The Working Class Idiot

Hello 2012! What do you have in store for me?

2012-01-02T13:08:00.001+08:00

2012 is here and I'm not sure how I exactly feel about it. 2011 started out being just as fun a ride as any, but it ended out with a lot of losses for a lot of people.

I lost my baby and broke up with the father of my child towards the end of q3. A lot of friends lost loved ones at the middle of the year. A dear friend lost her dad before Christmas. It just wasn’t a good year in general, I think.

Is 2012 going to turn out differently? We’ll have to just wait and see, now, don’t we?

This year, I plan on accomplishing a lot of things.

1. No smoking. I’ve been planning to quit smoking since God knows when, and I still haven’t gotten around to doing it. I also ~~have~~ NEED to get healthy in preparation for yet another plan I have for 2012.

2. No haircut. Until the end of the year, anyway. I’ve always been tripping on my hair. Whenever I feel like it, I have my hair cut. Sometimes I regret the end result, sometimes I like how it turns out. This year, I want to see how long I can grow my hair out before I actually start getting the itch to cut it. Challenge much?

3. No overspending. Good luck naman!! I’m not exactly known for being a wise spender. Just last December, I spent about 6k on shoes alone. Not so wise, yes? Hahaha! Anyway, this year I plan on being a bit more careful about the way I use my money. I plan to save as much money I can for my “baby fund”. So that by the end of the year, I’ll have enough money to cover for expenses, should I get pregnant mid year or something.

4. Have a baby. I lost my first baby last September. I don’t plan on waiting too long before I start working on getting pregnant again. I’m not getting any younger, after all.

Here’s to hoping I can manage to keep up w/ the things I set out to do at the start of the year.

Here’s to hoping all our wishes for the new year come true one way or another.

Here’s to hoping that things will be better for all of us this year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, PEOPLE!! POSITIVE VIBES!!

It Sucks To Be Me

2011-12-19T19:26:00.000+08:00

Things have gone from simple to complicated to even more complicated.

First you have the boyfriend. Then the baby. Then you lose the baby. Afterwards, you lose the boyfriend.

But it turns out you didn't really lose the boyfriend just yet. You just downgraded the relationship a bit. It isn't really what you wanted, but it's all that can be offered. So you take what you're given.

You're happy, or at least you're forcing yourself to be contented with what is, even though it isn't really what you wanted per se. And you get by each day taking things as they come. You convince yourself that you're completely okay with what's happening. But are you really?

Then someone comes along and makes you feel happy. Special, even. But you can't commit yourself to that person because you're still in love with the downgraded boyfriend person (DBP). What's worse is that the new guy can't offer anything different from what has been offered by the DBP.

So you just go with the flow and enjoy the company offered by the new guy. At the same time, you try and work things out w/ the DBP. But the DBP has issues w/ the new guy. And every time you spend time with the new guy, you find the DBP taking one step further and further away from you.

What to do, what to do? You want to save the relationship (or whatever's left of it) with the DBP, but you also want to keep enjoying what you have with the new guy.

The things I get myself into just because I'm all for being happy. I swear.

Thankful, I am

2011-10-20T23:04:00.001+08:00

How long has it been since I have last looked back into my life to count how many blessings I have in my life that I should be thankful for? I can't remember. It's been a while.

I have recently been through a major loss in my life, and I think my focus got stuck on that loss that I never got to appreciate what I didn't lose. I feel that I have been too narrow-sighted. I fear that the little one would've given me a kick in the ass for not seeing that there's still some things that I can enjoy even if he or she isn't there to enjoy it with me.

Now, I start counting my blessings:

I am thankful that I have friends who went out of their way to help me and look after me in the hospital.
I am thankful that I have my family who rushed to see me and care for me, even if that meant enduring 8 long hours of sitting in a bus to get to me.
I am thankful that my years of working paid off and I had maternity benefits to tide me through bills and stuff that needed to be dealt with while I had no income.
I am thankful that I have my partner, who held my hand and assured me that we're going to get through the loss together.
I am thankful that I have wonderful co-workers who were sweet enough to check up on how I was doing, even if they didn't really need to do so.
I am thankful that I am still alive even after having bled that much. The recurrence of the heavy bleeding was a cause for concern, but I pulled through from it just fine, and I am thankful for that as well.
I am thankful that I am back to normal (Wait, was I ever normal? :P) and have been given the permission to return to work. Now I have a means to support myself again, and I get to keep my mind occupied to stop myself from wallowing in negative thoughts.
Lastly, I am thankful that I had the opportunity of carrying that baby inside of me for the short 3 months that we were together. I am only sorry that he/she had to leave so soon and he/she didn't get to meet the wonderful people that I have in my life.

I'll have my chance in giving you a brother or a sister in the future, little one. But for now, I am thankful I had you, for whatever short a period that was. I love you, baby.

A Letter For You, Love.

2011-09-13T16:20:00.000+08:00

Just mid-last week, I assured you that no one's going to harm you. Not while I'm around, at least. I was telling you to just keep holding my hands and to never ever let go. It's going to be you and me all the way, little one.

But last Friday, you decided to let go of my hands and left.

What happened, love? Didn't you feel how much I cared about you? Didn't you know how excited I was to meet you? Didn't you want to stay and meet me, too? Why did you leave so soon?

I can't help but think that I didn't take care of you enough. That I didn't take enough precaution. That I wasn't careful in handling you. Was I? People keep telling me that it wasn't my fault. That God has a bigger reason why He let this happen to us. I fail to see the reason behind this. No matter how hard I try to look for a different perspective on things, I fail to see the point in taking you away from me.

I'd trade anything for a chance to take back Friday and have it go by differently. Maybe then we'd have a chance to be together ~~longer~~ forever.

Right now, there's not much that I can do except to keep you in my heart. I can't stop thinking of how you turned to face us during the first ultrasound, or the fact that you were still moving when I picked you up. You're not just a developing fetus, little one. Not to me, anyway.

I'm not sure if I can ever say goodbye to you, love. I didn't get the chance to say hello.

Please remember that I love you, little one. You will always be mama's first baby.

Who knows...

2011-09-03T09:50:00.003+08:00

What would you do when you start feeling like you're dispensable in someone's life?

Do you walk away?

Do you stay and give the person a chance to disprove that feeling?

I honestly can't say if these feelings are pure gut or if they're just brought about by the mood swings that commonly accompany the first trimester of pregnancy.

Currently at 11 weeks and some days, probably at the 12th week now, my anxiety and depression are getting the best of me these days. I can't stop thinking about all the wrong things that could happen to me, my baby, and the relationship.

Maybe it's just me. Maybe there's something to it. I can't tell anymore.

Maybe I'm still willing to wait. Maybe I'm just about ready to give up and move on. Bahala na si Batman.

If this is your way of dealing with my temper..

2011-07-27T17:02:00.002+08:00

I'll tell you now that it's not working. Here I am trying to cool down by just shutting up and here you are all up in my grill telling me that you're pissed at me too?

It. Is. Not. Working.

I am trying to avoid an argument here. Jesus Christ!

Exhausting, I Tell You!

2010-11-16T08:46:00.003+08:00

The past few days have been very tiring.

For one thing, the breast exam was a hassle. The waiting for the result was another ordeal I had to go through. Somewhere in between, I had work and the move to the new apartment to deal with.

About the breast exam. The rad tech found 2 cysts and 2 nodules on my right breast, and 1 cyst on my left breast. The bigger of the 2 nodules appear lobulated (whatever that means). As far as the doctor explains it, it could be cancerous or it could be nothing. She gave me an option to observe it for 3 months and get an ultrasound again. If it grows, then I'm going to have a biopsy. If it doesn't, then the doctor will tell me what to do on my next visit. She also told me I could already have it removed if I'm that paranoid. Meh, I'll give it 3 months.

Work has been both shitty and blessed this past weeks. Shitty because recent policy changes have made certain aspects of our daily working lives more tedious. I am not the only one with this sentiment. Most, if not all the desktop support agents feel the same way too. I say it's blessed because I think I've been meeting the metrics so far. And top that, I've made my first successful system sale.

Regarding the move. Although I am not alone in all this, I think that Bruce is just as worn out as I am. He's also juggling his time between work, family, and fixing stuff for the move. Personally, I think I have too much stuff. What's I'm bringing with me:

1. 2 sets of drawers

2. 4 bulky duraboxes

3. an ondoy-soaked bass guitar

4. 3 shoeboxes

5. a big bag of bags

6. a bed

7. an industrial fan (that takes forever to start on the #1 setting)

8. a small folding table

9. a wobbly chair

10. pillows and stuffed toys

11. a big bag of random footwear

Now, we still have Bruce's things, plus the things in the common area. The sofa and Bruce's work table have already been brought to the new place. This leaves us with the:

1. ref

2. stove

3. gas tank

4. dish rack

5. busted oven toaster

6. table

7. laundry items

8. cooking stuff

We still don't have a plan for the house. I'm guessing it'll be just as messy as it was here in the Rosario 6 house. Welp, we're waiting for Obi to come over and help us get started on the move again. Today's going to be another long day.

Just Finished Watching: Card Captor Sakura

2010-07-16T12:28:00.003+08:00

So I've been killing my 20-day wait period with anime series and movies. One of the series I went back to was Card Captor Sakura. See, it was aired in local TV for some time. I didn't get to finish it, though, so I took this long vacation as a chance to get re-acquainted with the characters.

Aside from the series, Obi downloaded two Card Captor Sakura movies for me. The first one was a sort of spinoff from the first season, while the second one was after Shaoran left Japan for good.

In this movie, school's out for spring break. Shaoran and Meilin are to go back to Hong Kong to spend their vacation with family. Sakura, on the other hand, wins a trip for four to HK. She brings along Toya, Yukito, and Tomoyo along for the trip. Once they set foot on HK, though, Sakura keeps getting a recurring dream about water and a certain lady.

I hated the first movie. Seriously.

Keroberos sounded like a redneck/surfer dude, Tomoyo (weirdly named Madison Taylor) sounded like a ditz, Toya is now Tori, Yukito became Julian, and they changed Sakura's surname to Avalon. WTF?! All for the sake of Americanizing the series. Oh, did I forget to mention that the way they read their lines was awful? Pintasera?!

The second movie was better. Thank God!

They didn't Americanize the names anymore, they kept the voices closer to the original Japanese dub voices, and the voices had more emotion to them.

Well, the story revolves around a solitary card meant to counterbalance the positive effects of the 52 Clow Cards. Sort of like a yin and yang thing. This one card is the only Clow Card left unturned, it starts to feel abandoned and starts wreaking havoc in the city while it snatches the now Sakura cards one by one. Aside from this dilemma, Sakura also has to find the courage to admit how she feels for Shaoran.

It was fun revisiting an anime series that I liked back in high school. Now I'm off to watch Hunter X Hunter's second and third OVA. It sucks that the local television networks think it's cool to discontinue showing anime series just when the series is about to end. Slam Dunk and Greed Island ring a bell?

Standstill (?)

2010-07-05T23:34:00.003+08:00

Or so I think I'm in a standstill.

This is a long overdue rant about the current employment situation me and my training buddies are currently in.

Nothing's happening. At least nothing favorable. But I guess I shouldn't be just looking out for good things, right? Even the bad events that come by our way merits some attention, too.

Well, what has happened so far? I've found a job. Or at least I had a job for about a month and then I sort of lost it. If you're thinking that I've messed it up like I had with my other jobs, I didn't.

Truth is, me and the rest of the training batch had been pulled out from our respective accounts and were put on hold. In short, we have become floating employees. Employed, unpaid, and without accounts to call our own.

We've been told different things as to why this happened to us. One party says another account needed people, while the other says the original account had made a mistake with the forecast they made of the need for manpower. What's up with that? Who's telling the truth?

We've received multiple calls telling us to meet with someone from recruiting and HR, none of the people we met up with had a straight answer about our fate. We've gotten calls telling us that they're re-profiling us to find a suited account for us, and another call telling us that they're still in the process of re-profiling us just hours after we've gotten confirmation of the account we're being transferred to. Talk about confusing.

Training for the new account won't start 'til the 25th. That's like 20 days away. It's still that long. I'm actually running out of things to entertain me. I mean, I've got anime series to watch, but I get bored and want to go out.

There's nothing wrong about going out, it's just that it seems like you can't do anything outside without having to spend money. FML!

Well, back to watching Hunter X Hunter now. I'm done ranting. I just can't shake this feeling that I'm tired of waiting already.

A Blog Rebirth?

2010-04-22T00:38:00.002+08:00

I dunno, I'm not so sure about this, but I'm going to try to give my blog a bit of a rebirth. I'm going to try to write as often as I can, and make sure that I make every post count.

I'm going to try to learn more about SEO and SMO, and this blog will be the place I'll try to practice what I have learned. I'll probably need to make a new Twitter account for practice, while I'm at it.

Well, I'm just thinking it's never too late to try shit out, right? Today is a day of change, my friends. I'm going to try to make it happen. :)

Thoughts: On Writing

2010-04-11T12:57:00.003+08:00

I have been blogging for quite some time now. I haven't kept one going longer than 3 years. It's mostly because I got bored or I've found a new blog site to post at. Talk about being fickle.

But for the past 2 years, I think that my blogging frequency had significantly gone down. It's most likely because it's all I do these day. Write, I mean. I write for my 9-6 job and my freelance work. I'm sure you'd understand why I find doing something else a welcome change for one.

But I do miss blogging as an outlet. I'm tired of writing, but I miss it too. Confusing, isn't it?

I guess you can say that this is why I'm writing this post, to let loose some thoughts in my head. It feels nice. But I think I have a lot of things to write about.

Let this be the start of an active blog life again. I pray to God I get to keep it. Haha.

Thoughts: Another Webcomic Comes to an End

2010-02-09T01:58:00.004+08:00

I only recently came across Anders Loves Maria from another webcomic I was following and thought I'd give it a try. As I went on page by page, I found myself hooked to the story of the main characters. Their love, their heartaches, the struggles they went through as a couple and as standalone characters.

You'd think that the story was kind of Dawson Creek-ish because of how each character got tangled with each other, but there's more to it than just the entanglement. Despite all the squabbles the couple had, their love shone through and they stayed together.

However, like all good things, Anders and Maria, too, has come to a close. I've never felt this awed at a webcomic love story since You'll Have That, to be honest. Maria's death post partum was a sad but meaningful end. But their love doesn't stop there. Maria left a baby girl which Anders so fittingly named Maria. As from what I read from the last strip, little Maria is turning out to be just like her mom.

Although I had a feeling that the older Maria would die of childbirth, I still couldn't help but feel like crying at her parting.

Kudos to Rene Engstrom for creating such a powerful story of love that surpasses all obstacles. I will miss reading about Anders and Maria. It was a well written love story interpreted in a medium that even the younger generation will like. I wish the comics didn't have to end, but this is what it is.

Thank you, Ms. Engstrom, for giving us this lovely webcomic. And thank you, Anders and Maria. Farewell.

-note- If it hadn't been for a spam commenter, I wouldn't have noticed that the image I originally added to this post was replaced with something horrible. Thanks, Mr. Spammer.

New image from http://anderslovesmaria.reneengstrom.com. Visit the site and read the comic, it's really nice.

Thoughts: On Being Old

2010-02-05T06:20:00.004+08:00

I actually don't resent the fact that I'm turning 30 this year. 30 is old. And I don't care. I guess what I hate is the fact that at this age, I still haven't a clue as to what I want to do.

Watching other people find their rightful place in the world and being happy for them can get old and tiresome. I want to find my spot in the world and claim it. Well, besides the territory I marked beside Obi anyway. Haha.

I'm just not as happy a person as I used to be. At least that's what I see. Please do not mistake this as a sentiment that I'm not happy with what I have in my life. I'm just not happy with myself. Wut?

First personal blog entry in this blog and, yeah, I feel like bursting into tears.

But don't mind me. It's probably just menopause knocking at my door.

If only love, life, and laughter were enough to live...

Let's Talk DVDs: Vision of Escaflowne - A Girl In Gaea

2010-01-24T19:06:00.002+08:00

I like watching anime series. One particular old favorite of mine was The Vision of Escaflowne. If I remember correctly, it was the only English-dubbed anime on GMA's daily evening anime series. It aired during Fridays, as far as I can recall.

But anywho, last weekend, I was able to revisit the series. I watched all 26 episodes of The Vision of Escaflowne and rediscovered why I fell in love with the show to begin with.

I guess you can say that it's the love story between Hitomi and Van that got me. How they were able to sense each others thoughts and feelings, how they care for each other, and how they love each other, that just makes me feel sappy everytime.

But then I watch the Escaflowne Movie, A Girl In Gaea. The story was quite different from the actual series. All the characters were there, but the story concept was quite far from the original.

To start off, instead of Escaflowne simply being a mecha suit powered by dragenergists, it has become an organic entity powered by the blood of it's pilot. The robots are called dragon armor in the movie. The cockpit looks like it's made of flesh and bone. Blech.

Voice actors and characters seems to be the same. Millerna, Merral, Alan, Hitomi, Fulcan, Dryden, Van, and Dilandau look a little different, though. Their nose got shorter. Van, Millerna, Alan, and Fulcan's outfits have become different, too.

The biggest difference is that Van and Fulcan are now heads of two opposing factions - the white and the black wing dragons. Both brothers are hateful and aim to kill the other.

The biggest let down for me in this movie is the fact that after they've build up Fulcan's grave resolve to kill Van and destroy all of Gaea, nothing happened. He got stabbed by a minor character, Jejuka, and died.

I mean, Hitomi being able to stop the rampaging Escaflowne from wreaking havoc all over Gaea was expected. But for Fulcan, the main villain in the movie, to be killed to easily, that definitely threw me off.

In the end, Hitomi still couldn't stay in Gaea. However, it's funny how she grew her own wings and suddenly just vanished in thin air. She didn't fly. Pft.

Minor gripes: Dilandau is no longer Alan's sister who got experimented on. Naria and Aria are no longer Fulcan's most faithful felines, but rather Dryden's bar singers. And, oh, Van was no longer king of Fanelia, but rather King of Edam. Fanelia was never mentioned in the movie at all.

But seriously, as much as I like the shorter noses and the better-looking animal people, I didn't like the movie. I wish they would have made a love story on Hitomi and Van. But meh, that's just me. :P

And also, as what other people who have seen the movie said, this isn't a continuation of The Vision of Escaflowne. You can probably say that it's an... err.. alternatve universe story thing.

How about you, have you seen it? If you haven't, do give it a try, it's nice, if you're not too hardcore about the original series. But yeah, do tell me what you think of A Girl In Gaea.

Let's Talk Movies: Pirate Radio

2009-12-10T06:23:00.003+08:00

I watched Pirate Radio last night at home with Obi. Also known as The Boat That Rocked in the United Kingdom, this movie is really a great movie that talks about a piece of rock and roll history.

The story pretty much revolves around Radio Rock, one of the many pirate radio stations that played pop and rock music over the United Kingdom back when radio stations were only allowed to play pop and rock songs for 45 minutes every day.

I think it's no fun if that were the case today.

With Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman heading the pack, the movie was a lot of fun to watch. The music was what got me. I enjoyed the tunes they were playing on pirate radio back then. So much so that Obi told me that I really should have lived during that period.

I can't say that I disagree with that, though. Haha.

Anyway, I don't have much to say about this movie except that it's amazing. Each and every radio personality in the movie was so unique and animated that you can't help but love them all, however asshole-ish some of them may be.

For a full list of the actors that appear in the movie, visit Pirate Radio's IMDb page here.

Photo obtained from the movie's IMDb page.

Thoughts: On Ronnie Lazaro

2009-12-01T22:39:00.003+08:00

I've always thought that there are very few Filipino actors who can really act. Especially nowadays where the movie industry is filled with cute faces and hot, steamy bodies that don't have what it takes to act.

Don't get me wrong. I'm no expert critic or anything, I just have eyes that work well enough to see that they can't act for shit. Pardon my French.

Then, I came across Ronnie Lazaro in a recent local horror flick. Now, you don't often see him in a lot of movies. But when he does appear, he puts on a really convincing show. He's acted the part of a loving husband, a doting father, a deranged lunatic, a crazed addict, a local quack doctor, and many more. And every time, he gives the audience a commanding performance that leaves them loving or hating the man for the role he portrayed.

Anyways, this is my way of saying how great an actor Ronnie Lazaro is. My hat goes off to you, sir. Carry on with your astounding performances.

Photo from rogue.ph

Let's Talk Movies: Grave of the Fireflies (DVD)

2009-11-23T19:12:00.004+08:00

Watched Grave of the Fireflies last night with Obi. I've had a copy of the movie for a long while now, before Ondoy hit Manila, to be exact, and I'm really sorry I had to wait this long to watch the movie.

The story takes place during the carpet bombing of Japan. It tells the story of brother and sister, Seita and Setsuko, as they struggled to survive the war on their own.

I'm ashamed to say I cried a river watching this movie. I don't think anybody with half a heart will be able to stop themselves from feeling something while watching this movie.

For a young boy to try to protect his younger sister from devastating news, have to endure the constant nagging of a supposedly nice aunt, and fend for himself and his younger sister is just too much for a kid to handle. I couldn't help but feel for Seita all throughout the movie.

It just hurt a lot when it got to the part where Setsuko died. Even in her delirious, near-death state, she thought of Seita. She made mud riceballs and offered them to Seita. Although Seita brought nutritious food for Setsuko that fateful evening, it was too late for her and she died.

Watching Seita sleeping beside the already dead Setsuko was just heartbreaking. He hugged his sister as if she'd still feel the warmth of his body. He wasn't crying. As if all the recent events had made him numb. I don't think I'd ever want to get to that point.

Honestly, Grave of the Fireflies is a very depressing movie, but it's too good to not watch. It teaches you a lot of things about love and the effects of war. I was thinking if I'd have been any different if I were in Seita's shoes, but the thought depresses me.

Anyway, I found out that there had been two live-action versions of this movie. One was in 2005, at the 60th anniversary of the end of WW2, and in 2008. I found a link to the 2005 version and I'll probably watch it later when I get the chance. I'll get tissues to make sure I don't make a mess when I cry again. Haha.

Thoughts: On Writing About Movies

2009-11-20T04:12:00.004+08:00

It's been a while since I last wrote about a movie I recently saw. Honestly, it's been a while since I've been in a theater to actually watch a movie. Since my last movie post about the unedited version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine back in April and that short post about 10,000 B.C. last June, I don't think I've ever written anything closely related to a movie.

Truth be told, I miss it. Writing about movies, I mean.

I may not be that big a movie buff, but I love watching movies. It's sad, though, that recent budget constraints don't really allow for much extra cash for movie tickets and a bucket of popcorn. I do keep up with movies via streaming sites on the internet, but it still doesn't beat being in the movie houses.

Let's see, I've watched a lot of recently aired movies, like:

Jennifer's Body
Paranormal Activity
The Ugly Truth
Orphan

I've got a good copy of The Surrogates and a cam-copy of 2012 waiting for me at home. I got a copy of The Echo from the office torrent pool, but it turned out to be overdubbed in French so it's pretty much useless. I had Obi look up a copy of Ponyo for movie night this Saturday, too.

Oh yeah, I forgot that we watched 500 Days of Summer in the movie house a week or so back. But alas, I never wrote about it. I might. When I've time. Maybe next time.

Right now, I just thought I needed to let the thought out here. Need to start working freelance again. Toodles.

--edit--

I correct myself. Apparently, upon checking, I have written some piece about Star Trek and Angels & Demons in between my X-Men Origins and 10,000 B.C. reviews. But nonetheless, I still miss it. :(

This Will Be News To Many...

2009-10-28T22:52:00.004+08:00

I just bought 2 dresses from one of my officemates. The first one is a plaid halter dress that fits me quite comfortably.

Call it impulse buying, if you will, but I'd like to look at it as helping a friend's business.

Obi will definitely scold me for this. He might even say that the dresses will end up exactly like the one I bought about half a year ago - hanging in my closet never to be used again. My other friends would probably laugh at the thought of me walking around wearing an actual dress. They're just not used to see me in a dress.

Heck, I'm not used to wearing a dress! Period!

I think I'm going to try to control my appetite and try to lose weight.

Again with the diet plan. *I roll my eyes at myself*

Yeah. Obi and I have tried and failed on numerous occasions. The most successful one appears to be the weight-loss bet we did before we got together. We didn't even see it to the end. But sure as hell I lost about 5 to 7 pounds in that bet. I actually started fitting back into my old clothes then.

But that was then.

I wonder if I can keep my resolve to eat less this time. We'll see. :) I'll be posting my start weight and waist line once I get the chance to actually weigh in and measure how wide I've become. I'm going to try to look for some tricks to lose the pounds the safe way.

Well, anyway. Any ideas on how I can lose weight and get fit before December 20 of this year?

Rant: The Good Times Just Keep On Rolling

2009-10-13T10:22:00.002+08:00

Can you feel the sarcasm? Seriously.

Most people know that I just got out of one calamity when I endured Ondoy with Bruce and a couple of other friends.

Just as things are starting to pick up, another mishap happens. I get scammed.

Yes. Call me an idiot. I got scammed. I think I'm going to change my name to Jinxed or something.

What happened? Well, some impostor texted me saying that he sent a balikbayan package to my aunt with our names on the items. Told me that he got a roaming sim so that it's cheaper to text.

Naturally, since I know that my uncle was abroad, I immediately felt at ease. He offered a proposition about how Pinoys in Australia were buying load for their roaming sims at double the price. He said I could make money by selling load through him.

Thinking that it was my uncle, I agreed. He said that he had a buyer waiting for five, 500-peso load cards to use. He told me he was going to send the money immediately via Western Union once the buyer hands over the money. That sounded good enough for me.

To cut the story short, I got the dude the load and sent him the PINs. When I got home (at Bruce's house) I saw that my uncle was online. I asked him how to claim money via Western Union. I can't describe how shaken I was when my uncle asked me where the money was coming from. I was even about to tell him that he was supposed to be sending me money.

Instead, I asked him if he had a roaming sim. He told me it was too expensive to maintain so he never got one. The funny thing was, the dude pretending to be my uncle was still texting me to find a way to produce ten, 500-peso Globe load cards and five more 500-peso Smart load cards.

I told him to pay me up first so that I can use the money to buy the load for him. But he wouldn't agree. I stopped texting him back and tried contacting Smart to have the loads cancelled so that the impostor can't use it.

Unfortunately, no one was answering.

I tried going for Globe's chat support. Unfortunately, their chat client sucked big time. The representative didn't even see my messages. She just left thinking I wasn't replying at all. I tried calling their hotline to report the scammer's number, but the signal seemed to be too erratic. One second you can hear the dude loud and clear, the next second you can't even hear white noise. I'm guessing the dude kept putting me on mute.

The bottom line is, I'm an idiot. I'm going to file for a name change. You can now call me Moron.

Thoughts: On the Coming "-Ber" Months

2009-08-26T06:56:00.003+08:00

August is almost up. Who would've thought 2009 would go by so fast? By next week, it'll already be September. And you know what that means, right? The "-ber" months are back in town. Christmas songs will be playing on the radio, people will start hunting for presents to avoid the holiday rush.

But for me, I got a lot to look forward to in the coming months. For one, my mom's coming over from the province to visit me and my brother. I know it hasn't been a month since she left Manila from her last visit, but it's nice to have her around.

I'll take her to see the new house Bruce and I are renting. This is where she will be staying when she visits Manila the next time around. She's also probably going to see the room my brother's renting. He finally decided to move out of his comfort zone and venture on living alone.

A funny side story, though. My relatives are more worried about him living on his own that they were for me when I left the nest. Sino ba sa amin ang lalake at sino ang babae? Haha.

Anyway, my mom's probably going to stay here when she comes over for All Saints Day. Although I think that it's probably better if we have my dad's remains cremated so she won't have to tire herself with the 7-hour trip to Manila just to visit the cemetery.

What's I'm really excited about is the month of December. I've had confirmation from my freelance boss that he'll be shipping over his old Pentax K100D to me early December as my year-end bonus. It will come complete with an 18-55m, a 50(or 55?)-200mm, and an 18-200mm lens. I'll finally have a dslr of my own. No more borrowing the D100 from Obi or worrying about when I'd get the money to have my films processed. Haha.

Then again, there's also the 13th month pay (which, frankly I don't think will amount to much because of my absences) which I'll use to buy a new cellphone. I'm torn between buying a cellphone or using a big bulk of that money to pay off credit card debts. Haha. Bruce will kill me if he reads about this.

I almost forgot the highlight of my December - Obi and I are celebrating our 3rd year together!!! Yay! I'm hoping it doesn't end there, though. I'm looking forward to more shoot trips with Obi come 2010.

The last leg of the year is looking good for me. I hope it sticks. Hehe.

Thoughts: On Being Insecure

2009-08-22T02:56:00.006+08:00

It's been a while since I posted a rant. Here goes something that's really eating me inside out right now...

I've always thought that my difference made me unique. But I can't deny the fact that it makes me paranoid and jealous at times, too. Why do I say so? Here's why:

We went out drinking, me, the bf, and some other friends. We moved over to a friend's house because there were free drinks and I thought I was going to work there. As the night progressed, things were going as usual. Booze, stories, poking fun at a specific person in the drinking group. This is how our regular drinking sessions go about.

Then out of the blue, the bf comments, referring to the host, "____, gumagamit ka ba ng Chapstik? (___, do you use Chapstik?)" Surprised, the host answered, "Yeah, why?" Jerk-O asks, "WTF? Baket ka nakatingin sa lips niya? (Why are you staring at her lips?)" To which he answered, "Wala lang, it's shiny."

It was a pretty valid question that unnerved me. I didn't add to it in fear of embarrassing the host. It is, after all, her place that we crashed.

I did, however, see a change in the host's face that kind of said she felt conscious at the offhanded comment and the fact that he was, indeed, looking at her lips. She shifted topics. I felt uneasy, but didn't say a word. Everybody dropped the topic and went on drinking and listening to music from the host's iPod. I wanted to ask the bf, "Onga, ba't ka nakatingin sa lips ni ___? (Yeah, why were you looking at ___'s lips?)" But I kept my mouth shut.

A bit later, the host starts dancing sexily, showing off her dancing prowess. I find myself unable to stare at her dancing for long periods of time. Jerk-O starts focusing on the SkyFlakes Brute brought in as pulutan, to avoid watching her dance. But the bf focuses on her dancing - smiling, watching her sway her full hips to the music.

When it was time to go, another remark came out of his mouth. He said, "Marunong pala sumayaw si ___ (I didn't know ___ can dance)." I was pretty surprised at the discovery as well, so I said, "Onga e (Yeah)." But that nagging thought still won't go away:

Why were you staring at her red lips and watching her throughout her dance?

Should I be worried?

I don't know if I should ask you. You might think I'm shallow. What the heck?! I probably am.

So I'm not as rich, pretty, classy, and graceful like the others. I'm insecure, so sue me.

I actually need to be up by 730am so I can pick up my paycheck at the office. But since I'm not done with one article, I can't go to sleep yet. Then there's the debut we need to go to in the afternoon, the gig in Highstreet, and then my brother's move to help with on Sunday (tomorrow). What the fuck?!

Thoughts: On Writing "For Dummies"

2009-08-11T08:13:00.005+08:00

I like taking photos. I just haven't been doing it because budget constraints don't really allow me to set aside money for film processing and stuff. But I remember back then when I was still learning the ropes of photography.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm no professional, but I do know that I know a thing or two about photography. But because it's been a while since I last held my camera, I thought it was time I brushed up on the basics again.

So I looked for a photography guide for dummies (that's basically what I am) and came across this site. The title of the article was Digitial Photography for Dummies, so I gave it a read. Thank God for what little photography terminologies I retained because if I really were a beginner, I'd probably get lost in the article.

Why, you may ask? Because he goddamn crammed everything into an article. The explanations were simple, I'd agree, but passing through all those different aspects of photography will definitely confuse the uninitiated.

Shouldn't writing for dummies be more concentrated on tackling one topic before moving on to another, as opposed to just throwing simple explanations of stuff in, hoping something would stick?

Bah. It's probably just me. Do give the link a click and tell me what you think of it. I know we're pretty much going to add to the page hits this dude is getting, but I just want to know if I'm the only one who thinks his article isn't really something a photography newbie would appreciate.

Thoughts: On Pollution

2009-08-10T10:27:00.005+08:00

I couldn't have said it better myself. Sorry, Mother Earth. We benefit from your fruits yet give back nothing but trash.

I know there's a lot we all can do to help keep our world clean, I guess we're just too lazy to do it. I, myself, am guilty of dealing damage to the environment in my own little way. And in my own little way, I recycle things and try to (as much as possible) dump trash in its rightful place.

It's about time that we all take a stand against pollution. Try to help keep the planet clean in whatever way you can. Something as little as holding on to your trash until you see a proper garbage can to dispose it at can help. Your efforts may not seem to big by your standards, but Mother Earth sees it and appreciates it.

Thoughts: The Silver Lining

2009-08-03T17:00:00.004+08:00

Well, according to a news I found online, August 5, Wednesday, has been declared as a special non-working holiday. Pres. Arroyo declared it as such to give way for the late Pres. Aquino's burial. I know a lot of people would want to see her one last time. I guess Mrs. Arroyo knew that too.

It might just be a personal silver lining, but despite the fact that the whole country mourns the loss of one of the country's pillar or light, those of us who don't really feel like squeezing in with the crowd for a glimpse of the former president rejoice at the fact that we don't have to go to work on that day.

Yay! No office for the day! After all, it's only a measely 30% on top of the daily pay. Why bother? I'd rather hang out somewhere quiet and restful. It sounds mean, I know. But I'm really sorry. I cherish every vacation I get to take.

Again, I pray for the eternal repose of the former president's soul. Do offer her a few words of prayer. And thank her for the sudden holiday.

Thoughts: On The Passing of an Icon

2009-08-03T10:25:00.005+08:00

I may be pro-Apo Macoy, but I think I'll take a moment to pray for the late Corazon Aquino's soul. She passed away a couple of days ago. She will be missed by the many Filipinos who benefited from the fruits of the People Power Revolution.

For those of you who don't know her, Cory Aquino, was one of the pillars of the People Power Revolution in 1986. She was later elected by the people to replace Ferdinand Marcos as president. She was the wife of the late senator, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, whose assasination fanned the flame of rebellion against the Marcos dictatorship. Mrs. Aquino was the mother of local gossip queen, Kris Aquino, and Philippine senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

A head of state, a wife, a mother, and a grandmother to her children's kids, Mrs. Aquino will be remembered by the people who loved and respected her.

You shall be missed. Rest in peace, Mrs. Aquino.

Picture obtained from Google. Here we see Cory Aquino wearing her trademark yellow blouse, waving a big L sign which was her trademark symbol during her old campaigns as president.

Just a funny thought though, it she ran for presidency now and used that hand gesture, I'm sure a lot of teenagers would laugh their asses off.

Thoughts: On De-Stressing

2009-07-29T10:08:00.004+08:00

If you look around for articles regarding stress-relief and what not, it all sounds so easy. But what do you know? It isn't. Because no matter how you try to leave your worries behind, you'll still think about it.

I dunno, but it looks to me like de-stressing isn't really possible. I mean, I try to kick back every couple of days just so that I don't get too worked up. But even then, my mind keeps wandering back to whatever responsibilities await me when I get back from my getaway.

Tell me, is a temporary getaway any good? Or are you just fooling yourself that you're worry-free for a couple of hours or days?

Being the cynic that I am slowly becoming, I fail to see the point anymore. But hypocritical as it may seem, I still try to relieve myself of stress. How do I do it?

I blog. Seriously, I think I about six or so blogs that I've created over the years. Some of them, I've already forgotten. They didn't come close to having someone physically beside you to listen to you rant, but it does offer some kind of release when no one is available to help you.

I stuff my ears with loud rock and roll music. Most people think this is just me fueling my anger more with heavy music, but somehow it keeps me from breaking down and snapping at other people.

I ignore people. This proves especially effective for cases where it is the people around you that annoys and stresses your wits off. This makes people feel like I am a snob. Well, maybe at that moment, I am, but not always. I'd rather shut up that eat your head off. Y'know what I'm sayin'?

I binge. I know, it's not a good way to let steam off. But it works. I don't like what it does to my love handles, but it works. Haha.

Of course, nothing beats the time-tested "talk your friends ears off" technique. It's actually more relieving to have a living, breathing human being listen to you when you want to vent off. Don't you agree?

But, meh, this is just me. I'd like to know what you do to de-stress?

I think I'd like something like this:

Thoughts: On Changes We Notice On Ourselves

2009-07-12T19:12:00.004+08:00

I have definitely been more angry than usual. I am easier to annoy nowadays, making me snap at people - my officemates and Obi - a lot.

I don't like it at all.

I guess this is what happens when you're stressed. Being tied to the stressor because of responsibilities you can't ditch doesn't really make the stress any lighter to bear, either.

Ah well.

So far, I've tried curing my mood instability/stress manifestation by eating sweets. They're not really that effective. Tsk.

Thoughts: On MJ's Death

2009-07-01T18:09:00.003+08:00

Comic strip from Tatsuya Ishida's Sinfest

Consider this the first and the last time I'll say anything about Michael Jackson's death. Not that it would matter at all, but what the hey. I grew up listening to Jacko's music and was saddened by the news of his death. That fateful day, the world bid a pop icon goodbye one last time.

What's funny was how a lot of people reacted to his death. Sure he was a legendary pop star, but he was no saint either. So to lament over his death for days on end is a bit of an overreaction, don't you think? Here in the Philippines, music channels have been playing Michael Jackson videos left and right.

Could we just stop it already? We've all paid tribute to the King of Pop for a day or two, maybe it's time we all gave it a rest. It's starting to get annoying. (As you can tell, a lot of things annoy me.)

Just one final question, though. How could someone so rich and powerful end up $30M in debt? Tsk. What a waste.

Thoughts: On People and the Noise They Make

2009-07-01T15:44:00.003+08:00

Some people, they just don't know how or when to shut up. They just keep on talking and talking and talking even if they know that they are no longer making any sense. It's almost as if they feel a compulsion to talk even they have nothing to say.

And sometimes you feel the urge to just stand up and say, "Shut the fuck up, retard!"

But propriety states that you just shut your own trap and take it all in.

Me, I try to drown the noise with music. But even then, their voices sometimes still prevail.

Honestly, I don't mind the fact that they're pranksters and loud noise-makers. It's fun, every once in a while. Get my drift? Once you don't stop with the senseless bantering and the repetitive jokes, it just gets annoying.

It would be nice to actually enjoy work in comfortable silence. But I guess that concept is alien to some people. Poor them. Tsk!

Oh! Before I forget. Happy birthday, Martin. I'm sorry I don't have money for a gift. But you have my love. Mine and Obi's. We wish you all the best, man. AND FOR CHRISSAKE, DON'T OVERWORK YOURSELF!! :D

Looking Back On Old Movies: 10,000 B.C.

2009-06-28T00:13:00.004+08:00

So I've seen 10,000 B.C. twice on HBO this June. Watching it one too many times just reminds me of how sucky the production was. Seriously, you already ignore the fact that they speak English in a really weird (read: Indian-ish) accent, but if you're going to put so much detail into the way the characters look, maybe you should've paid attention to their teeth, too.

I mean, c'mon! They're all dirty and greasy from not taking a proper bath but they all have pearly, white teeth? What? They haven't invented soap but they've already come up with a flouride toothpaste and a functional toothbrush back then?

Tsk. If you're going to make things believable the incorporating as much detail as possible, then make sure you cover all bases, yes?

Well, I dunno if you guys noticed these things, but watching the movie again just reminded me of how much I didn't like the film.

Anyway, moving on. Watched Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen with Obi today at Shangri-La Cineplex. The cost of the movie: 200Php for one screening. 200Php for a cinema that isn't even that awesome. Tsk

Now, the food. Food cannot be brought in if you didn't buy it from the Cineplex snack bar. I mean, what difference does it make if I bought it from the snack bar or from the grocery? It's still going to end up in my stomach and in the trash bin. Meh.

Now, I'm usually the only one complaining about stuff. But this time, Obi's with me about the cineplex thing. 200Php for a cinema house that forces you to buy your snacks from them even if you didn't feel like eating popcorn or their choice of chips is just absurd.

Too pissed off at the theater to actually write a casual review of the movie. More on Transformers 2 next time.

Taking A Break

2009-06-19T11:29:00.007+08:00

Need to thank Cecil for showing me the link. I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did. Share it with the ones you love. I assure you they'll love it, too. Here you go. Plain White T's 1, 2, 3, 4

Hope you guys enjoy it :D

Back from Hiatus

2009-06-18T11:25:00.005+08:00

Or maybe not.

The thing about taking a long break is that makes you not want to go back to the bustling life you temporarily walked away from. Or maybe that's just me.

I took a long 4-day break from work during my birthday last weekend. All I did in those 4 days were to kick back and relax with my boyfriend. It was a lot of fun. But then, after that, once you get back from the vacation, you're welcomed with the reality that the vacation will have to end now. That you have to go back to working your ass off.

Did I dread coming back? Of course, I did. I even felt tempted to cut work and just hang out at the local Starbucks. But I didn't act on that impulse. Actually, I can't afford to act on it at all. It would cost me so much to skip work. Gah!

So what did I do to get over my slump? Truth be told, I just forced myself to show up for work. Sometimes, you don't actually have to like your job to show up for it. Here in the Philippines, finding a job you actually like has become more of a priviledge than a free will thing.

You only have the option to go for something you like if you can afford it. That, or if you're really good at what you do that people will sell an arm or leg to get your services. For most people, they do with what's available or what's convenient, and hope to find extra work on the side. Tsk.

I know, it's sad that I had to force myself to go to work. But as the days passed, I eventually got back into the groove and my schedule went back to the usual stuff. Normalcy restored 100%. Or has it?

I know everybody has their own way of getting their working groove back. I'd like to know yours.

Let's Talk Gadgets: Lenovo Ideapad S10

2009-06-13T02:02:00.019+08:00

So today's my birthday. I just turned 29. I seriously can't think of any better gift than the new netbook I got.

Okay, so it's not really a gift, but rather something that I bought for myself. I don't really have the means to buy myself a Lenovo S10, but thanks to my terrific boss, I got funding to buy it.

Well, funding will arrive on Monday, so my dear boyfriend, Obi, gave me money in advance so I can get the netbook in time for my birthday. Talk about having a great boyfriend!

So yeah, most necessary tools have already been installed in the S10, which I will conveniently call Tenten, the rest will be installed once I see the need for them. The S10 comes built-in with a wireless adapter, bluetooth function, and a webcam. So I guess I got a good deal. I got myself a 1-year warranty from Lenovo, too.

The good thing about this purchase is that I got the netbook from a former teacher. So I can more after purchase service than what other people would get if they had bought it elsewhere. Haha.

The only worry have about Tenten is that it may not be able to handle running multiple applications at once. Now, considering how much of a multitasker I am, that could become a problem. But as Obi pointed out, since I'm only mostly surfing, writing, and chatting at the same time and don't really need to do heavy graphics editing, it'll be okay.

Well, Obi and I are currently hanging out at a friend's house, so we decided to have some fun with the webcam. Here are some of the other photos.

I do hope you guys will have as good a weekend as I am going to. We're going to Calatagan later (it is 3:13am as I'm typing this) to see a friend who's been out of the country for a long time now. So yeah. My birthday is running smooth, hopefully the weekend will be the same. :D

The Death of the Grasshopper

2009-06-05T08:24:00.005+08:00

Or at least the actor that made the series popular.

According to this news post I found on Yahoo, David Carradine was found dead in his hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand. The Police discovered his dead body hanging naked in the closet of his suite. Police are suspecting that Carradine might have committed suicide.

But why? His career is starting to get back on track?

He was apparently in Thailand for work. He was shooting for a thriller opposite French and Thai actors. His manager could not believe that he committed suicide on account that the actor was excited about the movie.

Anyway. Condolences to the family Mr. Carradine left behind. Rest in peace, Kwai Chang Caine.

Well, I already know David Carradine from Kung Fu, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, and Kill Bill. But did you know:

David Carradine comes from a family of actors. His dad was a stage actor. His brothers Bruce, Keith, and Robert were also actors. His nieces also grew up to become actresses.
David Carradine was once in a movie with Chuck Norris. The movie was Lone Wolf McQuade. It was shown released in 1983, 3 years after I was born.
David Carradine was the original Frankenstein in Death Race 2000. Jason Statham's Death Race was a sort of remake/sequel of the said movie. In the 2008 version of the movie, Mr. Carradine rendered his voice for the masked Frankenstein.
David Carradine has worked with top rank directors like Martin Scorsese (Boxcar Bertha, 1972) and Ingmar Bergman (The Serpent's Egg, 1977).
David Carradine had a bit role in the recent Crank sequel, Crank: High Voltage. He played a rather old Chinese mob boss named Poon Dong.
David Carradine made instruction videos for various martial arts. My friend own one of his Tai Chi videos. We even tried following one.

A lot of people are expressing great grief at the passing of the 'Grasshopper'. I guess growing up in the 80s kinda gets you attached to the shows and the actors you grew up watching. Well, as I checked Mr. Carradine's IMDb page, I saw a couple of movies he starred in, still waiting to be released this 2009.

Let's Talk Movies: Return to Oz

2009-06-04T23:33:00.002+08:00

So I'm stuck waiting for Windows Live Writer to finish downloading. It takes a while. I flip through TV channels and found that Return to Oz was on Disney Channel. This one's the 1985 version. Apparently there was a version way back in 1964.

So as I was watching, I thought that girl who played Dorothy looked familiar. I kept getting Fairuza Balk's name in my head. Naturally, I had to make sure if my hunch was correct so I consulted IMDb about it.

Turns out that I was right. Fairuza Balk did play Dorothy in Return to Oz. Funny how she went from sweet, innocent Dorothy to the bad witch in The Craft, and the Nazi-loving freak in American History X.

Quite the contrast, isn't it? Anywho, I just thought I'd drop by to share what I learned for today. It's almost the weekend and I can't wait for next week.

Thoughts: On Being Sick

2009-06-01T08:31:00.003+08:00

It's difficult to get sick nowadays, considering how much we all need the money we earn from actually showing up for work.

The past week, I was not able to go to work. It is also the reason why I haven't posted. Since we got back from the Laguna outing trip, I have not been feeling well. After seeing the doctor, it turns out that I have incurred a bacterial infection that caused me to develop fever, uncontrollable cough, sore throat, and aching joints.

Now, that's 5 days off of my salary this coming pay period. That's not even including the absence I had the week before I got sick.

That's a 6-day absence within a 12-day cut-off period. Great. Rent is due this week and credit card bills are due in the next two weeks. That's just great.

Maybe I should bet on the Mega Lotto, see if I win like a gazillion pesos. Haha. Anywho, I should start working. I just blogged to remind everybody to keep healthy and safe. We need to rake in as much income as we can, and getting sick just won't help you do that. Tsk.

Have a great week, everybody.

Internet on the Road

2009-05-23T18:22:00.004+08:00

Gadget is love! Haha. Just kidding. Just enjoying the fact that I'm blogging, plurking, and tweeting on the road. And by on the road, I mean literally on the road. Haha. Thanks to my Sun Broadband USB plug-in modem, I can go online while travelling. Well, within Metro Manila anyways. Hehe.

I'm currently in the car, moving along South Super Highway, with Obi driving and Charlie at the back fixing her stuff.

We're on our way to the company outing. Let's just hope it turns out well.

Happy weekeend, free spirits.

Let's Talk Movies: The Last Airbender

2009-05-22T13:42:00.008+08:00

Okay.. I admit that I'm an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan (thanks to Martin). I got a copy of the entire series and got my brother interested to it, too. Now, imagine my dismay when I found out that the cast of the live-action movie they were going to make about this movie was going to be all white.

For crying out loud, the story covered the entire world. Inuits, East Asians, different cultures and races, not just whites. Sure there's an argument about how they never really mentioned any nationalities there, only the 4 nations and their citizens. But still, you can't help telling from the accents they had, their color, and the costumes they wore. Their inspiration for the costume was a dead giveaway of what nationality the characters were supposed to be.

But enough about that. We've already spoken enough about this and this issue has already been addressed by having Jesse McCartney replaced by Dev Patel for the role of Zuko. Why would you cast Jesse McCartney as Zuko anyway? Doh?!

This is Dev Patel playing Zuko:

Let's go over to Aang, shall we? I was expecting them to cast a white kid, but not a pasty white kid. Hahaha. Newcomer Noah Ringer got the part. Again, a bit on the pale side, but good enough. The kid apparently has taekwondo knowledge so he can probably do his stunts on his own. So yeah, here's Aang:

I just gotta say, when I first saw this picture, I thought he was Eli Snyder, the kid who played Leonidas at age 8 in the movie, 300. Look see and tell me if I'm wrong:

So yeah, we went over the cast list from iMdB a couple of times and couldn't help but mention a few names that we think would be better for the roles.

Jessica Jade Andres would've been a better Katara, but she's casted to portray Suki.
Lauren Mary Kim who's portraying a supporting Kyoshi warrior would've been more suited to be Suki.
Samo Hung would've been a better choice. Chubby, old, and knows martial arts like the back of his hand. What more could you possibly want? Shaun Toub, who got the part of General Iroh, is too skinny.
James Isaacs, Lucius Malfoy in the HP movies and voice actor for General Zhao in the series, would be the greatest Zhao ever. Only, they casted someone else.
Hiroyuki Sanada, from The Last Samurai, would've been an effective Firelord Ozai.

Don't take this negatively, I think Dev Patel was a great replacement for Jesse McCartney, but because they casted an Indian actor to play Zuko, they had to revamp the entire line-up and get Indian actors for Firelord Ozai and General Zhao, too. Now, even though I see effort to make things uniform, a lot of Japanese and Chinese actors are more suited to play the roles.

So they delegated certain nationalities for each nation: The Fire nation is comprised by Indians and Persians, the Earth kingdom is comprised by Koreans and Mongolians, the Water tribe are made up by Inuits, and the Air nomads (or nomad) is just.. err.. Caucasian. Haha. The Latinos and latinas, however, are in every nation.

Things is the Avatar universe are definitely going to be shaken up with the movie. But here's to hoping M. Night Shyamalan doesn't do too much damage to it. To begin with, a lot of people were surprised at why he is directing the movie. But hey, if Bryan and Mike trust his directing skills, who are we to complain? They are, after all, the creators of the story, and we are just the viewers.

Do you have your own list of actors and actresses who you think would do better for the roles in the movie? Do share. I'd like to hear your ideas.

Let's Talk Toys: eBoy Toys

2009-05-22T12:30:00.000+08:00

So again, I was looking around the Interwebs for.. ummm.. I dunno.. anything interesting, I think? I found a social media poster that lead to a site that got really neat drawings (? are they to be called drawing?). It turns out they were selling toys and other stuff, too.

Here's something to give you an idea of their artwork:

Pretty neat, no? Not only does he make great.. uhmm.. artworks, they also sell toys and shirts.

Here are some samples of their other merchandise:

Look here, I'm not trying to sell their products, nor am I a part of this business, I just think they're really good and deserve to be promoted. I dunno if we can order these things here in the Philippines, but I sure would like to own one of their toys. If not that, then maybe a poster of one of their works.

Anywho, I think I'm going to stop here. For all you people who'd like to check their labor of love, you can mozey on over to their site http://hello.eboy.com.

What do you guys think? Are these items good or what? Anywho, this working idiot needs to get back to working. Toodles.

It's A Dog Eat Dog World Here

2009-05-21T22:34:00.003+08:00

And I just became the victim.

Somewhere along the jeepney ride home, between Robinson's Galleria and Greenhills, my bag got slashed. Nothing was lost except for the cute Samsung M150 that I got for free when I applied for a postpaid line from Globe.

Frankly, I'm still feeling lucky that the bastard didn't get my Sony Ericsson K800i. If he did, then damn him to hell! Nothing else seems missing, just the phone.

Already called Globe's customer service and had the line temporarily disconnected. Gave them the phone's IMEI number so they can block the phone. Try using that now, you lazy, good-for-nothing bag slasher.

Tomorrow, I would have to drop by the nearest Globe business center so I can have them block the sim card and pay for a replacement SIM. Once I do get the new sim, which will still have the same number, I'll have to put it on the SE K800i, and then dispose (or keep in hiatus) the Smart SIM I'm using.

Now, there's nothing wrong with losing the phone. If only I hadn't told my mom she can have it once I dispose of the Smart number. It's a good thing my brother hasn't sold her 2nd phone yet. Whew!

Anywho, I'm pissed at how society is so rotten. I work my ass off to pay my bills and enjoy the fruits of my labor, and now you find that people take the easy way out of earning money by taking things from other people. Again, we are living in a dog eat dog world. I may be the victim now, but I don't plan on becoming a victim again.

May the gods damn you for stealing my phone, you lazy, phone-snatching, bag-slashing son of a bitch!

Can you tell I'm angry?

Let's Talk Music: American Idol May 2009

2009-05-21T10:11:00.004+08:00

So it's finally over. Kris Allen won this season's American Idol.

Between the top 2 contenders, people were mostly in favor of Adam Lambert, the used to be flamboyant gay theater actor who decided to take a chance in AI. If you think about it, Kris does look pretty tame and lame when compared to Adam's vocal acrobatics.

But that's just me, I guess.

By the way, I saw his old drag-queen pictures online and I must say he look a whole lot like Boy George. Remember Boy George? The dude who sang Karma Chameleon and State of the Nation? Yeah. That dude.

Personally, when they were still picking who among the remaining 3 contestants were to advance to the top 2 slots, I was surprised that they canned Danny Gokey for Kris Allen. Danny's got a sexy kind of drawl to his voice. Rawr!!

Kris, on the other hand, is pop-ish. Although I enjoy pop music, I tend to go with classic voices. Obi says Kris moved on to one of the top 2 spots because he was sellable and he was handsome. Very handsome at that. Pop sells, so he was a hit. Gah!

Anywho.. even though Obi had predicted that Kris will win, it's still a bit shocking to hear that Adam lost. Tsk. American Idol, even though it is a talent search, is still a business, that's why they need to go with what sells to the people. Too bad talent doesn't always sell. Meh.

Let's Talk Food: Selecta Gold Series Chocolate Truffles

2009-05-20T13:16:00.004+08:00

I've been seeing TV ads about Selecta's Gold series. They have 3 flavors: The Berry Strawberry, the Hazelnut Brownie, and the Chocolate Truffles. The first thing that got my attention, though, was the Chocolate Truffles.

The flavor was said to have been created by local chef, Rolando Laudico. The pictures from the posters alone were really making my mouth water in anticipation of the time I get to try this dessert out. And today, I finally did.

Nom nom nom.

As I type this entry, I am eating a cup of Chocolate Truffles.I split the cost with Eds, a co-worker who was also craving for ice cream, and bought one pint of this delicious treat. I've never been so excited about ice cream. Haha.

I guess my excitement was not wasted because the ice cream met my expectations, maybe even exceeded it. I was just expecting chocolate truffle chunks to be mixed in uberly sweet chocolate ice cream. But then again, they mellowed the taste of the chocolate based ice cream to make sure that the taste of the truffles is felt and enjoyed.

Funny story when we were picking up the ice cream from 7-11: Eds, my gay friend, said that he wanted to get the girly flavor - the Berry Strawberry - instead of the chocolate one. But I was really set on getting the Chocolate Truffles so I had to bargain with him. Now, when we get ice cream next time, it'll have to be the Berry Strawberry. Haha.

I recommend that you try this one out. You're seriously not going to regret it when you do. Prices go at 124.00Php for the 435mL, 187.00Php for the 800mL, and 312.00Php for the 1.66L. Gaaahhh. Even when it melts it's so creamy.

Seriously. Good to the last drop. Go. Buy. Now.

-- image from chasingimladris

Let's Talk Movies: Angels & Demons

2009-05-20T11:04:00.004+08:00

Been looking forward to seeing the movie ever since I first saw the trailer. Obi and I saw it last Saturday and was pretty excited about how it turned out. I just have to say that this is waaaaaaaaaayyy better than The Da Vinci Code.

I can't say I didn't expect slight changes in the story, though. I think from the moment I saw The Da Vinci Code and heard of news that they were making Angels & Demons, too, I knew they were going to jumble it up some. To make it more movie-friendly, I guess.

The actress who played Vittoria was hawt! Plus, a lot of noticeable faces were in the movie:

1. The old doctor (who wasn't a real doctor) in House Season 4 played the priest/scientist Silvano.

2. Bootstrap Bill Turner from Pirates of the Carribean played the head of the Swiss Guards.

3. The Captain who survived the rampage of the river spirit in The Chronicles of Naria: Prince Caspian took the role of Olivetti.

4. Ewan McGregor as a priest? Yummy. I won't hesitate if he says "Come to Papa" hahahah.

Again, I don't have their names, I just know what movie they came from. I'm too lazy to look it up on the movie's iMdB page. Hahah.

In terms of cut scenes, they shortened the part in the book concerning CERN. Also, they didn't include the fight scene between Langdon and the killer in the church where the cardinal died from burning. I also didn't like the fact that they changed the relationship between Vittoria and the priest/scientist. They were supposed to be father-adoptive daughter-colleage in the book. I guess it didn't hold good for the church.

I shall say no more. I want to, but I won't. I'll just end this post by saying that the book is still better than the movie. But this movie beats is prequel hands down. Then again, even with the book, Angels & Demons was a more exciting read that The Da Vinci Code.

Have you seen the film? What do you think of the movie?

Working But Not Working

2009-05-19T13:05:00.000+08:00

It's hard to work and not work at the same time. Too much distractions in the office: the noisy officemate, the webcomics I want to read, House M.D. streaming on videostic.com, and the nasty little devil called procrastination hanging over my shoulder.

I shouldn't even be blogging. Word is that the bosses have installed an RTV (real-time view) software so they can monitor if we're viewing non-work related websites or not. But I'm bored. I need to perk myself up. I'm making coffee again in a bit.

So far, coffee is the only thing that sticks. Well, that and the thought of racing to finish work before 6pm. Haha. Generally, my brain's too scattered to actually do my work on time. Hahaha.

I seriously need to learn how to manage my time.

Let's Talk Games: Monopoly Here & Now

2009-05-18T11:51:00.000+08:00

During a recent trip to Toys 'R' Us in Robinson's Galleria, Obi and I found something really interesting. Let's just say it puts a modern twist to a classic board game I grew up playing.

I introduce to you, the Monopoly Here & Now edition.

Following the current trend of plastic money, this 70th anniversary special edition Monopoly set uses plastic cards and an electronic card reader as a replacement for the paper play money we're all used to. Title cards are still the same, houses have been replaced by stackable condo units, and the pieces have also been updated into modern items like cellphones, rollerblades, etc.

Also, rates for buying hotels, utilities, and lots have also increased, to follow the inflation rate. I believe this is why the initial amount contained in the plastic swipe card is 50,000 Monopoly dollars.

At Php 2,399.00, I personally think this game is expensive. But for the sheer triviality of the using a "debit cart" for the game, I think Obi and I are going to save up for this and buy it, provided nobody else wants to get it off the shelf.

To see the new user tokens in the Monopoly special edition Here and Now board, click here.
To see the new board, click here.

To buy or not to buy. I'm still undecided. But I'm going to start saving, just in case I'm going to buy it. Haha. Tell me what you think of the game, will you?

Sleepless

2009-05-15T09:04:00.006+08:00

That I am. Sleepless.

It's been more than 24 hours since I woke up yesterday morning. I have been trying to sleep since 1:30am, wishing to have at least 5 hours of rest. Alas! Sleep is not my friend. It hates me.

I gave up trying to get shut-eye at around 3am. Went online and spoke to Martin and Mela. Mela gave up first. She's probably dreaming of someone handsome right now. Martin's still working and I am at the office.

Ah! This is the killer life. I still got 2 articles to finish and 6 email addresses to register. 1 social media article to work on when I get home, and a swimming trip tomorrow at 9am. We just don't have enough time. Tsk.

Anywho. The annoying officemate on the other side of the divider is at it again with his phone calls. Wish he'd just take that privately. Hopefully somewhere far from people who are annoyed by his presence.

I need to start working so I can rest early. Toodles.

-- image from http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/

Let's Talk Movies: New Movies This May

2009-05-14T09:00:00.008+08:00

Okay, I admit that my boyfriend and I have been looking forward to a lot of moving coming this 2009. Well, just this May, there are a lot of big movies hitting the big screen. Some of them we've already gone and seen.

Let's see. We're done with X-Men Origins and Star Trek. We're not going to watch Hannah Montana (although I have been kidding him about wanting to watch it. Haha). We're not really familiar with the story of The Maiden Heist, so I guess that's out of the picture. And Obi is kind of intrigued by the movie, Drag Me To Hell, just because it's directed by Sam Raimi.

I guess if we're looking at sure movies that we're going to watch with what's left of May are Angels and Demons, Terminator: Salvation, Night at the Museum 2, and Up. All of which, we've seen the trailers of and we likey!

So... Saturday is movie date day. By then, Angels and Demons would already be showing, since it would hit the big screen on Friday, May 15th. Next weekend would be another movie date. What movie will we watch? We'll worry about it till then. Haha

Right now, I think I gotta get back to doing my work. Web content doesn't write itself, after all..

Got any advice or comments on the movies we've got lined up for our movie dates? Heads up on the crap level of said movies would be appreciated.

-- image from www.austinchronicle.com

Let's Talk Movies: Star Trek

2009-05-12T14:01:00.007+08:00

Last weekend, we watched Star Trek on the big screen. Now, I'm not a big trekkie, but I'm familiar with some of the old characters. Imagine how much fun it was to see Zachary Quinto (playing young Spock) and Leonard ~~Nemoy~~ Nimoy (the original Spock from the series) meet in the movie. Young Spock meets future, pruny Spock.

I haven't scoped out the general sentiment of the people who've watched it, but i'm happy enough. I'm poor with names, but I can name some of the actors by the movie or TV shows they've been in.

The dude from Hot Fuzz and Shawn of the Dead was in the movie, he played Scottie.
The Korean dude from Harold and Kumar played Zulu.
The black pirate girl who slapped Captain Jack Sparrow at the end of Pirates of the Carribean 1 played ~~Ahura~~ Uhura.
Zachary Quinto, who played young Spock, plays Sylar in the TV series Heroes.
The doctor McCoy was played by the actor who played the main role in The Pathfinder.
Eric Bana from Troy and The Incredible Hulk (the failed version) portrayed Nero.
Chris Pine played James Tyberius Kirk.
Jennifer Morrison from the TV series House played the mother of Jim Kirk.
Winona Ryder (Reality Bites) played Spock's human mother.

Kudos to the casting director for casting Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk. He does look a lot like Chris Pine and would pass as a younger version of his father. Also, for finding a kid who really does look a lot like Zachary Quinto. Not a lot of casting directors take note of these little details.

The only thing that felt weird to me was that in the movie, ~~Ahura~~ Uhura was Spock's girl.A big contrast to the fact that in the series, ~~Ahura~~ Uhura was Kirk's girl. I just wished William Shatner had appeared in the movie. But that's another controversy that I wouldn't want to get into. Haha.

Also, I recommend that you do go out and watch Star Trek. It's funny and exciting. And now you can actually see what's happening to the external of the ship when they're being attacked, and not just some shaking cockpit. Haha.

Have you seen it? What do you think of the movie?

--edit--

Thanks to Martin for pointing out the wrong spelling. He's worried I might piss off trekkies.

Starting Over... Again.

2009-05-10T20:46:00.000+08:00

So yeah, this is, apparently, my nth time to try getting a blog straight. I thought getting my own wordpress blog account would help me a lot. It actually did, for a while, until I found a slight problem with saving CSS changes.

So we're not allowed to change CSS codes unless we upgrade to a paid account, that's fine by me. But I'm not paying. A working class person like me who's neck-deep in credit card debts will not spend extra just so I could save CSS. I am not a professional blogger, after all. I would like to, but alas, that I am not.

So yeah. Let's toast to my first post in this here new blog. May this one stick longer than any other blog I have kept in my life.