Buraimaku: Brymac

Wednesday The 11th

2012-01-13T22:36:00.004+08:00

As much as I like to practice Constant Vigilance, booboos always happen when you let your guard down. Ok, so I lost my phone and sim(circa 2k-ish).

I was feeling down about it and dreading having to inform everyone of my new number. But thanks to the tips of facebook friends and the blog entry here, I was optimistic that I can get my old Prepaid number back.

So here's the breakdown:
100 - Affidavit of loss
40 - micro sim (regular sim was unavailable)

After acquiring my affidavit of loss (the place didn't seem too reliable though), I went to the Globe Center at SM North Edsa Annex and lined up for 15minutes. I explained the situation, filled up a form, gave the AoL and 40php. After a few minutes, I got my new sim with my old number.

In less than 2hrs, the sim was active and my previous load was intact. Thanks Globe!

Black Friday

2011-11-22T01:06:00.001+08:00

Mental Note: US Based Businesses go loco on Black Fridays. "Falls on the Friday after the fourth Thursday in November". Insane prices on hosting, domain names, products, etc. I should have waited to renew/buy stuff :(
Mark your calendars Nov 25, 2011 (Nov26 Manila).

Verify my ... Foot

2011-11-21T19:44:00.002+08:00

I'm finding it irksome that my online purchases paid via paypal requires me to send an image of my passport.

It's even done after they've already received the amount. WTH?!

Hazard Pay

2011-06-26T06:25:00.003+08:00

Been working on a Sharepoint MOSS site recently.
It's hands down the slowest, crappiest and most stressful CMS I've tried.

It should have a hefty hazard pay included in the deal :(

Cocoa Match

2011-05-15T08:37:00.002+08:00

Today I discovered the difference between:

44c/gram Ricoa breakfast cocoa and
10c/gram Allan M repacked cocoa.

the latter isn't "instant" hot drink friendly :P

Maundy Flower Power

2011-04-21T22:48:00.005+08:00

For years now, I've been meaning to go to UP Diliman and take pictures of the summer Sunflowers.
Somehow I end up being too busy or forgetting to go, until its already too late :( But this year, thanks to a lot of lucky coincidences converging, I was finally able to.

I met my cousin Kat there and we ended up doing a full photowalk. We had fun and I think I lost a couple of pounds in the process too :D

Album can be found here.

15 years ago today

2011-03-27T21:22:00.002+08:00

I stood among friends, went up the stage and received a piece of paper.

Thus ended some of the best times of my life.

Happy 15 years, Pisay Class of 1996!

Pancit and Lumpia

2011-03-26T00:43:00.002+08:00

Yup, I'm still playing Cafe World. They just added a new Filipino recipe "Pancit and Lumpia". Not usually bunched together, but a staple for fiestas and traditional parties.

Power Thirst?

2011-02-08T21:46:00.003+08:00

In my previous post, I wrote about my UPS dying on me and having to buy a discounted one.

This time, thanks to my sister's faulty car battery, I was able to revive my Emerson UPS :D
So far it can power a 130Watt CRT for 30mins. Not too impressive, but a few charge-drain cycles might improve the capacity :D

Maybe I'll call it IPS, for Intimidating Power Supply :P

CDRKing 600VA UPS Sale

2010-12-04T15:57:00.006+08:00

Bought one of these some time ago for around 700 php (a bit more than 50% orig cost). They can test it for you but they don't offer a warranty for it.

It works ok, but I opened it today, and surprise...

They replaced the big 12V 10Ah-ish battery with a half-sized 12V 5Ah.
So that's why it was cheap :P

~~Not sure about my math, but that falls around 300VA instead of 600VA.~~

Apparently, it can still be 600VA, just half the "uninterrupted" duration :P

Google Maps, Revisited

2010-11-28T15:03:00.005+08:00

Following some random Facebook link, I ended up browsing google maps and viewing some places I recently visited.

I found some amazing details in Pandan Island, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. The beach is well defined and even some of the huts were distinguishable :D
The Hanging Bridge and the public market are recognizable too
How about you? Have you explored your world recently?

Numerous Crossover Appearances

2010-11-13T20:25:00.005+08:00

Beauty and the Beast's beauty as Chuck's Mom
Desperate Housewives' Susan appears in Smallville as Lois' Mom
Ally McBeal's John as a new Attending in Grey's Anatomy
Smallville's Jonathan Kent as DH's Bree's lover's Dad
Desperate Housewive's Orson Hodge/Dune 1984's Paul as HIMYM's "The Captain"

All Rice

2010-09-06T11:17:00.003+08:00

Regular White Rice. @32 Php/Kg (?) Muñoz Market

Red (semi-red) Rice. @50 Php/Kg. A. Bonifacio Market.
1.25 cups of water/cup

Brown Rice. @40 Php/Kg.
Deli Healthy Rice Store, Mayon cor. Malaya st. QC
2 cups of water/cup

Brrr... September

2010-09-03T02:15:00.004+08:00

On my way home from meeting Alexandre, I noticed my left foot feeling a bit heavy. It took me a while to realize that the sole on that shoe was flapping open, probably due to the rain.

I saw a lone (right foot) flip-flop a few steps behind, so I went back there to consider it. After maybe a heartbeat, I saw a vacant cab and hailed it. This was a wise choice, as the other shoe gave up 10 steps from the house :P

Thus ends my "Reasonably priced" Milanos from SM. Price vs Use seems okay, so I'm not too sad to see it go.

Quest for the Standee

2010-06-24T17:02:00.003+08:00

Today marks a milestone in an aspect of having a photobooth business that took me too long to accomplish. Cardboard Standees.

At first I asked my aunt to make them, but that was too much effort for her and slightly expensive. I then just left it out of the freebies, and just added a few minutes to the booth duration.

I then tried asking around and found a die-cutting shop across the street. The whole process was so alien to me that it took me a couple of visits and lots of procrastination to finally ask for a quote. They never got back to me and that really put me off (wow, am i really that affected by rejection?)

Funny thing is there is another shop a couple of doors away that offer die-cutting too. I asked for a quote and they were able to give one right away. They don't have paper though so I started on that.

I asked Marl if he knew a place and he did. Emerald Commercial in Cubao. We met there and he helped me choose and decide on the cardboard/paper. So I bought 60 pieces of Foldcote #15 (31.5 inches x 41 inches) at 16php each, which is probably good for 2k standees.

I brought the paper to Ginwin Enterprises (the 2nd shop), but as I feared, they didn't cut the big sheets to size. They were kind enough to have it cut at the 1st shop for me :)

960 php: FoldCote #15 Cardboard
150 php: Cutting service
228 php: Blade frame
440 php: Frame die-cut service (2k pieces)
_______
1,778 php = 0.889 php per standee! :D

Next time I'll try to buy specialty paper from Star Corp and have them cut it up too. Might be better/prettier, but I'm happy with what I have now :)

Thanks to all who helped :D

Wonderful Sablayan

2010-05-17T05:23:00.006+08:00

Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro

A tour site will rise at sablayantours.com

A Study on the Large Deviation in the Prices of ChocNut in Metro Manila

2010-04-27T16:26:00.000+08:00

Mercury Drug	P 36.00
SM Supermarket	P 31.00
WalterMart	P 26.00
Welcome Supermarket	P 22.50
Everlight Mart	P 21.75

edit: added everlight c/o joven's tip

This is a public service for ChocNut addicts out there :P

I'd like to Big Bang that Theory too :P

2010-03-14T20:08:00.002+08:00

Kaley Cuoco aka Penny is Maxim US' cover girl for March 2010.

I'm an avid fan of the show and imagine my surprise to see her on a magazine stand.
Kinda reminds me of the Eraserheads' song: Magasin :P

Cafe World - Chicken Adobo

2010-03-06T00:17:00.003+08:00

After a couple of months, I'm still playing Cafe World.
To my surprise, I saw a new, yet familiar dish.

Chicken Adobo!

Adobo is one of my favorite dishes, and a regular in the filipino home.
It's usually cooked for "baon"/packed food because it's fabled not to spoil quickly.

My brother says that he likes Chicken adobo the least, simply because Pork Adobo is so much better :P

Avatar

2010-01-07T13:46:00.005+08:00

Since it was MMFF season and within the month of first release, it was hard to get decent seats or any seats at all for this landmark film. Dulce and I had to wait for an extra 3 hours just to watch it from the farthest seats (row P).

I've been slightly addicted to watching films in 3D eversince I first experienced it.
Here's a quicklist of films I watched in imax3D/3D: Superman:returns, HP5, HP6, T-Rex, Ant Bully, Beowulf, UP, Avatar. So far my favorite is UP, and I watched it in 3D at trinoma which isn't imax3D. Maybe its just the story that won me, and not the technology.

Avatar is great, but as someone who has seen a couple of 3D films, it showed me some of the weakness/prematurity of 3D conversion technology. During the parts where it was purely liveaction(humans) the director dictates where you must look, or he'll punish you and make you dizzy. Despite that, most of the pure CG and mixed scenes were okay.

I'd also like to mention how much elements from Avatar I've seen from other shows/Anime.
Floating seeds/entities = Mushi in Mushihi
Optic/communication tentacles = Ohmu from Nausicaa
Floating Rocks = Laputa
"avatar" concept = Evangelion
Marauder Suits = Starship Troopers

TSFD update

2009-10-21T21:58:00.003+08:00

There were times I peaked around 215. I haven't been in this range in 2+ years.

It's kinda nice to be back.

Password Reminder

2009-10-12T11:29:00.003+08:00

Saw this on the front page of bakabt.com, which is where I go for anime downloads:

No wonder people get hacked now and then :P

Zynga's Cafe World

2009-10-05T02:56:00.009+08:00

Be the Ceasar of Salad: Cafe World Hints and Tips
by Xtian Mac

Zynga finally releases Cafe World, a restaurant/cafe sim that promises to be an addictive treat to a wide variety of players out there looking for great, wholesome, challenging fun. Who cares about running a tiny, low-budget shack of a restaurant? Just ask the thousands or millions of people who sent the system crashing in its first couple of days. As the Zynga people scamper like headless chickens trying to fix things before people actually sue them for the tons of spoiled, rotten, unsold food caused by said crashes, we have thought of offering you, our dear resturateurs, some tips on starting out:

Your troops: You start out with two people, yourself, the chef, and a facebook friend of your choice who becomes your waiter. To be efficient, you must set aside an unobstructed path for them to work with, especially your waiter. Although characters can pass through other people, they behave weirdly when interacting with objects. Make sure the stoves face away from any walls. Same goes through with the counters. Using the Customize option, rotate counters and stoves so they can face to where the people are properly.

Laying it Out: Efficiency is the key to hoarding money and experience, just like, well, any American capitalistic enterprise. Most people have found that arranging tables into squares or rectangles are more efficient. The trick is to close of that square of tables with the food counters. If the counters are made to face the inside of the square/rectangle, the waiter/s ideally would get trapped inside the square/rectangle. As the inside of the square/rectangle is unobstructed, the waiter/s will have a quick/easy time serving and cleaning up.

What to cook: You may want to start off with a few cheeseburgers. Only a few customers will come trickling in expecting to be fed. After you have made around 30 or so, you may want to start churning out the chunky fruit salad. It cooks for about 15 minutes and makes 100 servings. Makes a great buffer and nets you goot exp as well. Although not confirmed, it appears that the customers would prefer a variety of dishes to have your buzz rating increase. We recommend you set aside a stove or two to cook food which need longer preparation times, like the French Onion soup. If you need to leave or sleep in the real world, you might as well prepare the food that literally take days to prepare, like that meatloaf and pot roast and spitfire chicken.

Expansion: In time, if you have gathered enough money and friends, you are given the option to expand your restaurant space. This option can be found in the customize button, represented by a brick wall. Well, ideally, bigger spaces can net you more money, so if you have the cash, buy this upgrade but don't forget to have some cash left over to buy extra tables and chairs. Otherwise you just end up with just more space that doesn't bring you more money.

Friends: Zynga enjoys making users do a ton of the advertising for them. You might as well scrounge up or invite people to play because having friends allows you to expand your restaurant, and visiting friends' cafes nets you some exp and money, so in this game, there's no such thing as having too many friends. However, you need to get them to agree that you be neighbors too, which is simply a task of sending out invites.

Decor: Pretty flowers and lamps are Not really necessary to reach the maximum buzz ratings, and no evidence suggests that they add buzz ratings. However, uneven wall colors and floor patterns are annoying to a number of people, even to restaurant owners.

The Door: When you want to keep your buzz rating intact when you need to leave the game, go to customize, click on the door and drag it down to the other furniture. Without a door, there's no way customers can get in, which is handy when you don't have anything to serve them anyway.

Cafe World: Additional Tips
by brymac

Buzz:
- max(?) 105.0
- One satisfied customer = + 0.1 buzz
- Cant sit down = - 1.0 buzz
- Doesn't get served = - 1.0 buzz
- Sits on an empty plate = - 1.0 buzz

Below is a screen of my 9x11, 6 stove, 17 seat, 88-ish buzz layout:

Edit: As requested, here's my 105.0buzz 8x9, 13 seat :P

Have other tips regarding Cafe World? Feel free to post a comment! Happy Cooking!

Headbangers Reunited

2009-09-16T22:28:00.004+08:00

Chris C is back in the country after being gone for so long. We went out for dinner to catch up and laugh about old times.

UP 3D (2009)

2009-08-31T00:00:00.006+08:00

Watched UP 3D with Dulce yesterday and it was amazing and so damn funny. The 3d experience was nice, but I have to complain:

How am I supposed to enjoy 3D when I have tears in my eyes most of the time?

Be it from the mushy parts between Carl and Ellie or the unintentional antics of "Alpha dog", my emotions kept being stirred by this great work of Disney Pixar.

I highly recommend watching it :D

Innocent Eyes

2009-07-26T22:37:00.001+08:00

Blood: The Last Vampire (2009), bloody brilliant or bloody hell? [updated]

2009-06-10T20:33:00.000+08:00

I liked the animated short movie. I liked the series based on the movie (Blood+). So even with Jeon Ji-Hyun (JJH)(Gianna Jun) as Saya... will that be enough for me to like this version? I'll leave that decision after watching it on the big screen :P ( I saw a poster at SM and it starts June 10). Let's watch!

You can watch some clips here.

[update]: Hmm... hmm... even with my expectation pretty low, I don't think it was able to get there. *sigh*

Farewell Rebirth?

2009-05-16T20:45:00.004+08:00

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes * 4. 2,102,400 minutes. 24/7 faithful service from my beloved desktop 'Rebirth' and I think she's on her way to gadget heaven.

After hanging, she didn't want to boot anymore. The fan/heatsink for the chipset might have separated, possibly frying it. Sigh, I really thought she still had a good year or two left.

I'll spend some time to locate the real problem, then contemplate if I should:

Completely abandon having a desktop
Locate and buy the part (probably phased out by now)
Upgrade the mobo, processor and memory althogether (ouch)

*Sigh*

Left Straight? FAIL! Pacman vs Hitman

2009-05-04T17:42:00.006+08:00

Image from cbc.ca

Hehe, I'm riding the Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton post fight fever. Manny probably wanted to prolong the fight, but was pissed at how dirty Hatton fights.

It was setup with a right jab/feint. No question, that was a mastodonic, solid, legen... wait for it.. dary punch. Some sites call it a left hook, some sites describe it a left cross which are probably both correct. But how in heaven's name is that a "left straight?!" I'm so glad that I didn't watch the Philippine broadcast first. I'd be cursing/laughing so bad that I would not have enjoyed his win.

Go Manny! Get more money, make mayweather see stars too.

To sweat is human

2009-04-20T17:21:00.005+08:00

This is my version of the idiom "To err is human, to forgive divine".

I've been learning about it in a couple of documentaries that I've watched. Sweating is almost just a human trait. They say that in the course of our evolution, we lost our fur and needed to sweat due to a number of reasons:

Most of the animals we hunted might have incredible burst speeds, but they lost out if chased far enough as they could not run and cool themselves at the same time. We achieved this by getting better at running and being able to sweat.
In our evolving brains, as with computer processors, heat is an unwanted byproduct. Our entire body might have been modified to be the brain's heatsink/fan :P
In a study, it was found that there was a preference to bodies with less hair. Through the generations, this might have led to less and less hair.

Why did I just discuss sweating? I think it sucks if you sweat so much or have "bungang araw" or have "summer hands" or can't thermoregulate properly. Damn summer heat :P

History Channel "Evolve" 4 of 11 "Skin"
BBC "What's the problem with nudity?"

A worthy successor for skuld?

2009-04-03T09:35:00.004+08:00

It took me a while to decide on the 1000d to replace/accompany my loyal skuld(350d), but my old camera is still toughing it out and may have waited for this:

Catch words are 1080p, 20fps. So its a 15.1mp still cam which can record HD :P Gawd, it's so tempting. It'll be available beyond May, so I'm hoping skuld will stay a while longer until I can save up for this baby :D

RockEd: Fresh Take

2009-03-11T20:03:00.004+08:00

I first heard this project from Gang's blog and then Joey promoted it on the Pisay96 ygroup. Mic brought it up and I got me thinking about equipment required, number of shots, batteries, etc.

I scoured google, youtube and other sites, where there was a passing mention of using a desktop computer's atx power supply to power Vivitar 285HV flashes. I'll post again some other time regarding this mod, but for now, it works :D

Although it was hot and tiring, I'd say it was a worthwhile experience and I'd like to invite all of you to inquire and help out.

Here are a couple of outtake pics from the shoot... none of the actual pics coz I haven't confirmed the usage policy :)

Late 08 Trends - Buraimaku

2009-02-25T22:56:00.003+08:00

Here's a quick review of the things that caught my attention during the year that was, 2008.

I was hooked on a couple of tv series, as well as some anime. 'Gossip Girl' tops the list, all thanks to hawt Blair. Got introduced to 'How I Met Your Mother' and really liked it's Awesomeness. I caught up with One Tree Hill, Moira Kelly still has me in her spell. Legend of the Seeker, kinda weak, but dibs on the Confessor :P. 'Knight Rider' 2008 version... weak series, but I'd like to take home the new KIT. 'Merlin' ... not so magical.

Wasn't so updated with anime this year, just caught up on some older ones. 'Macross Frontier' is the latest addition to the Macross universe, a worthy watch over Macross 7. 'One Piece', zomg 390 episodes and counting, but it is pleasant enough to watch. 'Hajime no Ippo New Challenger' is the continuation of the story; a must-watch.

Games: Persona 3 FES rocks. Persona 4 - haven't found time to play, because I know it'll fetch 200+ hours of my life. DOTA here and there.

Notable commercials: 'Gloria and Barrack','Ang lakas ko-arthro', 'Makulay ang Buhay'. 'VCO exorcism' and 'VCO long-haired guy'. 'Rexona Men'-cheerleaders.

Great new products: 'Schick Quattro' costly but well worth it. 'St.Ives Blemish and Blackhead facial scrub' great cleaning and scent. Old Spice Body Wash. Blue Touch hand soap. Pulpy discharge... I mean Orange. Lucky Me-No cook. Jonas beef mami. Dip n Chkn.

Of Christmases past

2009-02-25T22:10:00.004+08:00

Looking back, the Christmas of 2008 was simple and humble for me. That month, I attended two weddings, held a Christmas party for streetkids (pisay96) and the celebration of the day itself was with the family at Bulacan. The family celebrated it a bit better last year by eating out at a hotel, but I think I prefer it just homey and intimate.

I didn't bother writing a wishlist, because it normally ends up that I don't get them or I buy them myself. Thankfully enough, I did get great gifts: a spankin' nice celio from my sis and seeing a dear old friend.

There were moments though that made it the worst xmas yet. Want to grab some coffee?

Who is Brymac?

2009-02-25T21:19:00.004+08:00

The next three posts is for everyone, but specifically for a certain project. That is, I'm not sure how I got involved or why I'm helping out. Oh, well...

I'm living a Freelance lifestyle, working at home and taking pictures for fun. I'm part of Techbanana, a company that I started with my close friends. I find things like electronics, photography and videos are on top of my interest list. There are some things that I want and aspire to have/achieve in life, but I'd rather not divulge them here. I'd rather they be things discussed over coffee :P

Break your rules

2009-02-25T00:09:00.006+08:00

*** Warning: Adult Content ***

Ok, I've forbidden myself from talking about actual pron here on my blog, but I'll have to make an exception. I just saw two incredible girls, each with previous amazing videos, star in one crazy threeway.

I'd have to shut up now :))

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

2009-02-22T12:49:00.003+08:00

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

I found this through one of my 'sources' and downloaded the audiobook.

Features: Contains five stories including 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' that was included in the Harry Potter book. Added to it was commentaries from Albus Dumbledore who alluded to some events in his life as well as 'historic' accounts.

I kind of liked it. It's like a HP version of DVD movies with Director/actor commentaries. It mixes the writings of 3 different people (but just one real author): Beedle, Albus and JKR herself.

I Got Stung...

2009-02-21T19:51:00.003+08:00

I was on my way to a shoot with Mimi and Trebs, so I started closing my bag when I felt a sharp prick. When I looked closer, I saw a medium sized scorpion where the bag's zipper was. Thinking fast, I grabbed some alcohol and showered the affected area. I then grabbed my pointed tweezers and captured it.

I then googled and tried to find symptoms and species of deadly scorpions. Reading a bit and feeling nothing out of the ordinary, I left for my scheduled shoot.

After I got home, and not really harboring any ill feelings to the lil squirt, I decided to keep it as a pet. Again with the help of google, I researched a bit about how to take care of it.

So, if I manage to keep it alive for a week, can you help me give it a name?

PhP 270M Fail

2009-02-19T22:16:00.002+08:00

Well, it's not like their budget matches their prizes :P

Neo Vivid 1190

2009-02-09T15:01:00.005+08:00

Had this netbook (Neo Vivid 1190) in my possesion for a short while (added antivirus:AVG, spybot, openoffice, etc). I looked at the neo website and they didn't have downloads for this model yet (attn neo). So I looked at the bottom and saw that the model number is J10IL1.

With just that model number and Google, I managed to locate the real manufacturer(Equus CS) and at least they had easy to find downloads for this one. I found the driver there so I downloaded it. But it seemed that that was already installed, so why is the webcam not working or was not detected? Duh! There's a Fn + F12 that enables the webcam. Duh?! Wow, a computer noobie moment... haven't had that in a while :))

General impression: Its kinda nice. XP is relatively responsive. Built is sort of bulky but 'macho'.

Gateway MA3 MX6447

2009-01-30T12:41:00.005+08:00

Symptom: Blue Screen of Death(BSOD) after logging in. Fan does not spin once Windows starts.
Googled cause: video card(ATI) driver version seems to prioritize GPU temperature over CPU temperature, causing cpu overheat before gpu signals fan to spin.

Solution attempts:

Clean fan and heatsink with brush and blower.
Uninstall ATI driver, unsuccessful... BSOD before reaching uninstall.

Solution Steps:

Backup data, prepare for reformat and reinstall of Windows XP Media Center 2005
Download Win XP MC2005 (laptop has license key anyway)
Laptop refuses to boot using the downloaded disk, but it works on another laptop.
Remove HDD and connect to usb. Make sure there are multiple partitions, one for the OS and another a temporary drive(FAT32). Attempt diskless install via: "Z:\I386\winnt32.exe /syspart:K: /tempdrive:K: /makelocalsource /noreboot" where z is the dvd drive is and K the fat32 partition. (note: DO NOT use sp3 installer, will give 'iaStor.sys' not found errors)
Place back HDD in laptop. Boot and install winxpmc2005
After XP, install ATI video driver and ATI Catalyst.
Installation is stable although fan still doesn't spin while in XP. still investigating.

New Challenger

2009-01-29T05:54:00.005+08:00

For a while now, I've been following the series "Hajime no Ippo" aka "Knockout" aka "Fighting Spirit". The show is extremely inspiring and entertaining, with crazy humor and interesting plot. In a nutshell, its about a bullied youngster who found inner strength through boxing. The animated tv series ended just as the show's lead, Makunochi Ippo captured the Japanese Featherweight Belt. After one movie and a special, the watcher is left hanging, as the story wasn't concluded. 2002 saw the end of the series, thus after running through all the watchable media, I went to read the Manga. This sated the craving for a while.

After 7 long years, it was a welcome development that they launched the continuation of the tv series and subtitled it "New Challenger". This run would hopefully cover all plots up to the latest manga, which includes the following storylines:

Miyata's OPBF Title Challenge
Kamogawa Gym's latest genius recruit: "Itagaki"
Miyata's Dad's Past and the Filipino Champion "Randy Boy Jr."
The return of Gero-michi
Takamura's Rampage of multiple weight classes
and a lot more.

Please support the official DVDs when they come out, but for the fans that want to watch it asap, you can find them thru tokyotosho.com. A number of groups are subtitling the series: SpeedStar, Animebreaker, Saizen & Ignition-One, Mahero, Frostii. Speedstar releases the fastest, saizen&ignition-one would probably be a good version to keep (because they scanlate the manga too).

Queen B and Poopy Tea

2009-01-18T14:56:00.005+08:00

The fine line between REM dream and reality is a weird place.

I was in a beach, which felt oddly similar to Tree Hill's. Going about my business, I felt that I was being bullied. People were shunning me and preventing me from doing things I had to do. All this orchestrated by a mischievous girl who greatly resembled Blair Waldorf.

Throughout the episode, I would randomly utter "Damn, I need to crap", although there was no immediate urge/pain/reflex to do so. People would then without fail, clog up the lines to the restrooms which was starting to get into my nerves.

Luckily enough, I chanced upon an occupied stall with no one waiting in line. After a while, I got impatient and looked over the stall door. What I saw was 'Blair' "brooking" herself, either tempting me or pissing me off.

So I woke up a bit dazed, then I ran off to the toilet. Damn poopy tea.

Two Zero Zero Nine

2009-01-02T19:36:00.004+08:00

The year 2008 was a bit rough, with a lot of lows and some highs. May 2009 be fortunate, and I do hope to take more control of my destiny.

It's been a theme in my recent posts, but it's just over 4 months until I turn 30. Pictures from my last trip to pangasinan revealed an unsightly truth, that I'm overweight and out-of-shape. Time is ticking, bmac. Chop chop.

Strobist info: Camera on tripod, 10sec exposure. Handheld flash, radio triggered.

Memories of a burnt room

2008-09-30T08:40:00.002+08:00

I found out this morning that the faculty room in Pisay's humanities building got roasted. I'm not sure what impact it has on current and future pisay-tizens, but as an alumni, I do have some memories and recollections of that large room.

One can go there to just sit down. It was generally quiet, had 2 couches and moderate ventilation. There was a certain something about it, both eerie and serene. Well, most of the rooms in the humanities bldg had this quality, with generations of the best minds leaving subtle traces of their four years stay.

I went to the faculty room to submit stuff like book reports, homework, etc. Sometimes there is an envelope to receive it, like the one in the picture. At times you have to slide it under the door. If either of those fail, you can just toss it over because these cubicles aren't closed at the top.

Speaking of open cubicles, there was more than one occasion that I had to go over them myself. No, nothing related to mischief or wrong doing, but upon the request of the occupant. One of my teachers left her keys there and could not find a janitor to help her out. Reluctantly, she asked me if I was willing to go over, which I was :P

This wasn't too easy as you have to avoid breaking the glass window, get dirtied by the dusty sill/edge and land somewhere not crushing anything including your bones. Better then that now at least, the door frame would probably buckle at my current weight :))

How about you? What memories do you have of the faculty room?

Sharpening Skills

2008-09-14T23:02:00.003+08:00

Recently I've taken a liking to a weird hobby. After watching a documentary about samurai swords, I suddenly took interest in sharpening knives.

We have always had an old fine sharpening stone. It was already pretty broken up, but still usable. One day I was doing my groceries, and I found out that the store was selling brand-new stones. I was so amused at finding it that I bought it right away and wanted to try it.

I took a picture of the knife’s edge, before I started and when I was satisfied. For the pictures I used one remote flash and reversing the kit-lens to achieve macro.

I found the process of repetitive grinding very therapeutic. It does not take a lot of thinking, but just a bit of instinct and feel. I do not recommend this to people with unsteady hands nor those with soft/thin skin.

After finding out of my current fancy, my mom told me stories about my lolo. He was a native of Betis, Guagua, Pampanga and was a very skilled wood carver. He was very passionate about what he did and borderline Obsessive-Compulsive about his tools. He would spend time sharpening his stuff like chisels and saws. I’m a bit proud of inheriting some of his skill with his hands, height and maybe looks. Cheers, gramps. Keep watching over us.

Quoted!

2008-09-09T17:00:00.003+08:00

Read the full article here.

Bryan Macabales, an information and technology consultant and chief operating officer of an outsourcing company, noted that for people who work at home, electricity and the Internet are almost like air. "It is something that you would rather use then pay for later," he said.

Thanks Ava!

30 Things: Rushing Towards My 30th

2008-09-09T11:09:00.000+08:00

A friend challenged me to do 30 things I've never done before I turn 30. I'm not sure if I can manage to reach that number, but I'd be happy to give it a try. I'm not much for planning things out and chasing after them, so I'd rather list the 30 things as I go.

I've Speed Dated!
I've Sprained myself! :(
I've been Quoted! :D
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
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...
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...
...
...
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Any suggestions? :)

Sprain, Sprain Go Away

2008-08-17T09:26:00.004+08:00

I would have liked to report a positive first, but I said I'll take these things as they come. I don't remember if I've ever gotten a sprain before, so this will count as a first.

It's not even the regular ankle sprain that you get when one twists their ankle. The bruising and pain are similar, but I attribute this one to setting a heavy weight on my foot (not my weight, as Shirney humorously pointed out). *Sigh*, to think I had to miss the Dumagat Med Mission for this. T_T.

The doctor also asked me to get 'Blood Chemistry' testing. He wants to check if I am diabetic, as bruising like this might be a symptom. I've been putting off getting a blood chem before this, too lazy and unwilling to fast for 12 hours :P. So I'd have to get one, once I've drank all my meds.

Before the meds that the doctor prescribed, I was drinking biogesic, then alaxan. I knew that they were wearing off when the pain, feverish heat and headaches start to turn up again. So aside from the sprain, I also had fever. Just great...

If you're feeling a bit of Schadenfreude, be my guest.

PhD in Horribleness

2008-07-28T19:12:00.005+08:00

Horribleness is actually a noun :))

A recommendation from Aidz led me to watch "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog".

If you're a fan of musicals, comedy, HIMYM, and/or Neil Patrick Harris, you've got to watch this one.

Oh, I've also awarded myself a PhD in Horribleness. Why not get yourself one too? :P

Haste Makes Dates?

2008-07-26T22:12:00.002+08:00

I kinda knew what Speed Dates are from Hitch and similar movies/series. So when Pisay98 planned one as a fund raiser, I want interested in trying it.

Geek Mode!

Let X=number of pairs. You'll have X number of dates of around 3minutes each.
Let Y be your assigned number.

You have to compete with the voices of 2X-2 to be able to have an audible conversation with your current date.

In the end you are allowed to write up to X/2 - 2 assigned numbers of the opposite sex. If any of those ladies are interested in meeting up with you again, you'll be 1:(X/2-2) that she chose out of X possible men.

So, I'm happy to report that I did ok :) I had 2 matches :P

Yehey! Shame on you...

2008-07-24T18:13:00.002+08:00

Live Page

If you didn't catch it, ask me :P

Thanks to Bug for the heads-up

Working Through Pain

2008-06-30T17:30:00.006+08:00

This is one of six titles in the Anime-inspired story collection 'Batman Gotham Knight'. The whole movie show glimpses of Bruce Wayne/Batman through different eyes and directing styles.

Some of the directors have worked in projects such as the Animatrix, Tsubasa Chronicles, Meine Liebe, Mind Game, etc. Production houses include Madhouse, Production IG, Studio 4 C, Studio Deen.

Watch it if you get the chance, and see how Japanese animate this masochistic bat-fetishist hero :P

Stormy Day Adventure

2008-06-23T00:14:00.002+08:00

The Tropical Storm "Frank" raged last night and left problems like flooding, brownouts and stranded passengers. So rather than getting work done, I decided to sleep over at the office as the rain /winds were strong and power/internet was probably down everywhere.

Around lunch today I decided to force my way home. I rode a cab, but he dropped me off a couple of blocks away, saying that my destination was severely flooded. I was a bit pissed so I changed my mind and commuted. It was fine until we stopped around St. Luke's, unable to go forward due to a couple of blocks waist deep in flood.

Not sure what my train of thought was, but I ended up taking the most tedious solution: I walked.

Without familiarity of the area nor landmarks to guide me, I soldiered on and just kept walking. I backtracked a couple of times, blocked by subdivisions or more floods. The map below shows the path I took, St. Luke's to Capitol Medical.
It was kinda fun knowing where you are, where you want to go, but not knowing how to get there.

Awesomeness

2008-06-08T20:44:00.003+08:00

Macross Awesomeness (1600x1131. 481kb) (original is 2480x1754)

This is a poster I designed to be hung at home and the office. It was inspired by Barney Stinson's Awesomeness poster, but mine has a twist of Macross.

The Valkyrie portraits are by Tenjin Hidetaka.

A secret I will never tell...

2008-04-30T09:33:00.005+08:00

Such a dirty little secret.

Ok, I'll spill it...

I watch Gossip Girl!

There, I said it.

For the hype? Maybe.

For the story? Probably.

For Blair Waldorf/Leighton Meester? Hell yeah!

I'm Sorry John Lloyd!

2008-03-28T09:54:00.004+08:00

Not that I did anything to him. Call it karma.

JL is shown in commercials as this guy who is healthy, careful and preempts fevers by taking biogesic. Well, biogesic is an institution so its hard to go wrong with that. Then I heard this news that JL crashed due to flu(trankaso). The ebil side of me laughed, thinking that would be a tough blow to both JL and the aforementioned medicine.

Some higher power must have waited for a nasty strain and sent it my way. All for laughing at others' misfortune.

And what a FUCKING BITCH this flu was and I don't think I've ever had it this bad. Aching extremities, uncomfortably hot body temperature, general weakness, extremely muddled brain activity, spasmodic chills, liquid poop forcing you to wake up and dump; all within symptoms of flu, so says fda.

Ok, karma... you got me good. Bring back my normal poop.

"I got dirty... I got stinky... but see, I learned" - kid from a milk commercial

PS. The image is a hip-shot by mic. Was annoying her with my expression.

Maundy Sunsets

2008-03-18T08:20:00.003+08:00

Originally named 'Da Manila Bay Sunset Festival', brainchild of Oliver 'bug' Uy, this project kinda evolved since people will be on vacation in various places during the Holy Week.

If you want to join in, just take a picture of the sunset during Maundy Thursday (or Friday/Saturday can work too) and send in your best one. You can email me the photo or the link where you uploaded it. I'll collate them with proper credits and post them in an independent site/page.

Come on, join us :) Watch/shoot the sunset and reflect on life and the holy week.

So far we have photo pledges from Manila Bay(Bug,Mika,Bmac), Davao(Ther), Bicol(Miriam) and Bataan(Tseri). Game?

Gundam 7 Dynamite 01

2008-03-12T05:37:00.006+08:00

Crazy spoof I made of some anime.

Elements: Stinky Dried Starfish, RX-93 vGundam, Cebu Magnet Guitar, Bohol Sand, one of the Onsen Girls.

Haado Lessons (Hard Lessons)

2008-03-08T13:19:00.013+08:00

Breaking Point

A little boy bought a 34k lens thinking it would be a good investment; good optics, rugged construction. He then bought a 4.5k RF flash trigger so he can be like strobist.

The foolish little boy went and shot an event for free, then dropped his gear... smashing a lot of it. Only the camera body survived.

Banpei: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L

The Lens' front glass chipped and flew off.

The metal barrel holding the focusing group deformed and cracked. It rendered the lens unusable.

RF triggers Old and New

The RF flash trigger shattered into a hundred pieces.

Asking for Help

I took my time and finally decided to bring the lens to Canon for repairs. The service person gave me a form stating "drop damaged" and had the number of the guy who will check it out. After a week, I called and they said the estimate cost... 33k! WTF! I can buy another one at that price! On a whim, and as if to punish myself, I said to proceed with the repair.

After a month, they called me, said that the parts arrived then asked me if I wanted to go through with it. My head was clearer and I asked if it was reasonable to continue with the repair. After a few nudges, the girl admitted that they didn't feel hopeful nor agreeable with proceeding. I at last got the message that "make us fix this mess you've made and we'll really make you pay for it". So I asked the girl if it's still possible to pull it out, to which she said it's okay up until they really start. Feeling both relieved and disappointed, I made the decision to pull out.

I claimed my lens a few days after and the service person even exclaimed "good choice" when he saw the estimate cost on the repair. Yet another indication of the "just buy a new one" message. I went home no closer to getting back a usable telephoto zoom lens.

With Canon throwing in the towel, it came time for DIY Brymac to spring into action.

Mending A Broken Heart

I started disassembly but got stuck at some point because I met screws that held together metal pieces. These were soft and flimsy screws and my current tools didn't provide enough rotational torque to unscrew them. With the risk of 'loose thread', I decided to reassemble and put off until i buy proper equipment.

I went to Raon (area in Quiapo with electronics/tools/parts galore). I first went to good old DEECO but was disappointed to find that the smallest philips they had was a #0, which didn't feel small enough for my needs. But I bought a Stanley Precision screw set anyway @180php. Also bought a small magnifying lens and ultra sharp tweezers. Walked a bit more and saw a plain set for 60php. My final stop was the goldmine, forgot the name of the shop but they had a Butterfly brand set@150php with a #00! I went home a happy shopper and got back to repair. The first few screws were good boys and went out quietly. Two out of ten lost thread quickly, and I was stuck again. I was fuming at how flimsy they were, but suddenly had a brainwave. Since they were so flimsy, I continued screwing (hahaha), saw that the screwdriver was intact and the screwhead was deteriorating. So after an hour of screwing, I got to behead two screws and I was progressing in stripping the lens.

The focusing lenses were stuck not because of embedded glass shards, but because the barrel it moved in cracked and got deformed. It was like using a cylindrical piston in an elliptical pipe. I cleaned/lubed the barrel, and used a vice grip to reshape it.

I discovered that the manual mode of focusing wasn't really manual. Sensors detect how much you rotate the focusing ring and sends that information to the UltraSonic Motor (USM) and it moves the focusing lenses for you. Seeing as the USM might be dead or doesn't have enough muscle to move the lenses thru the imperfect barrel, I planned to connect the external focusing ring directly to the internal mechanism. After studying the moving parts, I found the ones I needed and used super glue to bind 2 rings. I left it a bit to dry then reassembled. I snapped a film circuit connector thingie, but I'll fix that some other day.

After all that trouble, I was rewarded because it worked, according to plan. Yes, the focusing is manual now and like arm-wrestling a gorilla, but it works! I have a telephoto zoom again, with good glass XD.

Just in time too, the Cebu Bohol trip was around the corner. My family and myself too, was glad the telephoto zoom was back in action. I thus rename the reborn lens from Banpei to "NOBLE SCARLET" after Skuld's angel.

Some pictures the revived lens were able to take:

Marie Digby on Smallville

2008-02-16T04:03:00.007+08:00

I've been taken to this lady for a while, listening/watching her songs on youtube. I like her renditions of Nelly Furtado's Say It Right, Rihanna's Umbrella, and her original song Stupid For You.

While watching Smallville, her first official Single "Say It Again" suddenly plays and declared as Kara's favorite song :)

Go get them Marie!

Edit: Apparently, she already sang in a previous episode :P

Ninja-Drop

2008-02-11T13:43:00.000+08:00

The rest of the 12th Hot Air Balloon(less) Fiesta Pics

Trivial Four

2008-01-29T03:09:00.000+08:00

Four jobs I have had in my life: *
1. Student Assistant (SAL UP EEE)
2. Instructor (Pisay, OLGP-VTS, DFA)
3. Web Developer (UP HRDO, Cube, AIQ)
4. Shutter for Hire/Photographer

Are you bulimic Ther? You read my mind :))

Four places I have lived: *
1. Balintawak, QC
2. SAL
3. RE's Place
4. Adrian's Place

Four places I have been: *
1. Pangasinan
2. La Union
3. Pampanga
4. Boracay

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Jolly Choco Hazelnut Sandwich
2. Triple Egg Soup
3. Lengua
4. Nilaga

Four places I'd rather be:
1. Boracay
2. Japan
3. Google Labs
4. M5 with Kari Byron

*Four friends or relatives I think will respond first:
1. Mika
2. Dionne
3. Mic
4. Markku

My First... and The Last I'd Ever Need

2008-01-28T08:59:00.000+08:00

I once read a story about a man that died due to his greed (summary). It is one of my early lessons in "Needs" and "Wants". In a twisted way, one can interpret is as "secure what you need, then go for what you want :P"

So when the opportunity presented itself, I decided to buy the last thing I'd probably need. It's a 12"x12"x12" niche located in Our Lady of Grace Parish, Caloocan City. This is despite the fact that I haven't decided if I'd like to be buried, burned or burned-and-sprinkled-over-a-lake. I doubt if I'd care what happens to my remains anyway when I'm dead :))

Living for the Now, ready for tomorrow :D

(grabe, kahit ang daming smilies, morbid pa rin ng topic)

Christmas 2007

2007-12-26T01:58:00.000+08:00

Christmas has been fairly busy due to my sister's plans of spending it together at Makati.

Run up to xday: My brother had the idea of giving our dear mother a second hand laptop for xmas and asked me to scour around for one that would only cost 10k. Aidz previously mentioned to me the price of the eeepc thru tipidpc. So I thought... I can just split the cost and get our mom a kickass gift. So I called up Sir Kojak to confirm if they had stock and told him that I'll pass by to get one that same day.

Star Mall Mandaluyong: PC Home was the shop he told me to get it from so I went there. Unfortunately, someone swooped down a bit earlier and bought 2 units to give as a gift too. Had to wait a bit but the staff updated me often as they brought it from Megamall to the branch I was in. So a few days from xday, I was in possession of a kickass Mom Laptop. I got to play with it a bit, but had a bit of trouble because the eeepc seemed to hate my cheap surecom broadband router. Looks like its time to upgrade to a Linksys wireless router :P (Update: Installing Windows XP kinda solved the router issue)

Xmas mass in Makati Shangrila: While in Manila, my sis was staying in a company leased condo at Shang Grand Towers. It was really cool, spacious and probably damn expensive. We went there and used it as a staging point to go to mass. The mass was held in the Rizal ballroom of the Makati Shangrila hotel. There were lots of families with kids, and the choir itself was composed of lil' children. After mass, we went down to Circles to eat the buffet dinner my sister reserved for us.

The food was ok, I especially liked the dimsum and siomai. So come 12mn, we presented our gift. She liked it, was able to check her email, because the place had wifi. Like our dad, we love making our Mom the coolest one around :D Pics Here

After Noche Buena, we went back to the condo and drank vodka-sprite to chase awfully bitter red wine. Christmas day itself was slow, sleepy and ho-hum. Merry Christmas everyone.

Delusion

2007-11-29T02:53:00.000+08:00

"... laboring under the delusion ..."

-phrase twice used in the Harry Potter books.

There comes a point where you can't fool yourself anymore.
When pictures show what you do not want to see.
Clothes do seem to be tight in places they weren't before.
When the scale says that I'm in the Heavyweight class when I'm ideally in Middleweight.

I know for a fact that it will be easier for me to start an Exercise Habit than to do a proper diet. Thus I turn to "Hip Hop Abs" upon the recommendation of my sister. With the Christmas season around the corner, this strategy will be put to the test.

Google continues to steal my stuff!

2007-11-15T17:22:00.000+08:00

But does it in a good way though. Stolen probably in this order:

Search - No need to explain.
Calendar - I stayed away from Outlook so I used Mozilla Firebird and Mozilla Calendar. Google had .ics support so that got stolen.
Translate - Babelfish was the bomb. I use this now. Jap to Eng anyone?
Docs - I prefer keeping documents locally, but instant publish is cool. Ohh, here is a list of movies I decided to organize.

What has Google stolen from you?

Albus on Avenue Q

2007-10-22T05:35:00.000+08:00

Read the article here.

JK Rowling still had some surprises up her sleeve even after finishing the last book of the Harry Potter Series. The largest bomb she threw was that Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School, was gay. There's nothing too wrong about that, I just laughed and thought that Voldemort was probably afraid of Albus because he's a homo-phobe :))

Ohh, "If you were gay" is a song from Avenue Q, which i got to watch with Tseri and Miriam. Rachel Alejandro's performance is brilliant as well as the other cast. Additional dates will be shown, so go and watch it if you can.

Got Stabbed...

2007-10-04T03:27:00.001+08:00

or is the term pierced? Same difference. Was looking around for an earring to replace my clip-on when I noticed UniSilver also offered ear piercing. So its 70php for the bullet earring (dunno what its called... compatible with the piercing gun) and 120php for the bad ass chain thingie.

The earing that came free with the piercing... or was it the other way around?

Clip-on on top. Chain-thingie combo at the bottom. Red stuff is Betadine.

Murdered In Cold Blood

2007-10-03T02:25:00.000+08:00

Warning: Very Graphic Photograph

With just the image above as your guide, can you tell the whole story?

How I Met Your Mother

2007-09-27T11:21:00.000+08:00

Shai* mentioned this show to me ages ago and just recently had I found motivation to actually watch it. Well, the good parts have already been spoiled for me, so I just had to catch up. I finished it just in time for the 3rd seasons' opener. Note to readers... I hate spoilers.

As the title states, the lead 'Ted Mosby' in 2030 tells 'the' story to his kids. Without spoilers, 2 seasons (44 30-minute episodes) later... he is still blabbing to his kids. But as he is not our dad, there isn't a dull moment as the stories unfold and a lingering mystery of who the 'Mother' is.

Did I mention a crush of mine is part of the cast? Band-camp/Willow Alyson Hannigan plays Lily, love-interest of the lead's best friend. That's Ted in middle, being smothered by his best friends (ep 2x18).

(edit: I remembered some time ago that it was Shaina that mentioned this show to me. Thanks Shai!)

Binabagyong Boracay

2007-09-15T05:11:00.000+08:00

(Stormy Boracay)
Day 2 [working via an Internet Cafe]
For the very first time in my 28 years of existence... I flew on an airplane. Thanks to a certain person nicknamed "j", I am here in Boracay for the first time and while there is a typhoon too.

Here are some pics for the meantime. I'll upload a butt load of pics when I come back.

I'm connected here thru Station 168 Internet Cafe. Laptop connected via LAN cable (preference).

I Want To Shoot Somebody!

2007-09-07T05:43:00.000+08:00

For those who have noticed the lack of posts, I've probably preferred pressing the shutter. Even so, I feel that I'm not shooting as much or as often as I should. This is because I recently invested on a ~~good~~ great lens but haven't really maxed it out.

Although I have been open for requests from friends, I'd like to restate that I'm willing to take portraits... for free. Probably on weekends and in open places like UP or intramuros. C'mon I know you want to :D

Some recent pics/albums:

UP BEAT 100 [UP Concert Chorus]

CST: Pisay

Eclipsed Eclipse

What's your internet connection Plan A, B, C, D...

2007-08-24T10:46:00.000+08:00

I was in a state of 'netlessness' for 3 days and the feeling was horrible. It's like a big part of me depends on underwater cables going to Taiwan. One of those mornings I went to Burger King Mayon to connect thru their Wi-Fi... but it was down too. I felt defeated, so I ended up jogging for the hell of it. My work is dependent on the internet and losing it this often or this long is detrimental.

I am seriously thinking of downgrading my current one and getting a second connection to compliment it. So, what is your connection and what is your Plan B, etc?

Primary: Bayan DSL 2Mbps
Plan B: Dial-up (If the phone line is ok)
Plan C: Wi-fi at Burger King
Plan D: GameSquad @ Kamuning

A line I never meant to cross...

2007-08-15T05:05:00.001+08:00

I have taken another step to becoming an Otaku, one that I never really wanted to take. The figurines above are characters from the anime "Petopeto-san" and I bought them at Toy Kingdom(SM Megamall). I wanted these some time ago when I first saw them, but ended up buying this time because they were on sale. Each is made up of 8 connectable parts, stands 3.5 inches, made of PVC/ABS and is manufactured by Happinet Corporation. They resemble Pinky:st figures. Damage: 300php for both.
These are Keroro Gunsou Gashapon(Capsule Dispensed) Keychains. 2 inches tall and very wiggly. The one you'll get is random but I was fortunate enough to get the ones I wanted. I'll blame Tubay for introducing me to Keroro and Densha Otoko for making me want these keychains. Damage: 100php each.

Byousoku 5cm, a chain of short stories about their distance

2007-07-29T21:03:00.000+08:00

The speed at which cherry blossom petals fall, 5 centimeter per second. Makoto Shinkai's latest work is finally here.

Oukashou which is part 1 of this movie was released earlier and I really liked it. It tells about a connection, a love that blossomed between 2 students.

Cosmonaut, part 2, is about a girl who fell in love with her classmate, Yet that person's heart is light years away.

Byousoku 5cm, the last part, concludes the movie.

This movie hit me in an unusual way, but I could not peg if it is sadness or fear. A deep sadness because of the love that Takaki (lead char) held but could never let go. A love which the second girl could not confess. A relationship that was only there to fill the void.

I was afraid, because I could go the same way as lead character. Cold-hearted and cynical. Seemingly there but could not open his heart. I'm hoping against hope that I can avoid that path and live this life the best way I can.

Deathly Hallows

2007-07-21T07:39:00.000+08:00

Just got my copy from National Bookstore Quezon ave. at around 715am. Was able to score the box for free :P

Initial browsing reveals that the Photo Leak a couple of days ago looks legit. So I was done reading since Thursday then...

Maybe I'll post a 'my thoughts' on book 7 and the series as a whole sometime later.

Dangwa's Flowers

2007-07-14T20:38:00.000+08:00

Yamato Damashii

2007-06-30T18:07:00.001+08:00

Roughly translates to "Japanese Spirit". It is a nickname given to Enson Inoue, a Japanese-American Mixed Martial Arts Fighter. Nick of Purebredusa sent me these shirts and they're cool. Thanks Nick!
Translation (from purebredusa) Left to Right: Fall seven times get up eight. The harder you work the sweeter the victory. Pain is temporary but pride is forever. To really try is to try when the time is hard. At least once in your life train with the will to die. Blood is nothing but red sweat.

Death Note, Can I Wield It?

2007-06-28T21:56:00.000+08:00

This is actually from Full Metal Panic: TSR. It just has Death Note Characters :P

This amazing anime comes to an end, a little differently from the manga or movie. The conclusion came out a little better and not as unsightly.

The story revolves around the morality of killing. When does one have the right to take somebody else's life away? In todays society, some accept the death sentence to punish those worthy of it. Some deaths are celebrated when the one who dies really deserves it.

Earlier I was in Quiapo, buying some items. Before I could talk to the saleslady, a flurry of events happened. A middle-aged man, his 20-ish daughter and the granddaughter walked pass me to the next stall. Grampa started shouting and cursing at her daughter, probably furious that the daughter left the stall to do something or another. Everybody else went silent and tried to ignore them. I went about looking at what I wanted to buy, but taking glances to keep tabs on what was happening.

I witnessed something that will probably haunt me for a long time. The grampa used his bear feet to kick his daughter in the face. Strong enough that the back of her head hit the metal shutter gate behind her. More curses, then he kicked again. No blood, but disturbing nonetheless.

Why then, did I not do anything? The excuse in my head was lame: it was a family matter. Being a father or husband does not give one the right to hit someone.

What would you have done?

Densha Basilisk Shinobi

2007-06-26T20:21:00.000+08:00

First up, I updated some links so that images of older posts will show up. My apologies to people whose feed aggregators got flooded :P

Next up is reviews on some stuff I managed to watch.

Kouga Ninpou Chou/Basilisk/Shinobi
Based on the novel by Futaro Yamada, this is a story of star-crossed lovers caught between a battle to extinction of their clans.

Manga(Basilisk): I have a copy but haven't read it completely yet. They say the Anime follows this closely.

Anime(Basilisk):
Battle sequences are amazing and animation is superb. Ninja techniques rival those of Ruroni Kenshin and Naruto, only with brutality and blood-thirst. Genoske reminds me of 556 from Keroro.

Movie(Shinobi):The story is expectedly condensed and ends differently from the Anime. Yukie Nakama of Gokusen appears as Oboro, leader of her clan and possesses the "Eyes of Destruction". Hotarubi is played by the beautiful Erika Sawajiri, and I have her photobook courtesy of pyoro.

Densha Otoko
Translated as "Train Man", is a story of a geeky guy/anime fan boy (otaku) who changes himself to get closer to a girl, helped by netizens of a BBS. Roughly based on a true story, its probably a small miracle that the Net brought about. Both the series and movie featured a lot of references such as Gundam, Keroro Gunsou, Eva. Trend word is Kitaa!!!(It's Here).

Series:I liked it because the female lead (Hermes/Saori) is Misaki Ito. The pace was a little slow after the first episode, but it picks up eventually. Character development was good, with the supporting people brought to life well. My vote for best character is split into two. Yamada(Densha) reminded me of a friend in College/ROTC, Sgt. Asis.
The other goes to Misuzu, who is densha's client/friend/tormentor who 'eats' her bosses and has the Imperial DeathMarch as her BGM.

Extra Ending: This was dead funny as a lot of the hidden mischief was revealed. Secondary characters have their stories and love lives told.

Deluxe(SP): A recent special made after the movie. Another story where a millionaire tries to get Hermes(Saori) and capitalize in the Densha Otoko craze. More comedy and drama mixed in this one. Watari from the Death Note Movies is also here.

Movie: Fresh set of actors and condensed storyline are the perks of the movie version. Downsides are: it lacks an antagonist, Misuzu isn't there (but does a cameo as a receptionist) and some fun plots are gone. An extra at the end of the movie features a connection between the movie and the series :)

PhotoBooks, Obsessing Over Them

2007-06-11T02:42:00.000+08:00

I've been spending some of my extra time and bandwidth collecting and analyzing (in a photographic sense) PhotoBooks. I don't have my facts straightened for now, but in some corner of the Internet, PhotoBooks are Japanese gifts to the world. This specific genre features one or more artists in sets of (sexy) clothing, posing and displaying why the deserve to have their own printed material.

First ones that took my attention were of the group Berryz Koubou. Amazingly, they released a solo version for Risako Sugaya who was only 12 at that time.

The most recent and the one that got me to write this post is one by Rina Nagasaki. These following pics, will explain why it is such a big interest to me, and maybe you...
In the beach in a bikini. Isla, spanish for island.
Walking away picture... is that a tricycle?That seems like a cool drink... yellow and blue... sm bonus!?
Moo, Stick-O, Good Time, Yan-yan, Lays, Bread Pan, Frooty, Doritos, Roller Coaster, Piatos, Knick knacks. Unmistakably this PhotoBook was shot here in the Philippines :P

Weak

2007-06-10T01:10:00.000+08:00

Light Streaks, oh how I love them. Sky above SM Megamall

It might be the transition period between the summer and rainy season, but I've been drenched in sweat almost 24/7. I met with a friend last Thursday and I couldn't help but feel ashamed that I was a bloody mess (sorry!) . Regardless of external factors, I felt that I had grown weak... in body, mind and spirit.

Train the Body: Taebo in itself is outdated and boring, but it's a bit more tolerable if I watch something else while doing it. Some anime rerun or a movie I've watched, makes the 40+ minutes go by easily. Haven't tried it with pron yet, probably a bad idea :)).

Train the Mind: It doesn't have to be related to what I need to do, but I should at least read up on my interests. NASA news, Tech Articles, Photography, etc.

Train the Spirit: Have more enthusiasm, smile, go FOOOOOOO!!! more often (figuratively). Life seems boring and slow only if you're not living it fast enough. Take tons of pictures. Go out and meet new people, and for goodness sake, try and remember their names :P.

Weirdness

2007-06-04T08:29:00.000+08:00

A weird pic for a weird post. Pic taken by Mika

Tagged by Mic

Each player of this games starts with 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

I have a tendency to leave stuff unfinished. Probably some subconscious idea that I need to exist tomorrow to do it.
Some people have cooking as therapy, mine is laundry.
I burn data/stuff twice, and never on the same type/brand of dvd.
I'm helplessly gullible. When I was a kid, the same person gave me my first puff on a cigarette and detonated a firework(darna) near my hand.
I try and avoid having to sleep elsewhere. I know and it has been brought to my attention that my snore can set of landslides.
There was this one time that I was sleeping in semi-darkness and awoken by a loud crash. I instantly stood up, took a fighting pose then started shouting threats... in english.

I'm tagging Tseri, Mika, BriTan, BongC, Ther, Mimi.

Trinoma Finds

2007-05-29T09:16:00.000+08:00

I went to Trinoma with Tubs, Joan, Lea and Emir to watch Shrek 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3. The mall had an Ayala feel, because it is :)). Around 30% of the shops are still closed but most of the essentials are already up and running.

Find 1: Negi Ramen. There is a Japanese food resto there named "Oki Oki" and I found Negi (Spring Onion) Ramen in their menu and decided to try it. I know about it from the Anime Series Full Moon wo Sagashite as the Shinigami duo's name. For 180Php you get lots of spring onions, pork cutlets, giniling, miso/curry and spices. A bit spicy for me, but Tseri would probably like it.

Find 2: CD Folders. A shop named "JapanHome" sells most/all of their goods for 88Php. I found a shelf full of these babies but restrained myself and just bought 4. If there's something that I'm OC about, it's optical media. I was once desperate enough to Comix brand folders @ 250Php because I couldn't find anything else. I also thought that moving to DVDs will reduce my filing problems but looking back, that was a premature conclusion.

Highlander: The Search for Vengeance

2007-05-23T21:22:00.000+08:00

I was a fan of the Highlander TV series back then and sort of enjoyed watching the movies. During a routine check of things to download, I found one for the animated movie Highlander: The Search for Vengeance . I just watched it and I'd say it is kinda cool.

An alternative story line about another McLeod, Colin who seeks revenge for his beloved wife who was killed by another immortal. Colin tries and tries through the centuries to kill that person but always ends up failing... but surviving.

It is directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Vampire D Bloodlust) and if you've watched those, would see his hands all over this one. Fight scenes are cool, moderate use of CG, a tasteful (but short) love scene and of course the Highlander myth gives life to this movie.

I was reminded of a couple of movies: ninja scroll, fist of the north star, 300, braveheart, gladiator and some more. Watch this if you're in the mood for a bit of action :)

Shot til I can't shoot no more

2007-05-22T20:30:00.000+08:00

Skuld(canon eos 350d) and I took around 500 shots last week at 5 different locations/events. I think I broke some self limit by participating in all this but felt sort of fulfilled.

I went to hidalgo and bought myself a reflector. The moment I saw the 42 inch one, I knew I wanted it. It took a while to decide between 2-in-1(950Php) or a 5-in-1(1800php), but the gold side won me over. In the image is the reflector and a dvd for size comparison.ePLDT UCCP Shoot [2007.05.17]
Mika YMd last week asking if I was free to do a shoot for one of their poster/ads. I was a bit hesitant in agreeing because I felt I wasn't ready and it would be my first paid photoshoot. When I got there, I saw some familiar faces and the models/employees were very game and cooperative. The shoot took a while but it was fun :) Other pics.

Spoof version of the Ad

Pisay96 BookDrive Part2 [2007.05.19]
Continuing our batches' projects, I went to the event held at BigSkyMind. RockEd handled a lot of the stuff including band lineups.
We transfered to Bl_e without U to drink some more and sing videoke. Other pics.
Cosplay Shoot [2007.05.20]
Jayvee(ABuggedLife) started this as a single post and grew exponentially as a lot of people were interested in it. Jerry Polence and Rossette Yabut were the models and there were lots of photogs. Other Pics.
Family Pic [2007.05.19]
It is incredibly rare to catch my family in one place at the same time so I took the opportunity to take an informal picture.

pineApple aka bryMacBook

2007-05-14T17:27:00.000+08:00

Inspired by Ouran's spoof of Apple's Logo, I created my own :P

AYUMU... NEO Empriva 630nvp2 (HGL30)

2007-05-02T20:05:00.000+08:00

NEO Empriva 630nvp2
Quick Specs:
Intel® Core™2 Duo T5500
1.66 GHz, 2Mb, 667MHz
Intel® 945PM chipset
1.0Gb DDR2-667MHz
80Gb SATA Fujitsu MHW2080BH
SlimType DVD Dual
14in. Wide (WXGA) / 1.3MP camera
nVidia GeForce Go 7600* - dedicated 256MB VRAM
Intel® PRO Wireless 3945ABG / 56Kb
Finger Print Scanner
SD/MMC/Stick Reader
Windows Vista™ Home Premium

What Vista has to say:
I was sort of proud that I'm buying from a local brand. I was then a bit surprised that this NEO is a rebranded COMPAL lappy. It is also known as internationally as HGL30 and marked like this:

The mix of specs and features is pretty good. To test it out, the first thing I did was set it up to dual boot Vista and XP using this guide. I plan to use Vista as a test platform and XP as my staple development comfort zone.

Pushing things a bit, I installed the last game that I liked: Need for Speed Most Wanted. Playing it at highest quality settings was astounding for me, because my desktop pc (Rebirth) had to scrimp on the quality a bit. I also used this opportunity to train the battery, played NFSMW on just batteries (only above an hour), recharged to 100% when it got low, then repeated the process.

Likes:

Core 2 Duo allows it to run a virus scan without pulling other activities down.
The HD is SATA and 5400rpm. There are tons of perf gains from those.
The finger print scanner saves me the trouble of entering my long password.
The display is hinged at only 2 small areas, but the friction/force required to tilt it is very reassuring. (I'll forever be scarred by HP Omnibook 6100's terrifyingly brittle hinges)
Camera seems like a good one.

Dislikes:

The DVD drive feels like the slowest point in the lot. Poor reaction time.
Onboard speaker output is weak and sounds like crap.
TFT is normal, meaning at an angle vertically, viewability sucks.
Although the processor is supposedly geared for lower temps, other parts of the system aren't. Which is fine by me, power has its trade-offs.
Haven't throughly tested the mic, but it has been weak so far.

Over all... I love this! It is going to be crucial in the path that recently, I have been really considering.

AYUMU... The Birthday Gift That Took Too Long

2007-05-02T18:02:00.000+08:00

The long story quoted below was written with hate and spite. In retrospect, the harder it is to get something, the more you cherish it.

The owner of the shop talked to me and testified that the model I chose was extremely hard to procure. Retailers probably have to go the extra mile to nick one from the suppliers. For my patience, I got a 1k price cut(because of the processor?), an optical mouse and a 1GB Apacer Flash Drive. I'll write a review for AYUMU on the next post.

At last, a proper gift... 11days after.

What takes 11 days to buy?

An island? A palace? A car?

April rolled in and I knew what I would buy myself for my birthday... a laptop. I wanted one to unshackle myself from being tied to working from the house.

During the third week, I nailed the brand and model I needed: NEO Empriva 630NVP2. On April 20, I called PCEvotech but they said it would take one day to order. So I decided to buy it from the site I was browsing from, PC Corner. I called them up and asked if they had it in stock, they said they had one so I hurt my bank and scurried to Gilmore.

When I arrived, they said it wasn't there anymore. Shucks, I specifically went there because they said they had it. They were pimping me other brands but was fixed on what I wanted. I talked again to the salesperson and what they can provide is a temporary replacement laptop (Asus A8JR) that will be swapped when the actual one arrives. I turned this one down because I didn't want to use a laptop that wasn't really mine (or wanted). So I just left a generous downpayment for the 630 (either NX2 or NVP2 would be fine) and left a bit downhearted.

Three days went by fast as I had a great time in Pangasinan. I called on April 23 to check up on it, but my contact said they need 3 more days. I can wait... 3 more won't hurt that much.

I called again on April 25, my contact was absent so I talked to another person. He said that there will be a delivery at 5pm and I should call again. At 530pm as I was going home from MOA so I called from my mobile (something I rarely do). The same guy answered and with bite of impatience told me to sit quietly and wait for them to call. *insert tons of curses here*

April 27: I received a call from my original contact. I wasn't expressing anger or spite but she was all apologetic and cowering as she told me to give them one last chance and that she'll get me my laptop by Monday(April 30). She was going to throw in a Flash Drive for all my patience (*wow, flash drives can now quell all suffering*).

April 30, 500pm: I suppressed all the boiling anger and called. I got hold of her but she was running around and made me hold the line for 5mins. Another guy talked to me and said "For delivery on Wednesday" WTF! I firmly said that Wednesday would make it 13 days, and asked to talk to the girl again. She said she'll call me in 5mins. She did call and told me that it wasn't there yet and but will definitely arrive at 7pm.

I flew at full haste and arrived there before 8pm. After more waiting(it arrived 930pm), the laptop I have been drooling over finally arrived. As pretty as it was, it fell a bit short. The supplier plugged in a T5200 processor, where I specified a T5500 at least. They said I can bring it back the next day and they'll replace the processor.

I went back the next day and finally got it as I wanted. 11 days.

I hate being in pictures...

2007-04-29T21:07:00.000+08:00

but there are times that it's fun to just have fun.

Can I defeat the darkness inside?

The weight of the world

Kahit Minsan Lang, Arnee Hidalgo

2007-04-25T12:19:00.000+08:00

I've heard this song countless times, yet can not block out its sadness. A nice music video from arnee.

Official YouTube Page

Earth Day and Pangasinan Trip

2007-04-24T12:27:00.000+08:00

I was blabbing about wanting a memorable summer, despite that, I had second thoughts in joining our batch project 'Earth Day Cleanup'. So I'm infinitely thankful to the pisay96 pips for making this a fun, memorable and amazing activity/birthday.

Folio Shots
Second Set

I'll post again about stories and stuff about what happened when I get some free time :)

Friends Fun Friday Food Forn (FFFFF)

2007-04-24T11:56:00.000+08:00

I kinda felt like having dinner with cube/contentdev pips so I set one up without really saying the reason. There were just 8 of us but I was happy since these were people I ~~sort of~~ really miss. Thanks pips! Other pics here.

Oh, J gave me my first(& only?) tangible gift: 3 fortune cookies. Here are the contents:

An error is not a mistake until you refuse to fix it.

We make a Living by what we get.
We make a Life by what we give.

Character is what you know you are
not what others think you are.

Memorable Summer

2007-04-16T12:20:00.000+08:00

I'm afraid that this summer will pass and will be cataloged in 'just another one'. Gone are the days when summer is a 'mandatory break'. Now you have to capture it and grab it by the horns.

Can anyone suggest something fun and memorable that I can mark summer'07 by?

Discombobulating Surprise

2007-04-16T12:04:00.000+08:00

Why is it that there are some things, no matter how much you brace yourself, still makes you go "MAH!?"

Easy Primal Kiss Pumps

2007-04-12T10:13:00.000+08:00

Huh?! You may have probably noticed that I tend to squeeze all topics into a post title :P

Primal Fear
This movie was recommended to me by Atty. Ramirez and Aidz. I was interested because they mentioned that Edward Norton's role here is similar to Fight Club. Indeed, his performance and acting was good, considering he was only credited in the third tier. The courtroom drama is not as powerful as that of 'the practice', but substantial all the same. After watching the movie, it sort of exemplifies an old Filipino saying: "Matalino man ang matsing, napaglalalangan din" which roughly means "even a smart monkey can be fooled".

Paradise Kiss
Tseri requested me to procure this anime because she caught it on Animax one time. Was expecting a light watch out of this, but ended up with a bit of culture shock.

I had this notion of properly separating Anime and Hentai. ParaKiss walked the line between the two categories, something I haven't seen since Akira or Ninja Scroll.

I found the story interesting with moments where you'll say *GAK* or *zOMG*. It tells about students from a high-class fashion/design school who found a model in a student who doesn't find herself special.

Fuck Me Pumps
Loopy mentioned in one of her posts this song by Amy Winehouse. The mood of the song is a bit comical, but I figured that it would be painful to hear for someone in that situation. 'Do Me Good' sounds nice, but probably a girl/woman's song.

Ambing - Easy Flagela (update)
I was surprised one day when a member of the band who sang this song found me on YM. The current name of the band is Los Chupacabras and here are their blogs: Mikael Carl and Joel.

Cheers, Atty. Ramirez!

2007-04-08T12:55:00.000+08:00

Congratulations also to Jeloy, Christine and Jao. I normally stay out of trouble, but when the time comes, hope I have 4 batchmates/lawyers backing me up XD

Water Spa...ahhhhhhh

2007-04-02T20:42:00.000+08:00

My sister was here the other week and my family took the opportunity to try out ACE Water Spa located in Del Monte Ave. It was a worthwhile experience that would be nice to try every now and then.

For 500php, it entitles you to 4 hours inside the facility. The place has a 4ft laps pool, a fun stream that goes around the place, lots of different water jet massage spots, sauna, steam and 3 herbal hot pools.

I really like the rain drop massage. You lie face down and water showers down on your whole body, it starts ticklish then it batters down like a wall. It somehow blanks out your mind and
relaxes your body. It lasts 3 minutes and I probably went at it 8 times.

The herbal hot pools were neat. It's probably an approximation of japanese hot springs and was really relaxing. Each one has a different herb mixture and temperature (36C, 38C,40C). The difficult part is having to take a dip in an ice cold pool after 5mins in a hot one. Otherwise, it felt great.

I spent the rest of my time switching between steam then sauna. I probably ejected toxins out of my body thru sweat. Drinking water is available so replenishing is not a problem.

I really need to go in again due to the stress the btel project gave me. Anybody wanna join me? (strictly swimsuit/trunks attire inside).

Old brochure here and here.

Thermodynamics isn't Rocket Science... right?

2007-03-23T13:30:00.000+08:00

So I took that subject in college twice, but because of that I have better appreciation of the principles that govern it. (Was there sarcasm between the lines?) It has been predicted that this summer will be extremely hot, and it'll be horrible trying to work at home sweating like a pig. So I set out to find ways to keep cool.

1. Cheap Traditional Cooling (Electric Fan): Cool on the wallet but not too effective. If the temperature of the air is hot, so will the air that will hit your face.

2. Expensive Way (Air-Conditioner): One of the best ways to keep cool but is also the worst in cost. If planned properly, it will make working this summer a lot more tolerable.

3. 300 Way: A healthy, unconventional method of keeping cool is through exercise. I'm not sure if will really work, but I'm trying it right now. I'm doing tae-bo cardio workouts during the hot portion of the day, which will get me fit and make the rest of the day seem cool.

Quest for the Ideal Air-Conditioning Setup

There are a number of factors that one needs to consider when looking for an AirCon.

Room Size: The floor area of the room to be cooled is a quick way of narrowing down choices. Specifications of the units such as this tell you how big a room it is capable of cooling. If the unit is too strong, the electric bill takes the hit. If underpowered, the unit overworks and you don't feel the cooling. My room is around 12sq.m. so 0.75-1.0 hp should work for me.
EER: These are the yellow labels present when you see them at stores. The higher the number, the more efficient its cooling is. Any value above 10 is plenty efficient.
Bonus Features: Advanced filters, 'cleanability', mobility are some extras that you may consider.

After looking around appliance stores and the net, I found a local who sold this Arlec unit at a low price. I was interested in the unit because it was portable and cheap. Suspicious, yes. Dodgy, yes. But it was a good deal and I wanted to check it out.

I was in contact with the seller via SMS and planned to meet him to see the unit. I was cautious enough to just bring exact cash and nothing else. He was easy enough to talk to, but the packaging of the unit was in bad shape (termites took residence at the bottom of the box). The unit looked unused and in good shape. We let it run for a bit and it worked fine. I soooo wanted that unit so I paid him, called for a taxi and hauled it away.

I wasn't blown away initially, but that was expected. My room had to be modified so that heat will be shielded out and airflow reduced. But after all that trouble, I can now work or rest better through this summer blaze.

My kawaii Arlec AirCon. That's aluminum shielding on the window so heat and vented air doesn't come in. I also used a thick 600V cable to feed this lil monster.

Safety tip: For high power appliances, it is imperative to give them a dedicated line from the circuit breaker/fuse box. The line should also be rated high enough to pass around twice the rated current. If any part of the circuit heats up (wire, cord, socket) , its a sign telling that part is rated too low for your purpose.