Field Trip

Yesterday, I had a field trip to a place where I've been wanting to go to since last year: Lucena, Quezon.

For your information, it's a place more or less 180 kilometers away from Quezon City (2 to 3 hours - depending on traffic and driving style), and is the hometown of my dear Katrina. She spent her childhood there, growing up with Jason, her grandmother and aunts.

It felt nice learning more about Katrina by simply knowing landmarks from the city. She pointed out where she was born, where she gave offerings back then, where she mingled in the marketplaces, and where her lola lived.

We went there primarily to attend Sanjhar's 4th birthday. Although for me, I went there because I was itching to.

Right now, though, I got to catch up with my sleep. I want to take half the day off and sleep.

I remember telling her grandma last night: "Sa uulitin po." I hope to have another field trip sometime soon - not too soon, though.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

I got in the office at 7:20 a.m. Normally, on Wednesdays, I arrive 25 to 30 minutes earlier.

Today is different, however. It's been raining since I-don't-know-what-time. I remember waking up at 3 in the morning upon hearing heavy rainfall. Three hours later, I woke up hearing the same sound.

Dad already told me about an alternate route (Del Monte, Roosevelt, Quezon Avenue) which I took. If I took my normal route (Banawe to Quezon Avenue), I'd be lucky to be in the office by eight.

Traffic was jammed at Quezon Avenue going towards España. Radio reports over DZMM informed me that water levels at UST were "hanggang singit" already.

Hope the rain goes away sooner. Katrina sent me an SMS telling me that their street ends are already flooded, and that the water is already waist-high at UST. I'm sure she wants to go home by now...

Will You Fry Genetically-Modified Chicken?

Here's something forwarded to me by one of my officemates, which originally came from Reuters:

"Two featherless chickens peck around in some grass May 22, 2002 at the Hebrew University in Rehevot. Israeli scientists at the Agricultural department of the university have genetically engineered bare-skinned chickens as part of a research project to develop succulent, low-fat poultry that is environmentally friendly. The naked chicken, as the bird has been dubbed, would also save poultry farmers large amounts of money on ventilation to prevent their chickens from overheating."

The so-called naked chicken is, well, naked. It has no feathers, and has red skin. In fact, it looks just like a reddened chicken from your poultry shop - only that it can still walk and breathe.

The idea is brilliant. You get to "design" chicken that has more flavor and less fat. Plus, it also shaves electric bills for poultry farmers, which, in effect, lowers the prices of chicken meat (or, if the price is not reduced, increases the chicken farmers' profits).

However, the question is are we willing to eat it? Are you willing to eat a genetics experiment? Will you put aside personal aesthetics for cheaper chicken meat?

Personally, I won't mind - as long as the meat is proven safe to eat. Besides, it's still chicken - cheaper and yummier chicken.

NationStates.net

I discovered this online game from my elder brother Jacob. It looks fun. Try it out. No need to download - just log on and build your own nation.

Yep... you get to be the main decision-maker in your own fictional nation-state. Galing!

If you want to run your own fantasy country, you have to try this game out.

Best of all, it's for free. Happy nation-building!

Will You Still Love Me?

Take me as I am
Put your hand in mine now and forever
Darling here I stand, stand before you now
Deep inside I always knew
It was you, you and me
Two hearts drawn together bound by destiny
It was you and you for me
Every road leads to your door
Every step I take forever more

Just say you’ll love me for the rest of your life
I gotta lot of love and I don’t want to let go
Will you still love me for the rest of my life?
’cause I can’t go on
No, I can’t go on
I can’t go on
If I’m on my own

Take me as I am
Put your heart in mine, stay with me forever
’cause I am just a man who never understood
I never had a thing to prove
Till there was you
You and me
Then it all came clear so suddenly
How close to you that I wanna be

Just say you’ll love me for the rest of your life
I gotta lot of love and I don’t want to let go
Will you still love me for the rest of my life?
’cause I can’t go on
No, I can’t go on
I can’t go on
If I’m on my own

Do you believe a love could run so strong?
Do you believe a love could pass you by?
There was no special one for me
I was the lovely one, you see
But then my heart lost all control
Now you’re all that I know

Just say you’ll love me for the rest of your life
I gotta lot of love and I don’t want to let go
Will you still love me for the rest of my life?
’cause I can’t go on
No, I can’t go on
I can’t go on
If I’m on my own

Jologs

Gooooood morning, Philippines! I'm at work, blogging. Hehe... but by 9:30 a.m., I have to resume studying SwishMax and make progress with a presentation due Wednesday.

I had a wonderful day yesterday with my girlfriend Katrina. We went to Tutuban with her family, browsed for clothes (ended up buying none, though...), then went to SM Manila to watch a movie.

Hulaan niyo kung ano pinanood namin... "Now That I Have You"!

The best!!! Super-jologs! Hehehe. At first, I didn't like the idea. For one thing, I'm not a fan of local jologs movies. I know that those movies were corny, loaded with awkward situations, embarassing scenes, and cheesy lines.

But I've been persuaded to watch... and we did. It turned out to be what I had in mind in its exact sense.

Funny thing, though, is that the characters had some parallelisms with ourselves; hence, I ended up teasing Katrina. Another funny thing: I had fun (although I denied it so many times...). Despite the poor sound mixing quality, bad dialogue delivery, and I-can-do-better-than-that-I-guess acting, there was something in that movie that I actually enjoyed.

Besides, it was the first time I ever saw a jologs movie in the theater.

Thanks, baby!

Life (Status Report as of August 12, 2004)

I thought of writing something new for my blog: a status report. Yep... a self-diagnosis of how my life is at this very moment. Somehow, it makes me think also how my life is going, and perhaps it'll also give me insight to where I'm heading.

So let's start:

1. Personal Well-being

I'm good. Physically, I've been working out for I'm-not-sure-how-long-already, but it's taking effect already. I've lost 4 pounds (so I'm down to 179 lbs.) and I'm resistant to sickness. I'm eating healthy (normal intake, plus fruits and veggies), no vices (no smoking, no drinking), and I've been getting enough sleep every week.

Mentally and spiritually, I'm also in good shape. Maybe it's part of exercise as well. I can study well, thanks to a not-so-stressful environment. Spirits are high, and I still believe strongly in God.

2. Love-life

Katrina and I are going really well, rather swell, on our relationship. After twenty months, I can say that it still tends to be a rollercoaster ride, but, heck, it's one fun ride. She's one reason I'm happy right now.

Although our shifts are really (uhm... how do I say this...) off, we're still lucky enough to meet thrice a week. I'm still wishing, though, that her shift schedule improves.

I have to admit that I miss being with her every day - escorting her from school to her home, spending quality time together, even if it didn't take long; however, the call for adjustments and the thought of moving onto a different life is much stronger. Not to worry... we will be together someday.

3. Job

Am I excelling at work? Perhaps. I'm not sure either if I'm inspiring my co-workers as well. I noticed Jerome, one of my officemates who got hired on the same date as me, beginning to study the SD module (Sales and Distribution) of SAP. I also noticed Yen, another co-worker, pick up a book to study, and the book she began to study is the book I lent to Kenny.

Maybe I didn't influence them to do so... or maybe I did. God knows. What I do know is that I've been spending at least five hours a day, sometimes even the whole work day, studying. I even asked my boss how to get certified as an ABAP Programmer by SAP. He mentioned that the first try is for free.

I'm quite happy with my salary, too. It's well above basic. I'm also happy working with two monitors, too.

I guess that, while I don't have to program anything yet, I'll be studying.

4. Dreams and Goals in Life

I'm getting there, little by little. Basically, the reason why I'm planning to get certification is to fetch a larger market value, but it doesn't mean that I'll be leaving this place soon. Here, I'll fetch an extra ten grand if I do. Outside, I didn't mind knowing yet, but I heard from some of my officemates that it'll fetch around fifty grand.

Anyway, I got two things in mind: a house, and a car. Well... maybe you don't need to know about the car (since I guess I wrote so much about it anyway...), but with the house... hmm... I hope to be able to acquire one in four to five years. Katrina told me that we could start out with an apartment. I agreed, but only if it had a garage.

As of now, I aim to spend minimally. Usually, I only spend three pesos a day (one cup rice to match my baon). So aside from food, gas, and cellphone charges, everything else either goes to my hunnie or to my savings account.

Summary:

To sum it all up, I can say that I'm very happy with my life right now. I guess everything will fall in place sooner or later, but I believe that I'm trekking the right route.

A thought: success can be measured relatively. Ultimate success, however, can only be measured by one's own self through one very dependable yardstick: Happiness.

Project '73 Lancer - Part 3: Browse-While-Saving Phase

Payday's around the corner (of the week), and I'm glad I was able to save much from the last payday. I'm still wondering though if I can still remain this way... being able to save more than half of my salary every fifteen days.

I should be studying right now, but there's a small rebellion inside my head. So I guess that's a sign to write stuff on my blog.

I remember giving a guy selling a '76 Lancer a ring last week. It was a 2-door, L-type coupe, as advertised - exactly the car I was looking for. The online ad (see link to the right) mentioned that it was for sale for P32,000 negotiable.

When I talked to Russel (the guy selling the car), he informed me that it was a daily driver, had strong aircon, and with good body condition. He also told me that he was disposing of the car because he is joining the navy. Right there and then, he offered to sell the car for P25,000, and informed me that he will be leaving by next month.

Whoa!

But something scared me though, so I went to ask a few more questions.

J: Ok. So what's the displacement of the engine?
R: Huh?
J: Ano bale size ng makina?
R: Uhm... hindi ako sigurado e.
J: Kasi alam ko, may 1200, 1400, at 1600 versions 'yan.
R: Ahh... bale 1400 'to, good condition. 'Di pa ko tinitirikan nyan...

Okay, I thought. I'll be replacing the engine in a year's time anyway, so that ain't much of a problem. Next set of questions...

J: Tapos ano'ng transmission nyan?
R: Uhm...
J: Ilang speed?
R: Ah! Bale four-speed...

Oh no. Now that's the catch. I don't mind a 1400 engine, but four gears isn't enough for me. In fact, I wish there'd even be a six-speed '76 Lancer. Sure, I'd be shifting less, but considering fuel economy and acceleration, I need closer gear ratios only a five- or six-speed can provide.

But I can replace that, too! In fact, I was thinking of getting the tranny of a Silvia S15, which happens to be a six-speed, and mate it with Mitsubishi's revered 4G63. That way, I get so many horses running on an optimum powerband.

But optimum performance means optimum spending. *sigh* So I opted to let it go first.

Just this morning, as I popped open Buy and Sell Online, I saw a '78 Lancer worth P32,000. Good thing about it is that it's five-speed.

Ding! Five-speed means that the tranny is mated with a 1600 engine. Ding! Which means that it is the GSR version (sports version). Ding! Which means 100 horsepower (well... minus aging...) on a 865-kilo platform with 5 gears. Ding! Which means a power-to-weight ratio of 11.56 (again... minus aging)! Sum it up, and you get dirt-cheap performance with minimal modifications!

Catch is that: 1. I guess there will be a lot to fix, and 2. I think it's not the L-type Lancer.

Oh well... we'll just have to see...

Double Vision

I'm starting to really love work. Aside from learning materials, I have a fast internet connection (100Mbps... not bad at all...), a laptop I could take home, and a desk space (by monday, I'll be bringing a paper rack to make my space even tidier than it is).

But today, I got something even better. I am now working with TWO monitors. That's right. TWO monitors linked to my laptop - one is the LCD that comes with the laptop (which is my left screen), and the other is a good, old CRT (to my right) which I found lying around collecting dust. I got the idea from the basis team - which have two video cards, one PCI and one AGP, with each of their desktop PC's and with whopping 18" monitors, and from my seatmate Aris, who did a LCD-CRT, split-screen setup yesterday.

Essentially, what Aris and I did was to connect the monitors via the video slot (whatever you call this thing that connects your video card to your monitor). Then, we went to Display Properties, then settings, then placed a check on the box which says "Extend my Windows Desktop onto this monitor".

And, ta-da! I'm blogging on the left screen while YM-ing and working on the right.

Ain't this just fun...

Why, Mazda, Why?

For two days in a row, I've been doing 21++km on the stationary bike. I'm not really happy with my 180-pound frame. Yep... I'm overweight for someone who reiterates that weight is the enemy.

One teacher of this philosophy is Mazda. They kept on telling us in their ads that weight is the enemy. I agree. Lighter cars mean nimbler, quicker cars.

Then why, oh why did Mazda bring in the Mazda3 with 1310 kilograms?!? That's more than 200 kilos heavier than the competition (Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi...) has for the same class! Not only that... they only placed 100 horses under the hood! Sure they got all-disc brakes and stabilizer bars, but 1310 kilograms for a 1600 model is too much.

But I have to admit that it looks good. In and out, even beneath the hood, everything looks good and neat. The 17-inch wheels look so good, you'll think it's fast. There's a lot of plastic covering the engine components neatly, then there's the boot (er, trunk) with all the tools neatly covered up. Then there's also the smooth, sporty interior, although I have to note that it's not so roomy for a guy like me (at 5'8"). The dash is good-lookin', retro-meets-techno with three rings separating the tach, speedo, and other gauges. Despite all the style, my head labels it a for-show-car-only.

What's up with Mazda, anyway? Why don't they blow apart the competition by bringing in what really counts? Chop off all that excess weight, then shove in a stronger engine. Then fix the legroom, especially at the rear (I'm telling you... my knees suck to be back there...). I'm glad with style, but I'm happier with physics.

Rating: 3/10. If I get a test-drive, and if I get a good feel with it, I'll change my rating. For now, all three points are for the style of the Mazda3. In the end, Mazda can't sell me this car, even if I had the money.

It Keeps On Going, And Going, And Going...

Loop the above statement like the Energizer commercial, and you got something that will describe how our relationship is going, and going, and going.

Happy 20th monthsary, Katrina May!!! I love you!!!

Always take care, and be strong in standing to whatever life throws upon you. I'm glad God answered my prayers last night (I told Him that it was a BIG favor). Hope you get a nice time slot, hunnie! Mwah!!!

Facelift

The previous version needed a facelift. The text disappears, it was too bright, and it had no links.

But NOT ANYMORE!!! Darn, it looks good! Plus, it's got links to blogs and sites I usually visit - very convenient!

...had to change templates, though. All I need now is a comment-maker-thingamajig.

Okay... back to work. Documenting sucks...