I'm Tired

Well, three straight overnights at work does that to you. Yeah, I'm still here. Just in time to say goodbye to November and hello to December! Whoopee!

Can't really sleep. Lot of stuff to finish. But I can't work on something else at this point either since I'm still waiting for my programs to finish before I can proceed with my other tasks. Stupid dependencies. Anyway, I figured now's a good time for some updates.

Viewed...

• You Got Served. Well, I'm glad I bought the DVD (bootleg, of course) a couple of weeks back because this film doesn't disappoint. If you enjoyed Bring It On, you'll like this a lot more. Well, there's a little bias in there since I've recently been in touch with my inner "Hip-Hopper", thanks to Cardio Funk.



• After The Sunset. They say The Thomas Crown Affair was way better, but I haven't seen it yet so I wouldn't really know. But I do know that if Woody Harrelson wasn't in this film, it would've sucked big time.



• The Incredibles. This has got to be my most favorite Pixar film ever! Every aspect of the film was simply...well, incredible. I guess four long years of production does that to a movie.



• National Treasure. It was a good thing I didn't expect too much from this film (the title just didn't appeal that much to me), because it turned out to be a whole lot better than I initially thought. Ok, the start could be a little dragging, but it quickly picks up the pace and makes for high-quality entertainment. And Diane Kruger is so gorgeous here too.



• Supersize Me. Just watched this yesterday on DVD. Djong has a much better review over at her blog. All I can say is it's a real eye-opener (especially the "Fries Experiment"). It does make you want to stay away from McDo food...at least for a while.

Read...

Warning: Geek mode on.

• Identity Crisis. Written by Brad Meltzer; art by Rags Morales and Michael Blair. I hadn't planned on buying issue one the day it came out, but I'm happy (and extremely lucky) I did. The premise: Somebody knows our superheroes' secret identities, and he/she is going after their loved ones. Interesting, isn't it? Six issues into this 7-part mini-series, everything just keeps getting better.



• JLA. I'm glad I decided to start collecting this series from book 1 because I really get my money's worth. I just finished book 14 (Trial by Fire, written by Joe Kelly; art by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen) and I have to say it's one the best story arcs I've read so far: The Martian Manhunter has overcome his fear of fire, but at what cost? Kelly is now officially one of my favorite writers. And I'm really enjoying Doug Mahnke's art, which has greatly improved since he first started in The Golden Perfect story arc.



• Green Lantern: Rebirth. Written by Geoff Johns with fantastic art by Ethan Van Sciver. I'll have to save my comments probably until the 4th issue comes out. "So far, so good" is all I can say as of now.



• Adam Strange. Besides Andy Diggle's highly entertaining treatment of DC's Premier Science-Fiction Hero, one of the strengths of this series is Pascal Ferry's amazing art. You need not be an Adam Strange fan or know who he is to fully enjoy this book.

Played...

• Fantasy NBA. I didn't see why some of my friends were so hooked on this before. Now I know and I'm enjoying it a lot, considering all you have to do is set which players on your team should or should not play on a given date. Players on a team are real-life NBA players, drafted by each manager into his team before the start of the season. A team then earns points based on the stats that a specific player fills up during real-life NBA games. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? It's really quite easy once you get the hang of it. I'm currently in 2nd place in the TLS league. Ping is at number 1. Not bad for a couple of rookie managers, eh?



• Need for Speed Underground 2. This game takes off on the right foot and has surpassed all expectations so far. A lot of improvements in this sequel to the 2003 hit game. There are a lot more cars (including SUVs) to choose from, the non-linear gameplay gives players the freedom to progress through the game at their own pace, and new race types have been added such as Street X and the Underground Racing League. Graphics and sounds are fantastic and the controls are relatively easy to master. Unfortunately, our apartment PC (Pao's) is a little too underpowered to maximize enjoyment of the game. Hopefully, I'll be lucky enough to purchase a PS2 by next year.

More later. Brain functions are starting to shut down.

In The Last Episode Of Nefville...

Truth be told, I was very tempted to just post some amusing picture I received thru email a few days ago. I, obviously, decided not to. For one thing, I didn't want to risk being called madaya (a cheat) by Zane again (which, I admit, is true...easy way out and all that). But more than that, I figured it was just a little too unfair to those who allot a small amount of their time to drop by regularly in the hopes of finding some decent updates. So, to my loyal fans, this post is for you.

The Tale of the Missing Nefmobile

My car was towed a couple of days ago. I had just gotten off from work when I saw that it wasn't where I had left it that morning. I always park in that area so I was surprised (and of course, furious) that my car was taken. That was at around a little after 7:00 PM and I was just about to fetch Pi from work. So I called her up and asked her to just have her Tito pick her up. You can imagine how bad my mood was by this time.

I asked the people around the vicinity for details, which was, of course, the most logical thing to do. The "witness" I had asked told me that my car was raked at around 4:00 PM, and that there was a central impound where towed cars in the Mandaluyong area are brought (lucky for me, it was fairly easy to get to).

"4:00 PM?!!", I had thought. If I was parked illegally, wouldn't my car have been taken earlier, like in the morning, already? That's when I started to just lose it. My hands were clenched into fists, my uni-brow at its uni-est...you'd think I was about ready to punch the first guy that passed by me in the face. I was majorly, majorly pissed.

So I made my way to the impound, which was located in front of Star Mall, along Shaw Boulevard. I had been rehearsing a few lines in my head that I thought I would use to defend my case. "If my parking was illegal, why didn't you tow it in the morning?!!" and "I always see cars parked at where I parked, how come you don't tow them?!!", lines like that.

The first sign that welcomes me at the impound writes "No one is above the law!" I start to calm down after reading it. Then I see my car, still in good condition. My heart rate begins normalizing. The guy in charge there brings out a piece of paper with my car details and starts briefing me on what had transpired. My parking space was legal...if I was there. I decide to use my "If my parking was illegal" line.

They did take my car in the morning. Around 9:30 AM. It was written on the paper...so clear even a 1st grade student could have read it for me.

I'm a lot calmer by this time (not to mention ashamed) so I just proceed to ask what my violation was. Apparently, the rear end of my car was just beyond the legal parking line (which I failed to see). This line marks the point where a car, if parked beyond the said line, poses as an obstruction to large and long vehicles turning into the street. I didn't bother using my "I always see cars" line. It was pointless. I was clearly in the wrong and it was only fair to face the consequences of my negligence. The penalty would have been a whopping 1,500 pesos. But Mr. Impound Guy decides to give me a discount and takes 500 pesos off the fee.

The funny thing about all this is I left the impound not feeling as bad as I initially thought I would. Which is a good thing I guess. It's weird what the Universe does to your sense of humor sometimes.

The Paomnnehal Pweor Of The Hmuan Mnid

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Randomizing

What do you do when you just can't find one thing to write about? Write about completely random things...at least the ones worth mentioning from the last couple of days.

Gym

Rommel (my trainer) gave me a new gym program to work with for the next six months. I'm back to using free weights after a long time (last time I lifted was back in college). And I'm finally into the whole cardio thing to help me lose a lot more weight. I "push" on Tuesdays, "pull" on Thursdays, and dance on Saturdays. Yup, I dance. On Saturdays. Body Jam and Cardio Funk these classes be called. I've been going with Pi, Pats, and Zane for quite a while now. Nothing like a fun, feel-good, musical activity to close off a hectic and overly technical work week. And Rony, who I just recently discovered had a blog of his own, joined us last Saturday which was cool.

Movies

Let's just say I got to watch a bunch of movies recently.

• House of Flying Daggers. Amazing production design. I loved the fight scenes and the story is interesting and well written but I just found some bits and pieces a little too dragging. Zhang Ziyi is as stunning as ever. Overall, I liked this movie, but I still think Hero was better.



• Shark Tale. I found this movie highly entertaining. The humor is very...well, adult, just like the Shrek movies (the "dolphin" reference was hilarious). The actors' voices fit the characters perfectly. Dreamworks Animation has been turning up some good material so far. Here's hoping Madagascar delivers the same quality of entertainment.



• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. I expected too much from this film. Jude Law was an okay hero but I'm sure he's better off as Alfie. Generally, I like Gwyneth Paltrow - I didn't like her in this one though. I just think they could've cast a better actress to play Polly. The story is well-executed though typical of a high-adventure-WW2-science-fiction movie. Rocketeer still tops my list of films of this type. Did I mention I fell asleep at one point during the movie?



• The Bourne Supremacy. Good movie. Probably tops or at least equals The Bourne Identity in all aspects. Lends itself to a third movie. But since JC and I sat at the front row when we watched this, we were just too damn near to appreciate most of the parts, especially the fight scenes and car chases. I had a serious headache after the screening.



• Fahrenheit 9/11. Michael Moore deserves the award, and George W. Bush can choke to death and go to hell (and lose to John Kerry while he's at it). And that's all I've got to say about that. Just check out Mon's blog if you want a better review.

G!

Brother Gerwin is back in town, much to the delight of close friends. HK seems to be treating him well (sorry, no picture reference available...yet). Too bad Jon couldn't be here to celebrate with us this coming Friday.

Suriya

Paolo, Toffer, and I went last Sunday to get ourselves some well deserved and overdue massages. I've always been an avid fan of their Oriental Body Work Massage (combination of Swedish and Shiatsu) but somehow I didn't want the Shiatsu part that day. So I got the Mind and Body Harmony Massage (Swedish). Like I was telling Pao and Tof, my mind and body were in serious need of harmony anyway. I'm glad I got it. It's my new favorite massage. If only I could afford to go there more often.

3200

So I got to salvage a Nokia 3200 from the office. It's not top of the line but what the hey, it's better than my own phone (which is just about ready to die). And it has a camera. I'm not sure how long I'll be holding on to this phone, but I'm hoping long enough to allow me to save up for a replacement. In the meantime, I took this baby's cam for a spin.

World without a Superman

Actor Christopher Reeve, who played 'Superman' in four movies and appeared as 'Dr. Virgil Swann' in the hit TV series Smallville, died at 5:30 p.m. Sunday after suffering a heart attack on Saturday and going into a coma. He was 52.

Reeve was rendered paralyzed for life after breaking his neck in 1995 during an equestrian competition. He emerged from his personal tragedy with the help of friends and loved ones and has since been a powerful lobbyist of medical research, especially on behalf of fellow sufferers of spinal cord injuries.

Reeve tried many therapies throughout his life, and had others move the legs he could not - so the muscles would be ready when he would be able to use them once more. He never gave up on his goal of walking again, despite missing his target of doing so by age 50.

His condition did however improve in ways that were remarkable to the medical community. In 2000, Reeve was able to move his index finger, and a specialized workout regimen has made his legs and arms stronger. He had also regained sensation in other parts of his body.

Reeve was a strong supporter of stem cell research, which he believed could pave the way to allow him and others like him to walk again.

Farewell, Superman. Thank you for making us believe that we can fly.

The Gender of 'Computer'

A French teacher was explaining to her class that in French, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. "House" for instance, is feminine -- "la maison." "Pencil", however, is masculine -- "le crayon."

A student asked, "What gender is 'computer'?"

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun.

Each group was asked to give four reasons for their recommendation. The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the Feminine gender ("la computer"), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;


2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;


3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and


4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself
   spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ("le computer"), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;


2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;


3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and


4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited
   a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

If All Else Fails...

...there's always Yahoo! Messenger.

So Ping messages me at work, going into the final seven minutes of Game 3 of the UAAP Men's Basketball Finals between the DLSU Green Archers and the defending champion FEU Tamaraws. DLSU is up by seven points.

ej_paz (6:06:12 PM): astig.
planetping (6:06:43 PM): 4 na lang
planetping (6:06:49 PM): 2 tres ng FEU
planetping (6:06:52 PM): feck
planetping (6:06:56 PM): 6mins to go
ej_paz (6:06:57 PM): shet
planetping (6:07:18 PM): make that 2
planetping (6:07:22 PM): 5:30
planetping (6:07:44 PM): FEU has possesion
planetping (6:07:46 PM): chance to tie
planetping (6:07:58 PM): tied
ej_paz (6:08:05 PM): dammit.
planetping (6:08:34 PM): 10-0 run ng FEU
ej_paz (6:09:14 PM): pucha, timeout. hindi ba tumatawag ng timeout?
planetping (6:09:30 PM): eto timeout
planetping (6:09:33 PM): i know you
planetping (6:09:36 PM): and you know me
planetping (6:09:45 PM): one thing i can tell ya is ya got to be free
planetping (6:09:48 PM): come together right now
planetping (6:09:49 PM): over me
planetping (6:09:54 PM): PETRON TREATS
planetping (6:10:02 PM): hehehe, pati advertisement may report
planetping (6:12:17 PM): 4:00 to go
planetping (6:12:23 PM): FEU by 2 now
ej_paz (6:12:34 PM): puta
planetping (6:13:56 PM): tied
planetping (6:14:04 PM): 59 deadlock
planetping (6:14:37 PM): tapos may nagfoul from lasalle...
planetping (6:14:46 PM): sa threepoint attempt ni miranda
planetping (6:14:49 PM): great..
planetping (6:14:59 PM): miranda misses his first
planetping (6:15:17 PM): and misses his second!!!
planetping (6:15:21 PM): his third try...
planetping (6:15:34 PM): good
planetping (6:15:47 PM): 60-59 FEU
planetping (6:17:39 PM): 61-59 FEU
planetping (6:18:07 PM): tied
planetping (6:18:27 PM): 63-61 LASALLE!!!
planetping (6:19:19 PM): steal ni gaco midcourt sabay bato sa streaking yeo for the uncontested layup... giving Lasalle the 2 point advantage
planetping (6:19:21 PM): last 2 mins
planetping (6:19:24 PM): timeout FEU
ej_paz (6:19:45 PM): kapit, bayan!
planetping (6:20:10 PM): tamang close game na toh!!!
planetping (6:20:20 PM): pag OT advantage tayo... foul trouble si miranda at isip eh
planetping (6:21:22 PM): 1:40 to go
planetping (6:21:28 PM): Lasalle by 2...
planetping (6:21:39 PM): isip for 2
planetping (6:21:43 PM): tied...agen
planetping (6:22:11 PM): FEU has the ball
planetping (6:22:16 PM): off a yeo miss
planetping (6:22:41 PM): isip for 2
planetping (6:22:44 PM): FEU leads
planetping (6:22:47 PM): casio for three
planetping (6:22:52 PM): GOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDD!!!
planetping (6:22:52 PM): GOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDD!!!
planetping (6:22:54 PM): GOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDD!!!
planetping (6:23:27 PM): nakalimutan ko
planetping (6:23:33 PM): before yung 3 ni casio
planetping (6:23:38 PM): may FG na naman si isip
planetping (6:23:41 PM): so now...
planetping (6:23:55 PM): 66-65 Lasalle
ej_paz (6:25:01 PM): time?
planetping (6:25:30 PM): 24.9 seconds
planetping (6:25:35 PM): this is it
planetping (6:25:40 PM): defense!!!
planetping (6:26:07 PM): FEU misses
planetping (6:26:15 PM): cardona the motherfucking rebound!!!
planetping (6:26:19 PM): penalty!!!
planetping (6:26:25 PM): AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!
planetping (6:26:32 PM): 2 freethrows
ej_paz (6:26:34 PM): AAAAAAAAAAAAAh!!!!
planetping (6:26:37 PM): and 2 seconds to go
planetping (6:26:59 PM): tangina, ang ganda na ng lusot ni miranda, tapos umikot ikot yung bola sa ring
planetping (6:27:00 PM): di pumasok
planetping (6:27:05 PM): the drama...
ej_paz (6:27:14 PM): tangina pare!!!
planetping (6:27:26 PM): may chance pa FEU
ej_paz (6:27:28 PM): nanginginig yung mga kamay ko sa pag type.
planetping (6:27:30 PM): pero sana wag na
ej_paz (6:27:36 PM): timeout?
planetping (6:27:39 PM): yep
planetping (6:27:47 PM): cardona may 2 upcoming freethrows
planetping (6:27:52 PM): makes his first
planetping (6:27:54 PM):
planetping (6:27:59 PM): isarado mo na idol
planetping (6:28:14 PM): sarado!
planetping (6:28:38 PM): time runs out.. wala na timeouts FEU... ANIMO LASALLE!!!
planetping (6:28:38 PM): time runs out.. wala na timeouts FEU... ANIMO LASALLE!!!
planetping (6:28:39 PM): time runs out.. wala na timeouts FEU... ANIMO LASALLE!!!
planetping (6:28:40 PM): time runs out.. wala na timeouts FEU... ANIMO LASALLE!!!
ej_paz (6:29:15 PM): potah!!!! yeaaaaaaaah!
ej_paz (6:29:23 PM): ANIMO LASALLE!
planetping (6:30:35 PM): yiiii buuuoooooyyyyiiiii!!!
ej_paz (6:31:14 PM): yiiiiiiiiiii, mothafuckaaaaaaah!!!
planetping (6:32:15 PM): hooooyeeeaaah
planetping (6:35:06 PM): friendster bulleting board na toh!!!

De La Salle wins the Championship, 68-65. How sweet it is.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

...The Fantastic Four.

Clockwise from upper left: Ioan Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic, Jessica Alba as The Invisible Woman, Chris Evans as The Human Torch, and Michael Chiklis as The Thing. Photos courtesy of Anti Hero Comics.

The Importance of Friendship

Name Game

Taken from Djong, which she got from Sarah.

Porn Star Name (name of first pet + street you live in)
- Brownie Banahaw. Oh yeah.

Movie Star Name (favorite snack food + grandfather's first name)
- Pasta Tolomeo or Pasta Mariano, depending on which Lolo's name I use. I could well be the lead in some mobster movie with those names.

Fashion Designer Name (first word you see on your left + favorite restaurant)
- Oracle Emerald. O ha?

Exotic Foreigner Alias (favorite spice + last vacation spot visited)
- Pepper Boracay. Uh...hmmm.

Socialite Alias (silliest childhood nickname + town where you first partied)
- Ed Baguio. Hwokey!

Fly Guy Alias (first initial + first two or three letters of your last name)
- E Paz. My last name only has three letters. Unfortunately, this name sounds like ipas, which means cockroach in Kampampangan.

Icon Alias (something sweet within sight + any liquid in kitchen)
- Mentos Worcestershire. Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

Detective Alias (favorite baby animal + where you went to high school)
- Tiger St. Louis. "Commissioner, may I introduce Det. Tiger St. Louis." Pweeeeeedeeeeeeh!

Barfly Alias (last snack food you ate + your favorite bar drink)
- Pasta Red Horse. Now that is one stupid name.

Soap Opera Alias (middle name + street where you first lived)
- Paulino Gen. Luna. Very Soap Opera-ish indeed.

Rock Star Alias (favorite candy/dessert + last name of favorite musician)
- Flat Tops Mayer. I don't know if I should be happy or not.

Happy Birthday, Burning Lead!

September 9, 2003 saw the birth of this blog and the historical (and aptly entitled) first post. Can't believe it's been a year already.

Here's to burning a lot more lead, folks. And as Bryan always says, to our good looks...and sexy bodies.

Man, I need a beer.

And The Scale Says...

4.5 kilograms.

That's how much I've lost in the weight department. That's 9.9 pounds, my friends...9.9 pounds! I haven't lost this much weight since I got sick with Typhoid back in the 3rd grade. Not even when I still played basketball.

Amazing.

Three more months left in the year. Let's see if I can keep this up.

New Deep

I’m so alive
I’m so enlightened
I can barely survive
A night in my mind
So I’ve got a plan
I’m gonna find out just how boring I am
And have a good time

Cause ever since I’ve tried
Trying not to find
Every little meaning in my life
It’s been fine, I’ve been cool
With my new golden rule

Numb is the new deep
Done with the old me
And talk is the same cheap it's been

Is there a God?
Why is he waiting?
Don't you think of it odd
When he knows my address
And look at the stars
Don’t it remind you just how feeble we are?
Well it used to, I guess

Cause ever since I’ve tried
Trying not to find
Every little meaning in my life
It’s been fine, I’ve been cool
With my new golden rule

Numb is the new deep
Done with the old me
And talk is the same cheap it's been

I'm a new man
I wear a new cologne
And you wouldn’t know me
If your eyes were closed
I know what you’ll say
'This won't last longer than the rest of the day'
But you’re wrong this time
You’re wrong

Numb is the new deep
Done with the old me
I’m over the analyzing
Tonight

Stop trying to figure it out

Deep will only bring you down
You know I used to be the backporch poet
With a book of rhymes always
Open, knowing all the time, I’m probably
Never gonna find the perfect rhyme
For 'heavier things'

~ John Mayer

Sometimes...

...I just can't help but think if this is all worth it.

My work, I mean.

What am I doing here so late anyway (and for the second straight night at that)? I've only had an hour's worth of sleep today...seriously...but here I am, busting my ass off, maybe on the verge of killing myself. And for what? Experience? Well, that's always been a given. Honor and prestige, maybe boost my chances for a promotion? I don't know...maybe. Or maybe I'm really just that dedicated.

But you know what? No matter how bad it sounds, whether I like the whole idea of it or not, I've begun to accept that there is one other reason why I am putting up with all the crap of my job.

It's the goddamn money.

To tell you the truth, since these long hours became more frequent, I've had many battles with myself over this. I've been through all the "it shouldn't be about the money" drama. And I'm sad to admit that I may be losing the war to the materialistic side of me.

Can you really blame me for wanting more? I mean, I have this supposedly generous compensation that I can't even share with my parents and siblings because most of it goes to the monthly rent, utilities, and all these stupid taxes. I am barely left with some for myself. Things just get a little lighter when I get my OT pay on time...extra emphasis on the "on time" part though.

My failure to be of significant financial help to my immediate family is what has most likely pushed my Dad, the only doctor I've idolized my whole life, to join the bandwagon and pursue a nursing degree. What kind of message do you think that sends to an eldest child? It's depressing.

In my quiet moments I figured that sidelining as a Graphic Artist would definitely boost the finances, but given my exceptionally busy (and weird) schedule, the plan just kind of got flushed down the toilet. So, I'm now thinking of just selling some of my comics. Or my car.

*Sigh* I am in dire need of sleep.

Dammit.

(I can imagine Zane breathing a sigh of relief, "Finally, updates.")

I wish this crazy schedule could be a little more cooperative. I hate not being able to blog. It's depressing...makes me feel so rusty. Sure I get to exercise the old brain at work, but writing's different. No heavy thought required, minimal stress, a welcome break from all the craziness of the corporate zoo.

There are a number of things to write about that have happened in the last 24 days, I just wish I could've stopped and posted them all. Well, if I had a brand spankin' new laptop and broadband connection like Gerwin, at least I could be blogging from home. But too bad, I don't have a brand spankin' new laptop, so I'll just have to make do with my old reliable office PC. *Rackum Frackum*

So here's a rundown of what's been up:

1. I have been going to the gym since June. I (or at least I'd like to believe that I) have lost weight, which is good. Though I still need a couple more kilometers on the treadmill to reach my "ideal" weight. Hopefully, the scale will show an acceptable reading by the end of the year.



2. I can finally say that I have been to Boracay. I was there on leave, with Pi and Pats from the 14th to the 17th. We celebrated half of Pi's birthday there. It's such a beautiful place, even on the off-season. I honestly didn't want to leave. Here's to next time. I will definitely save up so we can go back.



3. After five months, our half-full apartment has finally been blessed with cable television. The only thing missing now is a sofa (but you should see the abundance of 2-L distilled water containers in our kitchen, I swear if I had time, I'd make those into a sofa).

Sorry, that's about all the time we have for today, kids. Be sure to check back next time for more updates (right, I wonder when that will be).

Amazing Racer

My legs are killing me, but it was one hell of an experience.

Last Saturday, I had travelled with five other officemates to Tagaytay City for the 2004 ADSOC Adventure Quest, this half-day adventure race we had signed-up for a couple of weeks ago. I had never participated in an event like this before, so I figured this was a good time to try out something new.

A total of 10 teams, comprised of three members each (with at least one female member) had registered for the event and compete for the Php8,000 grand prize. Two teams came from our office. We had to find our way through 15 stops all over Tagaytay, completing challenge after challenge, testing our physical and mental abilities in ways I have never imagined. Think Amazing Race on a smaller scale.

A major highlight of the race was our team's climb from last place in the 8th checkpoint to 4th place in the 15th and final leg. Luck just seemed to be on our side all the way to the finish after a couple of bad breaks, one where we got lost trying to find the 7th checkpoint ("The fine-dining resto Tagaytay is known for") and a race marshall already had to give us the exact location (Antonio's). It sucked big time, but after Doni (my teammate) breezed through that checkpoint's challenge, it was all uphill from there.

It was the greatest feeling, coming back with a vengeance and overtaking those ahead of us one by one. We didn't finish first, but it sure felt like it. (The other team from our office, who reached as high as 1st place after the 6th leg, finished at 5th.)

Unfortunately, I have no photos of the event on hand...yet. But once they're available, I'll be sure to post them here.

Check back later. It's time for me to take a couple more pain killers.

Eat Fist!

This quiz result would have been really cool.

Except the name's IRON FIST, not Power Fist, you damn morons!!!

Don't go f*cking up our superheroes' names.

Get it right next time.

Love At Its Most Beautiful

In you I have found everything I have always wanted. You are my peace of mind, the reason I look forward to the end of each day. I find refuge and comfort in your arms. You understand the entirety of my being, embrace my inner child, accept my eccentricities. You inspire me in countless ways, and you needn't even say a word. You are the reason I persevere, the reason I try to give a little bit more than what is required. Because of you, I am not afraid to come to the edge. Because of you, I will never ever fall, you have taught me how to fly. You are perfect in every way, because you know that you are not. I am the richest man in the world, I have you in my life.

How can I not love you? You are love at its most beautiful.

Happy Anniversary, Pi.

Hoo Ha!

Which member of the JLA are you? BATMAN Losing his parents to a tragic mugging, Bruce Wayne took a vow to wage a one man war on crime. Using the image of the bat to strike fear into criminals, he dons the guise of the Dark Knight after the sun sets. A genius detective and scientist he is a valuable member to the League even without powers.

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What's Been Up...

Ooh Mama!

Say hello to 17-year old, 6'0" Maria Sharapova, 2004 Wimbledon Women's Champion, part-time model, and my new crush.

She was born on April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, a town in the Siberian region of Russia. In 1989, the Sharapova family moved to the Black Sea resort town of Sochi. A chance encounter changed her life at the young age of 4. She met with the father of tennis champ Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and the man gave her a racket. Tennis soon became a passion for her.

She may only be a teenager, but Sharapova is very mature for her age.

She has an animated personality that makes her a joy to watch on the tennis court. Though having the makings of the next Anna Kournikova appearance-wise, there's no doubt that on the court, she is Queen, a definite force to reckon with (and is really a whole lot hotter than Anna if you ask me). While Kournikova doesn't have any trophies displayed on her fireplace mantle, Sharapova is starting a collection, with two titles under her belt entering the WTA tour this year.

And just when I thought women's tennis has completely lost its appeal. God is good, my friends...God is good.

Yosh!

I watched Cinemenila's screening of Zatoichi last Saturday and I must say, it is a kick-ass movie, oozing with machismo and super-cool and ultra-bloody swordplay (probably one of the best you will see in a film of this genre).

Set in 19th Century Japan, Zatoichi is a story of a blind wanderer who makes a living by gambling and giving massages. But behind the humble facade is a master swordsman and the unlikely savior of a remote mountain village at the mercy of the ruthless Ginzo gang.

The story is well-written and backed by excellent cinematography. Much time and effort has obviously been put into choreographing the fight scenes, which are all very entertaining. It has a good mix of action, drama, suspense, comedy, and even music...yes, music. I'm going to stop talking about it right here...I don't want to give too much of the details away lest I spoil it for you. Just go watch it and see for yourself.

Oh yeah, Zatoichi's sword is really cool too.