| 10/23 rock you |
[Oct. 24th, 2009|02:14 am] |
I was going to comment on some of the changes that will happen in my life in the coming year. But as it is, I am a)too addicted to SF4 and b) too tired or bothered with work and c) confused and unwilling to make decisions yet. Or at least, commit them to blog.
So in the meantime, I'll just tackle the small stuff of interest.
***
The Manila-bound bus screened that awful Wolverine Origins movie the other day. I did my hardest to look away (and out into the window instead). It's a shame. X1 (which I also revisited recently) feels dated now, but I thought it was an admirable first attempt. It did put superhero movies back in the big league, if nothing else. I remember really liking X2 as well. X3 was mediocre. I think it was mostly the old director's fault, for jumping ship. (In the process, giving us a sucky X movie and a forgettable Superman one). I thought it wouldn't get worse than that, but Wolvy managed to pull it off.
What can I say? I like Deadpool to a fault too. It really pains me, what they did. He's the merc with a mouth, and yet towards the end...gah.
***
They bus hands did redeem themselves by showing concert DVD's thereafter.
Queen is incredible. Their front man (RIP) was really something. It's not hard to see why the Japanese got hooked.
Without Queen, there would be no Mike Haggar, and no Eagle. There would be no Sol. Heck, there would be no Guilty Gear in general.
and of course, this milestone in animated history would have not existed. |
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| 08-01, for Racewing/Fandomgreen |
[Aug. 5th, 2009|11:58 pm] |
I'm late a week. The times that I was on, I was at work and/or you were away. Happy birthday.
Your birthday log did make me sit down and think. Many of my old classmates have gone their separate ways. Many of them have their own families. A handful already have their own sons and daughters too! Crazy. My gang's mostly 20-25 year olds, but sometimes I do feel pretty old.
But then I've been thinking. Maybe it's really just a number after all. Sure, I work and do all the duties and responsibilities of someone my age, but otherwise I don't feel it at all. I guess what's important is that you feel good, and that's via a sound body and sound mind.
Hope you can enjoy the remainder of the year, man. It's been rough, but it's always nice to see you round. I've learned a lot from you and your crew, and I hope I can keep sharing things of interest.
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| Birthday greetings July 07 |
[Jul. 9th, 2009|11:33 pm] |
I was supposed to post this on Monday, but I was sick the past two days. Thankfully, it’s not the flu or anything, just the usual coughs and colds. The road to and from the office can get dirty, after all. Better late than never, I hope.
July 6
Today is Jennifer's birthday.
As with Kenneth, I first met her in 2006. I met her through her sister and her circle or friends. As with most first meetings, it was pretty awkward. I only knew her through Deviant Art and the message board(s) she and her sister frequented. I even remember my mistakes that day. I talked too much and probably came off as rude and over-familiar. Worse, I inadvertently opened a spare box of pizza. As such her friends help polish of pizza that was meant for her family. How embarrassing!
Thankfully, I was able to say sorry. The next few meetings were better. Thanks to her reminders, I was better behaved (and brought extra food). It was through these extra meetings that I got to know more about her. I became more comfortable in time.
It was during a December trip to I learned many things on the trip. The long hours on the buses and the stops beaches of Pangasinan and the Batad terraces were perfect places for debate, discussion, and getting to know a person more.
She wears her heart on her sleeve. She loves her family. She doesn’t really leave you guessing. She says – or shows- how she feels. She loves thought-provoking or heartwarming quotes and Bible passages. Most interesting of all, she and her siblings adored the Crocodile Hunter series, to the point that they'd imitate Irwin. (I thought I was the only one who liked the dude who did.)
Happy birthday once again, and thank you! You've affected my life in a positive way. Best wishes with regards to your current plans.
http://jophetism.multiply.com/photos/album/30/N._Luzon_Roadtrip_Part_2_From_Bolinao_to_Banaue#70
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| 6/25, reminiscing |
[Jun. 24th, 2009|09:37 pm] |
Kenneth was different. I suppose this adjective best describes him in a nutshell.
I first met him in 2006, He was one of Chloebs' friends too. He was quite unlike any other friend I knew. We clicked right away. It was common interests (mainly fighting games like Street Fighter, and all other things Capcom) that kept us connected. Outside common interests, he never ran out of things to discuss. He was talkative and animated. He was definitely the embodiment of this Filipino word: "makulit".
For the next few years, we saw each other at conventions, and video game casuals. His friends and my friends became inevitably intertwined.
He loved robots, Kamen Rider, and the like. He played a mean Alex in Third Strike, and he was one of those rare kinds of players who was comfortable and did well at fighting games while using a pad. He liked to think outside the box. His way of doing things (and even videogames) was at times unorthodox. His way with the ladies, moreso. He was one of the funniest people I knew when drunk. Most strikingly of all, he liked to laugh and live. He didn't mind what some people thought of him, and probably didn't care if there were people who laughed at him, and not with him.
I last saw Kenneth a few months ago. He accompanied Mhien and her band. I had a driver with me, and we fetched them from Alabang. They played a few songs for my club's event in LB. There was a never a dull moment. He and his friends helped kill the time with stories and fooling around in the car. Regrettably, I didn't hear from him in person after that (only via Facebook). Then the news hit me.
Thank you, Kenneth. I would have wanted to know you better. But you definitely touched my life in a number of ways. In the words of your favorite fighting game, Third Strike: see you next time, warrior. |
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| So that's the difference between us |
[Jun. 22nd, 2009|09:37 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | personal, random | ] |
| [ | music |
| | John Williams - Star Wars OST - The Imperial March | ] |
The funniest thing happened at the pantry the other day. The TV was on and a chick flick (or rom-com as it were) starring Hugh Grant and some other guys was playing.
The looks on people's faces were priceless. The women laughed really loudly at the scenes or were otherwise going "awwwww" at the characters. The men (those who paid attention anyway) stared blankly at the TV, just stopping short of making "uhhhhhhh" expressions.
It was great. It was funny, yet profound. I live for moments like these - seeing these little things in action. The whole chick flick deal is one of the great mysteries of the universe, and yet, it really needs no explanation. One just has to accept that the two groups of people will react in different ways.
I wonder what tomorrow will reveal. |
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| Random thoughts, 05/28 |
[May. 28th, 2009|12:15 pm] |
New shift starts later. It's only a few hours earlier than my previous one, so it should still be comfortable. Board exam-wise... I do hope I get motivated enough to hit the advanced Chem books soon.
Work's been challenging as always. I'm thinking of way to be slightly more efficient. That's what I like about my current job I guess. My boss and coworkers tell my that I (and collectively, the team) have been doing good, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.
I hope I can squeeze in some Street Fighter time after hours, though. I'm rusty. News of an SFIV cab in Makati certainly put me in good spirits. (Now, I hope they can fix one side of the cab asap.)
***
Speaking of SF, to the fans reading... I never knew that Flowchart Kens existed offline and in arcades too. I guess they started from there and pre-SFIV before they made their way to Live and PSN, huh?
*** I feel a sense of accomplishment whenever I get through a day, and go, "Oh, so that's what the name of that song is!" It doesn't have to be a song or a genre I like, as long as I can get it off my case.
Like this week for this instance, I got to tick off this and this off my list.
*** Last week, I went into a pizza parlor and ate alone as if it were a fast food joint. Bad idea. No, it wasn't the food (it was good), it was the ambience and experience. It was the first time I went to such a place alone and not eating with my family/friends, I wasn't ordering "to go" either. The feeling was certainly different. I guess certain places and events are meant for group affairs, or even dates.
On that note, finally got a Palm Card. It's going to be handy for parties and gettogethers.
***
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| progression |
[May. 12th, 2009|06:45 pm] |
I guess my friend is right. A couple of days hiatus from Facebook and my microblog will help. (Might as well jot that down here, if there's any overlap reading this journal who goes to those spots too and wondering about my absence.) I just need a little time to bounce back. No-one ever said it would be easy.
It just goes to show, there's still a lot to learn and still a lot ahead of me. Turns out I really do need to build, heal, and maintain my connections. If I don't have healthy relations with my family, my peers, the folks at the club, and the workplace, how do I expect to move on to the next big thing?
In fact, there's a small to-do list in my head right now.
-Excel at this job
-Study for (and ace) the Chem board exam
-Decide what I want to do once I do pass the above
-Keep up the current gym work, or even take it up a notch (I've lost several pounds, and I can afford to lose some more)
-Save up more money
-A PSP is looking good right about now, though
-To get better at the games I play. Now looks like a good time, seeing as how the fighting game revival is in full swing
-To find good/better competition, or travel to places that do have this
This is just the short came-to-mind-immediately list. It's the desire to improve my standing (and conceivably help and enrich people along the way too). It's the desire to be better tomorrow, and even better than that the following day. These, coupled with inspirations and muses, are what make life worth living.
What drives you? What keeps you moving from one day to the next? What makes today worth living, and makes you look forward to tomorrow? |
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| IMing is hard without the best friends |
[Apr. 21st, 2009|12:48 am] |
And it's lonely too.
Neo, get well soon.
Jun/ix_, I hope the Baguio trip is going well. Looking forward to playing you in SF4 again.
Joyce, best wishes. I hope you get the job(s) and camera(s) that you are gunning for.
----
More deep thoughts from Multiply. Bring back the auto-crosspost thing please. :( |
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| on a whim, testing out Google Chrome |
[Apr. 8th, 2009|05:16 pm] |
And it's pretty good actually. Kinda like a mix of the latest IE and Opera, but much faster, and hopefully with better stability. It's not on par with an extensions-laden Firefox yet, but it's lookin' good so far. It can only get better from here. I can't wait for future versions.
***
Well, after the shenanigans of last week, things have more or less normalized. I just hope I learned lessons from that one.
Anywho, the Multiply cross-post feature is acting funny, so for my LJ friends, here's my thoughts on this week:
http://paolonovero.multiply.com/journal/item/50/Life_is_pretty_funny_sometimes |
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| UP survey thingamabob |
[Mar. 26th, 2009|05:33 pm] |
Here's another one for my fellow UP alumni and alumnae.
I've always wondered why no-one ever uses alumna and alumnae anymore. Maybe "alumni" is like "guys" in the sense that it's come to refer to both genders now?
( And here we go. ) |
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| thoughts and musings, March 18th |
[Mar. 18th, 2009|10:06 am] |
I've been waiting for this moment all my life it's my destineeeeeeeee ...Sorry, where was I? *** Wow, time flies. The first quarter of the year is about to end. "Summer" (or "school's out" in Filipino terms at least) is definitely here. *** Well, I suppose I'm feeling a little down today. A bunch of mishaps here and there this past work week. I suppose it's just the acceptable amount of stress, and nothing to serious. That is, until I my wanders and enters unhappy childhood/teen category. Why can't I can let go of the small things? For me, it's the little details that stick to my mind the most. I guess I really am schizo at times. (or melancholy and sanguine... "melsan", as my old math teacher put it). I suppose my friend is right. The best that I can do when the HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO MEEEEH?! strikes is to just ride with it, blog about it, then laugh at it afterwards. Nothing good could possibly come out of taking it out on someone or something, or doing important things or making decisions while in this state. Choose to be happy. Choose the healthy, optimistic route. *** So many things I still want to do to change and improve myself this year. Quite a few things to rediscover, now that I'm out of college too. (Yeah! Just one year after the fact, and my mind and body still can't believe it.) I definitely want to work on my esteem and to-be-a-better-people-person issues. Should I take up drawing and/or writing again? How does one break out of disenchantment and a creative slump? Is there still an audience here? Or are people only here to look at the occasional funny picture or video? But I might as well end my post with this, to fill the quota! "I have no idea what you're talking about. So here's..."
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| March 6 |
[Mar. 10th, 2009|09:41 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | personal, work | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  nostalgic | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Turbo - Gigaton Punch | ] |
Another meeting. Boss came up with this random (and perhaps semi-serious) idea of saving up the team fund and using it to go on excursions.
boss: Say. What if I go on trip and attend a noontime show taping?
Naturally this elicited a few interesting responses. Some were excited over the prospect of such a trip. One of my colleagues (a band member and audiophile in his spare time) found it weird and humorous.
him: "Man, what's up with that? That sounds so strange."
For me, it was the perfect opportunity for a saying that I've been itching to use:
me: "Don't worry. Let them be. Those of us who don't care... will continue to not care."
***
"Man. It's 2009 already, huh?"
It was a pleasant coincidence on the ride home. I met a former classmate from college. I hadn't seen him in two years. We exchanged our looks of surprise and then our pleasantries.
As it turns out, he's a Chem teacher at a high school not far from my office. He says it's a fun (if tiring) experience. In return I shared stories of the BPO/call center life.
PS Apparently, teacher's salaries in this part of the world suck across the board, regardless of PRC license. :\
At any rate, I want to see if I'll fluorish in the academe (or in my major) in the future. |
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| People really do grow up and change, I suppose. |
[Mar. 1st, 2009|09:14 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | personal | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Soundgarden- Black Hole Sun | ] |
(sort of related to the past entry)
For the longest time, I was pissed at some people from my HS. Call it silly, but I just couldn't shake off some memories. Some of the more unsavory pranks, lies, and all manner of teen drama were still fresh in my mind. Boy, I really wanted to exact some Ben-Hur vengeance (or at least leave the proverbial burning bags of dog crap at offenders' doors). One day.
This all changed the other day when someone posted a ton of photos. I happened to be in that corner of the web. Soon enough, friends and former foes alike chanced upon the albums and began reminiscing. Most striking of all was how many laughed at the shortcomings of yesteryear, and admitted to their mistakes. It was a great time for all. The comments section became an impromptu e-reunion.
In effect, I saw how some people grew up and changed during the eight (almost nine) years since HS. It's funny how, without constant contact (or at least social networking like Facebook), folks from that past are frozen in time from your point of view. It softened my whole stance on the Ben-Hur thing that I was planning.
Meeting them again and seeing the changes opens a whole new world, and a whole new perspective. |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 6th, 2009|09:30 pm] |
The holy trinity of every Filipino outing- swimming (be it pool or sea), karaoke, and LOTS of food.
Last week, I went to a team-building activity. I went with my my boss and co-workers. It was held at one of the many resort houses (the locals like to call them "private pools") in Calamba, Laguna.
It was all I expected and more. A little swimming, lots of booze, lots of small talk, some (sort of) drinking games. Truth be told, I'm probably not a true Filipino if citizenship were gauged by love of karaoke/videoke... but screw it. I tried my hand at a few, it's their problem if they don't know the oldies that I sang.
Since it's team building, there was a serious side to it, too. I had a heart-to-heart and an airing of grievances with my boss and colleagues. (We all did.) Now, I know I've aired some of my problems regarding work here in the past. Basically, I did that in person. At the same time, I received feedback and critiques of my own. I'd like to believe that, thanks to this outing, we'll all become better.
Admittedly, I've things on my own to iron out and a lot of areas to improve. But I hope to get there this year! I suppose, if I'm set on achieving my goals this year, I'll have to start small and improve the little things, such as my relationships with the folks at work.
In fighting game nerd parlance:
"You gotta know your normals and specials before you proceed to learn combos." |
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| Happy Lunar New Year! |
[Jan. 26th, 2009|11:58 pm] |
Happy Lunar New Year!
As with Jan 1/the Gregorian New Year, today was a busy day for me. Lots of changes and movement. It's a little scary for some reason. But at the same time, it was a little exciting. Team at the office is doing great, and I'm striving for a lot of changes this year.
Speaking of which, I bought myself a little something to usher in the new year. Guess who is the proud new owner of what.
http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1082
I think I got a bargain. I checked Ebay and similar and holy cow. I only got it for a fraction of the advertised/suggested price.
As mentioned in the review, the paint job is funny and some parts seem to be really fragile, but I'm LOVIN' it so far. First time I could afford this on a whim, and I'm somewhat proud of it. She will go nicely on one of my shelves, or on my study desk.
I hope I don't go overboard with this. I do know that, figures-wise, I don't buy stuff just because, and stick to characters that I really like.
I also love this purchase because I did this in a reasonable amount of time. Sometimes, I'm too indecisive. I just had to get this to convince myself that I'd grab life by the ball this year, so to speak.
And yes, the irony. Could've gone with the cheaper Chun-Li ones on sale...
...
...
But to heck with that giant-legged tier abuser for now.
IS CAMMY BABBEE! WOOOOOOO |
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| Happy new year once again! |
[Jan. 6th, 2009|10:11 am] |
Back to work, and back to the old grind. I'm at a loss for words regards to the trip. I don't know how the rest of my life is doing, either. I guess these strips help say what's on my mind, but there's much more than this.
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| Yes, Festivus was the other day. |
[Dec. 25th, 2008|12:03 am] |
Truth be told, there's a lot I could rant about. For starters: the odd hours that I'm about, some of my peers, the wedding I went to and how many of my friends and relatives are petty and ultimately meddlesome. But I want to forget about these things. I want to ponder a few things faith-wise. For a day (or maybe a few days-- aside from work, the quick trip is on my mind), I just want to kick back, relax, and remain hopeful.
I want to have a peaceful Christmas day and a meaningful holiday break. I wish you the same.
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 19th, 2008|11:04 pm] |
I think I'm suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, but the story (and a thorough assessment) about that will have to wait. I'm off to a cousin's wedding tomorrow, and I'm hoping for no foul-ups.
Speaking of the season, text message exchange:
me: Yeah, I'll be working on Christmas day. My time off will be the week between Xmas and NY.
Jano: Wow. You'll probably get a call or a sappy delivery from your family, just like in those commercials!
me: lol
me: I swear, you're one of the corniest guys I know. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 3rd, 2008|10:24 pm] |
On the brighter side of things, life has been good. I could be better, but I'm content with what I have right now. I've filed one leave for the month (I have to attend a cousin's wedding on the 20th). I hope to file vacation leaves for a few more days.
I thought I was booked for a post-Christmas (pre-new year) trip with her. But apparently, I wasn't paying attention. It turns out I'll be on a trip with her sister instead. LOL! I'm sure I can make-do and have a good time regardless.
---
Yes, it's looks, sounds and feels like Christmas right now. Chilly winds, bright lights, and those timeless carols (that the stations here start teasing or playing as early as October or maybe even September-- only in the Philippines).
I hope it at least equals or even trumps the holidays I had last year. In retrospect, for all the breakthroughs and triumphs this year, there's also been an unbelievable amount of crap as well. |
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