Aliens in the metro!

Waiting for a morning meeting, I look out the window and there they were- four spheres of glowing light keeping to their formation. It must be a signal to somewhere in outer space, or each alien ship could be taking in a hapless earthling or earth creature to experiment on, using an invisible beam or column of energy that can pull anything up into the ship. Scary!

Simpsonize!

Straight from the Simpsons' universe, here are two new characters! Ben is an acter while Jerry is a writor.

Fun cow

As its description describes, you can have lots of fun through this blog as it compiles loads of fancy "generator" sites and software.

The Generator Blog

This blog is not about those machines used to change mechanical energy into electrical energy. It's about software that creates software. Software to play around and have fun with.

With the Simpsons Movie showing this week, the blog features The Simpsonizer (which unfortunately didn't work when I tried it a while ago) and a Simpsons Avatar Generator.

So if you're ever in need of a cool, custom graphic for your own webpage, blog, or even office presentation, the Generator Blog is one helpful portal for you.

Here's something I tried... a horoscope!

Thrilling Prison Break

Oh. My. Guard! I wonder who thought of this? Very funny! What a way to "discipline" inmates. And they have another video on YouTube where 900+ inmates of the same Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center perform a somewhat synchronized algorithm dance or march (It's the first time I've heard of it). Anyway, it's still amazing, amusing, and very interesting. I also wonder if any prisoner from this detention center has ever tried to escape the prison and what their reasons were and if it including having to do something like what you see in the video above.

Real Age

For anyone who might be a little conscious of how old they look or feel, you might want to go to this site where they might be able to raise your hopes some by telling you your calendar age could not necessarily be your "real" age.The good thing about it is that this site tells you what you may already know about what you should be doing and what you shouldn't be doing to take better care of yourself. So if you don't have a doctor yet whom you've been helping to become a millionaire, you could try this FREE "consultation".

Of course if you've been treating yourself like sh*t, you could expect to be "really" older than how old you are right now.

Santuario de San Jose at Greenhills East

A stone's throw away from the village entrance closest to Chili's and Citibank, we attended the 6:15PM mass. This may be the first time for me to see a church facade boasting of two relatively large, green crosses.The mass schedule is a little odd too. I'm used to the on-the-hour or on-the-half-hour schedules.
And then I know this is the first time I stepped in an air-conditioned church. And since it had rained yesterday, a fan or cardboard/folded newspaper to fan yourself with had no use that time.A newspaper would have still come in handy though because the priest's homily was nothing short of boring, yet he rambled on.One highlight was a solo during the communion. A male soloist sang The Prayer and he was very good. I wouldn't mind singing that song in front of more people, in front of the Pope even if only I had a voice like his. Too bad a pillar blocked parts of my view of the altar so I didn't even know where the choir was positioned.

100th blog post

Wow. A year ago, I was hesitant to get a blog of my own because my web host service for jaybeecc.com already came with a forum where I could post whatever I wanted to write about. And for years I was content with that. Well, things evolve somehow, and a blog is the way to easily get your stuff/content out into the wide web world.

Initially, I re-posted some of what I already wrote in my website forum. You can read them here. And then I stopped for a couple of months to concentrate on the independent film, Mean Well. And when I came back to post, I tried to set a theme... pictures of Churches I go to to attend mass in. I wasn't able to continuously visit a different church every Sunday so that idea fell through. And then slowly, and starting from the time I got a camera phone to take pictures more quickly than when I just used my video camera, I got into a rhythm of posting pictures of people, things, and places that interest me. And now, more frequently and consistently, I post short articles accompanied by pictures of people, things, and places that I experience.

One thing in this blog I'd like to maybe pursue later is to collect Fingermask'd pictures of people. It's certainly quirky and original (thanks to Warren Herrero, my officemate who gave me the idea by posing the Fingermask way in one photo I took of him). And then there could be a new pose coming- it's called the break-neck pose and you could see a couple of photos of me in this pose in the latter sets of the Whether Vain project.

From writing literary stuff, to songs to mail-zines (above image from Bitch n' Feces: Rare Pure Gas), to making my own website portal, to making independent digital features, to posting to this blog, to vlogging... things are coming together nicely. Now, I'd like to try to be able to get something from the hours I spend online, to maybe help finance my next independent feature project.

In the meantime, as a tip of the hat to the days when I was somehow able to write poetry, here's something I wrote yesterday. It's cheesy, I know. I love cheese!

I thank God for blessing my soul
and gifting you to me
stars align
conspire even
to bring us to today

I swear to make it last
imperfect though am I
this feeling I won't wish to undo
no doubt or indecision
for the lifetime remaining
I commit myself to pursuing your happiness
I love you so
and for life, this affirmation

Ahoy, shoes!

Shopping for shoes? Don't mind if they're imitations? Well, come on down to Greenhills where you can go drown yourself in flattering apparel, bags, jewelry, toys, phones, and of course, shoes.
That's it- enter the corridor right under the stairs that take you up to Music Museum and you'll see the plethora of footwear that just didn't make the cut with shoe-specialty shops and higher-end (department) stores. These shoes are very, very, very , very affordable, sometimes, just a tenth of the original's retail price. If that isn't a bargain, I don't know what is. However, be careful because even though most of the time people won't be able to tell if you're wearing an imitation or not (and why should they care anyway!), you'll feel the difference in terms of craftsmanship and quality. But if you're just looking for foot ware to use for driving or for everyday walking, getting something less expensive and does the same thing to your feet- protect it from the elements and be a little fashionable while doing so- may be easily justified.Prices (for men's walking/rubber shoes) range from around PHP550 and if you don't show much interest, you could get the price down to PHP480 . That's the pinoy way of making-tawad (haggling). Good luck! Still too expensive for you? Try the ukay-ukay stores that are sprouting across the metro. You might find a good deal there too. But that's another adventure altogether.

House of Minis @ Shoppesville Arcade

Dinner. Greenhills. And I distinctly remember coming to House of Minis for a sumptuous lunch years ago when I was still at my former place of work. The prices then were, I thought, affordable for steaks, and quite reasonable. Today, nothing much has changed. At least for this branch. Entering the door and scanning the dark room where people are noisily downing what they have ordered, you'll quickly realize what I mean when I say you could have just heard a little voice in your head shout, "Time space warp!"The waiters are old. The cashier lady is just as old. Maybe in their fifty's? I can just imagine thirty or so years ago when I had just been born and House of Minis had just opened their first branch- these waiters and cashier lady now were their young selves excitedly applying for a job at this restaurant. The Christmas lights on the walls looked old as well as the lanterns that adorn the side walls and that hand from the low ceiling. There may have actually been a theme to the design- western? Rustic? And the music was another thing- 60's or 50's ballads? Soothing? To try help their customers wait for their meals? Could be. But there's no need for that. Sure, your steak might get to you after at least 15 minutes, but if you've ordered any of their "complete" meals whose prices range from PHP180 to P300, depending on whether you're ordering the junior meal or a full-sized steak meal, you'd be happy to find out that it includes dinner rolls, soup, salad, and even ice cream for dessert. You could also opt for coffee, if you want.Now you would notice that there are no pictures of the food we ate- we ordered grilled pork chops (2 pieces) and boneless chicken. That's because when it was served, the waiter poured gravy on the sizzling meat and we had to use the old-looking table-top napkins to shield ourselves from the smoke that emanated from the hotplate. After which we just dove into our dinner, pausing occasionally to remark that the pork chops were not tough to slice into, the chicken was pretty good, and overall a pretty ok place to take your significant other to for a date. Try the other branches(Click on the title to go to a site sponsored by Click the City)- they might not be as dark.

Whether vain set 09

And just as this series ends, a more exciting chapter begins. And there's a clue in this set. No, not a new haircut. It's never been in the other sets. No, it's not my new seat at the 35th floor of my building. It's... if I have been optimistic or positive before, I am absolutely feeling astronomical, heavenly even. It's as if nothing can go wrong and everything has a reason for taking so long. And it's been a long wait but it's all worth it. All good things to those who wait, they say. Well, there aren't enough words to describe how happy and grateful I feel right now. So happy I could cry. Like when I'm watching my favorite TV show Wish Ko Lang and they're featuring a reunion or really big assistance to someone in real dire need... More clues in succeeding posts.

Back to the Whether Vain project: I don't look much different from when I started 81 days and pictures ago. My weight still went from 151 to 149 and back to 151. I've had a couple of haircuts. I've gone through another election where my family got an amusing surprise. I've started drinking soda (light sodas only) again after 2 years. And I'm about to go to a new project at work where I don't know how things will be. I still always smile everyday, try to make other people smile or laugh too. The first and last things I do everyday is still thank God for all His blessings. 81 days. A lot has happened. And a lot has remained the same. Life has been just how I like it to be- simple yet complicated, fun and difficult. But it's all worthwhile. This picture-taking project may have ended (for now) but it has been a reminder for me to be grateful for and try to work with anything that I receive, not because when comparing with other people I could appear to be more blessed, but because I have this great opportunity to experience life and experience other people, to experience all these emotions, and see the world and learn, and try to maybe affect at least one more person in a positive way. I could die tomorrow and no one will have memory of me but that's the least of one's worries because life is like a photograph, it fades and disappears. Was that a genuine smile at least that you flashed in the photo?

To Where You Are

Little Britain

These two gentlemen, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, truly are amazing. And amusing. Very amusing. Especially the first season of their BBC comedy series, Little Britain. And now, we have got to see if the third season is better than the second.
These two play all the main characters of this absurdly outrageous comedy. Or should it be outrageously absurd? Anyway, I like. And the more notable characters are: Vicky Pollard who runs her mouth like nothing you've heard.There's Daffyd Thomas who keeps me wondering if he's really gay. He's more homophobic and weirdly in denial for other people's homosexuality. And the duo of poor Andy, who believes Lou is a cripple and can't do anything, and spaced-out-looking, wheelchair-bound(?) Lou. Most of their sketches involve Andy turning around and not seeing Lou running off to dive into a pool, climb a tree, or even jump off a plane with a parachute on (Lou lands on his wheelchair!).Here's the series' wikipedia page.

Bistro Dining

Pizza Hut Bistro. Cinema level, Robinson's Galleria. Dinner, Thursday. Nice menu book. Nice cozy place. Lasagna was very good. Who doesn't like their pizzas? Their serving of ribs was very very tiny though. Sorry, no food pictures- the ribs might have looked like s small animal's. :)(Note to Citibank Gold card holders: you get a 20% off the bill!)On the other hand, there's T.G.I.Friday's at the ground level of Robinson's Galleria whose servings are relatively larger. Dinner, Friday (Just right, won't you agree?). Menu book ordinary. The restaurant walls are cluttered with rubbish-artwork-type stuff which is their style, I think.
Only miff was that they charge you for everything but the water. They mistakenly put cheese and bacon on my fries (that came with the chicken fingers) and they charges us for it. They put cheese and bacon (probably splashed there when they were putting the same on my fries) on the salad and we got charged again! Oh, well. Remember to ask for a discount coupon when you eat there so you can have P500 off your next bill that reaches a thousand bucks.The Verdict: I probably won't be running towards another T.G.I.Friday's anytime soon unless the meal's completely free, while I recommend Pizza Hut Bistro for a nice dinner date.

Bad Order (of the Phoenix)

I am not a Harry Potter book series reader. I watch the films hoping it will be interesting enough. And having forgotten what the previous ones were about, this most recent one- The Order of the Phoenix, had me enthralled from beginning to end...
Not!
Ordinarily, I would notice how many times the movie made me laugh or cry. But in this movie, what I noticed was the number of times I yawned: three times.There were some notable and interesting performances, the characters of Professor Umbridge and Luna Lovegood, more specifically. Of course, the supporting cast from the previous films still stood out even though they only had measly screen times. And at one point in the film, I went: "Hey, isn't that Helena Bonham Carter?" Cool to see her again.
As for the story itself... if you thought Transformers was a little loopy too, this one was like a bowl of mixed cereal. The special effects are all dark and blurred especially the centaurs. You'd think they just had to introduce the normally invisible but flight-capable rotting-looking horse-like creatures so the characters could fly off to London when they had to. Harry kisses a girl who eventually sort of betrays their group of magic-practicing kids; and although near the end it is revealed that she was brought under a truth serum (?) or spell, we never get to see her again... And headmaster Dumbledore gets the highlight scene of duking it out with head villain pasty-faced he-who-we-should-not-name (this has gotten old!). Oh well, good luck on the next film. Just for the fans, I'll give it a 2 out of 5 stars.

Whether vain set 08

One more set to go... this set started with me on an unbelievable high and then I went a little antsy about my job slash work slash career (path)... oh, well.

Church at UST

Another first: first time to set foot on UST (University of Santo Tomas) soil. It's pretty big and even has this mini-mall (?) with restaurants. My friends and I parked the car and walked to the Church. A mass was just about to end. When we went in for the next mass, we sat pretty close to the front. Here's the right side of the altar.And the center. And the left side where the choir is.And the ceiling. The priest's homily wasn't exciting to listen to. Dominicans! :) No, it's not the order, but the priest giving the homily that can make it boring. Some mass songs sung were different versions of the ones I was used to. There were lots of people. And the masses were, like, one after another!

Kim Siong Community, km47.5 Cavite

It was my first time to drive along coastal road and see the tall electric posts that line it. Town after town I drove. It was already dark, almost 8PM, when I reached my destination, between kilometer markers 47 and 48 in Silang, Cavite. Dinner was still being prepared so I roamed around. To the left of the big red gate, I parked the car. Just beyond the grass was a basketball court. In front of it was a small tree house from which a tire swing hung. Beside the court was where the caretakers reside. On top of their lodgings was the conference hall. There was also a room with a billiards table, a ping-pong table, and a foosball table. At the side of the conference building was a fountain with koi in it.Walking along the path, you'd pass the 2-storey (excluding the attic) lodge. There's a swing set with 4 swings on its right. And there's a bigger group-swing set right in front of of the lodge. On the ground floor is a kitchen and dining area. The second floor is where you can plop mattresses down to sleep on. The attic is another place you can sleep in. It's where the mattresses are stored.To the left of the lodge is the swimming pool. It's large enough and it's always clear. The deepest portion is six feet deep. At night, bats fly and swoop to the water to get a drink. There's a plastic slide and a small concrete one too.Further beyond the swimming pool are a couple of houses that are divided into three rooms on each side. Or was it four rooms on each side? Between the two is a pond with frogs. In front of the second house is a tennis court and a covered cooking area where you could grill food at. Nice place for outings if you don't mind the almost three hours of travel going there. The drive back to Manila was faster, taking only half the time of going there. Lots of things you can do there. Ideal for overnight outings or conferences. It could be rather inexpensive too. I wasn't able to find any link in the internet about the place and how much their rate is. I went there as part of a group outing where one of the coordinators had the contact with someone from Kim Siong Community.

Mark the date

Burgoo. The Podium. American food. Grilled. Fatty. Potato Wedges. Yummy.And while waiting for your food, you can use crayons to doodle on the paper on top of your table. Remember to wash your hands if you're going to handle wedges afterwards. You can also express your love for your date this way- draw a heart with an arrow through it and pointing towards your date's heart, for example.Yeah, cheesy I know. You can compute for relevant figures like how many times you've broken someone's heart, made them run to their mommies and cry.Good food. Nice ambiance. Nice hanging lamps. I'm just not sure what the concept is but it's alright, I guess.Worm's eye view. Not that they serve worms. :)They do serve these delicious flavored Iced Teas. Try them. Or...There's Italianni's at Eastwood. The table covers make them look like a cafeteria or rest stop or worse, a Filipino cafeteria. Good thing the cakes on the display showcase when you enter will make you go ooh and forget the nasty table tops. :) Tasty food. Tasty meatballs. Tasty chicken. But a tad on the expensive side.Friendly enough service. And interesting pictures on the wall. Oh, and their ripe mango shake was ok.So, whether you dine at Burgoo or Italianni's or some other place, it's the person you're with that makes the date special. Hey, I love cheese.