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Slowdown on the Highway
December 28, 2009
Speed not only kills, but it also bills. Approximately one thousand and three hundred pesos when you are caught over speeding on the North Diversion Road (NLEX). It’s definitely not worth the momentary rush that the speed can bring during the journey. Moreover, a whole day wasted claiming your license at the LTO central office amplifies the damage.
I don’t care whether funds collected from traffic violation tickets are really appropriated for the improvement of our roads. My concern is the consistency of the officers conducting these arrests. I have been regularly driving over the 100Kph limit for a couple of years now, and last December 7, 2009 was the first time I was flagged due to over speeding. Why now? (Beats me.)
Several other vehicles were obviously guilty of over speeding due to the fact that they overtook me. Why flag only me? (This is just plain crazy.)
On the positive side, I increased my lifespan by being conscious of the 100Kph limit whenever I take the NLEX, thus lessening the probability of getting an accident caused by over speeding.
Power overwhelming
Type: Direct Injection, 4-Cylinder In-Line, DOHC 16 Valve, Variable Nozzle Turbo with Intercooler
Displacement: 3000 cc
Maximum Output: 163HP @ 3,400 RPM
Transmission: Gate-Type, 4-Speed Automatic
How to replace old/torn/withered engine water guard.
November 21, 20091. Remove old water guard: make sure you gently remove the plastic tacks gently to avoid destroying them.
2. Place the old guard flat out on a flat surface against any suitable canvas. In my case, I used an old tarpaulin canvas.
3. Using a marker, trace the edges of the water guard and begin chipping off using a sharp scissor, making an exact trace.
4. Use a cutter to gently slit the canvas as provision for the plastic tacks. Place your canvas and begin tacking.
5. You are done!
Excuse my French
November 1, 2009As soon as I was near enough to read the “French Baker” sign on the French Baker store located at Cherry Foodarama (Congressional area), there were already ample people sitting in line for the half-price promo. I looked at my phone to confirm the time, but to my surprise there was still roughly 40 minutes before the battle for half-priced bread begins. Probably because it’s All Saint’s day tomorrow, hence, twice the usual number of people waiting in an invisible line, which is common to us Pinoys. A quick scan told me that I should ask the forty something lady sitting near the entrance to confirm my place in the invisible line.
Me: May pila na po ba?
40+ lady: Oo meron na.
Me: Sino po yung nasa huli ?
40+ lady: Yung naka blue (simultaneously lifting her finger, pointing
at a fifty something lady )
Me: Ah okay, salamat po.
A quick nod and eye contact with the 50+ lady clad in blue blouse affirmed to the crowd that I was next to her in the invisible line. Patience is not one of my virtues, so I decided to do my groceries first after affirming my place in the invisible line. I returned half an hour later, just before the French Baker employees started clearing the tables and chairs for the upcoming battle for half priced bread.
And at exactly 8:30PM the line magically formed into existence. The call of bread beckons the multitude gathering people from all sorts, I thought to myself. To my surprise, I landed 10th in the line – which was more than I expected. Standing less than 15 feet away from the merchandise, I started locking my targets, one by one making a mental note of what I would purchase the minute I got in. A whole wheat baguette for my diabetic dad; chocochip muffin, blueberry stuessels, butter croissant, and etc. for me and my mom.
To avoid commotion, this particular branch employs a different system: only five customers are allowed inside the store at any given time. As soon as one customer leaves the cashier, that would be the only time the succeeding customer will be able to enter the store to buy their merchandise. To our dismay, one of the first five customers ransacked the whole store laying her fatty fingers all over the merchandise. All that was left to us were regular loaves of bread, not even a single muffin was spared by this big bag behemoth of fatty lipids. From the sixth person to the last person in the line, pairs of crossed eyebrows formed a constrictor ready to squeeze the fat out of this gluttonous lady.
Probably she had her reasons or it is just plain greed, deriving happiness on the thought of other customer’s spite. It is the same case if Warren Buffet decided to spend all his fortune to buy all the food he can acquire, leaving third-world countries into starvation. Whatever the case, I personally don’t mind, I have plenty of food at home and my Tang (my dad), even at 57, still bothers to bring me delectable food every other day. The fact that greed is manifested even at this small scale is truly alarming. They should start quarantining our politicians before this greedy epidemic consumes all of us. Seriously, just because you have the means to do something, it doesn’t mean you have the right to pull off it off. This is something to think about during this long weekend.
Now it’s 4:30Am, I should pack up my stuff and prepare for a long drive going to Pampanga. I’m excited to test my new improvised horn which I installed the other day. To to tot! Wang wang wang! Astig! Hehehehe 
Test write
October 17, 2009October 15, 2009
“Test write… test 1, 2, 3 and 4.”
Wielding my pen with nothing but this phrase almost filled up a legal size paper before this first line came out of my almost vapid mind. I thought I could ease my way to sleep tonight after a day of non-stop, jam-packed activity. The last thing I need is to have an unknown automobile problem, which apparently what I am having now. While I lie safe in my bed, my pick-up truck is kilometers away - out in the cold third floor parking area of St. Luke’s Hospital. The neighbor’s wailing pup seems to identify with me under this starless night sky: sending 128-bit encrypted aw aw’s to dog heaven. I know that there is something more to this do-it-yourself restless euphoria, that makes me want to leave the house and try all the car troubleshooting tips from the videos I watched earlier…
***STOP: 0X00000008E(0XC0000090, 0X004B4BD8, 0XEE25885C, 0X00000000)
Beginning dump of physical memory.
Free writng mode engaged.
Kuliti prolonged five days of amox meets the self serving master debating computer box of submerged cars post ondoy cleanup over the back hoe computer shop business with magic jack thinkable rent is meant for arthro calling me “abay” that annoys me in everyway medium size peeping at the neighbor’s wife code alarm needs to disengaged but when I call the number its out of service tomorrow answer the call of the wild cats forbidden sleeping atop my bench press body staying the same after petty efforts why don’t you going to the gym 110V buffing machine india resting on 3 year old newspaper reachable by ladder that used to be a coconut tree planted in POEA shooting fruits by the branches charged CO2
Physical memory dump complete….
That was my pitiful stab at free writing, my unfiltered and unbiased writing without regards to grammar and spelling, letting raw ideas flow carelessly, no pads and no helmet, just balls. Despite my poor handwriting, barely readable even for me, I decided to save my brain from getting frostbite attacks. The kind that leaves your brain frozen, sucking you dry of curiosity and enthusiasm, so relaxed that nothing seems new, so bad it feels you had everything figured out. A stagnant brain tantamounts to death itself.
I miss my old self, I miss being me.
Not so long ago I had the maturity of a 13 year old. The result: playtime anytime, wherever whenever. I did things without forethought and afterthought and looked at the world behind these brown eyes with little notice of other’s perspective, likewise people’s feelings too. Introspection was a regular activity; everything had always something to do with me. I would have given Wishbone a run for his money when it comes to chronic daydreaming, looking back, I was just afraid to face the agonizing reality. Ego, here we go again. I had hurt a lot of people during those times: many left but a few stuck around. On the upside, because I was self-absorbed, my confidence level was as high as Mt. Everest. I had greater command of my emotions, turning them on and off was as easy as flicking a light switch. I had many friends, but no real friends that I ever stood for. Why people would wait for one another, forming groups just to eat or have drinks together, was a big puzzle for me. ”Indian” I was fondly called for the price of convinience. I had ‘originality’ or my own version of anything. Looking back, ‘uniqueness’ was the right term, because originality transcends having an opinion or interpretation about everything. Hmmmm… I think I’m regaining my word power at the cost of being so full of myself again. J
Like the pre-industrial man would strike stones to desperately light a fire, my left and right brain share the same fate as these stones, with the risk of losing my sanity by going overboard. Because the threat of a frozen brain is a big liability, especially in this time of information revolution, I decided to brave the risk just to produce a tiny spark. Hoping with enough sparks, I can churn out fire.
Too much love will kill you. Too much time on the internet will fuck you up.
Comparable to the fire that Prometheus stole from the Greek deities, the internet played a significant role in human development. And just like fire, in its unharnessed state, the internet can also be destructive. However, since its benefits far outweigh its cons, we barely notice the side effects of too much dependence on the internet. Take for example when doing research for a school project or activity. 8 out of 10 individuals would surely use a search engine like Google, rather than sliding through decked shelves in the library looking for relevant materials. First of all, sources over the internet does not guarantee a better research output over the ones conducted in the library, not unless it was a comprehensive online library based on the actual library itself. Second, books are still books, maps are still the giant rolls of glossy paper stacked in the corner, they have a certain feel that no amount of existing technology can compete with. And yes, not even Apple’s Kindle. Third, you can sleep soundly at the library after a tiring research. Lastly, the remaining two individuals would rather play Dota like me.
To be continued…
Us
July 20, 2009For a small family, we sure know how to hit the high decibel mark. The noise we produce at a typical family dinner is equal to ten individuals having a conversation at a restobar. I noticed this while I was walking along Metrowalk in Ortigas. It reminded me of the time when sister returned home for a three-week vacation here in the Philippines last April. After her three year stay at the U.S. of A (pronounced: at di yuuues ov eia), she hasn’t changed that much except for a little weight gain. After an hour of waiting in the upper bird cage waiting area, I saw this ponytailed girl sporting our signature family walk in the CCTV camera. There she was, just like the last time I saw her – my beloved sister in the flesh after three years.
It’s never quite enough and no less than tough - seeing us together again in one roof, and not think about the old days when a gathering around the dinner table was a weekly event. Dad didn’t even have to call me twice to set up the diner table. We were together again, at last. Thinking about it made me more convinced that there is nothing better than being a part of a happy family.
Our house was once again our home, and our home has never felt this warm in years. The lights were just right and the bed a little softer. The food was a lot better; dad didn’t have to tell me thrice to wash the dishes. I didn’t have to call the neighbor’s cats to eat our leftovers. We wore a sunshine smile each day, the four of us. We knew that part of our happiness was attributed to her success despite the ill economy in the US.
Although the blazing sun of the Holy Week is at full blast, the weather has never been better. Cruising to-and-fro Quezon City and Pampanga was smoother, especially when I’m listening to my favorite tunes using my sister’s ipod – which will be staying with me permanently. Nyahahahaha!
I am also thankful to my brother-in-law, Kevin, for giving this Mac computer which I’m using right now. The function keys and other keys are a little confusing but I’m getting the hang of it. Please don’t hesitate to give me another Mac when the new model comes out next year. I promise to take very good care of it and have it occupy the best spot in my room.