Christmas 2007

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

"... 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!

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

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...

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

Warning: Very Graphic Photograph

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

How I Met Your Mother

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

(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!

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...

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...

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

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

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

Yamato Damashii

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?

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

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

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

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

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.

1. I have a tendency to leave stuff unfinished. Probably some subconscious idea that I need to exist tomorrow to do it.
2. Some people have cooking as therapy, mine is laundry.
3. I burn data/stuff twice, and never on the same type/brand of dvd.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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

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

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 :)