The DJ who's not a DeeJay

If you're in Marikina, you'll see traces of this everywhere... 10 feet high scrap-metal robots.

It's part of what our Marikina Mayor, Marides Fernando described as the city marked its 11th cityhood anniversary last December 8. The transformation from a town of Rizal to a munincipality of Metro Manila to what it is today as Marikina City is what is being celebrated.

The local government in coordination with the Engineering Office placed 56 life-size robots scattered through key and major thoroughfares to symbolize the city's transformation. Aside from this, you'll see some posters and billboards of Marikina City officials' heads being placed on top of the same robotic bodies used in the "Transformers" movie.

It's kinda cool and worth taking pics of. One of the robots along the Macapagal flyover seems to be shooting your way. And if you drive fast enough, you just might move your head by reflex to avoid the robot's gun pointing your way.

Today, I've been busy cleaning out my cabinets, physical inbox of papers, throwing away old receipts, expired coupons, useless or outdated scraps of paper, cut an old credit card into bits and pieces, and moved a box of stuff with old memories to the storage room. A lot of sorting out involves deciding what to throw away or retain. Lots of decisions to make... being outdated makes the decision process easier though.

All this is to welcome 2008 with a fresh and clean start. This time, I also plan to actually make a New Year's Resolution list... and follow it. I'm also planning on putting a US dollar bill in my wallet and leave it there permanently. No particular reason I could think for putting the dollar bill except so that my wallet will have another currency and won't be empty.

I hope the year of the Rat will be a good year for me, my sweetie, my family, my friends and my work.

Keep your hands safe from firecrackers so you can blog another day !

Happy New Year everybody !

The last bus I rode was a Victory Liner bus headed to Baguio. I wasn't able to try their deluxe buses which I heard has a restroom inside... but that's okey.

I've seen a double decker bus a couple of months ago parked at the World Trade Center. I never experienced riding one too. If I would, I'm taking the upper deck.

Buses with TV's and DVD players are common as well. One bus I saw had 2 TV's, with the 2nd one suspended halfway from the entrance for those at the back.

But the one that topped it all off and a first for me to see was this luxury bus parked near Meralco Avenue in Pasig City. Looking through the bus window from outside, the bus seemed to emit some bright yellowish lights from inside. After staring at it for a few more seconds, I realized that this bus had a chandelier ! It was around 1.5 feet high suspended on the aisle part of the bus. Now that's classy !

I was at Eastwood last week with relatives and we had dinner at the Serye restaurant. They had a patio type of area outside the resto where you could see the stage and sidewalk from.

While eating I noticed this lady which looked like she was with her family. She was texting on her celphone. She's the one in black sitting on the side of the fountain area.

After a few minutes, I was surprised to find her sitting somewhere else. I had a couple of witty remarks but the one that stood out was:

"Where did the baby go ???"


Runner's up were:
"That's a huge baby !"
"The baby can text !"
"Can strollers accommodate that kind of weight ?"


I do hope the baby isn't still in the stroller.

Around 2am, I was driving along C5 going home and decided to grab a snack to take home. I was near the Libis area and so figured that the McDonalds branch within Eastwood would be the perfect place since they have a drive thru counter and are open 24 hours.

After ordering from the speaker, I was told to proceed to the check out counter to pay and get my order. Upon turning, I saw 2 people who looked like they worked in a call center and were on a break. I thought they were just standing there but soon enough I noticed that they were talking with the crew member inside. I wasn't able to pull up the car close enough to the take out window cause of the 2 people. After observing for a few seconds, I realized that they ordered and were waiting for it to be served.

At this point, I could also see the counter inside the fastfood through the drive thru window and noticed that there wasn't any line at all. So I immediately became disgruntled considering that instead of serving me, the only car lined up at the drive thru counter, I had 2 people in front of me. Why they didn't order inside is beyond me. So the usual 1-2 minute wait at the drive thru turned into 5-8 minutes. I really wanted to tell the 2 people to line up inside next time and at the same time remind the McDonalds crew member to entertain only customers with vehicles ordering via the drive thru. But it was 2am and I was kinda conserving my energy so I let it go.

It just ticks me off that the real essence of the drive thru is not being used properly. Bring a car, motorcycle, tricycle or even a bike for all I care... just don't use your feet and walk up to the drive thru.. that's why there's a counter inside the store. Perhaps next time when I encounter the same situation again, I should park my car inside the store next to the counter and order from there. LOL!

Last week, the GMA morning show Unang Hirit celebrated their 8th anniversary at the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall bundled with a show filled with raffles and entertainment as their appreciation for their avid viewers. I'm not sure but I hint that a lot of their viewers are elders who are awake this early to watch them.
I wasn't really watching... just listening since I was nearby. I did hear one of the hosts, Regine Tolentino announce that some bands would be performing too. Shamrock, Sugarfree and Urbandub were to perform.

I did take a peek when Shamrock performed. What I noticed was since this is an early morning wholesome show, there were a lot of lolas seated in front. I immediately wondered if the lolas can handle the live band rock music they were set to experience up close. I figured Shamrock is not very loud in terms of rock and can even be considered a bit pop. Sugarfree is on the rock side but could be mellow, as they rendered their revival version of Apo Hiking Society's "Batang-bata Ka Pa". What I was interested to see though is how would the lolas react to Urbandub's music... which is loud and heavy. I dig Urbandub's music but would the elders do ?

I thought they'd cover their ears from the loudness, considering they were seated strategically in front of the huge speaker system. Unbelievably though, they were clapping to the music... something you wouldn't see by rockistas unless the band initiates it.

It suddenly struck me... may be these lolas don't have perfect hearing anymore. And so any loud music would sound as normal volume to them. Hmmmmm.... I wonder...

Today I seemed to have accumulated a couple of "car" stories worth mentioning. It's a Trilogy with no relation from one to the other. I just wanted to call it that cause it sounds movie-ish. ;)

1. The right-front tire of my car has been leaking out air more frequently last week. I only had time to check it out today when I noticed that there must be a hole in it. After paying a visit to my suking Caltex repair bay where I get my "suking" vulcanizing services done, my mechanic found a 1.5" nail pierced into the tire. My poor car... it's been walking with a splinter all this time. I got my Toyota's feet patched with medicine and a bandaid. :) Now it's all pumped up and back to normal. Yehey !

2. I was in the parking lot of a mall getting ready to leave when suddenly this sports car dashed through the parking lot as if it were in a drag race. If I were still walking in that same parking lot the time he dashed to the exit, I would've scared the wits out of myself.

3. In the mall, there was a Chevrolet display with 2 cars. I passed by and was shocked to see a chubby guy sleeping inside the backseat of the car. He had his mouth wide open too. I don't think interested buyers would want to try out the car with him inside.

I've been fortunate enough that my ATM has never been captured by an ATM machine (ok... M stands for Machine so it's redundant, but it sounds much better don't you think ?). I remember being frustrated that the person in front of me had his ATM captured...frustrated because I couldn't use the ATM and I was next in line after lining up for around 10 minutes.

Just recently though, I experienced something quite out of the ordinary (for me at the very least) when I was widthrawing from a BPI ATM When I was finished with my transaction, the ATM gave me my card back and issued a receipt. I found it odd at first that the machine ejected my receipt without any notice. Usually, the screen would remind the user to take the receipt. 10 seconds after I took my receipt then did the machine prompt that I take my receipt. I thought it was just a delayed message since I press keys very quickly when I use ATMs. I was disturbed though that the machine was kinda stuck on that screen prompt and didn't loop back to it's initial state ready to accept a new user/card.

I couldn't leave the ATM for fear that my card, even though already ejected and safe with me, was still logged in to the network. I've used a similar ATM (UCPB ATM at SLEX Caltex or Petron Rest Stop) wherein you enter your ATM card, key in your PIN and then upon successful logon, immediately ejects your card but still allows you to conduct any transaction.

I thought of trying to enter my card again so I could sort of log in and log out properly to be safe. However, I was scared that since the ATM didn't seem to be functioning properly anymore, may capture my ATM. I wouldn't want to risk that. Since I didn't see any security guard nor person that I could talk to, I just situated myself nearby waiting for someone else to use the ATM. I kinda looked like a suspicious person awaiting a victim, which I consciously tried to hide the fact that I was interested in finding out if the next person to use the ATM can access their account without error and not my account.

After 3 people going to the ATM and trying to logon, they all left cause the ATM seemed it hanged. I guess it's either a glitch or I press keys so fast that the computer couldn't keep up with me and caused a buffer overflow or something. Since the ATM was then rendered useless, I felt more comfortable that if I can't access the ATM, no one can... until authorities reboot or fix the machine.

So make sure you check that you're properly logged out after your ATM transactions just to be on the safe side.

Traffic was really bad everywhere in the Metropolis last week. I tried to avoid some traffic by passing through some shortcuts but eventually, you'll need to use a main thoroughfare.

In my case, I avoided C-5 by using EDSA. I had no idea traffic would be as slow as a turtle.

Right near EDSA Buendia in the midst of crawling traffic, I was startled that my car moved when I knew my foot was on the breaks. I realized it immediately that I moved when I checked my rear view mirror and saw the car behind me kissing my car's rear. I immediately turned on the hazard lights and went down to see what happened. It was a white Fortuner SUV that bumped me. Good thing EDSA traffic then was at a standstill or else we would've been honked by drivers left and right for causing more traffic. I checked for any hits, scratches and dents on my car. I didn't care about theirs, since it's their fault to begin with. All I noticed was that the car plate's plastic cover got smashed and left a 3 inch crack. I was glad that was all there was. And so to shorten the discussion time of what to do (negotiate, wait for police or debate on who was right and who was wrong), I told them it was their fault cause I wasn't moving at all when they bumped me and since the only casualty I found was the cracked plastic plate cover, I said that could be easily replaced by buying another one for around P200. They immediately complied and gave me the P200. I left them a last message to be careful even in traffic and went back in the car.

While still stuck in traffic, I was pondering on what just happened and came up with these thoughts:

1. If you're going to be reared by another car, the best (in a series of worsts) situation is in traffic where all the cars are running at a very slow pace. So chances of high-impact smashing is least likely to occur.
2. I got bumped by a bigger car (an SUV). In this case, your bumper doesn't touch their bumper. So look upward for any dents, scratches or hits. My license plate and the area below it (near the trunk base) got hit.
3. Keep your cool even though you're the victim. Panicking or accusing won't help in a situation like this. Try to even out the situation in a calm manner (no matter how your innter thoughts would like to smash the hell out of their windshield).
4. When both of you leave the scene where the accident occurred, let the car at fault pass you. If the car was careless enough to bump you, chances are it may happen again, even seconds or minutes afterwards. And at this point, you already know the car, just avoid it.
   

It's been a long time since I've seen a rainbow, moreso witnessing a full rainbow from end to end. Yesterday during a gloomy afternoon on my way home, I was able to take this picture from my celphone. Based on its span, I'd say one end is somewhere in Pasig and the other is in San Mateo, Rizal.

The previous post was a bit too heavy. I need to loosen up.

And since one of my favorite things to do is dance, here's one of my favorite songs lately by Gloc 9 entitled "Sumayaw Ka".

Included in the video are cameo appearances of Dice and Hi-C (formerly known as Dice & K9), Looney of Stick Figgas, Ron Xplicit and the Windbreak Dancers, with the sexy Jenni Ilustre.




You could also check it out at
http://www.titikpilipino.com/songs/videoclip.php?songid=30213


Sayaw na !

I rarely would consider ranting about some personal topic... and there hasn't been any personal topic worth ranting about online or publicly for that matter.

However, this is my blog and as much as I'd like to keep it lively and in good spirits, I just need to vent out right now for my own sake.

I've encountered profanities from people who use it habitually like in telling stories with such emotion and I know that there isn't any intention of cursing being talked to. It's just a habit of some. I can live with that. I myself don't curse and don't intend to.

I never was affected by cursing. For me, it was just words said with emotion. I can look past that. I guess it's because I try to avoid conflict and try to approach it head on with reason. Also I know that I can utter words that are far more hurting with the content and depth of their meaning than the sheer gratification others attain from mere cussing.

I have never been cursed by someone directly to my face or at least that I'm aware of... until now. My stubborn, unreasonable, undeserving relative cursed me with a raised voice earlier. I wasn't supposed to be affected. Yet, coming from a relative, it merits weight... weight that you'd feel will penetrate your emotions and inner self.

I won't go into much detail... let's just say that this person has lived with us for years without having to pay for a single cent nor be required to do anything to help the household. Yet this person has no gratitude at all and worse, has a terrible addiction, making this person untrustworthy, deceptive, conniving, and untruthful to name a few. This person has a totally twisted form of logic and can be considered in an "unstable condition". I consider this individual a "loose canon", a "helpless soul", a "useless human being" and a "menace to society".

As much as I have controlled my anger and tried to use reasoning, this person has gone too far. I have hidden much anger when this person actively and enjoyingly tries to provoke my mom. I fear for my mom of having high blood which is why I need to be the calm one to appease her. However, earlier, I felt that I have reached my boiling point and even though I myself don't have any heart conditions, I actually felt my chest hardening from anger. I have never felt such negative emotion in my life, which is why I feel I need to pour it out.

To this relative causing much tension in our quiet household, I've stopped praying you change for the better because I have done so for so many years. Yet the depth of turmoil you cause this home is irreversible. You lie, you cheat, you steal. You cause chaos and scandal. You cause us grief and heartaches. You bring dishonor to our clan. You do not deserve the good life we provide you. You use people. You're pretentious. You are not worthy to be a relative.

God bless whatever soul you have left.

I got a call earlier from Standard Chartered Bank inviting me to avail of a credit card from them. I did, actually, but not with the person who called a while ago. I was offered to apply for one 2 months ago and I went through the regular process of Q&A and submitted some required documents for approval.

I got an SMS message the other day notifying me that my application has been successfully approved and to expect the card in the mail any day now.

So this is the same thing I told the telemarketer on the phone. It seems they don't keep track of whom they've called, whom they're processing and whom who already have cards. When I told her that I've been through this exact same process 2 months ago, she proceeded to ask me for any referral. I told her again that I did the same thing 2 months ago. I already referred a friend told her I'm out of friends to refer to. LOL ! What an answer.

Anyway, she answered me in a perplexed manner... I guess she was scratching her head realizing that I was a dead lead. Actually, I was a successful lead since I did apply when I was offered the card 2 months ago. What they fail to realize is that they shouldn't be offering someone the same thing they previously offered. I would understand another card provider or bank offering their card brand... but for the same entity to offer the exact same thing ? I guess everyone needs to reach their quota in time for Christmas.

One of my recreational activities to "de-stress" myself is playing some video games.

Earlier today, I passed by Timezone. I rarely play Tekken 5 cause I'm not familiar with the button sequences for special moves and gameplay in general. I just keep on pressing all the buttons using different pressing patterns and hope that I get lucky and win a fight.

If I do decide to play Tekken, it's when there is no one else playing. I dread seeing the "A Challenger Awaits You" screen cause that means that someone at the opposite end is playing against you in a 1-on-1 battle.

Luckily, I got through stage 1 with a breeze. Right in the middle of stage 2, my gameplay was interrupted with the dreaded screen, notifying me that someone just joined in and will be going head on with me. I would have rather fought the computer but I had no choice. So against my will, our battle with the unknown person at the opposite end and I fought a 5 round battle.

No matter how fast I tried pressing those keys, I eventually lost.

I was very curious to see who just beat me. And I was shocked... it was a 5 year old kid with his yaya keeping him company carrying his bag. Oh My God ! That sucks... not to mention how embarassing it is to lose to a kid less than half my size.

Well, so much for Tekken. I'm sticking with the Battle Gear racing game where I have much more experience driving and have better chances of beating a 5 year old.

This year is a first in a long time. I was able to visit both sets of grandparents in their respective cemeteries. On November 1, we went to Loyola Marikina for my lolo and lola from my mother's side. And On November 2, we travelled to Batangas to visit my lolo and lola from my father's side.

I was able to acquaint myself with all of them except for my lolo from my dad's side. He died the year I was born, 3 months before to be exact. My dad only had 2 pictures left of his parents together. Both of them have faded and it's difficult to distinguish any details from the pictures. So aside from not having met my lolo, I have no recollection at all how he looks like.

Since we were in Batangas, we also met up with our last known relatives who haven't migrated nor moved out of their hometown. My dad's sister-in-law was still there. Her husband (my tito) passed away several years ago but she is survived by her son and adopted daughter.

I was parking the car when my parents went ahead to visit our relatives. I couldn't find them since I didn't know where their house was. It was a maze of houses and so I just waited near the car hoping they would remember and fetch me. When they did, my tita accompanied them. After I made "amen" to her, she was so excited at how after all these years, she's seen me again. The last time she saw me was when I was around 12 years old.

She said something unexpected that made my day and in fact made me connect with the lolo I never knew.
Her exact words uttered in sheer excitement were "Kamukhang kamukha mo si tay! Ganyan ang itsura niya nung bata pa siya. Kuha mo lahat, pati kilay, mata at hugis. Parang nabuhay si tay !" (You look like father ! He looked like you when he was young. You have all his features, his eyebrows, eyes even the dimensions. It's like father is alive!) She was referring to my lolo. Having no recollection at all of how my lolo looked like, it was such a beautiful revelation. I looked like my lolo. So even if my lolo has passed away for over 3 decades, I feel I have connected with him in spirit.

For the lolo I never knew and never had a chance to meet, I love you. Thank you for being a part of me.

Let's face it, Halloween isn't a traditional Pinoy celebration. It's popularly known as American tradition surrounded by the premise of scaring people and dressing up in costumes imitating popular personalities, fictitious characters and pop culture icons.

Some exclusive villages and subdivisions do celebrate Halloween's tradition of knocking at houses' doors and exclaiming "Trick or Treat!", hoping for treats in the form of candies. Some people though would rather offer a "trick" than a "treat".

A couple of nights ago, a couple of kids gathered in front of our gate. I thought it was an early Halloween "trick or treat". I was surprised to find out that they were singing Christmas carols. It's either these kids got their holiday dates mixed up or they're really excited about Christmas.

I feel that I was on the end of the "trick".

I mentioned previously that the sound of bowling pins being knocked down are music to my ears. It's not a sport I am good with though. I don't even get to play regularly. And I have a pathetic high score.

I already have a hard time trying to knock all 10 pins down. So how about more than 10 ? How would others do ?

How about 30 ?
Check this out:



Let's try 45 pins:


More ? Okey... 100 pins:


How about 100 pins without a bowling ball ?


How about building your own imaginary bowling scenario ?
Bowling + Rollercoaster = Fun!



I couldn't stop myself from adding that last clip. It had me in tears from laughing. Relax people, it's just Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, the video game. (Note: No one was harmed during this video.)

I had lunch at Chowking the other week and I noticed that they were advertising fortune cookies beside the counter. The last time I had a fortune cookie was when I was a kid. So it was exciting to be able to crack one open, eat the cookie and get your fortune.

I can't quite remember the fortune I got but it was a safe and general message. The funny thing was that it said that I won't be able to achieve anything by sitting down. And where was I when I was reading that ? Sitting down inside the Chowking fastfood restaurant. So I guess it's tough luck for me huh.

Before leaving, I bought another one to bring home for my mom. When I gave it to her, she opened the wrapper and broke the cookie. The strangest thing happened. There wasn't any fortune inside. I had the impression that every fortune cookie had a fortune. So it seems that this is one unlucky fortune cookie, not living up to its essence. It's even worse for the recipient awaiting and expecting a fortune, not to receive one and could mistakenly be interpreted as unworthy of receiving a fortune.

I own a 3g compatible mobile phone which makes video phone calls possible. I just don't use it cause If I wanted to see a person, I'd meet up with them rather than see them on a 1 inch screen. Plus, I'd rather have the caller hear my voice than see my mouth moving.

Ok... I've put up a lot of excuses... but the one I'm particularly concerned about is getting caught offguard.

Last night a colleague of mine in the music industry called around 9 in the evening. It was a video call. I'm sure it was a business-related call and I immediately was concerned that since I was at home, I was just wearing my sando and shorts home clothes...which isn't business-like at all. However, it was late and the person who called me was also a friend so I didn't think much of my attire. While we were talking though I was walking and finding a good background. It's the vanity in me finding a way to make me look good with a decent solid background. (I didn't even have time to comb my hair).

I guess having a video phone means you have to be presentable at all times too. I'm definitely not answering a video phone call though if someone calls in the middle of the night.

I have lots of thought-tidbits I've been compiling lately... not really enough for it to be discussed as an entire post. Plus I usually think in bits... so here's my random thoughts top 10 (in no particular order)

1. Two kinds of sounds calm me down... ocean waves and bowling pins being knocked down.

2. Don't get stuck in traffic after a rectal examination... unless you can stand up like in the MRT or crowded bus.

3. If you want to learn how to skip merienda, eat lunch at 3:00pm

4. Greeting people on their birthdays are great ways to get back in touch with those you've lost contact with. (Thank God for friendster birthday alerts).

5. The Yellow Pages have gone a long way from being just "yellow". I recently discovered they're now in color (on yellow colored-paper).

6. Based on our 2 terrier pups which were placed for adoption, people who want to buy puppies prefer female over male. I guess a dog who looks like a female doesn't pass buyer standards.

7. Check the clothes you wear before going out. If you discover a hole, go back home to change, go buy a new one if you're out or worst case, remember the location of the hole and keep it secret so no one knows.

8. Determine beforehand how many glasses of a beverage you can drink before choosing between a single serve and a bottomless drink.

9. A game a day makes me a happy Jay.

10. Piolo Pascual is flawless... and makes you realize what features you lack, are underdeveloped or simply don't have.


Lastly, I'd like to mention that this past month has been an emotional rollercoaster, filled with mysterious twists and unexpected turns. But now, it's smooth sailing on a leveled path with no bottom slopes... always at the top. My best friend was always there riding beside me. It took me 10,000 miles of separation to realize that. Thank you sweetie for coming into my life.