Just when you thought that money can’t buy happiness

——–

I have a lingering headache for two days and three nights already. I think it has something to do with my eyes. I need to see the eye doctor this weekend. I just can’t take the pain. I always feel nauseated.

So I didn’t go to work yesterday because I can barely lift my head. Thank you for the guys who found time to PM me ‘aww pagaling ka!’ even though I was not able to reply. <3

crap. i should eat more carrots.

——

I am so in love with this guy.

From the very first time rumors that Apple is going to release a ‘tablet’, I immediately proclaimed “I am sooo gonna buy that”. You see, I always wanted a tablet so I can do free hand when it comes to photo manipulation and graphic design (haha, let’s just pretend I can ACTUALLY draw). But I am afraid to jump out of the comfort zone, away from keys.

But after consulting some of my techie friends (meaning Kuya Centz, Doms and Papa Dabs), I got a non-tablet instead (a netbook) because, my friends claimed,”if you don’t want you money to easily go down the drain, do not buy a tablet” they pointed out durability as the main issue.

So I was so excited when there were speculations that Apple will come out with an awesome, no-keyboard device that’s like a laptop, only, there’s no need to worry about the dust balls forming underneath the keys. I figured that Apple products are durable (my past and present iPods can attest to that. My past iPod is still working perfectly) and with the warranty thingies,  Apple’s tablet would be a great choice.

It was even rumored that the new apple pride would be named iSlate. iSlate is such a cool name, right?!

But to my (great) dismay, they came up with iPad instead.

The Apple iPad specs:

9.7′ display screen @ 1024×768 pixels
16Gb to 64GB Flash Drive
1GHz Apple A4 Chip
Bluetooth 2.1
WiFi 802.11n
3G optional (uses new micro-SIM)
10 hours battery life

I look at the hard drive capacity and I am utterly disappointed. I was expecting some 350GB the min.

It’s basically a larger version of iTouch. I was expecting it to be more on the Macbook side rather than on the iPhone side.

I’ve read some entries about the thing and here’s what i found out, and what i think.

- does not support Flash. Does this mean that although you can access Facebook, you can’t play FarnTown? (that’s not rhetorical. I really wanna know)

- no USB. no freakin USB.

- one of the worst con methinks is that iPad does not support multitasking. Meaning, unlike laptops, you can only open a single program at a time. Which is sorta lame.

- awesome 10-house battery life

- looks cool

- iPad. The name. Seriously?

This new Apple thing could probably work on certain markets. Maybe students or professionals who are always on the go. Or those people who frequently gives reports or presentations.

Maybe their target audience are those who are thinking of buying Amazon’s Kindle. Because frankly between Kindle and this, I would choose iPad in a heartbeat. But that’s just about it.

From Apple website

Although, price is a bit attractive, at least for a new Apple product.

Here’s my computation with exchange rate of $1 = Php 50.00

iPad WiFi 16GB: $499 = Php 24,950
iPad WiFi 32GB: $599 = Php 29,950
iPad WiFi 64GB: $699 = Php 34,950

iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $629 = Php 31,450
iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $729 = Php 36,450
iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $829 = Php 41,450

infos from YugaTech.

SO yeah. I am not buying one because I can’t see the point yet. Got me my netbook, an MP3 player and, you know, real books.

I sure hope that Apple would come up with a tablet – a real tablet.

please?

this post does not make any sense at all. But it’s 2:30am and i can’t sleep, so.

Plus, I’m supposed to write something about Ivler and his totally annoying mom. But I figured they are not worth the effort. What a bunch of circus freaks.

(and I checked out that Marlene woman’s website. It was traumatic. I think I just had an internal brain hemorrhage. I need therapy)

Anyone whose heart goes out to that Marlene woman should be at least talk to the mother of the Ebarde kiddo Jason Ivler killed.

(plus I just  found out that Marlene was interviewed by a showbiz show. Lest you forget, people, that Marlene woman was charged with obstruction of justice for (and?) harboring a criminal, and is only out because of bail. Are we, like, glorifying alleged criminals now?

I am honestly getting tired of that woman. Stop giving her media milage!

————–
there’s something you need to know about me.

I am a highly, highly competitive person. So competitive that I even freak myself out.

This is the reason why I avoid contests and competitions as much as I can. (you should know, I almost decline those chess games we had), and I have theories. (I”m watching House M.D. again, sorry)

- I hate losing.
- I love winning. Then none of it would matter after 5 hours
- I tend to “do anything” to win.
- okay, lemme rephrase that. I tend to “do anything” NOT to lose.

I discovered this ‘personality’ when my friend and I was playing paintball last year.

Friend: Aika, paintball!
Aika: OK! ano titirahin natin?
Friend: tayong dalawa magkalaban!
Aika: ay ayaw ko! baka matalo akooo! Di ako magaling dyan!

We eventually went on to play. And I won, of course.

But that’s not what I want to point out. While we were playing, I noticed how much good I was in that competition because I noticed I was not thinking clearly to make room for a strategy – I just shoot and shoot. My friend was on the defensive side, and I was the one making the offense. I was advancing like a maniac, that my friend even shouted “woi, wag ka masyado malapit, matatamaan ako!”. And I thought, ‘um, ain’t that the point?’ and kept shooting.

You see, buddy, I hate to compete because when I compete, I make sure I don’t lose. And that translates to irrational thinking.

And when I think irrationally, I hurt people. And the last think I want to do is hurt people.

Ergo, I hate to compete.

Not all the contest in this world is a paintball match. I just can’t always make advances and shoot and shoot until I run out of those colorful paint bullets something. I am trying to avoid competitions not because I am a coward, but because I don’t even know what I am capable of when a gun is handed to me (I am speaking metaphorically, mr. policeman!).

I know that if I go and fight for you, I’m gonna hurt her. I don’t want that to happen, she has done me wrong. You know I don’t want to hurt people, especially those who done me wrong.

Ergo, I am letting her have you. You’ve given me reasons not to fight for you anymore.
(Plus she look soooo pathetic trying to ‘pick a fight’. Nakakaawa.)

——————

And, do you remember that time when I said I never really pay attention to promises because I tend to get disappointed if they’re broken? Well I lied. Technically, yes. I try to forget promises, but one of my superpowers is to have a selective awesome memory on promises. And I remember yours. Every single one.

I just hope that someday you’ll wake up and realize how unfair you were to every single soul around you. How unfair you were to me.

You need people. I learned that the hard way. Don’t do what I did because you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Don’t ignore the people who try to reach out TO you.

Because what would happen in the near 3 to 4 years, after you’ve realize how you push people away, is that they are not there anymore when you want then around. These people would eventually grow tired of reaching out to you, because let’s face it, you’re not all that awesome, and you would be left with nothing but one stinking box of regret.

Then, you’ll be alone.

————-

you’re emotionally walking away, instead of actually walking away. Which is stupid because only one of those is good for your heart – Gregory House

Who else is gonna love me, huh? Since you got your degree and you know every fucking thing, who is gonna love me? Who is gonna make me feel good?

- Mary,
Precious: Based in a Novel by Sapphire

——-

It’s sad that Cerge Remonde passed away. I really don’t know him personally and I might have some (meaning a lot) criticisms for his boss, but I was in real shock when I found out that he’s dead.

He was 51.

Natatandaan ko sya kasi yung kauna-unahang press briefing na pinuntahan ko sa Malacanang OJT days ko eh sya yung nasa hot seat. He was still the DirGen of PMS and I thing he was discussing something about railways or roads or something.

The whole thing made me think more about sudden deaths. Ang lungkot kasi the night before he died, nkapag update pa sya ng facebook. He was able to upload pa pictures of MPC people (I know this coz one of my friends was tagged on one of the photos).

Akalain mo yun, diba? How would I know that the status message I would put tonight will be my last? Ang saklap na super walang kwenta lang yung nakalagay dun diba(”woi indi pa valentine’s day! EDSA dos muna! wag atat *embittered*”). Ang wasak na ang pangit ng “last words” ko sa Plurk, or even sa Twitter.

Sana nalang talaga alam ko kung kelan ako mamamatay. Parang Big Fish.

——————-

Alam mo kung ano pa ang kasing-wasak ng sudden death? Yung tipong, ok magbabagong buhay ka na na tipong nagpagupit ka na nga ng super ikli (nagpagupit na nga pala ako ng super ikli, btw), ok wala ka nang kebs sa kahit kanino, ok tatakasan mo nalang ang kawasakang hatid nya.

Ok, move on ka na sa bongga mong buhay.

Tas *poof*

Ayan nanaman sya. Nakakairita diba? Parang, uh, hello kuya, may buhay rin kaya ako. Pwede pakibalik na sakin yun?

Kaya ayun, balik na naman kayo sa square one.

This time, not on my watch.

——-

Sorry medyo busy sa office kaya wala na sa kundisyon ang utak ko na magblog. Andami nanag nakapila na topic. Remind me na sa next post, I’ll try to discuss that Marlene Aguilar lady. oKs?

Happy birthday, Jake!

Happy birthday my dear dear Chens!

Why, hello there.

So, what are you having for lunch? Fast food? Again?

Allow me and my date (hereon referred to as Mi-deyt) to take you on a lunch with a scenic view of the Taal Volcano.

Josephine Restaurant is situated in Maharlika West, Tagaytay City. You can ride a jeepney (to Nasugbu) from Olivarez Plaza. The jeepney would pass directly in front of the restaurant. You can’t miss the big green ‘Josephine’ signage, really (you have to look on the left side of the road). If all else fails, tell the driver to drop you off Robinsons Homes. The resto’s directly in front of it.

hard to miss, really

Why, hello Josephine!

Since Mi-deyt was the one who arranged the whole itinerary of our trip and Mi-deyt’s the one who suggested where we would eat lunch, I had no idea what to expect. I thought Josephine’s a fine-dinning resto, which serves those dishes you can hardly pronounce with lots of apostrophes.

I was wrong.

Where are the candles and waiters in tux?

The place looks like a venue where family eat after church. Tha resto is huge – and I mean vertically and horizontally. A lot of light enters the very spacious room so the whole fine-dinning assumption to it is gone. There are a lot of families dining there, and I’ve spotted a couple of couple as well. It’s more of a Filipino resto since the waiters’ outfit are Filipino-inspired, I observed.

They have these huge wooden tables and rattan-like (i’m not sure if it’s really rattan) chairs. A bar is located in the center of the room.

Outside the room (aside from the, well, lake and volcano), is the garden area with tables and chairs where you can eat your dessert or something. That portion of the resto REALLY has a romantic feel into it. I almost heard those cheesy love songs playing. (Pokerface? lol)

Lucky for Mi-deyt and I, the kind Miss allowed us to seat near the huge glass window where we enjoyed athe romantic and majestic view of the volcano.

we dined there in the corner

Please, my dah’ling, have a seat. Join us for a late lunch.

lunch’s on us!

The list of food on the menu is pretty intense, with a wide selection from pansit to pasta, chicken to beef, seafood to pork, some mouth-watering desserts, and I believe they also has sandwiches (not sure though. kindov forgot).

We ordered the following:

(Half) Mutya ng Cavite - Mi-deyt, after intensive research, said it’s a must-try
Crispy KangKong – i LOVE crispy kangkongs!
Steamed Rice
Pork Sisig – what can we say, everytime Mi-deyt and I dine out, Sisig is always part of the choices!
(Half) Hainanese Chicken - the name sounded weird, so we tried it!
Banana Smoothy – for Mi-deyt
Strawberry Smoothy – for Moi.

The Smoothies:

Of course, the first to arrive were the smoothies. Mi-deyt enjoyed the beverage so much. Me? Not much.

Mi-deyt’s an Atenista, who secretly roots for USTe!

And I, for UE! wait… pink ang strawberry ah! MMDA? HAHA!

I was kindov expecting a sweet strawberry smoothie. Maybe it’s an error on my part. The smoothie was sour with no hint of sweetness whatsoever. But the texture of the strawberry is there.

Mutya ng Cavite

Although I believe that Walphy is the REAL Mutya ng Cavite, I still enjoy this very rich soup.

Swim, sea creatures, swim!

Si James oh! Oh, that’s not a talaba.

The seafood aroma of the soup was intense I can taste AND smell it. I could definitely taste butter, but not much – which was good since it’s not that nakakaumay. Mutya ng Cavite has a very rich texture, but borderline to not too much since it’s not that heavy on the stomach.

My officemate Adie would probably be induced into coma when he eats this (he’s allergic to seafood). It’s like a seafood party on that soup! And the flavors complimented each other. The crab was a bit sweet, the tahong was salty, the squid was not too difficult to chew (unlike others, and yes I am talking to you, kinainan namin ng squid somewhere SM North Skygarden!) and the hipon (which is kinov fatal for Adie) is big and very tasty.

Would probably go back to Josephine just for this.

Crispy KangKong

LOVE

Did I mention that I LOVE Crispy Kangkongs? And I fell head over heels with Josephine’s!

You should have seen their Kangkongs! It’s like it was genetically altered! They were sooo huge – probably as huge as my hands (and I have very big hands!). When my mom saw nga the kangkongs, she immediately said ”Hindi kangkong ‘to! Ang lalaki eh!“.

Anyway, their CK was really a delight. They were crispy, alright. What made the dish really special was the dressing the came with it. The mustard-colored sawsawan had a mixture taste of sweet and sour, but the sweet part’s more evident. Yummy!

We were not able to finish the whole plate so I was able to bring home some. Ang dami kasi!

Pork Sisig

Beer nasan ka nasaan?

I’ve tasted tons of sisig and probably my life mission’s is to document them, but of the the sisig I’ve tasted, Josephine’s is the one with most meat. Yes, there’s nothing really special about the taste of their sisig, but one serving of this baby could probably feed five people. A spoon-full is probably enough for a cup of rice. Basta, malaman sya.

I was also able to take home some of them.

Hainanese Chicken

We ordered this one because we were intrigued of the name.Plus the Kuya waiter told us that the preparation of the chicken would take longer, and I said inside my head “Ooohhh exotic!”.

We didn’t know what to expect, actually (well, we WERE expecting chicken. But aside from that, we knew nothing of this culinary mystery).

Then it came.

Toinks, my mom could probably cook that.

I am not quite sure what we call the dish on our native language back in our household. Syempre, we were not able to finish the chicken as well, so I was able, again, to take home some. My mom confirmed that she could definitely cook the dish.

It has a gingery flavor to it. Since my mom’s version uses less ginger, Josephine’s dish has an intense ginger taste, but not in a bad way. In fact the taste of the chicken and the ginger compliments each other rather pleasantly.

It was an enjoyable dish. Just OK if you’ve tasted my mom’s. Haha!

There you have it. We were not able to finish all the dish since we are mere human beings and our small intestines, large intestines and stomachs could only take too much.

One rice serving nga pala is probably good enough for three people.

The tab?

Half Mutya ng Cavite – Php 145
Crispy KangKong – Php 180
Steamed Rice – Php 140 (70 per orders)
Pork Sisig – Php 220
Half Hainanese Chicken – Php 280
Banana Smoothy – Php 95
Strawberry Smoothy – Php 105

That totaled to Php 1,165. Plus Php 104.02 for service charge.

Grand total: Php 1,269.02

Honestly, the price’s not that bad since the lunch could probably last us a couple of days. Hehe. What we ordered could probably feed two more people, so our bill could be, like, Php 400 pero head. Not bad for a full stomach.

Kidding aside, in conclusion, Josephine Resto is the perfect place for a family lunch or an anniversary dinner. The laid-back feel of the place plus the view of the Taal lake is majestic enough. Not much of a fan of the taste of their dishes – I mean, they are good, but I’ve tasted something better – but if you are super gutom and you just feel you can eat a whole cow, this is a place.

Mutya ng Cavite is a must try, so is the Crispy Kangkong and the Sisig if you’re eating with, like, half a dozen of your friends. Try going there post-lunch time.

I got this from their site:

For banquet functions and business meeting reservations, please contact Lanie Baybay or Izai Santos at (+632) 842.9851 or (+6346)413-1801 or email at josephinetagaytay@pldtdsl.net

Mi-deyt and I decided to grab desserts someplace else.

Wanna come with?

Holmes: You have the grand gift of silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion.

- Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes

———————

I guess my life would work out more perfectly if I were a dude.

Then I’ll be gay.

Why do I find gay guys very very attractive? Sometime, I don’t think it’s healthy.

Among others, Niel Patrick Harris. Then Rica Paras (although girl na sya talaga. I sooooo love her jawline and her teeth! Ang ganda!). Then I was just browsing an old classmate’s facebook page (and I am pretty sure he’s gay, but he got ways to overcompensate), and I was quite surprised how good-looking he is. Nakaka-inlove!

Oh well.

Maybe it’s the way they carry themselves or something. Mabango sila tignan. Haha! Gone are the days that I found attractive dudes with rugged looks.

Kuya, i-date mo naman ako! Hahahaha!

The one that got away
Source: The Manila Times
By: Mark J. Macapagal

In your life, you’ll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, ones who will always mean something. There’s the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you’re with…and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away? I guess it’s that person with who everything was great, everything was perfect, but the timing was just wrong. There was no fault in the person, there was no flaw in the chemistry, but the cards just didn’t fall the right way, I suppose.

I believe in the fact that ending up with someone, finding a longtime partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with the matter of timing. It has to do with you being ready to settle down and commit to someone in a way that goes beyond the little niceties of giddy romance.

How often have you gone through it without even realizing it? When you’re not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn’t matter who you’re with, it just doesn’t work. Small problems become big; inconsequentials become dealbreakers simply because you’re not ready and it shows. It’s not that you and the person you’re with are no good; it’s just that it’s not yet right, and little things become the flashpoint of that fact.

Then one day you’re ready. You really are. And when this happens you’ll be ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be the most perfect, they might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your life, but it’ll work because you’re ready. It’ll work because it’s the right time and you’ll make it work. And it’ll make sense, it really will.

So that day comes when you’re finally making sense of things, and you find yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, you finally understand who you are and what you want, and you’ve become ready because the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there’s no telling when this day will come. Hopefully you’re single but you could be in a long-term relationship, you could be married with three kids, it doesn’t matter. All you know is that you’ve changed, and for some reason, the one that got away, is the first person you think about.

You’ll think about them because you’ll wonder, “What if they were here today?” You’ll wonder, “What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?” That’s what the one that got away is. The biggest “What if?” you’ll have in your life.

If you’re married, you’ll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us. But hopefully you’re mature enough to realize that you’re already with the one you’re with and this is just another test of your commitment, one which will just strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you’ll think about him/her every so often, but it’s alright. It’s never nice to live with a “might have been,” but it happens.

Maybe the one that got away is the one who’s already married. In which case it’s the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to
your lips in the future when you’re old and gray and reminiscing.

But if neither of that is the case, then it’s different. What do you do if it’s not yet too late? Simple…find him, find her. Because the very existence of a “one that got away” means that you’ll always wonder,
what if you got that one?

Ask him out to coffee, ask her out to a movie, it doesn’t matter if you’ve dropped in from out of nowhere. You’d be surprised, you just might be “the one that got away” as well for the person who is your “the one that got away.”

You might drop in from out of nowhere and it won’t make a difference. If the timing is finally right, it’ll all just fall into place somehow and you know, I’m thinking, it would be a great feeling, in the end, to be able to say to someone, “Hey you, you’re the one that almost got away.”

Very nice ah.

So, do you wanna know who my ‘the one who got away’ is?

I won’t tell

Am I about to look for him again?

No.

Me is a hopeless romantique no more. Oh noes >___<

But very nice article talaga ah

Hindi porke’t galing sya sa mahirap ay naiintindihan nya na ang mahirap. Parang ganito yan: hindi porke’t dati syang lalaki ay naiintindihan nya na ang mga lalaki. Kaya nga hindi na sya lalaki eh malamang kasi na confuse sya.

Ok, non-sequitur. dapat yung last sentence, eto lang >> hindi porke’t galing sya sa mahirap ay naiintindihan nya na ang mahirap.

Hindi porke’t galing sya sa mahirap ay pwede nya na i-exploit ang mahihirap. T&^&!( talaga yan, ginagamit ang mahirap para sa political advantage. Gano ka nalang kasama nun.

Hindi porket catchy at super nakaka LSS ang jingle mo eh healthy yun para sa tao. Kelangan na mag come up ng study ang mga scientist na nagsasabing nakaka brain cancer ang kantang may ‘nakaligo ka na ba…’ sa lyrics. UTANG NA LOOB!!!

Hindi porket’s sinabi nya sa TV ad nya na ‘Isang college graduate sa bawat pamilya’, eh ibig sabihin kaya nyang gawin yun. Nagkaron  na sya ng pagkakataon na patunayan ang sarili nya dati. Walang nangyari. Mas naramdaman ko pa noon si Gang Badoy at ang RockEd Philippines, ang GMA Kapuso Foundation, ang Sagip Kapamilya at ang Red Cross kesa sa kanya.

Hindi porket magaling sya magsalita eh magaling na rin sya sa gawa. Sana naghanap nalang tayo ng isang articulate na tao sa isang artista search at sya ang ginawa nating Pangulo. O kaya sana si Ariel Ureta nalang o si Lourd and ginawa nating presidente (I bet Lourd would be a far more better leader of this country than that dude in green. Or orange).

Hindi porke’t pinapalabas na image nya ay mabait at approachable ay ganon sya. O ang mga staff nya. Seryoso.

Hindi naman parating kung ano ang puno ay yuon ang bunga. Example: Ako. Engineer na ba ako ngayon? (MechEng si dadi at IndEng si mami. ECE ang kuya ko)

Hindi porket maka-Diyos eh mabait na. Well, yung mga kandidato ngayon na maka-Diyos, nasesense ko naman na mababait sila. Pero ayaw na nating mangyari na hinahaluan ng relehiyon ang batas. Para mo naring sinabing hayaan nating si Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer yung mamuno satin. Scary.

Hindi porket nanalo ka na noon eh mananalo ka ulit ngayon. Nyehehehe

Ayaw ko sabihin kung sino ang kandidato ko. May personal advocacy ako re: voter’s education at tingin ko hindi fair para sa ibang tao kung sasabihin ko kung sino ang iboboto ko. Para naman hindi mukhang ibebenta ko sya. Gusto ko ma-figure out nyo.

Nope, indi si Jamby.

——-

sabi nga ng soon-to-be lawyer friend ko na malamang eh kukunin kong abogado pag nademanda nako ng libelo,

“bakit di nya gawin na yung sinasabi sa kanta nya, yun ang ipakita nya sa ad nya no? tipong maliligo sa dagat ng basura, magpasko sa kalsada, etc. mas exciting yun. hahaha!”

HAHAHAH champion!