Mosquitoes like relaxed people

I'm back and for this entry my comeback entry would be about mosquitoes. Yeah, those annoying species of insects that you wish are extinct. They would suck you dry and then leave you with itchy blotches on your skin. Those pesky things that don't let you sleep during hot summer days.

But do not despair. Some scientists who, like us, hates these creatures have conducted studies on how to discourage mosquitoes from biting. And one of their findings was that stressed people don't get bitten as often as relaxed people. Interesting, right? It turns out that the body chemicals released by stressed people makes mosquitoes "think" that they are diseased or sick and "not a good quality blood meal." And who would want to suck the blood of sick people? Not Ms. Mosquito...

So that's why there are mobs of mosquitoes in Pinas. Pinoys are one of the most relaxed race in the world and no amount of problems can stress us enough. I lol'd at the idea...

Gundam Invasion

I was in highschool when gundam invasion happened. My brothers were hit and was assembling gundam models they bought from manong sidewalk vendor (Mom was too cheap to buy us the real thing). The real fun for me is assembling the mobile suit models. For my brother it as putting on the stickers and designing the look. For our youngest brother it would be the fun of destroying the mobile suit after assembly. I miss those days...

Well, for some crazy reason, some Japanese individuals decided to assemble a mobile suit model in Tokyo. My friend showed this to me and this is F-ing awesome. This is what I like about Japan and Japanese. Creativity and boldness. They are not afraid to release their inner child. Anyway, these guys assembled a model complete with lights and effects. I just wish it has a real-life cockpit as well as movement. When I became an engineer, my initial dream hobby was to create a cross between a mobile suit and C3PO. The dream was ruined by the endless search for money. Someday... Enjoy the videos...

Mayweather-Marquez Postponed

The somehow predictable thing has just happened. I'm not saying that this is a farce since I'm not by PBF's side but this does not surprise me. After retirement, one cannot expect PBF to be actually in shape. If this is really an injury, it's not how hard he trained but rather how his body was unprepared for the training. Boxers train hard all the time and to be injured during training tells much about how unprepared the boxer's mind and body is.

On the other hand, if this is one of PBF's delaying tactics then the same can be said. PBF is not yet ready for his comebacks. This might be one of his mind-games where he wait it out because he has an X% chance of losing.

I'm wondering what's actually the real score. But whatever the real reason is, PBF is not yet ready. If he wasn't injured, Marquez would probably injure him on June 18. The big question is what could be the implication of this to the possible fight between Pacman and PBF considering that Manny might run for Congress. We'll see...

Speaking of Congress... If con-ass pushes through and Manny Pacquiao win a congressional seat next election, there is a slim chance that we would have Pacman as prime minister... I shudder at the thought...

Reaction to Mayweather vs ESPN's Brian Kenny

Yesterday I came across this entry by Tim Sparks. This entry features two recent Mayweather interviews which basically can be summed up by any mind as "It's all in the money" and "I may have fought mediocre fighters but still I'm undefeated so I'm the P4P king". That's PBF for you. Good Job Mr. Kenny. Your questions were straight to the point but they hit the spot. As for PBF's answer, as the video progresses it becomes more and more shall we say... selfishly self-indulgent.

I hope Bob Arum, or whoever is promoting the fight (if ever PBF wins over JMM), would cough up enough dough to make it happen. Or else, PBF might again just settle to waiting it out again. It's all business.

Seeing this, I'm undecided if I want a PBFvsPAC or JMMvsPAC given that the winner of PBFvsJMM would face Manny. Eitherway I wish someone would clear the air out of this guys head.

Deja Vu?

The countdown is on for the circus act otherwise known as the Philippine elections. Political parties are now starting to maneuver their social status and political stands to optimize their chance of being elected. It's actually sad how these people, who are supposed to be our future leaders, become chameleons every election. Their focus is actually how to get more votes rather than what they can do for the country.

However the biggest news: if Erap is eligible to run for presidency. I was one of those who supported his ouster. And even if those who led that ouster apologize, I will not. Now he is aiming to run again. For me it's sort of crazy that Erap said that it would be a "battle royal" if he and Kabayan Noli both run for presidency. Where did he based his prediction? Well, the only thing is because both of them have the most "masa" following.

I still believe most of these people under the class "masa" are smart enough. Or not... I guess we will find out next year.

How famous (eerrr...Legendary) is Manny Pacquiao now?

So to anyone who has no way to measure how famous Manny Pacquiao is, see this video. Historically, only the most famous, overpowered, envy-generating and charismatic person are label demonic or possessed. Examples are the Beatles, Led Zep, E-heads, etc (I can name only in the music genre...). Of course there are some who are "naturally" evil and I will not name them here. So in relation to the showing of Angels and Demons(gotta watch that...),here is a "funny" video accusing Manny of being an Illuminati...



My Reaction: hahahahahahaha.... cough... cough... hahahahaha...kthnxbai

Nash wants to be an Honorary Pinoy

Hmmmmm time to plagiarize to boost more pinoy pride, if there's any room more to go up a notch (screw the economy, pacquiao won... just joking... work back to work JP!)

My friend Marvs showed me this article awhile ago (interesting blog name, i might add). Wow. One of my NBA idols, Steve Nash wishes to be an honorary pinoy. Well, I haven't been able to watch Stockton play a lot (not yet focused on sports at that time) so I Nash is the best point guard in my book. For him to twitter this was like Ali wanting to play in PBA.

Best day evaaa!

I haven't blogged for awhile due to my busy schedule but today is special. This day is one of of happiest days so far this year. Why?

First,



I know... The Celtics would find it diffucult to compete with the Cavs or the Lakers without their defense leader Kevin Garnett (still you don't know what will happen. BIG BABY GOGOGO). But heck, this series has been a heart stopper. With several OT games, these two teams are arguably the most tired teams in the playoffs. I hope the finals would live up to this series. This for me is the series of the year so far. Even if the Celts lose in the conference semi-finals, at least they will forever be immortalized in highlight reels for this series.

Second,



This fight made me nervous. Frankly, I didn't believe that Manny can pull this one off as easy as this. No offense to Hatton fans, but this fight made it appear that the Pacquiao-Dela Hoya fight was a difficult fight for Manny. I was actually 50/50 in who I thought would win (syempre manok pa rin si Manny kahit may kaba. >8< Pinoy Pride FTW). Next stop, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Manny silenced the Senior's cockiness (so how's the amateur now?), now its Junior's turn.

Scholars Wanted

Year 2009 Korean Government
Scholarship Program for Graduate Students

1. Program Objective
The objective of the Korean Government scholarship program is to provide international students with the opportunities to conduct advanced studies at higher educational institutions in the Republic of Korea in order to promote international exchange in education and mutual friendship between countries.

2. Total Candidates for Selection : 30 persons

3. Academic Programs & Institutions
(1) Academic degree program : master’s degree and doctoral degree (Ph.D.)
(2) Institutions : all graduate schools in Korea
※ Those who want to enter specific graduate schools, such as MBA, international studies, medical, dental, or law schools, should get a separate permission from NIIED.
(3) Applicants who will major in science and engineering will have priority.

4. Duration
Master's course : 3 years (1 year of Korean language course & 2 years of master's course)
Doctoral course : 4 years (1 year of Korean language course & 3 years of doctoral course)

6. Qualifications
- Both applicant and his/her parents must possess the citizenship of a foreign country.
* Applicants and his/her parents should not hold the Korean citizenship.
- Applicants should have an adequate health, both mentally and physically, to stay in a foreign country for a long period of time
* Persons who are pregnant or having serious illness are not eligible.
- Persons who can contribute to promoting the mutual friendship between Korea and the country of origin
- Should be under 40 years of age as of September 1, 2009
- Hold a bachelor degree for the master's course, or a master’s degree for the doctoral course as of September 1, 2009
- Obtain a grade point average (G.P.A.) above 85% or 5% in rank from the top, from the last institution attended

7. Scholarship Payment
(1) Scholarship Period : 1 year of Korean language course and 2 years of master’s degree course, or 3 years of doctoral degree course
(2) Payment
-Airfare : A round-trip economy class ticket
-Monthly Allowance : 900,000 won per month
-Research Allowance : 210,000 won for students in humanities and social sciences; 240,000 won for students in natural and mechanic sciences per semester
-Settlement Allowance : 200,000 won upon arrival

8. Schedule
- Submission Deadline: May 15, 2009
- Final selection by NIIED : end of June
- Result notice : beginning of July
- Entry to Korea : August 25~28, 2009
- Korean language course : September 1, 2009
- Entrance to graduate school : September 1, 2010

Note:
• Applicant’s Requirement Submission deadline: May 15, 2009
• For submission of Required Documents and other inquiries, contact JP Torregoza at jp_kulit@yahoo.com or keitaro310@gmail.com.
• If you need help on filling up of prescribed forms you can also email JP.

Research Topics:
• Cognitive Radio Optimization
• Game Theory Distributed Decision-making
• Possible implementation of a Cognitive Radio Testbed
• Other IT topics may also be suggested.

For details, email jp_kulit@yahoo.com or keitaro310@gmail.com. Or you can download here if its still up...

April Fools Day

Yesterday, tricksters let loose their creative minds to performs some of the wildest and most innovative tricks on unsuspecting victims (well some are paranoid but still get tricked). In this modern age, people have brought April Fools Day to what else but the world wide web.

For example, on one anime streaming site I visit frequently, what they did was they hid a flash music player on their page and played some annoying music while you're on the page. The trick is you have to find how to turn it off or just settle to muting your PC. The result you cannot watch anime if you cannot turn it off.

Google, on the other hand, victimized people by introducing an AI(Artificial Intelligence) named CADIE and an "autopilot" tool for its gmail. There's also the Google Brain Search Tool that supposedly uses CADIE to scan and index the user's brain. CREEPY and FUNNY.

And finally, who can forget Youtube. This year, their prank is that when you view the video everything would be upside down. Even text for comments and titles are upside down. Smart people those Youtube web designers. To emulate the April fools joke, just add &flip=1 to the end of the URL you are trying to view. They even put up a page on how to view these flipped videos.

These ideas are how I like April Fool tricks to be. Simple but funny.

Cheap Chow

This weekend, news was shown about this journalist named Cheap Chow, errr... Chip Tsao who released an article about his views on the Spratly Ownership Issue between China and the Philippines. In the article, he called our country a "nation of servants".

This morning I was doing my morning routine of looking at news in inquirer and reading blogs of people and I saw a copy of the article posted in Gerry's blog (this guy has some interesting blog entries). The article has been taken down but you can read it at Gerry's.

This guys has written many "satire" articles which readers might call racists. This was actually at least the second time he has made racist remarks against Filipinos. The other one that I know of, also from the same publication, was made as an insult to Chinese made products. This was at the height of the poisoned milk controversy. You can read the full article here. In this article, he has made remarks of Pinoy nurses. Another article was about Western foreigners in China and how they are now not "fashionable" for HK women. You can read it from Friskodude's entry.

This guy just doesn't learn, doesn't he? I hope your Pinay maids are kind enough to not retaliate on your Cheap Chow, Mr. Tsao.

Sino Iboboto mo?

With the upcoming Philippine 2010 elections, it is only normal in our beloved country to discuss candidates even if it's still more than a year before the actual elections. Potential candidates at this time would start "Stealth Campaigning" (although stealth is a fallacy, kapalmuks eh) to determine if they have the capability to fool... errrr... convince people that they are the right ones for the job. At this point, I haven't seen any candidates yet that could help my motherland gain her dignity back. Viewing the news and seeing these potential candidates do their PR things, I realized what my standards are for my chosen candidates. I remember Carlos P. Romulo. Now this guy is a true hero for me. If he had run today I would have voted for him.

Years ago I read an article about him from Reader's digest (1989) I was walking around the mall one day and bought those cheap reader's digest compilations from a second hand bookstore. It so happened an article of Romulo was there. There were some anecdotes and the one that really captured my mind was the story about the UN flag. It turned out that there is a "dot" in the UN flag that was supposed to be the Philippines due to the insistence of Carlos Romulo. Now that is what you call true love for country. Simple, yes, but so meaningful. That story told me to fight for your country's dignity, even in simple ways. If there is any candidate as nationalistic as him, I can be assured that our country will survive.

Barack's budget priorities and Pinoy's Stagnancy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I just watched Obama's second prime-time news conference and there was this question that gave me nostalgia of how our country was decades ago.

The question voices out the critic on White House budget which focus on education, health-care, and energy. The answer of Obama clearly shows what made him win the presidential elections: improving education, health-care and energy makes people grow.

This made me remember of how we were as a country. Decades ago, I remember going to IRRI for our field trip. I remember seeing the research done by the institute. I remember seeing many Thai and other foreigners that were at the institute to learn about IRRI's findings. Now, Thailand is one of the leading exporter of rice in the world. We, however, have become one of the biggest importers. The "teacher" has been surpassed by her "student". What happened?

Let's face it. One of the reasons for this is that Filipinos have gone stagnant. Science and technology evolved around us while we are concerned with politics. There are two reasons that I believed caused this. One, the government priorititized giving people food (not to mention robbing people's money lol) and Two, people became too contented of living the way they were living. In very simple terms, the people and the government have focused on picking food from the tree and not how to plant the tree. We rely on the "environment" providing us our food rather than producing it ourselves. When food runs out and no one helps us, we are dead.
For instance, I believe that signing international business agreements to find our workers jobs is not a good idea. We are now a country running on OFW remittance because of this. I hate that we are the world's source of laborers, maids and factory workers. We've become soooo dependent to other countries.

I just dread the day when our country becomes a bunch of "stone-age" people watching political drama in TV after a day of being slaves to "high-tech" foreigners.

R.I.P Master Rapper

Thank you for "Mga Kababayan ko" , "Kaleidoscope World" etc and all the good things you did for our country. Rest in peace Kiko.

Who are Filipinos?

This was THE question asked by Anthony Bourdain several times to different Filipinos who guided him throughout his tour around the Philippines in a quest to taste what is pinoy. And frankly speaking, similar to most Filipinos, would find it hard to answer this question. We have always had an identity crisis. With all the cultures we've been exposed to, as well as media influence, we have really lost the definite answer to who we really are. What trait is uniquely pinoy? The best answer for me is the answer given by Bourdain's Cebu guide. I think I would have given the same answer. What he was saying was that Pinoys easily and readily adapt to whatever situation there is. The culture is kinda secondary and is readily subdued in order to survive. Well, not necessarily bad though it may have some dire consequences in the future.

Hmm... makes me kinda wonder about that last statement. Is the reason for our poverty somehow connected to the notion that Pinoys are slowly adapting to being poor? I wonder...

The best thing about this coverage is that Pinoy food has been featured. And Anthony always had SMB Pale Pilsen in his hand. Way to go... Gosh seeing all that crispy awesomeness made me hungry...

Dragonball Movie

The new Dragonball: Evolution film is a case of directors and writers not knowing where their movie is based on. The story is quite far from what the anime originally is. The actors' portrayal of different characters is way way different from how these characters are written in the original story. This movie is marketed more for the special effects than the story. People might watch this simply for the curiousity in the title. I'm guessing all the fans and followers of this classic anime would be very much dissappointed like me. Dragonball started in me the love for japanese animation. Not Astroboy, not Voltes V, not Daimos. Don't get me wrong, Daimos and Voltes V are good. But Dragonball makes one want to watch the episode because the story is based on arcs, unlike Daimos and Voltes V where episodes are practically "stand-alone" except for the beginning and final episodes. I'm guessing a number of people would still go watch this. I imagine two people coming out from cinemas: (1) people disgusted (people who actually know the story) (2) amazed at the effect (people who haven't watched a single episode of DB).

Some people might say that, like Transformers, this movie is just an adaptation. Well I say this, at least the Transformer movie still followed some of the original transformer facts. And also at least the robots look similar to the original bots and created nostalgia among fans. This movie however would say, "wow, is that the monkeyboy Gokou?"

The cast suggestion below would have been better... I love the choice for Chao Zhu.

TV shopping gone wrong...

Today I'm feeling kinda down socially and professionally. Para akong nasa mundo ng orocan. Anyway, maybe I'll blog about that in the future...This video kinda cheered me up. Enjoy.

Panalangin ko sa habang buhay....

UP Student's Prayer

Now I lay me down to study
I pray the Lord I don't go nutty.
And if I fail to learn this junk,
I pray the Lord I do not flunk.
And if I die, don't bury me at all,
Just lay my bones on the study hall.
Pile my books upon my chest,
And tell my profs I did my best.
So now I lay me down to rest,
And pray I pass tomorrow's test.
And if I die before I wake,
That's one less test I have to take.
Amen.


This prayer made me cheer up and saved my ar** so many times back then. God, I never thought I'd miss UP days. Back then I was thinking I missed highschool days. Now, i miss UP days and highschool days. How time flies. When I return home for vacation, I'll definitely go back to Diliman and eat in all the places there. I'd probably lie down in sunken garden and reminisce.

Slumdug Celebration

As I remember the plot of Slumdog Millionaire, I wonder if some of my fellow Pinoys felt the same way as the contestant while watching the 6/49 Lotto draw. To the two people who won, congratulations. Use the money well. Ingat sa nanghihingi ng balato.

Van Halen's Invincible Guitars

This guitar is promoted to be a toughie just like Eddie. Its called the EVH Wolfgang, named after his son and current bassist of Van Halen. With some parts made from materials used to make medical equipments, this guitar promises to endure Eddie's lick tortures. This baby costs about $3000. Doesn't look anything special but heck I'd want one. lol.

Still, Eddie breaking volume and tone knobs looks cooler. Let's face it, destroying a guitar in a performance without banging it on the floor is ownage!

Classic Rock And Roll of Honour Awards

This is a shout out to everyone, all Pinoys or non-Pinoys, do vote for Journey's album "Revelation" as the classic rock album of the year.

Haven't really been a fan of Journey because it wasn't in my era but I like some of their songs. Their songs served me in those senti nights during my highschool days. Having Arnel Pineda as the new lead vocalist brought a new sort of atmosphere for the band. It made the band somehow recognizable to younger generations like me. Contrary to what some people say, his voice is not exactly similar to Steve Perry. There's something more youthful and appealing to younger generations. I guess that's why their album became a platinum hit. I gotta get a hold of that album. If I can find it here in Korea.

Good luck Arnel! Hope you don't change your humble personality. And a piece of advice. Try not to guest in corny Pinoy variety shows where various artists sing with you. It kinda ruins your coolness. Don't became a "pinoy pop" artist. Cheers.

Cavite Explosion

Another tragedy for Pinoys. Amidst economic scares, this thing should happen. I am sympathetic to those affected and I hope they get back on their feet soon. To the families of the dead, I extend my condolences.
This tragedy makes me wonder how this happened. I am very much sure that in the ensuing investigation after all the commotion, turuan na naman yan. Safety standards are quite low in our country. I fear more now especially in these times of economic downturn. I am sure most companies would have cost-cutting measures planned. And most of these measures would probably lead to downgrading safety, especially in low-profile companies. I hope this tragedy does not happen again. It's hard to ask at these times but safety first before profit.

We watched Slumdog Millionaire weeks before. This lunar new year holidays, I bummed myself out and found myself watching an episode of Wowowee. Then it hit me how similar the hosts of shows that give away money behave. Almost all episodes show the host making fun of contestant's poor fortune and commoner looks to provide humorous content to their shows. I just hope these so called contestants do still have dreams other than being chosen as "lucky" contestants in these gameshows. In these time of mass lay-offs, I hope Juan dela Cruz would find a way to find a job or start their own enterprise. This is what is needed for our country to rise. Not putting our hopes in winning a gameshow. As Dely Atay-Atayan famously exclaimed, "John, Magsumikap ka..."

Pinoy Heroes

Nice. This is one of those videos that are like "sapul hanggang kaluluwa". Too bad that those people that should watch this video are too manhid already. I have the same sentiments as these OFWs. Mind you, these are OFWs who would have stayed at home if there are better opportunities. OFWs who don't forget their root. Not "migrants" but OFWs. This is an "in your face" video of how they actually feel. I talked to a lot of OFWs where I am now and they would give anything just to have a stable job back home. I know all their sufferings in their work; the discrimination, the low pay (based on foreign standards) , the loneliness. "Masuwerte ka estudyante ka dito" is what they always say to me. They don't need a heroes' welcome. What they would be happy about is to see when they step out of the airport are changes. Changes in the country that would give them a chance to work at home and be with their families. I just hope that in the near future (hopefully in the upcoming elections) a new bayani would rise up. A hero that is located at home and improving the country for the future. So that our current heroes can finally go home.

Cheesy First Love

Pinoys are the cheesiest people in the planet as can be seen in this advertisement of McDonalds. I don't exactly know when this ad came out. I just saw it yesterday at a pinoy video streaming site. "Huling El Bimbo" was the background track and it caught my attention. The cheesiness is so high one can either turn into something gooey in nature or puke all the cheeseburgers, fries and sundae ice cream one has eaten in his/her entire life. For most pinoys, it would have been the former. Even the most brutal and macho kabaros would give a smile upon watching this ad. That's one of the things I love about pinoys. In a relationship, romanticism is one of the key items to make it work. I've talked to some foreigners in my stay outside of the country and they usually say they like Filipinos because they are hopeless romantics. Try strolling around malls and public areas, and you'll see the place populated by corniest couples doing their things. Maybe you'll see me and cookie. I'm proud to say, "Corny kami, ano pake mo!"

Its the return of the comeback! LoL

I was happy hearing the news about the reunion concert part 2 by the Eraserheads. I was watching the news (24 oras) from a streaming site, listening to "common" Pinoy news (robbery, etc) when BOOM, the news anchor announced that the most influential band in the Philippines would be having their second reunion concert on March 2009.

After that my brother messaged me through Yahoo saying he will go. DAMN YOU! I won't be able to attend again similar to the original reunion concert. There's no way for me to go back to Pinas at that time. I wish it would be held in December so I can have the opportunity to reminisce while listening to their song. But if that happens, a mass protest bigger than EDSA II or III combined would be mobilized by the fans. I guess I'd have to satisfy myself with youtube videos again.

So for the loyal fans of Eheads, support the concert. This might be the last as mentioned in the article(I DO HOPE NOT). And please take good videos and upload soon (Para sa masang di makapanood) . I'll be waiting!!!

Seven Pounds . . .

I am thankful I was very busy the night I decided to watch this film. I have a habit of checking movie information on google or wiki before watching a film. Kinda weird, I guess, but that's me. Anyway, I was busy that time so I did not check the details of the movie. Lucky for me since this movie is all about the "catch".

This movie is actually well made. Though it may have been a box-office hit. Probably because it was shown during the festive season, and frankly, this is not a movie that can make you feel the holiday cheer. This movie is about someone who due to guilt decided to end his life while making 7 people happy. The guilt was from being the person responsible for an accident that killed his fiancee along with 6 more people. The start to middle of the movie leaves one guessing what are the relationships of the characters to Tim's (Will Smith) life. By the middle of the film, you begin to connect the 911 call at the start of the movie and the movie title. This movie was nice, in my opinion. Though critics gave this low ratings. Well, they're professionals, I guess, so props for that. However, the sense of not knowing anything about the movie is important to the enjoyment of watching this.

However, a question I would ask (and I'm sure it has been asked a number of times) is do we see Tim as a hero for saving people's lives even if it means committing suicide? Do hopelessly depressed people have a justification to commit suicide if they can donate organs/help people in the process of doing so?

I'm not implying that the movie is morally wrong. This movie is a fictional story that made me think. In the world, suicide cases have risen in number noticeably. Depression is continually spreading like a plague. It made me think of a theory that depression might be the end of human race. The disease that would kill us all. Well if that ever happens, we Filipinos might be the one of the last race to perish.

And if we do perish, we might die laughing...

Undisciplined Devotion

I was watching SAKSI from a streaming site and I can't help but comment about the Black Nazarene Procession that is celebrated every year at Quiapo Church, Manila. In this occasion, millions of devotees endure claustrophobic situations and human stampede just to get a chance at touching the statue with their hankerchief , and/or be able to pull the carosa. In this event, hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people get injured. This year, about 200 people got injured. Luckily, unlike in previous years, no one died.

There were comments in the video I was watching debating on whether to be ashamed of this practice or not. I take the side of those ashamed. Don't get me wrong. I'm not ashamed of the devotion. I don't have anything about the devotion part. I actually admire them because, in these times when the economy is poor and finding some money for food is as difficult as enduring the Quiapo procession, they were still able to have a strong faith in God. My father also has a devotion to the Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran so I understand the feelings of these people. What I cannot understand (and what I am ashamed of) is the lack of discipline. Do they really need to push and injure each other? Is it the devotion or the violence that gives them hope? Its like the survival of the fittest in the Safari. In the Spanish times, this is valid. We are now in modern times. A system can be implemented (knock, knock people from the gov't) that can efficiently control the crowd so that all can wipe, touch or pull the carosa. A system that would be fair to everyone.

I admire devotion. But I'm tired of injuries and death. I honestly believe that even God might be looking at it the same way. Death or injuries in this is not doing it for God, it is doing it for ourselves. I'm ashamed because this shows a lot of ourselves as a Filipino. Even for this event we are undisciplined. In addition, those few who are disciplined enough, can't help it but be carried by the flow because they're stuck in the middle, pushed by the selfish, undisciplined people. I hope next year there would be fewer injuries. Fewer casualties. So that we can start focusing on achieving our goals rather than tending the wounded.

Ploning

"Wow"
This was the first thing me and cookie exclaimed after finishing this movie. One word that can summarize everything that we feel for the movie.

No offense to anyone but when I first heard about the movie in Inquirer, I was quite indifferent about it. Well, maybe I was looking down a little on it. Well, can you blame me? For my taste, there were only quite a few Pinoy movies that actually made me feel proud to be "pinoy". Maybe because Philippine films can be so low budget and most stories are shallow. The last pinoy movie that I really liked was Jose Rizal by Marilou Diaz-Abaya starring Cesar Montano. However, this "like" was more for the screenplay and directing rather than the story itself. We all know our national hero's history and all (Still, nice movie though). The rest of the movies, in my opinion, are mediocre at most. I am not a movie critic. I judge a movie only by two things: 1) effects and 2) predictability. I like a movie where I cannot guess what is going to happen next. I mean, I am a viewer not the director. Sorry to say most of the Philippine movies are predictable.

Ploning has some level of unpredictability to me. From the opening scene, with the haunting song of Ploning, my attention was immediately caught. Dante Nico Garcia and company did a marvelous job hiding the key elements of the story. I was like, is Muo Sei really Thomas? Sure at 1/4 of the movie, he is revealed to be Rodrigo which one can guess to be Digo. But call me stupid, but the other events I was not able to predict. It was like a slow joke building up to a sensational punchline.

Also, one thing I like about this movie is how the actors did their job. Although I'm not a fan of Juday, she did quite well. The rest of the cast was simply amazing. What's different in Ploning from other Philippine movies is that the way actors acted was so so natural. It was as if you're watching an animal planet hidden camera observing how Cuyonan people live. It was surreal. The child Digo played by Cedric Amit was like seeing your brother or nephew from a video camera recording. Bibo, ika nga.

Finally, Muo Sei, with his distant looks, makes you feel that you want to go home. This movie made me remember of the native province of my parents, Lubang. Like my father always told us, no matter where he is, he will always want to contribute to Lubang. No matter how small the contribution. This makes one remember our roots and the happy times we spent at home.

This movie get 5 thumbs up from me. I hope they win the Academy award (I think). I'll be cheering for this one. Good luck guys.

This is absurd

Something crazy happened today. I mentioned in the previous post that I already quit WoW (at least for now). This morning, my college friend and WoW gamer YMed me about seeing my toon in Azeroth last night? HOLY COW! So despite my bumming schedule, I accessed my account to clear the mystery. Lo and Behold, some shitty guy charged my account with their own credit card. So naturally, I AGAIN cancelled the subscription. Lucky for him I was in a good mood or I would have changed the subscription to cover my account for 6 months recurring. Sheesh. So I cancelled the subscription, changed everything, email etc. After that I emailed blizzard in a semi-irrate manner. I was hoping to have a peaceful life after WoW. But even if I already cashed out, some dumb person would still have the nerve to charge up my account (I'm guessing that the credit card wasn't even his/hers) and somehow get my items. TOO BAD FOR YOU, I ALREADY GOT HACKED BEFORE QUITING!

This entry I guess is a statement for my earlier entry. I was right to stop playing this time. For good? We'll see...

The Why's of Quitting WoW...

The first reason why I started blogging was because I stopped playing WoW. Since I don't have anything interesting to do with the free time I gained for quitting WoW, my guardian angel (cookie) forced...errr... suggested to spend my idle time on blogging.

Playing this game has slowly turned to something of a frustration to me instead of an enjoyment. So for this entry, here are reasons why you should quit WoW. No offense Blizz...

• WoW is a game of wasted time. If you actually think about it, your actual playing time in WoW is about 30-40% of what you paid for. Why? Because 60% of the time you spend on log-in queues, maintenance days, rolling restarts and more importantly TRAVEL TIME. I'm not actually sure if maintenance days or restarts are reimbursed but even disregarding that, log-in queues and travel time can still account to 50% of your paid game time. Businesswise, Blizz ppl are geniuses. It is a "world" so of course travel is essential. But on the otherhand, I have wasted a lot (and I mean a LOT) just to get some deer antlers for a quest. Sheesh...


• Security in WoW is TERRIBLE! I have been hacked 3 times in 2 years of playing the game. Hacked meaning I lost items, gold and practically speaking precious time because some smart-ass players got to my email. Well, sure I got exposed to viruses. So not entirely their fault. And I honestly cannot dedicate my PC for pure WoW gameplay so I'm sure to be infected with some viruses once in awhile. But I know millions of users are the same as me. I did what security bulletins suggested. I cleaned my PC, installed several anti-virus programs and firewall softwares. The only advisory I did not follow was to not access third party websites which in my opinion is absurd (by the way I never access gold seller websites and add-on sites) . The security bulletins from blizz ain't enough. Surely some other ways are implementable.


• Support is lacking for some countries. There I was hacked and all. Still I didn't blame Blizz. So I decided to take some action on my own. By the third hacking incident, I was quite sure that security advisories were not enough to solve my problem. So I decided to purchase the well publicized Blizz authenticator. Wait for it.... this is not purchaseable in the country I'm at.

There are other minor issues also but I don't want to nag about those. These three are enough reason for me to call it quits. WoW can be really fun and addictive. For me it was a stress-reliever after work. I may play again in the future (maybe if I can order the authenticator) but, for now, Arthas would have to wait.

Oh and another thing, damn blizz for nerfing Locks!

Pasakalye...

This entry has long been overdue... After almost a month of bumming around, nakapublish na rin kami ng isa. This blog is about our daily adventures, escapades, and numerous failed attempts at greatness... Sa madaling salita, ito ay isang portfolio ng aming mga karanasan, obserbasyon at opinion. Hindi kami mga bihisa sa pagsulat at hindi namin hinahangad na maging isa sa mga sikat na bloggers. Salamat sa pagbisita. Follow us into our world of Nips.