Sporadic Procrastination

The Blue and Orange Project™: no. 6

2008-11-26T21:30:00.005+08:00

i got the urge to do some sketching earlier this afternoon so i decided to kind of revive the whole blue and orange project. except now it's just the orange project (i.e. ME) for the meantime because the gf is busy.

this week, i present to you.. ASTROBOY!

the upcoming movie about our favorite robot boy has got me excited and judging from the teaser trailer, it looks awesome! see for yourself.

that is all.

halloween '08

2008-10-31T21:37:00.000+08:00

more pics HERE.

ciao, bella.

2008-10-16T15:42:00.004+08:00

for someone uninhibited by life's many tragedies,

for someone who embraced its many nuances,

for someone who brought joy to a lot of people,

for someone who was a FRIEND.

you will be greatly missed. ~~

heaven will be a much happier place with you there. make the angels piss in their robes laughing, okay?

my first crack at digital painting.

2008-10-03T20:04:00.006+08:00

rorschach, from "watchmen". photoshop CS 2, roughly 30 minutes.

christmas is a-coming. bah-humbug.

2008-10-02T18:30:00.005+08:00

christmas is less than two months away, and it took a cold shower early this morning to remind me of it. i've come to associate the switch from warm to cool climate with the yuletide season though i know it's not always the case. go figure.

when i was a kid, christmas was always fun. mom and dad were still here in the country, and our house was always the venue for big family reunions. titos and titas, cousins and grandparents, each one would bring food that we would eat come lunchtime. we had games, and of course the customary exchange gifts and aginaldos. over the years this tradition faded away. maybe some of the relatives got tired of it, or maybe they just had too much stuff going on. i don't know which.

i miss being a kid sometimes.

yes, the kid on the right is me. sometimes we had lechon, other times we roasted chicken.

empty spaces

2008-09-27T22:27:00.001+08:00

it's starting to bug me how i haven't been able to write anything the past few weeks. it's not for lack of trying, or stuff to write about. it's like whenever i attempt to do so, my mind goes completely blank and nothing comes out. like designing, writing is one of my outlets and in my opinion the more honest and the more personal one. i've been banking on it since i felt the onset of design drought, but now it's gone too and the alarm bells are ringing louder than ever.

i guess i can't avoid it anymore, i have to ask it out loud, ask myself.

what. is. wrong. with. me?

of course laying it out in the open doesn't change the fact that much like before, i still have no answers.

my vote goes to mike villar!

2008-09-19T19:45:00.002+08:00

ok so i haven't been posting entries lately but something really important has compelled me to do so.. the philippine blog awards!

out of all the nominees, only one name stood out: mike villar. now i don't know him personally, but i have been an avid reader of his blog since god knows when. reason: the guy is so goddamn funny without being tacky or idiotic. the way he weaves tales of his everyday life leaves me guffawing out loud every time. he's articulate, witty, smart and.. what's that? i don't have to elaborate? i can just post a short entry saying i vote for him and be done with it?

fuck.

i vote for mike. that is all.

of course somebody has to pay for this event so..

Co-Presentors

Level Up! Games
San Miguel Corporation
Nokia
Blog Bank
Smart Communications
Josiah’s Catering
Toshiba
Geiser Maclang
San Miguel Corporation

Gold Sponsors
Rsun My Technology Store
Yahoo
2go
Belo Medical Group
XFM 92.3
Buddy Gancencia Reality TV
Ultravision Photo and Video
Click Booth
Aloha Board Sports
Sheero Media Solutions
YourPinoyBroker.com
PLDT
Red Box
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Havaianas
California Pizza Kitchen
David and Goliath

Media Partners
Inquirer.Net
ROAM Magazine
flippish tv

eraserheads reunion concert...

2008-08-31T02:55:00.006+08:00

...was awesome. i wanna blog more about it but i don't have pictures (a sad, sad part of the whole story) so yeah. i just wanted to make this entry because if i don't, then it wouldn't feel "real", like it never happened. yeah i know, pathetic right? fuck you.

full (hopefully) entry in the coming days. now i go to soak in my memories of the concert. yowza.

one of those stupid memes again.

2008-08-29T21:21:00.000+08:00

i got tagged a couple weeks ago but i din't have time to answer so yeah. i actually have a lot of stuff i'd rather blog about but for some strange reason i can't seem to start writing them so i guess this'll hafta do for now.

here goes.

1. Four places I go over and over
• beyond advertising, where i work

• home, where i live (duh)
• ka's place

• ministop (pathetic, really)

2. Four people who e-mail me regularly
• multiply

• facebook

• twitter

• my dad, i guess

3. Four of my favorite places to eat?
• KFC

• ministop (again, pathetic)

• Mcdo

• nowhere particular really. i eat everything, so..

4. Four places you’d rather be?
• the beach

• the beach

5. Four TV shows I could watch over and over
• friends

• how i met your mother

• fifth wheel

• wwe

6. Four people I think (and hope) will respond
i think most of them already did this so.. no one really.

a seemingly worthless forwarded text message turned nugget of wisdom: #2

2008-08-08T21:54:00.000+08:00

"sometimes laughing isn't something you do for fun.

it's a relief when you have nowhere to run."

a seemingly worthless forwarded text message turned nugget of wisdom: #1

2008-08-05T15:50:00.004+08:00

"if plan 'A' doesn't work out, don't worry.

you still have 25 letters left."

you look like a monkey! you look like a fucking monkey!

2008-07-30T14:29:00.013+08:00

entries for the The Blue and Orange Project™ are temporarily suspended. i haven't had time to do something due to work and i don't wanna rush something just so i can post. besides, ka hasn't done anything yet so i wanna let her catch up and shit.

and speaking of work..

miss g, our boss, met with us yesterday to announce something important. representatives from the client are going to drop by the office to conduct a surprise inspection of the premises either today, tomorrow or friday. what they don't know however, is that we have moles working on the inside. said mole got wind of the said inspection and tipped us off. now my boss, having worked for many years in this industry during her younger years, knew the importance of making good impressions so she immediately ordered us to clean up. desks, pantry, bathroom, dark corners, everything.

not bad but wait, i'm not done yet.

wanting to further impress said clients, the big boss told us that starting today till friday, everyone is required to dress like corporate monkeys. button-down polos, slacks, leather shoes, the works. we even had to cut our hair. i was mortified. now i realize that to most people, dressing up is no big deal but c'mon. we're an ad agency. we are artists. artist don't dress up in slacks and whathaveyou's, right? our creative output doesn't have anything to do with how we dress. i can come to work in a ski mask and socks and still produce something, so what the hell? besides, it all just seems so.. fake. nevertheless, i knew we had to comply. only one problem though.

i had. no. corporate. clothes.

the last time i remember having slacks and black shoes was years ago. during high-fucking-school. it's just not me. i remember a phase back in college when i used to dress up in dark denims, suede loafers and polo shirts. god that was awful. since then i swore off the idea of proper attire in favor of the grungy, rockstar look. i had long-sleeved shirts, so all i needed were the pants and shoes. and money. but lo and behold! by some miracle of god, the boss started handing out envelopes to each one of us, like manna from heaven. the contents weren't much, but it'd hafta do. after the meeting, i headed off to landmark and SM with some officemates to look for a quick fix to my problem and luckily i found some stuff that ~~din't make me want to puke~~ were okay, with the help of ka.

here i am in my full monkey outfit. i din't wear my new shirt yet.

i feel awful.

wanna know how I got these scars?

2008-07-25T14:41:00.001+08:00

i saw the dark knight with karen last wednesday and as expected, it totally blew me away.

as everyone who already got to see the movie said, heath ledger was absolutely amazing. i've always seen the joker to be a, pardon the pun, a clown. granted, i've never really read a lot of batman comics to know any better but jeezus, he was really terrifying onscreen. you just know something really fucked up is going to happen when you see him. his role in the corruption of harvey dent was subtle yet effective. you knew it, but it was pushed so far in the background that when it finally came to a head you will almost pee your pants.

what's surprising is that for the most part, i never even thought of it as batman's movie (which kinda fits the twist in the end to a T). he was kinda relegated to a supporting role which was kind of strange but pleasant. the only thing that irritated me the most was his bat-voice. it was too forced in my opinion. everytime he spoke in costume, i had a hand to my throat. it was that painful. one other thing was the fight sequences. i mean, i know his armor is bulkier, but i would have liked to have seen a little more agility. he's a master of an assortment of martial arts for chrissakes. he kinda looked like a sluggish steven seagal to me. people can argue that he strikes at precise pressure points hence the limited but powerful movements but whuteva.

a great movie about the human psyche and it's inherent flaws, the dark knight is definitely one of my favorite comic-to-movie adaptations of all time.

procrastinator rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars

The Blue and Orange Project™: no. 5

2008-07-23T16:32:00.003+08:00

nobody said i couldn't go crazy with my submissions, right?

photomanip on photoshop, images from google.

The Blue and Orange Project™: no. 4

2008-07-15T23:37:00.000+08:00

for this week's edition, i thought of doing a sketch. it's been a while since i last did one, and i was inspired after i saw this on one of my contact's page on dev art.

pencil sketch, scanned. colored in photoshop. i wanted to put po in a background, but the lines and colors drowned out the pencils so yeah. bare as hell.

itching to write but too lazy to do so, part deux

2008-07-14T21:31:00.005+08:00

so yeah, you guessed it. it's stupid pictures time again!

only in the philippines can people come up with wordplays that have absolutely nothing to do with the product they're selling.

what does a chinese na amoy lumpia even look like? scary. i wouldn't come near this place. ever.

um... what? oh. you mean this outlet CONTINUES THE LEGENDARY TRADITION! yeah. you communicate that quite well. and wait, aren't you in makati? why the hell does it say baguio city bran--- ah. you mean this branch COMES FROM THE BAGUIO OUTLET. splendid job old chap. very coherent.

OVERDRIVEn, but all in all it's a FINE, FINE TIME.

2008-07-13T12:32:00.015+08:00

(nevermind the title. i just had to say something relevant to the topic.)

i'm sure most of you have already heard about this rumor that's been spreading like wildfire on the net. for the uninitiated, it goes something like this.. ~~a band~~ THE superband that was a product of the 90's boom in alternative music who parted ways after a still-unclear fallout is planning a one-night only, orgasmicawesometastic reunion concert come august 30 barring any major hitches. ring any bells? no? fuck you.

i guess it's safe to say that i am a big fan. hell, this band started my love affair with pinoy alternative music so yeah, i am DEFINITELY going to be there with thousands of fans if and when they make the official announcement.

also, because i am such a lazy bum, you can check out more of the happy details here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. got it? good.

now go out and offer those animal and child sacrifices to your gods so this shit can push through hotdammit!

+ + + +

EDIT, 10:40pm: just got word that this is indeed TRUE. motherfuckin-a. who woulda thunk? read the affirmation here. tickets! where can i get tickets?!?!?!

EDIT, july 14 10:30am: another, more detailed article here.

The Blue and Orange Project™: no. 3

2008-07-08T23:38:00.000+08:00

great, another photo-finish. i gotta stop working like this, really.

this one i made while trying to visualize the crazy feeling karen sometimes makes me feel. it's like.. well.. akin to that of a bobblehead. everything seems to be really hectic, alive and head-dismembering crazy.

but i love her anyways. :D

as usual, this was done on photoshop.

not a good way to start the week.

2008-07-07T10:01:00.007+08:00

as most of you know, i live in malabon. for those that are geographically challenged, malabon is located up north, near valenzuela and bulacan. malabon is frequented by floods, home of the original pancit malabon, and we have a lot of patis factories (so yeah, y'all can stop with the malabon jokes now.) everyday i travel from our place to makati, where i work. it usually takes me roughly an hour and a half from home to the office, which makes commuting a bitch.

anyhoo, i woke up around 6:15 this morning, intending to ride the the direct-to-ayala FX at a nearby terminal 10 minutes away. i needed to be early because i have a 5pm deadline and i wanted to get a good headstart. i ate breakfast, talked a bit with my grandparents, and proceeded to take a shower (and by "shower" i meant "balde at tabo".) now one of the things i don't understand about myself is how i manage to waste so much time doing abso-fucking-lutely nothing. when i got to my room, i glanced at my now-malfuntioning alarm clock and was aghast with what i saw: it was almost 7:45! how could that be?! the last trip FX left around 8! i hurriedly dressed up, brushed my teeth and zoomed out the door. please let me make it. pleasepleaseplease. beads of sweat started to appear on my neck and scalp, taunting me, making me more agitated by the second. i recognized the signs. i was having one of my sweat sessions again. i never got why my body always seems to pump out sweat a lot more than the average person. and it was still morning! i whipped out my trusty hanky which i grabbed right before i left and wiped my brow. a weird, violent sensation rippled through my skin. i felt sick as i realized that i accidentally got my sister's, which was part silk. and boys and girls, we all know how silk doesn't absorb liquids that much. my sweat spread across my face and i felt my back start to get damp too as we neared the terminal. when i got there, i let out an audible groan: they were gone. the FXs. my ride. my ticket to easy commuting. fuck. one alternative left.

the LRT. *cue ominous music*

the LRT, much like the MRT, is hella CROWDED, moreso during early mondays. i dreaded the thought as the jeepney continued its slow pace. my sweat was coming in torrents now, my shirt completely soaked. why the fuck do you have to stop in front of EVERYONE on the street, dude?! i thought. just GO goddammit! the driver stared ahead with a blank look, oblivious to my anger. i wanted to strangle him. the girl seated next to me (who was a nursing student i presume) kept looking at me as i shifted uncomfortably in my seat. i knew because i could feel her eyes on me. i could imagine her going "oh my god, this dude sweats a lot! these are the symptoms for what ailment again? *checks textbook*" finally, we reached the end of the route. i got down as quickly as i could, and started walking towards the LRT station which was a good 5 minutes away.

by the time i reached the LRT platform i was literally wet, my relatively good mood from earlier was completely gone. the train came and i got in and was lucky enough to grab a seat, but the sheer volume of people made it virtually impossible to be comfortable. for that same reason the aircon seemed absent too. the idea of going back home and calling in sick seemed very tempting. the train reached gil puyat and i got down with the rest of the herd, agitation now in full throttle. i hurried to the spot where i usually hailed cabs. nothing in sight. fuck it, i thought. looks like i'll have to take an FX to ayala. where is it.... oh look, a line. i wonder what these people are doing lin--- wait. that's. the. line. for. the. FX. great. i took my place at the end of the line and waited. and waited. then waited some more. where is that fucking FX?!?! the sweat started pouring down my back again. fuck. a good 15 minutes later it came, like a fucking camel in a desert of despair. i got in and felt a little of my anger subside. it was cold! not arctic cold, but cold nonetheless! halle-fucking-lujah! i settled contentedly on my seat as the FX rolled out towards ayala. my elation was short-lived however, when i realized something: the FX won't pass by directly in front of our office.

i had one 10 minute walk left. FUCK.

i hate commuting.

The Blue and Orange Project™: no. 2

2008-07-01T22:41:00.003+08:00

i almost wasn't able to post anything today because of work but booyah, a picture! i was determined to keep my word about this project and i wasn't going to let my job get in the way of the greater good.
(actually, i REALLY din't have anything. i was resigned to the fact that i would be unable to show anything until i remembered that i had this photo lying somewhere. :p)
i took this shot one lazy day at the office. taken using my canon ixus camera. additional editing in photoshop done for the vignette and some more for additional blurs. i also desaturated the image a bit.

diablo III is now officially ON muthafuckas!

2008-06-30T14:01:00.002+08:00

just got wind of this awesome news and i totally peed my fucking pants. after the long wait, DIABLO III is finally upon us!

i checked out the official site and man. awe-fucking-some. that's all i can say. the graphics are a gazillion times better than the dII. i also saw some video samples of the new characters and their skills and daaaaaaaamn do they look sweet! i have no news yet when blizzard is planning on releasing this baby but i sure do hope it'll be soon. i'm sure this'll give me countless wet dreams for many nights to come.

in the meantime, screencaps!

the new barbarian....

...in action!

could this be the paladin?

one of the big-ass bosses

one of the new characters, the witch doctor!

check out this short video clip of the gameplay...

....also, cinematic trailer!

man, this is going to kick MAJOR ass. i can't WAIT to get my grubby little paws on a copy of this game.

The Blue and Orange Project™

2008-06-25T17:01:00.003+08:00

monday night, me and ka went out for coffee at a nearby cafe. it's one of the things we do that i look forward to because during our incaffeinated (wtf) state, we get to talk about all the important shit in our lives. (overpriced coffee becomes priceless in those cases.) anyways, the topic of the larry-has-been-creatively-stagnant-the-past-few-months reared its ugly head once more. usually after talking about it, i get all depressed. i dunno why, but that night i felt angry. angry at myself. for letting me slip into a rut so steep that i dunno how to get out. i resolved to do something about it as i took karen home. but how?

the answer presented itself to me the day after. i told ka that i wanted to do something about it, and we came up with a solution: a blog of our works. every tuesday, we would post stuff that we did over the weekend; her photos and my designs. we would have a theme of course (her idea) for each week. it's still in the planning stages so after we iron out some more details, we'll get the show on the road. i'm kinda excited about this whole thing. i mean, this would be a great chance for me to "recapture" my old self so to speak. i'm just hoping the juice is still there. otherwise no amount of wringing will bring it back. so yeah.

below is my supposed first entry for our blog. (tentatively titled "The Blue and Orange Project™) i was trying to visualize what i've been feeling the past few months. feel free to give me suggestions, good or bad.

black, white and green.

2008-06-16T15:16:00.000+08:00

so yeah, i finally got to see two movies i have been waiting for for months. kung fu panda and the incredible hulk. :D

pandamonium!

i love pandas. i dunno why. i have loads of panda stuff, from stickers to stuffed toys to keychains. fuck, lookit the name of m y multiply site for chrissakes. karen told me once that i AM a panda. (of course she said that because she knows i am as lazy as one but wuteva.) i love jack black and i know why. he's funny, he's not pretentious, and he makes those froo-bi-doo-doo-bi-dee sound effects that are awesome. mix those two together in a movie and you'll have a larry that's pee-in-his-pants-antsy. in a good way.

i got to see the movie on the first showing day and i only have one word for it. awe-fucking-some. the graphics/animation? smooth as awesome. the story? it's just a little short of awesome. character development? ah-sum. you catch my drift?

jack, po and me cause we tight like that.

the movie had a lot of funny scenes. the characters had personalities, and they interacted well. the sequence where the main villain tai lung escapes from prison is a must-see. i literally had my mouth hanging open. i think what got me amazed the most were the lines e.g. the exchange between oogway and po by the peach blossom tree: "the past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift. that's why they call it the present." i mean, who came up with that? gene-e-ass.

this is one movie made of pure awesome.

procrastinator rating: 9 out of 10 stars

hulk SMASH!

from the first time i heard about this movie , i had been pretty skeptical as well as excited. i mean, marvel already did it once and it kinda... sucked. big time. i was still a bit apprehensive as i entered the theater last friday to see it. turns out i needn't have worried.

"i... hate..... VEGGIES!"

first off, let me reiterate what i said on that past entry: edward norton as banner is awesome. he pulled off the tormented scientist part pretty well. the supporting characters, on the other hand, were quite bland and boring. the cameos made smile more. lou ferrigno! (nostalgic) and robert downey!(still riding that ironman wave). also, i don't care if you are pumped up on super-soldier junk: no man will last as long as blonsky did against the hulk. that was just stupid. and what is up with that creepy scientist stern? it was only after i saw him smile at the end that i realized i had just witnessed the big-screen origin of one of the jade giant's greatest foes: the leader!

i wouldn't say this one is flawless, but it's good enough to warrant a watch or two. one thing is for sure, this is definitely better than that first one.

procrastinator rating: 7 out of 10 stars

everybody, and i mean EVERYBODY was kung fu fighting.

2008-06-04T21:07:00.001+08:00

these officemates, whatta funnee.

i went to work earlier with my po toy from mcdonald's which karen gave me last night after dragging me to the moviehouse to watch "sex and the city". (i guess she wanted to make it up to me or something for making me sit through 2-and-a-half hours of old wimmen whining and bitching about "finding love in new york", whatever that means. also, i'm kidding. i actually enjoyed the movie. it was witty and funny. the only thing i din't like was the pacing. and sarah jessica parker's ugly mug.)

(ok, i should really stop doing them long parenthetical phrases.)

anyhoo, i got to the office and like a proud daddy, i showed off my kung fu panda to the officemates. they went "ayyy ang cuuuute!" (for ze wimmen) and "asteg" (for guys). next thing i know, somebody was already taking orders for macdo happy meals.. for FREE! i mean, it's true that we get free dinner for every project that gets approved but this was ridiculous! an hour after, our office was filled with almost a dozen toy pandas.

like MINE. i felt like puking.

the day was not a total loss however, as i mustered enough gall and chutzpah to order 2 happy meals (plus i tricked an officemate into giving me his), giving me a total of 3 TOYS! yay!

june 6 = PANDAMONIUM. i can't wait! :D

itching to write but too lazy to do so.

2008-05-30T20:40:00.010+08:00

so yeah. stupid pictures time.

a snack akin to yan-yan that an officemate bought from singapore. or hongkong. i dunno.

an instant coffee mix that an officemate got somewhere.

a cheap toy an officemate saw somewhere.

+ + + +

an officemate wanted to add me over at friendster a few weeks ago. too lazy to do anything more proactive, i told him to just do a search for my name. imagine my surprise when the search returned results for not only one, but two larry caycos.

nice quote, pops.

later, uncle.

2008-05-26T15:54:00.003+08:00

from l-r: kaye, tito robert, nanay, moi, tatay, kate, mommy and tito tony

my uncle robert left for abu dhabi last thursday. he applied for a job as a nurse there a few months back and found out 2 weeks before his flight that he got accepted. yeah, they're that quick. (or negligent, depending on your view.)

it was kind of weird the past few days, not seeing him around the house with his perpetual scowl and dvd marathons. it's not like this is the first time though. there were periods before that we din't see him for days or weeks because he was off playing traveller somewhere. that was him. always on the go, always on vacay. still, there's something about the realization that he's not coming back anytime soon that's a little disconcerting. besides, i've been living with him all my life. he's the first "real" person i know that left for abroad.

we don't really see eye to eye on a lot of things, my uncle and i. especially when i was younger. i think he saw me as a spoiled, happy-go-lucky slacker and surprise, i thought of him the same way. we stayed away from each other most of the time, because we always butted heads over the simplest things whenever we talked.

over the years, i would like to think i earned a modicum of his respect. we got older, i guess. there were less fights, less arguments, and more conversations over bottles and bottles of alcohol. i got a slight grasp of what makes him tick, and why he is who he is. it doesn't mean i understand all of it, but at least i am willing to accept most of them.

2 years. that's a long time. i hope you do well there tito. i hope this experience changes you for the better. good luck.

p.s. um.. when you come home, is it too much to ask for a macbook? no? kk.

this guy has WAY too much time on his hands.

2008-05-16T19:30:00.006+08:00

an officemate showed me this video earlier and i was dumbfounded. simply amazing, that's all i can say. check it out for yourself.

you can also see more of the artist's works on his WEBSITE and on his BLOG.

holy christ i've been WHAT? (a reenactment. of sorts.)

2008-05-14T16:57:00.002+08:00

below is a blow-by-blow account of my experiences over the past few months..

fortunately, i was able to escape my captors using a combination of wit, creativity and a leather belt. i faced off against my doppelganger and won but alas, it had the proverbial last bionic laugh, as the projects from work that it had so graciously accepted and accumulated have now been thrust upon me. crap.

a thousand words but none were spoken.

2008-04-28T14:46:00.001+08:00

...

i don't think i've ever felt so inadequate and unwanted my whole life.

time is standing still. for me at least.

2008-04-11T19:27:00.000+08:00

i'm not really a planning kind of person, and i think it shows in about every single thing i do. i prefer things to come to me, to present itself as an opportunity. this setup has always worked for me over the years (prolly cause i am naturally lazy) and i din't mind one bit.

until now.

back then, i was ahead of most people i know. now, i am moving in slow motion while the people around me live their lives. grand designs. plans. their future one step ahead but still within their grasps while i wallow in mediocrity and discontent.

no, this is not about jealousy. at least not the obvious kind. it's more of curiosity of what it would feel like to grab life's wheel and just step on the gas, full throttle. screw the brakes and fuck the seatbelt.

what's stopping me? i honestly don't know. it's a combination of a lot of things too vague to enumerate.

i hope it's not too late to learn how to drive.

procrastination. i live it.

2008-03-26T17:24:00.000+08:00

jeezus. this place is beginning to look like an abandoned warehouse. i have tons of unfinished drafts and by the looks of things, they won't be able to see publish status. bah.

you know how you start something because you feel a certain idea or emotion at that time, and you leave it unfinished and when you come back to it you can't finish it because your thoughts aren't there anymore?

exactly.

hopefully in the coming days i'll find enough time and motivation to complete one worthwile entry.

this blog lull is brought to you by brain inactivity.

2008-03-14T22:04:00.001+08:00

we will resume regular programming soon.

i'm 28. FUCK.

2008-03-10T01:01:00.000+08:00

pics from my mini-celeb at the beyond office HERE.

okay, i'll start the month with a boring, pretentious entry.

2008-03-03T12:12:00.001+08:00

i looked at the calendar this morning and jeezus it's march already? i must have sleepwalked through the past couple of months. my life has been pretty uneventful and ordinary except for the recent surfing trip i had with karen a few weeks ago.

if my life had a frigging monitor, it would certainly be a flatline by now.

curiously though, i don't mind it one bit. i think i'm at a point where i am content with what i have at the moment although i'm hoping this lull won't last because honestly, i'm beginning to be a little of a party-poooper. almost all my friends have stopped asking me out because when they do, i always beg off ~~and make excuses~~. going out has become a tedious task for me and the usual drink-eat-get-drunk-vomit-hangover thing has lost its appeal.

maybe this is what getting old is like. you become too lazy and bored with everything so you just sit in one corner puffing ciggies and drinking black, sugarless coffee. with no sugar.

whatever.

grab that 1up you motherfucker!

2008-02-21T15:26:00.002+08:00

my new desktop screenshot at work. mario, the mushroom, the goombas and the turtle shells are my file folders. mario screenshot from google.

i remember spending hundreds of hours playing this classic along with my sister and uncle. i got pretty good at it too, hopping and pummeling enemy goombas and turtles to pixelized hell. of course i learned the other, fun aspects of the game like the infinte bonuses, secret portals, "sliding", the moonwalk, dancing on vines, and the one where you go to the top of the screen by making mario shimmy up the wall. i got so good in fact, that at one point i could finish the game using only 1 life. i'm a little rusty, but i bet i can still kick your ass in this one.

um, no point here. just had a sudden rush of nostalgia. now excuse me, i have to go back to my stupid, boring life.

later.

valentine schmalentine. who cares?

2008-02-18T17:04:00.002+08:00

i suck at giving gifts. over the years i have come to accept that sad fact, as well as dread certain occasions that warrant them. add the trademark larry traits of being a) late and b) unbelievably lazy and what do you get? a sucky gift from a friend/family member/boyfriend that doesn't really fit the grandeur of that certain date it was given on. for that reason, i rarely go gift-buying alone. usually it's the gf, who's more than happy to window-shop herself or the sister, who i have to bribe into going to the mall with me with pounds of sumptuous chocnut. the problem starts when they themselves have no time, or the gift is intended for them.

valentine's day last week was no different.

i'm not a big fan of heart's day. to me it's just another excuse for people to celebrate something that should be an everyday affair. besides, that whole i'm-going-to-treat-you-to-an-insanely-expensive-dinner-so-afterwards-you-can-thank-me-by-letting-me-put-my-penis-inside-your-vajayjay schtick is just a tad too tacky. still, i knew karen would appreciate a little effort on my part. i debated whether to give her flowers and/or chocolates BUT i din't want to be too conventional on a conventional day so i settled for something relatively ~~cheap~~ unique. i remembered that i asked the sister (who works at starbucks) to get me one of dem "design your own" tumblers last november. i was supposed to give it to karen as part of my christmas gifts but i wasn't able to finish the design. i completely forgot about it.. until now.

i whipped out my month-old file and finished the design on the 12th. the officemates were a hilarious lot, helping me paste, cut and mount the damned thing. it always amazes me how interested they seem when i do stuff like this for karen. prolly cause most of them are married already and most of the sweetness and mushiness has gone out of their lives. (i kid, i kid.) the next day, i took karen out for a pre-valentine coffee date and gave her the tumbler. she loved it she said, and she couldn't stop smiling. as she whipped out her cam to take pics of it, i stifled a smile of my own.

maybe there's hope for me yet on this gift-giving thing.

weekend, lakay style.

2008-02-10T23:37:00.000+08:00

met up saturday with karen for a little RNR.

we had dinner at sizzling pepper steak, one of the numerous grub places in trinoma. they serve you your order in a very hot sizzling plate, half-cooked. you then flip and mix your food till it's ready. i got myself the beef pepper rice which looked and tasted a bit like tokyo tokyo's beef misono, karen got the seafood version, and the tori karaage which are chicken fillet strips with a garlicky flavor. the food is a bit pricey but it's worth it.

we were supposed to watch a movie but decided instead to have coffee and just talk. after which, we headed to timezone. we played several games and we got so into it that we din't realize that we had won a gazillion tickets. (okay it was only a hundred. killjoy.) before we left we exchanged them for a spongebob stuffed toy for karen and a smiley keychain for moi.

mmmkay i realize that this post reeks of crap and insignificance. so what? life is full of nonsense and silliness anyways. why should i be any different?

yay for inane posts!

bored people.

2008-02-08T21:14:00.000+08:00

went to a client presentation earlier this afternoon. we had to wait a few minutes and we got bored, today being a friday (and really, nobody deserves to be working after 3pm) so carl started playing with the facewarp app on his new fone. what started out as a test shot turned into a full-blown laughfest.

iris, me, monik and carl. photo by nalyn.

me, looking like a scared neanderthal.

carl, copyrighter extraordinaire and resident mongoloid.

iris, AE/visualizer. i can't even put into words how weird she looks here.

after we got back into the office, we let the officemates in on the fun. oh joy. :D

pika, looking like a deformed psycho clown,

ronald, the daddy frankenstein,

jake, FA artist and popeye look-alike,

july, another FA artist who looks like a pathetic version of the joker,

monik, the new girl. looks like a demented (more than usual) cruella deville,

nalyn the big boss. deformed but still sporting a dimple wtf,

alvin, who will soon fly to singapore looking like a retarded monkey,

and eskie from admin, looking like betty lafea here.

um, if you work for a massive mobile phone service provider and you happen to read this, please don't show this to your big boss. we take our jobs seriously, really.

the zambales experience: the story in photos

2008-02-06T18:15:00.000+08:00

the zambales pics are up! yay!

check them out here:

day 1: the journey

day 2: riding the waves

day 3: bruised ribs, bruised ego

i took some shots using my holga but i haven't had the chance to have the film developed yet. next week, maybe. :D

zambales: the aftermath

2008-02-05T15:36:00.000+08:00

stopovers • photography • surfing • grilled vienna sausages and spam • cannonball wave rides • mudslide • rhum coke • card games • lessons • red horse • sunsets • goofing around • cold nights • kayak weeee-ings • knock knock sessions • eating binges • sandy shorts • bruised ribs • attempted karaoke • duty free • teriyaki boy •

weekend getaway: zambales

2008-02-01T18:34:00.000+08:00

as i said in my last entry, we are headed to zambales this weekend!

photo stolen from my friend PIKA.

this is going to be my second time to go surfing and i can't wait to ride the waves again. even the gf and the sister are excited cause this is going to be their first time to try it out. will post pics as soon as we get back.

hang ten baby!

gut feel.

2008-01-28T19:28:00.000+08:00

me and some friends are planning a trip to zambales this coming weekend so yesterday me, the sister and karen went to glorietta to look for swim stuff. i had a bit of a problem choosing mine tho, because i have a big problem in the form of a slight unsavory bulge in my anatomy. no, not THAT bulge you dirty, stupid person. i was talking about my tummy area.
i mean seriously. i've had this problem since i was a little kid. of course back then i din't consider it a problem because kids don't worry about those things right? i mean, you don't hear 8-year-old boys go "hey man! lookit my new spiderman shirt! also, check out these six-packs!" you ask me, i blame heredity. my dad has about a gazillion fat genes that he unfortunately passed on to me. almost a year ago he sent us a picture of himself and he weighed close to 300 pounds. and he had no neck. that night i sat in the dark, lit a candle and slashed my palm with a knife (sterilized, of course), and made a bloodoath to never EVER get that fat.

so far i've stayed under 200 pounds but for the life of me, i can't understand why my stomach refuses to shrink. i've tried almost everything, from playing badminton 3 times a week to carbs abstinence to outright starving myself, to no avail. mister gut is perpetually visible, mocking me with its cruel, ugly folds. and don't get me started on those so-called "love handles". never was a day that i din't go through multiple shirt changes when getting ready for work or going out because of my midsection dilemma.

am i doomed to a lifetime of regular bouts with insecurity and self-doubt because of it? what is the big deal anyways? so you have a flat, muscled stomach. who cares? sure they are pretty to look at but do they serve any other purpose other than the aesthetic?

a "chubby" tummy meanwhile, can be any of the following:

• a pillow for your loved ones (try that with muscles!)

• body armor that can lessen the impact of physical attacks (to the midsection anyways)

• a smooth expanse of skin for painting (as opposed to a bumpy one from six-packs)

• floatation device for swimming

ok fine, i am sourgraping. so sue me. god, if you're listening, make me tummy smaller? please? i don't have enough money for liposuction.

fuck.

maroon 5 live in manila!

2008-01-24T20:36:00.000+08:00

it's now official: maroon 5 is coming to manila! it's gonna be on march 5, 8pm at araneta coliseum. ticket prices are as follows:

patron VIP (101, 103, 1st 20 rows, reserved seating): P10500

patron (reserved seating): P7875

lower box (reserved seating): P5250

upper box A (reserved seating): P3938

upper box B (free seating): P2625

general admission (free seating): P1575

pretty steep, huh? i wonder how i can go here AND incubus' concert on march 9.

online reservations can be made HERE.

you and me.

2008-01-22T13:43:00.000+08:00

Always when we fight
I try to make you laugh
Till everything's forgotten
I know you hate that

Always when we fight
I kiss you once or twice
And everything's forgotten
I know you hate that

You and me always, and forever
You and me always, and forever
It was always

You and me always..

i haven't updated my blog in weeks and all i have to show for it is this meme.

2008-01-16T19:01:00.000+08:00

SEVEN THINGS THAT SCARE YOU
• roaches
• flying roaches
• flying roaches that come at you like a speeding car
• flying roaches that come at you like a speeding car and actually hits you
• drowning
• being alone in a dark place
• losing the people that matter most to me

SEVEN THINGS YOU LIKE THE MOST
• chill out moments with people i care about
• getting a laugh out of people
• music
• art
• smoking, i guess
• getting wasted on a weekend
• ze beach

SEVEN IMPORTANT THINGS IN YOUR ROOM
• my laptop
• my alarm clock
• my guitar
• lakay, kayla, a panda and spidey
• my shoes
• my ipod
• my personal space :D

SEVEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT YOU
• i can be totally lazy

• i've been wanting to dye my hair white for the longest time
• i have this weird habit of finishing people's sentences in my head with funny, crazy punchlines before they actually finish
• i hate real blood

• i pee before leaving one place, sometimes even more than once

• i can play the piano

• i love to laugh

SEVEN THINGS YOU PLAN TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE
• skydive

• bungee jump

• be in a band

• create my very own design studio

• rule the world

• get rich

• get married and have a couple of rugrats

SEVEN THINGS YOU CAN DO
• play the piano (again)

• bullshit my way through most conversations

• look interested in something even though i'm really not

• play video games for hours straight

• pick my nose in public discreetly

• learn something pretty quickly

• chain cuss words together fluently

SEVEN THINGS YOU CAN’T DO

• keep my mouth shut to save my life
• drive
• sneeze with my eyes open

• eat liver

• go snorkeling

• tie a tie

• cook

SEVEN THINGS THAT ATTRACT YOU TO THE OPPOSITE SEX
• her eyes

• her sense of humor

• her wit

• her willingness to be goofy

• confidence

• eloquence

• the ass cause i'm an ass man baby

SEVEN THINGS YOU SAY THE MOST (warning: not for the fainthearted)
• "potragis!"

• "tanginang..."

• "yoooooon!"
• "hala!"
• "tadu!"

• "p*ke ka!"

• "p*kpek."

SEVEN CELEB CRUSHES (local na lang para madali)

• nicole hernandez

• nancy castiglione

• bianca king

• mariel rodriguez

• diana zubiri

• maja salvador

• cristina garcia

SEVEN PEOPLE YOU WANT TO SEE TAKE THIS TEST
um.. i think this has gone on long enough so yeah, the fun stops here. feel free ta answer this if ya want. :D

a different kind of BOOM.

2008-01-03T23:46:00.000+08:00

so the holidays have come and gone. it's a new year, a new beginning of sorts.

i wish everyone the best of everything.

• • • •

i received a strange email from my dad the other day. for the uninitiated, here's a little background: when i was 6, my dad left for the states to work as a nurse. a year after, my mom (who is also in the same profession) went abroad too but in a different state. being that young, i never wondered why she din't move in with him. years went by and one day when i was already in high school, mom talked to me and kaye and asked us if it would be okay if she remarried. apparently, she and dad had separated some years back and he had already found another woman. i dunno if it was the fact that i never really had very clear memories of my parents or sheer passiveness, but i din't have any qualms about giving her my "blessing". mom has since then remarried, given birth to my baby sister kate, and has been visiting us almost once every two years. my dad on the other hand, visited once in '88. i haven't seen him since then, except on the few pictures he sent us over the years. he also put us through school, sending money for tuition fees until me and my sister graduated college. up until now sends us a small amount every month as allowance. i remember how i would grasp for things to say to him whenever he would call. it seemed like i had nothing to say. how could i, when i sincerely, honestly don't know him. my own father. how sad is that?

recently, he has started to email more frequently, asking about us and life and work and stuff, which leads me back to my story. the aforementioned email echoed dad's sentiments about how he hasn't forgotten to send us monetary support over the years and how we are always in his thoughts even though he doesn't talk to us that often. mind you, all this happened while we were exchanging mail about ordinary, mundane things. i'm not one who gets queasy with mushy stuff but his email just made me uneasy so much that it took me hours to reply. to say that i have an uncomfortable, if not entirely strained relationship with my father is an understatement. even so, it pained me to realize that he might be thinking that all we care about is his money because that is not the case.

i may not know him that well but i care about him a lot, more than i ever thought possible. i wanted to reach out and say things to comfort him but strangely, all i could think of were a couple of generic, incoherent mumblings which was about the same as a pat on the back from a stranger.

for all intents and purposes known and unknown, he IS a stranger anyways.

have you seen this man?

2007-12-20T16:08:00.000+08:00

robbie, the funky, sexy and peanut-butter munching disco monkey.

wanted for multiple counts of arson, armed robbery and animal cruelty. was last seen at the beyond advertising inc. christmas party, sorting through trash for "free love" and sipping assloads of rhum, vodka and hot sauce from leftover party cups. he is mentally unstable and considered to be dangerous. very dangerous.

the evolution of my love affair with photography.

2007-12-17T23:43:00.000+08:00

photography has always been a fascination of mine since college. i would always find myself looking intently at pictures.. looking at lighting, angles, composition and what-have-yous. we took a couple of classes in photography which only served to fuel that interest. back then i had at my disposal a manual SLR which i borrowed from my uncle. needless to say, i had to give it back as soon as i finished the course.

a few years back, my mom got me a digicam and everything was fine. problem is, there's only so much you can do with it. later on i found myself taking pictures and editing them afterwards in photoshop but it felt like cheating so after a while i stopped. i needed something that can help me take pictures without having to resort to shitty underhanded tactics.

with the recent popularity of lomography, i found a new tool in which to practice that interest in. lomographic cams offer a wide range of effects for every possible result without having to resort to emptying your savings account for an ultra-expensive gadget. at first i was a little iffy about the whole thing because i din't wanna be labeled as somebody who "joined the bandwagon" so to speak but then i realized that i don't give a fuck what people would say. i told myself i'd get me one if i could find something that would suit my needs perfectly and guess what? i stumbled upon one at last!

officemate val texted me over the weekend and offered me a second-hand holga camera that a friend of hers was selling. i had a lot of money to spare anyways, so i told her yes. as of today, i now have my very own i'm-gonna-use-this-camera-and-turn-pro-photographer-overnight shooter. i still want my own digital SLR someday but i'm hoping this baby will tide me over till i save enough for a kick-ass one.

(actually, i bought it because val's friend was selling it really cheap. i don't have a lot of money. let's just say i raised the amount by accepting "indecent proposals" from old women and gay people. it was quite difficult because all i got was a measly 50 pesos per person and i needed 2k so yeah. please don't judge me. i am no different than your common prostitute trying to earn some money to buy nice stuff.)

the one with friends and dinner.

2007-12-11T23:06:00.000+08:00

last sunday, me and karen met up with her high school friends and had dinner at texas roadhouse over at bonifacio high street.

the menu consists of TGIF/outback type grub tho not as tasty. i settled for ranch rattler chicken (chicken fillet topped with bacon, melted cheese and chopped tomatoes slathered with barbecue sauce) which really hit the spot. i'm definitely coming back for a second serving.

(actually, what i really loved were the free peanuts the waiters served us. they were extraordinarily crunchy and if it were up to me, i would've stuffed my face till i was full so i wouldn't have ordered anymore but wooteva.)

after that, we had coffee at seattle's best. karen sprung me a surprise, a thank-you gift of some sort because i bought her vertical horizon tickets:

i've been itching to pick up this graphic novel for the longest time because it's supposed to be really good and shit, with lots of symbolisms and metafictional references. god knows how much i need more worldly knowledge to fill up my stupid head.

i go now.

one night in araneta: vertical horizon!

2007-12-10T17:41:00.000+08:00

last friday, karen, kaye and i went to araneta to catch the vertical horizon concert. they were fronted by the new rivermaya (not quite there yet, but pretty okay) while comedian jamie kennedy provided a nice intermission for the eager crowd at the jampacked venue.

(photo taken by karen, girlfriend extraordinaire)
nevermind that me and karen went through the traffic-filled streets of makati during rush hour. nevermind that we got three seats that weren't next to each other (well two of them were. guess who made the sacrifice of sitting alone?) nevermind that i had to sit behind the most annoying group of teenagers ever. it was well worth it. they sang songs mostly from the "everything you want" album (including 'shackled'!), a couple from "go" and one from their upcoming album due early next year (i think). matt (lead vocals/guitar) surprised me because i din't know he was that good on the axe. damn. we weren't able to record that many vids like we did during the switchfoot concert because "it wasn't allowed" according to the ushers (what were those flashing lights then? stars?) all in all an amazing night.

• • • •

speaking of concerts, i came across some bits of juicy news about the foreign acts set to come to the philippines next year. (these are still unconfirmed so don't go telling your friends just yet okay? )

• we all know this band. in fact, i would hazard that almost all of us DIG them. their arrival is a return trip, having had a succesful concert a few years back. you'd have to PARDON ME though if i can't spare any more details on this.

• this bubblegum boyband member turned soulful, hip singer brought SEXY BACK to the worldwide music scene. if ever he pushes through with coming here, you can be sure that he is gonna ROCK YOUR BODY like no one can.

• a band with a flair for infectious melodies and lyrics, one who can make groove even on a lazy SUNDAY MORNING. it really MAKES ME WONDER if they really are coming.

• this pop icon has been through so many transformations that' it's just BORDERLINE crazy not to know who she is. geisha, new age hippie, crazy whore or all-american lady, she is always in VOGUE. all you ladies would not want to miss this one.

• a band that prolly needs no introductions, a band that's like a MIRACLE DRUG for your VERTIGO. i'm definitely gonna see them WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, friends.

i repeat, these infos are sketchy at best. still, it never hurts to be prepared so start saving up for dem concert tickets. i know i will.

of pictures, snippets, heroes, and more pictures.

2007-12-04T20:51:00.000+08:00

2 saturdays ago dencio celebrated his birthday with us at home. a bottle of this baby and an 18-inch 4 seasons pizza from yellowcab made us peasants happy. note: C2 apple and iced tea DON'T mix with this very well. you're better off with sprite.

it has been a sort of requirement for us lately to indulge ourselves on hot, hot instant noodles (beef flavored, of course) after an intense alcohol session. the concoction calms our systems, preventing any unwanted, involuntary reflex like passing out and vomiting.

after months of enduring back pains and bedsheet burns, i finally have a table in my room for the laptop and other stuff. now i can play my games from morning to night AND maintain good posture at the same time! (don't mind the monobloc "computer chair" as well as that mess pile on the left. those are unimportant details.)

so earlier me, pika and iris went to a nearby starbucks and this is what we found. apparently, the coffee giant is having a buy-an-overpriced-coffee-get-two-stickers-for-it offer till friday.

pika (left) and iris (right) were happy as... well, two planner-addicts can be. my stckers went to pika while another officemate's coffee purchase went to iris. jeez. nowadays when you wanna make dem wimmen happy you give them.. stickers? wtf.

all for this. i don't get it. free, but you have to buy 24 cups of overpriced coffee to get it?

whatta strange, these starbucks people are.

• • • •

i'm downloading the supposed final episode of "heroes". i hope it'll be a good one. i don't think i can stand another lame ending like what happened with season 1.

i read somewhere that talks are ongoing between the writers and the producers, and that an agreement has been reached, albeit minor kinks. if everything goes well we may see the continuation of the second season as early as february!

• • • •
karen let me borrow her friend's lomographic action sampler cam, and i've been going trigger-happy since this afternoon. it's not the holga i'm lusting for, but it'll give me a chance to play around a bit and get a feel of things. will post pics as soon as i have them developed. hopefully by next or next next week, i'd have me own cam already.

• • • •

wow, will you lookit that. christmas is just around the corner. it crept out of nowhere, like that stalker who grabs you from behind, telling you how much he likes seeing how you suck at your thumb during lunch breaks.

funny how i din't see it coming. when i was younger you could see it a mile away, what with people racing to put up decors even when it was still halfway thru november.

it's sad how people seem so jaded nowadays.

• • • •

that reminds me, i have yet to make my christmas wishlist. it's amazing to realize that i got all (okay, MOST) of the stuff i put HERE and HERE. some i bought, and some karen got for me so i feel pretty confident about this year haha. maybe it's time to ask for the really good stuff, like a car or a brand new mac powerbook.

yeah right.

reality check and a bowl of cereal.

2007-11-30T04:25:00.000+08:00

i'm sitting in front my laptop at 2:30 in the morning unable to sleep, still shaking my head over the bizarre chain of events that happened just this morning. a group of anti-government people led by antonio trillanes IV and a general lim holed up in a makati hotel after walking out of trial in a court in makati earlier as a protest to what they branded as a crooked administration. me and my officemates watched every scene unfold; from the statement made by the duo, to the deployment of troops by the president, the teargas, the forced entry and the arrests. i listened to each update with morbid fascination, growing more and more disturbed by the developments that ensued.

i have never been interested in philippine politics, and i sure as hell don't give a fuck about it. call me ignorant or judgemental, but i just don't see the point. i'm sure there are a lot of competent leaders out there but.. okay i'm actually sure that i'm NOT sure. that's the reason why up until now, i have yet to apply for a voter's license. even if i do, it would be for the sole purpose of having a legal ID. something i think is more valuable to me than my right to suffrage.

but i digress.

the aforementioned circus today left me wondering if i had been wrong to simply dismiss politics in the past and that it would be better to pay a little bit more attention from now on. maybe my opinions won't matter either way, but at least i'd be aware of what's happening around me and how it will affect me. maybe if this curfew thingie becomes a regular thing i could use the extra awake-time to do some research and shit. it won't be an easy task see, since old habits die hard. several minutes after starting to write this i quit watching the late-night news and switched to wrestling while munching on a yummy bowl of cereal.

in time, baby. in time.

(p.s. i realize that after writing this i would come off sounding like a total idiot so yeah. great. fuck you.)

haphazard conclusions: #1

2007-11-28T23:57:00.000+08:00

isn't it funny how life violently rapes your ass eventhough you do your damndest to make everything peachy? that you realize that no matter how much you try to give your best in something you are doomed to almost always fail?

the idea is unoriginal, i know. i just wanted to vent.

fuck you.

time is on my side. yes it is. or not.

2007-11-26T21:10:00.000+08:00

i woke up this morning late again as usual. i cursed loudly as i got out of bed, vaguely remembering how i heard my alarm go off at 6am. how can it be 7:30 already?

for as long as i can remember, being on time has always been a problem for me. i can't recall how many times i've been late for school, work, appointments and gimiks due to my blatant disregard for time. there was this instance when i was demoted from being a best man at a friend's wedding because i arrived more than an hour late at the church (in defense, that said church was in laguna but yeah) i've been trying to improve on that aspect and so far i've been fairly succesful, but there are times when i just find myself slipping into my old routine. mornings are the hardest. of course it doesn't help that i have trouble sleeping at night, aside from the occasional waking-up-at-odd-hours-of-the-morning schtick.

i wish the flailing stopped there but wait, there's more! *in a forced british accent*

my tardiness isn't just limited to the obvious but in other aspects of my life as well. i was "late" to graduate from college. i started drinking, smoking and partying "late". i started working "late".

see where i'm going with this?

sometimes i wish i could relive some parts of my life, you know? just LIVE it. a life without reservation, without compunction, without regret.

maybe then i wouldn't feel like i've wasted most of the time i spent here on this earth.

i am a stupet. rly.

2007-11-21T18:32:00.000+08:00

i got to see the first batch of karen's photos using her newly-acquired vivitar camera on her multiply site and i must say, i am honestly dang-goodledy sorry i din't buy one for myself. i hate me.

(all photos taken by karen except the one on the right. i mean, it's pretty obvious right? it was taken by lau, her officemate)
good job baby! i'm looking forward to seeing more of your photos. =]

stuff. a lot of stuff.

2007-11-19T18:39:00.000+08:00

last saturday i went to cubao to meet up with karen and a friend to check out the lomolove too event. i din't know what to expect; all i knew was that there would be a bazaar there that would sell various cameras so i was quite surprised that a good number of people (mostly the artsy types) were there at the cubao expo. it was my first time there, and after circling the area a few times i felt the urge to kick myself in the balls. why haven't i heard of this place before? it was amazing. small boutiques lined the streets, offering gems ranging from comic books to vintage stuff to ukays. there were photo and art galleries, and even a big projector that shows a variety of films. it was a haven of the arts. that same urge reared its ugly head once again when i realized that i FORGOT to bring my camera with me. i could have easily snapped photos using my camfone, but seeing almost everybody with a camera slung around their necks, i decided against it. (stupid pride. i know.) i settled for stealing some shots from karen's newly-purchased vivitar panoramic cam. the day also marked the opening of four new shops on the strip and several bands played to the delight of the ~~slightly~~ inebriated crowd. there are still events lined up every saturday for this month, so do check it out if you're into the arts. i know i will, hopefully with my camera next time. =]

read more details about the event HERE

• • • •
i stumbled upon SOMETHING on the net that made me wet my pants: vertical horizon will be in manila next month!

this is gonna be one hell of a show. if anyone has any details on this one, please lemme know. alright? good.

• • • •
finally, after a while, the superband from the south is back with their fourth studio album!

click on the pic to download the songs.

• • • •
and now for the phrase of the day, because all of us need to laugh more often:

"don't touch my gaiman!"
-- mark, beyond advertising creative head upon seeing me trying to hide his "m is for magic" book.

(ordinarily i wouldn't find this funny, but he pronounced gaiman's surname as "GAY MAN" so yeah. got it? good.)

now go out and do something stupid. later.

oh lookie, a new entry!

2007-11-07T18:36:00.000+08:00

wow. i just realized that i haven't had a decent update in weeks (okay if you're going to be technical about the term 'decent' then i guess it's been more than weeks. happy now?) i've been giving the internet the cold shoulder to devote more time to other, more important stuff that i've been neglecting: computer games and TV.

• • • •

dencio recommended an RPG to me last week called dungeon siege 2. when he told me that the game looked like diablo 2, i was half-excited and half-cynical. i mean c'mon, we're talking about one of the most awesomest games ever made! curiosity got the better of me tho, so i got the installer CD's from him and tried it out. now i'll say, i'll say this much, it really is pretty much like diablo 2. (rare items, interchangeable looks from different armors, etc) the main difference is the fact that the characters are dynamic and aren't restricted to one class per race, wherein in diablo you have a choice of 6, max. you can also control up to 5(?) characters at once in your party, and it's fun to experiment with different combos that'll help you survive the game. the graphics are not bad, and the various camera angles give the gameplay that extra oomph (not to mention dizzy spells for those not used to rotating cams a la warcraft). my only gripe is that sometimes the npc's talk a lot of BS. the story itself is so-so, but i dunno. i'm still gonna give this baby a chance. besides, i haven't completed any of the set items yet.

procrastinator rating: 7 out of 10 stars

• • • •

after finishing the past 5 seasons of smallville, i finally got myself a copy of season 6. i really don't know what keeps me watching it, honestly. is it the dawson's creek-like treatment of the story? my unnatural interest in anything and everything related to comics? is it kristin kreuk's smile? the show churns out more cheese than a mutated cow but i still find myself compelled to follow it. there were a lot of cool stuff in here, like the justice league, the appearance of martian manhunter and bizarro, chloe being meteor-infected, and the lana-lex nuptials. it was pretty okay, predictability and aforementioned cheese nothwithstanding.

procrastinator rating: 6.5 out of 10 stars

• • • •

speaking of tv, i have heard some news about 'heroes' being ended prematurely because of the ongoing strike by the writer's guild of america. now i don't wanna be selfish but dammit i hope this gets ironed out soon. i mean, the only reason my officemates don't beat the hell out of me is because i promise them new episodes every week. i don't wanna quit my job and go into hiding. again.

read the story HERE and HERE.

my uninteresting desktop.

2007-10-24T14:31:00.000+08:00

got tagged by chelsea.

the instructions say you have to post a screenshot of your desktop. (ok not really "have to", but i digress.) i opted to post my MAC desktop from work since i spend most of my time here anyways.

i am a sucker for a clean desktop, so as you can see the only items there are 1) my current project, 2) a "miscellaneous" folder for whatever i'm doing on the side (in this case the gf's images from her multiply homepage) and 3) toast files of the frozen throne/DoTA. (you never know when an officemate will create a game server. it pays to be vigilant.) besides, that's what the dock is for.

i also keep several programs open in the background:

1) photoshop (i can't get over the fact that the PS workspace in the PC doesn't exist in MAC. weird.)
2) macromedia freehand MX
3) yahoo messenger (jurassic compared to PC versions.)
4) twitterific (a twitter app for MAC)
5) safari

i am tagging ayeth, pam, quentin, sarah and dax.

oh, and god too. i wanna see what his desktop looks like.

soul.

2007-10-19T18:12:00.000+08:00

"what is it that holds a man together, yet pulls him in different directions all at once?"

"his SOUL."

-- uncanny x-men #350, penciled by joe madureira, written by steve seagle and scott lobdell

blah-blah.

2007-10-17T19:34:00.000+08:00

too many events, so little time to put them into words.

thus, silence has become my only option.

...

later, maybe.

of god and heroes.

2007-10-05T01:04:00.000+08:00

saw these in my inbox this morning and i think i almost had an epiphany. my hands were shaking, i had shortness of breath, and i swear it was so bright anywhere i looked.

(of course it could have been from the fact that i was laughing so hard that i almost choked on my own tears but wooteva.)

oh crikey! (cue lighting and religious sound effects here)

i can? srsly?
god, i know i am not the most religious person in the world and my spiritual life leaves much to be desired. thank you for reaching out to me.

um, ex-links?

+ + + +

so okay, i know this post is 2 weeks delayed but.. "heroes" is BACK!

i've watched the first two episodes of the second season and though it wasn't as "HOTDAMMIT that was AW-SAM!" as the first few episodes of the first season, it was still interesting enough to sustain my interest. parkman is now a full-fledged cop, hiro has met takezo kensei, mr. nakamura is dead, mohinder and noah are working together, peter has amnesia and nathan is an angry alcoholic!

yay for plot threads that just keep getting twisted and convoluted!

beer and rain don't mix. (part deux)

2007-10-01T23:51:00.000+08:00

saturday me, pe, kel and ohme went to balsa sa niugan, one of the more popular hangout places in my beloved hometown. most weekends we just stay at our place and just help ourselves to liters and liters of red horse so that night we decided a little change in scenery was in order.

we talked about a lot of stuff duing the session. upcoming goodbyes, new beginnings and everything in between. it gave me a sense of joy, knowing how far we've come as friends. it's always amusing to reminisce about the fact that when we all started hanging out, all we did was play basketball and arcade games. conversation topics were limited to shallow, impersonal stuff.

the rain started to pour, and so did opinions, ideas and plans: honest, unbidden and sincere. we talked nonstop for hours till a waiter told us that it was time for last call. we told him we've had anough already and we'd just nurse our remaining beers.

we finished just over half a case of red horse that night. even kel, our resident non-alcoholic, made it to 2 bottles before ~~passing out~~ going to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face and bidding us adieu. i went home with a more-than-your-average buzz, my mind a hazy slush of alcohol and memories. right then and there, i knew.

this was the start, the first of many endings.

beer and rain don't mix.

2007-09-24T17:42:00.000+08:00

saturday night found me at home with perennial drinking buddy perry, sharing bottles of red horse while the rain continously hammered our flimsy, rusty roof.

"pare, desidido na ako. punta na ako ng singapore or dubai, pinakamatagal ko na siguro early next year. kung nagkataon pala ikaw na lang talaga maiiwan sa barkada no?"

i thought for a moment, then sighed and said "oo nga no? richie. elaine. algene. kabbie. saclay. giron. gj. kel malapit na din, tapos yung mga nandito naman sa 'tin, di naman na nagpapakita..." i stared off into the rain and kept quiet, letting the words sink in. it was true. one by one, the people that i call friends are leaving for the proverbial greener pastures abroad. i almost hate them for it. almost.

but then again, this entry isn't about being left behind.

rather, it's about realizing that so far, my life has been nothing but a showcase of uncertainty, sacrifices and so-so decisions. i am a poster boy for mediocrity.

this has been a recurring source of agitation for me, something that i can't attribute to "midlife crisis" (because i don't think i'll live beyond 50) that easily. while my friends have been busy trying to live their lives and taking steps towards independence and stability, i have been procrastinating and trying to convince myself that i was doing the same thing as they were. now that i think about it, i'm not certain if i even gave a decent enough effort. yeah sure, i now work in advertising, but it took me 6 years to decide to go for it because i was afraid i wasn't good enough to be in the industry and, while i earn enough money to keep me comfortable, my pay is nowhere near the money my other friends get from their jobs. heck i could be living in NY right now with my mom, but instead i told her that i wanted to stay because i din't want to leave my grandparents behind.

there's always something in the way. there's always a reason why i can't break free from monotony.

sometimes i think i make up excuses why i suck at life and pass them off as logic, like "it's not my fault that i'm not who i want to be because of circumstances i can't control" or "i'll put other's needs before mine because i'm selfless like that." my sentiments are sincere, but sometimes i can't help but wonder if those rationalizations are the ones that are holding me back. i don't even know if those are the only reasons.

i need answers, now.

an attempt at prose: #1

2007-09-21T01:32:00.000+08:00

saan?

sa pagsapit ng umaga
ang kamalayan ay napupunta sa talinghaga
ang tanging isip sa gunita
saan na naman ako dadalhin ng aking mga paa?

sa paghahanap sa pag-asa
sa araw araw na pagkabalisa
sa paulit-ulit na mga salita
saan na naman ako dadalhin ng aking mga paa?

magugulong tanong na walang kasagutan
mga bagay na hanggang ngayo'y may pagtataka pa
sa mga bagay na iniingatan
saan na naman ako dadalhin ng aking mga paa?

hinahanap sa langit ang liwanag
sa lahat ng mga bugtong na di mabigkas
hawiin ang ulap, tanggalin ang kaba
saan na naman ako dadalhin ng aking mga paa?

all hail the king!

2007-09-18T23:51:00.000+08:00

tell me, is it weird to be excited over a magazine? moreso, is it weird to be excited over a magazine featuring someone who you think has one of the ~~hottest, boner-inducing bods~~ most beautiful faces in the philippines today?

yeah, i thought so.

what the hell were they thinking?

2007-09-14T08:01:00.000+08:00

stupid, funny pics i've recently come across.

ok, so this is NOT a perfect example of how to use double quotations.

there is no spoon.

text on the bottom part reads "the shapes dogs love to eat". i better stay away from dem canines then.

okay so the makers of this snack obviously wanted to stress their points to the extent of being redundant.

i don't see a pedestrian lane anywhere.

uh, nothing extraordinary here. just wanted to poke fun at the unstable pop princess has-been.

loud and proud baby. loud and proud.

dare you to move: switchfoot live in manila!

2007-09-12T21:52:00.000+08:00

the experience was too surreal for words.

i had been anticipating the show for weeks, and despite some minor bumps during the day (including a tussle with an officemate and an "OMG-we're-going-to-be-late-we're-not-gonna-make-it" episode"), we arrived at cuneta astrodome a little after 8, only slightly worse for wear. we went through the gates, found our seats and comfortably settled in. a few minutes later, the lights slowly dimmed and the crowd roared. the show was about to start.

salamin, switchfoot's front act, came out on stage and performed 3 of their songs. i wasn't really paying attention because i wasn't that into them. (to me they just sound like dicta license, which i like better) after a few words from bamboo clone and band vocalist paolo valenciano, the lights went out again in preparation for the night's main event.

switchfoot came out a few minutes later, and proceeded to rock the foundations of the stadium with god's music. ok not really. they kicked things off with one of their recent songs, "oh gravity", then went on to play an awesome set that included:

• stars
• dare you to move
• american dream
• this is your life
• more than fine
• learning to breathe
• chem 6a
• gone
• on fire
• awakening
• meant to live

they capped off the show with "only hope", with lead singer jonathan foreman going solo-acoustic for the first few minutes of the song. the bandmates later joined in during the final parts, which they segued into a power-packed rendition of "we are one tonight". me, kaye and karen went trigger happy, snapping pics and recording videos of the performances. (i don't think i'll post them tho, save for the images i used here. they're all blurry anyways, save for one magnificent shot by my baby. and the vids? poor quality best kept for personal amusement.)

thanks to cathie, one of the people involved in the show, for providing me with tickets. you made my two ladies very very happy. oh, and thanks too for helping us score some shirts.

the concert was for the benefit of the international justice mission (IJM).

kristi's birthday bash.

2007-09-06T22:14:00.000+08:00

went to villa gregoria in nagcarlan, laguna last saturday to celebrate kristi's birthday. the place really din't offer anything out of the ordinary, but i guess the company more than made up for it.

kristi and yap brought along a lot of food, prolly enough to feed an entire family for a week. of course they din't forget the booze.

i guess the biggest difference of this place from any other resort i've been was the chlorine-free waters (i was told they got water directly from rivers). since highschool, i've had this nasty allergy that makes the skin in my thigh and legs itchy and swollen everytime i took a dip in pools, which sucks sour frog ass. in fact, i wasn't even planning on swimming but when i learned of this interesting tidbit of information, i had to test the waters, so to speak. haha. whatta pun. i'm so funneeh.

check out more pics HERE.

an entry about a past attempt in writing prose. (emphasis on "attempt")

2007-09-05T01:14:00.000+08:00

saw this one in my old blog and i thought i'd repost it since.. well since.. okay i can't really think of a good reason why, 'cept for the fact that i am tacky and i wanna put all my "significant" entries here.

still....
the clouds on my mind have yet to bid goodbye
the crimson wave of anger that overcame me hangs over my head
frustration dwells inside my wounded heart
tears threaten to fall, i push them back
silence is my only escape, for all has been said
words that come out fall on deaf ears anyway
i see her haunting eyes in my dreams
probing, innocent and sad
what do i do? what do i say?
would she care if i shouted "i want to stay."
after all that's been done, after all that's been said
my aching chest screams i love her still..

switchfoot cometh!

2007-09-03T21:14:00.000+08:00

guess who's going to the switchfoot concert next week?

i was able to score some tickets for the upcoming event, and i am going with the sister and the gf! this is going to be AWESOME! click on the image above to check out the official site of switchfoot manila, or if you don't wanna go but you love their music nonetheless...

click on the image to download songs from ALL of their albums. yes, ALL OF THEIR ALBUMS! wow, whuut an offa!

third eye blind mania!

2007-08-31T19:45:00.000+08:00

click on the image to download the songs.

MSG value meal junkies.

2007-08-30T23:54:00.000+08:00

one of the hazards of working odd hours in an ad agency is finding food in the middle of the night during the long, strenous stretches of overtime. since for obvious reasons the choices are very limited, we content ourselves in procuring goods from the nearest convenience stores near our building in salcedo street. instant pancit cantons, canned tuna and assorted chips give us much-needed sustenance to face the trials and tribulations ahead.

god, we look like the backstreet boys on this one. ok everybody now: "I WANNNIT THAAAAAAT WAAAAAYYYY...."

lookie what we have here. what's this, the chosen drink for PEDOPHILES?!
(photos by officemate and over-all hyper kid ino. check out more of his awesome photography skills HERE. and please, if you ever commission him to do some work for you, don't leave sweets lying around.he tends to get a bit.. restless.)

how to ruin an otherwise perfectly good date.

2007-08-27T01:16:00.000+08:00

the premise:

you and your significant other are about to go out to have your long-delayed anniversary dinner. you want the night to be special because she is special. you wanna make her happy. problem is, you’ve been feeling really sucky lately. nothing’s wrong, it’s just that you feel burnt out, you feel caged by life and you wanna escape a bit, away from the daily stress monotony brings. even more complicated is the fact that you wanna escape ALONE.

the setting:

meet the girlfriend somewhere and pick a place to eat, a place where she hasn’t been in before. feel happy as she takes in the novelty of the themed resto, and delight in the fact that she looks like a kid in a toy store. (lame analogy but yeah. fuck you.) order appetizers while deciding on what to get for the main course. scan the menu, and smile at her apparent difficulty in picking something she likes even though you know how much she likes food. after a few minutes, (or after the appetizer is completely gone, whichever comes first) make an order and talk about normal, everyday stuff while waiting.

when the grub arrives, start digging in and marvel at the fact that it tastes awesome even though it doesn’t look as good as it does on the menu. try to keep the conversation light and fun, and after a while nonchalantly ask her a hypothetical question:

“say, if i wanted to get away for a bit, get some alone time for a couple of days, would that be okay with you? You know, just to recharge my batteries and stuff. I feel like I’m going in circles in my life.”

the conflict:

at this point, your gf will stare at you like you suddenly sprouted bat-like wings and sharp fangs, and you will become aware of the fact that you feel like hitting yourself. repeatedly. ignore this, for you must focus. try to explain your side, about how burnt-out you are and the me-time you’re asking for in no way reflects the status of your relationship. if you do this right, you will notice that she has subtly shifted moods. this won’t escape you since you know her too well and you then can try feebly to elaborate further on how you already told her about that particular plan way back when you first started seeing each other. all you’ll keep hearing from her is “it’s just a weird request is all.” and the overused, award-garnering line “ikaw bahala.” you will probably feel a little guilty, and you can try to diffuse the situation a bit but stop yourself. instead, utter these words, the coup de grace:

“i never should have said anything. tapos ganyan ka na.”

if done correctly, all hell will break loose. the gf, who a minute ago looked a bit sad with what you said earlier, will put on a face of pure contempt and say something that may vaguely sound like this:

“wag mo ako sisihin kung ganito ako dahil sa sinabi mo. you should have expected several potential reactions from me when you thought of asking me that question.”

strain to hear her words, and give a look of disbelief. say that you never meant to blame her, you were just trying to point out the obvious that indeed if you hadn’t said anything, the mood wouldn’t be this awful. give her a few seconds to answer back. then, after several more minutes of staring, give up trying to reason with her, utter a condescending “whatever”, and continue to eat your respective meals in total silence.

success! you are this close to ruining the date you’ve been preparing for for weeks!

the aftermath:

the gf will possibly turn to you and shoo you away from your seat, saying something about smoking out on the resto’s veranda. pretend not to hear at first, then slowly get up to let her pass. slump back to your seat in total annoyance. wait a good 10 minutes, and though you will hope that the cigs will calm her down, they won’t. you can panic a bit when you realize it has been 20 minutes since she got up and she still hasn’t come back for extra effect. you then can try to sneak a peek outside by going to the men’s room and in all probability you will see her sitting at an outdoor table staring at her drink, at which point you will become totally pissed at her for being “unreasonable”. go back to your table, pay the bill and irritably head to the veranda. you then will come up to her, say “tara na.” and walk away without waiting for a response. afterwards head to the nearest cab stand to take her home. once inside the vehicle, resume the “silent treatment” method.

as soon as you reach her apartment building, quickly pay the driver and get out of the car without even glancing her way. as she starts climbing the stairs to her unit on the third floor, trudge up behind her. make sure you keep a minimum distance of a foot.

upon reaching her door, you can do one of two things:

1. start bawling like a fucking baby, say you’re sorry, and give her a peck on the cheek while stroking her hair, or;

2. do a 180-degree turn after seeing her pick up her cellphone and hearing the words “sige labas pa tayo maya. daanan mo na lang ako sa bahay.” escape from her lips. for added flair, kick the thing nearest you and/or punch the big, drum-like structure on your way back down the building.

congratulations! you have just ruined a date, and you are well on your way to becoming a total asshole! (or a reasonable, logical guy, depending on your perspective. wuteva.)

warning: results may vary depending on premise.

friday madness.

2007-08-24T21:42:00.000+08:00

"bones sinking like stones
all that we've fought for
all these places we've grown
all of us are done for

and we live in a beautiful world
yeah we do, yeah we do
we live in a beautiful world"

--- don't panic, coldplay
somehow, i don't agree with mister martin on this one. the world isn't beautiful, it's stupid. we live in a stupid world.

a world so stupid, we need instant everythings: instant noodles, instant coffees, instant education and instant celebrities;

a world so stupid, you'd find that "common sense" isn't so common after all;

a world so stupid, that people would use you for their own selfish purposes then dump you for somebody who looks like mig ayesa after a full scale brawl and whose interests rival that of a 4-year-old;

a world so stupid, that leaders of the so-called free world fail to cooperate with each other to make the world we live in a better place;

a world so stupid, that sometimes no matter how hard you try to make your life better, it would always find a way to kick you in the balls. or ovaries. wuteva;

a world so stupid, that no matter how beautiful you think your life is you'd keep finding something lacking in it;

a world so stupid, you'd realize it's full of stupid people who do stupid things and think stupid thoughts;

a world so stupid, sometimes you'd wonder why we even try at all.

pardon the post. i accidentally swallowed a bitter pill and i can't seem to spit it out. now leave me alone.

the malling/kabab adventure with karen.

2007-08-20T11:57:00.000+08:00

after a couple of weeks of rain, the sun finally shone this morning, so me and karen finally had the chance to go out after a week of not being able to see each other. i had trouble enough going to work while the skies wreaked havoc on the metro a few days ago, so you can just imagine if i had to meet up with her after office hours. the trip home would be killer. (what's that? larry the wuss has no time for the gf you say? fuck you. you don't live in malabon so you have no idea whatcher talking about.)

we met up in trinoma earlier this afternoon to look around and to exchange that darned pair of shoes i got for her that were too big. i also got myself a new pick to match my new guitar. *ahem* after a few hours, i told her that i'd finally do something i'd promised her a while back, and that is to take her to mister kabab for dinner.

mister kabab is a small resto located at the corner of west avenue and quezon avenue that serves a slew of heavenly middle-eastern grub. the place was introduced to me by friends way back when i was still studying in UP, and i have tons of fond memories there. i remember countless lunch breaks when we would trek the traffic-filled streets from the university going to this place just for a quick meal.

we arrived at kabab a few minutes later, and we had to wait a bit because of the number of people waiting to be seated. once inside, i immediately beckoned to a waitress and placed our orders: 2 plates of special chelo-kabab* and a plate of keema with eggplant. while waiting for our orders, i told karen a few pointers. well actually, just two:

one, to slather her plate with as much sour cream sauce as humanly possible, and;

two, to use the hot sauce sparingly. (it was decievingly normal, but after the time i put on a little too much of the stuff and my tongue became swollen for weeks, i learned to respect the red sauce which i hear was forged from the depths of hell by the devil himself.)

i wanted to order other dishes so she could sample more of the food there, but knowing how filling the chelo-kababs were, i decided against it. the meal was awesome as usual, and i had to order an extra round of sinful rice** to finish off my kababs. karen liked it so much she even ordered take-out so she can have more keema goodness tomorrow for lunch. guess i'll just have to take her back there one of these days. she hasn't tried the shakes yet. and the shawarma. and the-- nevermind.

i'll stop talking now cause i'm getting hungry again and i'm starting to munch on our sofa.

* curiously, this is a consistent order for me everytime i go here. wtf.
** sinful rice, because it's topped with a large block of margarine. tasty, yes. sinful, VERY.

grub trip a.k.a. my 1st heaven and eggs experience and HP5.

2007-08-14T23:57:00.000+08:00

went to trinoma sunday afternoon with my sister to look for the shoes i wanted to buy karen (which, as it turned out, was a size too big for her, but that's a different story. loser.) after walking for hours, we decided to stop and eat before heading home. we dragged our weary legs to the food section oustide the mall and after much debate, kaye and i decided to eat at heaven and eggs. she hasn't gone there in a long time, and i haven't EVER so it was a pretty convenient choice. besides, after the sister told me they served large-ass plates i was sold, glutton that i am.

we sat in one of the empty booths (1) and started rifling through the menu, ignoring the incessant growling of my rabid stomach. i chose the one recommended by the manager and kaye chose some chicken dish, and we talked a bit while waiting for our food. (2 & 3) when our orders came, i suddenly remembered my sister's words. large-ass plates indeed. i think i was already full halfway through our meal. (4) after a while of arguing with myself about the ethical repurcussions of leaving the table to puke in the corner, i found myself staring at the empty space where my fried steak was. i had visions of myself refilling the plate with my stomach's contents. i decided to ask for the bill and pay before that happened.

good thing we decided to walk to SM north to ride an FX home. at least i burned quite a bit of that grub.

+ + + +

finally got to watch HP. me and kaye (who LOVES the whole series so much it's nauseating) saw it when we got home. blurry visuals and barely-audible sounds as only pirated DVD's can bring.

• it was sucky to see the changes they made to the story, and the fast-tracking/omitting of some of the details in the book.

• where's the grandeur? the big scenes? the death of sirius should have meant more.

• i really hate the new dumbledore.

procrastinator rating: 5.5 out of 10 stars

P.S. the walking din't do shit. i was still full when i went to sleep.

surprise surprise!

2007-08-13T01:41:00.000+08:00

i am now the proud owner of a brand new electro-acoustic black guitar, courtesy of the gf!my friend perry texted me saturday morning, saying he wanted to drop by the house later that afternoon cause he din't have anything better to do. i was supposed to go to the mall to buy stuff but smelling another drinking session was brewing, i replied in the affirmative almost immediately. around 2pm, he came strolling into my room, which he normally does when i'm upstairs and nanay lets him in. we talked for a bit, then he said he wanted to show me something downstairs and asked me to follow him. i swear i heard a faint "pink panther" theme playing in the background as we made our way to our usual drinking spot near the river at the back of the house. there, seated at the table, was karen, smoking a cigarette and smiling ear to ear in that cute little way of hers. i was surprised primarily because she had a late friday night at work (she finished around 6am) and i was expecting her to still be asleep at home. my jaw dropped even further when she pointed to the other end of the table, where a large, black bag was. "surprise baby!", she intoned. "open it!" my balls felt liquid as i unzipped the bag and saw what was inside: a shiny, black guitar. it still had the new ca-- uh, guitar smell. "happy anniversary baby!", she said simply, still smiling. "you din't think that those songbooks were all i got you now, din't you?" i think i stood still like a scarecrow for a good 10mins before i was able to sit down.

later on, after gathering my bearings, she told me all the details: how she got perry and yap to fish for guitar preferences from me, how the three of them along with yap's gf kristi went out that morning to buy it, how she asked kaye to ask me to go to the mall on sunday instead, and how nanay let her inside the house while perry chatted me up in my room. it's pretty amusing i tells ya.

i can't remember the last time i was ganged up on and actually felt HAPPY about it.

P.S. guess what? we ended up having a booze session after all, with yap, kristi, algene and kel joining in on the fun later that night. good times.

i wish i were this good.

2007-08-10T22:04:00.000+08:00

stumbled upon these images from photographer extraordinaire jake's blog and my jaw just literally dropped in AWE.

these images are part of the latest nike campaign, a "know-your-roots" type of concept for local basketball players. he shot the photos, and the final renditions were made by some of the most kick-ass design studios here in the philippines. (among them team manila, one of my faves!)

also, according to his blog entry, these instore designs can also be seen at nike GB3, the MoA, bonifacio high street and trinoma. i will definitely try and check out dem masterpieces one of these days.

i think it's about time i built an ark.

2007-08-08T16:09:00.000+08:00

the streets of my dear city are once again submerged in water from the onslaught of rain the past few days. me and kaye went home late last night and saw firsthand how extremely unpassable the roads are. worse, the rain hasn't let up for almost 24 hours so you can just imagine how unpleasant the situation has become. i should be pissed because:

a. it's cold. and wet.

b.it's too much of a hassle to go anywhere. not that you can anyways. all roads out of the city are underwater, ergo;

c. i get bored and in turn construct another inane, pointless entry like this one.

then again, when faced with certain facts, i tend to look at the brighter side of things:

a. it's a perfect day to play hooky from work. living in malabon has its advantages like.. say i call up the office today and tell them my story:

me: "man, i can't go to work today. please tell the AE's."

officemate: "dude, it's just a bit of rain. getting wet won't kill you."

me: "i live in MALABON, you ass."

officemate: (SHOUTS) "people! larry needs our help!"

me: "WAIT! i just need you to tell the AE's that i ca---"

officemate: (STILL SHOUTING) "we need canned goods, clothes, and some money! oh, and a large BOAT!"

me: (hangs up phone)

b. i get to sleep more, a luxury i severely lack nowadays.

c. i get to spend more time with my folks.

personally, i like rainy days, tho it makes me a bit emo and shit. now i'm off to my room where i'll light up some candles, sing along to some dashboard confessionals tunes on my ipod and cry while punching some pillows.

have a good day everyone.

from the blackness of night comes light.

2007-08-07T02:44:00.000+08:00

finally after two years of not changing my blog's look, i finally gave in and gave it a much needed makeover. (sort of like a belated birthday present. also, the minute you start giving 'gifts' to an inanimate object or idea, you know you're walking off the deep end)

i'm not yet convinced that this is a better look for my site, but what the fack, i'm fairly satisfied with the outcome.

we now resume regular programming.

weekend musings.

2007-08-04T17:03:00.000+08:00

i woke up to the glaring face of the sun this morning, my eyes hurting from the bright orb that showed through my small window. a few minutes passed and my vision adjusted to the intrusion of light. as i got out of bed, i only had one thought.

this is going to be a good day.

+ + + +

i've been itching to write something worthwile the past few weeks, but my mind just goes wandering everytime i try to do so. i guess i'm really not much of a writer, one that can go on for a good 5 or so paragaraphs of pure coherence and sense. i thought to myself 'then what the fuck am i blogging for?' then quickly realized something: who gives a flying fuck? i write for my personal enjoyment, not for anybody elses. sure, i feel flattered when i get comments but it's not like i'm itching for them.

the birth of this site 2 years ago was largely due to the fact that i wanted a place to unload my thoughts, my angst, my frustrations. over the years those emotions slowly ebbed away till nothing was left. now i'm in a happy place so i guess the entries reflect that side of me: stupid, senseless and downright silly. and anybody who knows me well can truly say how much i love silly.

+ + + +

some long-overdue thoughts:

• the simpson's movie was awesome.. if you're a fan. i doubt some people would say so after watching it. it was nothing spectacular, there was nothing new, and the humor was what it always has been. for me, this was a case of familiarity, and i had fun watching even though it felt like it was just an extended tv episode.

• ratatouille was a different matter altogether. although a bit long, it was one of the most funny and engaging movies i've watched this year. the film reminded me how passion drives all of us to try and be a better version of our current selves.

• the more i strive to work harder, the more work i find myself getting. i don't mind at all but.. i just don't like the way it eats up most of my time. last night i met up with friends i haven't seen in months and i sat quietly in a corner, when normally i would have been in the middle of every conversation. and i only had a bottle of beer! a BOTTLE! i mean honestly, that's just fucked up!

+ + + +

as i was finishing up this entry, i saw the sun hide behind a thick swirl of cloud. the brightness that accompanied my morning disappeared just like that, replaced by the gloom and threat of impending rain.

yup. a good day indeed.

i'll be there for you!

2007-08-03T15:51:00.000+08:00

Which Friends character are you?

You're CHANDLER!
When you're around there's never a quiet moment and no one is safe
from your sarcasm.

Take this quiz!

she's almost legal so fuck off.

2007-07-30T17:51:00.000+08:00

up until now i am trying to remember if i have friends living in the UK. if any of you are reading this, please send me a copy as soon as it hits the stores in your area. my sanity depends on it.

thanks.

wtf this isn't twitter you moron.

2007-07-26T16:38:00.000+08:00

i haven't been updating for quite some time now. not that i lack of things to write about, it's just that i am in that mood again where i can't construct a decent entry no matter how hard i rack my useless brain. i guess you all know where this is going so without further ado..

• wow, my blog's 2 years old now. 2 years worth of bitterness and silliness, a rollercoaster scenario all encapsulated within this little corner of cyberspace.

• i tried doing a new header for my blog but i can't seem to put it in correctly. i still use the old skool blogger language of HTML btw.

• of course "old skool" means "that's the only thing i remotely know how to use". i don't want to move to another blog server because.. well just because. i guess you could say i'm sentimental that way.

• yeah i know. you're a fucking sissy as well.

• so if any of you wants to help me do HTML, please do. i'd greatly appreciate it. i'd be indebted forever.

• been sick since the weekend. i think i need to take some vitamins. wooteva.

• after much trepidation, i finally gave in and downloaded the seventh harry potter book, deathly hollows. much like what i did when the sixth came out, i have been reading it practically nonstop eversince and i must say, it's been terrific so far. i'm on the 26th chapter already. 10 more to go.

• still haven't watched harry potter's movie, despite my desire to do so.

• ..so it kinda sucks that they're showing "ratatouille" and "the simpsons movie" now. it'll take me practically forever to see all 3 of them.

• 1st year anniv with the gf is coming up. we were planning on going to boracay to celebrate but being the poor boy that i am, the plan isn't going to push through anymore.

• sometimes i hate the fact that i am not as successful career-wise as i thought i would be at this age.

• with that said, i am planning something else for the gf and i hope she loves it. since she reads this blog of mine, it's impossible for me to share the details of the said plan with all of you. like you care anyways.

so there. now i go.

make your own gorillaz avatar!

2007-07-19T16:52:00.001+08:00

...literally. i was bored earlier and decided to flex my artistic muscles a bit. whatcha think?
made in photoshop, approximately 45mins.

gee, they all seem so familiar.

2007-07-15T14:54:00.000+08:00

to watch or not to watch.

2007-07-10T18:52:00.000+08:00

harry potter, order of the phoenix tomorrow folks.

god i am so juvenile.

fucking murderers.

2007-07-09T13:42:00.000+08:00

how the fuck did my design go from this:
to this?

tell me please, because i can't make sense out of it. why the hell would you pressure us into designing something when you're just going to strip it down in the end?

my blog is not suitable for children.

2007-07-07T14:44:00.000+08:00

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

fucking (9x) fuck (7x) hell (3x) dead (2x) prick (1x)

that's it? these assholes slap me with a fucking NC-17 rating because of a few fucking cuss words? fucking wussies!

HAYLAAABYUUUH MANILAAAAAH!!!

2007-07-05T18:04:00.000+08:00

got this one from bes. stupid but entertaining.

Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com
now shut up and listen. i got tons of songs to play hotdammit.

autobots!.... (uh, you know the rest.)

2007-07-04T23:36:00.000+08:00

went with karen, tonton, kel and pe to greenbelt last night to watch "transformers". yeah i know i'm a bit late because practically everyone in the world had seen this already and so far, all i've heard are good things about the movie. after watching it, i'd have to agree. the opening where prime's voice rang out in a narrative was simply goosebump-inducing i almost peed my pants. the transformation sequences were damn-near perfect. you could actually see every gear and part moving (ok it's an exaggeration but it sure looked that way. spoilsport.) to its proper place. i also like the way they redefined the concept of the robots being alien. of course, it goes without saying that the best thing about this movie are the chase and battle scenes. i mean, c'mon! big ass robots, weapons and explosions! you can't get any cooler than that! i literally held my breath during them which was a real problem since they showed those scenes on a once-every-10-minutes basis lol. this is easily the most exciting, engaging and explosive movie i've seen this year, infinitely better than "shrek 3" or "spiderman 3". that's not to say however, that it is completely without flaws. they could have done without some of the human characters. they just added confusion and unecessary comic relief to the movie (specifically that idiotic hacker who lives with his grandma and the sector 7 commander.) plus, some parts of the movie look like they've been edited by a 10-year old boy. and what is up with the starscream disappearing act near the end? all these however, failed to outweigh the positives this movie showed. if the ending was any indication, a part two is definitely coming.

i recommend watching this on the big screen. you won't regret it.

procrastinator rating: 9 out of 10 stars

i'm larry simpson. eat my shorts!

2007-07-02T23:30:00.000+08:00

i'm a simpson! d'oh!

try it out HERE.

ah-ZAH-ZAHTURNNAH!

2007-07-01T13:40:00.000+08:00

me and karen went to see "zsazsa zaturnnah: ze muzikal" at the RCBC plaza last night. i know she had been dying to see it eversince she read the comic book about a year ago so i decided to buy us some tickets as a partial birthday gift to her.

we arrived at the theater 30 minutes before the 8pm show. a lot of the patrons were already there, and what surprised me the most is the number of heterosexual people who were in attendance, mostly couples who looked like the guy was dragged kicking and screaming against their will by their girlfriends.(baby, you know i ain't one of them right?) that isn't to say tho, that the number of homosexual people were outnumbered. no. far from it. i felt like i was in a gay pride convention. they came in all shapes an sizes, all manner and demeanor. i almost felt out of place.

i haven't had that much experience watching stage plays, but not for lack of interest. it just seemed like i was out of the loop so to speak, not really coming across any news about that particular segment of the arts. i think the last thing i watched was shakespeare's "a midsummer night's dream" way back when i was in highschool. i too have read the ZZZ comic book but it wasn't really thinking about it as the lights dimmed, signaling the start of the show. what happened next could only be described as magical. it was all there: the giant frog, the amazonistas and their exaggerated introductions, the transformation of ada to zsazsa, and of course the crass but witty dialogue (with a few adlibs thrown in by most of the cast.) it made me remember why as a kid, i always enjoyed acting in school plays. you held the audience at the palm of your hand, awaiting every single bit of nonsense that comes from your mouth, and the characters did just that. it was so funny, so original that i found myself laughing out loud a little louder than usual, even in the musical numbers (not really a fan of it, andrew e and his movies ruined it for me) which were to a degree, at the risk being redundant, very original. the actor who played didi was the scene-stealer of the play. whenever he came out you can be sure of a hilarious moment. the actor for ada was terrific too, bringing the perfect balance of gayness and vulnerability needed for the role. kaye brosas played zsazsa, which in my opinion is a better choice than eula. (who, incidentally, was there. rawr. wasn't able to take a pic tho.) damn, even the stage and the props had character. that swivel door was just genius.

ada
didi
zsazsa zaturnnah
congratulations to all those involved in the play.

an open letter to the people that my girlfriend works with.

2007-06-29T23:19:00.000+08:00

to whom it may concern,

it has come to my attention that some of you have been giving my girlfriend a hard time. now everybody who knows me knows how objective i am when it comes to things. everytime karen talks to me about what a horrible day she had at work, i always keep it a point to try and fathom the thoughts behind the stuff you say or do to her but sadly, it has come to the point where i can't rationalize your actions any longer. just the other day, she came to me, almost in tears because she couldn't take your insanities anymore. my heart went out to her because she is one of the nicest people i have ever met, and she doesn't deserve to be treated badly by anybody.

while i know it's not my business to nitpick on anyone's workplace or the people that run it, the moment you started putting karen down constantly and without sufficient reason, you gave me the authority to say whatever the fuck i want.

to: the butt-ugly FA artist who keeps on embarassing karen:

fuck you. you have no business shouting at my gf whenever you fucking feel like it. you're lucky she even briefs you on your projects for the day despite your unwarranted rudeness towards her. i don't care if you look like the undertaker on a year-long eating binge. if ever you go and be a dick at her again, i swear i will fucking punch your teeth in.

to: the supposed "boss" of karen:

i am quite dissapointed in you for a number of reasons. number 1: that situation with the butt-ugly FA artist. sure, you say you tried again and again to rectify that, but honestly i don't think you tried enough. they keep on fighting and any idiot can and prolly will tell you that it is your duty to bring your foot down. it really doesn't help to say "kaya nyo na yan, matanda na kayo." you were appointed a rank and it is your fucking responsibility to see to it that the people under you have a semblance of a peaceful working enviroment. number two: your unpredictable mood. everybody has bad days. i get that. it's a different matter altogether though, if you let that affect your work behavior. you don't act rude to her just because. you don't act like a fucking highschooler who had a fight with your mommy over a prom dress when you don't get your way. you don't take a leave and snap at karen if she calls you to ask about stuff. it's part of your fucking RESPONSIBILITY ( i can't stress that point hard enough). maybe you should take lessons from her about the concept. which brings me to number three: you are fucking CONFUSING. you snap at her when she takes the initiative cause SHE DOESN'T WANT TO BOTHER YOU WITH PETTY DETAILS THAT SHE CAN HANDLE, yet you bash her even more when she waits for your approval on things that you and ONLY YOU have the final say on. i mean, what the fuck? are you fucking schizo?

i don't think that karen is completely without fault in all of this. i know she has her shortcomings. what's undeniable is that every fucking day, even with your constant attempts at breaking her down, she tries very hard to do what is asked of her. that is what you call PROFESSIONALISM. which, sad to say, you don't fucking have.

i hope you two rot in hell someday.

sincerely (and i mean SINCERELY) yours,
Larry

p.s. fuck. you.

the rabid wolverine is gone.

2007-06-26T14:04:00.000+08:00

(photo taken from wwe.com)
a friend told me earlier that chris benoit, professional wrestling icon, was found dead in his atlanta home monday afternoon. police are looking at a double-murder suicide scenario, as his wife and son were also found dead in different rooms. they theorized that benoit killed both wife and son over the weekend, then killed himself sometime during the morning of monday.

benoit was scheduled to compete in the WWE pay-per-view "vengeance" sunday, but begged off due to "personal reasons". supposedly, he was the chosen one to win the vacant ECW title.

despite the grim circumstances surrounding this said event, i must say i am saddened by this. benoit was one of my favorites. he exemplified passion and heart only few had in the business.

read the articles HERE and HERE.

kamon let's trabeler!

2007-06-23T00:35:00.000+08:00

My Lakbayan grade is C-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

what the fuck is a swastika doing on the signage of an INDIAN-THEMED RESTAURANT??

2007-06-20T23:16:00.000+08:00

had dinner earlier tonight with the cousin and the gf over at new bombay near the RCBC plaza (which roughly translates to 'i don't know the exact location of the resto, even the street it's in so yeah.')

the place is nicely built, with a spacious, well-lit interior and clean surroundings. the menu doesn't deviate from the usual fare i see on other indian-themed eateries but the chicken masala, butter naan and some empanada-like veggie treat i consumed (also, by 'consumed' i meant 'eat voraciously without regard for self-esteem') was just so sumptuous that i quickly forgot my resolve to eat less during evenings. i left the place sweaty and smelly, but happy.

+ + + +

a conversation while smoking outside after having dinner:

cousin leo: guys, what does 'aum' mean in the resto logo?

karen the gf: i dunno.

cousin leo: i know! it's what the indians say when they meditate! (does a meditating pose) 'AUM'!

me: wrong cuz. ano yan, para pag me nagtanong sa yo kung saan ka kumain. sagot mo 'AUM... sa new bombay.'

cousin and gf: *groan*

(so okay i had trouble constructing the title of this entry, only to find out that i shouldn't have worried about the grammar but the CONTENT. apparently indians have every right to the swastika. because i love being an ignoramus, i've decided to keep the original title amidst the heavy evidence that is history. power to the people!)

a closer look at what really happened in the NBA finals.

2007-06-19T22:42:00.000+08:00

(i know the series has been over for quite a while now but hey, i've been busy. if you got a prob with that then quit reading. also, screw you.)

so the cavs lost to the spurs in the NBA finals. truth be told, i never expected them to go all the way. hoped maybe, wished most likely, but san antonio crushed all those notions and everything related to it with a methodical, almost machine-like precision that kinda left me shaking my head in exasperation and resignation as i watched the games.

i'm not saying the texas-based team is unbeatable tho. true, they have the vaunted trio of parker, ginobilli and duncan, but it was mostly the cavs' own shortcomings that ultimately did them in, and i ain't just talking about the way they played.

take these for example:

i mean, c'mon! who can stand up, let alone win games when you're skyhighing in pot?

would you put the ball in the hands of somebody who's this insecure and vain?

...on second thought, i'd pick him over this deluded baboon any day.

i don't even know what to say on this one. also, how can you win when your main man is just a kid?

*groan* now we know who really was behind LBJ's drafting:

now are you still wondering why they lost?

i'm federal agent larry cayco, and today is the longest day of my life.

2007-06-13T14:58:00.000+08:00

last week was really crazy here at the office so the recent long weekend was welcomed by me with open (read: desperate) arms. i have this uncanny ability to tune everything and everything out for the sake of r&r (baby, if you're reading this, i'm still sorry about our aborted monday date. it wasn't intentional. really) and my plans for a mini-hibernation for 3 days was no different.

now there's only so much sleeping and lying on the couch anyone can take before feeling the pangs of boredom gnawing at the pit of their stomachs and sad to say, i felt that restless state too. too tired and lazy to go out, i settled on having a "24" marathon with my dear sister and uncle. i had seen the 1st season of the show but din't really follow the next ones so when my uncle brought home a complete 1-5 DVD set, i thought it was best to reacquaint myself with jack bauer and the rest of the CTU gang. i had forgotten how engaging and fast-paced the story was, how dynamic the characters are, not to mention the twists and turns that makes you feel like you're riding the rollercoaster from hell. i finished 2 seasons in 3 days (2 seasons = 48 episodes = roughly 40 hours of viewing out of the 72 hours) and hotdammit i am hooked. again. so much in fact that i even got that gay CTU ring tone on my cell. (my sister and my friends at the office have started throwing me dirty stares because everytime my phone would ring i would answer with "this is bauer")

24's mike novick and WWE's finlay: twins?
anyways, i am planning to spread my watching habits a bit, because a) i've been lacking sleep because of it. i get home around 12-1am, and watch till 3 or 4. b) "heroes" isn't showing until september, and i can't think of another series to watch in case i finish all 5 seasons already and c) i'd like to practice discipline. i wanna see how long it will take before i eat the marshmallow in front of me. (obscure reference about EQ. if you don't get it then sorry) actually, i wanted to start "supernatural" at first but i stopped myself because i was too much of a sissy. i'd rather not be able to sleep by watching something interesting than staying up just because i'm too scared to sleep. yeah i know. wuss.

now i go.

lksnflankfsa?

2007-06-10T03:51:00.000+08:00

spent this saturday night lounging at home with the sister and a friend and we got to talk about self-worth. not a good topic to start when you're bored and on your 3rd bottle and brimming with reservations about your significance in the machinations of the world. i dunno what the fuck it is with me and alcohol, but i discovered that i make more sense when intoxicated, able to string together ideas and concepts while using big words such as "depreciation" and uh, ok, "machinations".

in my drunken stupor, i have again realized how utterly pathetic my life is, especially when put side by side with the lives of people who belong to the same batch as i.

now given my inebriated state as i'm typing this, i have gotten a new resolve, to strive harder to make my life the way i envisioned it to be. i'm 27 and i'm not getting any younger. time to make plans for the future. my future.

anyone out there who gives a damn, please remind me of the stuff i strongly stated on this post in the coming days. i'm sure as hell that i won't even remotely remember any of this tomorrow. i mean later. wuteva.