It's been a while since I last talked about anything Marvel comics-related -- well, except my other post about Marvel 1602. So I think this is a good time as any to point out some important updates.
Spider-man reset
Earlier this year (or was it late last year?), all of the Spider-Man series have been stopped, except for the Amazing Spider-Man (ASM) title, which is now printed three times a month! Biggest change, of course, is that Spider-Man is single once again, as a result of the four-part One More Day (OMD) story arc, which then made way for the still running Brand New Day (BND) story arc starting with ASM issue #546 onwards.
Needless to say, the OMD story arc was the reset button for Spider-Man in order to revert Spider-Man back to a specific status quo. Joe Quesada, Marvel Editor-In-Chief, was on a crusade to change Spider-Man back to his "earlier" days. Just to summarize, here's Spider-Man's status quo in BND:
- single and was NEVER married to Mary Jane; in fact, they recently broke up;
- the secret identity is a secret once again;
- still a fugitive for not being a registered superhuman;
- Harry Osborn -- the second Green Goblin and son of the first Green Goblin, Norman Osborn -- is alive and well;
- currently working as photographer (to be more specific, a "paparazzi") for the new DB (Daily Bugle);
- still living in Aunt may's house.
The BND story arc introduces a lot of new characters in the world of Spider-Man. One noticeable change is that Spider-Man is now on a more street-level character, dealing with more New York "localized" issues (gangsters, paparazzi, mayoral elections, financial problems) and new weird characters (Freak, Paperdoll, Menace) instead of problems that are national or global in nature (World War Hulk, Secret Invasion, Annihilation Saga).
X-Men revamp
As the result of Messiah CompleX, Cyclops has disbanded the X-Men. At least, the X-Men roster as we know it. Let's summarize each title:
Uncanny X-Men - Focuses on Cyclop's "disbanded" team (Emma Frost, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus). Cyclops and Emma are in San Francisco dealing with the "Hippie" atmosphere that has enthralled the entire city, while Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus are in Russia, who, as of issue #498, encountered Omega Red.
Adjectiveless X-Men (renamed to X-Men Legacy) - Deals with the revived Professor X, who is trying to piece together the fragments of his memories (since his brain was literally blown to bits at the end of Messiah CompleX). Mostly flashbacks and back stories previously not shown in the earlier issues.
Young X-Men - This follows a similar formula used for Avengers Disassembled storyarc leading to Young Avengers; after the previous arc, Cyclops recruits some of the last generation of mutants and trains them under the wreck of the X-Mansion. This series replaces the New X-Men series as the staple comics for the last generation of mutants under the X-Men. Current mission: take out the new Brotherhood (of Evil Mutants), consisting of the former X-Men: Cannonball, Sunspot, Magma, and Dani Moonstar.
X-Force - Consisting of the most ruthless killers in their roster, Cyclops assembles the new X-Force. Their goal: do the "dirty" deeds in secret what the upright X-Men cannot do in the open. The new black ops team consists of Wolverine (again), Warpath, and X-23 and is hunting down the Purifiers, a group of fanatical humans bent on exterminating all the remaining mutants by whatever means necessary. The last issues reveals that the X-Man Wolfsbane was brainwashed by Purifiers, and the apparent return of the "evil" Archangel during his sevitude as Horseman Death under Apocalypse!
Cable - Escaping into the future with the first (and last?) mutant baby born after M-Day, Cable is hunted by Bishop obsessed with eliminating the baby in order to prevent the apocalyptic future he lived in.
Wolverine - Similar to his role in X-Force, Cyclops sends Wolverine to eliminate the traitor Mystique. His hunt took him far into the Middle East with him finally disemboweling her, leaving her to die in the middle of the desert. Flashbacks also revealed that Wolverine and Mystique had a long history, long even before Professor X even conceived of the X-Men.
Astonishing X-Men - Finally, after long delays, it is now revealed how the story arc finally ties in (or at least partially) with the rest of the "bigger picture". We see how Kitty Pryde, the Shadowcat, sacrificed herself in order to save earth from a giant bullet launched from one of the satellites of Breakworld, home of the a ruthless warrior-race of aliens.
All in all, I'm happy with the push given to Cyclops, who is finally breaking out as the leader of the X-Men, throwing his weight around in most of the X titles. I'm not particularly excited about X-Men Legacy, though. One important thing to note is that -- except for a few titles -- each X-Men series now is more focused and self-contained, unlike the very loose and overlapping storylines during the 90s and early 2000, particularly X-Men and Uncanny X-Men series. (By overlapping, I mean, it's impossible to read and understand, say, just X-Men without also reading Uncanny X-Men.
I didn't think this post would be this long. Oh well, just wait for part II then. :)
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
My "going-home" boo-boos and yeah-yeahs list
Having spent about a week in Manila was not a cakewalk, but the following boo-boos made it just a little bit worse, although the yeah-yeahs seem to make it all worthwhile. I hope the list helps you out there planning to go home :)
Left ATM card. What's worse than your wallet with missing driver's license? Your wallet with no money whatsoever! I already transferred cash into my ATM account in Manila (since remitting from SG to Manila has better rates than converting through money changers in Manila). Of course, that is useless if your ATM card is not with you. Darn! Good thing, we had a simple workaround: transfer funds into another ATM that you have access to (such as the ATM of your parents!) This was a bit of a hassle, but it's better than not having any cash at all!
No traffic "intelligence report". Traffic was so heavy, we spent the entire morning crawling through the South Luzon Expressway. I guess if I had tuned in to one of those traffic watch programs, I would have taken the Skyway or any other alternate routes. Oh well... That's a half day wasted. This is perhaps the worst case of "waste"... You waste time, energy, gas (and consequently money) in the middle of a damned highway. The only good thing here is that we were stuck in traffic in our entire stay only once.
Unset alarms. You'd expect some days in which you would have to stay up real late and, as such, you are expected to wake up late as well... However, time is not on our side. Alarms should have been set so as not to waste two or three hours to sleep. It's only a small thing to overlook, but one that cost us several hours... Multiply that by several days and you'd almost have a full day lost to sleep... Not the healthiest choice, sure, but we could have grabbed some sleep after finishing whatever tasks we had for the week... Oh well....
Planned a not-so flexible agenda. Many items in our list were not done mainly due to "surprises". At one time, we had unexpected (but welcome) visitors which practically cleared out the rest of our day. Our timetable was so tight, there was very minimal room for adjustment. Surprises like this forced us to leave out some items undone.
Not-enough days! One week -- actually, 5 workdays plus the 4 weekends, inclusive of the in and out flights -- is simply not enough! It was just enough time to finish off some loose ends, but not enough to actually enjoy the stay. One week would have worked for a non-flexible and completely predictable time. Otherwise, it's just not enough... :(
Note to self: next time, plan a two-week vacation at the minimum.
YEAH-YEAHs:
Meet family, friends and colleagues. What's better than meeting the ones we've left behind after a long time? Although sadly, we didn't get to meet everyone due to time constraint. But I guess we were able to meet with the people that we really needed to meet with anyway, so that's fine. :)
Home. No matter what you say, home is home, and there's nothing like being home after a long time... Well, in our case, it's actually just a few months, but still... In our case at least, we had three homes: our actual house where we live (or used to live), Che's parents' house (with all her pamangkin's including the newest one, Keisha), and my Dad's house (where I grew up and is the "gathering point" of my clan). Spending time in all three is very refreshing.
Eat foods missed. Needless to say, food abroad is nothing like food in Manila. So which foods did we have? Well, there's Jollibee's chicken and breakfast meals, Tapa King's Tapa Queen (the sweet and spicy one, I think), Goldilock's puto and mamon, and, of course, the home-made dishes (too many to mention). Aside from these, we brought back to SG some of the things that you'll never find there: Purefood's Tender Juicy Hotdogs, Purefood's Salami, Purefoods Corned Beef (simply the best corned beef for me), Century Tuna (Hot and Spicy), laurel leaves (bay leaves) and banana blossoms (puso ng saging) for the paksiw, different types of tuyo and daing, Filipino curry powder (i.e., our local yellow curry powder, not to be confused with SG's fiery red curry powder), bunch of chichiryas like Kirei, Oishi and Tortillos, and, of course, my favorite sandwhich spreads -- Cheez Whiz and Lady's Choice Guava Jelly. Actually, my favorite since way, way back was the Peanut Butter with Guava Jelly Stripe. If I'm not mistaken, it's either Lady's Choice or Kraft. Well, it no longer exists today, sadly, so I'd settle with the Guava Jelly with any brand of peanut butter such Lily's.
Note: Wow! What a long entry for food! Hehehe...
Had our first-time massage. We never really had a massage together before. So we thought that it was a good time as any to do it. We went to the Relaksasi in Park Square I in Makati. We went for the Combination massage. Hu-wow! What a massage! Maybe next time, we'll try their so-called signature massage, the Balinese massage. Almost twice the cost of the combination massage... That better be worth it! :)
Note to self: Include massage in the itinerary of any homecoming vacation.
Dealt with our wedding photo package. Yep, at long last...after more than a year and a half, we finally met again with our official wedding photographer to finalize our photo album. Allan Boras, excited as ever to take pictures, was more than happy to accomodate us. :) He still definitely exhibits that passion of his for photography. Here's a guy that just loves taking pictures. :)
Triggered retro-gaming. Checking out our PC at home, I came across one of the best games I've every played: Baldur's Gate 2 - Shadows of Amn. It's one of those early 2000 RPGs (role-playing games) based on the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game. To make the long story short, I installed the game in our laptop (thank God, the game is compatible with Windows Vista!) and started playing on my free time. :)
Helped one of my cousins. We learned that one of my cousins is already graduating from college. Her life would be made easier if she had her own PC to use. Those reports can be a real drag if you don't have your own PC. Well, we wouldn't be using our PC anyway, so we gave a PC to her. Hope she makes the best of her final year in college!
Well, that's all for now. :)
BOO-BOOs:
Left Driver's License. You only actually need a license when (1) you get caught by those traffic enforcers, and (2) when you get caught in an accident. With these in mind, I always had that nagging feeling whenever I'm driving around the Metro... Yep, not the best feeling at all... which only makes you even more prone to accidents... :(Left ATM card. What's worse than your wallet with missing driver's license? Your wallet with no money whatsoever! I already transferred cash into my ATM account in Manila (since remitting from SG to Manila has better rates than converting through money changers in Manila). Of course, that is useless if your ATM card is not with you. Darn! Good thing, we had a simple workaround: transfer funds into another ATM that you have access to (such as the ATM of your parents!) This was a bit of a hassle, but it's better than not having any cash at all!
No traffic "intelligence report". Traffic was so heavy, we spent the entire morning crawling through the South Luzon Expressway. I guess if I had tuned in to one of those traffic watch programs, I would have taken the Skyway or any other alternate routes. Oh well... That's a half day wasted. This is perhaps the worst case of "waste"... You waste time, energy, gas (and consequently money) in the middle of a damned highway. The only good thing here is that we were stuck in traffic in our entire stay only once.
Unset alarms. You'd expect some days in which you would have to stay up real late and, as such, you are expected to wake up late as well... However, time is not on our side. Alarms should have been set so as not to waste two or three hours to sleep. It's only a small thing to overlook, but one that cost us several hours... Multiply that by several days and you'd almost have a full day lost to sleep... Not the healthiest choice, sure, but we could have grabbed some sleep after finishing whatever tasks we had for the week... Oh well....
Planned a not-so flexible agenda. Many items in our list were not done mainly due to "surprises". At one time, we had unexpected (but welcome) visitors which practically cleared out the rest of our day. Our timetable was so tight, there was very minimal room for adjustment. Surprises like this forced us to leave out some items undone.
Not-enough days! One week -- actually, 5 workdays plus the 4 weekends, inclusive of the in and out flights -- is simply not enough! It was just enough time to finish off some loose ends, but not enough to actually enjoy the stay. One week would have worked for a non-flexible and completely predictable time. Otherwise, it's just not enough... :(
Note to self: next time, plan a two-week vacation at the minimum.
YEAH-YEAHs:
Meet family, friends and colleagues. What's better than meeting the ones we've left behind after a long time? Although sadly, we didn't get to meet everyone due to time constraint. But I guess we were able to meet with the people that we really needed to meet with anyway, so that's fine. :)
Home. No matter what you say, home is home, and there's nothing like being home after a long time... Well, in our case, it's actually just a few months, but still... In our case at least, we had three homes: our actual house where we live (or used to live), Che's parents' house (with all her pamangkin's including the newest one, Keisha), and my Dad's house (where I grew up and is the "gathering point" of my clan). Spending time in all three is very refreshing.
Eat foods missed. Needless to say, food abroad is nothing like food in Manila. So which foods did we have? Well, there's Jollibee's chicken and breakfast meals, Tapa King's Tapa Queen (the sweet and spicy one, I think), Goldilock's puto and mamon, and, of course, the home-made dishes (too many to mention). Aside from these, we brought back to SG some of the things that you'll never find there: Purefood's Tender Juicy Hotdogs, Purefood's Salami, Purefoods Corned Beef (simply the best corned beef for me), Century Tuna (Hot and Spicy), laurel leaves (bay leaves) and banana blossoms (puso ng saging) for the paksiw, different types of tuyo and daing, Filipino curry powder (i.e., our local yellow curry powder, not to be confused with SG's fiery red curry powder), bunch of chichiryas like Kirei, Oishi and Tortillos, and, of course, my favorite sandwhich spreads -- Cheez Whiz and Lady's Choice Guava Jelly. Actually, my favorite since way, way back was the Peanut Butter with Guava Jelly Stripe. If I'm not mistaken, it's either Lady's Choice or Kraft. Well, it no longer exists today, sadly, so I'd settle with the Guava Jelly with any brand of peanut butter such Lily's.
Note: Wow! What a long entry for food! Hehehe...
Had our first-time massage. We never really had a massage together before. So we thought that it was a good time as any to do it. We went to the Relaksasi in Park Square I in Makati. We went for the Combination massage. Hu-wow! What a massage! Maybe next time, we'll try their so-called signature massage, the Balinese massage. Almost twice the cost of the combination massage... That better be worth it! :)
Note to self: Include massage in the itinerary of any homecoming vacation.
Dealt with our wedding photo package. Yep, at long last...after more than a year and a half, we finally met again with our official wedding photographer to finalize our photo album. Allan Boras, excited as ever to take pictures, was more than happy to accomodate us. :) He still definitely exhibits that passion of his for photography. Here's a guy that just loves taking pictures. :)
Triggered retro-gaming. Checking out our PC at home, I came across one of the best games I've every played: Baldur's Gate 2 - Shadows of Amn. It's one of those early 2000 RPGs (role-playing games) based on the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game. To make the long story short, I installed the game in our laptop (thank God, the game is compatible with Windows Vista!) and started playing on my free time. :)
Helped one of my cousins. We learned that one of my cousins is already graduating from college. Her life would be made easier if she had her own PC to use. Those reports can be a real drag if you don't have your own PC. Well, we wouldn't be using our PC anyway, so we gave a PC to her. Hope she makes the best of her final year in college!
Well, that's all for now. :)
Sunday, June 01, 2008
And we're back again!
It's June and we just got back from Manila!
The nine-day vacation was longer than our last visit last February, although it is still not long enough. Our stay isn't exactly what I would call a "vacation"; we had to work on some issues that we've left behind, such as the clearance form from my last job, and cutting our unused phone line. :)
Nevertheless, on a more serious and personal note, I got more than what I bargained for... After learning a few things, our past experiences have been placed in a new light... Seeing my past in a new perspective was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. All of my current concerns seem trivial.
On a lighter note, it's good to see old friends and relatives again. I never felt more homesick than I was a week ago and seeing everyone sure helped me a lot.
Although not fully rested, I'm now psyched to get back here with a fresh new outlook to face my challenges... at least for the next couple of weeks... :)
The nine-day vacation was longer than our last visit last February, although it is still not long enough. Our stay isn't exactly what I would call a "vacation"; we had to work on some issues that we've left behind, such as the clearance form from my last job, and cutting our unused phone line. :)
Nevertheless, on a more serious and personal note, I got more than what I bargained for... After learning a few things, our past experiences have been placed in a new light... Seeing my past in a new perspective was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. All of my current concerns seem trivial.
On a lighter note, it's good to see old friends and relatives again. I never felt more homesick than I was a week ago and seeing everyone sure helped me a lot.
Although not fully rested, I'm now psyched to get back here with a fresh new outlook to face my challenges... at least for the next couple of weeks... :)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Bookshelf update: Marvel 1602
It's been a while since I last updated my shelfari. Found a bunch of new features since I last logged in.... well, it's so long ago, I can't remember!
I decided to check it again when I just happen to be in the campus library when I came across the Marvel 1602 paperback (check my shelfari bookshelf below). I've had fun reading this before, and I have no problem reading it again!
Simply put, Marvel 1602 (due to some complicated cosmic plot I'd rather not discuss) the age of heroes (i.e., today, present time when all superheroes are about) was moved back four hundred years into the past, during the time of Queen Elizabeth I, King James of Scotland, the Spanish Inquisition, Templar Knights and the Crusades, the discovery of the New World.
We see Captain America as an (American) Indian, Nick Fury and Dr Strange as members of Queen Elizabeth's court; Magneto as the Spanish Grand Inquisitor hunting down mutants -- or witchbreed (Interesting to note is that Magneto here is a witchbreed in hiding); the witchbreed led by Carlos Javier (Prof. X.); Count Otto Von Doom the Handsome, ruler of Latveria; a young Peter Parquagh (Spider-Man) as Nick Fury's squire; Matt Murdoch (Daredevil), Nick Fury's agent; Thor and his alter-ego, Donal, the a hermit/Templar Knight and others.
If that does not convince you to read this, perhaps the name of the author will...the award-winnig English writer Neil Gaiman (The Sandman comics series, Stardust starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes).
Gaiman's take on these superheroes and taking them back in time makes a particularly good read. At least for me, who likes reading history AND comics. And most especially, for those who are always ask "what if" about history.
I decided to check it again when I just happen to be in the campus library when I came across the Marvel 1602 paperback (check my shelfari bookshelf below). I've had fun reading this before, and I have no problem reading it again!
Simply put, Marvel 1602 (due to some complicated cosmic plot I'd rather not discuss) the age of heroes (i.e., today, present time when all superheroes are about) was moved back four hundred years into the past, during the time of Queen Elizabeth I, King James of Scotland, the Spanish Inquisition, Templar Knights and the Crusades, the discovery of the New World.
We see Captain America as an (American) Indian, Nick Fury and Dr Strange as members of Queen Elizabeth's court; Magneto as the Spanish Grand Inquisitor hunting down mutants -- or witchbreed (Interesting to note is that Magneto here is a witchbreed in hiding); the witchbreed led by Carlos Javier (Prof. X.); Count Otto Von Doom the Handsome, ruler of Latveria; a young Peter Parquagh (Spider-Man) as Nick Fury's squire; Matt Murdoch (Daredevil), Nick Fury's agent; Thor and his alter-ego, Donal, the a hermit/Templar Knight and others.
If that does not convince you to read this, perhaps the name of the author will...the award-winnig English writer Neil Gaiman (The Sandman comics series, Stardust starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes).
Gaiman's take on these superheroes and taking them back in time makes a particularly good read. At least for me, who likes reading history AND comics. And most especially, for those who are always ask "what if" about history.
Countdown to homecoming!
Just a few hours left.... Tonight, we will be flying back to Manila for about a week!
I miss a lot of things from the hometown, but there are also many things I'm not really looking forward to.
One good thing is the more favorable exchange rate; last February, SGD1 = PHP27++; as of this writing, SGD1 = PHP31++, the highest so far this year. So supposedly, one SGD can buy more now than last February. The bad thing: all prices went up; rice, gas, jeep/bus fares. Well, there goes the better exchange rate... Still, at least it's higher than last time.
Traffic, I heard, was getting worse everywhere. Good thing the places we need to go are not that very far. Well, except for a few items (Cavite, etc.), but aside from that, I guess we're okay.
We've been keeping tabs on our immediate families, and I'm happy they're all good. Although seeing them all with my own eyes should be so much better than hearing them over the cellphone. We missed all their birthdays this year, but work and obligations just prevents us from doing so.
Haven't seen a lot of our friends the last time we were here. Many of them did not even know we came back! ;) Oh, well, you can only do so much in a week.
I wonder how Santana Grove looks like now? When we left, the place was already becoming a people "magnet", promising to be one of the new "gimikans" or "go-to places" in Paranaque.
Water is still a problem, though. Could be a few more months, if not years, before NAWASA/MWSS (or whatever company is making all the digs along Sucat Road) can reach our subdivision. Plus, we need a new water tank. Hehehe :)
Oh well, still... Despite the imperfections, home is home. :) Nothing better to prepare myself before the June "showdown" I'll be working on than getting the "home-feeling" again. :)
Hope we can make the most of our stay; if everything stays the same, the next time we'll be able to go back is next year.
Hmmm... Just realized my post is almost like a jumble of ramblings, one thought only loosely connected to the others. Oh well, I guess that's how I am when I'm left with these musings about home. Hehehe. :)
I guess, happy homecoming to us then! Yipee!
I miss a lot of things from the hometown, but there are also many things I'm not really looking forward to.
One good thing is the more favorable exchange rate; last February, SGD1 = PHP27++; as of this writing, SGD1 = PHP31++, the highest so far this year. So supposedly, one SGD can buy more now than last February. The bad thing: all prices went up; rice, gas, jeep/bus fares. Well, there goes the better exchange rate... Still, at least it's higher than last time.
Traffic, I heard, was getting worse everywhere. Good thing the places we need to go are not that very far. Well, except for a few items (Cavite, etc.), but aside from that, I guess we're okay.
We've been keeping tabs on our immediate families, and I'm happy they're all good. Although seeing them all with my own eyes should be so much better than hearing them over the cellphone. We missed all their birthdays this year, but work and obligations just prevents us from doing so.
Haven't seen a lot of our friends the last time we were here. Many of them did not even know we came back! ;) Oh, well, you can only do so much in a week.
I wonder how Santana Grove looks like now? When we left, the place was already becoming a people "magnet", promising to be one of the new "gimikans" or "go-to places" in Paranaque.
Water is still a problem, though. Could be a few more months, if not years, before NAWASA/MWSS (or whatever company is making all the digs along Sucat Road) can reach our subdivision. Plus, we need a new water tank. Hehehe :)
Oh well, still... Despite the imperfections, home is home. :) Nothing better to prepare myself before the June "showdown" I'll be working on than getting the "home-feeling" again. :)
Hope we can make the most of our stay; if everything stays the same, the next time we'll be able to go back is next year.
Hmmm... Just realized my post is almost like a jumble of ramblings, one thought only loosely connected to the others. Oh well, I guess that's how I am when I'm left with these musings about home. Hehehe. :)
I guess, happy homecoming to us then! Yipee!
"Brother"'s comeback in the finale!
The finale of this season's American Idol is perhaps the most expensive and grandest so far. (Not surprising, since votes for the final week alone totalled US$97million) So many guest artist performances on stage, plus the star-studded crowd lining the front rows...
(Not to mention, the two finalists each get their own Ford Escape Hybrid!)
Halfway through the show, just when you thought things could not get any better, he returns...
Same ol', same ol' Renaldo Lapuz is back, with his white costume, white hat, and shiny cape! And this time, with a marching band!
Oooh yeah!
Special thanks to Cocoidol08 for the amazing upload!
(Not to mention, the two finalists each get their own Ford Escape Hybrid!)
Halfway through the show, just when you thought things could not get any better, he returns...
Same ol', same ol' Renaldo Lapuz is back, with his white costume, white hat, and shiny cape! And this time, with a marching band!
Oooh yeah!
Special thanks to Cocoidol08 for the amazing upload!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Trudging work with streaming radio
In case you didn't know, my job isn't exactly what I thought it was. The process (or lack thereof) definitely has room for improvement. A pseudo-team (one team leader and one team member) simply does not work for me. The organizational hierarchy is also bad, since any higher-ups can assign work to us without going through the team leader. Plus, the escalation of issues practically does not exist; most of the time, the issue goes directly to manager instead of us. (I guess, coming from a "real" technical support job, I can see clearly that the "escalation" procedure is -- well, let's just say it could use a major overhaul.... :) On top of it all, our projects are there and we get constant pings from the same manager who assigns multiple "very urgent" (but mostly trivial) tasks.
Oh well, enough of the rants... :)
Ever since my last job, I simply work better with music on. Back then, it was cellphone radios and earphones. Now, I can use that, but then again, I can only pick up SG radio stations. :( They're not THAT bad, but I comes down to cultural preferences, I guess.. Example, I just don't get a kick out of any Chinese, Malaysian, or Indian songs which get played as much as the English songs we know.
So, it's got to be internet radio! Unlike other companies here, it's a good thing that streaming (audio or video) is not blocked. Although there are days when it gets disconnected, mostly due to network issues. (They should really replace some of the devices here!) If streaming were blocked, I don't know how I would keep myself sane. Radio helps me relax back then. It's helping me relax now... or at least entertained enough to get through the day. :)
I listen to RX most of the time. :) That's were I get my daily dose of songs and news -- entertainment or otherwise. Keeps me updated on latest hits. (Che was really happy to know that Say It Again topped the top charts.)
Sadly, I don't get to work that early, so I can only hear the last hour of Chico and Delamar. I could go to work earlier, but then again, why the hell should I? :)
Okay, back to "work"! Hehehe :)
Oh well, enough of the rants... :)
Ever since my last job, I simply work better with music on. Back then, it was cellphone radios and earphones. Now, I can use that, but then again, I can only pick up SG radio stations. :( They're not THAT bad, but I comes down to cultural preferences, I guess.. Example, I just don't get a kick out of any Chinese, Malaysian, or Indian songs which get played as much as the English songs we know.
So, it's got to be internet radio! Unlike other companies here, it's a good thing that streaming (audio or video) is not blocked. Although there are days when it gets disconnected, mostly due to network issues. (They should really replace some of the devices here!) If streaming were blocked, I don't know how I would keep myself sane. Radio helps me relax back then. It's helping me relax now... or at least entertained enough to get through the day. :)
I listen to RX most of the time. :) That's were I get my daily dose of songs and news -- entertainment or otherwise. Keeps me updated on latest hits. (Che was really happy to know that Say It Again topped the top charts.)
Sadly, I don't get to work that early, so I can only hear the last hour of Chico and Delamar. I could go to work earlier, but then again, why the hell should I? :)
Okay, back to "work"! Hehehe :)
Lapse in posting...
Looks like I was too busy the last few days that I didn't realize it has been more than a week since I last posted here. So let's see...
Che is in Thailand again -- hopefully for the last time -- since last Thursday (or was it Wednesday?) for server reinstallation on the client side (apparently, someone screwed up the servers beyond the point of recovery, such that everything has to be reinstalled from scratch). She should be back later this week.
Dad's birthday last Friday. Had quite a long talk over the phone. Good thing it's a Friday -- everyone could be there for the dinner...well, except us of course!
Geez, still can't get over the fact that the price of rice per kilo is not lower than PHP 35! Also, the gas price soaring PHP50+ per liter! How disappointing... Prices are going up... except salaries! Reminds me of why we went here to work in the first place...
May 19 was also Vesak Day, official Singaporean holiday! So that was an extended three-day weekend for us. Didn't really do much of anything. Just had to catch up on my reading -- been reading Investing for Dummies for a while now. :)
Went to get the exit pass from Lucky Plaza (iRemit). Strange thing is, one single exit pass is only SGD 5.50. A Pinoy colleague went directly to the Philippine Embassy the day before and the single exit pass costs SGD6.00. Sure, not a big deal for some. Question is this: why is it cheaper in Lucky Plaza (think of it as just a branch office) than in Philippine Embassy itself? Oh well, maybe a transition of prices. Whatever. :)
So yeah... I got the exit pass because we're going back to home!!! Hehehe. :) We'll be flying this coming Friday evening. That reminds me... I better fix our agenda for our week-long stay to maximize everything.
That's all for the last week updates and upcoming events! Hehehe :))
Che is in Thailand again -- hopefully for the last time -- since last Thursday (or was it Wednesday?) for server reinstallation on the client side (apparently, someone screwed up the servers beyond the point of recovery, such that everything has to be reinstalled from scratch). She should be back later this week.
Dad's birthday last Friday. Had quite a long talk over the phone. Good thing it's a Friday -- everyone could be there for the dinner...well, except us of course!
Geez, still can't get over the fact that the price of rice per kilo is not lower than PHP 35! Also, the gas price soaring PHP50+ per liter! How disappointing... Prices are going up... except salaries! Reminds me of why we went here to work in the first place...
May 19 was also Vesak Day, official Singaporean holiday! So that was an extended three-day weekend for us. Didn't really do much of anything. Just had to catch up on my reading -- been reading Investing for Dummies for a while now. :)
Went to get the exit pass from Lucky Plaza (iRemit). Strange thing is, one single exit pass is only SGD 5.50. A Pinoy colleague went directly to the Philippine Embassy the day before and the single exit pass costs SGD6.00. Sure, not a big deal for some. Question is this: why is it cheaper in Lucky Plaza (think of it as just a branch office) than in Philippine Embassy itself? Oh well, maybe a transition of prices. Whatever. :)
So yeah... I got the exit pass because we're going back to home!!! Hehehe. :) We'll be flying this coming Friday evening. That reminds me... I better fix our agenda for our week-long stay to maximize everything.
That's all for the last week updates and upcoming events! Hehehe :))
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Our Marie Digby Weekend!
UPDATE: Check out Che's post on her blog.
In case you haven't been checking out Che's blog, Che is one of the biggest Marie Digby fans out there. Ever since she found out about her sometime last year in YouTube, she's always checking out her youtube for her latest music videos.
For the pictures, just check out Che's blog for any updates... That's her niche, so she gets first picks on the pictures to post. :) I guess I'll just stick with the story-telling of what went down. :)
Friday, May 9, Acoustic Session. We were outside the Zouk Velvet Underground waiting to get inside to watch Marie Digby's acoustic session. We were there around 7:30 PM, but the queue has already reached the street. Still, after a few minutes, the queue even got longer; it extended down to the tunnel to the basement parking of the hotel next door.
Around 8:00, people were let in. The place was too crowded. The front row was already full. We managed to squeeze in somewhere in the middle. To our dismay, the big taller guys are hogging the front rows. I had my doubts about us getting a decent picture or video of Marie later.
It's 8:30. She finally came out. She really is as white as in the youtube videos. She would really stood out in the middle of any crowd.
Just as I feared: we can barely get a good shot of Marie. In almost every picture, you'll see this guy's head, and this guy's Jamaican hair, and this guy's big camphone popping out from nowhere. Still, we managed to get good shots, but we had to do a lot of cropping and stuff. :)
Anyway, she was a great performer. She's good with botht he guitar and the piano/organ. She sang five songs from her new album which of course included "Say It Again" and her version of "Umbrella". I was a bit surprised though that she only sang five songs. Well, she was on a tight schedule and this was not a concert, so I guess that explains it. The session lasted around half an hour -- about half an hour shorter than the time we spent on queue. I'm not complaining, though. It was worth the smile on Che's face. I knew she was happy so I'm okay with it.
Sure, my flat feet were aching again, but it was a great show anyway. :)
Here's the video we got from our camera:
Saturday, May 10, Autograph Session. We were at GAP in the Wisma Atria along Orchard Road. The session was at 4:00 PM so we arrived 30 minutes earlier. Still, the queue was already too long and I ended up on the outside; we were like number 30 in the queue or something. I stood in the queue while I let Che and the rest of the "Batswan" inside the store to "maximize" the aircon. :)
We had everything ready: the poster, the CD label, the section of the label where we want her to sign, and a gift. [Che wanted to make sure that Marie would get something out of her visit here.]
When she finally came out and after singing two songs, the autograph signing was under way. Che promptly went to my place and we waited patiently on the queue. The rest of the "Batswan" were on the front row ready to take all the pictures they can when it's Che's turn for the autograph signing.
It took around 20 to 30 minutes before it was finally Che's turn. I guess due to the time and the still long queue, the staff there were a bit irritated: they kept saying no pictures, no notebooks, no scratch papers or the like; only autographs on posters and/or CD labels are allowed.
Despite what the staff around were saying, my gutsy wife introduced herself to Marie [they already exchanged messages in MySpace] and then gave her the gift. Then, the thing that Che was only dreaming of happened:
Marie Digby stood up from her sofa, leaned over, and gave Che a hug!
And the crowd went wild!!! Not only that, I managed to get a picture of the two of them! :)Obviously, the staff can't do anything about that. The crowd cheered as they knew that at that moment, my wife was the luckiest Marie Digby fan! :)
Needless to say, my wife was all-smiles. She has that "smile that had to be surgically removed"; she was very, very, very happy. And so was I.
Anyway, just check Che's blog to know her thoughts about her close encounter. :)
In case you haven't been checking out Che's blog, Che is one of the biggest Marie Digby fans out there. Ever since she found out about her sometime last year in YouTube, she's always checking out her youtube for her latest music videos.
For the pictures, just check out Che's blog for any updates... That's her niche, so she gets first picks on the pictures to post. :) I guess I'll just stick with the story-telling of what went down. :)
Friday, May 9, Acoustic Session. We were outside the Zouk Velvet Underground waiting to get inside to watch Marie Digby's acoustic session. We were there around 7:30 PM, but the queue has already reached the street. Still, after a few minutes, the queue even got longer; it extended down to the tunnel to the basement parking of the hotel next door.
Around 8:00, people were let in. The place was too crowded. The front row was already full. We managed to squeeze in somewhere in the middle. To our dismay, the big taller guys are hogging the front rows. I had my doubts about us getting a decent picture or video of Marie later.
It's 8:30. She finally came out. She really is as white as in the youtube videos. She would really stood out in the middle of any crowd.
Just as I feared: we can barely get a good shot of Marie. In almost every picture, you'll see this guy's head, and this guy's Jamaican hair, and this guy's big camphone popping out from nowhere. Still, we managed to get good shots, but we had to do a lot of cropping and stuff. :)
Anyway, she was a great performer. She's good with botht he guitar and the piano/organ. She sang five songs from her new album which of course included "Say It Again" and her version of "Umbrella". I was a bit surprised though that she only sang five songs. Well, she was on a tight schedule and this was not a concert, so I guess that explains it. The session lasted around half an hour -- about half an hour shorter than the time we spent on queue. I'm not complaining, though. It was worth the smile on Che's face. I knew she was happy so I'm okay with it.
Sure, my flat feet were aching again, but it was a great show anyway. :)
Here's the video we got from our camera:
Saturday, May 10, Autograph Session. We were at GAP in the Wisma Atria along Orchard Road. The session was at 4:00 PM so we arrived 30 minutes earlier. Still, the queue was already too long and I ended up on the outside; we were like number 30 in the queue or something. I stood in the queue while I let Che and the rest of the "Batswan" inside the store to "maximize" the aircon. :)
We had everything ready: the poster, the CD label, the section of the label where we want her to sign, and a gift. [Che wanted to make sure that Marie would get something out of her visit here.]
When she finally came out and after singing two songs, the autograph signing was under way. Che promptly went to my place and we waited patiently on the queue. The rest of the "Batswan" were on the front row ready to take all the pictures they can when it's Che's turn for the autograph signing.
It took around 20 to 30 minutes before it was finally Che's turn. I guess due to the time and the still long queue, the staff there were a bit irritated: they kept saying no pictures, no notebooks, no scratch papers or the like; only autographs on posters and/or CD labels are allowed.
Despite what the staff around were saying, my gutsy wife introduced herself to Marie [they already exchanged messages in MySpace] and then gave her the gift. Then, the thing that Che was only dreaming of happened:
Marie Digby stood up from her sofa, leaned over, and gave Che a hug!
And the crowd went wild!!! Not only that, I managed to get a picture of the two of them! :)Obviously, the staff can't do anything about that. The crowd cheered as they knew that at that moment, my wife was the luckiest Marie Digby fan! :)
Needless to say, my wife was all-smiles. She has that "smile that had to be surgically removed"; she was very, very, very happy. And so was I.
Anyway, just check Che's blog to know her thoughts about her close encounter. :)
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
My Birthday Feast
Well, check the details on Che's post Happy Birthday to My Baby!
Most of the story is already there so just check it out. I'll just place here the food that they have prepared for me! Awww... How sweet. :)
Che became a master chef of sorts. Che and Cel prepared most of the food for the feast. The menu included the following:
Be, thanks for everything! Through the good times and the hard ones, you're always there. From my highs and successes through all of my lows and failures, you're there. And now I've grown a year older, you're still there. Thank you. :)
Most of the story is already there so just check it out. I'll just place here the food that they have prepared for me! Awww... How sweet. :)
Che became a master chef of sorts. Che and Cel prepared most of the food for the feast. The menu included the following:
- Baked Tanigue
- Pork and Veggies in Mushroom Sauce
- Pancit Bihon
- Salmon and Seafood Fried Rice
- Roasted Chicken
- Leche Flan
- Chilled Buko Salad
Be, thanks for everything! Through the good times and the hard ones, you're always there. From my highs and successes through all of my lows and failures, you're there. And now I've grown a year older, you're still there. Thank you. :)
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