2007: A Year to Let Go

Imagine for a moment that you're in a rowboat a mile from shore when the boat springs a leak. The bottom is quickly filling with water, and the boat is about to sink. At this point you have three choices: You can stay with the boat and surely drown. You can jump out, abandon the boat, and swim for shore. Or, you can jump out and swim for shore dragging the boat along with you.

An excerpt taken from a book by Joe Caruso, which pretty much summarizes the year 2007 for me. A year of important decisions, changing perspectives, future planning and letting go of a lot of things.

To pick up where I left off before, here are some of the highlights for the remainder of this year.

July

• My Sister's Wedding
• The AOTS Incident
  
• Job Interview
  

August

• The Unofficial High School Reunion
• Resignation

September

• Last Day
• New Job
  
• Jasmine's Resignation
• Corregidor Trip

October

• Glorietta Blast
• My Birthday
• My New Phone
  

November

• JLPT Cram Sessions
• Condo Reservation
  

December

• JLPT Exam
• Palawan Trip
• House Cleaning
  
• UST Paskuhan
• Anniversary
  

It has been a really tough year for me, but I'm really thankful for all the blessings I have received this year. I'm also thankful to all my friends and colleagues, for making 2007 a fun and sensible year for me. Finally, to Jasmine, for being there for me all the time.

Happy New Year to Everyone!

I'm going to end this post with a continuation of the excerpt...

...Put in those words, the third choice sounds pretty ridiculous. But that's exactly what many of us do. We slog through life dragging along outworn ideas, false assumptions, and relationships that we've outgrown or worn thin, and all the while, we're exerting a lot of effort. If you can picture all that stuff as so much useless baggage, I bet you'll also be able to see that it's no more than dead weight that's keeping you from moving through life as effectively as you would if you just let it go. Your own dead weight may take many shapes and forms - including people and dead-end relationships. If you let go of it, your hands will be free to grab opportunity when it arises.

Old Toys: Childhood Memories

I've always reminded myself not cling on material things too much. Not only because I could never bring them with me when I die, but also, most of these things prevent me from giving attention and focus to things which are really important and significant.

A few weeks back, I started cleaning and disposing a lot of things from our house. Most of them barely useful to anyone at home, some decomposing, some just collecting dust particles. My personal things were no exception.

Starting with some of my childhood toys, they are not those which can be considered as collector's items. But it seemed that I was able to keep them for a very long time. Not due to their financial value but probably due to their sentimental value.

Some of them were given to me by my grandma, some by elementary friends, some bought from a different country but was never used. But one thing is common, all of them had once made me happy as a child.

And now, I think it is time to let others experience that happiness. I gave them away hoping that it may put a smile on some child's face somewhere.

I never experienced having a lot of cool and expensive toys when I was a child. Although I envied my cousins and classmates for having those toys, I learned to be contented and happy for what I have or I don't have.

S2 Reloaded

Finally, I got my camera serviced and cleaned at the Canon Service Center along Pasong Tamo (A.K.A. Chino Roces) last Thursday. It was a long walk from Jasmine's workplace to the service center, but it was worth it... I got them to inspect and clean my camera for free... maybe it was my "charm"... ha ha ha... >:)

They opened up my camera and showed me that there is no way the ants could get any farther inside. The speaker holes where I found the ants coming out is practically a dead end. Whew!

So I just asked the service representative if I they could clean the internals of my camera. While they were working on my camera I saw a notice saying that they will be charging P250.00 consultation fee starting from February 2006. I also overheard a customer commenting that the repair cost for her broken IXUS camera is P14,000, and she was nagging his son for dropping it.

When she returned my camera, I asked her where should I pay. But she told me it's OK and I don't have to pay anything. The cute... err... kind service representative just asked me to fill-up some form for record purposes, and the next time I come back, she'll be charging more. >.<>:P

Paskuhan 2007: Sweet Spot

I went to UST last December 19 for the annual Paskuhan event. This year is a bit different for me because I got to do things that I've never done before. Thanks to my younger sister who's working for the Project Management Office, I was able to get to the highest part of the UST Main Building. :)

I was really excited to be up there. I was a bit shaky when I got to the top. I wasn't really sure if it was just excitement or fear of slipping and falling or dropping my camera. :S

It was such an unforgettable experience for me. Somehow, just being up there made me feel privileged and proud to be part of the Thomasian community. >:)

I took a couple of shots while I was up there. It was UST in a different perspective, literally. :P

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Here's a shot of the Paskuhan crowd with the UST laser flashed in one spot. This laser was installed in the Main Building. It was rented specially for this event. There was another laser in front of the Main Building which displayed acknowledgments and credits.

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Here's a shot of the evening sky in Manila, with a bunch of well-lit buildings.

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Here's a closer look of the Benavides Park. Decorated with flashing blue lights and four giant gift boxes in different colors.

<===============
Like any other Paskuhan event, the highlight of the evening would be the fireworks display, where hundreds of thousands of pesos are instantly burned in the sky. Every student should witness this event because they paid for it. >:P




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Here's the 2nd laser that I've mentioned. It initially displayed acknowledgments and credits. Later, they allowed students to put custom messages and greetings, for a price of course.

If you will look closer, the name flashed in the facade is my sister's. They're the ones who gave the most effort in making sure all the Christmas lights and decorations were laid out in time for the Paskuhan event.

After taking pictures from above, we went down for quick dinner. Then we went outside to meet some of my sister's friends. Then we split up, and I went around the UST campus. Unfortunately, I didn't bumped into any people I know while I was circling the compound.

<=============== Here's my last shot before we went back. I was on that small platform when I took the pictures. There's a spiral staircase that brings you to the top most platform. This is my first time to be there and probably my last.

Click here to view some of my selected shots.

Merry Christmas to All!

Get to know me better?

This seems to be pretty interesting... Ha ha ha...
http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

The seriousness of your love:
Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.

Your views on education:
You may not like to study but you have many practical ideas. You listen to your own instincts and tend to follow your heart, so you will probably end up with an unusual job.

The right job for you:
You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

How do you view success:
You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.

What are you most afraid of:
You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:
You like privacy very much because you enjoy spending time with your own thoughts. You like to disappear when you cannot find solutions to your own problems, but you would feel better if you learned to share your thoughts with a person you trust.

Ants on My Cam

It seems that ants not only like hard drives but cameras as well... T_T
Now I have no excuse for not bringing my camera to a Canon service center... T_T

By the way, I ran into this page while searching for some articles about cameras and ants.

http://www.whattheduck.net/

The Old Refrigerator

How long are you going to keep an item you bought 30 years ago, stopped using 10 years ago, and has been lying around for 20 years now?



My mom bought this refrigerator in 1977. If my memory serves me right, we replaced this with a new one around 10 years ago. And just 2 years ago, we replaced it again with another. The 2nd never lasted that long compared with the 1st. But the 2nd was never kept as long.

The 2nd fridge was immediately taken downstairs and was used as a cabinet to store different things. The 1st fridge was never taken downstairs, it was stuck here, in the 2nd floor, rusting, blocking the light and air from our windows, and accumulating dust as time goes by.



This fridge is just one of the many old and useless things that this household just couldn't let go. And for whatever reason, I could not really comprehend. The electric fan in the photo is more than 20 years old now, it broke 2 months ago. It's still here.

For me, this is no longer an issue of wasting money or resources. Everything breaks. You could repair them several times, but there will always come a time when it is no longer possible to repair them. And the only thing left to do is to let go.

Few months back, I made a promise to myself, that 2007 would not pass without me removing that old fridge from this house. Last Sunday, I began the eviction process. It was a daunting task. Because it was too heavy, I had to remove the compressor first. I consulted my dad first because I was not sure if it might blow up or something.

When he learned that I'm going to take it apart, he told me that the fridge is still working, that the parts were all new... Yeah right! The parts were new, 10 years ago! And even if it's still working, it's pretty useless to keep it here if we are not planning to use it in the next 10 or 20 years.

I never really said that to him. He probably knew that it won't stop me from taking it apart so he just told me what to do.



First, I need to cut the metal tubes attached to the compressor and to the body of the fridge. The tubes are quite thick and difficult to snap. I spent quite sometime bending and snapping the tubes.



Next, the compressor body must be unscrewed from the base. The most difficult part was removing the last screw located at the back of the compressor, which I couldn't really see.

After the compressor was removed. My dad used a hand truck to move to a temporary location, until we finally figure out how to bring it out of the house.

The end result...



Everything looks a little brighter now...

But I had to pay some price... T_T

My left knee...



My left thumb...



And my right arm...



That's for being careless and blind... :P

I'm Straight (Part 2)

Disclaimer: I have nothing against people who consider themselves homosexual or bisexual. And, I respect the right of a person to express himself in anyway that pleases him as long as it does not offend or violate the rights of others. Having said that, I would like to apologize in advance, if the content of this post offends anybody in anyway.

I do have my share of stories and encounters with people who are "different". This is part 2, because a few months back, I had an unusual "indirect" encounter with someone. I've decided not to put any details here since it would be inappropriate to do so. O:-)

I'm posting this because I had a rather awkward experience today. Not that I met someone. It's because I was mistaken to be one of them. T_T

It all began the moment I got a hold of that Pink Leather Shoulder Bag in Power Mac Center located in Greenbelt 3. I inspected it and asked the sales lady to get me new stock. The other sales ladies in the cashier had probably noticed me and started thinking that I was gay. When the sales lady returned, she brought a pink one and a black one. Then she offered me the black one. :-?

Then I thought, why the hell is she offering me the black one? As if bringing a black shoulder bag would assert manhood. From that point, I was pretty sure she was thinking that I'm gay.

So I told her that I'm giving it to a girl so I'm going to get the pink one, I also added that it's a gift. She looked surprise when I said that. Then proceeded to the payment section. But wait, there's more...

When the lady in the cashier started processing the item, she saw the bag and seemed to got disoriented. Probably because there is a pink bag on the counter with two guys standing in front of it. One of the guy, of course, is me. The other guy is a big guy who I thought was gay, because of the way he dressed, although he didn't really sounded like one.

So the sales lady told them that the item was mine and they seemed to be surprised too. I noticed that they were somewhat trying not to laugh but I can see their smiles. The sales lady then told them that it was gift for a girl. Then the sales lady at the counter asked me if it is really a gift for a girl. How many times do they have to ask? :-(

In the end, one of them commented that the girl who I will be giving the gift is lucky. One even blurted that she hope someone gives her something like an iPod Shuffle.

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I'm not angry with what happened, I actually find it rather amusing.

Before, it is normal to see a guy buying girl stuffs, since everybody knows he is going to give it to a girl. But now, when you see a guy checking out girl stuffs, more often than not, he is going to buy it for himself. Not to mention a group of "male" individuals checking out stuffs in the women section of a department store.

What I see is big change in the way people think about other people based on the circumstances that surrounds them. I don't have any idea when this actually began and how. Perhaps during Pinoy Big Brother Season 1 Celebrity Edition? or after some allegations thrown by that no good Lolit Solis?

One thing is for sure, their numbers are growing and there is probably nothing we could do about it. Whether it will be good or bad for the human race... we have yet to find out.

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Just a side thought, this might actually be the solution for our ever growing population in the Philippines and in the World. Natural birth control. >:)

120 Gigabytes of Ants

A couple of weeks ago, I removed a spare 120GB hard drive from my desktop. I intend to use it as a replacement of my old 40GB hard drive where my operating systems are currently installed. But since Service Pack 1 of Vista won't be available until early next year, I decided to store it in one of the shelves above my computer table.

When I got home today, weird enough, without any reason, I took it out of the anti-static plastic. A few moments later, I noticed several small red creatures moving around my hard drive... ANTS!!!

I've heard several tragic stories of ants invading hard drives and rendering them useless but it has never occurred to me that it could also happen to me. Arrrgh!!!

I've managed to drive some of them away by shaking and successively hitting the surface of my drive. I just hope that they still haven't penetrated the internals of my hard drive. >.<

What's with ants that they love nesting on hard drives?
Do they prefer bigger hard drives to store their food supplies?
Do they prefer NTFS over FAT32 formatting?

I have an older 20GB drive lying around for months without any protective covering and yet they still picked the 120GB drive. T_T

It seems that I'm not the only who has experienced this problem. Ants were actually ranked as the top 1 reason for data disasters in this recent article.

My Linux Desktop

I've been trying several Linux distributions which I'm getting from my monthly Linux Magazine subscription. It seems that Ubuntu Linux is still the most appropriate flavour for my configuration. It's simplicity from installation, to configuration, to usage is unmatched.

Long Day, Closures and Some Luck

JLPT Day

I woke up earlier than usual this morning. I usually get up around 9AM on Sundays, just in time for Power Rangers and Inu Yasha. Today is special, because it's JLPT day. I've dedicated the past few days doing some final preparations for the exam and of course, watching a couple of favorite TV shows... :)

The exam is, I should say "manageable". But I'm not so confident with my answers in the listening exam, specially because of the several times that I've spaced out (not because our proctor is pretty) while trying to catch up with the conversations played to us. The effect of the coffee that I've taken this morning had probably worn off.

Well, there is nothing more I could do about it but wait for the results in a few months. At least, now I could finally focus on my new job.

I don't have any progress with my work since Friday and I was worried that I won't be able to give some worthy report tomorrow. Luckily, our boss e-mailed us that the Monday's conference call have been moved to Tuesday instead. That gave me another day to catch up. Whew!!!

Marben's Party

But my day did not end with just the JLPT exam. We went to Glorietta afterwards to meet up with Marben for our Wii + Pictionary + Pizza Party at Helen and Mau's place. Bert and Ate Weng joined as well. It was tiring but we really had a great time. And it was really nice to see Marben again, after being gone for more than a year.

Going home is exciting as ever... the taxi that we took got some battery or alternator problem while we were on our way to Jas' home. To put it simple, the head lights are not working, and we are running along east service road with very few street lights. We got to Jas' place safe, but that's not the end of my "exciting" journey. I still have to go home, remember?

Dance with Death

The taxi driver agreed to drop me off somewhere along EDSA so I could transfer to another taxi. I didn't realized how dangerous it was earlier, because we were on the express way most of the time (traffic in only one direction). Since we took the poorly lighted service road (two-way), the driver was just relying on the hazard lights to warn the cars and trucks from the opposing traffic. Talk about death wish.

The taxi driver took a road which was well lighted at some point. But at a certain curved road, we almost (5-10 meters) hit a parked 8 or 10 wheeler truck. Luckily, he realized it and was able to slow down on time... :S

Come to think of it, I'm not even sure if he really saw the parked truck, because he made some comment on another truck beside the parked truck. That 2nd truck has it's brake lights turned on, the 1st one DIDN'T. Probably, if not for the weak red light of the 2nd truck, he won't be able to notice the 1st truck!!!

We managed to arrive safely somewhere along Pasong Tamo and I transferred to another taxi. I tested some of my social skills and was able to extract some information from the taxi driver. He lives in FTI, Taguig. Stays in front of City Land most of the time, where his most popular customers are staying. And most of them are call center agents working Makati. His daily boundary is P1300. Works from night to morning and spends the rest of the day sleeping and eating.

LPG Dangers

But the most important thing that I've learned from him is that, most taxi drivers nowadays do not prefer the conversion to LPG due to some side effects to their health, probably due to prolonged exposure to some LPG residues. I still have to verify this information though. But for the mean time, I'll be avoiding them.

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Even the dimmest light shines in the darkest dark...