Johnjan : Live.Rebirth 2.0

Animatech

2009-02-22T19:54:00.000+08:00

It's time to move on

Beautiful Mess

2009-01-02T19:30:00.000+08:00

You’ve got the best of both worlds. You’re the kind of girl who can take down a man then lift him back up again.You are strong but you’re needy, humble but you’re greedy. And based on your body language and shotty cursive I’ve been reading. Your style is quite selective though your mind is rather reckless. Well I guess it just suggests that this is just what happiness is

And what a beautiful mess this is. It’s like picking up trash in dresses

Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write. Kind of turn themselves into knives. And don’t mind my nerve you could call it fiction. But I like being submerged in your contradictions dear. 'Cause here we are, here we are

Although you are biased I love your advice. Your comebacks they’re quick and probably have to do with your insecurities. There’s no shame in being crazy, depending on how you take these words. I’m paraphrasing this relationship we’re staging

And it’s a beautiful mess this is. It’s like taking a guess when the only answer is yes

And through timeless words and priceless pictures. We’ll fly like birds not of this earth. And tides they turn and hearts disfigure. But that’s no concern when we’re wounded together. And we tore our dresses and stained our shirts. But it's nice today, oh the wait was so worth it

Looking Back, Looking Forward

2009-01-02T18:47:00.000+08:00

The last year has been a roller coaster ride for me. I got to experience happiness, excitement, sadness and heartbreaks. Looking back, a lot of things changed the way I am now. I knew that somehow things are a little better; maybe I've grown a little wiser, I even managed to come out of my shell (although it's still there) and get a little comfortable with what things are.

Looking forward, I promised myself a lot things. Change is in front of me but what I just need to do is to move my ass and start off. Another thing is to sort out some things in my life. Zero-in on what I really want and what I really need.

I ended the last day of the year in tears hoping that the coming days in the new year will be better...

Happy Holidays! :D

2008-12-25T06:22:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas to All!

Give Love on Christmas Day!

Live High, Live Mighty (Oct 3, 2008)

2008-12-01T23:31:00.002+08:00

It was a national Holiday for Germany last October 3. Since it's a holiday, all shops (by 'all', I mean everything -- grocery stores, malls, private shops) were closed. We were supposed to go on a trip somewhere but it didn't go as planned since we didn't plan properly (ngak!). So instead of being stuck in the apartment and sulk all day, I decided (and dragged along one of my colleagues) to watch a concert. Good thing that Jason Mraz had a show, just one bus ride from Frankfurt, so we got last minute tickets and rushed to the concert venue.

A part of "We sing We dance, We Steal Things" European tour, Jason tagged Ingrid Michaelson as a guest performer on his shows. Both artists were great performers. Listening to Ingrid was really soothing while Jason's live performance was really amazing (It's like listening to an album, heck, he even sounds better than in the album). Really loved their version of 'Lucky' (which Jason originally sang with Colbie Calliat (Did I get that right?)) and was ecstatic when he suddenly sang 'Sleeping to Dream' in the middle of his 'You and I Both' performance.

Here's the video of 'Sleeping to Dream/You and I' medley that I took:

And here is his performance of 'I'm Yours' which I can't believe that I was singing along to while I was taking this video:

Concert Highlights:
1. Mashup of 'Sleeping to Dream' and 'You and I Both'. (video above)
2. Mashup of 'I'm Yours' and Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds' (video)
3. Mashup of 'The Remedy' and Oasis' 'Wonderwall'
4. Ingrid and Jason's version of 'Lucky'.
5. Trumpets up front in "Live High, Live Mighty"
6. Photograph give-away ending.

All in all I had a great time in the concert. I love the songs, love the performance, love the front row view. The concert was really worth it. Here are some pictures that I took from the concert: "Jason Mraz Live @ Neu Isenburg"

Home, Jet Lag, Colds and it keeps getting better

2008-11-22T19:01:00.001+08:00

"Take me back in your arms Manila, and promise me you'll never let me go, promise me you'll never let me go"
-Hotdog

"Poootek! Ang ineeeet!" was the first thing that I uttered when I stepped out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Terminal 'bulok' one) into the warm Manila weather. My body was already spewing buckets of sweat but it's fine by me at least I'm already home. It feels good to be back here.

The first person to greet me when I arrived at my house was my grandmother. She greeted me with tears and plenty of hugs. It's kinda funny because when I left for europe, she was also crying. I said it's only going to be three months but to her it's like three years. I guess I'll always be grandma's boy.

One of the main reasons that I was excited to get home is my one week vacation from work. Although that 'vacation' turned into a disaster. I was hit by jet lag by my third day here and caught a cold (sniffles, cough and everything else). So mainly that was one of the reasons I wasn't able to post something new (aside from the reason that I didn't have internet connection in my apartment in Frankfurt -- and I was too tired to write something to be posted in my blog every time I get home from work).

But anyway, things are getting better now...

Guten Tag

2008-08-31T15:13:00.002+08:00

Three weeks has passed since I arrived here in Germany. From then on it was a roller coaster ride for me. It was my first time for everything. First time out of my home country, first time living alone, first time in a new continent on the other side of the world.

I never really expected to be here. Expectations were already set that I will not be given the assignment. Time changes everything right? I was part excited and afraid when I was given the news that I will be going to Europe to do some work for three months. Started trembling when I said 'yes, I want it' for a tons of questions raced to my mind: "will I survive there? What if I got lost? What about communication? What will I eat?" Simple questions though. But my principle with such new things is: "Try things out first, If it goes well, good. If not, too bad".

It's been three weeks since I've been here in Germany. Three weeks of living alone in a flat; terribly missing my family and friends back home. But all is well. I had two of my colleagues here, met a bunch of Filipinos living here and tried new things out. It is fun and Europe is breathtaking. But I just wish I have the special persons here with me.

I'll be back here again one day bringing them along. Someday.

Yahoo I'm a Retar-ar-ar-ard

2008-06-30T20:30:00.000+08:00

Here's a good stress reliever. Presenting, an Indian Music Video (with a rough English translation).

Back from the Dead (again)

2008-06-29T19:06:00.000+08:00

Aaaaaaaaannd I'm back! yes, Johnjan is alive and kicking once again in the information superhighway. I was on hiatus for about more than two months now and I just realized that I have to get my cybespacelife together again.

Top 3 reasons why I suddenly have unannounced hiatuses:

3: Work, Busy, Work. Yes work gets in the way most of the time.
2: Other stuff got my attention (Like a child, sometimes, I have a short attention span).
1: Laziness.

Ha ha. Seems I'm just human.

I'm back and I'm here to stay.

Bunny!

2008-03-23T10:07:00.001+08:00

~!!!HAPPY EASTER!!!~

Lent

2008-03-22T13:34:00.006+08:00

The four-days-off during the Holy Week is very tempting to spend on vacation. Most people head to the beach, go to the provinces to chill-out and forget the worries of the city. My Holy Week for the past two years was spent away from home. I was invited to go again to Mindoro but I turned it down. I guess I miss spending my Holy Week with my family.

Float for La Pieta

Our Cathedral here in Parañaque hosts a very long procession, consisting of around 30+ floats featuring religious idols depicting the Passion of Christ, during Good Friday. Some call it "The Parade of the Saints" or what the kids normally call here 'mahabang pursisyon' (long procession).

People go out of their homes to watch
the Parade of the Saints every Good Friday

Took some shots of the procession last night. The procession suddenly reminded me of my younger days as an Altar Server (Sacristan) in our parish. I remember seeing myself wearing the white uniforms carrying the cloth signboard of the float I was assigned to. Hahaha. Those days were gone now and It's still quite comforting to see younger kids doing the same thing that I did back in the days.

Float for "Sourging at the Pillar"

Christ's Falls for the First Time

Saint Andrew, Our Parish's Saint.

On Easter Sunday there is another church event. Can't wait for tomorrow. I'll post some of the pictures at my flickr account. :)

How Six Songs Collide

2008-02-28T22:41:00.003+08:00

Is both the local and international music industry keep regurgitating junk the past months or is just me piling up the years and clinging to the music I grew up with?

Within the past months, I've been listening to the same playlist on my Ipod. Sure I am tired of the songs but I don't have the time to keep myself updated with what's the latest in the music scene. MTV's not that hip anymore (and it's no longer accessible on local TV) and MYX... well, I lost interest in watching music videos.

Maybe I just outgrew the current music generation and unconsciously got stuck on my 'own' music scene just like my aunts and uncles who are 75% stuck on the 80s music scene and 25% stuck on manufactured novelty songs.

Are you like me who cannot let go of your certain brand of music? Tired of the never ending revivals and cover songs that does not even differ from the original? Disgusted by the uber-sugary-sprinkled-mega-poppy-new-and-improved-but-still-yucky novelty songs?

Well, I offer you an alternative: MashUps.

MashUps, is somewhat a remix/combination of two or more songs. As far as I remember, MTV once had a segment on this. Most of the best mashup songs are made by talented DJs out there meaning they are not official remixes. I happen to stumble upon one of the most beautiful, IMHO, mashups ever made. How Six Songs Collide. Made by a DJ named Norwegian Recycling, the mashUp is a combination of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours", Howie Day's "Collide", Five for Fighting's "Superman", Angela Ammon's "Always Getting Over You", Boyzone's "All that I need" and 3 Doors Down's "Here without you".

Currently, I keep this song on repeat on my iPod. I know, these are old songs but mashups breath new life them. Other mashUps that I recommend are: Brtiney Spears vs. Usher's "Yeah! Toxic", Destiny's Child vs. The Cardigan's "My Favorite Name" and Norwegian Recycling's "8 become 1".

And I'm currently listening to it while I'm writing this post. sooo Addicted.

Carved in the Face of the Sky

2008-02-27T22:24:00.002+08:00

There is always a point where it seems that you live a carefree life. Contented with whatever you have as of the moment. Happy with everything that is happening in your life. Problems come but leave at once. Yes, It seems that you are a kid again. No worries, just doing your job and continuing the course of life.

But shit happens. No one can avoid it. No matter how prepared you are in life, bigger problems will unexpectedly arrive. Knocking the air out of you. Making you lose sense of reality. So how will you cope when you know that in the future something terrible will happen? Something that you are powerless to avoid?

Right now I'm living a live that is semi-oblivious to reality. Continuously thinking of what the future will bring. Trying to make it through the day. Knowing that there will come a time that I have to give in. Crash and burn. Then let the moments slip away...

SilverScreen 1.2

2007-12-28T21:17:00.000+08:00

Since I'm on a three week vacation from work, I have lots of time to spend on one of my favorite hobbies: watching movies.

Atonement [2007] - This is a story that traverse through decades of time. Starring Keira Knightly and James McAvoy, Atonement is a movie about how a single crime committed changes the course of several lives. At first, the movie may bore the viewers since it relies heavily on dialog but as the story progresses it becomes more complicated and it got me very much interested in it. At certain times the movie is more like a stage play because of the way it presents the key events. Atonement is supposedly to be shown in the Philippines in the coming year.

Once [2006] - A guy, a girl and a relationship that started with a broken vacuum cleaner. Once is a modern day musical. No, it's nothing like those extravagant Chicago or Moulin Rouge. The premise of the movie is really simple: guy meets girl, they know more about each other and date but the movie closely reflects real life and Once presents a different happy ending. The music in Once is so raw and so beautifully made that I instantly fell in love with one of the songs ,"Falling Slowly". Once, I think, won't be able to reach the Philippine cinemas or even our local video shops. So where else do you think I got a copy of the movie? teehee.

The Band's Visit [2007] A film from Israel wherein tells a story about an Egyptian Police Orchestra being lost in the Israeli Lands. What's unique about this movie is the contrast between the characters, environment and culture. The first thing that you'll notice is the sky blue uniforms of the band against the barren desert lands of Israel and how the band presents a subtle humor on being lost in a foreign country. As I've said this is a clash of cultures, a cry of loneliness from the middle of nowhere and the innate hospitality of people. This not a 'wow' movie or anything but it makes you realize the different aspects of human nature.

My Family #1

2007-12-27T23:04:00.000+08:00

I took my family to the Mall of Asia...

OMG! A New Ablum Already Out?!?

2007-12-26T20:04:00.000+08:00

Is the music scene going to fast or is it just me piling up the age? I never knew that Dashboard Confessional (One of the greatest acoustic emo artists) recently released a new album! Shade of Poison Trees marks the return of Dashboard Confessional to it's acoustic roots. It kinda reminds me of Swiss Army Romance. I've downloaded the album just to get a sample and to check if it's good but I happen to came upon another album by Dashboard entitled The Wiretapes Volume 1 which is cover of other songs. He covered Regina Spektor's Better and for me it was a better version. haha! I'm going to look for this in the record bars.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2007-12-20T21:43:00.000+08:00

I now present to you: My Family.

That's me with the big 'J' on the shirt. Beside me is my brother wearing a red shirt with a huge 'A' on it (Kinda reminds me of Alvin from the Chipmunks). My Dad with the 'Pa' shirt and of course my mom in the 'Ma' shirt.

This is how I would like to represent my family in the Cyberworld.

Almost There

2007-12-20T01:27:00.000+08:00

"Christmas, Christmas time is near,
Time for toys and time for cheer.
We've been good, but we can't last,
Hurry Christmas, Hurry fast.
Want a plane that loops the loop,
Me, I want a Hula-Hoop.
We can hardly stand the wait,
Please Christmas don't be late. "
- The Chipmunks

One of my most anticipated activities during the Christmas season is gift wrapping. Most people dread this activity since it takes a bit of skill and a lot of time especially when you have a lot of items to wrap.

Although it may seem tedious, I begin to feel the holiday season when I wrap the items while imagining the reactions my family would give me upon opening their presents. Aside from that, I listen to Christmas songs while wrapping up gifts so I really feel the Holidays.

And because my mother noticed that I would wrap presents without hesitation, she made me in-charge of wrapping her presents too.

The bears would be for my cousins, all girls. I didn't bother giving them different items so to avoid them fighting over a specific gift. Haha.

Just a few more gifts to wrap and I'm done!

Bum Simulation

2007-12-19T23:47:00.001+08:00

It's the third day of my holiday leave and I never felt so lazy in my life. Most of my friends and family have work to do, so most of the time, I got the house to myself.

I wake up usually at around 9 to 10 in the morning. Lie in my bed for about another 30 minutes then I find something to do. Usually I read a book or grab my Nintendo DS for some game time. At around 11 AM, I go down to the kitchen hoping my mom cooked me some breakfast that would automatically also be lunch for me.

I turn on the TV for some morning cartoons (Pokemon, Hamtaro, Cooking Master Boy, Detective Conan) while eating some grub. After that I turn on the computer, check some emails, downloads and surf a little then go back to my room to get a nap.

At around 3 PM I wake up again. Then I have nothing more to do.

My options are:

A. Go to the nearby mall.
B. Cook up something to eat.
C. Catch up on my TV Series/Anime.
D. Stare at the ceiling.

Bored.

The Dissection of Johnjan's Face [1st Run]

2007-12-13T00:28:00.000+08:00

According to www.myheritage.com's face recognition program, my facial features has the resemblance to the following unfortunate celebrities:

Here are the names of the celebrities together with the likeness percentage:

A. Ronaldo with 74%. Ok... I look like a footballer?

B. Jeff Gordon with 68%. Or more like a professional Race Car Driver?

C. Shane Filan with 67%. Now I know I have a chance in joining Westlife if ever he breaks from the group. Haha

D. Christopher Uckermann with 67%. A mexican Singer?!?... Sino siya?

E. Daveigh Chase with 64%. 0_0 No comment.

F. P Ramlee with 64%. Whoohoo! He looks like a stuntman from one of those Fernando Poe Movies!

G. Sally Suthers with 61%. WTF?!? Who the hell is this?! And why do I have a resemblance with an old lady?!

H. Jewel with 60%. Pootik! "Follow your heart... your intuition."

I. Nick Lachey with 59%. And another one from a defunct boy band.

J. Pierre Bouvier with 58%. Sino siya?

No one even came close 90%! Gosh! My thick hard face really is one of a kind! :P

Tis' the Season

2007-12-10T23:08:00.000+08:00

Christmas is just around the corner. Time again for shopping, gifts, thirteenth month pay, bonuses, fruit baskets and the like. It's the time where people will accumulate more monetary value or multiply the stuff that they already own. The time when huge banners screaming SALE! are plastered at every legal advertisement. It's when TV shows feature never ending segments on shopping hot spots, gift ideas and lavish decorations.

Maybe I made a mistake. Christmas is not around the corner. It's been crippled and trampled upon by the changing ideologies of the world. What I see is more like a 'Material Extravaganza'.

Maybe we need to stop and ask ourselves:

Christmas, What is it about?

Que Horror

2007-12-09T21:38:00.000+08:00

2Girls1Cup. Do you know those very words and what they really mean? If you have no idea what '2 Girls 1 Cup' mean then you are one of the very fortunate person who were spared of the explicitly disgusting piece of human exhibition as to date.

In a nutshell, *'2 Girls 1 Cup' is a girl-to-girl action (translate: porn. 2 Girls) video which involves revolting images of defecation in a cup (thus the 1 cup) and ingestion of feces (Ingestion, eating, 'kinain' sa tagalog). As I've said before, this is a very horrible piece of video that is still circulating in the internet. I firmly suggest anyone not to seek out this video. Wikipedia has a descriptive article about the hellish 2 Girls 1 Cup internet phenom.

But that is not the point of this blogpost. While researching about the vile '2Girls1Cup', I found out that it was featured on VH1's Best Week Ever which is a show analysing current pop culture. On the other hand, VH1's Best Week Ever also featured another video clip putting the spotlight on a prison in the Philippines:

Whoa! Synchronization, Creativity, Flexibility and a little bit of Drama. Move over UP, UST and other Universities' Cheering squad. Can you beat that?

*I myself haven't seen the 2Girls1Cup video. Just reading the description on the video is giving me the creeps and makes me sick.

Badge!

2007-12-08T19:07:00.000+08:00

Special Thanks to Jazzy for the wonderful award:

I guess that makes me Wonder no. 8

Teehee :)

Human afterall

2007-11-19T22:11:00.000+08:00

"It's only natural for living creatures to fight to protect their own lives.
But what makes us human is that we fight for others.
But who do you fight for? How hard must you fight?
That's the true measure of what human life is worth.

When the battle is done, even when the bonds that connect us are severed.
We always return...
Time and time again."

- Phoenix Wright
Trials and Tribulations

reBirth to the Other Side

2007-10-29T22:03:00.000+08:00

October 19, 2007; 2:00 AM

Her eyes stared back at me for a second, wondering who it was standing beside her bed. She rolled over to her side, breathing heavily, she kept trying to doze off to sleep. I kept fanning her with a local comic that I found beside her bed. Together with my aunt, we've tried to calm her down but she was unease with her situation.

Irritated by the tubes that was attached to her nose, she tried to remove them. We struggled with her, trying to put back the tubes that transport life-giving air to her. We struggled to keep her calm. She struggled to keep holding on. Unable to look at her current state, I left the room as tears are welling-up my eyes. Outside, her husband sat waiting, troubled and tired. Nurses keep checking on every movement she make. All of us are waiting for something.

Hours. Minutes. Seconds. Everyone is waiting for something uncertain. The radio on the Nurses' station softly sang... "Don't give up on us, baby Lord knows we've come this far. Can't we stay the way we are? The angel and the dreamer Who sometimes plays a fool Don't give up on us, I know We can still come through". She finally calmed down. Every breath for her is a heavy task. She raised her hands, stared at them, then closed her eyes.

Everyone struggled. As I look through the glass window, the doctor tried to bring her back. But by bringing her back means bringing her more pain... and so I conceded.

She finally won her battle. Her children gathered around her staring back at her through watery eyes. Trying to accept the truth and the fact the she finally won the battle.

...and so I conceded.

== One week earlier ==

I hastened myself as I close our house gate. Double check everything in my bag before going to the jeepney stop. As I was walking through the street to the coastal road, I saw her. She had just finished hanging wet clothes and was returning to her house.

Isabelita: Ayan na ang pogi kong apo. Pasok ka na? Tanghali na.
Me: Opo, pasok na me nay.
Isabelita: Ingat pogi.

== ==

...We'll miss you Nanay...

Isabelita M. Ordanozo, a wife, mother to eight children, grandmother to thirteen grandchildren, finally won her battle againt lung cancer on October 19, 2007. She was laid to rest at the Kabihasnan Public Cementery last October 24, 2007.

reBirth

2007-10-26T01:31:00.000+08:00

It's 1:22 AM and I just got home from work. Tired yet thankful, almost none of my officemates remembered something about this day. All of them are poring over the work that has to be done. I really don't want to spend the first hours of this day at a cube trying figure out the messy codes and pull out the bug that's been wrecking havoc at a computer program. But it can't be helped, I just have to make ends meet with the hours and the knowledge that I have. And so I left the office at 12:30 AM.

As I was about to alight the elevator when I received a text message. A message that I was expecting and eager to receive. My first greeting. Later on several text messages from people that I know arrived. Some of the messages came from numbers that were not stored in my phone. Puzzled, I just saved the messages for later.

Thankful, that even though at the dead of the night I was able to arrive home safely to an empty house. Almost all of the occupants were asleep except the last one to arrive. There was no food table to welcome my arrival so I let my messy bedroom welcome me instead.

A year has passed and I realized that somehow I've grown a lot. Leaving more traces of my childhood and turning them into mere memories. But somehow I'm still reluctant to let go. Still I kept a piece of childhood in me. My comfort zone.

Thanks to all those who greeted me at the first hours of my day. To those who surprised my with simple gestures. You know that I've been forced to keep my distance for obvious reasons but still you are all here with me. Thanks again for the patience and the understanding that you have been unconsciously giving me. Forever will I be grateful for your existence and your continuous appreciation of my existence.

Hope I can still see and be with you on my next New Year.

And with this, I'll start again.
Refresh, reboot myself for
Another reBirth.

Case Report

2007-10-06T21:57:00.000+08:00

Exhibit A:

The problem as it seems can no longer be contained in a specific area. Initial findings on the operations of the group are no longer valid and should be archived for references. It is also evident that the organization is undergoing expansion and evolution. Notice that branches are sprouting on places also infected by its nemesis (case "Ronald McDonald"). The current investigation report are as follows:

A. Portrait of the kingpin. Although camouflaging in a different color (It was previously verified that the original color used is orange), tactics in luring victims are still the same.

B. The victim. No further analysis is required but might had been saved if a professional is present in the vicinity.

C. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti. Possibly used by the organization as a front to hide its master plans and top secret blueprints. Needs further investigation.

D. Codename 'Hetty'. A pawn used by the organization to lure more victims. It is an incarnation of living spaghetti and pure tomato evil. Effects on children with no previous contact with pawns are extreme shock and excessive tear gland production.

Therefore with this findings, it is highly recommended that a mere citizen, together with its off-springs, should be accompanied by a professional who can handle situations such as tantrums and emotional outbursts upon off-spring's visual contact with a pawn such as 'Hetty'. A professional will also be effective in verification of safe and healthy nourishment offered by the organization.

Date: 06.10.2007 17:42:33
By: Inday

(Report ni Inday sa amo niya nang di siya pinasama sa birthday party sa Jollibee. Tsk Tsk tsk)

---------------
I love Jollibee. be Happy :)

Ana Banana and the Slippery Rubber

2007-10-05T22:19:00.000+08:00

It was 12:30 pm and I just arrived at the office. At the floor lobby, after swiping my id badge to open the door, the security suddenly stopped me. He asked my name and after confirming it he then pulled out a pack of cookies from under the table lobby and handed it to me. Puzzled, I asked if the pack of cookies was really meant for me. He said yes and says it was from someone. He wouldn't tell who so I thanked him and went to my desk.

I related the incident to my officemate sitting behind me and he said that it was probably from my "Mommy" or "Daddy". I didn't get what he mean but why the hell would my parents go to my office and leave me a pack of cookies? Extremely puzzled, I just shook my head and started working.

Suddenly, one of the girls shouted out "Yey! I already got my present!". That's when it hit me! Today is the first day of our Office Kris Kringle and I haven't bought a gift for my "Baby" yet! Luckily the theme was "First thing you look for in a convenience store." so I rushed to the nearest Mini Stop and bought a small item.

Anyway, back to the girl, She showed us the gift she received: (and I knew that something like this would turn up) two packs of condoms. And when there's something related to sex, there's bound to be sex jokes and stuff.

It didn't end there. Our client on-site also joined in the fun and showed us his banana-- Err, that didn't went out right--I mean one of the bananas he bought from the canteen. Then almost everyone had this idea of putting the condom on the banana for demonstration's sake and Academic purposes. So one complied and did the demonstration:

Never knew that fruit and rubber goes well together.

I am not old enough for menopause!

2007-10-04T23:58:00.001+08:00

Says Teri Hatcher before she lashed out the punchline concerning the quality of Philippine Medical education. This was the premiere episode of Desperate Housewives season four and was aired last September 30, 2007 in the US. Below is the transcript of the joke and the clip itself.

MD: I know for a lot of women the word menopause has negative connotations. They hear aging, brittle bones, loss of sexual desire...

Susan: Before you go any further, can I check those diplomas? I would just like to make sure that they're not from some med school in the Philippines..."

So, most of the Filipino medical practitioners around the world are in an uproar, wanting a public apology from the ABC network as well as from the actress herself. Even the Philippine Government has joined the hoola-baloo although there are more important issues to be concerned with.

I just pity Teri Hatcher for summoning the wrath of the Filipino people (or those Filipino people who are swayed by the issue) with her bad choices. I mean, the mastermind behind it all is the writers of the show. But any kind of publicity-good or bad-is still publicity, so good for Teri Hatcher. Just don't make the mistake of stepping into Philippine territory or she'll be skinned alive by the our doctors, nurses and everyone in the medical field including the faith-healers and the 'albularyos'.

I liked the first season of Desperate Housewives since it had a witty storyline. Too bad, I did not have the time to catch the following seasons and I'm more into Heroes now -- Yatta!

On other news. Back in 1998 with the Claire Danes incident:

In 1998, just after the filming of Brokedown Palace in Manila, she was quoted in Vogue as saying that Manila was a "ghastly and weird city". She further remarked in Premiere that the city, "smelled of cockroaches, with rats all over and that there is no sewage system and the people do not have anything -- no arms, no legs, no eyes".

Care to watch Stardust?

Connection

2007-10-03T00:18:00.000+08:00

Unforgivable. My average blogging is down to one post per month. Ugh. And now I ranting again (and again) about my time, stress and work... It's like I'm stuck in a loop hole.

And so I noticed that I'm losing touch with most people who are close to me; People I once knew and now to me they are just a mere image of what they were. To me they are personalities frozen by time and I need time to discover that they have changed.

Two years. I already spent two years finding my spot in my chosen industry. Trying to mold into the cookie-cutter corporate setting and never realized that I am losing myself... From time to time I plan to take back what I lost. Take back myself. Take back my life. But all plans go in vain as time itself is elusive to me.

I need to connect once more.
I need help...

Do you know your IP Address?

2007-08-24T10:25:00.000+08:00

Well do you?

If you do then good for you! But if you don't then let me tell you a raunchy way of knowing your IP address. Just follow these steps and it'll change the way you look, well maybe say, IP addresses ever again.

1. Look at the picture. (Is she in pain? Ecstasy? Trying to sh*t a load? You decide)
2. Close your eyes. Let the picture burn in your brain (or eyeballs if you may).
3. Now click this link --> GIVE IT TO ME GOOD, ooooh! Aaaaah! Yes! Yes!
4. Listen to your IP address. Let your imagination run wild.
5. Return to this blog.

My Review: I love the 'dot' part. 'dhhhooooooot'.

Here I go again

2007-08-23T22:41:00.000+08:00

Aaaaaaaaaand here I go again! As you may have noticed, I've been busy the past month (as always) that's why there is less life around this blog. Well, most of time I'm too lazy to post my thoughts or I'm already occupied by other things such as video games, video games and video games.

It's really hard to do something else when you are so engrossed in a game (to put it in your view, relaxation period), mainly also because I play on my bed which makes me more lazier. So to switch things around I'm doing a little reading and letting my creative juices flow (notice the banner?).

Again I'll be updating this blog once in a while. Maybe post some random things I find in the internet or unusual things about my life.

And thanks for the visitors and your comments! Keep 'em coming and soon I'll get back at you.

Lately, there is so much

2007-06-25T20:56:00.001+08:00

Lately, a few events, moments that passed by my life has made me think about the wholeness of my life itself. Backtracked from the time when I acquired the ability to assimilate the events up to the last time I woke up feeling wretched and purposeless. As summer came to a close and the first rains from the heavens hit my numbing body, realization came upon me. To what others seems like an ordinary obstacle, to me it is a gargantuan burden... Reality hits me hard resulting into a frenzy of confusion. I'm an accident waiting to happen.

Kira Kira no Popstar

2007-06-13T23:12:00.000+08:00

I wanna be a pohpstahr
kimi wo motto muchuu ni sasete ageru kara ne
KIRAKIRA no pohpstahr
hane wo hiroge  mahou wo kakete ageyou  kimi dake ni

Lately I've been listening to some J-pop music on my ipod. Japanese Pop is not really my kind of genre -- Well, except for some Utada Hikaru songs and the Voltes V theme song (I consider this Jpop!) -- but because of the game "Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2" (Translation: Burn! Hot Blooded Rhythm! Hey! Fight! Cheer Squad 2! ) in the Nintendo DS, Jpop had been added to my music library genre.

Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! is a rhythm game wherein you tap circles in succession along with the beat in the touch screen portion of the DS. I had doubts about this game at first but as soon as I finished the first stage, I can't put down my DS... until it ran out of batteries.

The songs in the game are really addictive because of the poppy melody. One of the songs is 'Popstar' by a certain Ken Hirai which really got stuck on me because I've been unconsciously singing the "Kirakira no popstar" part of the song anywhere (In the bus, in the toilet, on my bed, in the shower). It's slowly taking over my life! ok, maybe not.

That is until I've seen the video of the wretched song:

I let out a blood-curling scream as my eyes were burned by the cheesiness and campiness of the video. Jackson 5-ish dance moves+dancing racoon and mole = Flashbacks of Tin-tin Bersola in outer-space suit dancing to the theme song of 'Sineskwela' flooded my memory... I can't believe I was stuck on that song!

And later I found out [via a website] that 'Kirakira no popstar' means 'Twinkling Popstar'... For the love of all that is alive! I've been referring to myself as a twinkling popstar...

Que Horror.

Nonsense and rabbit ears

2007-06-12T22:22:00.000+08:00

Been busy the past weeks. Again. my, my, my... when will this cylce of stress end?! This routine of waking up late, going to work late, then going home late! When?! When?! *kneels on the floor with arms outstretched and looks up to the heavens* WHEEEEEEN?!?!

Oooooooh! Crazy bunny!
More bunnies here.

I get to sit on a pristine throne multiple times

2007-05-15T16:50:00.000+08:00

Damn! I finally got a leave today and LBM visited my damned digestive system. Of all the sickness existing, why would it be LBM?!? I really hate returning to the comfort room more than once just to discharge my body fluids. Just last night I had trouble sleeping because every 2 hours my stomach would turn up and I had to sit on the throne just to release these gases and all that water.

The culprit: Fruit Magic's Cold Defender (Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice and Carrot Juice). Ugh... For solutions I resorted to Diatabs (loperamide) and Oral Hydrite -- I'm becoming dehydrated. However, neither of the two helped. I would ingest Diatabs later to find out that it will be included in my next discharge. Oral Hydrite, on the other hand, did nothing but increase my discharges.

I was so afraid to go to work tomorrow if ever this digestive activity continues so I had to do something to calm down my stomach. Fortunately, my LBM died down this afternoon all because I drank a certain liquid.

My savior: Good ol' Coca-Cola.

Just one glass and it worked like magic. Never thought that sugar-spiked, carbonated liquid could do the job. I'm trying to pull-out any kind of soft-drinks from my diet but every time LBM visits, I'll make it as an exception.

The Sheer Joy of Being Partial

2007-05-14T18:16:00.000+08:00

The only constant thing in the world is change... and Philippines Politics.

Exercising suffrage hasn't really changed that much in the Philippines. It seems that the stains of dirty politics can never be removed from elections. Vote buying, death threats, gun fights, 'dagdag-bawas' and the like will be ever present in Philippine elections. I know, maybe even in other countries it may be much worse. However, does the Filipino people grow tired of the repetitive tainted process? As I see it politics here in the Philippines is no longer politics but business. How many political dynasties do we have in the Political arena? For a first time voter, I couldn't keep my hopes high for our leaders -- well except for a few ones.

It's quite funny that Philippine Politics had been called a sort of 'Circus', 'Telenovela' and 'Showbiz' but never Politics per se.

This [insert structure here] is a project of [insert politician name].

Every time a politician completes a project, let's say a new school, housing or additional employee benefits, do they really have to plaster their names on such projects? I mean it's more likely they didn't use their own money for it and more likely most of the budget went into their own pockets. Then come election time they smack their so-called 'projects' in your faces. Well, it's all up to the people if they will be in 'awe' of such projects or rather some might think: 'The hell! it's their job!'.

But wait there's more! If you vote for me, you'll get this brand new palanggana!

People had become much smarter this election period. I think with the help of the media, people shun away from such vote-buying and threats. In slum areas and provinces it's very evident that such tactics still work but personally, do you think a mere amount (from 500 to 1,500) will justify the years you'll suffer under someone's elected term? Fortunately here in my baranggay I didn't came across such magic envelopes.

Yo' I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want... to be a politician but I'm a star.

The PNP said that this election has been 'generally peaceful' -- Oh really?! Anyway, let's just tune into our boob-tubes and expect the expected fiasco on counting and canvassing that will lead to such events such as 'Ang mga balota sa buhay ni [insert aspiring politician]' or 'Bilang na ang mga balota mo'.

Anyway, we still have this coming Presidential Elections and I've been hearing rumors that a certain someone will run for president. Do you have any idea who that is? Here are some clues: February flower, Richard Gomez and aspiring senator Sonia Roco.

If ever this rumor is true then expect a very colorful, dramatic and thought-provoking presidential elections that is fit for the Famas awards. teehee

The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world

2007-05-13T21:34:00.000+08:00

Happy mother's day to all mothers out there! It's quite a tiring day for me today. My aunt organized a clan reunion at one of my lola's house to celebrate mother's day. Almost all of my cousins and their parents came and they brought food for all. Some of my cousin's aged 4, 5 and 6 gave out cards to their aunts, which includes one of my mom. Below are some shots of the card.

funny yet there's the "awwwwwwwwwwww..." feeling. It's the thought that counts right? So I thought of fattening up my mother and gave her a whole peanut butter and chocolate mousse cake as my present. teehee

Shhhh... Hear that?! Ruuuuuuun!

2007-05-12T19:13:00.000+08:00

You could go with this, You could go with that.

2007-05-11T18:45:00.000+08:00

The past weeks had been very busy for me. There's been a lot of things that keeping me from using the PC at home nowadays. Well, except for the fact that my work requires me to sit infront of a computer for more than eight hours, I've been busying myself with certain distractions.

1. Heroes. I've been reading a lot of articles about this TV series on Digg.com. Actually, I'm not a fan of TV series because of my short attention span or maybe because I can't stand the 'to be continued' moments of such shows. However, since the descriptions and the hype got me interested (Heroes: Ordinary people discovering they have extra-ordinary powers), I bought one of those DVD compilations from one of the 'manangs' and 'manongs' from the sidewalk *wink* *wink*. hmmm.. I'm going to enjoy episode 5 tonight and download every Graphic Novel from the NBC site. yum!

2. God of War II. "I am the God of War! I shall make you suffer" says Kratos as he summons Poseidon's Rage to fry the enemies to bits. GoWII is one of those ps2 games that pushed the console to the limits because of its stunning graphics and awesome gameplay. What I liked about the game is that it featured lots of creatures and characters from the Greek Mythology and squeezed them all into a very engaging story. Overall GoWII is like watching a movie wherein you control the main character. This game should've been included in my 'pwnd games list' days after I bought it, unfortunately the copy that I got is glitchy and I wasn't able to move on with the game. Just recently, I bought another copy from Greenhills wherein the seller said it was the 'full version' of the game.

3. Nintendo DS' Cake Mania and Diner Dash. Cake Mania and Diner Dash has already been available for download from the internet. It was just ported for the Nintendo DS. One thing that I can say about this games is that they are LIFE DESTROYERS! Both games are addictive, time-wasters and sleep robbers! Stay away from these games! [I think I'll have another round before I go to bed. heehee.]

4. Movies. Ahhh... one of my favorite things. I'll have a separate post about this.

5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Got this book from a colleague last December in an exchange gift. Basically it's a book on financial savings and the sort. I got past the first two chapters but when the book started to introduce terms like assests, liabilities, income and expenses, my eyes became blurry and images of highschool accounting and spreadsheets flashed right in front of me... *shivers*. I'll reread it again and hopefully I can finish it because I still have this '7 habits of Highly Effective People' that I got from my manager.

Days fly by like a speeding bullet train

2007-05-06T22:39:00.000+08:00

Hmmm... I'm already sleepy so I'll just post some pictures of what has happened to me since the Lenten Season up to now.

To summarize in a bunch of words: Roro, Batangas Pier, Mindoro, Victory Liner, Bolinao, Pangasinan, Sta. Monica, Don Galo Feast, Pancake, Heroes, Odds, Tribulations.

See ya!

Life

2007-04-16T23:43:00.000+08:00

Phase one
Along with the soft light of the sun, Innocence blooms.
A simple breeze breathes in a new beggining, a much needed breath of confidence to face the days and minutes to come.

Phase two
Along with the gentle brush of lips against a cheek, love grows. The time when two unites and hearts pound as one, the breath of confidence turns into a bond, much stronger. Unafraid to face the months and weeks to come.

Phase three
Along with the setting of the mighty sun, time fades away. Loneliness becomes an uninvited companion, a robber of confidence and stealer of strength until none is left to face the decades and years to come.

Phase four
Nothing more to say...
We're together again.

*Found this picture while surfing the net. I don't know who really made this so I guess I'll just acknowledge the artist once I knew who he/she was.

Eyes wide open

2007-04-15T23:07:00.000+08:00

I never thought that I would be hooked up to one of Bjork's album -- well, her Greatest Hits album at least. Back in the 90's I thought that she's just an outlandish, freak artist that only produces gibberish. That is until I heard one of her songs entitled Joga which featured her vocal prowess and eccentric beat. I loved it. Although she said that the song is about iceland and her friend, for me it is one beautifully written love song.

Curious and interested, I then searched for her other songs and one caught my attention. Hyper-ballad. A song that starts slow then slowly transforms into a fast paced jungle beats. There is a stanza in Hyper-ballad that really got me thinking. Here it goes:

It's early morning
No-one is awake
I'm back at my cliff
Still throwing things off
I listen to the sounds they make
On their way down
I follow with my eyes 'til they crash
I imagine what my body would sound like
Slamming against those rocks
And when it lands
Will my eyes be closed or open?

The last line hit me. If I'm falling to my death, will my eyes be wide open or will I just close it and let my other senses be my witnesses? It's hard to imagine. How about you?

RelaX

2007-03-26T09:18:00.000+08:00

Ahhhhh! This is the life. Got myself another day-off. Nothing to do, no worries, plenty to eat, sleep like crazy, play like crazy, surf like there's no tommorrow...

And still you get your salary for the day. YEAH!

on Gaming

2007-03-25T22:11:00.000+08:00

Since the first time I laid my hands on our family computer/famicom, I knew that that was the start of a very long relationship... to video games. Well, my point is that I really like video games. May it be the ancient famicom, the bulky arcade or the bricky gameboy as long as I'm in control of a sprite or a moving protagonist then I'm into it.

Recently, I just bought myself the newest offer of Nintendo to the gaming world -- The Nintendo DS. Well, It was already released two years ago hehe. It has these dual screens (Hence the name DS), a stylus and touch screen and a style reminient to the bricky gameboy; The Nintendo DS brought me back to the days of the jumping plumber brothers, Super Mario, and the falling blocks that you need to line up, Tetris.

Most of my time now have been consumed by the Nintendo DS. Heck! I'm going loco over all the games that is available! Also I'm really amused by the innovative touch screen games of the DS. Imagine, there are games that enables you to be a surgeon, a lawyer, a housewife, a cook and even a detective!

Aside from games, there is a plethora of homebrews for the DS. I'm particularly excited for the free Internet browser, Okiwi. Haven't tried using the wifi of my DS yet. Anyway as soon as Ive got myself the add-ons, The wifi browser needs some add-ons to function, I'll slide to the nearest coffeshop with free wifi to fire up the internet capabilities of the DS.

I've already finished quite a few games on the DS-- New super mario brothers, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, Elite Beat Agents and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. And just recently I've conquered Mario and Luigi partners in time and Osu Tatake Ouendan.

Need to find a new game though. I'm glad I just acquired a copy of God of War II for the ps2 - Yes, I also have a ps2 - but my attention is still focused on the DS and it's quirky games.

I do hope Nintendo goes forward in creating New Super Mario Brothers 2.

Space

2007-03-22T23:25:00.000+08:00

Woke up at around 11:30 AM in the morning... Gosh! I'm late for work but then as soon as I got out of bed I realized... Didn't I got the permission yesterday from the higherpowers not to go to work today? Hehehe. That's right, I got no work today and I have nothing to do.

I just made myself useful by cleaning up my junk of a room. Lately, my room's been screaming filthy. Dirty and clean clothes sprawled all over, inches thick of dust covered my stereo, my study table's piled with books and other trash, the trash bin's full to the brim of unrecognizable stuff and my closet was like a door to nightmare land.

Whenever I'm about to clean my room I always remind myself of the word SPACE -- I got this from watching some talk show back when we still have cable TV -- Anyway space stands for S.sort, P.purge, A.associate (I'm not sure of this one), C.containerize and E.economize. With this principle I realized that I really have a lot things that have no more use to me -- so I throw them out. And also my closet's went from nightmare land to minimal land. Now I need a new wardrobe.

I really had fun with the Purge part. Every time I came across a certain something it reminds me of past events -- Goes in reminiscing mode: 'Oh, the shirt that mom gave me on my birthday... I remember the time I wore this blah blah blah... too bad it doesn't fit anymore.' -- *chucks shirt to a trash bag*. On to the next item. :P

The diskettes (pictured above) were something I came across while rummaging through my things. It was never used at all. Too bad -- *grabs my phone cam, took a picture and threw the diskettes in the trash bag*. What a waste.

Noon came and still my room is half clean. I guess too much my time went into reminiscing. hehe

History Lesson

2007-03-15T22:38:00.000+08:00

My brother and I watched 300 last monday. I had no work so I took him to one of the friendly neighborhood SM malls. We watched the second (Around 7 pm) to the last show and I was suprised that there are still many people in the cinema. It just proves that 300 is still one smokin' hot movie. Last saturday I checked out if my friend and I can manage to watch 300. Unfortunately all seats were already taken. I mean, the movie houses were already jampacked till the last full show.

Well anyway, the movie 300 is a total eye candy. Every scene is stunningly gorgeous and the war details is very well made. Storywise, meh!. Hehehe. The scene I liked the most is the dance of the oracle. Obviously, the original sequence was created underwater and later special effects were added like the smoke swirlies.

Many people were wondering with what is the connection of the oracle with the story of 300. Well, in greek times there was this Oracle of Delphi that was under the god Apollo (She was like, may greeks believed, the mouthpiece of Apollo). Many kings and war lords come to consult the oracle regarding war decisions and such. The smoke in movie is some kind of drug that induces hallucinations upon inhalation. That's why the oracle is dancing wildly and speaking gibberish to the mystics (I've read this somewhere). Ok, see wikipedia for more details. heehee.

Now that I've watched 300... I need God of War II!

What Happened?

2007-03-12T12:28:00.000+08:00

It's been a long time since I've posted something on this blog. I was actually thinking of putting this down because the lack of time to post something but I've changed my mind. Work pushed me hard the past six months and it made me lost some connections/communications with my friends and family. But hey, tide changes, the wheel turns and now I'm recovering from whatever happened.

Changed my lay-out also and went for something light. The banner... well it's a result of random photoshop blah blahs. Should I change it? hmmm... only time will tell. I still have some more things to tweak to this blog: Labels, Side Map, Pictures, shoutbox, Badges.

Well, Let's get this started.

Still Alive

2007-03-07T00:19:00.000+08:00

Whoa! It's been a long long time. Hey peeps! I'm still alive! And I'll be back soon

Johnjan: On Tour

2006-08-07T02:08:00.000+08:00

"I wanna go back"

Palawan. Fine grain sand. Searing heat from the sun. Just you and a few people in the beach. All away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I wanna go back.

Just two months after our team building event at Balai sa Laiya, Batangas, our project gave us another island escapade and this time it was bigger and miles away from Manila. Three days and Two nights in Paradise! Weeeeee!

After our one hour flight, the team (composed of almose 30 people with some ex-pats) dropped our things at Royal Hotel Oberio which is just a few miles away from the airport. The hotel is a mediocre one. Nothing fancy about it and their door locks can be easily opened by anyone (Security is way below). Staff service, although friendly, was uber slow. Well, it doesn't matter anyway since it's not the hotel we're there for.

Here are the places we've been through in Palawan:

Honda Bay: Snake Island - What I liked about Honda Bay is the long boat trips from the wharf to the Snake Island. By the way, it's called Snake Island not because it was infested by snakes, hell we wouldn't set our feet in that island if that's the case, anyway the long strip of beach resembles a snake on a bird's eye view. The Island is so peaceful and very much clean. Snorkeling is the best activity to do here. I got to swim with some nemos and some dorys as well. hehehe.

Ka Lui - A very nice restaurant located near the airport. The food was delicious and the ambiance was very nice. The restaurant floor is made up of bamboo strips (ala papag) and guests are required to take their shoes/slippers off upon entering the restaurant. I felt at home right away. hehehe

The Underground River - To get to the underground river tour, We had to travel for two hours on land (van) just to get to Sabang wharf. The bumpy trip made me feel like I was going into the middle of nowhere with just trees and cliffs surrounding you. At the Sabang wharf, we had ride a motor boat to the underground river tours. It was a nice ride since I was amazed by the cliffs and the rock formations of the island. The tour into the underground river was very informative, that is if your boatman/tourguide is a lively one. With lots of baths and birds flying inside the cave, it is more likely that you'll come out with bat droppings or urine.

Three days and two nights wasn't enough to fully enjoy Palawan but it's worth it. The peacefulness of the island is enough to wipe away thoughts of stress, work and overtime.

I wanted to post more pictures of my trip but I guess it will eat up more bandwith and loading time. I'll post some of my favorite shots soon. Enjoy!

Wha?

2006-07-31T02:39:00.000+08:00

"Hey [insert name here], I see you looking over here [insert name here] , Are you gonna keep looking (Get up), and talk to me"

No, I'm not a Jessica Simpson Fan and Yes, this is another post about Jessica's Publicity stunt for her new single Public Affair. Besides making Christina Millian, Christina Applegate and Eva Longoria (*drool*) appear in her latest video, Yahoo music is now offering, for $1.99, a personalized song of Jessica simpson -DRM free! Why personalized? You'll get to hear Jessica (or more probably her back-up singers) say your name in the song. Yahoo thinks that it will make the listeners feel that Jessica is singing to them (Yech!). I got some personalized sample versions of the song "Public Affair" with some select names. Go to Jessica's website and see if your name is included in the list of 500. Now, I couldn't imagine what I'm going to do with a personalized Jessica simpson song (after listening to it) than make it an SMS ringtone.

File: PublicAffair.zip (985 kb)

Buzz

2006-07-26T23:48:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I mindlessly surfed the information superhighway. Within just an hour I learned all of the hot news and latest happenings in the multimedia world (specifically the movie world).

Our lovable mechanical bots are going to have a major feature film next year. Yes, Optimus Prime and Megatron will be battling it out at the big screen as Transformers, the movie is in production. No, this is not another full length animation, it's more like from cartoon to real action. Here's the link to the teaser trailer.

Aside from the pumping mechanical parts of the Decepticons and the err... Optimus' band (mental block), the forever hormonally active turtles are coming back to the silver screen. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles, all in CG, will be showing-off their ninja moves while eating enormous amounts of pizza next year. No exact date yet but it's definite that there will be a continuation of TMNT II. Here's the trailer.

This will get you spider senses tingling: Venom will be appearing, along with Sandman, Symbiote and Hobgoblin (not yet verified), in the much anticipated Spiderman 3. And guess who's going to play the alter ego of Venom, Eddie Brock? -- Topher Grace. Can't imagine how he's going to pull if off since most people knew him as Eric Foreman in That 70's show. Oh well, At least Venom's going to appear. This movie is going to be wickedly sweet. Trailer for this movie has been posted here but here's the picture of venom that was recently released by Sony. Get ready for some heavy tounge wriggling action! Full wallpaper link.

The All-American nut job family the Simpsons will be having their first full-length feature film next year, July 27, 2007. Watch the trailer here.

What do you get when you put Jessica Simpson, Christina Millian, Christina Applegate and Eva Longoria into one music video? a piping, ozzing, sizzling hot hot hot music video! Public Affair was the first single Jessica Simpson released to promote her new album (don't know what it is) after her (anticipated?) break-up/divorce with her what-his-name husband. Here's a serving of the video: Caution: It's hot.

Just a month ago, I got my filthy hands on Dashboard Confessional's latest album: Dusk and Summer. Up to now it has been burning my radio speakers and playing over and over in my head. Dusk and Summer is not a love-at-first-listen album, well the carrier single was catchy (Don't Wait - loved the video too), but some of the songs required some playback to be able to appreciate them. Some cut's that I liked are: Don't wait, Stolen, So Long so Long, Currents, Dusk and Summer and Heaven is here.

Oh well, back to my mindless surfing.

Silver Screen

2006-07-26T14:30:00.000+08:00

Movies! Keep it coming!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Disney) - Captain Jack Sparrow is back for another swash-buckling adventure together with Will Turner and errr... Keira Knightly and this time it's the quest for the Dead Man's Chest. What is the Dead Man's Chest you say? Well better watch the movie at the big screen because it's every penny's worth. Just don't mind the story and how it ends. Actually, the ending of the second installment of POTC will smack your face with a big loose end. IMHO, that's just the big disappointment in this movie. Other than that I also think Kiera Knightly's acting is horrible or is it just because of her accent? If you have been quite a fan of One Piece (anime), then you'd appreciate Davy Jones and his henchmen. Besides the very interesting set of sea-creatures/henchmen, the CG was top of the notch! The best that I've seen since Gollum of LOTR (Here's an interesting link on how they did Davy Jones). I mean, there were times when I had to ask myself if the tentacles of Davy Jones were real (animatronics) or not. But then again, the movie falls short in the end. I just wished that POTC had followed what the Matrix movies has done: Release two films in one year. *Sigh* might as well wait for the third installment of POTC next year.

Nacho Libre (Nickelodeon Films) - Nachoooooooooo! This is one hilarious flick. Nacho Libre is about a cook-slash-monk (Jack Black) at an orphanage who is terrible at cooking. Frustrated with what he's serving to the children, Nacho lived a double life - one as a monk and one as a luchador (wrestler) - to be able to make his dreams come true and at the same time help out the children at the orphanage. Now this movie is aimed for kid/tweens/kids-at-heart so don't expect a complex storyline and some witty comedies. Expect a lot of slapstick comedy instead. Jack Black may be the main actor of the movie but his supporting actor/sidekick, Esqueleto, is the star of the show. Damn! Esqueleto (The skeleton), screams like a girl when he gets hurt during the wrestling match. It was so hilarious that the movie-goers were laughing their heads-off. This is a good watch if you are in the mood for comedy.

Lady in the Water (Warner Brothers) - M. Night Shyamalan's at it again. This is one film that I'm glad that I watched. The things that attracted me to this movie are the new actors (just like in United 93 <-- good film) and the mysterious plot/theme. I think that Lady in the Water is an attack to Hollywood's on-going routine with big productions and cliche stories. There are many symbolisms in this film (take note of the Lady's name and what kind of person she's looking for). Pretty much like Itchyworms' Noontime Show, which attacks local television. I won't go into details. Don't watch this film if you're quite sleepy for it might put you to sleep. Besides, it's really a bedtime story. Btw, I loved the movie poster of Lady in the Water.

Teaser

2006-07-19T14:35:00.000+08:00

Finally! I had just my much deserved breakaway. A nice breakaway from the city and all of it's hustle and bustle. Sorry if I haven't been posting here, I've been busy the past weeks because of work and I almost go home tired every night. But now, I'm breaking this hiatus of mine.... I'm back!

Contest

2006-07-06T14:52:00.000+08:00

"Masyado ata silang excited sa pag-suot ng sash"

Surfin 1.1

2006-07-04T14:41:00.000+08:00

More extensions for your beloved Firefox! IE users, make the switch to Firefox or Opera. You're missing out a lot. Well anyway, on to the extensions:

Auto Copy - What it does? Just highlight a text on any paragraph and it automatically copies it to the clipboard. This is very useful for those who do research on the internet. You can turn off this feature by clicking on the green check mark at the bottom-right of your browser.

Cooliris - If the search engine of your choice is Google then this extension's for you. This extension let's you preview the results from Google by just doing a mouse over the results. It opens a built-in window that lets you preview that link. Once you're satisfied with the preview, just click the box at the right and it opens the page in a new tab. It eliminates the hassle of going back and forth from the google results and the opened link. You can disable Cooliris by click on the yellow check mark at the bottom-right of the browser.

Focus Options - A very cool extension that is very useful when you are filling up web forms. Focus Options highlights the textbox (or any other web form control, may it be a drop-down box, etc.) that has the cursor on (focus). An added feature of this is that it blinks every 5 seconds to remind you where the cursor it (You can turn it off in its Options).

Paragrasp - Perfect for those who reads blogs, news, or any other websites that has tons of paragraphs of information. Once this extension is installed just press Ctrl + down arrow and it automatically highlights the first paragragh in the webpage. Or just highlight a word in a chosen paragraph, do a right mouse click and choose 'Paragrasp here!' and it automatically highlights that paragraph. You can remove the highlight by Pressing Ctrl+Shift+C or by going a right mouse click and choosing 'Paragrasp Clear'.

All-in-One Sidebar - Similar to Opera 9's feature. This extension installs a toolbar at the left-side of your browser that can be hidden/shown by just clicking on it. A very useful extension since it enables the user to have easy access to the features of Firefox (Download manager, Extensions, Themes, History, Bookmarks).

Wicked!

2006-07-03T04:09:00.000+08:00

Eeeeaaarrgh! I can't wait for this movie! One wicked spider will come our way! on May 4, 2007...

Did anybody saw this during the showing of trailers in the movie: Superman Returns? I just arrived at the cinema during the opening credits of Superman Returns so I didn't catch the trailers. Oh well, This movie is something to watch-out for. Yiiiiii! Can't wait for this one.

Surfin' 1.0

2006-07-02T21:10:00.000+08:00

Firefox -- Why do I love this browser? Here are some reasons:

It's way better than Internet Explorer (Do yourself a favor and trash IE).
Tabbed Browsing (IE's the only browser without Tabbed browsing).
Add-ons (You can choose from a long list of very useful and not so useful Add-ons).
Added Security (IE fails on this one).
It prevents annoying pop-ups.
It's FREE! (Download here.)

So they say that Internet Explorer 7 will blow your minds away with new features and blah blahs, well, sad to say for those who have no Genuine Windows XP license, you will not be able to download the final release of IE 7. AND it has been a long time since other Internet browsers have been wowing people with cool features (Opera and Firefox) that were said to come out with IE7.

For those who are still using IE, make the switch to something else. For Firefox users, here are some nifty extensions to add to your beloved browser:

Mouse gestures - You want to go to the previous web page with just a left swish of the mouse? Or open a new tab with the upward motion of your mouse cursor? Well this extension's for you. It captures the movement of the mouse, may it be up, down, left or right and does an appropriate function like opening a new window, going back the previous page and others.

FoxyTunes - This extension is for people who love to listen to music while browsing. It adds a minimized winamp-like control at the bottom of your browser which can control a huge variety of digital players like Windows Media Player, Winamp, Realplayer, itunes etc. With this extension, you don't have to switch back and forth from your Music player and your browser.

Morning Coffee - Perfect for those surfers (or blog-hoppers) that routinely visit the same websites everyday. Just add the sites you visit everyday or for each day (for Monday, Tuesday, etc.) of the week, save it and just press the Coffee Icon right next to the URL box. It then automatically opens all the sites in separate tabs.

I'll be featuring more useful extensions for Firefox, so hold on. Rediscover The Web.

Super?

2006-07-02T08:50:00.000+08:00

I just saw the overhyped movie: Superman Returns and all I can say is that the movie is not that super. I had great expectations when I heard the buzz about new Supe flick. I expected this film to be adrenalin-pumping, action-packed full of punches, kicks and high flying action but no... The 'Super' in Superman did not fully return.

Most people think that this installment is Superman IV but no, Superman returns follows the story of Superman II with (according to some superman sites) a little inclusion of the Doomsday plot. The direction of Byran Singer (X-men, X-2) was great but the storyline was the biggest disappointment in Superman Returns. The only thing that saved the story is the nice twist at the end. Fanatics of the previous Superman movies would definitely like it because the story used the 'old-school' formula (Lex Luthor Vs. Superman). For the new generation, the special effects were the ones to watch-out for. I must say that the CG team really did a great job on this one. I don't want to discuss the actors with the exception of Kevin Spacey (Lex Luthor). He did one nasty piece of acting as Lex Luthor.

Like what I said earlier, I was expecting this movie to have eye-popping action sequences. But the movie falied me. I mean, Superman did not even throw a single punch in the full 2 hours and 40 minutes of the movie and Lois Lane seems to have the 'bones of steel' rather than Superman (Just observe what happens to her in every tragedy and she comes out without a single scratch).

Through the past years people's jaws have dropped over the fight sequences of Spiderman, X-men, Hulk, Fantastic Four and even Final Fantasy Advent Children. Superman Returns lacks this 'jaw-dropping fight sequences' department.

It's a great movie for Superman fantics but for the others, you'll just watch it because Superman is Superman.

Note: I did not alter the superman pic. It was a wallpaper that I got from the official website featuring Lex Luthor.

Tag Along

2006-07-01T11:07:00.000+08:00

I've been tagged!

Instructions: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
Randomisity
Angel With Broken Wings
I Wish...
Re|ci|pro|ca|tion
Johnjan: Live and Upclose
The lucky people I am going to tag are:
Jami
Maureen
Roseanne
Jigs
Jen
Heneroso
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Running outside, Playing patintero.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Still Studying.

Five snacks you enjoy:
Ginataang Bola-bola.
Gummis
Binatog
Caramel Ice cream.
Halo-Halo
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
Barney's song: I Love you
Leron Leron Sinta
Lupang Hinirang
Bahay Kubo
Happy Birthday Song
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
nothing.
nothing.
nothing.
nothing.
nothing.
Five bad habits:
Staying up late.
Always late.
Sleeping too much.
Eating too much sweets.
Too much PC.
Five things you like doing:
Watching movies.
Laying around.
Dancing when nobody's watching.
Eat icing from a cake using my fingers.
Read Novels.
Five things you would never wear again:
very short pants (bitin).
Neon colored shirts.
Skin tone clothing.
Baby Tee's
Very tight pants.
Five favorite toys:

Ipod Nano.
HP Digital Cam.
Adobe Photoshop.
Personal Computer.
Playstation 2.

Speak

2006-06-28T13:18:00.000+08:00

"Ang mga issues na nakaraan na at di nasabi agad eh dahilan na lang yan. Di na yan solusyon"

That's the closing remarks of my project team lead at one of our team meetings. Issues -- problems, confusions or what ever that's bothering you. It seems that every now and then there are some issues that come into our life no matter how we avoid it. May it be personal issues, family issues, love issues, health issues, work issues, friendship issues -- It's everywhere and a normal person may have one or more issues that I've stated.

In the past when I have personal issues, I tend to just keep it to myself. Tried to work it out on my own or just let it pass by with the time. I must say that I had a very hard time coping with them and as days had gone I've realized that the longer I keep it to myself, the more it affects each aspect of my life. It spawned other problems --family issues, health issues, friendship issues, each and every type of issue seem to march to my doorstep. That was the time that I had to give up and turn to some people.

I took refuge in the internet, chatting up unknown people and confiding in them. I sought for someone that would listen to my problems. I sought for comfort. Just talking about those issues made me feel a lot lighter. Even if someone gave you a bad advice or just mocked your issues, It still made me a lot lighter (although a bit angry). It's the process of speaking that helps.

Bringing up past issues doesn't help the present situation. Who wants to remember something bad that was already buried in memories? Bringing it up would just mess things up. I'm just wondering why do some people like to bring up past issues in heated arguments? What is their purpose? -- Just to hurt someone's feelings? And after they did that? Would they feel great? Yes. Maybe. But just for a moment.

As much as possible, let past issues be past issues. Just like what my project team lead had said to us, Issues that were in the past are just bad reasons, they can never be used as solutions to our current problems. To speak is a good start to end present issues or problems. Just look around, you're not alone.

"thinking out loud"

Min and Max

2006-06-22T14:46:00.000+08:00

These are what I've been listening to the past few days:

Nelly Furtado (Loose) - As Nelly Furtado realized that people did not fully buy her unique style of pop, she decided to infuse a little bit of RnB into her latest album. Nah, this one's another sugar coated album. There are some catchy cuts like 'Do it' which can be compared to Britney's 'Do Something' and 'Glow' which used a variety of electronic sounds.

Pink (I'm not Dead) - I got a copy of this album and I haven't dived into it yet except for Pink's recently released 'Who Knew' and the catchy profanity of 'Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)' - Cuttin' of the Phone, Leave me the F*ck Alone!. Hahaha I love it when Pink curses in her songs. It's full of Ooomph!

Cars (OST) - The main reason that I got a copy of this is because of the catchy song in the opening sequence of the movie. The moment I heard it I knew that it was Sheryl Crow singing. Half of the soundtrack is composed of musical scores (which is such a drag, I'm not into musical scores) but at least there some songs worth listening to: Sheryl Crow's Real Gone, John Mayer's Route 66 and Rascal Flatts' Life is a Highway.

Take the Lead (OST) - Pretty interesting soundtrack I got here. This one's a mixture of Hip-hop, Oldies and The hybrid Hip-Oldies. Tracks worth listening to are Black Eyed Peas Feel It, Sly and Stone's Que sera sera, Bone Thugs and Harmony's Take the Lead (Wanna Ride) and Jae Mills' I love it when you can't take that away <-- this one's so good.

Various Artists (Bossa N' Marley | Bossa N' Stones) - If you're a Bossa Nova fan or loved Sitti Navarro's style then this one's for you. I've been listening to these albums during my relaxation (typically after work) because the sounds are really soothing. Imagine the song 'Ever after' being toned down and the way it was sung was reduced to a soft whisper. Ahhh. A perfect match for unwinding at the end of a hard day's work.

Orson (Bright Idea) - Pure Genius. This band is pure genius. Although this band is new to the music scene, they have the potential to carve their own nook right beside the highly acclaimed bands. I mean I love every single song from their debut album: Bright Idea, No Tommorrow, Happiness (<-- my favorite), Already Over, Trying to Help, Look Around, The Ok song. The guitar riffs are awesome as well as the drum beats. One could rock along with these fellas. Bright Idea will do me good until Dashboard's Dusk and Summer Comes out.

Happiness

2006-06-21T12:55:00.000+08:00

Do I really need a reason? Is it really such a big deal? It just seems like the right situation to say how I really feel. I love the way that you look at me. And I can't stop looking at you. And the sweetest thing that you do for me is all the little things that you do. And when the world don't feel like turning, And the sun just wants to hide. All the stars come out to remind me of the universe by my side because...

All that happens is Happiness. Happiness- when I'm with you.

We ain't got a whole lot of money. How about a five star Happy Meal? Everyday with you is just like a party. There's nothing left of me for you to steal. And when the winter wind is blowin', I feel you blowin' kisses in my ear. And when you think that you're just talkin'- You know its singin' that I hear because...

All that happens is Happiness. Happiness- when I'm with you

Say What?!

2006-06-20T12:54:00.000+08:00

I'm sorry but I just have to post this pic...

Parental Guidance is adviced! I just can't help but to think: What do they serve to their customers? And what the hell was the owner thinking?. Hmmm... there may be lot's of possibilities on how this eatery got it's name.

My theories:

It was named after someone. You know, most of us like to name jeepney's, stores, pets after someone dear to us. But if that's that's the case then all I can say is: Poor soul, named after a genital.
The sign-maker mispelled something. Maybe the original name of the eatery was "Pik Pik". It's just that the one who maked the sign made some booboos. I mean just observe some signs along Buendia or Edsa: "Bawal Omehi dito", "Menimum Fare: Six pisos" etc.
The owner is one hell of a nut job. In tagalog: "wala lang -- trip".
The owner loves... oh, you know what I mean!

"Saan ko kaya mahahanap itong carinderia na ito?"

Silver Screen 1.1

2006-06-19T14:11:00.000+08:00

It's movie time!

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Universal Studios) - I admit that even though I don't know how to drive, I love pimped out cars and roaring engines. One thing's for sure in the third installment of Fast and the Furious: The cars are sweet! It's like I'm almost drooling over the shiny paint jobs and the wicked decals of the cars used in the movie, not to mention the high-speed car chases/races and the sound of the screeching tires. The only thing missing is the smell of burnt rubber and the experience would be complete. However, this movie lived up to its title: Tokyo Drift, but went waaaay overboard with the "drift" part. It was too much -- the drift part that is. One or two drift tricks would do but to incoporate it even in the car chases? Again, It was too much. Besides the horrible acting and the bland story line, One thing that bothers me is that the lead actress looks a lot like Brook Burke (leading lady in Need for Speed Underground 2). Hmmm? Did this movie snatched some points from the video game? Anyway, If you're a speed freak and love cars then go watch this movie! You'll have a great time plus there's a very nice treat for Fast and Furious fans at the end of the movie.

The Lake House (Warner Bros) - This movie is a perfect example of the saying "Nothing beats the Original". Sure, the cinematography's great; the shots are awesome. I give credit for the director for that but this movie didn't capture the magic of the original film. The execution of the ending was badly done. For first timers, this movie is a nice way to burn some time but I still recommend the original by Sidus "Il Mare". The sea's better than the lake.

Take the Lead (New Line Cinema) - Strut your stuff! Shake it! Shake it! This movie about getting jiggy with it -- ballroom style. This film proves that Antonio Banderas haven't lost his mojo with the ladies. I mean most of the viewers were women (1/3 of them were in the senior citizen age bracket). Besides, the movie's great. It has a nice story, although some parts are dragging and it has some loose ends. But the dance sequences were nicely executed and make up for the flaws of the film. Filipino-American Dante Basco was featured in the film and he just proved that Filipinos has this natural talent in dancing (We like to shake our thing? right?! shake it! wiggle-wiggle!). Take the Lead introduces a new style of ballroom dancing that the younger generation might appreciate. It's some kind of a hybrid style; a cross between hip-hop and ballroom. I must admit, the dance moves are cool. I recommend this movie because it's somewhat worth watching.

Cars (Disney/Pixar) - I just said that I love cars right? Now how could I even let this one slip right through? Cars, from the director of Toy Story and A Bug's Life, is one sweet movie. I know, I know its somewhat absurd to watch talking cars but hey what's wrong with that? I bet you've seen the movie about the talking clown fish. Anyway, I was amazed on the detail of this 3d animation. The cars are slick and shiny almost like real-life toys! Even the backdrop were something to be amazed about. I had a couple of laughs with this film especially in the credits part. It was really amusing. The story was very nice -- heartwarming BUT it lacks something. Just can't figure out what. Although it was meant for kids, the adults can take a lesson from it too. Watch it in the theatres, it's a nice experience.

Apple

2006-06-16T14:58:00.000+08:00

During one of my mindless net surfing, I stumbled-upon this product...

For the Ipod, this is waaaaay too much.

Dance! Dance!

2006-06-16T11:56:00.000+08:00

Holy Cow! And I thought that DDR was supposed to be for teenagers only. This kid's waaay better than me! I won't allow it! Waah! (Batang ito? Ano? Dance Maniax kaya mo? ha? kala mo kung sinong astig to' pakamot-kamot pa ng ulo. Ano laban ka?) Do you have any idea on how old this kid is? Just watch it till the end of the video.

View

2006-06-15T14:50:00.000+08:00

Took this pictures a few hours ago. The view from the top can be awesome otherwise vertigo might hit you.

Sunset. If only brought along my digi cam rather than using my phone to take this living piece of art.

Tagged

2006-06-14T13:58:00.000+08:00

I've been blog tagged! Hmmmmmm I guess I could play along because this seems fun. Btw, fyi, asap, brb, this is father shawboy's fault. ahihihi

Instructions:
Name ten(10) of life's simple pleasures that you like the most, then pick ten(10) people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

Animation - Any kind of animation will satisfy the kid inside me. Sometimes it puts a little smile on my face.
Playing in the rain - Forget about the sniffles, It's fun getting soaked up from rain showers. Just running through the rain gives someone some sense of freedom and comfort. No wonder people prefer getting soaked up when they are sad or happy. Try it. You'll see.
Dusk and Dawn - The soft glow of the rising/setting sun which gives an orange tinge to anything that touches it amazes me. Like what most people say about sunrises/sunsets over a beautiful horizon -- Breathtaking.
Films - The dark atmosphere of the theatre with the light of the projector, coupled with a good film -- Time well spent.
Just laying bed during rain showers - Well if its not possible to splash around in the rain might as well just lie around and listen to the sound of the rain hitting the roof. Peace.
Native/Street Foods - Binatog, Dinuguan at Puto, Lugaw, Ginataan on cold rainy days and Halo-halo, dirty ice cream, mais con hielo on hot lazy days. Yum!
Laughter - It's a privilege that most of us doesn't care about. Laugh, Giggle, Snort -- It's free and It feels good. Right?
Seeing kids playing old-school games - With the new age of technology, children are forgetting about our native games. One time I asked a kid if he knew what 'Tumbang Preso' is, He replied "Tumbang Preso? Ano yun?". It's so sad that the games that I've grown-up playing are slowly being forgotten. Well anyway, Who's up for a game of Siato?
Old, Aged, Sepia-toned Photos - For me, browsing through old and sepia-toned photos is like time-travelling. Wooosh!
Simple touch, Gentle Tug - It's mushy but I'm human after all.

I tagged: Elle, J3n, Jigs, Erwinzky, Brad, Vanny, Rowjie, Justine, Ysiad and Jami. Or anyone else who wants to play along. Let me tag you. ahehehehe

Bloated

2006-06-10T01:18:00.000+08:00

A team building happened last night at the Circles Shangrila Makati because the most highest and revered (revered?!) teamleads flew in from Germany. Oh my, I've never been so full and so confused in my whole life. Circles is one of those high-end Buffets that offer superb food. So many cuisines are up for grabs (grab and put into mouth, repeat process). Sky's the limit.

The moment that it was time for the whole team to get to the buffet table and select whatever they want. Hell broke loose. I was so confused on what to try out first. Lamb-chops, Fish Fillets, Sushi, Steaks, Tempura, Veggies, soups, Dimsum, whaaaah! A first timer like me would go mad on what to eat. By the time that I had my third run on the Buffet table, I was already bursting. My stomach was up to limits but no... the desert bar was still untouched. Need to get my hands on those sweets (Crepes, Ice creams, Flans, Cakes, Cookies and Pastries) and that chocolate fountain...

And so I gave in to the lushiousness (not to mention the sugar-highness) of the sweets. I picked the strawberry flan (which I thought was somekind of ice cream), Creme Brulee and two pieces of chocolate covered marshmallows. My cavities were definitely having a feast back then with my chocolate covered teeth. Heehee. After eating that three items, I just said to myself that I shall never go near the dessert bar again... two minutes later I came back to my seat carrying a peach-flavored muffin with chocolate trimmings. Arrgh! I swear, the dessert bar is some sort of incarnation of dark forces. It can suck the life force of those who have a weak will. It's irresistible!

After that night I have a clear idea of what the word 'gluttony' means. Ugh! I wanna barf. Anyone out there knows a good gym? I need to lose this pounds and some inches (Been trying forever). Heehee. Lesson learned: Dessert Bar Buffets are pure Evil.

Bowl

2006-06-09T12:52:00.000+08:00

Whoa! Been busy the past days and I've been going home late and too tired to post here. Well anyway, Tons of things happened the past week! Let's start off at Wednesday (Yesterday) evening where some of my college buddies and I went to have dinner.

The location: Super bowl of China. Although the meeting time was 7:30 PM, some of us managed to come late to our meeting place (I'm on time! for the first time! Thanks to my office which is just across Glorietta. heehee). At first we had trouble picking out where to eat cause originally the place we want was Dencio's but unfortunately there is no Dencio's in the Makati Area. Since it was already late and we are in some kind of a tight budget, we decided to eat at Super Bowl of China.

We ordered some yummy stuff back there. (Yang chow fried rice, Chili Eggplant, Lemon Chicken and Some-kind of Beef platter). By the way, vanny ate most of the stuff so the rest of us were left starving... Just kidding Vanny! teehee. Aside from Vanny and myself, the others who were present are Charlie, Abby, Princess, Rowell and Mark. Leslie, who was supposedly be there, didn't make it because of some miscommunication. Oh well there will be other times. teehee.

Originally it was Princess' idea that we met on a wednesday evening to have dinner because she had taken a leave that day. She poped me on YM asking if I already got the money from the Mapua jacket the I have sold (This is another story). I said Yes and kaboom -- Dinner at 8 PM. We had fun catching up with each other that night. Exchanging stories and looking back on college days booboos and stuff. Plus the fact that our tummies are fully packed with food.

Licking is Believing

2006-06-07T14:21:00.000+08:00

Because the date today is June 6, 2006 (6/6/06), where in the feared anti-christ will come out of his/her mother's womb. I offer, to all of you, this poem which is highly educational (anu kuneksyon ng date at tula?). This poem was now a year old and supposedly had been posted in my previous blog but I lost track of it. BUT now that I found it again, I now present you...

LASAP

Halika, Lumapit ka.
Ika'y aking tuturuan ng nakaka-aliw na bagay.

-Una-
Hawakan mo ng mabuti. Paikut-ikutin muna sa kamay para madama ang hugis nito. Pisilin ng bahagya. maaari mo rin itong amuy-amuyin.

-Ikalawa-
Ipwesto ito sa pagitan ng iyong mga palad. Pwede mong pagulung-gulungin kung gusto mo. Ilagay sa pagitan ng iyong mga daliri na parang pipisilin ito.

-Ikatlo-
Pisilin ito ng buong lakas. Pisilin hanggang sa mapunit ang balat. Kasabay ng pagpunit ng balat ay maaring lumabas ang puting likidong malagkit. At kapag bumuka na ng bahagya ang punit na balat, hilahin ito para tuluyang mabiyak.

-Ika-apat-
Kuhanin ang isang kabiyak. Unatin ang parteng may balat para tuluyang lumabas ang laman. Ilabas lahat ng laman at isubo na ito...

Nguyain, Sipsipin. Namnamin ang katas nito. Sabay lunukin.

Oooh
Ang sarap...

"i-Click mo ako"

Note: Sabi daw na the date 6/6/06 happened four years ago.

Love's Splendor

2006-06-06T13:55:00.000+08:00

It was love at first sight. I love you too...

*Taken from my travel to Liaya, Batangas

As of this Moment

2006-06-06T06:10:00.000+08:00

It's 3:08 pm on a Monday. A sunny day to be exact but I feel cold. The airconditioning is high again and I left my jacket at home. Fingers are becoming stiff. I wish I can go out to the warm afternoon. But it's too soon. Currently I'm at my cube. Office things cluttered all over my desk. A mess. Oh well, just have to wait, I'll just listen to Jack Johnson's In Between Dreams. Guitars strumming helps my afternoon become lazier. Not too much work to do, just finished all of them actually. This is how Mondays should be.

My mind's a clutter. It's In dire need of thought reoganization. sigh... Breakdown by Jack Johnson is currently playing -- "I need this old train to breakdown, Oh please just let me breakdown". I need a break. breakdown. breakaway. whatever. As long as it's a nice long time of idleness. Naaaah. I'm just being lazy again.

Cinematic Frustrations

2006-06-05T13:21:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, my brother insisted me to watch X-men: The Last Stand with him at the SM Mall of Asia (MoA). Actually, I was the one that chose to watch at Mall of Asia. It was about 7:30 pm when we arrived at the humongous mall and man! there are tons and tons of people! I can't believe that the 3rd largest mall in the world can be jam packed! Oh well, we didn't bother to explore the mall since it would waste our time, besides the line at the movie tickets was very long.

So on to the movies! I was expecting that I wouldn't have a nice cinema experience at MoA cause I've been to other SM cinemas and it wasn't that great. First of all (frustration), there was a sign posted at the ticket counter of the MoA that says "Guaranteed Seating". To my suprise, "Guaranteed Seating" means the tickets are only controlled -- generally speaking, it's a first-come-first-served basis on the seats once you get inside the cinema. Well anyway, we took our chances on the so-called "Guaranteed Seating" on the upper box. So we got two tickets, the problem was finding two available seats that are in the same row or else one of us may end up sitting in front and the other one sitting at the back (you get the scenario?).

The second frustation came as soon as we got to our seats. I mean, the distance between the seats were very close. When I sat down, my knees are literally touching the backside of the seat infront of me. So everytime someone has to go to the bathroom, we had to stand up to let him pass. The last frustration was the guys sitting beside us. I mean, they are so damn annoying and noisy! It's like he recited out loud the name of every mutant that appears on screen! Arrgh! Plus there are those people who are script guessers. I just hate it when they try to guess the next line of the actors especially when it turns out that they were wrong. And let's not forget those who take their cellphone calls inside the cinema. The agony...

It was my second time watching X-men: The Last Stand and my view of the movie was still the same with my first review. The effects are great. Story's bland. Definitely there's going to be a fourth one (It's already confirmed by Fox). And finally, I agree with the people that this installment of the X-men should have the title Wolverine and the X-men instead.

Color everywhere

2006-06-02T14:16:00.000+08:00

Ako'y gumising sa isang umagang kay ganda. Nag-unat ng katawan. Nag-ayos ng aking hinigaan. Kinuha ang aking tuwalya at lumabas na ng aking kuwarto. Haaay, sarap ng tulog ko. Ako'y pumunta na sa may hagdan at sa aking unang hakbang pababa aking nasambit:

"Shiyeeeeet! Malagkheeeet!"

Mabilis ulit akong umakyat. Tinignan ang aking paa. Ano itong aking naapakan?! Kulay brown?! Ang lagkit. Sabay sigaw ng aking butihing ama: "Johnjan! Wag kang bumaba diyan bagong pintura ang hagdan!"

"sabi ko nga."

Memory

2006-06-01T14:33:00.000+08:00

It's another 'useless' day for me at work because I spent 80% of the day doing nothing (by 'nothing' I mean surfing the web or pretending to do something). Our working hours start at 10 am but since I'm the model employee of our project, I normally arrive at around 12 pm. heehee. Oh well, since I was not productive anymore I got out of the office at around 8 pm.

About thirty minutes later, I got on a bus that was bound to the south. Bad luck hit me since the seat that I got had a leaking airconditioning on top. So half of the ride I was wiping droplets of water off from my bag, face and arms. I could not switch places since the bus was already jam packed.

Later on as some passengers were getting off and some are boarding the bus, I noticed this lady in an orange shirt. She's with her whole family, I guess, because an old man and two teenage boys was with her. She seems familiar. I just can't remember the name. Anyway as she sat on the seat adjacent to mine, she instructed her husband to sit beside her. When she has spoken, my memory kicked in. I remember. The way she spoke: "Dito meron pa", it had a distinct intonation that I can never forget. It's an intonation that I've always heard in my school days. She was one of my highschool teachers.

I remembered her name. I remembered her voice. I remembered the very famous words of her. I was about to say 'hi' when I hesistated. Maybe stress kept me from saying 'hi'. I just wondered, will she remember who I am? She has taught a lot of students and I think it's hard for her to remember all of their names. Maybe she'll remember students that are really memorable but not me.

According to Bob Ong, in the eyes of a teacher, a class of students can be grouped under different categories:

Clowns - Ang official 'Kenkoy' ng klase.
Geeks - Mga walang pakialam sa mundo, libro-teacher-blackboard lang ang iniintindi.
Hallow man - mga palaging absent o mga absent minded.
Spice Girls - Samahan ng mga babaeng fashionista, gimikera, etc.
Da Gwapings - Counterpart ng Spice Girls.
Celebrities - Ang mga atleta, class president, musical singers.
Guinness - Matitibay ang loob at determinasyon sa pag-aaral.
Leather Goods - Matibay ang determinasyong mangopya, mandaya. Makapal ang mukha.
Weirdos - Mga probelamtic, misunderstood o black sheep ng klase.
Mga Anak ni Rizal - Well rounded students. Magaling sa academic, physical etc.
Commoners - Mga generic na miyembro ng klase. Mga unang nakakalimutan ng teachers at classmates nila.

exceprt from ABNKKBSNPLAko?!

I guess I fall under the 'Commoners' category. She managed to look at me but I did not dare to look back. It was already an akward moment for me. As we got off the same bus stop, I just wondered if she's still teaching at my high school. Many teachers had changed schools since the 'mercury incident' threatened to shut down my highschool. Oh well, I just hope she's still teaching.

"...grow and be like the molave"

Toll

2006-05-31T13:46:00.000+08:00

Holy cow and chicken! It's the revenge of the Tollgate collectors! Due to the alarming rate of motorists not paying the correct amount of toll, The local authorities have launched a new way of collecting toll by using a high speed truck that is capable of catching toll-evaders. A huge box is attached to the side of the truck which opens automatically once the truck is moving parallel with the runaway motorists. Once the box is open, the toll-evader now has two options; one: throw the appropriate amount of toll into the box, or two: put the law into his own hands and not pay at all. If the evader resists to pay, an MMDA soundtruck will join the highway chase while broadcasting the message in full dolby digital "Toll Evader, Huwag tularan". If the evader is still up to the chase, the MMDA soundtruck will call for back-up and engage BT5 (Bantay Trapiko Level 5).

Bt5 is composed of The Elite Traffic Enforcers (TETE) which is dedicated to uphold the law. These elite traffic enforcers use professional methods to catch toll evaders, one of which is the 'Wet Yellow Flag'. Originally used by MMDA to dicipline people to use the sidewalk, the Bt5 method utilizes white bedsheets soaked in liquid collected by the pink male urinals mostly found in Metro Manila. These wet yellow flags are then thrown at the evader to force him to the side of the road. If the evader is caught, he is punished by washing the 'wet yellow flag' till it's white again.

If the evader is really persistent and doesn't want to pay the appropriate toll, The Elite Traffic Enforcers must then put matters into their own hands. TETE will call upon ancient traffical powers by swinging a traffic light in a semi-circle while dancing the Macarena. By then, witnesses of the traffical phenomena will hear Kitchie Nadal singing "Majiiiiikaaaaa" in the background while puffs of smog fill the surrounding area. Out of the thick black Smog, the five classical Warriors of Traffic Force (WTF) will emerge: Chocolate Boy (Pasay), Blue Boy (MMDA), Yellow Boy(Makati), Green Boy (Origin unknown) and Orange boy (Origin unknown). All of them chanting simutaneously, "Mabuhay ang TETE!", while doing the Harlem shake. After doing a series of cart-wheels and 'Mystica' splits, the Warriors of Traffic Force will unleash a series of disturbing attacks which involves Darna's costume and Gloria's mole. And so the toll-evader will definitely be caught and peace will return to the toll gates. The End.

*Gash. I need to lessen my caffeine intake. The picture above was taken from my travel to Laiya, Batangas. It's really from a truck but it was supposed to be a Tool Box. (I wondered how it was mispelled to Toll). Again all things written above was pure fiction (oh come on! swinging a traffic light in a semi-circle while dancing the macarena?).

Going home

2006-05-30T14:55:00.000+08:00

I got out of the office feeling pretty tired -- tired of doing nothing or pretending to do something. I just hate Mondays. Well, since my project moved to another building (Which just beside glorietta), my walking distance to MRT became short. Since then, the stroll from the office to the Ayala bus terminal became part of my weekday routine. It's like a warm-up for the night cause when the sun goes down, my day is just starting.

I swiftly passed by the huge windows of Rustan's. Just enough to catch a glimpse of the inside of the store. Checking everything that is around. Taking in every step, taking in everything that surrounds me. Usually, my office hours end at around 11 Pm, the time when the streets are almost empty. Nowadays I usually get out at around 8 pm. It's when I see people from all walks of life fill up the streets. Majority of which is headed home.

Bus rides. Each and every ride has something interesting to offer. Even the most uncomfortable ones can present something new. I've witnessed a lot during my Bus Rides. I've realized a lot of things too. Laughter, Tears, Anger, Love -- I've seen it all inside a Bus.

"Random Ramblings"

Manic Monday

2006-05-30T11:56:00.000+08:00

Everything sucks on a monday. Morning sucks. Waking up on a Monday sucks. Traffic sucks. T.V. shows sucks. Work sucks. Breakfast sucks. Even my face sucks on a monday. Everything sucks. Radio stations sucks. My packed lunch sucks. My music playlist sucks. My polo sucks. My pants suck. My shoes suck. My bag sucks. My hair sucks. Pimples suck. my dinner sucks. my room sucks. Everything sucks. I hate Mondays.

I need sleep...

SMS dialogues v1.1

2006-05-29T00:45:00.000+08:00

Cellphone: kape
Johnjan: Coffee?
Cellphone: ...
Johnjan: huh?
Cellphone: kape tanbarbel..! Wushu
Johnjan: *kamot-ulo* ...

Thanks to Alda for the SMS

Silver Screen 1.0

2006-05-28T13:59:00.000+08:00

It's movie time!

The Da Vinci Code (Sony Pictures). - You know what? Since this movie has been overhyped and controversial, I say just read the novel. It's a hundred times better than the documentary-movie or whatever it's called. If you really want to check it out, just watch it on video.

Over The Hedge (Dreamworks)- Cool Movie. It's meant both for kids and kids-at-heart. Surely the uber-cuddliness of the characters may give a wrong impression that this movie is just another slapstick (well, partly it has slapstick moments) movie BUT this is a solid entertainer. The story was great, the voice-acting was at its best, the characters were memorable and the antics were, well, funny.

X-Men III: The Last Stand (20 century Fox) - For fans of the Marvel Universe, this flick is a keeper otherwise, wait for it on video. You'll get to see some of the major characters come alive (and do the opposite as well... aheehee) on the big screen and see them give the villians a major whoop-ass! The core plot of the movie was well made but with the inclusion of the compressed phoenix plot... it became bland -- Actually, worse. And to think this is the final installment of the X-men movies? Think again. Computer graphics were superb! Angel's wings were magnificent, Iceman and Pyro's face-off was good (although it was a cliche), Colossus' body was gleaming metallic and Phoenix's mutant powers kicked ass. Big time! and oh, just one more thing. Juggernaut's costume sucked. Big time!

United 93 (Universal Pictures) - Based from true incidents, this movie recollects the events within the United 93 flight -- One of the four planes that was hijacked during the 9-11 tragedy. Hands down to this film! I can say that this movie is waaaaaay better than the films noted above. The camera work was one of the finest that I've seen. The cast, which doesn't include any big names or academy award winners, delivered a wonderful performance. I mean, the movie relived the 9-11 tragedy in another point of view. It gave me the chills just watching the actors/actress gasp at the crumbling towers of the World Trade Center. I checked the release dates of this movie and unfortunately the Philippines wasn't included. (Don't ask how did I get to see this film.. aheehee). But if ever this movie reach the Philippine shores, I say watch it. This film is one true gem -- a diamond in the rough.

More movies! More movies! *drool* ~

SMS dialogues v1.0

2006-05-27T14:44:00.000+08:00

Cellphone: Kilala mo ba asawa ni mr. bean?
Johnjan: hindi. sino?
Cellphone: edi si mrs. abrila
Johnjan: huh?
Cellphone: abrila bean.
Johnjan: ...

Thanks to Alda for the SMS

Summer Stories vol 1.: The Beach

2006-05-26T13:35:00.000+08:00

Destination: Laiya, Batangas.
What: DB summer outing (Work-related)
Cue in music: Pure Shores.

Semi-white sand. Lukewarm waters. Hot scorching sun. This is the life! Just laying on one of the benches, getting all red and burned up, Looking at the sea horizon through sunglasses. Yes, this outing is all worth the work we've been through.

We had an overnight stay at Balai-One of the resorts/rest houses/things by the beach etc. The place was very beautiful with it's fort-like structures and assorted ammenities as well as the very friendly and courteous staff.

I woke up at the break of dawn hoping to catch the sunrise. Waking up at 4:00 am is very unusual for me but I gathered all my strength to get out of bed (heehee) just to see the beach and all it's denizens come to life. To the west side of the beach was a huge rock on which visitors can have a breathtaking view of the sea or the huge rock formations of the mountains beside it. It took some time for me to reach the huge rock thingy but it's all worth it.

I went home tired and sleepy (instead of relaxed) but I managed to made some stops along the way.

...take me to my beach.

Communication

2006-05-26T10:41:00.000+08:00

Got this from a forwarded email from one of my officemates:

After digging to a depth of 100 meters last year, Japanese scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 1000 years, and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network one thousand years ago.

So, not to be outdone, in the weeks that followed, American scientists dug 200 metres and headlines in the US papers read: " US scientists have found traces of 2000 year old optical fibres, and have concluded that their ancestors already had advanced high-tech digital telephone1000 years earlier than the Japanese".

One week later, a Filipino newspaper reported the following: "After digging as deep as 500 metres, Filipino scientists have found absolutely nothing. They have concluded that 5000 years ago, their ancestors were already using wireless technology".

The best talaga ang pinoy. Wahahaha

Chat

2006-05-25T13:18:00.000+08:00

I had a little chat with one of my colleagues at work:

EdMo (5:42:22 PM): di ko na kaya ang pumasok ng mas maaga... inaantok na ako ngayon lalo na ang likot ng mga bata pag natutulog... hehehehe
johnjan (5:42:48 PM): nyak. sabagay. may punto ka. sobrang likot na ba ng mga tsikiting?
EdMo (5:43:04 PM): 4 and 5 di ba malikot yon?
johnjan (5:43:28 PM): sobra. parang kitikiti.
EdMo (5:43:39 PM): ang mga batang di malikot at makulit sa panahon ngayon... ipacheck up mo na sa doctor... baka abnormal un...
johnjan (5:44:17 PM): hehehe so far wala pa naman akong nakikitang batang malikot. eh ang matandang malikot? abnormal na rin ba yun?
EdMo (5:45:58 PM): manyakis yon...

And so things haven't changed a bit. It seems that sex had been innately imprinted on to the brains of the male specie.

Status Report

2006-05-24T14:47:00.000+08:00

Project JOHNjan as of 23.5.2006:

Stressed
Sleepless
Tired
Worried

Project JOHNjan plans for next week:

Wake-up
Program
Rest
Sleep
Repeat Cycle

Hooooohummm... I'm tired.

Breakaway...

BusRide

2006-05-16T14:10:00.000+08:00

I boarded a bus on a wet Monday evening. 8:57 pm. By the time I finally got a seat and made myself comfortable, the rain had stopped. The streets were still wet as puddles of rainwater filled the potholes, reflecting back the lights of the mall. I shifted a little closer to the window as a lady sat beside me. The bus is not yet full. Conductor's still calling for passengers. Nothing to do but to wait. I decided to listen to my mp3 player as more passengers boarded the bus. On a Monday, I am waiting and by Tuesday, I am fading into your arms so I can breathe. Nothing to do but to wait.

The bus, finally filled with passengers - some already standing at the isle, went in motion. I smiled and waved a little goodbye. People inside the bus gradually shifted, trying to get a quick shut-eye. I watched how they grabbed the railings, holding on to support while managing to have a nap. Noticing some sleeping soundly as though the motion of the bus rocked them to deep slumber. Still my portable player roared. Oh, it seems like I can finally rest my head on something real, I love the way that feels. It's the only thing that is keeping me awake.

I turned my attention to the window. Lights from the lamposts and incoming cars keeps playing on the wet road. Zooming in and out of watchful eyes. The bus went flying by buildings, houses, stores, people. Oh, it's as if you know me better than I ever knew myself. I love how you can tell. My player's on repeat on a particular song. I love how you can tell.

One hour. I travelled one hour. Our streets were still wet when I arrived. A sign that the rains had reached my home. The moon was out. The stars were hiding behind the clouds. The house was still. Everyone's asleep. Silence. I turned-up the volume of my player as the song was ending. I love how you can tell the pieces of me.

Just an hour ago, every piece of me was together.
Just an hour ago, I was whole.

Age Six Racer

2006-05-15T14:16:00.000+08:00

The rainy season's having an early start.

So long sweet summer
I stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays
So long sweet summer
I fell into you now you're gracefully falling away

Hey thanks, thanks for that summer
It's cold where you're going, I hope that your heart's always warm
I gave you the best, I gave you the best that I had
You passed on the letters and passed on the best that I had

The perfect song to end the summer. I've been to three places this summer. Places where I spent some time in the hot summer days and slept throught the cold summer nights. This is where the summer stories begin.

Age six racer by Dashboard Confessional

Hands Down

2006-05-14T08:34:00.000+08:00

Hands Down! I just have to rant about this band, Dashboard Confessional. One hell of a good band. Great guitar work. Great acoustics. Great songs. Great vocals. Although their songs are more about break-ups, relationship problems and its aftermath, the lead singer's way of pouring out expressions in the songs got me hooked. And of course, I'm a sucker for musicians with unusual/unique vocals (i.e. Michelle Branch, Alanis Morissette, Joss Stone - Dashboard Confessional). I stumbled upon this band when they released their third album 'A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar' back in 2003 and when the song 'Vindicated' (featured in the Spiderman soundtrack) skyrocketed their popularity. Of course, I did not put much attention to that album because their hit song 'Vindicated' was not included. It was just a month ago that I got a copy of their third album (A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar) and the other albums followed. After listening to all of their albums, emotion-overflow is what I got. With Chris Carraba as the band's songwriter and lead singer, Dashboard Confessional is emo down to the bone. Some of the songs that got stuck from my head are as follows.

The Swiss Army Romance - The Places You've Come To Fear the Most - A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar

Ender Will Save Us All. A song about someone being pushed away by her partner (There's got to be something that would be worthwhile for me to give to you. We made a connection but you seem to push me far away from you) although he's willing to give everything. So he asks himself if he's really the right one for her (I want to give you whatever you need. What is it you need? Is it what I need? I want to give you whatever you need. What is it you need? Is it within me? - I love this line. freakinly stuck to my head)

Bend and Break. An upbeat song. Chris Carraba (probably) poured raw emotions in this one. This song is more about mistakes - avoiding them, covering them up - just to please the other. (I'm careful not to wake you. Fearing conversation. It's better just to hold you. And keep you pacified / Try to understand, there's an old mistake that fools will make. And I'm the king of them, pushing everything that's good away)

Screaming Infidelities. Ooooh this is a good one to listen to after a bad break-up. Makes you want to drown yourself in booze and listen to more sad, sappy songs ( Well as for now I'm gonna hear the saddest songs and sit alone and wonder how you're making out). As what the title suggests, it's about infidelity. Your special someone cheats on you very badly (Your hair, it's everywhere. Screaming infidelities and taking its wear) <- Sing this line with me. hands in the air, wave them!

Hands Down. hands down to this song. More about experiencing 'it' the very first time with the person you're dying to be with. ( My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me. So won't you kill me, so I die happy. My heart is yours, to fill or burst, to break or bury, or wear as jewelry Whichever you prefer). The acoustic version of this song rocks!

Other songs worth noting are: Ghost of a Good Thing, Age Six Racer, Rapid Hope Loss, Best Deceptions, Several Ways to Die Trying, Saints and Sailors, The Sharp Hint of New Tears, As Lovers Go, and Remember to Breathe.

Dashboard's fourth album is nearing its release date. wooo! Can't wait for Dusk and Summer.

"Don't blink, everyone's watching. They'll think you're up to something. They need for you to be everything that they cannot." - Morning Calls, Dashboard Confessional.

Italian for "The Sea"

2006-05-12T14:28:00.000+08:00

Il mare's got a makeover. The Lake House starred by the Speed couple (Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves) is going to be shown in the Philippines on June 14 (mark your calendars Il mare fanatics). I've seen the trailer and it pretty much tells 50 percent of the story. You can search it a youtube if you're that curious. Of course there are some addtional scenes in the hollywood version of Il mare. One thing just bugs me in the trailer, it's that there is this statement "from the award winning author -Author's Name-" shown at the end. Why didn't they just put there "Screenplay by -Author's Name"? Misleading. And whenever I read news about The Lake House, it is never mentioned that it is a remake of an Asian movie? Just wondering. Oh well, I just hope this remake will live up to the standards of the original.

Laugh Out Loud

2006-05-10T15:11:00.000+08:00

Bwahahahaha! Bwahahaha!
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh my, I've never been so entertained in my life. It's been a long time since I almost laughed my guts out and had a stomach ache. Whooo! I need a breather.

In one way or another you might have heard the new superheroine Zsa Zsa. No, not Zsa Zsa Padilla! Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah! A brainchild of Carlo Vergara, Zaturnnah is heavily based on cliches of modern day superheroes (Darna, Sailormoon etc.) and Filipino Artists (Nora aunor, Vilma Santos etc.). Although the concept is not original, Zaturnnah's story is a one hell of a twisted rollercoaster ride of laughs and side stiches. I don't want to spoil the details so just grab a copy of the graphic novel. It's money well spent.

Just two months ago, the Cultural Center of the Philippines brought the graphic novel to life. With Eula Valdez as Zsa zsa Zaturnnah and Agot Isidro as her arch-enemy Queen Femina Squarestellar Barouqe from Planet X (Quite a mouthful), 'Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah: Ze musikal' rocked the theatre with lots of giggles, snorts and laughs. I managed to catch the show of Zaturnnah with its second run at the PETA theatre in Quezon City. I had loads of fun! fun! fun! I was laughing so hard every freakin' five minutes of the show. From the time the big 'Zaturnnah' Rock fell from the sky and hit Ada's head up to the Transmorphication of the Amazonitas, Damn! The actor who played Didi gave a tremendously great performance by having the audience laugh out at his every side comment. Whew! No wonder the show's full of positive comments because it's that GOOD!

I heard that Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah is going to have a movie version and I also heard that Ruffa Mae Quinto is going to play Zaturnnah... too bad, I don't like her 'so-called' comedic movies (Super B and Booba - Big Flops). I just wished they picked someone who looks serious as a super hero. Eula Valdez was very effective as Zaturnnah because she's known as a hardcore dramatic actress. Who knew that a serious looking Zaturnnah (like Eula) could suddenly utter carabao-english statements with cuss words on the side. (Just read the novel and you'll understand what I'm blabbering about). Well, let's see what the movie will be when it comes out.

ALERT! Zaturnnah going to have a 3rd RUN! June 16-18! Just 5 shows back at the CCP! Oh my! Go and watch it! It's money well spent. I swear.

As for now. Zaaaaaaturnnnah!! Kabooom! (Zsa Zsa)...

For RENT: Viva La Vie Boheme!

2006-05-09T14:29:00.000+08:00

Dearly beloved, we gather here to say our goodbyes (Dies Irae - Dies Illa Kyrie Eleison Yitgadal V' Yitkadash). Here she lies. No one knew her worth.The late great daughter of Mother Earth. On these nights when we celebrate the birth. In that little town of Bethlehem, We raise our glass- You bet your ass- to La Vie Boheme.

La Vie Boheme. La Vie Boheme. La Vie Boheme. La Vie Boheme.

To days of inspiration, Playing hookey, making something out of nothing, the need to express, to communicate, to going against the grain, going insane, going mad. To loving tension, no pension, to more than one dimension, To starving for attention, hating convention, hating pretension, Not to mention of course, hating dear old mom and dad. To riding your bike midday past the three piece suits,To fruits, to no absolutes, to Absolut, to Choice,to the village voice, to any passing fad. To being an 'Us' for once instead of a 'Them'.

La Vie Boheme!
La Vie Boheme!

To hand-crafted beers made in local breweries, to yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese, to leather, to dildos, To curry Vindaloo, to Huevos Rancheros and Maya Angelou. Emotion, devotion, to causing a commotion, creation, vacation. Mucho masturbation! Compassion, to fashion, to passion when it's new, to Sontag, to Sondheim, to anything taboo! Ginsberg, Dylan, Cunningham and Cage, Lenny Bruce, Langston Hughes. To the stage! To Uta, To Buddha, Pablo Neruda, too. Why Dorothy and Toto went over the rainbow to blow off Auntie Em.

La Vie Boheme!

Bisexuals, trisexuals, Homo Sapiens, Carcinogens, hallucinogens, men, Pee Wee Herman, German wine, turpentine, Gertrude Stein, Antonioni, Bertolucci, Kurosawa, Carmina Burana. To apathy, to entropy, to empathy, ecstasy, Vaclav Havel, the Sex Pistols, 8BC, to no shame, never playing the fame game, to marijuana! To sodomy, it's between God and me, to S & M...

La Vie Boheme!

Actual Reality - Act Up - Fight AIDS!

To Dance! No way to make A living, masochism, pain, perfection, muscle Spasm, chiropractors, short-careers, eating disorders. Film! adventure, tedium, no family, boring locations, dark rooms, perfect faces, egos, money, Hollywood and sleaze. Music! food Of love, emotion, mathematics, isolation, rhythm, feeling, power, harmony and heavy competition. Anarchy! revolution, justice, screaming for solutions, forcing changes, risk, and danger, making noise and making pleas. To faggots, lezzies, dykes, cross-dressers too!

To me! To me! To me! To you and you and you, you and you, to people living With, living With, living with, Not Dying From Disease...

Let he Among Us Without Sin Be The First To Condemn

La Vie Boheme! La Vie Boheme! La Vie Boheme!

Anyone out of the mainstream? Is anyone In The mainstream? Anyone alive - With A Sex Drive! Tear down the wall! Aren't we all? The opposite Of War Isn't Peace... It's Creation! La Vie Boheme...

Viva La Vie Boheme!

Hooked

2006-05-07T16:16:00.000+08:00

I was there. There in the patient's waiting area in Medical Plaza (Just behind Makati Medical). It's 7 am and the television provided for the patients was in my control. I mean, nobody else was there waiting for a check-up so I had the privilege to do some channel surfing. The TV has a cable subscription. Good. All the shows sucks. Bad. So I had to settle for something entertaining (At all costs, I avoided Discovery Channel and National Geographic. Please! It's a saturday. Info Overflow!) so I chose AXN. Good thing they were showing some old movie of some kids lost in an island. or so I thought.

Later I then realized that the movie was not just about some lost kids in an island but infact Hook. Yes, it's a peter pan story (or the lost/shocking peter pan story). I prefer to call it the "Part two" since it follows the adventures of Peter Pan in Neverland wherein Peter grows up, loses memory of Neverland, Had a wife, scores (yes, peter comes into age) and eventually had children.

It stars Robbie Williams-- a brilliant actor but looks like hell in green tights -- as Peter pan. It also includes some random child actors, which had no other role in the movie but to scream their lungs out, jump up and down, act like wild animals and fart like crazy. Last but not the least, the movie stars the very beautiful, talented, academy award winner Julia Roberts as tinkerbell - WTF?!. The movie experience would be complete only if Julia was wearing her award winning Oscar gown as her tinkerbell costume. *sigh*

Julia: Hi everyone! I'm tinkerbell!

As I was just getting comfortable in my seat, another patient in waiting came along, specifically a mid-thirties lady, sat beside me and watched the movie (which I know she has no idea on what the movie is about). She had some weird comment though...

Lady: Is that peter pan?!
I Thought: No, it's Robbie Williams in green tights as the green lantern.
Lady: Ooooh! Captain Hook!
I thought: Thanks for reminding me again, I thought it was the wicked witch of the west.
Lady: Oh my God they are slashing each other! Does it hurt?
I thought: Give me a knife and I'll slash you. Maybe that'll answer your question.
Lady: Peter beats Captain Hook!
I thought: Just shut up.

* I did not made this entry to bash any actors (the movie maybe cause it sucks). This is a result of me waking up at an ungodly hour on a Saturday (5:30 AM). Peaceout

OMG Ponies! (Uhmm, it's a Hippo)

2006-04-26T12:02:00.000+08:00

This one's scary and cute at the same time.
Just click link below

- click me -

doggies are so cute!
*drool*
I love doggies!
*drool-drool*

BreakOutBreakDown

2006-04-24T13:54:00.000+08:00

Arrgh! It happens every friggin' year! My computer broke down again and this time the motherboard was the one that was fried. Well come to think of it, the last time my computer broke down because the motherboard was, well. fried. The reason why it was fried? Intense heat! My computer can't take the summer heat so it took a very long break. for good.

Now this means that I need to upgrade my computer. Since AMD (I love AMD) outphased the Socket A processors [My previous processor was AMD Sempron 2600+ - Still in good working conditon - I think], there is no more point in investing in one. So I had to hire a new processor from the AMD family. Welcome AMD Athlon 64 3000+! With 64-bit computing at 1800MHz, I'm now ready for 64-bit computing (Vista, I'm ready for ya!). But of course upgrading my computer means shelling out most of my hard earned cash.

So might as well turn the notch a bit higher.

Since my previous mobo was Epox, the one that brokedown, a friend of mine suggested the mobos from MSI. Aside from that I had to get a new hard drive (80 GB) since the previous one died along with the motherboard. And last but not the least, the casing must be changed. My previous computer casing was a White-I-Dunno-It's-Name-Sucky-Heat-Producing-Box, which by the way was one of the reasons why my computer brokedown. It had poor ventilation which contributed to the frying of the blasted motherboard.

So off with the old and on with the new! I acquired a new casing prouldy named 'DUKE-some-series-of-letters-after-the-name". Good thing about my new casing is that it had mesh side and top panels which helps in the ventilation of my system. But wait! There's more! Aside from the meshy body, It also includes a cool tri-led colored intake fan in front and a boring-black out-take fan at the back. Only problem is that this casing is a mighty dust collector. (I'm not a fan of dust and so does my system).

So here I am again... back to blogging!
Wahehehehe

Sunset

2006-04-06T16:09:00.000+08:00

Lights off! That's my favorite part of the day. The moment I go into my room , throw my things to a corner and changed my clothes; I quickly turn-on my lamp (sometimes the television), closed my lights and lie in my bed. Ahhh. Bed. Sweet loving bed.

I love it when the lights are dim. I love it when the lamp is giving my room a soft tinge of yellow. Making all the walls soft and cold. I love the serenity of the night. Well most of the times, if not for the neighbor's dog that does a full concert throughout the night, I appreciate the solitude of my room.

I'm a nocturnal creature.

If only the security is high and the crime rate here in our country is low, I would gladly walk our streets at an ungodly hour. but it's not so I try to be contented in the dimness of my room. Most of the times after the working hours. I enjoy walking from our building to the bus stop. at 11 pm, there are less people in the streets. the corridors are quiet, the elevators are empty, the underpass is serene. Everything looks different when the night takes over. You can see what other people miss out. Just look up the sky and you'll see an intricate pattern that the heavens created. There is still beauty hidden in the darkness.

Ahh. Bed. Sweet loving bed.
ZzzzzZzzzZZzzzzz

Knock Knock

2006-04-05T00:06:00.000+08:00

11 pm. That is the time when I usually leave the office or gets home. After six months of exposure to 'work', I'm finally feelling all the stress and sleeplessness. It's so irritating. But hey, It's my fault. I might as well swallow it all.

It's me. Johnjan. I'm back.

I must admit that it's been a long time since I've written something in my blog that I'm having a hard time pulling out the all the right words to define the story or random yakiti-smakiti that I want to blabber here. So much stories within the past six months that are dying to be told. Oh my I'm going mental again. But some stories cannot be told. Some pieces are yet still missing. Some parts are still unwritten. But who cares? Time will come and these stories are going to show-off their bare bodies. Just watch the clock while it's ticking away.

I'm burnt out. Need some sleep.

StoryBehind: LIVE and up close

2006-03-28T00:01:00.000+08:00

Everybody has a story
Every story comes from an idea
Every idea comes from a person
Every person has a reason
Behind every reason is a story

This is the story
The idea is what we have
The person is me
The reason is you
Behind all of it, is us

"LIVE"