Test blog after 2 years

This is a test post after over a year of not posting. I just need to know what exactly I'm missing. I don't think I'll be able to update things here regularly.

But I do know a few things -- I'm starting one PBEM with a few players. Chances are, I'll make a new blog to make things easier to follow.

Also, I know that you can link to my new Multiply site: angelor.multiply.com in order to see what's going on with me now.

And lastly, I'll be checking how to embed youtube videos to blogs. How the hell do you do that anyway, and why can't the multiply blog do the same thing?

... in which the Fool is disappointed by his usual netshop

I just borrowed a 128Mb flash drive from Dennis, and I wanted to test it out, just to see if its still ok, and to see how susceptible it is to online threats.

So after some lunch at Jolibee, I headed over to my usual netshop just beside my review school, and lo and behold!!!!

They had units that could handle the flash drive!

Giddy as a little girl, I tried my best to hide my excitement, while "calmly" inserting the device to the USB port at the back of the CPU. I sat back and accessed the many different sites that I was itching to download stuff from, and imagine my surprise when everytime the final window to click comes on, it suddenly times out...

At first, I thought it was a glitch, that one of the sites was just having problems today. Nope. No such luck. I tried downloading small files, music, anything I could get my hands on... Nothing. It looks like the only pc that had WinXP was barely configured, it was there just to humor people who wanted to use XP features, and use basic functions, such as office and browse the net...

Bah. That means I'll have to go either to school again or to Netopia (that overpriced friggin' netplace) just to get my stuff.

Anyway, here's a little something I got from Santi's record:

Seven in Maker Model

Despite numerous attempts by the government to conceal it, Seven (Johnny Depp) accidentally explores a large crate marked "Do Not Explore". His weblog posts about it are the talk of the blogosphere, garnering him the attention of a handful of the wrong people. Jenny (Drew Barrymore) is put out of the picture by a fiendish double agent, Terence (Jimmy Fallon). Turn on a paradigm, and become part of this adventure this July!

Produced by ianiceboy

Try it too if you've got the time.

Anyway, I'm getting irritated by this keyboard I'm using, the "R" key has sunk to the bottom of the keyboard, and I have no idea how hard or soft I'm supposed to push the damned key just to write anything with an "r" in it. I have no idea why out of every key here, its only the "r" key that's sunk that low, while every other key is perfectly alright.

Nowhere near as irritating as last night's traffic jam though. My family and I went to Makati Shangri-la last night to celebrate an uncle's 60th birthday. We ate at Circles, that buffet restaurant thing that serves chinese, indian, american, japanese, and italian cuisine, plus a huge dessert, appetizer, and seafood table. The place was impressive, and I went back several times to the buffet table to have some more food (the roti canan with orange or yellow curry was particularly worthwhile).

Of course, there's the matter of going home after dinner. Since we were safe inside the hotel last night, we had no idea how strong the rain was outside (we knew it was raining, other people texted us to be careful on our way home because of the rain, and possible flooding). We were already fortunate that the rain stopped when we finally decided to stop pigging out and leave.

Unfortunately, the trip home took something like 2.5 hours. We got stuck in South Super Highway with hundreds of other people, all probably wondering why in the world the cars in front were not moving. All the while my uncle was mouthing off like a raving lunatic that we should have taken this route or that route just to avoid the traffic despite the fact that he absolutely no idea how to get to or from Makati in the first place. And his endless complaining about the traffic was not helping matters at all...

Sigh. What a horrendous ending to such a nice day.

Well, anyway, as a result of that, I felt like a zombie this morning. I woke up at 6, moved from the bedroom, to the master's bedroom to watch anything on tv to rouse me up. It didn't work.

This is what happened:

6:00AM -- alarm clock blares in the background. My poor tired brain interprets the noise as some form of background music in my dream, and ignores it. It takes me over 5 minutes to even think of waking up and checking my alarm clock if it rang.

6:30AM -- slowly move from one bedroom to the other, turning on the TV just to make sure that I stay awake.

6:31AM -- manage to switch the channel to something that shows aerobics. I think of joining in to wake myself, but decide to do so after 5 minutes of sleep.

7:30AM -- wake up just to realize its way past 7, and that gransazers is on tv.

7:31AM -- unconsciously drift back to sleep.

8:00AM -- wake up feeling the heat, turn on the fan only to realize that its already late.

This pattern continues as soon as I arrive in school, sleeping through readings until the last module, where I find myself very excited that its nearly over.

Bah...

... in which the Fool starts his countdown

How You Are In Love

You fall in love quickly and easily. And very often. You give and take equally in relationships. You tend to get very attached when you're with someone. You want to see your love all the time. You love your partner unconditionally and don't try to make them change. You stay in love for a long time, even if you aren't loved back. When you fall, you fall hard.

How Are You In Love?

Your Seduction Style: Fantasy Lover

You know that ideal love that each of us dreams of from childhood? That's you! Not because you posess all of the ideal characteristics, but because you are a savvy shape shifter. You have the uncanny ability to detect someone's particular fantasy... and make it you. You inspire each person to be an idealist and passionate, and you make each moment memorable Even a simple coffee date with you can be the most romantic moment of someone's life By giving your date exactly what he or she desires, you quickly become the ideal lover. Your abilities to make dreams come true is so strong, that you are often the love of many people's lives. Your ex's (and even people you have simply met or been friends with) long to be yours. No doubt you are the one others have dreamed of... your biggest challenge is finding *your* dream lover.

What Kind of Seducer Are You?

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Interesting... I didn't know about these things before... I've taken some other exams as well, and the results were pretty interesting as well. I feel like I've been looking away from myself for so long I didn't recognize myself when I looked back at myself...

But anyway, all I really needed was a few new pretty pictures for my record. Just in time to start my personal countdown. I have to cut down on plenty of stuff for the next month, just to be sure about a few things.

... in which the Fool is disoriented from his new schedule

I guess my body just isn't as strong as it used to be.

I could remember when my body would be able to wake up at the first sound of my alarm clock going off, despite the fact that I've slept for only 5 hours. This was way back when I was still in primary and secondary school, where study was worth only 2 hours, tops.

I would sleep for only 5 hours, after having spent the greater part of the day in front of the playstation going through various animated worlds and talking to pixels and text boxes. Then, I would wake up the next day, either watch some cartoons in the TV, or continue where I let off the previous night for a few minutes, before rushing off to school before I got late.

At least, that was the pattern before.

Unfortunately when I got to college, I don't know what happened to my body, but it suddenly became hungry for sleep. I automatically hit the snooze button on my alarm clocks without hearing anything from it. I slept in for minutes and eventually, hours, until the sun was shining on my face, and Jun was calling my cell phone. I came in later and later and later for my 730 class...

I was a chronoligcally-challenged wreck. And I don't know how that happened. From someone who was perenially punctual, to someone who became perenially late...

And now that I've changed my schedule from waking up early every MWF, my body feels sluggish, having to wake up early every TThS. Ugh... Its a good thing I don't wake up with headaches, otherwise, I'd be worse off.

I actually thought for a moment that today was Saturday; another Saturday despite being Saturday yesterday ! That was how confused I was. It took me a few more minutes of sleeping in before I remembered how I got transferred to the TThS schedule of review class. Well, at least I have some good news, traffic isn't as bad on Saturday mornings, as it is on usual weekday mornings.

Here comes the bad news though: as soon as I arrived, I had to take a refresher exam gauging how much my tired brain retained about electronics concepts. It was a welcome challenge, really. I was enjoying answering every single question that was given, thinking that I had all the right answers...

Until I saw just how much I assumed I knew. All in all, I think I got less than 50 correct answers in that exam, mistaking a lot of simple questions just because I missed the words "not", "except", "false", etc. It was a humbling experience.

At least I know that I made mistakes, and I haven't reviewed enough yet. And I really need to pay attention to what I'm reading.

Everytime I leave class though, I find myself salivating at the street food being prepared outside of the review school. Trays upon trays containing calamari, sliced sausages, fish balls, quail eggs, all fried in oil and just waiting for someone to get them. Everytime I pass by, I'm tempted to grab a few sticks and try them out for myself... Everytime, I manage to refuse, miraculously, and I don't know why!!!!

Very, very strange... Especially given my appetite for food.

I've already watched the Brothers Grimm. And personally, it was a very nice movie, indeed incorporating some of the most famous fairy tales around the world, and showing just how they all could possibly have happened at roughly the same time. There were references to Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, the Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, the Gingerbread Man, Jack and the Beanstalk, the Ice Queen, and Sleeping Beauty all throughout the movie (I don't see Rumpelstiltskin though... Strange). I'm not an expert on Grimm's tales though, so I don't know just how much of the original they changed or retained.

However, for literary folks, I would suppose that the Brothers Grimm would be a nice movie to watch. And for more ordinary people, it would still be fun watching all the fairy tales we've come to know and love come to life and change before our very eyes.

I've just recently watched Underworld. Yes, I know, I'm slow... Frankly, I'm pissed off with the idea of injecting silver nitrate into the bloodstream. Its so "Blade", relying too much on the silver nitrate stuff...

If werewolves were so damned allergic to such small amounts of silver, they would similarly be allergic to certain coins, jewelry, and other, more easily obtained forms of silver. In fact, instead of having to turn them into liquid form, they should just bring around silver knuckles or bracelets, and use those to punch wolves in the face... And its not like its that easy to reproduce silver, and waste it all by turning them into silver bullets...

And their werewolves look so much like hairless gorillas instead of werewolves...

But was I disappointed? Well, I like the fight scenes... And lets just leave it at that.

However, I am looking forward to the sequel and where they intend to bring the story, as well as its final conclusion where (I would guess) Selene and Michael kill off all the lycans and vampyres in America and Europe before killing themselves (or hiding away for all eternity).

... in which the Fool is stymied by the strange behavior of Windows

I don't know what's wrong with the PC's today, but they seem to be restricting me from viewing other people's blogs. Yes, that's right. I haven't read any other person's blog, and I have no idea what's already happened in other people's blogs (including my own). For all I know, someone may have already won themselves a ton of money and is willing to give me some of it if I could access their blog today (and just my luck... I can't. Darn)

And that's not all! I can't even access my hobby sites, aside from gamefaqs. I can't see what's new with the VS. system... I can't see what's new with Walt Disney fer cryin' out loud!!!! Earlier, I couldn't even access my mail!!!! Something's definitely wrong here...

Just like last Thrursday's trip to the regulatory commission to file for a licensure exam. I spent over 4 friggin' hours just waiting in line to have my application processed. That's all. The entire process was just over 1 hour in total, filling up forms, submitting requirements, checking your documents, verifying citizenship, etc. However, when you find yourself in a line, well, expect that you'll spend the better part of the hour just sitting and waiting in a sssssssllllooooowwwwww crawl...

I mean, for hundreds of applicants in a single day, there are less than four people in the windows checking on your documents, less than three issuing your finished documents, and each employee takes forever just to check on your documents... This is further compounded by people who are at a loss at what they're supposed to do, because the instructions are not exactly clear to everyone. When you get there, its like your brain is being sapped away slowly... By everyone around you, and the infernal building around you, and the stupid procedures around you...

Its so damned frustrating that once you get out of there, you feel like you've escaped from Tartarus itself. Its true! The employees in the commission look like old hags who suck out the youth from the many fresh graduates eager to get a license after spending umpteen years inside campus. Sheesh.

Unfortunately, I'll have to go back there soon to get the final forms I need for my exam. Darn it. I hope the damned crones don't take forever again...

At least I found a way to relax immediately after that bothersome ordeal.

Strange. The connection settings on this computer is strange. I can't access the purely legal sites, those that are completely harmless to every user, but it won't even lift a finger to stop me from connecting to pron sites... Very strange indeed.

I've already watched Sky High last week, and again, its another movie that I recommend people watch. Its about the children of superheroes, attending probably what is the most prestigious school for superheroes. There, they learn to be either heroes, or hero-support. Its very interesting, with plenty of references to other super-powered heroes. Its a very Disney take on comic books, and it appeals to my very childish tastes. Its worth watching twice in my opinion, and after I watch the Brothers Grimm, I'll watch Sky High again.

... in which the Fool tries to juggle hobbies unsuccessfully

I never imagined how difficult engaging in multiple hobbies can be. I mean, I've always just categorized all my hobbies under the word "gaming" and ignored a lot of the terminologies and other stuff associated with them. After all, who'd be crazy enough to engage in all of them at the same time, right?

Well, look no more. I'm the fool who went out of his way to try to check up on all his hobbies at the same time. Aside from playing card games, and console games, and network games, and role-playing games, and what-not, I still check up on some of my other interests such as anime, manga, and other people's records. Granted, looking at other people's records isn't exactly stressful (one might even say that it's very... relaxing), but when your taskbar has several windows waiting on you, each one of them opened up to a specific site not related to everything else, well, sooner or later, you'd find just how difficult it is it concentrate your thoughts on just one single topic.

On the other hand, concentrating on only one particular subject will also force your mind to disregard every other unrelated topic. Which is irritating when you have a lot of topics to check up on.

Take for example today. I started with checking my email as usual, then proceeded to look at everybody else's blogs (which were relatively unmodified), then proceeded to open several windows, each dedicated to different games: one was on the Vs. card game, another was on Super Robot Wars, another was on D&D, another was on DotA, and yet another was on Naruto, the manga.

Everytime I switched from one window to the next, I could feel my brain going sideways, trying to understand what was happening, how the robots suddenly could perform team attacks at the opponents base while rolling d20's. Its disconcerting, I know. Much more when you realize that you understand everything that is happening, and then figure out that you're reading something else already, and convincing yourself that they're all not connected to each other...

Confusing? I'll bet. Think of it this way, you're watching a Disney cartoon about Cinderella, and all of a sudden while she's on her way to the ball, she finds that her coach, a dwarf that only knows how to whistle, is taking her on her way to Agrabah, while singing something about the Circle of Life. You understand everything that's happening, but can't really figure what's wrong, immediately...

Sigh, this must be what people call, brain-overload... Or something.

Right now, I'm trying to shake off the idea of Sakura being a 4-cost Naruto character with a super ability fighting off hordes and hordes of treants in Eberron... Brrr...

I think I'll just go back to my multiplexing lessons. Try to sort out the various input signals coming into my brain and making sure my cerebrum can receive each incoming data stream into the proper brain pocket...

... in which the Fool enjoys a strange holiday

I've never realy appreciated holidays before. When I was still in school, I just thought of holidays as more ways to say "I'm going to school to do a project" (which usually was the case, although there were times when I would just sneak out to watch a movie with friends). These days, holidays mean, no traffic, no crowds in network stores, and shorter travel times.

The thing that makes this holiday strange though, is the fact that it was announced a holiday a day after the president insisted that it wasn't going to be. People have been a little confused on whether its really going to be a holiday or if its going to be a "office decision" holiday. I mean, make up your mind properly, would you??

... I was supposed to tell more stories. But the thing with reading other people's records while writing on your own, you tend to get distracted. Hey, I'm only human, with my own weaknesses. When I see something interesting in other people's blogs, I can't help it if my own brain suddenly shuts off just to enjoy a few minutes of bliss...

Anyway. I'll try to trudge on despite the obvious lapse in my brain right now.

Last Saturday, I went to Ateneo in order to get our yearbook (that's been 2 years too late now...) and to attend to other activities (meeting up with Jenny, attending IC's surprise party, etc.) I've already seen the previous years' yearbooks, but I would think that ours takes the cake. The thing is HUGE, probably designed to look like an encyclopedia set (a novel idea really) with 5 books, 4 of them representing each of the Schools, and the last featuring the organizations that dot the Atenean land and thoughtscape. Maybe its just me, but I thought it would be better if they had also put in pictures of the various faculty instead of just their names, and with absoultely no description at all. Its just not a yearbook if you can't see your teachers there as well (at least, you can't call it a yearbook if the picture of that one single faculty, the one that ruined your school experience, isn't there to be cut out, burned, scratched out, drawn over, photocopied and posted on wanted posters, or any other thing you could think of).

Its also annoying that the new-fangled CD option that lets you see the yearbook on your computer wasn't included. Maybe they people intended it to be released later this year, where you have to pay a little more just so you could enjoy it at home or whatever. Personally, I think there weren't a lot of people that gave out their own multimedia stuff to have fit inside the CD. Also, I don't think I've seen the page where they were supposed to print the answers to some classic questions as "What is the one place that you have not gone in the Ateneo" "Who among the faculty would you want to have as a classmate" and what not. I don't think the makers of our batch's yearbook got to that part of their plan, they suck. And to think they needed more than a year just to get our yearbook out.

(As I said, I seem to be rambling from one topic to the next and not making a coherent thought at all...)

Just a little bit of trivia, the batch after ours, managed to get THEIR yearbooks, earlier than WE did. So, just imagine our irritation...

I just spent the evening of Saturday thumbing through the hundreds of pictures trying to look for people that I recognized. Thankfully, I was able to call out at least one person from each volume as I leafed through the pages. Meaning, I wasn't as introverted as I thought I was. Its just too bad that I didn't bother to count how many I indeed recognized, but I doubt that it would go past 100.

But enough about the half-ton yearbook. Its been dissed several times over by various other people even before I got my copy. Clearly, there have been a lot of people that were disappointed with it, especially with all the new features they were promised during that hectic week of preparations. I guess I'm just more willing to let it go, and wait for the time that they will release the damned CD's.

What I really liked about Saturday was IC's party, he was very quiet about it, not giving any reason as to why he wanted to treat everybody out. I mean, the reason probably was so obvious after a little bit of thinking, but he just didn't want to say it out loud. I'm thankful that he actually invited Jenny as well, seeing as they're not really very close friends, but still, the gesture was greatly appreciated. To IC: (thumps chest) You Da Man!!!

The thing is, as soon as Jenny and I arrived, Aaron, Terence, and Adnan started playing all sorts of tricks at me, as if ignoring the fact that I was there, and concentrating solely on entertaining Jenny. One might say even, trying to impress her. Knowing that they were friends (really, they are.), I knew that they had no malicious intent... But still, seeing what they did....

Well, I could feel something not nice coming up from within my heart.

Of course, I fought it down. Everyone was a friend there, and they were just having fun (obviously at my expense) but it was ok. Even Hubert and Jun joined in on the merriment for a while. But eventually, they had their fill. And eventually, I regained control as well.

Everyone was having so much fun in the party. Even Domon wanted me to cut his chicken and pizza and spaghetti for him (perhaps he likes it when some guy puts food on his plate) but I declined. It would be unfair if I made his chicken for him, while all my other friends didn't get the same treatment from me. I swear, either these guys don't know how to get their own food, or they don't know how to get their own food.

Of course, the guys didn't stop picking on me until Jenny left, when we were finally able to play DotA in relative quiet.