Shet. Shetttttt!!!! :(

The Killers Asia Tour Cancelled.

tumblr-ing

Chris Cornell says...

that he is bigger than what you take him for.


I am the Highway
Audioslave


Pearls and swine bereft of me 
Long and weary my road has been 
I was lost in the cities 
Alone in the hills 
No sorrow or pity for leaving I feel 

I am not your rolling wheels 
I am the highway 
I am not your carpet ride 
I am the sky 

Friends and liars don’t wait for me 
I’ll get on all by myself 
I put millions of miles 
Under my heels 
And still too close to you 
I feel 

I am not your rolling wheels 
I am the highway 
I am not your carpet ride 
I am the sky 
I am not your blowing wind 
I am the lightning 
I am not your autumn moon 
I am the night 
The night 

I am not your rolling wheels 
I am the highway 
I am not your carpet ride 
I am the sky 
I am not your blowing wind 
I am the lightning 
I am not your autumn moon 
I am the night 
The night 

2009

Because it's one of those nights when I come home and, instead of crashing into bed, I just couldn't sleep. If anyone wanted to play Frisbee with me, I would have accepted the challenge! Right now, at 3:30 a.m..

What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Have a major breakdown in front of pedicab drivers!

Travel outside of Asia

Travel alone (which includes taking a long flight home, taking the bus and the train from one city to another late at night)

Loaded unleaded gas on a diesel car – of course the car broke down haha

Lived on Gatorade for two full days without solid intake

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

No. I don’t make resolutions.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes.

Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.

What countries did you visit?
U.S., HK, Singapore. All work-related. Dad planned on Thailand but mom’s health didn’t make it possible.

What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
What did I lack in 2009? Hmmmmm... I don’t know. I mean, my life is not perfect but it’s also not that bad. I enjoy whatever I have. I wasn’t short on money or love or anything so I don’t know what I lacked in the previous year which I’d like to have in 2010.

This question made me think and I realized it’s similar to an observation I had during one of those highschool retreats when everyone opened up and shared their problems with the class.  While the rest had huge issues (broken families, drunk daddies, second families, sibling rivalry, etc), I didn’t have anything of that magnitude to share during my turn.

Perhaps I’d just like to have more strength, patience, fortitude, resilience and perseverance – not for lack thereof. I just want to have more.

What sporting events did you go to?
Just UAAP.

What concerts did you go to?
Eraserheads. 2009 was more of an R&B concert year, which of course didn’t interest me. Was supposed to see NIN but...

Who was your Valentine in 2009?
Valentines? I will file a motion to remove it from the calendar.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Had an AH1N1 scare but that was just paranoia on my end. Turned out to be a unique case of stomach flu.

What was your best month?
A toss-up between March and October. I always like March.

Where did most of your money go?
Random stuff not relevant to the future.

Did you fall in love in 2009?
Errrr... Did I? :)

How many one-night stands?
None.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Formula 1. It’s a good diversion and I like following it a lot.  2009 was a pretty interesting season with Lewis Hamilton’s liegate scandal, then Renault’s crashgate, Ferrari’s threat to leave the sport, Massa’s accident, Schumi’s return, Kimi’s sabbatical, Toyota and BMW’s departure, Brawn’s Victory, and Abu Dhabi.

Ateneo’s 2^nd consecutive UAAP Men’s Basketball Victory

First trip to the U.S.

There were times when I got excited about life in general, for no specific reason. Like the opposite of random depression when I couldn’t point out why but I just know I’m sad. I can get really, really, really excited about simple things like going on road trips, seeing my cousins/friends, etc.

What songs will always remind you of 2009?

I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas

Use Somebody / Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon

Time to Pretend by MGMT

And the annoying Nobody Nobody but You.

What were the best...

* books you read?
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. Really good murder mystery series.  I’ve yet to acquire a copy of the third and final book.

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Pahlaniuk. Psycho-thriller with an interesting twist. Exactly what you’d expect from the author of Fight Club.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. A really funny and witty portrayal of Angels and Devils, the Good and Bad. Love it!

* movies you saw? 
Avatar

500 Days of Summer

The Hangover

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (a lot of people didn’t like this but the action alone made me love it!)

Monsters vs. Aliens (LOVE Seth Rogen!)
Xmen Origins: Wolverine

Watchmen

Star Trek (one of the best!)

* CDs you listened to?
Day & Age, The Killers
Only by the Night, Kings of Leon

Intimacy, Bloc Party

Perfect Symmetry, Keane

Endings of a New Kind, Taken by Cars (only local artist in my 2009 playlist!)

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sports. Who am I kidding? Haha

What do you wish you'd done less of?
I don’t know... seriously. I might have wasted my time on Vampire Wars.

How did you spend Christmas?
With the family as per tradition. It’s one of the funnest Christmases ever.

What was your favorite TV program?
Didn’t get to watch as much TV as I would’ve wanted but in terms of series, I liked True Blood, Entourage (always), Gossip Girl (of course) & Grey’s Anatomy.

Glee was perhaps the big reveal in 2009 but I’m not as into it as the others. It bores me sometimes.

Compared to this time last year, are you:

* happier or sadder?
Happier.

* thinner or fatter?
uhmmmm.... (falls asleep)

* richer or poorer?
Richer?

What was your favorite summer memory of 2009?
Spending a weekend in Tagaytay with the family. That was a lot of fun; Driving to Batangas and Tagaytay with friends. I love road trips especially when I’m behind the wheel; and Boracay for the office outing (it wasn’t as fun as the previous ones but fun nonetheless. I always get a natural high when I’m on the beach).

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
What did I do... I don’t remember the specifics. Too bad I don’t blog about my birthday! Definitely dinner with the fam, drinks with friends... But I don’t remember right now where.

What was your greatest musical discovery?
None. The artists I listened to in 2009 aren’t new.  Does rediscovering Michael Jackson count?

Which celebrity/public figures did you fancy the most in 2009?
Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg; James Franco & Ed Westwick; Locally, there’s Derek Ramsay (!)

Who was the best new person you met?
Best new person... Nobody stands out. Although I wish somebody did.

Where were you when 2009 began and who were you with?
Family then friends.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I had seen the F1 race in Belgium from the grandstands. I like that track a lot. Would've been nice to have seen a race while Raikkonen was still in F1. If I'm going to invest in a race ticket, it would have to be in a guaranteed exciting track like Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, Interlagos in Brazil, Suzuka in Japan, Monza in Italy (pure Ferrari passion), Silverstone in Britain, and of course Monaco (as if we can afford it. We're going to look like peasants there!). In Asia, China, Malaysia are okay.

Herman Tilke designed tracks have not produced anything exciting over the past couple of years. Singapore's only claim is that racing is done at night but there's no action because the track does not inspire overtaking. Same with other Tilke tracks like Valencia (procession), and Abu Dhabi (spectacular backdrop, dullest race ever). So if you just wanna be there to hear burning rubber and look at the cars, Singapore should be fine. If you want racing action, it's not the most ideal track to visit.

What kept you sane?
Friends. Beer. Music. Twitter, Facebook and Blogger.

What political issue stirred you the most?
Ampatuan Massacre

Who did you miss the most?
My brother. Every damn year since 2000.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
There’s no use in worrying about things you cannot change.

Quote lyrics of a song that sums up your year.

We need to rage through this life
There might be ones who are smarter than you
That have the right answers, that wear better shoes
Forget about those melting ice caps, 
We're doing the best of what we've got.


-Sunday, Bloc Party


Such a sweet song. Romantic but not mushy.

What are your plans for 2010?
Nothing. For once, I’ll take it easy and go with the flow.

Answered a similar questionnaire in 2007. See here.

And the best? (2009 in retrospect, part 2)

2009 was a relatively good year in so many ways.  I’m really thankful for all the blessings that I received this year.  While in my earlier blog post I cited my mom’s January 2009 scare as the worst episode of the year, we also feel very blessed that she made it and that we can still look forward to more years with her.

I’m grateful that none of the people I know were adversely affected by the calamities. Some of them may have lost or damaged homes but material things can be recovered. Nothing is as tragic as losing a loved one.

At work, I’ve been rewarded in a way that I didn’t expect: a promotion earlier in the year and a trip to the US in addition to official business trips.  Perhaps I can say that I’m in a better place compared to some… or it could be that I appreciate where I am more now that I’m probably over the quarter-life crisis period (because I’m over 25!!!) and have stopped looking for the specific purpose of my existence (haha).  I’m fortunate to be working with a really cool bunch of people that I’ve come to love.

As with the years before this, I continue to be thankful for being blessed with wonderful friends who share all my joys, pains, and everything in between. I love hanging out with people who give me sound or unsound advice, who listen to my issues and make me look at different perspectives, laugh at my jokes, tolerate my bullying, call out my mispronounciations... over breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, beer or nothing at all.  You are my family, classmates, colleagues... like I said, friends.

In comparison to the previous years, 2009 wasn’t bad at all.

2007 was rewarding in terms of achievement in a sense that we got a lot of recognition for the work that we’ve done. It’s also memorable because that’s the year when our grandmother passed on and Kimi Raikkonen won the driver’s championship (hurrah). 2008 is especially memorable for the summer: I got to see Maroon 5 and Incubus Live, went on a trip either with friends, family or officemates from March – June with just a week or two in between (Subic, Batangas, Baguio, Singapore, Nueva Ecija, Macau, Hong Kong, etc.).

THAT harrowing experience aside, I’ll probably  remember 2009 for the trips I made and the experiences that accompanied those. I’ve been alone in some of the trips but never lonely.  I’ll also remember 2009 as the year when Kimi Raikkonen retired from F1, Ateneo became back-to-back champions, and for the breakout of social networking sites.  Like the how the saying goes: Dance like the photo's not tagged, love like you've never been unfriended, tweet like nobody's followin'.

The Worst of 2009

I’ve been seeing a lot Facebook statuses with the sentiment that 2009 wasn’t one of the best years.  It’s pretty obvious why.  On top the personal challenges that people had to go through, there were the typhoons that destroyed communities, the passing on of some famous icons, and the economic downturn.

It depends on how you look at it.  I’d say 2009 wasn’t the best – but it also wasn’t bad.  It didn’t start quite right for our family – in January, we went through the most harrowing 24 hours of our lives when mom was rushed to the hospital and was declared dead on arrival.  Thankfully, she was revived after 3 long minutes but then she stayed in critical condition for the rest of the day.  We waited and prayed and consoled ourselves without guarantee that she’ll be okay.  With her condition, I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that it’s without cure and I thought I was prepared for anything.  That experience taught me that no amount of acceptance can ever prepare you for the moment when you’re about to lose a parent.  There was fear, anxiety, depression, frustration, stress, pain plus that I willed myself to stay strong for my father and sister who were both very panic-stricken.  I knew that if there was any amount of hope and positivism, it could only come from me and I wasn’t going to break down.  By then, Mom couldn’t talk. She only made gestures with her hands. 

I can still remember that moment when mom was in the emergency room with all sorts of tubes connected to her body and one tube bigger than a Zagu straw inserted in her mouth which went down through her throat to directly supply air to the lungs - it was a scene that reminded me of an episode in Grey’s Anatomy where any minute the doctor is expected to call a code (red/blue/black) and all the nurses would rush to the bed and use the defibrillator on the patient.  My dad was holding her feet, crying, and my sister was holding her left hand while tearfully staring at the machine which monitors the heart rate.  I wasn’t at her bedside. I was standing afar, looking at her chest and counting the times it would rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and fall, trying to distract myself from thinking about the worse that could happen.  My eyes wandered and met mom’s. She was staring at me, too, and her eyes were filled with tears.  So I went up to her right and then she slowly raised her hand and waved as if saying goodbye.  She then pointed to my sister, then dad, then me and then patted her chest where her heart is.  I can’t describe how I felt at that point but I managed to put on a brave face and hold my tears because my resolve was strong: it’s not yet goodbye.

That was the worst of 2009.  The best part of the whole experience was that my mother survived.  That incident brought our family even closer together.  It made me realize that it doesn’t really matter that my mom and I often disagree about random things or that sometimes she can make life difficult for me and I for her because that’s just how it is for most mothers and daughters.  If there’s anything that I could do, anything at all, so that my family would never have to suffer, I’ll do it.

EDIT: One more regrettable thing: I didn't get to see Nine Inch Nails... but I'm over it. Haha

It's old... but I still find it funny. hehe

Five seems to be the magic number, yes?

I just realized that I always belong in groups of five....

• There's five of us in my elementary/highschool barkada (same group)
• There's also five of us in my closest college circle of friends (comm)
• ...and five of us who lived together for 2-3 years in the Katipunan Condo
• At work, there's also five of us whom they call the golden girls (ex-officemates)
• ...and currently five of us whom they accuse of being in a clique because we're always together.
• In the family, there's also five of us then including Kuya, and five of us now including my nephew whom we'd like to think is Kuya's replacement in the family
• And among my cousins, there's 5 of us who are really close to each other because of age.

And then there are one-on-ones on the side - like my bestfriend doesn't belong to any of these five groups.

Wala lang. I can't sleep. Hehe

YUCK.

                  
                

That's all.

iPod blues

As the whole world probably knows, I almost lost all my iPod content last Friday. Oh, wait... I did lose it, but I also recovered ALL of it.  That's perhaps one of the shittiest things that could happen to a person who listens to music a lot.I mean, sure, you can get it back but the thought of losing that library you built over a period just really sucks.  Then I also wasn't sure I could recover all of it. I have to take note that it ruined my night which eventually was turned around not by anything but strong will and a little bit of alcohol (talking to self: you're in a party. It's a party! Think about iPod later. People are beginning to get worried, so don't be a diva.).  I didn't have anyone to blame -- it was all there when it was connected to the computer.  I even got to create a playlist using the computer.  I just noticed eventually that nothing was playing and when I asked, our prod manager said "ayaw na eh. Ewan ko bakit." Shempre ewan niya! So I checked and realized that everything was gone.  I guess, without human intervention, the computer with the outdated software did things on its own.

It took the entire recovery process something like 8 hours. 4 hours for actual recovery (not via iTunes) and then another 4 hours to transfer the recovered files to the iPod via iTunes.  While I was at it, I also got the chance to weed it out of stuff that I thought shouldn't be there. So now I have 7.89 GB worth of songs (2,131 tracks, 5 days) and 24.34 GB worth of videos. I'm still in the process of organizing everything, though (filenames and such). It's cumbersome but I'm not complaining. It's good enough that I got to recover everything.

I also appreciate that so many people wanted to help (and also appease me! haha):

• My coffee-loving colleagues who texted me from upstairs (when I was downstairs) asking me to come up already so we can 'raid the bar at pumarty nalang'.  That was very uncharacteristic of them and I knew they were only saying that to cheer me up because when I got there, they made sure I got a drink but they didn't really 'raid the bar' hehe; 

• My boss who came to the parking lot after the program ended because he said he knew I was there and offered to help recover most of the songs (there, props to you! thanks);

• My other boss who came to my office to say he was sorry about what happened and that he hopes I find a way to get the files back because they seem to be really important to me (aaaaaaw); 

• My sister who had a wonderful suggestion to buy all the MP3 collection CDs from Ruins so that I can have the most comprehensive pirated library ever (nyahaha) on top of all the original CDs that I would have had to rip again;

• My mom who reminded me that it wasn't the end of the world and at least 'di naman nawala pati iPod' (I know that, mother. I just took advantage of the chance to overreact!);

• Friends who teased me na i-donate ko nalang yung iPod na walang laman at ipamigay ang mga earphones (bwiset)

• My cousins who offered to bring their computers on Christmas Eve so that we can synch from their iTunes libraries (yehey, no need! you guys can sync again from mine!); 

• Another cousin who texted, "Saw your Facebook status. Ang hilig mong maging emotionally attached sa mga bagay na walang buhay. Steak dinner at my house tonight. Punta ko states bukas, you won't see me on Christmas." (thank you narin.)

• And finally, my other cousin who researched about this and found the solution! I remember when I was in your house and you saw my flickering screen the night I arrived - You took one look and then when I woke up, you showed me a document which detailed what was wrong with it.  The technicians at the mall said it had something to do with screen calibration but they can't figure out what and you said it's a hardware defect... we had it checked again, this time with the manufacturer and you were right! Bravo!

That's it for this weekend's episode.