Here's the view from Marge's new place. We're practically neighbors but I'm too hermitty to even go far from the condo.


The place is really nice because there's a lot of space :} that's her guitar over there. Reminds me of the time we went to the same guitar school -- and never improved by much, lol


Let me have this solemn moment to contemplate on these two sachets of milk tea -- it's given to me by a really good buddy-officemate. Hope things are going well for you man!


I normally just ignore this establishment since I'm not really a bread person ...


... but when I took a closer look, I felt like grabbing those delectable treats. Fortunately, the lure of DotA is much, much greater, lol

Music is the shorthand of emotion. - Leo Tolstoy Here's to something about a good change from all that bands and balladeers.

First I've seen Sitti in promotion ads in those cafes at the Podium, and I was like, "What is she"? Model? Musician? Turns out, I was right on the last part. It's a must these days to succeed in the music industry to be also ... attractive. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's the commercialized package. However, and you can quote me on this, there's something not quite hackneyed with this one. I mean if you were, your songs would be those bland ballads or some stupidly souped-up revival of a classic (or a revival of some obscure catchy one) by means of high notes and power shrieks. No, no, this one has flavor -- it's bossa nova. Let's take a trip to some info from wikipedia Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music created by João Gilberto and first introduced in Brazil by Gilberto's recording of "Chega de Saudade", in 1958, a song written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, first released as a single, and shortly thereafter as the album by Gilberto, bearing the same title as the song (1959). With João Gilberto as "guru", bossa-nova acquired a large following right away, comprised of young musicians, as well as fans, mostly young people, often college students. Later on, people of all ages and of all walks of life have also become admirers of the style. Yeah, at first I thought it was Italian, but nonetheless Latin origins can't be that far away (correct me if Brazil is considered to be Latin American). The music itself is originally played in a classic guitar-driven form. Which is always good to my ears being a guitar lover myself (minus any skill whatsoever). The thing about this is it always gives me a feeling that this will be heavily played in hotel lounges til your ears bleed. In a gentle way of bleeding ears ofcourse, but still I think the smoothness is enough to induce enough alpha waves in your brain. Okay, now back to Sitti, lol. I've heard about five of her songs to date, and might I say, it's good stuff to listen to in a workplace like mine. My favorite one, and hope I hear it often is that bossa nova form of a Tagalog song, of which I will yet to know the title. It's airplayed in radio, and unfortunately I have yet to find the recording features of my 3230. Ah well, here's to bossa nova, and my hunt for that song!

.

It's been cool (more like, hot), it's been grand, and it's been memorable. This actually is the first time in my hermitty life I did something for my summer and might I say, the adventure was good.

Which makes me want to go back into my hole all the more, lol. Anyway, here are some random tidbits in the life of the hermit.


Flores de Mayo passing through our street. Yeap, I was lounging in the computer rental shop below our condo. Along with a bunch of noisy, smelly kids. Which makes me smelly as well.


The same view at day time. Quiet eh? But not behind me. The same noisy, smelly kids are still there. Everyday. They cuss a lot too. Somewhere in heaven, angels lose their wings at an alarming pace.


The same street, viewed from outside. Our condo is on the left at the far distance. Couldn't see it because of the bright lights.


I went to play somewhere else, and the little guy beside me thinks the world is his mouse pad. Look, look. It's helluva funny and bothersome at the same time.


This is my dream house. It's for sale. And is just around the corner from our condo, really accessible from Boni circle. Guess I need to sell my kidneys for Php2M each just to get this crib.

Gee, some angsty mood I have today -_-

I think
That the cruelest trick
The world played on me
Is that I understand the world
Truly and sincerely
It's just that
The world doesn't understand me
Nor would it even try to
It doesn't know my gloom

Sometimes
I'm just too jaded
To care and be lenient
So I
Wrap myself up
In blankets and self-assurance
Convincing myself
That I don't need the world
To tell me I'm whole

I once read
Don't love anything
That can't love you back
It sounds reasonable
Only to realize
It's too contractual
And limiting
And it kills passion
Then again who needs those?
Fools and heroes?
I am none of both

Just leave me be
I detest the world
I am out of pretense
I want out
- Q.Montejo

Haven't freestyled a poem in a long while. Here's an allegory.

Should I go with this
Rollercoaster ride?
One that I have ridden
So many times before
All I have after it is
The pain in my head +_+

I never asked myself
If I was doing it wrong
Step on a train
And go for the ride
That was my motto
I am my worst spoiler
Bringer of my own demise

It never occured to me
To stop -- and spare myself
This rollercoaster ride
Isn't all that bad
It isn't all that good either
Never was cynical
Not exactly optimist either

Guess I just want
The breeze to pass me by
As the car goes for
The screaming descent
Frightful isn't it?
Yet delightful altogether

Sometimes I scream
Too soon for the fall
Other times, too late :)
Could be this time
It'll be alright

Or ...

Maybe I should just
Go home and sleep
Lie down and realize that
My heart is just the same
Always going for the ride
Never wisening up anyway

Here I am talking about that damnable MMORPG, RAN Online.

Yeah, it's not the best looking out there, and God knows how severely crippled the character renders are, but the writer in their website can ... write. I love good words put together you see, and the way they use them there makes me want to play the game some more.

No, it's not a subliminal way of getting you to your nearest computer rental shop by injecting your eyes with words like "Play now" or "We are cool" or "This game will blow your mind away" or any of that shit. This one actually uses words like "democracy" and "anarchy". It's almost political in its way of conveying how that virtual world works like in real life, but with lots of brutal maimings ^_^

A bit of an interesting factor is that its free. Which means, neanderthals like me as well as snotty 11 year olds can play the game. Unfortunately perhaps, is that the game is a cesspool of rotten people. Oh there are some good eggs, but then again putting a fresh apple in a basket of rotten ones has pretty predictable results.

Then again, I like it that way. Almost role-playing my hermitty tendencies and proceeding to dismember wandering spirits alone and watching other people do the same. The battles can be glorious at higher levels, or so I reckon. With the GMs conducting events while gangs (yes, gangs! This is a school simulation in the first place) orchestrate attacks on other schools.

Mmm, blessed are the broadbands.

Now what to add to the experience? One word, baby: music. No you cannot rely on the in-game BGMs. If your phone has music capabilities (like mine) or some portable mp3 player handy, things can get going for the gaming experience. Yeah, pump up the volume and you'll know what I mean.

Damn it, what an epic battle ... again XD

Those techies were fun to use. Good thing my tanker was able to tank.

Now there's the matter of my int brawler. I really only want to use just one and have it go to high levels. Knowing me, I'd be so capricious as to have changed chars many times before sticking to one that is almost 'perfect'. Sometimes choosing a name for a char takes time itself XD hehehe

I want to know if it was a waste mastering that Ronin Slash too early. If not, I'll delete the brawler. Then again, he has a cooler name. ~_~ Add to the fact that, there's probably lotsa swordsmen already out there, and that int brawlers would be rarer :)

*ramble ramble*

Okay, delete the int swordsman. My second char would be an out of this world shaman. That is, after I get EaterOfOni to high-o levels. I'll name her ... wait a minute, she wears a Chun-li dress. Blech ... will think about it.

Anne took this picture while I was 'busy' working XD


"... how to use Leshrac the Tormentor, hmm ..."

I'll get revenge on you yet XD

~~~

On other news, it's DotA time! And after that, RAN Online!

(RAN Online is another crappy Korean MMORPG, but I still love it because I can relive my Tenjo Tenge fantasies)

Hoo-hah!

I was at the basement of St. Francis Square getting myself a nice merienda of tuna burger and fruit shake, when I discovered a job fair is going on. I was a bit curious as to which stall has the most applicants.

Care to guess?

No, not the one with the big names, but the one who has the most attractive female attendant taking people's resumes.

Weirdly enough, the first thought that came into my mind was, "Feh, fiendish marketing ploy". If I was any younger, I would be with those applicants in line myself XD

Ahh, getting old. All I need now are weak knees. And an ever growing cynicism for the world.

Forgot to take a picture though, before I thought of blogging it.

I'm a kid of the rustic provinces.

My desires simple, and the most spectacular scenery is our backyard. That is, a vast plantation of coffee trees as far as the eye can see (well you can't see past a hill anyway).

December is the harvest season for coffee. And that's the same time the trees bloom to get ready for next year's generation of beans. Before you sell those beans to vendors (like Nestle for example), you have to dry it, skin it, and roast it. The latter two not usually done on our patio.

But let's go to the tale part.

During the mornings, after the harvesters carry sacks of freshly picked coffee beans, we spread them across a flat surface to dry them in the sun. Raw coffee beans range from green to red in color, depending on ripeness, green being the 'less-than-ripe' kind.

And when dusk comes, we gather them up again and collect them into mounds where they can easily be covered, or somewhere with a roof. We do this so the beans won't get wet in case it rains, as moisture can cause molds to grow thus spoiling the coffee. Also, if it's in mounds, it's pretty nifty that they generate warmth for some reason, thus speeding up the drying process even in the coldness of December nights.

No single bean is left in the patio, as each bean really counts.

The routine continues until the bean coating turns black and when you shake them, you'll hear the bean rattling inside. That's when it is ready to be sent to a skinning plant, and roasted afterwards.

The End.

Okay, I do have one tidbit to blog about ...

I'm in a new workplace! Now I'm located somewhere more isolated, and more dingy than ever! Yes, it brings out the goth in me!

Well, okay, maybe not totally ecliptical. But I think this will satisfy my need for change in the meantime.


The left side view from my workplace. That's the reception area by the door. Notice we have three clocks, Minnesota, Manila, and Oregon. For the life of me, I dunno why they're there. We don't even have clients in Oregon ~_~

Looks like I couldn't blog the way I like ~_~ sigh


It's clever, but is it Art? - Rudyard Kipling

To think I have lotsa topics inside my head, some sensational, some trivial, but altogether interesting. But anyway, I'm exclusively linking my exploits since March. Sometimes it tickles my mind how long this blog will be around, and then there I am, reminscing the sites and sounds of it all.


Til my next adventure! Domo arigato gozaimasu!

May all of you live in interesting times! - Con "Rock the Boat" Fucius

This is to flush out whatever gloom I have lingering about. For once, I'm excited and looking forward to next week ^_^

It's alright, I'm okay ...

Yeah, guess there are somethings only God can explain ^_^

Been a long road to follow
Been there and gone tomorrow
Without saying goodbye to yesterday


Are the memories I hold still valid?
Or have the tears deluded them?


Maybe this time tomorrow
The rain will cease to follow
And the mist will fade into one more today


Something somewhere out there keeps calling


Am I going home?
Will I hear someone singing solace to the silent moon?


Zero gravity what's it like?
Am I alone?


Is somebody there beyond these heavy aching feet?
Still the road keeps on telling me to go on


Something is pulling me ...


I feel the gravity ...
Of it all

- Gravity by Maaya Sakamoto
(OST Ending Sound Track, Wolf's Rain)

I've actually never described myself in bite-sized words, thinking this blog is more like a thought repository than anything else.

Oh well, placed it almost all of it up there. Look! Look!

And you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days


Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days


So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again


And it's someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive


And the one poor child that saved this world
And there's 10 million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them


So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again


I wish everyone was loved tonight
And somehow stop this endless fight
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days


So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

- Better Days by the Goo Goo Dolls

Had a meeting with the Heartbreakers Club last Saturday in Krok's after watching MI:3. Gee, the movie was fun at the most. Unfortunately, I didn't understand the twists of the story [somebody fill me up on that?].

Terrorist: "Ey guys, where in blazes are you?"
Pornographic Mind: "Duh, we're here in Glorietta, dumbass."
Terrorist: "Wtf? I thought we'll be in GB3?"
Pornographic Mind: "Weird, I messaged it as 'g4'"
Mister Lover Boy: (overhearing) "Well, I'm here ain't I?"
Terrorist: !@#!$%^@$^@#%@$#$
Mister Lover Boy: "Chicks." (while shrugging shoulders)
Pornographic Mind: "Yeah. Chicks."

I gave them their shirts I got for them in Palawan. Should've bought the same designs, hehehe. I'd sell their kidneys to the black market in an instant though.


These things are no longer having the desired effect. Dire times indeed ...

In my euphoric state of mind, which is not often lately, I am complaining about the lack of things to complain about [laki ng problema ko no?]. It's as if as numb as my limbs go when I'm intoxicated, my pain receptors are taking about a mile to travel to inform my brain when I should be saying "ouch" in the mere instant of a pin prick. But no, that's not to be the case.

I have a supreme lack of desire. For anything. Well, maybe not about MMOs, but you know? Stuff that matters? I used to tell myself that I'm in a permanent state of adolescence [thankfully, without the angst episodes]. And now it is so ingrained in me that I need to effing get out of it.


This is what my camera sees. It's pretty different with eyes with a lingering hangover

Perhaps, I'd be one of those rare people who'd say something like, "Wow, it's a beautiful gloomy day!" I love the cool, windy weather. Never mind the sun, it causes skin cancer anyway [tee hee]. To me it means hot cocoa, in front of the TV, watching some cool flick. It also means snuggling in bed and rolling on blankets like a buffalo in a mud bath.

Also, it's these kinds of weather that I get to dream a lot.

Yeah, for some paranormal trait of mine, this is when I get to have lots of dreams. Just last Sunday I have like five dreams total, each different from the other [slept at around 8pm]. No, they're not like omenous ones from some psycho freak show. They're more like a reflection of what I really wanted in life.

And the most interesting ones?

Ah yes, those. Dreams of what-could-have-beens. And dreams of where-are-you's. Of the two, the latter I want to avoid. Simply because, upon waking up, I can only half-remember it, but the emotion left in me is sadness. I think it's a remnant of a childhood yearning. Sort of like looking for a long lost toy, or a place I once visited and wanted going back there.

When I grew up, it turned into dreams of looking for people I wanted to be with. Yeah, it's a melancholic kind of aftertaste. I differentiate dreams from nightmares ofcourse. Even though nightmares are simply just a bad dream.

But anyway, June is but a fort night away. Last weekend's typhoon is but the first among many in our little tropical country.

The pictures are in! And it's a lot :)


Me and my guitar are at it again, this time my travels brought me to the rice terraces of yore

Since it's a lot, I'd better be gentle with page loading, and do it little by little, pepper my thoughts sparingly XD


Maybe someday I will truly be home ...


The place is majestic and beautiful, ladies and gentlemen. Better have healthy legs to enjoy the views

spE4Ce pREtZEL01: how do I end up being a therapist for all my old gfs
OMGIMJ4KE: comes with the territory
OMGIMJ4KE: same thing happened with mine
spE4Ce pREtZEL01: not that I mind, I love 'em all
spE4Ce pREtZEL01: collect 'em, trade 'em, show 'em to your friends
OMGIMJ4KE: gotta catch em all
spE4Ce pREtZEL01: Wendymon, I choose you! Bipolar attack!
OMGIMJ4KE: "Im happy! Now im sad!"
OMGIMJ4KE: Monster is confused!

kinky kinsey: oh yeah...wanna bet?
Steel: would i lose?
kinky kinsey: yes
Steel: then no. i dont wanna bet

Uncle_Istavan: I had some friends once but they keep leaving me
Uncle_Istavan: You there?

scytale: man, i suck at cooking
scytale: was cooking something, piece of food fell on the floor
scytale: dog ate it up, then threw up

risca> how do you spell world?
risca: as in "the whole world"
mixie: world

Went for beer last night.

Geez, haven't gone to places like Dencio's [not that I miss it] for the last three months o_O


Aww, they're wearing the bracelets I got for them in Sagada. Didn't notice I got them in pairs ^_^

Ahh, I still have a hangover ~_~

Last night, Caenden was like, "You are so not getting drunk this time dumbass." Which reminds me why I decided not to drink myself silly anymore.

And I went, "Aaaawwwwww T_T." I've managed to slip a few swigs from bottles while they were not looking though XD

~~~

It's raining :)

My original element. People hate it when it rains. I don't ^_^ ofcourse, I only love the rain, not the flood that comes with it o_O

I hope the humidity drops when I get back home.

By all accounts, my nature is to be a loner. When I was a kid, people scare me and I avoid crowds. I just usually go about my own way poking stuff out of curiousity. An expression of individualistic freedom.

Oh, but where the hell have I been the past few months? To answer that, I've been hermitting. Which often means, I am just around. Only, I do not want to see anyone familiar. With circles of friends hunting for my ass, I knew it will come to a boiling point somehow. And NO, I did not do anything immoral, be it carnal or criminal, to decide being a recluse. God knows how some people will be hitting me with a club spiked with nails for being away too long [with all honesty I'd still want to hermit some more and finally grow a beard]. I'm just around. I just might pop in during one of those drinking sprees XD

Just a few more mediocre things I see, romanticizing them and making them significant.


This is an overpass in Ortigas. It's well lighted and has escalators. What makes it significant? It's the only one that plays music through a speaker in the ceiling


The individual is everything, everything is the individual: this bug in Sagada is called a salaguinto, perhaps a subspecies of the salagubang only it has a lustrous, irridiscent carapace -- spectacular to look at for pseudo-entomologists like me


I took this picture for one sole reason -- it reminded me of a time when I was at my most depressed state, and I was staring blankly like a zombie at all the passing buses and structures, the song My Immortal running constantly in my head


The ceiling fan in my home in Cavite. It's supposed to be functional still, but the pull switch got torn off and now we couldn't get the darn thing work. So I guess it's now a place for spiders doing there Tarzan practice


My workplace. Unlike all other techies, I'm the only who is NOT reading work-related material. And in my drawer, I have a nasty, nasty book about economic philosphers. Funny still, all of it bores me >_< I must have a taste for intellectual suicide

Sigh. I can't believe I'm holding a book ... to actually study! OMG! End times is near!

~~~

and so, I leave you all with an entry from bash:

<Andrew> woot
<Andrew> I just used my mastercard for the first time
<Andrew> I'm a man now.
<debian_> what u buy
<Andrew> purse

Lately, I've been having cravings for beef salpicao. And I've been getting them at Binalot, located just along the stretch of Boni. I walk there right from the MRT station.


Sometimes my mouth water just by thinking about this

Tender beef. Mildly but delectably sweet. Garnished with mushrooms. T_T

~~~

Most of us take for granted the beauty just around your home. We often go to other places just so we can witness a spectacular sunrise or that tear-inducing sunset.

I, on the other hand, need not go anywhere far. I can see one right outside the window.


Amidst the silhoutte of my neighbor's roofs, the sun rises in the east :)

Ofcourse, with the rising of the sun, I thought of playing my guitar. It is sort of a spiritual thing for me. When everything is quiet, and the only sound is the strumming of the strings and my voice [albeit throaty].


My guitar on the porch. Along with my roommates' towels and the clothes lines. Romantic urban setting eh?

Right then and there, I didn't know looking at things upon the misty ray of dawn gives things a gentle color outside.


I haven't really noticed that we have coconut trees growing around

Oh, but at night, when only the fluorescence of artifical lights are alive, the place I call home surprised me when I took its picture ...


The condo where I stay. It never is much, but I loved the simplicity of it all. Been here for more than 3 years. That's a computer rental shop at the foreground. Quite convenient since our room is just upstairs :)