To Hell with FPJ

News I came across yesterday: Poe finds intellectual challenge daunting.

You mean people expected otherwise? He's a fucking high school drop-out for crying out loud! A. High. School. Drop-out. Of course he'll find intellectual challenge daunting. He'd probably pop a vein and die if he tried to actually use his brain and push it beyond its current limits (which aren't that far out to begin with). But guess what, people will still vote for him.

"I am honest" he says, and assumes that is enough to make him the best bet for President. But honesty alone just won't cut it, will it? Will his honesty alone ensure the total elimination of corruption in government and restore peace and order in society? Will his honesty alone give jobs and provide homes to the thousands of poor people he claims to fight for? Will his honesty alone restore investor confidence in this country? To hell with it all if it will. He is as two-faced as GMA! After swearing that he will never enter politics, look at where he is now. He lied about having an illegitimate child, only to turn the people around later on and say how proud he was of his son. He's a bloody actor...acting is just a better-sounding term for lying.

The logic of it all escapes me. It's so damn obvious, but they just don't (or won't) see it: nothing good or beneficial will come out of FPJ's presidency. He will just fuck things up a lot more. Regardless, his followers will say, "that's not true, he has brilliant people in his political team to back him up" and will still vote for him.

Brilliant my ass.

If they're so brilliant, they should've gone and supported a different candidate. Do all these FPJ loyalists honestly think that Angara, Maceda, Enrile, and Co. (who are all former Erap and Marcos cronies by the way) are "behind him all the way" because of his 'qualifications'? Hell no! The fact of the matter is, there is no one more equipped, no one more 'qualified', to be the ultimate puppet than FPJ. That's why they're behind in the first place! You don't see puppeteers puppeteering from the front, do you? That would defeat the purpose. Puppeteering is always hidden, unseen...always made to look like an illusion.

In addition, FPJ's failure to lay down his platform or any concrete plans is extremely annoying at same time depressing. If he thinks assembling a 19-strong team of experts in economics and governance makes the situation all that better, or him the better choice for president, he's lacking a lot more in the mental department than I thought. The organization of such a team is an instant admission of his incapability. But still, he insists on running. And despite all his shortcomings, people will still vote for him.

But knowing that people will vote for him shouldn't spell the end for trying to at least prevent that from happening. I believe there is an unwritten law, that obliges those of us who do understand and know the consequences of an FPJ presidency, to educate or enlighten those who do not. Easier said than done, but it's worth the effort if it means saving this country from going to the dogs.

Corporate Funnies

A young executive was leaving the office at 6 p.m. when he found the CEO standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Listen," said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document, and my secretary has left. Can you make this thing work?"

"Certainly," said the young executive. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button. "Excellent,excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the machine.

"I just need one copy."

Lesson I - Never, never assume that your Boss knows everything.

***
A crusty old man walks into a bank and says to the teller at the window:

"I want to open a damn checking account." To which the astonished woman replies: "I beg your pardon, sir; I must have misunderstood you. What did you say?"

"Listen up bitch! I said, I want to open a damnchecking account right now!"

"I'm very sorry sir, but we do not tolerate that kind of language in this bank." Having said this, the teller leaves the window and goes over to the bank manager to tell him about her problem customer. They both return and the manager asks the old geezer: "What seems to be the problem here?"

"There's no damn problem, sonny," the elderly man says. "I just won 50 million bucks in the damn lottery and I want to open a damn checking account in this damn bank!" "I see," says the manager thoughtfully. "And you're saying that this bitch here is giving you a hard time?"

Lesson II - If you are rich, you can get away with almost anything.

***
An American and a Japanese were sitting on the plane on the way to LA when the American turned to the Japanese and asked, "What kind of -ese are you?" Confused, the Japanese replied, "Sorry but I don't understand what you mean." The American repeated, "What kind of -ese are you?"

Again, the Japanese was confused over the question. The American, now irritated, Then yelled, "What kind of -ese are you...are you a Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc......?!?" The Japanese then replied, "Oh, I am Japanese."

A while later the Japanese turned to the American and asked What kind of 'key' was he. The American, frustrated, yelled, "What do you mean what kind of '-key' am I?!" The Japanese said, "Are you a Yankee, donkee, or monkee?"

Lesson III - Never insult anyone.

***
There were these 4 guys, a Russian, a German, a British and a French, Who found this small genie bottle. When they rubbed the bottle, a genie appeared. Thankful that the 4 guys had released him out of the bottle, he said, "Next to you all are 4 swimming pools, I will give each of you a wish. When you run towards the pool and jump, you shout what you want the pool of water, then your wish will come true."

The French wanted to start. He ran towards the pool, jumped and shouted "WINE". The pool immediately changed into a pool of wine. The Frenchman was so happy swimming and drinking from the pool.

Next is the Russian's turn, he did the same and shouted," VODKA" and immersed himself into a pool of vodka.

The German was next and he jumped and shouted, "BEER". He was so contented with his beer pool!

The last is the British. He was running towards the pool when suddenly he steps on a banana peel. He slipped towards the pool and shouted, SHIT!!!!!!!........."

Lesson IV - Think twice before you say something, because sometimes what you say accidentally does happen.

***
A junior manager, a senior manager and their boss are on their way to meeting. On their way through a park, they come across a wonder lamp. They rub the lamp and a ghost appears. The ghost says, "Normally, one is granted three wishes but as you are three, I will allow one wish each."

So the eager senior manager shouted, I wa nt the first wish. I want to be in the Bahamas, on a fast boat and have no worries." *Pfufffff*, and he was gone.

Now the junior manager could not keep quiet and shouted " I want to be in Florida with beautiful girls, plenty of food and cocktails." *Pfufffff*, and he was also gone."

The boss calmly said, "I want these two idiots back in the office after lunch."

Lesson V - Always allow the boss to speak first.

And A Good Time Was Had By All...

...borrowing the words of my Big, White, and Hairy friend.

My Valentine's officially started on the 13th. The Goddess Kurdapya and I had planned earlier in the week to go to the Lovapalooza event at Roxas, but due to preoccupations at the office until about 7 PM (the event starts at 8), we had to cancel. Traffic was murder by the time we got off from work. I was lucky enough though to find parking at G4 in Makati (I guess the fact that it was a pay day kind of negated all that bad luck one is supposed to have). Had dinner at Friday's then met up with Kats (Pi's bestfriend) and her hubby, RJ, shortly after that. Spent the remainder of the evening eating ice cream, and catching up on stuff over coffee.

Slept in for a couple extra hours Saturday morning (which I haven't done in quite a while). Dropped by Petals Galore in La Salle to buy some flowers for Pi (which I also haven't done in quite a while) before proceeding to her place, where we had lunch. In the afternoon we had her Pentax camera brought to this specialty shop in Cubao, and then I took her for a refresher driving course at The Fort. In the evening, her family was kind enough to drag me along for dinner at Timog in QC (I forget the place, but the food was great). We were supposed to go KTV-ing at Music 21 after that but alas, the damn place was jam-packed. Left with nothing better to do, we just decided to go home. I spent a couple more hours with Pi at their residence before officially calling it a night.

And that was it...my busiest Valentine's so far. Might not be as romantic as you would expect, but hey...a good time was still had by all.

23

I guess you just really get to that point in your life when you stop, and come to realize you're not as powerful as you think, not as prepared or brave or confident, not as smart or wise as everybody around you says you are. You realize that you're not as equipped to handle all of life's pressures as you believe you are. Five or six years down the road you'll have all these plans, but find out they're not as achievable as you thought they were. You'll find out you're not as ready to take them on as you convinced yourself you were five or six years before that. It scares the hell out of me.

Twenty-three years today. I'm exactly two years short of being a quarter century old. At this age I thought I would've already known enough. But the fact of the matter is I don't. There are a lot of things I still don't know, most of which I probably won't at all. And that scares me even more. I do not know what's in store for me in the years to come. All I know is I'm sure as hell going to try and make something great of my life, one day at a time. I owe my family and those who believe in me that much.

My Grandfather texted me this today (yes, my Lolo is that cool):

It's very important to define success for yourself. If you really want to reach for the brass ring, just remember that there are sacrifices that go along. We write our own destiny. We become what we do.

The timing is perfect, and coming from a man who's lived for more than 80 years, the message becomes all the more special.

A couple of things have happened recently that sort of rattled my perception of life. It's all good though, it made things a lot more clearer for me. Quarter-life crisis? You can call it that. You can call it whatever you want. The point is it's just a phase, and I will overcome. I guess I just needed to get it off my chest. The fear of what lies ahead will always be there. It's not something you get rid of completely. But at least I have you guys (you all know who you are) to give me those words of encouragement and that much needed pat in the back.

So Far Away

This is my life
It's not what it was before
All these feelings I've shared
And these are my dreams
That I'd never lived before
Somebody shake me
Cause I, I must be sleeping

Now that we're here,
It's so far away
All the struggle we fought was in vain
All the mistakes,
One life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here its so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive and I’m not ashamed to be the person that I am today

These are my words
That I've never said before
I think I'm doing ok
And this is the smile
That I've never shown before
Somebody shake me
Cause I, I must be sleeping

Now that we're here,
It's so far away
All the struggle we fought was in vain
All the mistakes,
One life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here its so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive and I’m not ashamed to be the person that I am today

I'm so afraid of waking
Please don't shake me
Afraid of waking
Please don't shake me

Now that we're here,
It's so far away
All the struggle we fought was in vain
All the mistakes,
One life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here its so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive and I’m not ashamed to be the person that I am today

~ Staind

A Guy Can Dream

Besides, it's good to exercise one's Photoshop skills once in a while. *Sigh* I miss the TLS days.

Who's The Girl?

You tell me. At the moment, she's just known as The Double A Paper Girl (Double A is a popular brand of printing paper in the Netherlands, so I hear).

If you can find out what her name is (and also find some additional pictures while you're at it), I will be eternally grateful.

What's all the fuss about? Nothing really. Let's just say I got hit by this so hard I'm pretty obssessed with her at the moment.

***

I'm sure as hell you'll be playing that ad more than once. Oog!

It's Not Easy Being Green...

...but some things are just worth posting.

When I was born, I got a choice - A big dick or a good memory. I am not able to remember what I chose.
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My wife is a sex object. Every time I ask for sex, she objects.
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Impotence: Nature's way of saying "No hard feelings".
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There are only two four letter words that are offensive to men - don't and stop, unless they are used together.
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Panties are not the best thing on earth, but next to the best thing on earth.
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There are three stages to sex in a person's life: Tri Weekly, Try Weekly, and Try Weakly.
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Virginity can be cured.
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Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand.
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I tried phone sex once, but the holes in the dialer were too small.
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Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
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Marriage is the only war where you get to sleep with the enemy.
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Q: What's an Australian kiss?
A: The same thing as a French kiss, only down under.
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A couple just married were happy with the whole thing. He was happy with the Hole and She was happy with the Thing......
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Q: What are the three biggest tragedies in a mans life?
A: Life sucks, job sucks and the wife doesn't.
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Teacher: Use "harassment" in a sentence.
Johnny: Her mouth said 'no', but her ass meant 'yes'.
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Q: What's the difference between a bitch and a whore?
A: A whore sleeps with everyone at the party and a bitch sleeps with everyone except you.
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Q: Why do men find it difficult to make eye contact ?
A: Breasts don't have eyes.
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Of course you've heard about the Viagra computer virus, it turns your 3 1/2 inch floppy into a hard disk.
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Despite the old saying, "Don't take your troubles to bed", many men still sleep with their wives.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

It's Good to be Pinoy!

A Pinoy is having breakfast one morning (coffee, croissants, bread, butter and jam when a Frenchman, chewing bubble-gum, sits down next to him. The Pinoy ignores the Frenchman who, nevertheless, starts a conversation.

Frenchman: "You Filipinos eat the whole bread??"

Pinoy (in a bad mood): "Of course."

Frenchman: (after blowing a huge bubble) "We don't. In France, we only eat what's inside. The crusts we collect in a container, recycle it, transform them into croissants and sell them to the Philippines." The Frenchman has a smirk on his face.

The Pinoy listens in silence.

The Frenchman persists: "Do you eat jelly with the bread??"

Pinoy: "Of Course."

Frenchman: (cracking his bubble-gum between his teeth and chuckling). "We don't. In France, we eat fresh fruit for breakfast, then we put all the peels, seeds, and leftovers in containers, recycle them, transform them into jam and sell the jam to the Philippine Islands."

After a moment of silence, (irritated already) the Pinoy then asks: "Do you have sex in France?"

Frenchman: "Why, of course we do", he says with a big smirk.

Pinoy: "And what do you do with the condoms once you've used them?"

Frenchman: "We throw them away, of course."

Noypi: "We don't. In my dear homeland, we put them in a container, recycle them, melt them down into bubble-gum and sell them to France."

The Weekend News

Samurai Showdown
I got to watch The Last Samurai twice over the weekend, so it's quite obvious that I've taken a tremendous liking for the film. The story for the most part, is good, but not something we haven't already seen before (think Michael Dudikoff or David Bradley given the A-movie treatment via Tom Cruise). What it lacks in originality though, it makes up for in its exquisite production design and heart-pumping battle scenes (my favorite being the gallant stand of the Samurai against the black Ninjas). If you happen to have a strong interest in, or at least find Japanese culture and traditions intriguing, you will most probably enjoy this movie.

I'm a sucker for most things eastern, especially martial arts and weaponry. Swordfighting, specifically with a Katana, is easily one of my greatest frustrations. But that is a story for another post.

Need for Speed
I've always seen the Initial D games in Timezone and Power Station, but I never really understood why all these people lined up for them.

Now, I do.

JC introduced me to the game last Sunday. In a way, you get to have the car you can't actually have in real life, like a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI for instance (unless, of course, you're filthy rich). The object is to earn as much points as you can by winning a bunch of races. As you reach certain levels of points, you can use these to upgrade your ride. Naturally, the more trekked out your road beast is, the greater the chances of letting the opponent eat your dust.

It can get pretty addictive once you're into it, so be prepared.

Pillsbury Doh! Boy
All it took was four tablespoons of water, an oven toaster, and 30 minutes to make my first ever batch of golden-brown, chewy, chocolate chip cookies (and I hear, to the satisfaction of my supreme overlord and her family). God is good for allowing man to invent the Instant Cookie Mix (plug plug)! God is good.

Wasted Opportunity

PLUS ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. (The more it changes, the more it remains the same.) Edsa II was mounted three years ago to change a corrupt and incompetent administration. It was described by a columnist as "the culmination of a movement to restore accountability and idealism in government.''

But has Edsa II changed the corrupt landscape of Philippine government and politics? The answer should be obvious: No. Has it restored accountability and idealism in government? Again, the answer is no. The business of government and politics is still being conducted, not on the basis of principles, but on the basis of pragmatism, practicality and self-interest.

The principal beneficiary of Edsa II was President Macapagal-Arroyo. To be sure, she was not the unanimous choice of the hundreds of thousands who flocked to Edsa three years ago, shouting for President Joseph Estrada to step down. There was a sector that was urging the top officials in government: "Resign all!'' But the Constitution had to be followed, although the ouster of Estrada was done through an extra-constitutional route, and it was Ms Macapagal who had to succeed him.

The Macapagal administration began auspiciously enough. The new President impressed everyone as a knowledgeable workaholic, a sharp contrast to the laid-back, boozing, carousing Estrada. But soon she began flip-flopping all over the place, sacrificing principles in favor of political pragmatism. There was talk of corruption in high places, although it could not be definitely proven.

Ms Macapagal put a stop to divisive politics when she announced on December 30, 2002 that she was not running in 2004. But then, in what could be the biggest flip-flop of her life, last year she took that promise back and said she was running for a full term after all. She could have gone down in history as a transition president, and history would have looked kindly on her, but now she will be judged by her actions after she reversed her decision not to run.

Now, in violation of the spirit of Edsa II, the President is making all sorts of accommodations and is bending principles in cobbling together a "winning'' ticket. She has accepted into the administration ticket John Osmena, one of the infamous "Balato Twins''; Orlando Mercado, Estrada's defense secretary; and former Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, one of the staunchest defenders of Estrada during the impeachment trial. Obviously Ms Macapagal has no compunctions about her actions because, after all, she was not part of the principled oust-Estrada movement from the beginning. She resigned from the administration and joined the movement only when it was certain that Estrada was going to be deposed.

The President has made the usual noises about curbing corruption, but she has done nothing earth-shaking about this perennial problem. To the contrary, the magnitude of corruption in government has risen, and talk of corruption has involved people close to the President, such as was alleged in the Jose Pidal expos, among other things.

Now, the administration is even tolerating, if not actually pushing for, the departure of Estrada for the United States or another country to have an operation on his knee, although it can be done here by Filipino surgeons who are the equal of their foreign counterparts in surgical expertise. If Estrada is allowed to leave, will that mean the end of the plunder case against him? Will he be allowed to go scot-free? And why would he return when he faces the distinct possibility of a death sentence here? And if he walks free, what was Edsa II all for? Is it going to be remembered as just another exercise in futility?

The pity of it is that Ms Macapagal could have been a notable, if not a good, president had she held true to her promise not to seek election. She could have undertaken wide-ranging reforms and made crucial decisions without minding whether they would affect her political plans for 2004 or not. She could have launched a real, honest-to-goodness campaign against corruption which was after all the principal issue in Edsa II. She could have exerted her political and moral influence to ensure the holding of clean, honest and peaceful elections in May. Now even this is no longer sure anymore.

Edsa II has not changed the political landscape. Probably what we need is not just a change of leaders, for elections have been a game of musical chairs, with people from the same elite taking turns in the seat of power. Probably what we need is a change in men and a change in the system.

~ Inquirer Editorial, 20 January 2004

David Blaine Ain't Got Nothin' On Fido Dido

Click here, and you'll see what I mean. It's just simply beyond human comprehesion.

Up, Up, and Away...

...is probably a bit too early for everyone's favorite farmboy at this point. But there's always room for a familiar look.

Photo courtesy of Kryptonsite.

The Dagohoy Story

It was the first day of school in Washington, DC and a new student named Dagohoy, the son of a Filipino immigrant, entered the fourth grade.

The teacher began, "Let's review some American history, class. Who said 'Give me liberty or give me death?'" She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Dagohoy's who had his hand up, "Patrick Henry, 1775." "Very good," said the teacher.

"Who said 'Government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth'"? Again, no response except from Dagohoy: "Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, 1863," he said.

The teacher snaps at the class, "Class, you should be ashamed, Dagohoy who is new to our country knows more about our history than you do."

She hears a loud whisper from the back: "Screw the Filipinos." "Who said that?" she demanded. Dagohoy put his hand up. "General John Pershing, Manila, 1896."

At that point, Jack, another student says, "I'm going to puke."

The teacher glares and asks, "All right! Now who said that?" Again Dagohoy answers, "George Bush, Sr. to the Japanese Prime Minister during the state dinner, Tokyo, 1991."

Now furious another student yells, "Oh yeah? Suck this!" Dagohoy jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher at the top of his voice, "Bill Clinton to Monica Lewinsky, the Oval Office, 1997!"

Someone shouts, "You little shit if you say anything else, I'll kill you." Dagohoy yells, "Congressman Gary Condit to Chandra Levy, Washington, D.C., 2001!"

The teacher faints. "I'm outta here!" mutters one student as he sidles to the door. "President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Baguio City, December 30, 2002!" Dagohoy responds.

As the class gathers around her on the floor, someone says, "Oh shit, now we're really in big trouble!" "Saddam Hussein, on the Iraq invasion, Bhagdad, May 2003!" Dagohoy bellowed.

"Now, I really have to run," Jack mutters, heading for the exit., "Gloria Macapagal Arroyo again, Pampanga, October 4, 2003!" Dagohoy shouts triumphantly jumping with glee.

One Step Backward

The Supreme Court has just found the P1.3-B contract between the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Mega Pacific consortium for the computerization of the coming May 10 polls null and void. Full story here.

The computerization, part of the Comelec's Election Modernization program, has been heavily opposed by many, citing a number of irregularities in the vote-counting machines and software provided by Mega Pacific. An estimated 800 billion pesos had already been spent by prior to the cancellation of the contract. The Court has ordered the Solicitor General to find a way of recovering the said amount. Returning to manual counting could push the elections back by a couple of months. What's scary about this is the threat of a Military takeover in the event the polls, which is always supposed to be held on the second Monday of May, does get delayed.

Philippine politics sucks.

Photoblog - Day Trip to Enchanted Kingdom

I know, I know...it's about damn time! Sorry but the first week of work has just been...very unfavorable...to my blogging time. Anyway, on with the show.

December 20 of last year, I had the chance to visit Enchanted Kingdom (EK) again for just the third time in my life. It also was my first ever long drive from Manila to Laguna.

The magic is here...or so they say.The last time I was here, it was back in high school. My brother, my sister, and some cousins were with me then. And I was still terrified of the Space Shuttle and Anchors Away rides. Those two were the only rides I didn't get on. This time I was with Pi and some people from work. But would I be able to conquer my fear of the stomach raising monsters? Stick around to find out.

(L-R excluding the kids and the mascots) Pi, Me, Veena, Ronnel, Shaggy (kneeling), Doni (kneeling), Len, Concon, Ceejay, Clarisse.
(Free) Lunch with the kids.Coincidentally, Globe had scheduled an Ate/Kuya (Big Sister/Big Brother) for a day program on the same day, which accounts for the presence of the kidly kids in the pictures above. Some of my officemates had volunteered to be part of the said program. Their lunch was on the company of course, but we were lucky enough to be recipients of some extra food stubs.

Pi and moi, ready to take off in our rocket-propelled super swings of doom (I wish).
Air Chucks. Taken while on the "Flying Fiesta". I should sell this pic to Converse.The Flying Fiesta is easily one of my all time favorite rides in EK. The ride per se is pretty shallow come to think of it, but the feel of your feet hanging freely in the air is very...invigorating.

This will do (left). I fell of a horse in Wright Park a few years back; I've never been on a real one since. Pi (right) looks absolutely beautiful in this picture.
Pi and I were here for the first time as a couple. We obviously had a lot of fun.For a Php 500.00 rate that covers the entrance fee, the ride-all-you-can bracelet isn't such a bad deal. I guess you just have to get on every ride to get your money's worth. Yep, when I say every, that includes the ultimate kiddy ride...the Grand Carousel. There are a few attractions that do have a separate fee though: the 4D Theater for Php 40.00 (which doesn't just live up to the hype; it's not worth the long wait), the Paint Ball Arena for Php 90.00 (this is for 20 balls, you can pay for more), and the Go Kart Track for Php 160.00 (this one is definitely worth it).

Space Shuttle. Had I moved a bit more to the left and taken this shot, the image would have been a little too phallic.
Anchors Away. I had a real tough time taking this shot. We sat at the farthest seat on our side.Well what do you know? I guess I found my balls and rode the two most dreaded rides in EK afterall. Ha. Too bad I didn't get to take a pic while I was on the Space Shuttle. That would've been interesting.

Ninja, Ninja Wrap (bad pun). Pi and myself, before quenching the need for speed on the Go Kart track.
(L-R) Ronnel, Me, Pi, Shaggy, Doni, Clarisse.
(L-R) Doni, Clarisse, Pi, Me, Shaggy, Ronnel.The Go Karts were the last rides Pi and I went on before finally going back to Manila. We had to go ahead of the others...a TLS reunion/Christmas celebration was also scheduled that evening at Zane's house.

We arrived around a quarter before 11 PM. Fatigue started to kick in the minute I stepped into the Ronquillo gate. I've never been one to keep my eyes open when that happens; Gerwin and Jon will attest to that (Zane was kind enough to let me crash in Ping's bed). Unfortunately, there is a lack of images from the gathering. I had left Ger's camera in the car that night.

After A Well-Deserved Break...

...it's back to work again for me today. Spent a good two weeks on vacation in the motherland (Baguio City), but internet connection up there (in our house at least) is crap...and i mean my-friend's-cousin's-grandmother-runs-faster-than-this crap...so pardon the lack of updates. Expect decent blogging though in the next few days. Still have those photoblogs I promised on my list. I just need to catch up on work for today.

Check back again later.

When I See You Smile

Sometimes I wonder how I'd ever make it through
Through this world without having you, I just wouldn't have a clue
'Cos sometimes it seems like this world's closing in on me
And there's no way of breaking free, and then I see you reach for me

Sometimes I wanna give up, I wanna give in, I wanna quit the fight
And then I see you baby, and everything's alright, everything's alright

When I see you smile, I can face the world, oh oh, you know I can do anything
When I see you smile, I see a ray of light, oh oh
I see it shining right thru the rain
When I see you smile, baby when I see you smile at me

Baby there's nothing in this world that could ever do
What a touch of your hand can do, it's like nothing that I ever knew

And when the rain is falling, I don't feel it, 'cos you're here with me now
And one look at you baby, is all I'll ever need, it's all I'll ever need

When I see you smile, I can face the world, oh oh, you know I can do anything
When I see you smile, I see a ray of light, oh oh
I see it shining right thru the rain
When I see you smile, baby, baby when I see you smile at me

Sometimes I wanna give up, I wanna give in, I wanna quit the fight
Then one look at you baby, and everything's alright, everything's alright
So right

When I see you smile, I can face the world, oh oh, you know I can do anything
When I see you smile, I see a ray of light, oh oh
I see it shining right thru the rain, yeah
When I see you smile, I can face the world, oh oh, you know I can do anything
When I see you smile, oh yeah, baby when I see you smile, smile at me

~ Bad English

***

Happy 29th Monthsarry, Pi. I love you.

Photoblog - Tali Beach

Last November 29, I was fortunate enough to visit Tali Beach in Nasugbu, Batangas for the first time. Amazing place, perfect for some major R&R. But don't take my word for it, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

This be my teammates. You can tell we were very delighted to be on this trip.We arrived at Nasugbu at around 10 AM. My officemate's resthouse was located inside a private subdivision and was relatively near the beach. Had a hearty lunch of liempo and adobo (which, ironically, isn't really good for the heart) then played tourist afterwards. It was pictures galore from then on.

Nasugbu is such a beautiful place. I obviously couldn't stop taking pictures of the landscape. I have also, honestly, never seen seawater this clear before.One thing I noticed in Tali is that plenty of the people who come here have their own boats. Wish I had one of those.Absence makes the heart grow fonder. This didn't really apply to us since the absence of work made this trip a lot more enjoyable. I wish Pi could've joined us though.The youngest members of our team (L-R): Me, Len, Rostum, Paula, and Jesse.Spent most of the afternoon swimming. I also went snorkelling for the first time. Too bad I couldn't take pictures under the water. The things I saw would've have been really nice on photo.

Me: Happy and wet.Snorkelling buddies Rostum and Jesse.The highlight of the trip would probably be getting to watch the Sunset before finally going back to Manila. Sentimental bastard that I am, I enjoyed every second of it. Would've have been a lot more special if Pi was there with me.

Kodak moment. A grandfather takes his little granddaughter for a walk in the water.So there it is, our day trip to Tali Beach. I don't know when or if I'll ever get to visit Nasugbu again. I'm just happy I got the chance to tag along.

That's all for now. Check back again later. See you around.

I'm Still Here

My only regret in the two weeks that have passed is that I didn't get to update my blog. I did, however, manage to document the major highlights of those two weeks (special thanks to Gerwin for lending me his trusty "weapon"). Expect a whole bunch of photoblogs in the coming days.

Feels good to be blogging again. I missed this.