This is the most ever. [Saturday, January 31, 2004]
I am blogging this. [Friday, January 30, 2004]
A Tale of Two Sisters [Thursday, January 29, 2004]
Quickie Quick [Wednesday, January 28, 2004]
Control Over Oneself [Monday, January 26, 2004]
Oh my! What a neck you have! [Sunday, January 25, 2004]
Too Short [Saturday, January 24, 2004]
Well-Rounded [Friday, January 23, 2004]
Evolution of a Gadget Freak [Wednesday, January 21, 2004]
Green Hornet [Tuesday, January 20, 2004]
What took you so long?! [Monday, January 19, 2004]
Blog for the Day [Sunday, January 18, 2004]
A Tired but Happy Kid [Friday, January 16, 2004]
Busy As Friday Morning [Thursday, January 15, 2004]
Patience Is A Virtue [Wednesday, January 14, 2004]
Say "Cheese!" [Tuesday, January 13, 2004]
Culture Crash [Monday, January 12, 2004]
Strike One [Sunday, January 11, 2004]
A New Home [Friday, January 9, 2004]
Crazy/Simple(ton) [Thursday, January 8, 2004]
Empty Diagnosis [Wednesday, January 7, 2004]
Multi-Vitamin Multi-Benefits [Tuesday, January 6, 2004]
No! That's my copy [Monday, January 5, 2004]
Sights for Sore Eyes [Sunday, January 4, 2004]
Simply Splendid, Love [Saturday, January 3, 2004]
Movie Geeks [Friday, January 2, 2004]
Year End Assessment [Thursday, January 1, 2004]
Yes. This month marks the most number of journal entries a.k.a. blogs. At 27 entries, it clearly beats July by three. Too bad I missed a perfect month by 4. Shucks. I wonder if I would ever be able to accomplish such a feat, a perfect month with no double entries for a day.
On the darker side of the spectrum though, there are no comments for any of my entries over at site itself. If it weren't for the livejournal account, I'd be extremely disappointed. Yeah, it's much more convenient to use livejournal in commenting.
Yesterday reset my gig counter back to zero, which was at 42. Still a far cry from the all-time record of 75 days. Now that is what I call insane.
Millenia Bar was packed last night as it was the second leg of Sandwich's album launch for Thanks to the Moon's Gravitational Pull. Entrance was at 250 php but came with a copy of the album and a Jan-Feb ish of Pulp with Sandwich on the cover. Sugarfree and Chicosci were among the other bands who performed with three songs a piece. In the middle of Sandwich's set, I decided to exit out of the place as it was getting extremely hot inside.
Outside, the whole Pabida Team was there, except for a couple who were MIA. After hanging out outside the bar for some time, we proceeded to Molo's to celebrate. Drinks came up next. Lots of laughter followed and with a digital camera in hand, lots of pictures were taken. Learnt a few trade secrets with digital cameras, one which produces quite a nifty effect.
Arrrgggghhhh. Damn dial up connection. Am trying to upload pics I took last night, and I think it's gonna take forever. Shutterfly only indicates 50% after an hour of uploading. Hope it finishes before I leave for another event later on.
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Woohoo! Gimmick night once again later, cool music then some drinking. Yes. Am preparing already, charging stuff I would need later on. It's been sometime since my last gig, 42 days to be exact.
I finally had some decent sleep, slept from 2 in the morning until 12 noon. Good enough. Well, I think it is.
Just in case you are interested, I've been pasting a copy of this blog over at Livejournal. Visit it if you have the time, and if you have an account there, could you add me as a friend?
Nothing much special about it, except for the fact that commenting is much easier and you can easily read blogs of your friends as they are compiled on one page. It seems laziness has attacked my web designing dreams, but it won't keep me from blogging.
Cool shirt, ain't it.
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The month of January is officially over, am saying this in a work-related perspective.
Knowing rest day is up tomorrow, I decided to visit the mall and catch a movie. Stuck On You is currently showing, but I decided to just watch in on video or in the theater only if I am desperate for a movie. Other new movies were Diablo, Memento Mori, and A Tale Of Two Sisters.
Read some things about Memento Mori, so I x-ed out of that. Diablo seemed like a low budget crap load of a movie with violence and nudity. A Tale of Two Sisters is something else. The poster itself was quite intriguing, it is not in any way similar to most Asian horror movies being released these days. And so I picked, A Tale of Two Sisters, a Korean film.
Let me just say I was not disappointed by my decision. The movie was great regardless of the uneventful first 15-20 minutes, after which the movie quickly picks up pace in such a way that it even gets confusing. (Yes, this is a review of sorts. Great.) The storytelling is similar to that of Mulholland Drive, only it is much easier to analyze, unlike Mulholland Drive's brain twisting scenes. Though confusing at some points, the pieces all fall into place by the time the movie ends. It is not much of a horror movie though, as initially tagged. This is one of the better Asian movies that have been released in the Metro. If you sat through Memento Mori, you should give this movie a chance.
Shopped for rechargeable batteries as I still lacked some for my MP3 player. Found a pretty expensive pair, but I was lazy at the time, not wanting to walk around to the other mall to check prices. With the sudden rush of impulsiveness, I bought them. Unfortunately, I would have to charge them first before I can use them.
New rechargeable AA now use Nickel Metal Hydrides abbreviated as Ni-MH. I remember some of my dad's old rechargeables as Nickel Cadmium or Ni-Cd. Apparently these Ni-MH's provide more energy and milli-amperes than Ni-Cd. Why the hell am I talking about Chemistry on my site? Simply because Ni-Cd's (nee-cads) are easier to pronounce than Ni-MH's (nee-m-hs).
Just compare these two sentences.
"Damn! I am all out of Ni-Cds!!" and "Damn! I am all out of Ni-MHs!!"
Sounds silly, right? Sure we could say "Damn! I am all out of batteries!!", but it lacks the kind of appeal Ni-Cds have. Additional points for sounding more geeky and even more because no one would understand you.
Oscar nominees have been selected, and like many around the web, I am pretty much surprised by the nominees. Ken Watanabe, Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron, and independent movies even got some nods.
I don't remember how many times I've said this, but Johnny Depp was simply swashbuckling-amazing in Pirates of The Caribbean, not just playing the role, but living it. Gold teeth my friend. Pretty savvy. Plus, it's not everyday that a Adventure/Comedy film gets nods for that, add to that the name Jerry Bruckheimer.
Of course, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is among the top movies, it gained the most nominations this year with 11 including Best Picture and Best Director. The Oscars seem to have this doubt of giving the Oscar for Best Picture to a film from the fantasy genre, but considering what the whole trilogy has done and the sheer magnificence of ROTK, they deserve it. As well as Peter Jackson for making such an epic possible. I sure hope they'd win.
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That was quick, tomorrow is the last work day yet again, last for this month of January. The whole week slipped by so freaking fast, and I mean that in a wholly positive way, I would have hated it if the week dragged on too long.
After tomorrow, another two day break, might as well use one of those days for gimmicks. Millenia Bar on the 30th anyone?
Yesterday, marked the 4th time I was not able to blog for some reason or another.
Nothing significant happened aside from watching Kill Bill Volume 1 again in the theater, this time at my favorite movie house, Robinson's Movie World. The movie is still freaking great. Fuck, Japanese are so freaking cool. Imagine cursing in Japanese? See what I mean? Aside from the that, the language itself is adorable, the traditional sliding doors and Japanese garden makes you want to build a house with those features. Oh, and let's not forget Japanese school girls as crazy as Gogo.
After the movie, I roamed the two malls (Robinson's East and Sta Lucia) for a different place to eat. Was craving for pasta, preferably Sbarro but no such luck.
In the process of searching, I stumbled across (Yes, I stumble a lot.) copies of FHM Jan-Feb edition and Game Masters Philippines. Of course I bought them without even giving any second thoughts. Well, I guess just a few. There is this new magazine out, T3, which is a guide to new gadgets and electronic toys. 1st Philippine edition of the magazine. Will prolly buy it in the future and see if it would be worthy enough.
Finished traversing the mall that is called the Big R, starved and none of the food stores held any interest to satisfy my desires.
Moved on to Sta. Lucia and in my search of hunger satisfaction, I came across some other indulgences, PS2 games. Heard a lot of great things about Need For Speed Underground and Sly Cooper, so I picked up copies of both. Tried them both once I got home and I like it. Two good games, sadly, not enough time to play all of them. I am still committed to FFX-2, then Legacy of Kain: Defiance.
With no other option available, I decided to settle for baked lasagna at Greenwich. I was hungry and that made it atleast, satisfactory.
And that was yesterday, today was different.
Came home earlier than usual and played FFX-2. It's starting to get interesting now, and am planning to just finish the damn thing, leaving the side quests and min-games aside in order to move on to the next game on que.
The days pass by so quickly, and so does the time. Suddenly, it's 10 in the evening, and I need to get this done and get some sleep so I won't drop death somewhere.
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Home pretty early today. Earlier than usual, but still not good enough to catch Yuyu Hakusho. Yes, getting home after a two hour trip is indeed pretty early.
Am so sleepy I may just drop dead on my bed. I can't do that though, since I have not eaten yet. Besides, if I try to sleep this early, I'd wake up around 10 in the evening and would not be able to sleep anymore resulting in a troublesome day at work.
I won't be able to get back my copy of Kill Bill until next week which is pretty much a long time. If I'd be able to get a dose of decent sleep tonight and be charged up enough tomorrow after work, I might as well catch Kill Bill in the cinemas again. Robinson's Movie World would do this time around.
Have been thinking for sometime about applying for a credit card, which would make shopping a breeze. No more rushing to the nearest ATM to withdraw my life's savings just to buy an item I want. I am really thinking it over though, because a credit card is a pretty fatal weapon for a person who shops on impulse. Fatal at the point when the bills start coming in.
Just yesterday, I saw a DVD copy of the Back to the Future trilogy. Trust me, if I had a credit card at that point, I would have walked away with a copy of that as well as a copy of Silence of the Lambs on DVD. 22 goddamn deleted scenes. Imagine the brutality.
It's still pretty early and I don't know if I'd be able to sleep yet. Well, I hope I do because I don't want this good time to go to waste.
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Oh my! What a neck you have! [Sunday, January 25, 2004 @ 10:26 pm]
Working on Sundays really disorients any sense of direction and time you may have.
Yet again, I am drained and sleepy. Longing for some sleep that is longer than usual, but I need to be consistent, I need to blog.
Went DVD shopping again. Scored copies of Goodfellas, Miranda, Schindler's List and Princess of Thieves. Movies I have not yet seen and ones that have intrigued me in the past. Except for Princess of Thieves which I included for a whole other reason, Keira Knightley. Awesome.
Passed by Robinson's Metro East and I could not resist the urge to watch a movie. Too bad I was a little too late for my weekly dose of Kill Bill. The Last Samurai did not have much appeal as it did before. A movie I have not heard before, The Gathering starring Cristina Ricci was also showing and curiosity entangled me in it's web and I just found myself watching the movie a minute later.
Now, before we get to that, let me tell you about something first. The guard stationed at Metro East got a little on my nerves.
He was a little hyped up than most guards, or maybe just on me. He checked my bag like it had freaking explosives or knives in it. Normally, I just open the main zipper for my bag and guards would just lazily peek inside, leaving the pocket zipper untouched. This one guard though was a little hyped up than usual. I simply opened the main zipper and did not bother opening the pocket zipper but he was feeling what all the things inside were.
Since he was taking a little longer than usual, I opened the pocket zipper for him. He then checked the contents of my bag's pocket. Keys, ballpens, batteries, ID, etc. Then he came across this Parker™ pen I have in my bag but do not use. I guess he was thinking that this trash of a kid could not afford such a bloody pen and made the pen more suspicious. He then decided to open it, you know, to see what's inside. Of course, he saw nothing, it was a bloody pen for crying out loud.
IF I WANTED TO BRING IN A GUN OR KNIFE INTO A MALL, I WOULD PLACE IT AROUND MY WAIST BECAUSE THEY NEVER CHECK THAT PLACE WHEN YOU ARE CARRYING A BAG. YOU COULD EVEN PLACE SEVERAL ROUNDS OF GRENADES OR C4 AROUND YOUR LEGS, JUST AROUND THE SOCKS IF YOU REALLY WANTED TOO. Stupid security. Concentrating on a bloody pen.
Sure, I may look like trash and foreign, but that does not mean he has to check me like he did. I wanted to just stay there and tell him, NOW GO AHEAD AND CHECK EACH AND EVERYONE WHO IS COMING IN THE SAME WAY YOU CHECKED ME, ASSHOLE. Sadly, we are talking about me here, so I just laughed it off.
It's just sickening how people judge others because of their race, to think that you don't even have anything to proud of. How would you like it if the sight of a Filipino in a foreign country sounds off an alarm for people to HIDE ALL FREEBIES BECAUSE THE FILIPINOS ARE COMING.
Haha. First time I ever used all caps for a whole sentence. Now on with the movie.
There is nothing special about the movie, another which tackles a discovery that can shock the church. Somehow these types of story lines do not appeal to me. The main highlight of the movie is of course, Cristina Ricci. She is so freaking lovely, especially when she does this thing to her hair and arranges it in such a way were her neck is exposed, especially the nape. Oh. How I wish I could sink my teeth into that. Damn neck fetish. But wait, there's more to her than just the neck, her eyes in this movie are quite big and expressive not to mention that she looks likes someone's older sister. I really like her a lot.
So now it's Keira Knightley and Cristina Ricci. Oh the beauty.
Might as well sleep now. They are still waiting for me in my dreamworld.
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Fuck!
Work starts anew tomorrow. Another new week. The two days-off ended so freaking quickly, did not even get the chance to savor the rest days.
Spent the latter part of the day visiting places, checking out places closer to Manila which we can move too. There's a lot of nice places around, each place has something special about it that another place does not have. The only concern of course is money.
I wanna freaking watch Kill Bill again! It has been too long since I watched it in the cineplex. Need some more dose of graphic violence served in a gold platter by Kill Bill, something the soundtrack could not ever provide. If I would have my ways tomorrow, I'd catch it again in the cinemas. Why the hell did I even lend my bootleg DVD of the movie?! Arrrgggghhhh.
Due to my insane procrastination, I have yet to ever get close in writing a review regarding my new toys. The MP3 player is slowly fusing with my body as you'd always see me wearing it. If only it could be implanted, I would have.
Music theme of the week is OPM.
It's so late now, I still have to wake up at 3 in the morning. Ta-ta!
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Shucks! I missed yet another day this month. That makes three now.
Day-off today and tomorrow and I could say it was quite a well-rounded day. Driving lessons, videos, camera lessons, videogaming, and website.
Woke up pretty early for a guy who has not had a dose of decent sleep this month. That was around 6 in the morning, but luckily I was able to snooze off a little bit more until 8 am. I was longing for some more, but I simply could not sleep. Had some driving lessons instead, after which I tried yet again to sleep, but to no avail.
With nothing to do, I checked my cd rack and saw that I still have not touched the copy of Ocean's Eleven, the original one. All I can say is I don't know any of the actors in the movie, as it wasn't my time at all, but as far as I remember, it was supposed to have an all-star line-up. The movie was crap, though I have to admit that I loved the twist at the end. The movie is quite dull, it took too long to build up the story, with 11 main characters and all. The heist took about 15 minutes at best, but the build up of the story and characters as well as the planning of the heist took so bloody long. The story only got interesting after the heist, which is one and a half hours into the movie. As for the acting, I would not know if it was good or not. Personally, it did not appeal to me maybe because of the time period. Anyway, it was still something to burn up my time.
The rest of the afternoon was spent fiddling with the camera, reading the manual and checking what would happen if I did this and that. This camera has more options and functionality in it that I would ever get to use since I am not going to use it all the time anyway. Stuff like shutter speed, aperture settings, white-balancing, etc. All I can say is that it was a good purchase.
After some anime, I finally made up with my PS2. FFX-2 has already lost it's appeal, not that it originally had much to begin with. Am at the point where I just want to get over with the game and move on to the next.
The night was still early when I got bored of playing and having one more DVD to spare, I decided to watch it anyway. The movie was Wild Things, and yes, it was pretty wild. First time I watched this film completely. Caught it once on TV but thought it was not worth it as I knew it would be excessively chopped up. Now that I have watched it in it's entirety, I am more than amused by it. Love the twist, maybe be overdone too much, but it was still okay. Love the flashbacks at the end, scenes that patched up parts of the story and showed how Suzie played everyone.
Now am back in front of my trusty old mate, cooking up this blog which no one would even bother to read.
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I want to get my hands on a Nokia 6600, but not just yet. In the past week, I have had ample time to play with the MP3 player, unfortunately, the digital camera has almost been forgotten for no apparent reason. It's the device that requires more attention and practice in order for one to master and optimize its numerous functions. Now is not the time for another toy.
Speaking of toys, I have completely forgotten my PS2. Have not played the damn thing in 16 bloody days. That's too long for a videogamer.
Moving to movies, I have not seen a movie in a week now. Last watched Kill Bill Volume 1 last Wednesday. I was not able to get the chance to watch a movie today, preferably The Last Samurai since I had to go elsewhere. I even checked out the screening times at the Eastwood Cinemas and was delighted to find that there was a screening by 3:55 in the afternoon, just a ways time past my shift. Cool. Would still be perfect if ever I decide to watch it tomorrow.
Convinced my mom not to buy a Nokia 6600 for herself, since that was the phone I was planning to purchase since I first saw and read about it. She got a Nokia 6220 instead, and I have to say that if it was my phone, I would not be happy for it.
Months back, I was thinking of which to choose, a 6600 or a 6220. After playing around with the 6220, I find it pathetic, design-wise that is. The software itself and interface is easy to use and very user-friendly, which is one of the reasons I used to convince my mom. Everything is okay about it, except for the design. It has major design issue. The cover for the battery is flimsy, much more than the Nokia 8250. The keys are level thus hard to press unlike that of the 6600s. The four-way button for menu scrolling is painfully designed and is very hard to use especially since it is indented. It has an integrated radio but does not come with a headset. Stupid. Now that I have played with one, am definitely going for the 6600. I want that one. No questions asked.
Gadget freak just around the corner. The moment I purchase a 6600, I'd buy a Bluetooth USB dongle for it, as well as a PCI USB 2.0 port for the computer. Wireless connectivity baby.
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Unfortunate for this day, I passed by Ever Gotesco stumbling across a record bar which I just could not resist passing by. Grabbed myself a copy of the Kill Bill Soundtrack as well as Silence of the Lambs on VCD. Impulse strikes again.
Silence of the Lambs is one of the movies I was unable to see until now. I have seen both Hannibal and Red Dragon, but have missed the first movie released which actually came in between the two said movies. Nonetheless, faith was still kind and I was finally able to snatch a copy of the movie, even though on VCD only. Now I can see why the movie won 5 Oscar Awards in 1991 including Best Actress in a Leading Role for Jodie Foster's superb performance. The graphic violence is always an additional threat for someone who has such a mind as mine.
Purchasing the Kill Bill Soundtrack was more of an impulse, a fever from a movie I love so fucking much. When I first watched the movie, even though on VCD, the music caught me at once, especially the intro song, the whistling and the tune while she is riding her pretty yellow bike. If you put a sticker out front that says, " Enhanced CD Features. The Kill Bill Trailer Trilogy" only adds to that desire to buy the product. Marketing. Due to the limited number of movies I saw in the latter part of the year, I was not able to catche any of the Kill Bill trailers. Luckily, they were all on the CD and infects me with this desire to watch the movie again. I must get my DVD copy back, I need another dose of Kill Bill soon.
This is one of those good soundtracks. Each song in the soundtrack was used in the film, and when listening to them pictures of the scenes that happened come into mind. Unlike some other soundtracks which just try to add artists into the track list with music that wasn't even played in the movie at all, ie, The Underworld OST.
Want to say something about one of my toys, but am gonna save it until I do a full write up about it.
The Green Hornet tune is so freaking cool. If you remember the part where she is riding her bike, this is the tune playing in the background.
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"Hard work pays off much later.
Procrastination pays off now."
Am gonna start the blog by saying, I am so drained, a statement I have been saying for quite sometime now, one which I often use to start a blog with.
This month is so bloody tiring. Come this weekend, am gonna use it wisely and will get some decent sleep. Gigs can wait. My body is so freaking weak now, without vitamins, I'd prolly be dead or hooked up to tubes and a machine. I need some decent sleep.
As much as I want to go bed now, I still have to eat. After that there is this interesting program on NU107 by Jessica Zafra entitled Twisted. Interesting, mainly because it is about movies. It on every Monday, from 9 to 10 in the evening.
Moving on, I might as well mention a few things regarding work. It is starting to get quite a routine. Nah, am just saying this because I have been failing my scores for three consecutive weeks now because of my extreme laziness, carelessness and overall sloppiness. Yes. Procrastination has crept into my job, slower than what I have expected, but no doubt that it is here to pollute and ruin me. It's a bloody curse I can only escape by death. Then again, I am too lazy to do just that.
This blog is evolving into something amusing for me. Speaking of blood, I miss the sight of blood slowly oozing out the multiple slashes I do on my wrist in the old days. Blood red. One could almost feel how freaking warm it is. It's just a mess when it starts to dry up though.
The sight of blood is one thing, the pain is another. Masochistic as some might say, but, one which is truly lifts you up into a state of euphoria, a sudden change from the depression you felt while doing it.
Oh how I miss that. I just don't want people to see those things. I don't want people to know how fucked up I really am inside. Twisted mind. Demented ideas. False hopes. Sick inclinations. Thirst for blood. Chronic Depression. Borderline Personality Disorder. Like what the quiz said, you have issues, major ones at that, but your still in control and are not yet delusional so nobody really notices or gives a fucking rat's ass.
Am blabbering already. I was supposed to have something worthwhile here, but I do not know what I did with my time. A nice article about these new toys would be great, you know something anyone can read without think of side comments like, "this is so sick", "get a life", or "find yourself girl".
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I need some decent rest. I have not been able to just that ever since the year came in. Every week there is something that would consume the only two days you have for yourself. Aside from that, traveling to and from work is such a drag and is taking a heavy toll on my body.
The wedding yesterday was pretty much okay. Nothing too special happened, but at least nothing went wrong.
Got to road test my new toys, the digital camera and the MP3 player. I may write a sick review about what I think about these new toys, but I only have one thing to say regarding them, I fucking LOVE them!
My eyes are really tired, and so seems the rest of my body. For once, the separate systems in my body are cooperating and are seeking out on ultimate goal, one which would be beneficial to everyone, REST.
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At long last, I finally got my filthy hands on an iRiver 390T MP3 player. I simply love the dang little thing, certainly worth all the trouble and probably even the long wait.
During the day, I got a call from the saleslady where I made a DP for the MP3 player, informing me that they do not have anymore 390Ts in stock as they are starting to sell the 500T series. Same price, same specifications, the only difference being the design which is okay, but the striking part is the battery. The 500T series come with a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery. Cool when you think about it as it charges while it's connected to the USB port. Convenient in a way, but AA's are easier to come by and you won't worry about having a worthless gadget which battery has drained before you even got to Baguio. Plus, I really like the design of the 300T series, and I stuck to that concept, opting for a refund of the DP I have already paid them.
I was able to do this since the moment I received news about the other model, I contacted the sales lady from the other store to confirm if they have a 390T in stock, and she said they did.
Moments later, I was a happy owner of a new MP3 player. Impulse struck anew and I noticed myself carrying a bundle pack of NiMHs and it's charger along with the MP3.
It's my brother's big day tomorrow, and things are really busy, not around here but in Laguna. Am so freaking drained, but still like the Energizer Bunny who just keeps going on and on and on. Atleast this occasion would be a perfect venue to test out my new toys, and possibly make a review which no one would even care about next week.
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Am really drained right now. I need the full weekend to recuperate any lost energy over the month. Unfortunately, I doubt I would be able to do so, with the wedding coming up and all. There's still next week. Wait! That's exactly what I said last week and the week before that. Oh well, might as well sleep early tonight to charge up for a pretty busy weekend.
I still have not played much with the digital camera neither have I read the manual at all, to think that I even bring it to work. This is going to be amusing, taking pictures at the wedding with a camera I don't know how to operate beyond the basic point-and-click features.
Hooray. The saleslady from the store I placed a DP for the MP3 player contacted me today, informing me that it would be delivered and available tomorrow. Finally, after what seems to be like forever, am going to get my hands on that damn MP3 player. Another busy day tomorrow, work, post-shift meeting, pick up the MP3 player, scout for batteries for the camera, and who else knows what might happen tomorrow.
Come Saturday, I have to travel all the way to Laguna.
Now this is what you call busy. No matter how you juggle things, you won't be able to do everything over the weekend.
Off to bed I go then. Camera user guide in hand.
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Patience is a virtue. Sadly, it's something I have little to none of.
If I only waited, I'd have an MP3 player in my hands at this very moment. The sales person from the first store finally informed me that they have units in stock of the model I wanted. The problem is I have already settled an order with another shop which actually required a down payment yesterday, uncertain on when the unit would be ordered and available. I wished I followed up on the status of this MP3 player yesterday, since it was the same shop where I bought the digital camera. I am just so dumb.
Anyway, I got to see Kill Bill Volume 1 again, this time in the theaters, particularly, the Eastwood Cinemas. I was expecting a trimmed and tamed down version of the movie, something appropriate for Filipino audiences according to the MTRCB. This did not happen, and I was rather surprised that the theater version I saw was longer than the bootleg version I have watched on VCD. Haven't seen the DVD I bought two weeks ago, so I have no idea if they are the same thing.
There, I just checked some of the scenes in the DVD and it is the same as the theatrical version being shown here.
Watching the movie on the big screen is a truly rewarding experience even though I've seen the VCD version twice prior to this. The differences were a welcome addition to an already great film seen on VCD. It's a good thing I did not have the time to watch the DVD copy I have or that would have spoiled the minute differences.
One more thing. The movie is R18 and the attendee actually asked me if I was 18. Was worth a couple of laughs anyway.
Now more than ever, I really want to learn Japanese.
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A few quick snapshots here and there. A lousy attempt to illustrate that I have finally purchased a digital camera. Purchased a Canon Powershot A80 and so far am quite satisfied with it, though I have a lot of gripes about it.
First, power supply. The model has no rechargeable battery hence there is no AC adapter either. It uses 4 AA batteries which is a lot especially when alkalines are consumed faster if used with digital cameras. I guess it's time for me to invest in a bunch of NiMH's since the MP3 player am waiting for also needs AA batteries.
Second, the compact flash card is only 32MB and would hold only 24 shots at the highest resolution. With 2272x1074 as the highest resolution, I think that's already overkill and I haven't tested the lower resolution rates yet, so who knows how good the shots can be. Besides, compact flash cards are aplenty these days and it would be easy to purchase another one.
Third, the LCD screen. Compared to the Casio Exilim models, this has a small LCD, but this is only a minor issue. The way you can twist the LCD to your choice perspective more than makes up for this. Just something to get used to.
So far, these are my minor gripes about the Canon Powershot A80, which in time would just disappear once I start to play with the camera itself and discover the amazing things it can do. And after I spend a few more thousands on batteries.
Since the MP3 player was already mentioned above, I might as well reiterate on it. I found a different shop that had the iRiver MP3 player on display and was overwhelmed when I saw it. Unfortunately, they don't have the 256MB (390T) model in stock, just the 128MB model (385T). Unlike the first store, this one actually goes farther in making sure you get what you are asking for.
In the first store, after asking when the specific model would be available, they'd just say sometime next week, even giving you the impression that if you left your contact number, you'd be better informed. That's not the case, first time I asked them was back in December, and have yet to get any response from that girl. Dropped by last week, and left my contact number with a different saleslady who didn't recognize me at all when we were purchasing the digital camera.
For the second store, they simply said it is not in stock right now, and the only model they have is the 128MB one. For the 256MB and 512MB models, you would actually have to order from them, placing a down payment which is 30% of the price, and informing you that it would be available within two working days. I've been looking for this particular device for the longest time now, and I almost broke down in tears when they told me none was in stock and I had to undergo two more days of waiting. Excruciating. I just gave up on the other store, since it was going no where, and right now, am just hoping I would receive the gadget by Friday. No harm will be done by keeping our fingers crossed.
I want to play with my new toy right now but am afraid I'd drain the batteries in less than an hour. Sadly, I have to wait two more days before I can get myself rechargeables.
Oh well, am still overjoyed with my new toy.
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Just spent an hour editing the ID tags of MP3s in my folder, and am just about half way done. Why you ask? So that when I FINALLY get my MP3 player, the ID tags would atleast be distinguishable and correct, not just a bunch of gibberish. See what useful things I do in my spare time. Pathetic. Could have used that hour writing some stuff for this website, ideas which never materialize due to extreme laziness. The problem is there is no end goal in all of this, so why bother, right?
Enough of the shameless destruction of oneself.
Though one year late, I have finally watched Bend It Like Beckham, a critically acclaimed British comedy. Around January last year, there was this British Film Festival at Shang-rila, and Bend It Like Beckham was one of the movies to be shown then. I had no idea what the film was about and who the heck is in it, but the title alone tickled my fancy. The problem was I seldom at the dormitory and was mostly home which made it impossible to find the right mood to travel all the way and watch it. A week later and the film fest was over.
Later on, the movie was released in the US and I finally read about it in the webcomics I often. Regret, which is one of my best friends, sunk in a new. I found out myself hitting myself on the head, extracting answers as to why I did not drag my lazy ass over to the theater and watch the film. At 50 pesos, you could stay the whole day and watch every film.
A few months later, Pirates of the Caribbean came introducing Keira Knightley to Hollywood. Yet again, I found myself pounding my head. Stupid, stupid brain.
Keira Knightley is absolutely gorgeous in this film, skinny, short-haired and playing football at that. On the other hand, Parminder Nagra makes you appreciate the Indian beauty and solidifies the reason why they keep on winning in beauty contests. What more could a person ask for?
As for the movie itself (yes, am just starting to talk about the movie right now), is great and well-rounded. Labeled as a comedy but it goes deeper than that, tackling issues like culture towards women and of course, football. The movie portrays two cultures, the Indian and the orthodox English, which is done masterfully, providing quick laughs but getting the point across.
With my father being Indian, and it being half of my roots, it sparked an interest in Indian culture, though I hardly have much idea about it as my father did not influence us much. How I wish I had the chance to watch this movie with my dad. Oh well, am just thankful I finally had the chance to watch this cool movie.
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Ow shucks! I missed a date. Was not able to blog yesterday as I had no time and was basically not at home at the time. I was hoping not to miss a date this month, but I already have and I surely hope it is not contagious. In the past, whenever this happens, I'd lose my mood to blog since there is no apparent goal. Unlike when I have yet to miss a date since it would encourage me to do anything so I won't break the habit.
The moment I finished uploading this page last night, friends called and said there are a change of plans. No more Bataan, just an overnight drinking session at a friend's place. Would do, as these opportunities rarely come by.
The day did not start that way though. Went shopping with the family first, which reminded me of the reason why I seldom accompany them to malls. A few hours of suffering later and I was off to the drinking session. I already got home around 8 in the morning. Cool.
Days pass by so quickly. Work starts anew tomorrow and the two rest days are almost over. I doubt if I was able to rest well enough, but I'm sure I have taken my vitamins this time.
Right now am sleepy, but I must not be tempted. I must sleep this night in preparation for waking up early for tomorrow's work. If I sleep now, I'd wake up after a few hours then would be unable to sleep later on.
Have a lot of DVDs here waiting to be watched, and I guess it would be nice to finish a couple or more today, and that does not include watching Mulholland Drive again. I am not quite ready for that film again right now. David Lynch's movie is just so overwhelming especially for my feeble mind.
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Last month I had no problems with regards to going out because I simply did not go out. This month has been totally different so far. Am not complaining about the day-offs and shift, in fact, I love it. The problem comes in when choosing where to go.
As a result, am going to miss the first Admit One gig for the year, which is not such a big thing since there are atleast 23 more Admit One gigs this year. Yeah, there are 24 Admit One gigs for this year, if they are consistently setting the first and third Saturday of the month for Admit One in Freedom Bar and Rock Radio Cafe, respectively. Quite a hefty number, but one you'd expect from one of Manila's longest running and popular events, as I read in one magazine.
Anyway, am missing it since there are plans for a trip to Bataan and sleepover at a friends place. Friends from college who are really hard to get a hold off, it's amazing to think that it is the third time this month to see each other. Well, I hope there is a lot of booze as I am quite thirsty.
First movie seen in a cinema this year is Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Watched it a the new Eastwood Cinemas. I am not going to talk anymore about the film, as you would have already heard it from someone else. Rather, we'd be concentrating more about the cinema place itself.
The mall itself sucks, it is SO poorly designed. Where the hell have you seen a mall that does not even have level flooring?! In Eastwood Mall, you'd just notice the floor dip in some places, sometimes deep enough to be noticeable. It's a good thing that I don't care about the mall at all. The moment I knew they were making a mall with cinemas in Eastwood, I started to develop the feeling of eager anticipation. A cinema just beside the workplace. Depending on the shift, I could watch a movie before or after the shift.
My expectations were not disappointed. The cinemas are top-notch. The lobby itself is something to behold, wide and spacious. The theater itself is well carpeted with comfortable reclining seats, spacious leg room, and the standard cup holders. Most of the seats are concentrated in the middle which a very good idea since everyone wants to sit smack in the middle of the action. The size of the theater itself is just right, not too big and not too small. The screen-theater size ratio is quite different, meaning sitting at the back with no glasses would not be a problem. As for sound, it is equipped with only the best and latest technology, well, for the Philippines that is, THX and DTS.
In ways, it is similar to Robinson's Place Metro East and only gets extra points for the reclining seats and well carpeted floors. Minus points though for having the restrooms outside of each theater and the carpeted flooring is too soft which tends to give you an eerie feeling while going up and down them.
I have found myself a new home.
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And that was Mulholland Drive. Great movie and all, but I didn't quite get it. I guess am brain dead right now, with my eyes starting to close with their own will. I'll try and analyze that movie tomorrow and probably watch it again sometime.
I hate this. Another reason to hate and belittle myself. The never ending struggle against self-confidence continues. As soon as it builds up to zero, where I could actually start being confident about myself, something comes up and smashes this right back to levels way below zero. Pathetic. I really don't feel good about it. It is so freaking annoying and it is creeping under my skin and eating me up alive. Consuming would be a fancier term.
When the hell is that iRiver MP3 player going to come out!? I really wish there are stores in this blasted country that are actually useful. Bah. I can go on and on about this. Why can't any other store have those iRiver MP3 player?! Why doesn't the exclusive distributor for iRiver have it's own in this country?! Even one bloody outlet would fucking do.
The reason I want an MP3 player so badly is for recording purposes, so I can freaking listen to my voice. It seems that the voice I hear is so fucking different from the voice everyone else around hears. I say something in a fanciful way and it still comes across to others as bland. When I speak with emotions, I think it is good enough since I fucking hear that it is, but no. It's just SO fucking different.
Ah! Blast it! Might as well sleep now before I say anything downright stupid or out of line. Cry it out would be a better option, but I can't cry anymore since I hardly care for anything at all. Bleeding it out is not a considerable option since I know go out of the house, increasing the chances of someone seeing it. People may think I am crazy or something, and I don't want them to, even though I am.
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I can't believe that skipping one dosage of multi-vitamins has this kind of effect on me. I really feel so sick and tired right now. Maybe am blaming the wrong thing, I suppose this is due to my own self abusing this meager body too much. I can't blame E.D. for this, as I have done so much last weekend, although, it has indeed been sometime since I last went to a gig and/or watch a movie in the cinemas.
Passed by Sta. Lucia expecting new movies being a Wednesday and all. Unfortunately, Metro Manila Film Fest entries are still the only movies you can watch. I hate this time of year, I NEED to watch a movie in a theater atleast every two weeks, but this is insane (20 days and counting). Am exaggerating already, I survived 37 days straight with no cinematic experiences. This is nothing, especially with LOTR: ROTK just around the corner.
Hahaha. Look who the hell is talking. I've still got a bunch of DVDs I purchased 2 days ago, and I have yet to watch any of them, and here I am complaining about the lack of cinematic experience. Yeah, it's stupid to compare the A/V setup we have at home to a cinema, but it is still visually stimulating.
Now for something work related. When we were in the morning shift before December, calls were pretty slow with tons of time to cyberslack. By December, we shifted to the night shift, expecting an insane volume of calls, but the first five hours of the shift was worse than the morning shift. Cyberslacking had to be upgraded and eventually evolved thanks to proxify. During this period, I was able to catch up on comics I have missed, namely Machall and ClanBob. Come January, we moved back to the morning shift and for the last three days, the call volume has been insanely high with only a couple of hours after lunch left for cyberslacking.
Why am I saying this then? Am just overwhelmed since I got the most number of calls I ever had since starting in operations, 18, which is quite a hefty number for me. Add the fact that I practically spent have the shift on one call. Yes, this does not concern you. I am just amusing myself.
Remarkable, I started out staring at this monitor thinking of what to write and *poof*, I have this. Maybe this my talent, but I doubt it as there are certainly a handful more people with better writing skills than I.
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I feel sick. Again, I think am going to be sick. I was not able to take my vitamins yesterday, and I guess that can attest to why I am feeling this way today. Just shows how much multi-vitamins are helping get me through each day. It's really amazing especially if you see what kind of body I have and know the kind of lifestyle I live. Yeah right, lifestyle.
Home pretty early today, as I was not in tip top shape. Yes, 5:30 is early considering work finishes at 3. I have lived a life where in I take an hour for granted.
My body is still tired and is longing for some rest, but that would come later as I still have things to do first, like eat. I'd probably go to bed early this time, let's not abuse this frail little body too much.
Mind has stopped working now. I can't think of anything significant (like there ever was anything significant here) to write down for this day.
This is just grand. Once again, am having thoughts of creating a new website layout. In other words, FINALLY continue the layout I started last year. So far, there are plans for new articles and gimmicks (that no one even cares about). The only problem is time, time long enough so I can sit down and put all of these scattered ideas in one collective masterpiece. Right!
I should shut up now. Am saying things which I will never even do in the future weeks (months). Atleast, there is nothing I can say right now that I will regret later on.
Speaking of regrets, is it okay to miss someone you don't even know? Or am I just regretting that once in a lifetime moment which I carelessly let slip out my fingers? I guess it's more of regret, but I am really missing her so much, whoever she is.
Any reactions? If so, click the link below. Please.
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Now that's what you call shopping.
Went all out earlier in purchasing DVDs, bought six in one trip to Greenhills. Insane? Well, it is me we're talking about here.
Scored copies of Pulp Fiction, South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut, Wildthings, Mulholland Drive, Bend It Like Beckham, and Kill Bill Volume 1.
Whew! Now, when the hell can I sit down and watch all of them.
Oh, and don't think am filthy rich to afford DVD versions of all the said films. Pirated copies they may be, but they are titles I have been faithfully searching for in legitimate video stores, unfortunately, with no success, you won't even see traces that they ever had copies of these films. So, excuse me if I purchase a ton of pirated DVDs the moment I see titles such as listed.
How I wished we lived in Manila, that would mean not going home so early and be able to hang out with friends longer. Damn, I really am starting to miss having my dorm room.
A few minutes till 12 midnight and am quite sleepy, considering that I have to wake up by 3 in the morning so I won't be late going into work. I haven't missed a day were I did not blog. Hence, the result. This lousy blog.
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These nights should happen more often.
Last night was one of the better nights this year. Hmmm. With four days gone past, the last statement does not make sense at all. Let's just say it's one of the better nights I've had in a long time.
As with what I said yesterday, I went out with my college barkada last night, mainly because one of them came back to the Philippines for a rare visit, also, it's has been quite sometime for all of us to go out. Almost everyone was able to show up, some did not have enough time on there hands due to other plans, but atleast you could say we were complete. It's amusing to note that we are most complete when someone is leaving the country or coming home, unlike a simple plan for an outing during a birthday. In these cases, everyone makes sure that they can show up.
Met up in Greenbelt 3 at 6 in the evening, dinner at Italianni's, coffee at Cafeá, drinks at Ice and Ponticello. Being a Saturday, most of the usual places where packed. Initially, we were supposed to stay at Temple right after Ice, but the place was packed, so we decided to scoot over to Ponticello which was hardly any different. Packed and crowded as it may be, it was still a nice threat for the eyes, A+ class and way out of my league. Damn! We should gimmick more often in Greenbelt, have only been here a couple of times, and I really mean a couple. Oh, and I should mention what kind of a disadvantage I was in as my vision is really poor. I don't want to wear eyeglasses yet, but these instances make me wish I did.
And again, I spent less than 500 pesos for the night.
After a month in the night shift, with day-offs in the middle of the week, am making the most of the new schedule and day-offs. Plans have already been set up for next Saturday. Then there are also plans for Monday (Greenhills) and Friday (LOTR:ROTK).
There is nothing better than earning your own money easily and having a life outside work that is not as dull as most people perceive it to be.
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Woohoo! Got some excellent news to kickoff the new year.
This is a nice way to start the year. Shift at work changed back to morning shift. This alone calls for a celebration.
Add to this, it is one hour earlier than before which means it's easier to go to and from work as there is less traffic compared to what we had before (7am - 4pm). A shift that ends at 3 o'clock is perfect for movie watching as it falls squarely before the usual 3 pm showing time at cinemas, and with a Cineplex less than 10 minutes, this is all good. Am gonna make Eastwood Cinemas my home.
It does not end there, though. Day-offs have apparently been affected. New day-offs have been moved back to Saturday/Sunday which is perfect for gimmicks and what have. Sure, Sunday/Monday day-offs are still the best, but this is good enough. Certainly good enough.
Curiosity hit me while at work, since it was already the last day of the work week and we still had no idea of what schedule we would have for the following week. The thing is, my college barkada has some plans of a get together. Was really excited when I found out there was no work today and tomorrow, I wanted to shout just right then and there, or probably run around, but I could not do that, so I kept it to myself. Last time we saw each other (almost the complete group) was back in July, when one had to leave for China. This time though, someone is coming back from Japan for a quick visit here.
I better get ready now. Have to meet up by 6 in the evening, and as you know, I live freaking miles away.
Wait, I noticed something pretty stupid. I still type in the dates as January *, 2003. Hahaha... Pretty backward thinking. Well, that's me.
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No. Work resumes once again today, there was no real break in between, just the normal two day rest day which happened to fall on New Years Day. It pays good so am not complaining that much. I just hope a change in schedule is due soon.
Watched Kill Bill Vol. 1 again, which makes it the first movie I've seen this year. Since the year is just starting, I can make a nice list of movies I see.
The copy of Kill Bill Vol. 1 that I have is of course, a bootleg one, a.k.a. pirated copy. It was shot in a cinema, not much moving shadows but the crowd was quite cheerful. This is probably one aspect of American movie culture I am not used to. Whenever they watch a movie that pretty much everyone is excited about, they cheer at the scenes they love, the appearances of characters they adore, clap/cheer at the credits (beginning and end), and laugh out loud at the jokes, whether subliminal or obvious.
I've only experienced this when watching premiers, well, I have only been to two, but that's besides the point. I guess it is something related more to the feelings of all of the viewers, the excitement and anticipation for such a great (hyped-up?) film. Personally, I love watching alone with no one speaking or breathing out loud, but you've got to love the sense of camaraderie of people who do not know each other, sharing a collective emotion for a given movie. Something nice to experience once in a while. Atleast, it shows that your not the only soul uber-crazy about a movie.
Back to the said movie. I can't wait to see it in the cinemas or get a bootleg DVD copy. I also hope they'd show Volume 2 here in the Philippines by February, or else am back to scouting for a bootleg copy yet again. Ah, the movie just makes me want to learn Japanese seriously and how fun and beneficial it could be.
Cool, got several more hours before I need to prepare for work. More videogaming goodness.
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It's official. Another year has passed. People say how the first day of a new year turns out portrays what kind of a year it would be. I gave up on hope before, but I certainly anticipate this year to be an interesting. January alone seems to be pretty substantial enough. Something definitely worth looking forward to.
Wait, let me flip over my calendars, seemed to forget doing that.
So what can I say about last year? Let me think.
I'd say these are the most significant, but no need to go into the details of each to much. Click on the links if you want to know more.
Found out a lot of interesting stuff while browsing through the archives. Sadly, I don't have the time to read through all of them right now. This is something I must do sometime, since I have no idea what I have written down before because I never read them after typing these thoughts out.
Quentin Tarantino is a God! Last night I watched the Kill Bill Volume 1 VCD that I bought, and man was it good. For a moment I thought why I watched another movie I knew would be simply astounding on video first. Then I realized how violent and gruesome the scenes are, I doubt it would be shown in entirety when it is released in cinemas here. They'd chop it up until it becomes undesirable. Regardless, this movie makes me want to beat myself as I have not seen the three other films Quentin Tarantino has directed including Pulp Fiction. Uma Thurman is still lovely even with a samurai in hand, in fact, it makes her actions more graceful and admirable. There is even an anime portion portraying the life of O-Ren Ishii, which is downright violent but gets the point across.I don't know how to describe this movie since it is so bloody good. Am thinking when I could watch the VCD again and hoping February would come by fast so I can get my hands on Volume 2. You must see this movie!
This is quite a change from recent day-offs. Only one movie, unlike before where I'd have atleast three ready by the end of the week.
The layout for this site was created a year ago, around late December, but only turned into a full-pledged website by April as I had no idea what contents I'd place. It's time for a facelift, am already thinking about new content I can use, as for the layout, I still have no artistic ideas to create one. I wish I had a digital camera already.
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