailey Rae - After hearing Put Your Records On, I was curious as to what her other music would be like, it was good.
Colbie Caillat - I don't know how to read her name but her music is fresh. All good to the ears and reflective.

What's your music today?

Ciao!

Jesse Bradford hears The Echo

2007-06-14T17:48:00.001-07:00

Jesse Bradford has signed on to star in Yam Laranas' Hollywood version of the chilling Sigaw entitled The Echo. Bradford will play the role of James Blanco's but with a different characterization. The movie had been rewritten but the producers opted to have Laranas to direct the movie. They will start shooting come August in Canada.

Can't wait!

My Birthday with my Brother, Sister and Nephew

2007-06-14T17:41:00.001-07:00

Last June 3, I turned 27 (God! I'm getting older!). I was supposed to be with my officemates the the day before in IGaCoS (Samal), to celebrate together with one of them, but I passed on it because I wanted to spend my day with my siblings.

My sister is here in Davao for her studies same with my brother, they stayed in my cousin's house in Matina. Since my nephew, who is 21, is in Davao too, I asked him to join us. We watched Pirates 3 at NCCC (I fell asleep in the middle of the screening), while eating popcorn and sipping soda. Then we headed to my apartment to have dinner with my housemates.

Nothing much!

You should watch this movie!

2007-05-30T16:39:00.001-07:00

I was curious about Neil Gaiman's writing, so I brought a couple of The Sandman comics on National Bookstore online. Then I got hook up with the story, I bought a couple more, which means I still have to buy the remaining 7 compilations. Although a compilation would cost me 900, I can't complain because it's worth it.

Neil Gaiman's Stardust, another graphic novel of his, which they say is a fairy tale for adults and which I couldn't find on NBS online, is coming to US screens come August 10. And here's a TV spot:

I'm out!

Spiderman 3 is good, but not good enough

2007-05-04T04:43:00.001-07:00

I'm a fan of all Spidey movies and fell for the 2nd part. So I was very much excited to see the new movie. Malls with four theaters filled all with Spiderman 3, so there are no choices. The ticket price was upped by 10 pesos. The anticipation is really huge.

The first part of the movie is all good. I like the start where they showed a brief look back at the old films then taking all of us to the current situation. Everyone is happy and Spidey is now a celebrity, as well as MJ. The action starts, but I noticed that some are too cartoony, rubbery? At times I felt like watching Shrek.

The introduction of Gwen Stacy and Eddie Brock is a breath of fresh air. Bryce as Stacey is really believable, I would rather like her to be with Peter that MJ in this movie. Topher is also good, he could even play Spiderman with his cocky attitude.

I would have liked Church but his character is only introduced a little. Wishing there could have been more.

Bruce Campbell is again awesome in his cameo with his fake French accent. He once won't let Peter get into MJ's play on the 2nd part. This time, his good with Peter and he's so funny.

The battle could have been more beautiful if they made perfect the CGI. It kept seeing Shrek.

Sam Raimi could have been tired of the franchise so filled the movie everything he had on mind and it could a problem if they're planning for a 4th film and having him on the camera.

Shit! One villain could have made it perfect!

:D I'm out!

Manage and Motivate!

2007-04-16T15:55:00.001-07:00

I always seem to like handling people, I mean managing, and I am fortunate enough that I have become one. There are issues that I have seen that I would like to share.

I have read an article on JoelOnSoftware.com that talks about incentive programs and I do agree with him that on this kind of business, which is application development, the incentive program is unnecessary. Giving someone an additional pay for the basis of completing a project ahead of time or because a project encounters lesser bugs gives lesser feeling of importance to a developer. We work for the love of creating these applications. :)

I think that we can be HIGHLY motivated by the kind of atmosphere we have in an office. A spacious, cozy place would be a great place to start. I always complain about my chair before, it couldn't support my back that I have to move a lot to stretch my back. Most of my time, I spend on standing up or take a walk to not stress my back. So I have a small production. Now that my boss gave me a chair with a nice back support, I get to do more. On meetings with our bosses, I always talked about the issue, of giving the developers a nice seat. I believe it's helps motivate them to work.

A nice and fast PC would also give boost to production and a nice long table. Of course, the people around us, in our offices also contributes. A smile when facing an officemate could brighten the entire day.

Just a thought!

I'm out!

Waking up and Working Early

2007-04-16T15:53:00.001-07:00

Suddenly the world turns upside down, we have to report for work at 1 in the morning. The management decided to have two rounds of work each day, at 1am and at 9am. So I changed my body clock, literally.

I have made a schedule to sleep between 4pm until midnight, no waking up for dinner, I'll have my dinner at 12. First day of work seems fine, I have kept my brains working 'round the clock. But when I got home, the weather was not participative. Seems like these days, Davao became a melting pot, you could melt yourself by the heat of the sun. When the sun is still up, I couldn't get a good sleep. My room is not air-conditioned, it was so hot that even the electric fan exhausted hot air. I wasn't able to get some sleep. I got hot-headed so I headed downstairs to sleep on the living room. But unfortunately, my house mates were all downstairs and awake and chatting and the TV is on. There was too much noise to get a sleep.

My second day at work became stressful, my eyes are excited to get a rest but my workload is full. Even the up beat music can't help me to get to work. After work, I decided to sleep at around 4pm but I woke up at around 8pm because I was very hungry. At around 9pm, I decided to get some sleep, but still the room is so hot, I still sweat even if I had the fan at full speed.

Only the weather could help me get through this problem. While I was writing this at 2am, I was helping myself not to fall asleep.

I'm out.

To Hell and Back...

2005-02-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time and i dont know how I was able to write again... but i guess, read on...

Constantine was great and Keanu is the best when it comes to movies with topics on religion and philosophy. I can't seem to know any other actor who can give the depth that he can deliver. What really strikes me the most is the scene where he is exorcising a girl who speaks tagalog. Man, that was awesome! My cousin told me that the background music was by Bamboo, a to-be-release single.

I cannot seem to get my eyes of the screen with its vivid and colorful sceneries. The depection of hell is like a war-torn downtown LA. The angel Gabriel is great, she was androgynous and great with her acting. Another thing, I never seen such portrayal of Lucifer on other films I have seen. That guy on a with suit really gets the hell out of me.

For those who loved movies with great visuals and an interesting story, just like me, you will love this one, man!

Enter the Village (or better, The Woods?)

2004-08-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

With so much hype given by its trailer, The Village could be a big disappointment to all of those who are expecting the most out of what is has pre-delivered. The marketing has done it well enough to encourage me and my friends to go out and watch the movie on its first day of showing here in Davao. Much to my surprise, as we are about to enter the theater for its last full showing that night, as the credit was flashing on the big screen I heard some claps from the audience. It might be a good sign that the movie indeed is great, from what I have read from a review that gave it a good one.

If ever you want to venture into the woods or enter the village, expect something different from what the marketing has given you. It is not what you think it is.

The Village, helmed by M. Night Shyamalan of the Sixth Sense phenomenon, is about a community situated in 1800s of rural Pennsylvania surrounded by woods that is inhabited by some mythical or furious creatures. The movie centers on the romance between a blind girl, Kitty and a man, Lucius, who always questions the policies set by the elders of the community. The movie takes a great time to develop each characters and the movement of each shots takes you deeper into the personality of each individual as well as the entire village. Shyamalan has delivered a unique love story which caused the dismay of some of my friends because they were expecting to be frightened. But I wasn’t disappointed by the movie since I have read some mixed reviews and some gave out hints on what to expect on the movie. Nevertheless, it was breathtaking and lovely especially when watching how the blind girl was able to gain strength from her love to his man to conquer everything that is forbidden. Kitty has to venture into the forbidden woods to get medicine from the nearby village of which no one has ever done. It's like Frodo venturing out of the beautiful shire to save Middle-Earth. I hate romantic movies, but this one is different because the circumstances set around the love birds are different from what we usually saw on screen.

Another thing I want to say, Shyamalan is a fave of mine, I have seen his movies since the Sixth Sense and I had admired his creativity even though Unbreakable delivered a different tune from the others. There is a certain philosophy he has fixed in the movie (Don’t read the following if you don’t want to be spoiled). As we were about to go home, I told one of my friend that the movie’s theme is about how we were being scared by our elders so that we don’t do some of the things that we wanted to do. I was even become biblical that I told her that “what if” hell is much like the woods. We must not do things that are unholy for our soul will go to hell. What if Hell is created so that we will be sacred to do things we desired to do? That hell is created by men before us to not lead us to our desires?

If you are a fan of good movies, go and see this one.

The Festival of Festivals

2004-08-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

The Annual Kadayawan Festival is coming to its culmination this Sunday, August 22, 2004 with big concerts and parties everywhere in the city. Today, Friday, that’s August 20, I am at the office, it is supposed to be a holiday but I am here. I am doing something that is not part of my work. It is much boring if I stayed home the whole day watching TV. At least here in the office, I am able to surf the net and check my emails. Tonight, I won’t be able to catch Sarah Geronimo and others on her concert at Holy Cross Gym because I don’t have money to buy the tickets even though a hundred would do.

Saturday is also a holiday in celebration of the natal day of the late Ninoy Aquino but the main events of the festival will start on that day. Early in the morning the street dancing will begin and I’ll be roaming the city taking pictures just for fun the heck of it. DTC will be having IEC around the downtown area of the city. The volunteers will be there to lend their hands. On the evening of Saturday, there will be concerts everywhere you will go. MTS has SouthBorder, the Venue has Bamboo, and at the PTA Ground Rivermaya will grace the Tsinelas Party of MOR. I wish I have the power of astral projection so I could be in those places at the same time. Well for sure I’ll be at the PTA grounds because that is the only show that is for free and I adore Rivermaya most than the other bands.

Just like the last time we had the celebration, everywhere we go there were street parties. Every street in Davao was packed with people dancing and cheering with joy. The downtown area was closed to vehicles so you will see people walking their way to the street where they want to be.

I have heard also that there will be lots of showbiz personalities to join the occasion and ABS-CBN is having a telecast of the event over Studio 23. So people not in Davao will be able to see what spectacular this event is.

The festival will end on Sunday with another concert at the PTA grounds sponsored by the City Mayor’s Office but Monday will be another day at the workplace so I guess I might be coming late on Monday (hehehe…).

It’s a heartwarming experience to enjoy occasions like this in the city that I have loved so much.

A Dialogue at 5-A

2004-08-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

I was in a hurry finishing the certificates for tonight’s event. It was already 7:00 in the evening and the show will start at 7:30. The blank ink on the printer was empty and I couldn’t finish printing the certificates because the designs were all in black color. So I called Veejay and never got an answer. Unfortunately, the printer mixed the three remaining ink colors to create the black, but the printing was too slow. I tried calling Veejay for the second time, he answered and said that I’ll just have to deal with what is available because they are about to start the program. The venue for the program is at Brgy. 5-A Gymnasium in Bankerohan (where Davao’s Public Market is situated), all of the volunteers were there and I was left in the office with June, who was busy framing the certificates. We finished the certificates and head to the venue in no time.

On August 14, 2004, the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of Barangay 5-A with Davao Teen Center, conducted a Parent-Child Dialogue at the Brgy. 5-A Gymansium. The aim of the event is to have a venue where parents and their children discussed adolescent issues that are sometimes a taboo in their own homes. Some of these issues include pre-marital sex, teen-age pregnancies, and drug addiction. A number of parents and their children attended the event. There were even younger kids who attended but were more occupied playing with there colleagues.

The program started with a doxology, an interpretative presentation by my fellow volunteers to the song Bathala of Joey Ayala’s Band, and then followed by the national anthem heartily sung by Liezel.

The show proper began with some dance and song numbers by some of the volunteers and some special guests (?). The first part of the dialogue was the youngsters’ points-of-view on the issues. I got the chance to ask them and with me was Jupanie. Most of them are SK officials from the neighboring barangays of 5-A. I got the chance to ask one of the ladies (there were 2 guys and 2 girls) about her opinion on teenagers getting married to the guy who accidentally impregnated her so they might not be labeled as immoral even though she doesn’t love the guy. She simply answered me that if it would be her case she would gladly tell her parents the possible problems and difficulties she might encounter if she gets to marry the guy. She will openly tell her parents what she thinks about the situation because, as what she said, it is about her future not theirs. There were a lot of questions I would love to ask them but our director was already telling us to cut our questioning short because there are still a lot of things to do that night. We wrapped up the portion and the singers replaced us on the stage.

I never got the chance to listen attentively when the parents’ dialogue came because I could not get the words they were saying. There were problems with the sound system. I was thinking then that some of them might not be able to hear us out clearly lately when we were on stage because of the audio problem.

There was a part of the program where the audiences get to play a “Pera o Bayong”-kind of game. The kids outnumbered everyone on the stage. And fortunately a boy won the contest which kept me guessing how he was able to answer those questions.

After the game and some dances, we arrived to the culmination of the program. We lighted candles and together we sang the theme song of every young people, “Next in Line” by After Image. The volunteers and the staff gathered on the stage as we sang the song and ended the night with confetti and balloons.

It was a tough event, it ended around 11 and we only had bread on our stomach. So we headed to Sir Chris’ house for a late-night dinner. Everyone talked about how well the event was and celebrated until our stomach got filled and felt the need to sleep and rest. We headed back to the center, where some of us stayed to let the night pass.

Another mission was accomplished, another mind was being educated, and another life was being connected. I’m out!

The Practice

2004-08-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long time since I have posted my last web log. I was very busy with work and with the center and I really haven’t had time watching movies and even going out for gimmicks.

The days last week was full of pressures and stresses as all of the volunteers of Davao Teen Center had practices for dances and other presentations for the upcoming event which happened last Saturday, August 14. Everyday, during those weeks, I always have to go to DTC as early as possible to join the practice since I am beginning to encourage myself that I am not yet old enough to join a dance number. Some of us who had their respective jobs had been excusing their selves from their work just to have a nice presentation on the event.

It became a routine that everyday I have to bring some extra shirts for the practice. I think everyone of us does. The music they have chosen was kind of a slow Hip-Hop but entertaining. I get into my position and asked Jordan, our choreographer, for help to teach me the moves. I was kind of irritated by the way he teaches me because he somewhat wants me to dance as good as possible when I was just memorizing the steps. I even told him that I’ll just have to look at them dancing and I’ll just study the steps.

I could still remember when I was in high school; I used to dance in the school with some of my classmates. I even help choreographed some of our steps. There was one time when we had to travel to another municipality to join a dance contest there, which we haven’t won. (I don’t want to reason, I might sound defensive). I missed the sweating and the shouting if one or two missed a move. And I began to miss my high school classmates. L

Back to the practice, everything went fine as the days passed us by. We had snacks of bread and juice. The bread has been our all-time favorite snack.

While we were practicing our dance, some of the volunteers are also practicing their song numbers and doxology presentation. One volunteer invited someone to teach them the doxology presentation.

As the days passed, the time to practice seems to adjust farther. From 6PM, now its 7PM. Some of the volunteers who are part of our dance number coincidentally got some job and they are only available after 7pm. We sometimes finished practicing at around 9 in the evening and sometimes have to sleep at the center for some of us are tired to go home.

There was one instance, it was Tuesday night, and I was still at the office by boss came to our cubicle and surprisingly told me that he has to see my presentation on Wednesday. I was told I was going to present my project on Saturday before that. So I asked my colleague if I could borrow his laptop just for a night. I bought my work at the center but I have to practice first before I start my work. I slept at 2am, woke up by 6 and the next day, I have so much stress and was so tired.

Then the event came.

Disco Infierno

2004-07-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Everything went out just fine last night; I was watching soaps on TV and catch the episode on CSI on TV. The CSI episode was amazing, a man charged with arson and the fire brutally killed his wife and his 8-year-old son. Mel was with me watching the episode and before the episode ends, VJ called my attention. He was asking me to buy them dinner; he and Jups were finishing their reports for their submission today. I went out to buy and when I came back I missed the last part of CSI and Mel told me everything about it. We ate our dinner in the staff room. Jupanie told me that she borrowed a VHS of a movie entitled "Holy Ghost" of which I have never heard of. I was thinking maybe it was an independent movie; most independent movies here in the Philippines are released only on video. It starred Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel, directed by "The Piano" director, Jane Campion.

The movie was all about an Australian girl (Winslet) who went to India and was captivated by the guru of an ancient belief. Her amazement led her to live in India to become one of the wives of the guru. Upon hearing this situation from a friend, who was with her when they traveled to India, her family decisively planned to hire a “cult exiter” (Keitel) to get her back. And the rest of the film became an intriguing tale of love, sex, passion, and lust.

I was so consumed by the film's story when VJ and Jups came and told me that we are going to The Venue. It’s ladies’ night so Lotlot and Jups will not be paying any fees and besides they wanted to have some good night of fun and dances. Off we go to the place despite the rain the heavy rain. Unfortunately, Ladies’ Night is not really free for ladies, they will have to pay half of the entrance fee. We paid and got ourselves in a huge place where everyone was having the time of their lives. The live band played a mix of hip-hop and R&B, they got a nice rapper although I must admit that I can’t figure out what he was yelling. We ordered four bottles of beer, fries and a pizza. The waiter asked us that we have to pay for the beer because it’s not included in the fee. Off they go dancing while I was waiting for our orders at the table and taking care of their belongings. The second band for the night started their playlist with a mellow. Everyone got back to their sits and listened. When the dance music came back and our orders came, we get to feet and went to the dance floor leaving out things behind. Anyway, their where people sitting next to us and would notice if our things will be stolen.

Everything went fine until the clock hits one in the morning. We went back to the center and I finished my viewing while they are busy finishing their reports. I fell asleep after watching, woke up early, went home, sleep and came to the office late.

I’m out.

Teacher and Students

2004-07-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

I was a teacher back when there were no jobs available for me. I got the job easily because the school was in a hurry to hire one and because the classes are about to start. I found the job hectic and tiresome, I get to shout at some of my hard-headed students, I sometimes think too much on whether to pass or fail a student. It was more than just a mental activity, talking for long hours about the same topic to different classes; I was like a pirated CD. I was teaching college students, and some of these students were about my age or older so I get along with them very well. It seems awkward that they pay courtesy to me even though they knew all that I am younger than they are. The uniform is the only thing that separates me from them and my position but on days when I will not be wearing my uniform, I am sometimes mistaken for a student.

During break times, I get to sit with my students, talking anything from their classes to their evening gimmicks. Sometimes, I got invitations from them, to join them in some of their crazy nights drinking and spilling beers and other intoxicating liquors. Although I must admit that the invitation was tempting because most of my friends where not here in Davao and some are busy with their jobs. But what I always keep in my mind is that I am their teacher and the distance between our obligations in the institution must be kept apart, as much as possible. If my co-teachers would invite me out, I won't have to think about the invitation. There are rules and regulations and even ethics that I must follow once I became part of the institution.

On the recent seminar I attended on Team Building our facilitator stressed to us that when a person is joining an organization, he has to adapt a new kind of behavior being set by the rules and regulations mandated by the company. I do agree with her as long as the rules and regulations are beneficial to me and the company. She said this behavior is called the adaptive behavior. These behaviors are not being taught in our own home and we only exercise if we are inside the company. These include punctuality, observing the dress code, wearing IDs, and a lot more. This behavior also applies to universities and schools where girls are required to where long skirts and such which they have to wear. Basically, these are implemented to create a harmonious relationship among co-workers and to promote good character of the company. These behaviors are not meant to be kept with us wherever we may go but when the time comes that we leave the company, it then that it is taken away from us.

So to speak in relation to the teacher and student relationship, as long as I am a teacher, I should not cross the line so to be able to achieve the effectively of the said behavior. I was thinking, if I gave in to the invitation, what would happen tome then? They might take away their respect and my position might become questionable. Should I care? Yes, because it is what I should as part of the institution.

If I am not part of the school anymore, I do not bring the behavior with me. It is only then that I can join my students, I mean my ex-students, in their hang-outs.

The Forgiveness Affair

2004-07-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, July 17, everyone was gathered around the parking lot of Davao Teen Center, there were at most 20 of us. Saturdays are always been the time of our spiritual formation, a day in a week where all of us share what we think about a certain human value. It became a tradition to invite our friend from a Bible college here in Davao, a foreigner and preacher named Zach. Zach will be the one who will share to us the insights about the value according to the Bible.

So then and there we started the session. Our Youth Coordinator started the discussion with these questions: Is it easy for you to forgive? Have you had forgiven someone? Have you been forgiven by someone? What situations or instances do you think where you cannot just forgive someone? What situations or instances do you think where you can easily forgive someone? How long does it take for you to forgive?

A lot of us shared our thoughts to these questions. One of us shared his situations that he once had an argument with a friend of his, his former best friend. The argument became so furious that they don't want to see each other anymore. He tried to have contact with him and eventually everything went fine. He said that committing the mistake was so simple but the act of surrendering yourself to ask for forgiveness is difficult. He can easily forgive someone if the action is minor, other than that would mean that there is no more connection. He said forgiving someone is a kind of relief to him because the burden created by such misunderstanding is too heavy that sometimes he thinks of the situation more than his studies. So it was in his perseverance that everything now went as good as how he wanted it to be.

Of all the questions raised, only one among those given where we have common answers. What are those instances or situations where it is hard for us to forgive? The answers were betrayal of trust, backbiting, and cheating (on relationship). Although these are not the crimes punishable by law like rape and murder, these things are so meaningful to being a human that when committed by someone, will eventually attacked your emotional being.

On the topic on asking forgiveness there where two points raised by our facilitator on why it is sometimes difficult to ask for forgiveness, shame and guilt. I was struck and it made me feel bitter because it is a fact. Sometimes, it becomes hard for us to ask for forgiveness because we know we did something wrong and we are ashamed of ourselves because we did such thing that could ruin a precious relationship.

Time passed and still there were a lot of ideas being exchanged. The time came when Zack will give us idea what the Bible says about forgiveness. He gave us copies of the testament and asked us to read the passage. The parable was about the man who owed his master and was asked to pay his debt but he couldn't and he was forgiven by his master. When he met his co-worker and ask his co-worker to pay his co-worker's debt, his co-worker couldn't pay him so he scolded him. The master saw this and called his attention and told him about what he had done to him and that he expects him to do the same to his fellow. After the reading, Zach asked a representative for a demonstration and he showed us a plastic chain. He wrapped it around the volunteer's body and locked it. He said that we are like the volunteer who lived in sins and the sins are our chain. If we continue to commit these sins, we will be living in bondage. He stressed that when Christ came to live with us, he untangled this bondage and free us on our sins and wanted us to never commit the sins again.

The discussion ended with a little bread shared among us and some chit-chats. It is very heartwarming for all of us to have at least an opportunity to share everything we have and what we experienced so that all of us can learn from each other and understand one another. I will be looking forward on what we will be sharing again this coming Saturday.

The Burden of Destiny

2004-07-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Last night me and my friends were able to watch on tape the movie Serendipity. A story about how can destiny be able to have two people fall in love even in the most inconvenient way. I was so touch not because it is a romantic film, it is because it dwells so much on how we, human beings, rely so much on destiny and fate. As the film progress, it was visually interpreted that a person has to work on what he/she wants and destiny will just be his/her side.

There was a scene in the movie that strikes me most, where Sara's bestfriend was in a confrontation with Sara herself, she mentioned that if destiny do really exists, and that everything in this enormous world has a plan already, then why don't we just sleep all day and let destiny work its way?

This kind of belief is sometimes misinterpreted by most people, that our lives has a already been planned. It might be a force or a being, regardless of what we believed in, it is a reality. Most of us look for signs and signals from these forces, a sudden drop of rain in a hot sunny day is interpreted as a good sign, to sight an example.

I know someone who is so devoted to this belief, that his life has been planned already. He gets into a relationship because he believes there a sign has been given to him that the girl he has met is meant to be his love of his life. He does eveything to his ability to keep the relationship going, even to the extent of losing his interests in dating some other girls. He is though still young and unemployed. When the girl told him to look for a job, so he did just to please the one being destined to him. His life goes on for so many years keeping the relationship together and even planned for their marriage until one day he met another girl. It was an unexpected meeting, he meet an old friend on his way home who was with someone who attract his attention. His friend is working in the same building, just a floor ahead where he is working and the girl is her officemate. From that day on, the three of them go out together for lunch and get to know more about each other. He became fascinated with the girl's charm that he can't stop thinking about her but he tried not to because his inner self is keep on telling him that he has someone already. He has never felt that way before in his entire life, like he has met someone who might be his soulmate. But he is also telling himself that her girlfriend is his soulmate. He can tell the difference of the feeling whenever he is with his grilfriend or whenever he is with the other girl. He was so consumed with his destiny that he has not been able to explore the reality that there is so much in this world that he has not discovered. The dilemma continues until today.

I will just focus this issue on relationship itself. Just an observation, most guys or girls marry because they have to, because they have set time for theirselves that at this certain age they have to be married, something of a societal issue. A fact also is that if you don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend at a certain age, expecially older, you are either gay or just a hater of a relationship. We believe so much about what other people say or what the forces has installed for us that forget to believe in ourselves. What do we really want? What do we really need? Most relationship are stable not because they want to but because they have to. Both parties tries to build a beautiful family because it is the next phase of life after being single and because they believe they are destined to do so. We became to fixated to the destiny being laid upon us.

There are so many choices in this world that we haven't choosen and most of these we either painfully or have to pick. After all, it is either we say sorry for ourselves or live with it because the fact is, we chose it.

TSR: Trust, Respect, and Sincerity

2004-07-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

on Trust...

How do you trust a person? Some says trust is too expensive to be given. Some asks for price. Some choose someone who can be trusted.

I could still recall what my cousin is always stressing about trust, 'Keep a friend and love him such, but never know him too much, because if a friend becomes a foe, your secrets, the whole world will know.' isn' that scary?

Well, for one, i am a person who easily trust someone whom i have had a talk for maybe a month. I mean whom i know not as much as i know my bestfriend. But i always keep in my mind that the choice is always been mine. The choice to have this person carry the burden of my trust. It is a burden to that person, especially if it is a secret. As i was saying, trusting a person is a choice, you can never ask someone if you can trust him/her because it is you who has the nerve to give trust to that person. It is now up to the person being trusted what he/she is going to do, what he/she is choosing to do with the trust. It is becomes the person's choice what to do with the trust you have given him/her. Do not blame the person if he/she betrays you, it would be better if you are not going to see that person again, to avoid violence or whatsoever.

As you may have noticed, it is all about choices. If the other person is a keen chooser then i guess you have made a right choice of whom to trust. This is what I usually do, I have to make it a point to know if the person i am about to be trusted knows how to rightly choose even in smallest situations, like buying things, choosing places to hang out, etc.

You may use a lot of technique like me but still, it all boils down to one thing: choice.

on Respect...

We used to hear from our parents to respect older people. If you're older than I am, you will have my respect. Do you really need to be respected?

Conflict and misunderstanding arises when one of the parties do not respect the position of the other party. Expect quarrel, bad words, skyrocketting-objects, punching and even death. War is the worst of them all. People not respecting other people, people not respecting others' faith and beliefs and principles. Respect is not as costly as trust. Respect can be easily given without you yourself getting hurt.

Why do people older than i do needed respect? How about the younger once? It is like in the workplace, when someone who is in the higher position than you, you are expected to respect that person. Is it acceptable? Well, it has become a norm. Everyone is exercising it. But of course, respect can be taken away once our morale is damaged. Like when i used to work as a lecturer in a school, I was really irritated by my boss everytime she shouts at my fellow lecturers (I must admit I haven't been shouted by her). Some of them cries and some leave their work and never come back again. Back when I got the job, I was able to appreciate everything my boss has done for the school but as time goes by everything changes. The place becomes a jungle where my boss is the lion and we are my boss' preys. With the situation, I have decided to quit before I loss my temper on my boss.

Sometimes it is hard for me take back the respect I have given because respect is so important that it becomes the reason many misunderstands, even war. The war in iraq is the effect of "unrespect" because two or more people do not respect one another. If you value respect, let is flow through everyone, a small amount of respect can give this world a peaceful turn.

Here's a scenario where trust is very much neeeded. There were two people (A & B) who works on the same organization and has been quite fine dealing with each other, almost to the point of being bestfriends. In an unfortunate circumstances, the other party (B) failed to keep the closeness that they had established. Then there is another person, a third party (C), who wishes to make things right (which C thinks) for both parties. Nevertheless, both parties (A & B) fix what has been broken, sins has been forgiven, but the closeness can never be back again. A says that since they belong to the same league, A would better act as civil and professional as possible, and stresses that this is all A could offer B. B agrees and believes that what has been can never be restored, at least B could still talk to A. Upon hearing the arrangement, C thinks that it is all bullshit and unacceptable. So C wanted more than what the 2 parties has agreed. Isn't C should respect the decision of the 2 involved? C has just stepped into the area where C should not be, invading what A & B know belongs to them. C never respect their stands and worst of all added insult to the injury.

Respect is so simple that it can create a harmonious atmosphere between all of us.

On Sincerity...

Need I say more? Isn't lies acceptable? When in doubt? Some of us used the world 'jamming' or 'ride on' to emphasis that saying the things been said is because we just want to make an impression to a certain person.

How sincere are we when we deal with our angst, our emotions, our thoughts? According to dictionary.com sincerity means as the quality or condition of being sincere; genuineness, honesty, and freedom from duplicity. Quality is how good you mean the things you say or do. It follows that even if you are honest, you have to check if your honesty has quality. Condition is how do you feel your being genuine. On our latest team-building seminar, our facilitator refers sincerity to where your thought and feelings come from, if it is from your heart, that is sincerity. I do agree and this is the only way we can be able to weigh our being sincere.

Sincerity comes when you trust and respect someone. Trust and respect go along with sincerity because it is the measurement of how much you mean to trust and respect a person. You can respect a person without trust but not without sincerity, same way that you can trust a person without respect but not without sincerity but would it be better if you respect and trust someone with sincerity?

I'm out!

The Intriguing Sabel

2004-07-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

I have heard so much rave about the transition Judy Ann Santos has made from a bubblegum-pop-like actress into a more daring and adventurous one. It has affected my senses and brought me to see the movie.

Sabel is a story of a nun, who was raped by a prisoner and as the story goes, we are brought to series of flashbacks to fully explain her identity. Sable is so much like all other women who longs for love and justice in the world and we were thankful that in the end she did found what was hers.

The movie’s progress in storytelling will not get you bored. The flashbacks are quite necessary for so many explanations that the movie has to do. I was able to sympathize with the lead man’s longing for his lost love. Wendell Ramos has delivered a good acting in finding his lost love but eventually in the end settles on someone else’s arms. I was asking myself at the end of the movie, ‘Am I supposed to sympathize with Sabel?’ I have read a column in a newspaper that says that Sabel is supposed to be sympathized. Maybe I was dragged to this thinking. But nevertheless, I don’t think I have too. Sabel is someone like us who are still looking and longing for that thing called LOVE and don’t need other’s sympathy. Judy Santos truly delivers her best as Sabel, every scene of hers is a must-see. The sensual parts of the movie were perfectly directed. Just a thought, would it be better if the story started in the courtroom?

What I hate about the movie are the noises that backgrounds the scene where Sabel is confronting a prisoner who is attempting to commit suicide. I was leaning on my seat figuring out what she was telling the man. But that did not distract my concentration.
The movie has an excellent story which is, unfortunately, for Filipinos who are privileged enough to get a good education because there are lots of discussions that is going to happen once you get out of the cinema. It is a kind of film that needs a lot of intelligent to be understood because of the complexity of the lead character that is being presented to the viewers.

I'm out!

Looking for someone...

2004-07-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Everybody needs somebody who will fill in there longing to have someone to hold and hug and kiss and everything for the rest of our lives. Everyone is looking for someone somewhere else. There's the internet, the old-time-style pen pals, and even blind dates. What ever medium it maybe, it is undeniable that everybody is looking.

Famous of them all is the internet. There are lots of dating service available online, there are chat rooms, everything... A lot of people too a getting much profits from these form of businesses... There is this friend of mine who imagined herself getting married to a foreigner, not because of money, just the fondness to the white races... She constantly surf the net and chats with whoever wanted to chat with her, as long as the person on the other line is caucasian... There's also another kind of girl who wishes to marry a foreigner to have a prosperous living... For her, it is her only escape from poverty... These scenarios are common to woman, but what about guys? Some guys don't think of it as a way to get married but for satisfaction, i mean cybersex... It may sound nasty but it is a fact... Some do look for a companion but it is uncommon...

We may have varied reasons to these so called fashion but I can only think of one, the need to connect... the entire universe is so huge for all of us to get connected and we have been wondering what would the other people on the other side of the world be doing at this point in time... we have known this and we have made the necessary inventions to satisfy these needs... Time will come, when we will know that we are not alone in this universe, are we still eager to invent new approach to connect with them?... could you think of yourself chatting or having cybersex with an alien?... hahahahaha! NASTY!

I'm out!

Sleepy Head...

2004-07-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

I am lazy, I do accept that I am really lazy but i do like going to work. I've heard it many times I've been called a lazy person. I might be the only lazy person who loves going to work instead of hanging around doing nothing.

I love going to work only and only because my time doesn't require me to report at a specified time. I am supposed to work 9 hour a day, but at times I just have 8 or seven hours. Hahaha... I am lazy indeed...

I don't know why i easily get restless especially in the afternoon where everything is hot and not a good time of the day to take a sleep. so i just opened some of my projects at work, do something which i think would require me to think much so i will not be thinking more of the sleep. at times i am tempted to drink coffee which i have been trying to avoid. i've been having at least a glass of coffee a day for almost a couple of months now and i want to continue this discipline.

After lunch break, most of us have at least 30 mininute to have a siesta or do something out of work. Sometimes, i do feel sleepy that i lay my head on my table and just think of a thousand sheeps jumping over the fence... But I feel like someone is calling my attention, my computer is urging me to surf the web... Aaaarrrgghhhh! There's Friendster, Yahoo!, Inq7, everyone... My Yahoo Messenger is giving me notices that i have a message and my computer beeps everytime i receive a message from Outlook... how can i ever take a nap...

By the time the clock's hands hits six o' clock, i feel like i wanted to sleep in the office and dont want to go home... i am sleepy... i yawn and yawn and yawn... almost every second... Is there someone out there who can help me with this?

Ooops, it's 1pm already. Time to go back to my work... Ciao!

Im Out!

Life After Work

2004-07-08T02:51:00.000-07:00

It is about 6pm and i am about to leave the office... Where would be after here? Of course, first stop would be Davao Teen Center (DTC)... I know as of the moment everyone there are preparing there things for the saturday's training which i was hopefully be able to attend. unfortunately, we are also having our office-sponsored training that day... Good for them, they will be heading to samal where they prefer to have it, on the other had, we will be at Malagos Garden... Fortunately, it will be my first time to visit the magnificent (it's what some of those who have been there described it) Malagos... We will having our Team Building.

So what with DTC that I am very much eager to join them, aside from some obvious reasons, DTC has been a family to me... i might admit that i have been involved with the Center since the time i met there youth coordinator, before he was only an assistant... If i had known this institution during my school days, i would have spent my wee hours with them... It is kind of nice to help other people especially the younger generation realize their importance and in sharing also everything you knew about everything... we shared our hopes, our dreams, our life... after work, i always do visit the place to fell the need of connection to the humanity... (grin!)

Although I must admit that i only stay there at most a couple of hours. so afterwards, i go home and watch tv until my eyes hurt and fall asleep... i have my schedule of what to watch... if i come home earlier than 7, i'll be watching the news (TV Patrol), then Wassup! Wassup!... i fixed my viewing on Studio 23 until 9 then i switch to MTV to watch TRL... at 10 ill be watching News Central, Oprah then back to MTV to have my eyes get sore... hehehehe... i guess ive shared enough today...

it's time for me to go....

im out!

July 8, 2004

2004-07-08T00:52:00.000-07:00

I had just finished with the updates of my program and I felt my eyes are getting heavier. I am thinking about what will i be doing next. Our office is new, we just transferred here 2 days agao and is still under going some minor changes. I could hear the knocks of hammers and it is quite irritating. i felt like my ears are going away from my head. And now somebody is sawing. Ooops, its 3 in the afternoon already, and i am hungry. Maybe tonight we might get to watch Kill Bill 2. I wanna know why some of the critics dont like it. I love Uma Thurman, i love watching her kicking some hard ass. i have watched the first one and it was great, although too bloody but still great. I thin k it is time for me to smoke... my head is busting me... Oh, i have to wash my laundry tonight coz ill be havinga seminar on saturday and i'll be staying at the venue. This seminar has been postponed twice and fortunately just got its approval... nasty huh?

I just checked my blog on my pinoyster account and omg, it wasnt there... watever they did to my blog... :(

ok, so this morning i came late again, although we dont are not entitled to have a late coz our office hours are flexible. (the priviledge that i think i have been abusing) hehehehehehe... lucky for me, because they are fixing everything here in our office and it is kind of noisy in here... and my officemate been going outside coz he can't take the noise... first thing i did today is to check on my pending program... i need to make the necessary updates our branches... quite easy coz i just finished it, have it emailed too so i need not to worry about it...

sorry i cannot collect my thoughts that much... ill just post watever is it i want to post...

thanks for reading... :D