Remember what I wrote earlier about never bumping into any hot chicks? Well, scratch that.

Our company had been looking for people to work on our business development team. Earlier this morning, this female candidate walked in and our collective jaws dropped.

Now, I don't care if you call me shallow, but one look at her and you knew that she was very qualified. I mean, she is quite the goddess, and she even gave off this power woman vibe, and I know how that could be effective for any marketing team.

Oh, and I know it's rude to stare, but I couldn't help it. I could only wish my mouth wasn't open during all that.

After we recovered from our collective shock, a certain sadness fell upon all of us. I mean, we figured immediately probably couldn't afford someone like her.

We did have some jokes about it. We kidded our BizDev manager Selwyn, that while we loved him, we'd let him go to accomodate the girl. Then officemate Arbie chipped in, saying that the company could deduct part of our salary so we'd be able to meet her asking price, parang paluwagan, to which our company president Roel replied, "Gagu! Baka iba yung gusto mong paluwagin."

Then when Selwyn talked about how she's probably getting great benefits from the billion-dollar multinational company she's working for right now, another officemate, Reggie, had us reeling with his hirit, "Bakit, dito rin naman pwedeng magkaroon ng pabahay program ah. Gusto niya ibahay ko pa siya sa amin, sa Better Living."

Anyway, her status with our company is still pending right now. But really, how could our lowly little company (staffed by losers like me, heh) possibly steal her away from the billion-dollar multinational corporation? She's way out of our league. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of my life.

Sad no?



My buddy Frank also came into our office earlier for an interview. He isn't done with school yet, because while we were supposed to have finished school at the same time, he didn't do his SP. That's about the only thing he has left before graduating, but this semester, changes in the registration process (and laziness on his part) didn't allow him to present again, which means he won't finish school at least until May. I recommended him to our bosses for some contractual work, even though he's not done with school yet, because we were looking for someone really good (and he was really good).

Thinking about it now, maybe I shouldn't have. I mean, we were roommates when we were high school freshmen, and we hung out together at malls A LOT during the rest of high school. Then in college, we pretty much lived in the same dorms and apartments through our sophomore years, and we shared about 80% of our classes. And now, even if it's temporary, he'll be my co-worker? I'm sick of this guy's mug.

Hehe, jok lang Frank

After writing a couple of arguments against guns some two weeks back, I was very happy to hear that the President ordered that civilians couldn't carry guns in public anymore.

I've been bumping into lots of familiar people lately. The other day, I saw James, a regular Katha contributor, at the lobby of our building. Then yesterday, I saw Mike, a batchmate from the UPLB, at the foodcourt here at Eastwood City, and Ike, an old friend from PhilWeavers and our NBA fantasy league, at the lobby. Then late last night, while waiting for a jeepney home, I bumped into Choy, a basketball buddy. Then later today, Frank, a high school and college buddy and pretty much one of my closest friends (we were roommates at the dorm back when we were high school freshmen), will be coming to the office today for an interview.

All of it has been quite serendipitous. In fact, it has made me ponder: how come I don't bump into any hot chicks? Why does it have to be guys all the time? I mean, I'm not even asking for someone as beautiful as crush. Any hot chick will do, as long as she doesn't look like Rob Schneider.



Speaking of insanely beautiful women, I found out the other day that my baby sister Icay will be starting first grade at Miriam next school year. Icay's gonna be a Maryknoller! I've already started teasing her about what she's gonna sound like in a few years, with my best kolehiyala impression, "Mommy, look at Kuya Miko! He's been on the phone for, like, three hours now, and he's just making ligaw to that Christina again. I don't know what he sees in that girl, she's panget naman."

(And then her friends would probably be like, "What's the problem with your Kuya Jaemark? He's soo weird, and he's scaring us na ha. He's like, 30 years old, and he still doesn't have a girlfriend yet? Is he, like, gay or something?")



Although I'm still not emotionally ready to discuss this (and I don't think I'll ever be), I'll have to talk about this whole Jules Ledesma thing. I mean, he's gone medieval on everyone here in my site.

But I really don't have any problem with that. Hell, he was even nice enough to leave messages at my favorite writer Mika's journal for her 21st birthday.

I'm disappointed in you. Yes, you, my dear reader.

I mean, you've got Jules here, and no one even bothered to ask him more intelligent questions, like, "Hey Jules, I heard you wanted Mar Roxas' post as DTI secretary. What do you plan to do about the restrictive tariffs that trade unions in Europe, North America, and Latin America have imposed on Philippine imports? What about the fact that while SMEs comprise about 90% of all businesses in the Philippines, their collective production is, embarassingly, nowhere close to that figure? How would you then stimulate the creation of jobs especially in places that is in the transition from rurality to urbanity?"

Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'm really disappointed with you guys.



Hey, I'm just kidding. Biro lang yun ha. Lab na lab ko kayo eh. Close nga tayo diba?

But this whole Jules thing has been pretty crazy. Everyone's coming over and leaving messages for Jules here in my web site, completely ignoring me.

Oh, and the number of visits and page views for this month has been off the charts, well, at least by my standards. Soon, I'm gonna have to pay Karl and Mimi for the bandwidth I've been leeching off them. Either that, or I'll let SysAds.org pirate me away from Peyups.com.

See, I've always had this delusion of being a rock star. But now, with this whole Jules thing, I'm waay past rock star status. I'm totally in the pornstar stratosphere right now

Lynnzy's not feeling very well right now, so do leave her a sweet lovely message so she'll get better, won't you?

Punta kayo ha!

[ from the lovely and ever-blooming... Richelle ]

Pick one band/artist and use their lyrics to answer the following:

Of course, the inimitable Sting (I'd have picked the Sex Bomb Girls, but that'd have been a dead giveaway).

(01) are you male or female?

Ask if I am mouse or man
The mirror squeaked, away I ran
He'll murder me in time for his tea

Seven Days


(02) describe yourself.

I have so little time to spare now
I’m wanted almost everywhere now
I make out like Casanova
Friends are always coming over

Big Lie, Small World


(03) how do some people feel about you?

Don't think me unkind
Words are hard to find
They're only cheques I've left unsigned
From the banks of chaos in my mind
And when their eloquence escapes me
Their logic ties me up and rapes me

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da


(04) how do you feel about yourself?

I resolved to call her up
A thousand times a day
And ask her if she'll marry me
In some old fashioned way
But my silent fears have gripped me
Long before I reach the phone
Long before my tongue has tripped me
Must I always be alone?

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic


(05) describe your girlfriend/boyfriend/interest/ex:

She can change her mind
like she changes her sweaters
From one minute to the next
it's hard to tell
She blows hot and cold
just like stormy weather
She's my gift from the Lord
or a fiend from hell
That's my baby
She can be all four seasons in one day

All Four Seasons


(06) where would you rather be?

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in fields of gold

Fields of Gold


(07) describe where you live:

Just a castaway, an island lost at sea, oh
Another lonely day, with no one here but me, oh
More loneliness than any man could bear
Rescue me before I fall into despair, oh

Message in a Bottle


(0 describe how you live:

Takes more than combat gear to make a man
Takes more than license for a gun
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can
A gentleman will walk but never run

Englishman in New York


(09) describe how you love:

If he loved you
Like I love you
I would walk away in shame
I'd move town
I'd change my name

When We Dance


(10) share a few words of wisdom:

Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are

Fragile

I don't know why, but Karl seemed pretty riled at my last post. Working double-time, he carefully plotted his revenge, and well, let's just say he put the fear of god in me.



After regaining consciousness, I figured, hey, if this means I could bag someone as hot as Assunta one day, well, I'm all for it. I guess my only beef with is the fact that, well, that was my last gwapo picture. I don't even look like that anymore, it's a dearly departed memory. Dun na nga lang ako gwapo sa picture na yun, ganun pa ang nangyari.

I guess I could just console myself with the fact that I'm a more good-looking Jules Ledesma than Jules Ledesma. On second thought, no, I couldn't console myself with that. But...

...at least I get love advice from Jules himself. Apparently, our kool bro Jules visited the site again last night and even left a couple of messages.

As I am still not emotionally ready to discuss this (and I don't know if I'll ever be), let me channel the reactions of some of the people. Pon said, "Sa dinami-dami ng celebrity na puwedeng bumisita sa site mo, bakit si Jules pa? Bakit hindi na lang si Maui Taylor, o si Aubrey Miles?" Macy, meanhwile, asks, "Why does he 'talk' like that?" But my favorite writer Mika just wants Jules and Sam (Sam daw o) to greet her on her 21st birthday.

Because I'm such a generous guy, I decided to do something else for the Peyups.com anniversary, aside from my mushy anniversary article. I figured that while Karl is already a hunk, we could do a little more for his web image with a Photoshop makeover.

Here's the original photo:



And here's the photo after I was done with it:



Not bad, eh?

Had a pretty amazing weekend. I was out Friday night with officemates at Greenbelt for bowling and billiards. We love good, clean fun, you see, which is why next weekend they're dragging me off to Sibil.

I was out all Saturday, first with the Peyups Basketball EB, followed by a trip to Sta.Lucia to see "The Hot Chick". It was an amazingly dumb movie, and we absolutely loved it. Do remember to check your thinking hats at the entrance. "Are you saying... everybody thinks I'm... perfect?"

Later that night we went to the Sugar Free album launch . I've always loved "Telepono", and their other songs, but there was this one cut called "Los Baños" that was about coming home. What can I say, I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. I wasn't able to get a copy of their album though, because I'm still broke, but I've got one of those really cool Sugar Free water bottles. I'll get my copy of the album (aptly titled "Sa Wakas") later this week, and you should too.

Sunday was spent writing my essay about the 4th anniversary of Peyups.com. I wrote with the intent of blowing everything else out of the water, and I think I just did. Mimi put up links to screenshots of the old Peyups.com web site, and if you ever visit the site, it's pretty cool to look at them. The rest of the day was spent watching TV, and thinking to myself, you don't have to be drunk anymore to think that Kris Aquino's hot now that she's lost weight. You still have to be pretty drunk, however, to post that in your web site.

That was my weekend. How was yours?

from Vice President Teofisto Guingona

The threat of war in Iraq and its consequences, for us ordinary Filipinos, is growing as the 27th of January U.N. inspectors' report to the United Nations draws near. An attack on Iraq by the U.S. and English forces seems imminent, even with the U.N. Security Council mandate. Their forces are massing by the hundreds of thousands!

Reports from the U.N. estimates that casualties of civilians alone may reach five hundred thousand.

Such possible tragedy seems compounded by the perils facing our OFWs, about one hundred in Iraq proper, more than twenty seven thousand in neighboring Kuwait and about 850,000 in Saudi Arabia, not to speak of further dislocations from their families here.

The impending warwill imperil the price of oil, further distort foreign exchange, and devastate the economy. Worse - it may intensify violence and the senseless flow of blood in our land, especially Mindanao.

Many are resigned to hopelessness. of letting things take their own course. The US does not seem to pay attention to the warnings of European and Asian leaders, including the plea of the Pope.

We again confront our own mortality against the odds and seek divine assistance in the midst of powerlessness. In such times, we seek Divine assistance. We are challenged to put our faith and trust in God for his protection.

In these coming critical days, I humbly call on people of various faiths, to unite in prayer to seek divine intervention, to let peace reign in our world. We implore God to enlighten world leaders against war.

I humbly ask leaders of various Religious communities to congregate on Jan. 31 at Plaza Miranda for an afternoon of Prayer for Peace. People of various faith expressions, Christians and Muslims included, will come together to pray. Peace in Iraq, peace in the Middle East, and peace in our country. JOIN US!

Sincerely,
(Sgd.) TEOFISTO G. GUINGONA
Vice President


Take part in the march for peace to Plaza Miranda. Assembly is at UST-España at 11:00 am. March starts at 1:00 pm. Prayers and protest starts at 2:00 pm.

No, I wasn't assassinated by Jules Ledesma. Well, at least not yet anyway. The "starstruck" reaction of everyone was just, well, funny. My favorite writer Mika sent an obscene amount of traffic this way, and I mean a lot. I mean, she's linked to me before, but the traffic wasn't that big. It's either a) people just LOVE our kool bro Jules; or b) Mika's a total rock star now. I'm guessing it's B.

It wasn't because I was busy, either, although I've been staying late at the office these past couple of nights. The other night I left past midnight, while last night I stayed here til 11. Yep, I don't have a life and it's not like I could go out, because I'm still broke. Actually, I have a 6,000-peso check waiting for me at BusinessWorld, but I couldn't go there to get it this week because I'm stuck here. That'll probably have to wait until next week, which would coincide with me getting my first paycheck here. So that means I'll be pretty loaded next week. Date na lang kulang.

But my being busy really wasn't the reason I couldn't post anything yesterday, and neither was it because I couldn't think of anything to talk about. There are a million things on my mind, long, long essays I've been meaning to write, but couldn't, because... I couldn't find a pen.

I don't really fancy myself a writer, but I'm certainly worlds better than that trying-hard little fuck who says "Geez" and "Shucks" every other sentence but I do get some perverse form of enjoyment out of it. Anyway, I have this weird thing that I could only start whatever I am writing on paper. I couldn't start it on the computer. I'm weird that way, but then again, I'm weird a lot of ways. And it wasn't until earlier that I was able to borrow a pen that I started writing this post, while the lyrics of "Sugar, sugar" keeps buzzing in my head.

Anyway, moving on..

I was working on an engine for a content management system to be used by some of the current clients of our company as well as future ones, and I had to make it as generic as possible. Now, it's perfectly customizable and extensible, and it makes me happy, in that same perverse kind of way.

While I was looking for sample articles to test my system with, I ended up browsing through the first issue of Katha. It was a fun look back; imagine, Ellen and Mace were both "18-year old sophomores" back then. I mean, they're like, what now, 40? Seriously, though, Katha has a pretty good content management system (I'm proud of the author archive, because I used flat files, not databases), and it's the first I've ever written. I remember planning to re-write it and asking Yashmine and Ederic if they'd like to use it for Binibini and Tinig.com, too. I just never got around to doing any of that.

In fact, I never got around to releasing another issue of Katha again. I just became too busy, I guess, and with the really being just a solo project, it just fell apart. I've been trying to set up a re-launch with other people involved, but it's never pushed through because I haven't gotten everyone really committed to make sure that if I ever have a busy spell or if I had to walk away, the whole thing wouldn't fall apart. I don't know, the kind of thing tends to happen to me all the time, from projects to relationships to whathaveyou.

I'd like to re-launch Katha in March. That'd buy us enough time to organize ourselves and get great content. If you'd like to help out, drop me a line. We'll need writers, poets, editors, artists, photographers, and anyone else willing to help out. Drop me a line.

I'm sitting right now in the office and I'm looking at a couple of trophies the company won for Juice and SysAds. They look very cool. Katha made it to the semifinals a couple of years ago, and despite the charges that the awards are politically-charged, etc., I see no reason why we couldn't win one.

What do you say guys? Let's go get ourselves an f'n trophy this time?

My favorite open source tech news web site Newsforge has picked up the story of UP President Francisco Nemenzo's announcement of UP's move from Windows to Linux. Hahahaha, rock!

This morning, I was pretty amused when I opened my inbox and I had a couple of messages from a certain "jules ledesma". See, I wrote the scripts for my guestbook and the comments system, and I have all messages sent to my email address. This "jules ledesma" left a message in my guestbook and a comment in one of my recent posts.

Of course, I thought it was a joke by some wise guy, and I had a good laugh about it. I did a whois search for the IP address of the person who left the message, just to be sure. The IP block belong to AT&T Global in Japan, but of course there was still the slight possibility that it was a Philippine reseller. Even then, what are the odds that it was Jules Ledesma.

I told Karl about it over IM, and we both had a good laugh about it. That was, until I told him that I still had the IP address with me. Karl did another search, and it turned out that the address indeed belong to a reseller. Then Karl did another whois on the domain name julesledesma.com, and what do you know? Our good friend Jules has an email address at AT&T Global.

Anyway, I checked my logs for more information about "Jules", and here's what I found:



Frankly, I don't know what to make of this information. I don't think I'm emotionally ready to discuss this, and I don't know if I ever will be.

Just go visit his site.

This site has been up for almost three and a half years now, and every once in a while, someone who visits feels close enough to me (or terribly bored) to ask me personal questions. The most frequently asked, after "Are you gay?", is "Do you have a girlfriend?" After my standard "No" answer, they'd follow up with "How come?" Most people aren't satisfied with my standard "I'm a sad and pathetic loser" reply, so I end up explaining.

Well, it wasn't always this sad and pathetic. Well, actually, it was, but I did use to have a girlfriend, and thinking about it now, I seriously couldn't help but laugh (out loud). I mean, I'm not laughing at the idea that I ever had a girlfriend (although, come to think of it, that is funny). I'm laughing because I still couldn't believe how HORRIBLY BAD we were at the whole thing. Seriously.

It's not like we were bad people, or we didn't love each other, or we didn't try hard enough. It's just that, everytime something good happens, it gets screwed up, either by me, her, or fate. It was like one of those things on TV, where the writers of the show don't want a couple to get together to keep the audience coming back, like Sam and Diane, Ross and Rachel, Carey and Aidan, Peachy and Wacks, Burns and Smithers, etc. And if you're in the middle of all that, it drives you crazy. In a span of two years, we must have said goodbye a gajillion times. Plus, we had fights that were documented online, and Karl even had to play Joe D' Mango a couple of times. Then like a punchline, I discovered at the very end that the only thing I had left that was from her was a t-shirt she had given. I'm not bitter, or anything, but seriously, man: I was in a two-year relationship, and all I got was a lousy shirt.

Now, before you start calling me an ass, remember that, well, I am an ass. But aside from that, remember that it's not like it didn't hurt. It's just that there's enough distance right now between where I am and where I used to be that I could laugh (out loud) about it like I could laugh at everything else, instead of, well, hurting about the whole thing. I am crazy, after all. I still couldn't believe how bad we were at it, though. And I find it funny. I'm weird that way.

But I seriously never want to see her again. I mean, it's just gonna be really awkward, and I don't handle things like that very well. I'd probably end up making, bad, mean, inappropriate jokes like, "Nag-break lang tayo, ano na'ng nangyari sa grammar mo?"

(And I wish I was being bitter, really, but there's a difference between "your" and "you're", "their" and "they're" and she's a better writer than that.)

Even then, I still wish her the best of everything, and she'd be the first to tell you that it all worked out for the best. Besides, she was tall, dark, and drop-dead gorgeous, and I, er, used to be cute. We had to break up; we'd have looked too much like Assunta and Jules.

(By the way, there's comedy, there's high comedy, and there's www.julesledesma.com)


On the night we broke up (it was a mutual decision, although I brought up the topic, so in the post break-up discussions that followed, she'd always blame me for breaking up with her), we were trying to lighten up the mood. We were talking about what I thought her next boyfriend was going to be like. I told her that her next boyfriend would be tall, he'd have glasses, he'd have a car, and that he'd share with her an interest in her field. I even told her that he'd probably be from Diliman, and that they'd probably grow close while she was working on something.

And you know what? It all came true, a little sooner than even I expected. I'M NOT KIDDING, it was exactly as I predicted. You could ask her about this.

So now, I'm thinking that my next girlfriend would be as hot as Aubrey Miles. Wait, no, she'd be even hotter. IT WILL COME TRUE.



The closest thing I've had to that, though, has just been a silly little crush. Really, it's nothing serious, I just find her (really very) pretty. Some people even say that she looks like Maui Taylor, especially with that toothy smile that hot girl from "Dark Angel".

But really, it's nothing that should be taken seriously, and it's not something that I labor over day and night. And while some of you end up laughing like hyenas at the silly things I write here, the jokes I make when I talk to her, the moron that I am, just totally bomb. Big time.

Oh well. It's just a silly little crush anyway.



My mom always kids me that I'd end up getting married when I'm 40. At least I think she's kidding, although I feel that there's a big part of her that means it. She tells me that she figures because I'm "too smart", I'd have trouble finding a girl.

I think she's wrong. I don't think being "too smart" would be a problem, although being too chicken probably would be. It took me 19 years before I got my first girlfriend, and at the rate I'm going now, I won't get another 'til I'm 38. And then with my luck and my track record with relationships, who knows how that'll go?

So, 40? Nah. Try 45. Minimum

Before anything else: Yes, my sister is very cute. No, she won't play with you, because she is the princess and nobody gets close to her without her permission. And yes, it's a shame that in a few years, she'd grow up and become as annoying as all you girls out there.

And yes, I'm a fucking hippie.



More people are visiting this site today more than ever. I know, because it's everything I do here at the office when I'm bored to my wits. I'd look at my visit logs and I'd see people come in one after the other. Napapansin ko pa nga may mga IP address na paulit-ulit eh.

And it's funny. I spend twelve hours a day in front of the computer, spend the rest of my waking hours in front of the television, am perpetually broke, haven't gone out in a month, and I have no social life whatsoever. And I even used to be cute, but now I'm just.. eh. I mean, I'm just a "girl leaving me for someone who looks like Harrison Ford faster than you can say Indiana Jones" away from turning into a pathetic Hugh Grant character.

And you're reading about my life? What the fuck is wrong with you people?



As Triumph would say, "I kid, I kid." I'm just having a bad case of the Mondays. I don't know why, it's not like my weekend was total crap or anything.

I remember that it was Nirvana weekend on both MTV and Channel V. That was good.

And I remember listening to Roxette songs. Good, too.

And I remember catching Lauryn Hill's Ex-factor twice on MTV. It's a great song, but I hate watching the video or listening to the song because it's just so depressing. I mean, it had that effect on me even before I got a girlfriend, and now the effect is much, much worse, because it's like she took your relationship and put it into a song. I'm babbling.

And I remember watching Sharon Cuneta's show and thinking, "No wonder she fell madly in love with Kiko. After hanging around all her life with guys like Gabby Concepcion, Richard Gomez, and Robin Padilla, meeting ANYONE with more than half a brain cell would be a breath of fresh air."

And I remember watching "The Buzz" and thinking, "Man, how sad would life be if we didn't have Kris Aquino around?" And I wish I was wrong.

And I remember watching "S-Files" and laughing out loud when I saw that the two people leading the actors' rallies are Richard Gomez and Jules Ledesma.

I should go get myself a life.

Paloys posted a lengthier argument after my previous post about guns. It's all fine and dandy, except for a few things.

First, the concept of man's inalienable right for self-preservation is Hobbesian, not Lockeian. And using the idea out of the context of Hobbes's theories to support arguments for individual civil liberties is, well, silly.

Second, the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution has been constantly under attack, owing to the fact that it no longer holds up in the context of society today, just like their electoral college, which allows for a candidate to lose despite getting more votes than his opponent.

Third, while guns are not "weapons of mass destruction" (Dubya's favorite phrase these past few months), they certainly can do as much damage. While guns can kill only a few people at a time, they promote a culture of violence, something that should certainly be a cause for as much alarm. Already, there are places in this country where barely teen-aged children carry guns, not just for protection but also for power and revenge.

Fourth, while physical objects can not "rearrange the interconnections in our brains neural networks", it doesn't mean that they don't have an effect on how we think and how we act. For example, if you're naked in a public place, you feel inhibitions inside you, even if the lack of clothes never affected the cells in your brains. Your friendly neighborhood politician's bodyguard would happily flash his gun, and people are intimidated. There's already a change in behavior.

Too many people assume that people carry guns for protection, and they are well within their rights to do so. But studies show that there is no evidence that there are more incidents of defensive use of guns than there are of crimes. Moreover, the number of murder and suicide incidents worldwide is directly related to the level of firearm ownership.

Meanwhile, these people scoff at the very idea of a gun-free society, calling it "draconian". But before that, think about the idea of pointing a gun at another person, pulling the trigger, and killing someone. When you've gotten past your Hollywood-desensitized defenses, you'd realize how utterly barbaric that idea is, and how unacceptable it should be to our sensibilities. And when you realize that, it's not hard to accept that carrying your own gun for protection is barbaric, too. Once you've got that in your mind, the whole idea of a gun-free society would be about as "draconian" as that of a drug-free, a prostitution-free, or a nuclear weapons-free society.

And yes, I realize that the whole idea is indeed politically impossible. But politics is just that, politics. The suggestion that what we need is better gun-control laws to prevent "bad elements" from getting their hands on guns, make sure responsible people own them, etc., etc., is something that would come out of the mouth of Jose de Venecia. It's just politics.

What we need is a change in culture. When Jay Llamas died, there was no outrage, and that, in itself IS an outrage. People treat it as perfectly natural that the person who shot him down had a gun. But it shouldn't be perfectly natural. It's something that I condemn. It is something that people should condemn, so that hopefully, one day, it becomes so unthinkable that nobody would even do it anymore. Today, it's still perfectly natural for somebody to own a handgun, and, God forbid, he becomes involved in a traffic incident, he could shoot someone else down. Things shouldn't have to be like that.

Like I said, we really need to have a change in culture, and fence-sitting in disguise of political moderation wouldn't help at all. We have a long way to go, especially since there are still so many people who couldn't imagine society without guns, and whose first reaction to the idea is, "That's stupid!"

Here are pictures of my girlfriend



Taray noh? Laban kayo diyan?!



She had a whole bunch of these pictures for their Linggo ng Wika, and this was the only one where she was smiling. Of course, with me being the moron and everything, I managed to damage the picture while carrying it in my bag.

I'm unusually cheery this morning, because I started the day listening to Shonen Knife's covers of three classic American songs ("Daydream Believer", "Raindrops Are Falling on My Head", "Top of the World"). Now they're stuck in my head, and I'm loving it. C'mon, sing it with me...

You once thought of me
as a white knight on a steed,
now you know how happy I can be.
Oh, and our good times start and end
without dollar one to spend,
but how much, baby, do we really need.

Cheer up, Sleepy Jean
oh, what can it mean
to a daydream believer
and a homecoming queen.

I just feel, uh, happy. It's almost like I'm in love or something. Oh well, enough of this, must get back to interacting with my best friend.

I won't be going to the event, and seeing this band live would probably be the only thing I'd regret missing.

... ngunit kung ikaw ang nasa isipan, antok 'di ko maramdaman
Sinusulat ko ang iyong pangalan kung saan-saan
Sa palad ko, at sa notebook kong walang laman...

I was surfing through some personal web sites when I encountered this entry at Paloys:

I think Mr. Conrado de Quiros was referring to himself when he entitled his opinion column today "Stupid." While I also grieve the death of Jay Llamas, Mr. de Quiros's arguments against gun ownership is fundamentally flawed.

He was referring to de Quiros' article today about the death of Llamas, a law graduate from the Ateneo who was just waiting for the results of the bar exams before he was gunned down last week. Again, de Quiros brought up the age-old issue about gun control in the country.

The fact is, I've always agreed with de Quiros on that point. Actually, I've had that opinion since I was a little kid, before I ever read de Quiros. I don't know why Paloys would find that stupid (he never bothered to put up his arguments), but I assume, like most people who oppose gun control, he probably echoes the sentiments of NRA President Charlton Heston, who said that there are no good or bad guns, only good or bad people.

But that's bullshit. Guns are not neutral objects. It gives people who own them a sense of power and pride, no matter how false, which affects the way they would react to situations.

And the argument that responsible people own guns only for protection is also bullshit. You only have to replace "people" and "guns" with "countries" and "nuclear weapons" to see the graveness of the whole matter. And while someone could argue that it doesn't follow and it's not that simple, well, it does follow and it is that simple. Because once you are allowed to own guns, or nuclear weapons, there's the implication that you're allowed to use it too. Just like the person who gunned down Jay Llamas.

That's why Frodo must destroy the ring.

The funniest thing I heard all week was from, officemate Paolo to the guy selling snacks in a cart outside the office: "Manong, X-deal na lang tayo, gawa ko kayong web site."

Does it make you a bad person if you post a comment saying "No, you don't" when someone posts in their web site that they have a good sense of humor?

What about when you post a comment saying "I agree" when someone says that "I suck"?

What about when you're reading stuff you're not supposed to be reading (not bastos) and you think to yourself, "Jesus H. Christ, I fell for that?"

What about when you're reading that same page and it makes you wanna sing, "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye"?

I don't want to say that is easy, but for crying out loud, even Joey Marquez found Kris Aquino harder than that.

You just know it's not serious when you're reaction to that weird personal news is "Ngeh! Ok lang, wala naman siyang kwentang kausap eh."

Is anybody else sad that Boyz II Men, the biggest pop artists of the 1990s, is performing here in February, in the long line of other, er, distinguished artists to perform here in February such as Air Supply, James Ingram, Angela Bofill, Jeffrey Osbourne, and the immortal David Pomeranz?

I love Matchbox Twenty and their new single "Disease", but does anybody else get the feeling that Rob Thomas just smoked some weed before going to the studio and just made up the lyrics as they went along?

For some weird reason, Vanessa Carlton scares me.

I know everybody loves them and all, but after a week in this office, I really could live without ever hearing "Your Body is a Wonderland" or "Passenger Seat" ever again.

He could be immensely powerful and influential, richer than shit, smart and articulate, and his wife may be hotter than hellfire, but never in a million years will you here little kids say, "When I grow up, I want to be like Jules Ledesma."

Is it cool or is it sad that I've had this web site when I first learned HTML and that I'm a professional web developer now?

Why don't we hold it against women that they're lying their asses off when they say "The first thing I look for in a guy is a sense of humor"?

I mean c'mon, you wouldn't choose Gary Shandling over Keanu Reeves, would you?

Or Long Mejia over Jericho Rosales?

Updated the front page. Amazing how I get to be all silly and serious, all at once. Do read it though.

Had a busy day at work with meetings, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. I now have a couple of projects, which is really fine, except that I also have to document them in pretty much the same way I document stuff back in school. It's meticulous, and there's simply no joy doing that.

You know how when you remember something funny and you end up smiling all day because of it? Well, I always remember funny things (I've led a funny life), and because of that, I usually walk around smiling like an idiot. Nobody really notices this, though, probably except Lynn. I don't know why she notices me smiling all the time. I wouldn't say she has the hots for me, but you know, she has the hots for me. Bwahahahahaha.

(Uy jok lang, baka gulpihin din ako ni Lynn.)

Anyway, I remembered something funny during our first meeting earlier, the line "Suntukan na lang tayo". It's been used in old movies, and even in Pugad Baboy, when a superior tells a subordinate to do something he doesn't want to do, and the subordinate decides, the hell with it, he wouldn't do it.

"Jaemark, gawan mo ng SRS yang document comparison module."

"Ah, putangina, suntukan na lang tayo."

I don't know why this gives me so much joy.

Can you help me I'm bent
I'm so scared that I'll never
Get put back together
Yeah, you're breaking me in
And this is how we will live
With you and me bent

I should be in bed, but I'm still working on BNext stuff. Just saw the "Bent" video on Channel V, and now it's stuck in my head. It's a good thing it's a good song.

Off to bed now.. I'm trying to keep myself from typing "Work tomorrow.. yay!" because I'd sound like a dork, but then, I am a dork. Work tomorrow.. yay!

Just finished watching the 2003 Annual PBA Draft, and I'm dazed. It was full of surprises, the biggest of which was Alaska trading Kenneth Duremdes (the best player in the league, IMHO) to Sta. Lucia in exchange for draft picks. Another surprise was UAAP MVP Rico Villanueva falling all the way down to no. 7 in the first round, when he was projected to be in the top three or four.

My favorite team, Purefoods, was picking sixth, and it drove me crazy when they picked Billy Mamaril instead of Villanueva. Shit, I would have wet myself if they had taken Villanueva. Imagine, Villanueva and Kerby Raymundo in the same frontcourt. We would have had the Patrimonio-Codiñera of the new millennium. Instead, we're stuck with the son of Mama Mamaril. Worse, evil Red Bull got Villanueva at no. 7.

An interesting sidelight of the draft was seeing Mike Bravo every time someone was chosen. See, they had a green room, and Bravo was seated right in front, so you could see his reaction every time someone else was chosen. It seemed that after every round, the frustration grew on his face, and by the fourth round, it seemed like he didn't want to show his face anymore.

He did end up getting picked in the fifth round by FedEx. I was expecting Purefoods to pick him up because of the UP connection, but they didn't, or if they planned to, FedEx beat them to him. It drives me crazy that Purefoods picked UP Maroon cast-out Jenkins Mesina instead of Bravo. I mean, say what you want about him, but for most of my college days, Bravo was THE King Maroon, and he's a lot better than a lot of other Maroons that Purefoods has drafted before (out of pity), like Edrick Ferrer, Dexter Racho, etc.

I really think it's insane not getting Villanueva and Bravo. I hope it turns out well enough for Purefoods, because if not, I'm gonna go to Eric Altamirano's house and he-bitch man-slap some sense into his mug.

I was surfing through channels when I caught SOP, and their show had an 80s theme. Anyway, they were dancing to music from the 80s, and I realized this was the music I listened to growing up. Hehe, no wonder my generation is so screwed up

Only you can set me free
'Cause I'm guilty (Guilty)
Guilty as a girl can be
Come on baby can't you see
I stand accused
Of love in the first degree


Speaking of the 80s, I couldn't help but marvel at the long-lasting influence of Kuya Germs. While I never really watched "That's Entertainment" (I was too young, "Ang TV" na ang naabutan ko), I did remember him using the word "televiewers" which is sooo not a word. And now, with a "That's Entertainment" alum becoming the most popular MTV VJ in Asia and using the word every time on her request show, you've got Thai and Malaysian kids using the term "televiewers" in their request. Amazing.

I've been working for a week now, and sometimes, I catch myself doing something, and then take a moment to think about it, and then I'd end up asking myself, "What the hell am I doing?"

It's not really something new with me, it's happened from time to time, but it's something that has been happening quite often now that I'm "working". For example, this week, I met with some clients, did some designs, edited some stuff on promotional materials, wrote a couple of small scripts, and was assigned to work alone on the programming side of a REALLY big project. In addition to that, I wrote a couple of articles for BNext about politics. When I think about it, I can't help but ask, "What the hell am I doing?" because I don't have any business doing all that.

Labo ba? I guess I just couldn't help shake off the feeling that I'm in over my head. In other words, I feel that everything is out of my league. Sabay banat ng, "It's her hair and her eyes today, that just simply take me away..."

What is your favorite line from a song?

"Sagutin mo lang ako aking sinta'y walang humpay na ligaya..."

My favorite thing about this line is that when you read it, it is baduy, but when the Eraserheads are singing it, it's not. Add to that the fact that "Ligaya" was the first Eraserheads hit, so you could point at the song and argue (successfully) that the song changed the Pinoy music landscape in the 90s. The ironic thing is, because the Eraserheads had so many great songs, people actually tend to forget about this one. I mean, the last time I saw the original Eraserheads play live, they didn't even play this song!

What is your "I can't believe you haven't done that" thing?

I haven't been to Enchanted Kingdom. It's probably fate's decision to balance it up, because when I was a kid, we lived a few blocks away from Star City (and Boom na Boom), so every Christmas season, I got to go to the carnival quite often, sometimes even half a dozen times.

The funny thing is, it does seem like fate prevents my going to EK. A couple of years back, my ex and I attended a Peyups.com EB, the first really big one, and she won tickets for two to Enchanted Kingdom. We made plans to go, but the very next week, we had a big fight (which is documented in Peyups and which you could find if you looked hard enough), so we ended up not going. We made up later, but we never did get to go to EK.

If by some freak accident of nature, your prayers came true and you had a date tomorrow, what would you be having for dessert?

Coffe crumble ice cream.

What have you got on tap for the weekend?

Tomorrow, I'm going to work, which is really fine by me, because I enjoy going to the office even if it means missing my only chance to see Eat Bulaga this week. And on Sunday, I'll be watching the 2003 PBA Annual Draft while switching channels from time to time to watch "The Buzz". I lead an exciting bachelor's life.

Does your BizDev manager really look like Wency Cornejo?

First, it turns out he's not really our BizDev manager, or at least he's not anymore. In the latest office memo, it says there that he's our Chief Operating Officer.

Second, I never said he looks like Wency Cornejo; I said he reminds me of Wency Cornejo.

Third, if I keep talking about him on this web site, I might find myself jobless once more, which would be a real shame because I'm really enjoying myself at it.

Why don't you reply to my IM/email/text message?

Because I'm a fucking rock star.

Well, at the office, I've got problems connecting with my Yahoo! Messenger because of the office firewall. I don't receive all my messages, which is why I don't reply. The firewall also affects connection in my other IM clients, so there's a lag between messages.

I will reply to your email. I'm just thinking of a funny thing to say. May naisip ako, kaya lang bastos eh.

Oh, and right now, I couldn't reply to any text message because I don't have any more pre-paid credits. And sometimes people send me messages without telling me who they are, and I don't reply to those messages. I mean, c'mon, at least have the courtesy.

Would you admit that you're full of yourself?

Oh definitely. Everyone on the Internet is.

Just how full of yourself are you?

Not yet enough to open my own LiveJournal account.

Of the people you know online, who's your favorite writer?

Mika Sarmiento.

Are you photogenic?

No. But at least I'm more good-looking that who's telegenic (sa telepono lang gwapo).

If you were a trying-hard little fuck, how would your posts look like?

Geez. What's wrong with me? Dang! Why do I suck so much? Grr.. I can't believe I'm this terrible. Oh no. What will happen to me now? Shucks, my posts don't make any sense. Bummer.

Cruel. How do you sleep at night?

I know. I'm a bad, bad person.

Ok, now everyone reading doesn't have any idea what we're talking about.

Actually, I don't either.

What is your favorite band name?

I always thought "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" is cool. Oh, and "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones".

If you were in a band, what would the name of your band be?

Depends on the type of music we play. If our music is light and fun, I'd go for "The Pop-up Windows", because I hate pop-up windows, and then if we get big people could say, "I hate Pop-up Windows." And if our music is more serious, I'd go for "Tajomaru's Confession" so if we get big people would read Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

Officemate Jhermie after taking a look at my pictures here on this web site: "Bakit dito ang guwapo mo?"

We had an office meeting yesterday and our BizDev Manager, the guy who interviewed me to the post, told everyone about Pancit Canton. So now, my officemates know about Pancit Canton.

By the way, our BizDev manager is a really cool guy, but for some reason, he reminds me of Wency Cornejo. Whenever I talk to him, I half-expect him to break out into a song. "Sa langit ang ating tagpuan..."

Hihiritan na naman ako ni Karl. Hehe, I still think he's bitter about the old days. See, before Peyups.com was a haven for mushy love stories and, er, mushy love stories, it was a site that was supposed to be updated once a week. For some reason, Karl would just update it every month. So I'd start posting stuff here like:

And Karl de Leon said
Nothing, you idiots, Karl de Leon's dead
He's locked in my basement
(That's why Peyups is never updated anymore)

Why would I do that when the guy hosts me for free? Because I'm an ass.

Kaya ayan, lagi niya na akong hinihiritan

Ha. Magkaka-girlfriend din ako. Balang araw.

Only an hour ago, black smoke was coming from a building somewhere in the Cubao/Anonas area, in our full view. The fire has stopped now, and instead the bright lights of the city by night adorn our view, Quezon City on the left and the Marikina Valley on the right. One could see the surrounding area of the Eastwood City Cyberpark down below, and it looks just like a carnival. I'm going home now.

Last night was weird. Mika and Lynn both sent me text messages last night to tell me that they too were watching "Kool Ka Lang" and that it was very funny. Lynn even called me up to say so, while Mika added that while Long was indeed very funny, "Ang guwapo-guwapo ni Raymart." Naisip ko, kung sinabi ko, "Oo nga, ang gwapo nga niya, kahawig niya si Marky Mark" baka masira yung image ko, tapos naisip ko rin, wala nga pala akong image.

Anyway, I came in to work at 9:30 today. Fortunately, we have flexible working schedules, so anyone could come in before 10 as long as they log 8 hours. I was on my way out at 8:30, when I turned on the TV and saw that "Celebrity Deathmatch" was playing. I wouldn't normally be hooked, but the card was a blockbuster. First up was Conan O'brien against Bill Maher (of course Conan won), then Anna Nicole Smith vs. Fergie, and then the Beatles in a fatal four-way.

So I ended up watching the match. Thankfully it only takes about twenty minutes to commute from home to work. I love the fact that I could wake up at 8 and make it to the office by 9 (provided I don't get hooked on a TV screen).

But hey, I'm no slacker. In fact, I've got my first real assignment today, and I spent a good part of last night working on it, so I now have a headstart (which is why I'm taking my sweet time posting this right now). I like my work here. Who knows, I might end up being one of those guys who are married to their jobs. Kahit hiritan ako ni Karl na, "Kaya hindi ka nagkaka-girlfriend eh."

Girlfriend, girlfriend, kalokohan!

After dinner tonight, I was about to settle in my room when I decided to see what my baby sister Icay was doing in their bedroom. She was playing silently in a corner, with her plastic toy pots and her clay. I asked her, "Kikay, anong ginagawa mo?" and she answered, "Wala lang." I lied on the bed beside her, and started telling her about my day, and about my work, silly things like what I do, how my officemates were, how cold the aircon was in the office that I had to wear a jacket the whole day. She wasn't really reacting, but she was listening to what I say, and she even asked me a question when she didn't understand something.

Anyway, I told her that since I was already working, I might as well get married. It was a sensitive topic to her. About a couple of years ago, she told my mom that she never wanted me to get married. See, she loved being the "bunso" in the house, and she'd throw a fit at anyone who would suggest otherwise. She figured that if I got married, I'd then bring home a baby, so she would no longer be the "bunso".

So I asked her if it would be alright for her if I got married now. This time, she didn't say no, she just smiled, and said "Hindi ko alam." She never really says no anymore nowadays, she just says, "Hindi ko alam" and then smiles. Mga babae talaga. Kahit anong edad malabo na.

I pushed it a little more, telling her that if I got married, I'd bring home a baby, and if my wife and I went to the office, I'd leave the baby with our mom. She smiled, much, much sweeter this time, and said, "Hindi ko talaga alam." So I told her, "O sige, hindi na muna ako mag-aasawa habang hindi mo pa alam." Again she just gave me a smile, and this time she nodded, as if to tell me that I finally got the right answer.

I actually had a lot of work to do, so much so that I didn't even get to talk to people I'd have liked to talk to online. I've actually got a full plate right now. Still, I feel great about this job. I feel useful, important, and needed. The only break I actually took was for lunch.

Off to go home now... I'm starving. Mahal kase ng pagkain dito eh

I'm posting this from work. I'm not doing anything because everyone else is too busy to play with me. Actually, my first task is to make myself at home with this computer I'm using by installing software I'm going to use in this workstation. I'm done now, and the set of applications I've got here are pretty much the same as those I use at home (Mozilla, OpenOffice.org, Apache, MySQL, and PHP), with the exception of Dreamweaver. Good times.

I'm all done now, so I'm stuck browsing the Internet. The connection here is REALLY fast, probably tops 1Mbps easy. I just saw the new layout of Pancit Canton in IE for the first time, and realized it looks crap. IE has this thing where table elements inherit CSS attributes of tags before it. I would't call it a bug, but other browsers (Mozilla, Konqueror, Opera) don't behave that way. Ack. IE sucks.

Heh. I knew they were going to pay me for maintaining web sites. I didn't know it was gonna be this web site.

After watching VST and Co. perform on Eat Bulaga earlier this afternoon, their songs are still stuck in my head. They were very popular before I was born, and the only people I know in the band are Vic Sotto, Val Sotto, and Spanky Rigor (from T.O.D.A.S.). It was actually funny seeing Spanky with a full head of hair, because I remember that he was already almost bald when I last saw him on TV.

I'm not really complaining about their songs playing in my head, because they really are great pop songs. In our PE class back in our senior year in high school, we had ballroom dancing lessons, and of course, their music was indispensable for the swing. Those same songs have made it to the repertoire of just about every showband in Manila today and you can't go to a show without hearing one. Even the alternative band Sugarfree, when performing live, starts their signature song "Telepono" with a couple of lines from "Ipagpatawad Mo".

Oh, and I remember during our trip to Ilocos back in college, there were a couple of guys who brought a radio with them, and the only tape they had was a VST and Co. greatest hits tape. By the end of the trip, everyone was singing "Ikaw ang Aking Mahal".

Itanong mo sa akin, kung sino'ng aking mahal
Itanong mo sa akin, sagot ko'y di magtatagal
Ikaw ang aking mahal, ang pag-ibig mo'y aking kailangan
Pag-ibig na walang hangganan, ang aking tunay na nararamdaman...

And now I just realized, it'll be almost three years since that trip. Which means it'll soon be three years since other things. Wow.

I actually went out of the house today for the first time in a long time to get the requirements I needed for work. Getting the SS number and the police clearance were easy enough, and then things took a turn for the worse when I went to get an NBI clearance from the bureau's satellite office at the Quezon City Hall compound.

It was approaching noon then, and the lines were kilometric. Fortunately (for me, at least), the guy ahead of me was funny. Whenever someone asked what he was lining up for he'd reply, "Lastikman. Dun sa kabila Dekada." Which made me think, if someone asked me that, I'd probably answer, "Comm 2 - B kay Garcia."

Anyway, the reason why I hadn't gone out at all was the fact that I didn't really have much cash on me, and this became painfully obvious an hour and a half into the line. I prepared the money to pay for the NBI clearance (P115), and I discovered that I only had P105 in my pocket! I had an ATM card with me, one I shared with my brother, but getting more cash meant that I had to line up all over again, probably for about an hour and a half, too.

So what did I do? I worked up the guts to tell this lady (who was about a little older than my mom) ahead of me of my situation, and offered to give her my ID so I could pay her back or whatever. She kidded me a little, "Dapat may interes yan ha." I smiled, and if I was looking pathetic and desperate then, it wasn't acting. It's not at all unlike what happens when I talk to my crush. She gave me twenty pesos, giving me a total of P125.

I was able to pay for my NBI clearance, and it left me with ten pesos. Then, when they took my finger print, the guy at the counter opened up a tissue for me (without me asking for it!), so I ended up having to pay five pesos, leaving me with only five pesos in my pocket. I figured I could still go home because I could get money from the ATM.

I was told to come back to claim my clearance at 3:30, so I still had about an hour to spare. I decided to get some money from the account, but then I discovered it had no money AT ALL! They probably used up all the money for Christmas shopping, and if there were any left after December, the bank probably took it away. Add to that the fact that last night, I used up all my cellphone credits (after two months), so I couldn't contact anybody with my phone. All my parachutes had holes in it.

All I had in my pocket to get home were five pesos and an MRT card. I had two options: I could take a jeep or a bus to Cubao and walk home from there, or I could walk to the nearest MRT station from the Quezon City Hall , take the MRT to Cubao, and then take a jeep home from there. I was sitting in a corner, and then a weird thing happened. I saw a relative.

She was my grand-aunt, a sister of my grandmother and my mom's aunt. I called her, paid my respects, and asked what she was doing there. She told me she had sent out her annual Christmas cards, and I couldn't help but laugh in my mind because a) it's already January; and b) those cards feature pictures of her, alone, in full splendor a la Imelda.

And then another weird thing happened. Even though I needed the money, I couldn't get myself to ask her. I don't know why, especially since just an hour earlier, I had begged a total stranger for money. But I don't know, I couldn't ask her. I figured I could walk, even though by that time I was already exhausted.

I finally got my NBI clearance. I laughed, because even though it said that I had no criminal record, dun sa picture mukha akong kriminal. Then I walked from the city hall to the MRT station, which was about a couple of kilometers. Soon I was home.

Now I'm dead tired, and I still couldn't believe I begged a stranger for money. And not only that, I'm broke. People always whine, wala akong pera; ako, wala talagang pera--piso lang yung natira sa bulsa, binigay ko pa kay Icay pag-uwi ko. I'm flat out broke. Hell, if Aubrey Miles called me up tonight and asked me to watch Lastikman with her tomorrow, I'd have to say no (and then kick myself). Forget about paying for the movie. I wouldn't even get to the theater.

But I'm not pissed off. I'm not pissed off at all, even at that jerk who opened up a tissue so I had to pay five pesos. I don't think you have the right to get pissed off at a world where there are still people who give strangers twenty bucks just because.

I was terribly bored yesterday, and I ended up writing a poll script from scratch. I've been thinking about doing that for the longest time, but being the lazy bastard that I am, I kept putting it off. Anyway, I created it, and was even amused that I was able to re-use some of the code for other parts of the site, like for the comments. Seriously, these things give me an inordinate amount of happiness. I don't think it's healthy. Mapipilitan ako humanap ng girlfriend nito eh

I still had to think of a poll, and this Powerpuff Girls question was one I had suggested before for Peyups.com. Karl removed the John O option, though. Ewan, takot 'ata siya kase nagpe-peyups si John O eh. Nanghahada.

Anyway, please do vote. Look at that picture. John O needs our love.

Oh, and I also updated the page about me, because, as the saying goes, "If it has been a year since you last updated the page about you in your web site, you really should update it."

Oh, and one thing I forgot to add to the previous post about Mozilla. Its graphics engine library, librp0n.so, was written by people who wanted to have good-quality porn displayed on their browser. Since it's hard to distinguish which images are porn and which aren't, they decided to just create a library that displays all images well. Who says pervs couldn't write great software?

Mozilla is a great browser, and you really should take the time to download it. Among many other things that you couldn't find in IE, it has pop-up blocking and it is not vulnerable to the viruses that you could catch when using IE/Outlook. Plus, you have to try out tabbed browsing. I swear, it will change the way you surf the Internet. Like me, you'd probably end up looking back and laughing at all the stupid people still using IE. Just try it.

But aside from all that, the January 2003 issue of Playboy magazine (print edition) has an item about Mozilla, calling it the browser of choice for the Playboy lifestyle. Then there exists a project called PornZilla, which exists to make contributions to the Mozilla project to make it friendly for browsing, what else, porn.

Media Noche was fun enough. My baby sister Icay picked out the music we were playing, and so our playlist consisted of Asereje and Britney Spears songs, which were her favorites. Note that she loved the "Sometimes I run, sometimes I hide" Britney, not the "I'm still a virgin but I run around half-naked with all these guys" Britney. I liked the earlier version better too. It left a lot more to the imagination.

I wasn't really into the fireworks stuff. Started when I was a kid, about 7 or 8, my cousins and I were holding up these Roman Candles, and mine backfired, hitting my squarely on the chest. Fortunately, I didn't get any scar. I mean, scars on the chest can be cool, if you have a cool physique. Doesn't work on flabs

Anyway, I was in a "I hope the whole fireworks stuff would end quickly so we could eat spaghetti and I could sleep" mode the whole time. I got my wish too. I was shoving a spoonful of spaghetti into my mouth when the clock struck 12. Which means, I'll be having spaghetti the whole year. Looks like it too, because we've got enough spaghetti sauce frozen in the freezed to last us the whole year. Good times.

Oh, and I have to talk about this: it annoys me to no end that Rico Yan was named by ABS-CBN as its person of the year. Why?! Because he died? Because he made the network tons of money by starring in a crappy movie with an English title that spawned a number of copycats using the same formula? Because he made the network's recording arm more money by singing the title theme to the same movie, at the same time bringing that mushy song back on the radio and torturing us? Because he made even more money for the network by dying (and in mysterious terms)? Because he inspired bad haircuts in the UAAP for guys like Joseph Yeo, James Yap, and basically the rest of the male wannabe population in the Philippines?

They say that he inspired people and that he touched people's lives. As the master of the web of Female Network would say, "Oh phooey!"

No, he didn't touch my life. He didn't inspire me. He won't have any lasting, profound effect. We made bad, bad jokes about him. "P're, nakailang beer ka na? Dalawa? O, 'wag kang kakanta sa videoke ng 'Got to Believe' ha, baka bangungutin ka rin."

I'm going to bed now, because I'm really sleepy (even though it's less than an hour into the new year). Way past my bedtime Muli, sa inyong lahat, Happy na, New Year pa!