Tuesday, June 21, 2005

No Pain No Gain

"Pain is weakness leaving the body." - Alonzo Mourning, NBA Player, built like a bull.

These were the thoughts that were drifting through my head as I was puking my guts out for the second time in the bathroom of this gym I went to last night with my officemates. That's right. A gym.

You see, I've been out of shape for most of my life. Maybe even all of it. And I never bothered to do anything about it until now. Okay so I went to Slimmers World a few times in high school and early college. But I never took it seriously. Now I have to. After two torn pants (torn while I was in the act of sitting down, I might add) I realized that maybe I ought to finally just do something about it.

So off I went with three of my officemates to this gym they go to. Not the typical Slimmers World, Fitness First, or Gold's Gym with the aircons, high tech equipment, and other amenities. This was a gym gym. No aircon, all weights.

So what the hell was I doing there? I was trying to work out. Lose weight. Quick. Fast. Become a size 36 again. But since I was totally out of shape I only did three exercises. Full squats (no weight, two sets, 7 and 9 reps), leg press (15 x 50, 15 x 60), and some other exercise I forgot the name (8 x 8, 12 x 12). Oh and I also puked. Twice. And as if it was following the trend of my exercises, I heaved thrice the first time and eight times the second. Sheesh. First set weak second set strong. Even in puking.

So now my thighs are killing me. And tomorrow I go work on the arms. Then on Friday the back. Then on Monday the cycle begins again. But I can't complain too much. This is my fault, letting myself get this way. Had I controlled myself a bit more earlier on in my life then maybe I wouldn't have to do this anymore.

But I feel great. I feel good. Even if my legs are cursing me out and muscles I never knew I had are reintroducing themselves to me in a very unpleasant way.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Things to do to Kill Time

Third tagged me to write down a list of what I do to kill time. Got me good. Hook. Line. Sinker.
So... Here goes.

Things I do to kill time...
  • blog (an outlet for my frustrations)
  • surf the net (specially www.flickr.com - addict hehe)
  • practice my maya skills (gotta keep up with current trends, yes?)
  • talk on the phone with my girlfriend (because i love her and i love talking)
  • play guitar (actually just do finger exercises, plus the first solo of metallica's one)
  • play ps2 (nba live, gran turismo, front mission 4, way of the samurai 2, etc)
  • take photographs (with my brand new canon eos 66)
  • watch tv (pimp my ride, nba, f1, wrc, etc)
  • hang out with friends/loved ones
  • stare at my toys (guyvers I-III, f1 cars, gt40 collection...)

Basically that's that. Can't think of anything else.

But here's the catch. Now that I've done it, I have to tag FIVE others to do this too. So, sorry to you guys but...

Hector
Titam
Marko
Pauline
Ver


Your turn. Hehe.

OPM???

Lately I've been noticing a trend with regards to our music scene. Remakes.

Now I've got nothing wrong with remaking songs. I used to have a band in high school and we just played alternative songs (and a couple of Black Sabbath songs). Technically we remade them. But we also played them only at home. We never made money out of it.

Now here we have a new breed of singers who are just that - SINGERS. They can't write songs so they go and butcher, er, remake old, famous pop songs so that their albums will sell. They remake songs to make money. Jeez. Wahoo. Hooray. Kudos.

What's up with that? Making money out of someone else's ideas? And your supposed to be an artist. Why don't you write your own songs? Or are you afraid that no one will like them and you'll end up washed up? Better rich and a crummy bastard doppelganger (God I just LOVE that word) than an original artist.

Wanna make easy money? Remake songs.

Be a butcher. Ruin old songs. I used to like the song "Love Moves..." or whatever it was called. But ever since Nina sang, no, BUTCHERED that song it has become revolting to me. That's right. Revolting. Can't you write your own songs?

And while we're at it, this is for all you "singers" out there: Start learning how to write your own songs. I'd respect you guys more if you wrote your own songs rather than ripping off others. But of course you guys don't care what I think, right? If I was in your place and I was the one making thousands (millions?) ripping off others then I wouldn't care what others thought. Bravo.

And since that seems to be the trend nowadays watchout for my new book, CATCHER IN THE RYE. Shyeah, right.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Me, Taz...

Taz!
You scored 57 Aggression, 42 Sophistication, and 57 Optimism!

Aggressive, optimistic, and vulgar to the point of complete
incoherency, you have a tendency to plow though life leaving a virtual
swath of destruction in your wake. You personal energy is bottomless,
and when motivated your actions can seem like a blur to onlookers. You
possess the self-confidence and the belief that you can handle
anything, or anyone. This will often cause you to bite-off more than
you can chew. You also tend to be very impulsive and often oblivious to
the harm you may cause others. Your anger tends to be quick and
intense. Try relaxing and taking a little more time to think things
through, not everything has to be met head-on as soon as it appears.



My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 45% on Aggression
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 13% on Sophistication
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 26% on Optimism
Link: The Which Looney Tune Are You Test written by coolguy3000 on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Bakit???

Matagal ko nang gusto ito isulat. Ilang beses nang nabubuo sa ulo ko ang mga salita, ang mga pangungusap na gustong-gusto ko na isulat. Ngunit 'di ko tinuloy. Tamad? Tamad. Pagod? Pagod. Nagpipigil? Nagpipigil. Oo sa lahat ng mga katanungan.

At simple lang naman ang iniisip ko. Bakit ang daming mga walang konsensya at garapal sa mundo natin? Sige, liitan na natin ang sakop. Ba't ang daming garapal at walang konsensya sa Pilipinas???

Matagal ko na itong iniisip. Marami nang halimbawa. Ngunit kanina lang talaga ako tinamaan ng sipag. Bakit?

Nagsimula ang lahat nung nagpunta kami ni Enzo sa Park Square para bumili ng bag para sa camera ko. (Might I digress a bit? I recently acquired a Canon EOS 66 SLR Camera) Nakabili ako ng isang matinong bag. Tapos nakita ko na mura pa rin ang isa pang bag na gusto ko. Kumuha ako ng pera sa ATM at habang hinihintay kong lumabas ang pera, naalala ko ang sabi ni Enzo. Parang, "Ang dali talagang mawala ng pera sa ating mga kamay". Amen, kapatid. Tignan mo na lang ako.

Ano naman koneksyon ng pagbili ng bag sa garapal? Wala. Doon lang nagsimula ang kuwento. Nung pabalik na kami sa opisina, narinig namin sa AM radio sa loob ng taxi ang usapan tungkol sa isang kongresman na di sinabi ang pangalan. Mahilig daw kumain sa Japanese restaurant sa may Greenhills. Dalawang libo raw isang order ng sushi. Mahilig raw sa sushi at sashimi. Kinakamay pa raw at di kuntento sa chopsticks dahil madulas. Peste. Baboy. Nakakahiya.

Tapos pinaalala pa sa akin ni Enzo na marami raw mga kababayan natin sa probinsya ay kumikita lamang ng P32.00 kada araw. Maraming naghihirap daw tapos siya lalamon sa mamahaling kainan na ginagamit ang perang galing sa atin? Tayo nagbabayad ng pagkain niya, ang mga buwis na binayaran natin ang nagpapakain sa kanya.

Ba't maraming garapal dito? Mga taong di nakokonsensya. Mga taong patay-malisya. Iisipin ang sarili, wala nang pakialam sa iba. Talangka. Bastardo.

Kung akala niyo'y sa mga tangang nagmamaneho lang ang galit ko, kulang pa yon. May mga garapal din. Mga magulang. Mga dupang. Mga sugapa. Gahaman. Hay naku.

Bakit ako 'di ko ito magawa? Ba't ako may konsensya? Alam ko naman na ako ang tama dahil di ako garapal, pero teka. Sabi nga raw sa banal na aklat na pagdating ng Judgement Day ay makukuha rin nila ang nararapat sa kanila. Ang ibig mo sabihin maghihintay pa ako sa pagbalik ng Diyos bago ko makita ang hustisya?

Teka, lugi ako. Ako na 'di garapal. Ako na nag-iisip. Ako na nagsisikap at di umaasenso dahil sa mga garapal. Lugi ako. Oo lugi ako, inggit ako sa kanila dahil wala silang konsensya. Matagal dumating ang karma nila. At yon ang rason kung bakit ako galit. Dapat ngayon pa lang makarma na sila. Di naman tayo sigurado kung may afterlife e. (May I just say that yes, I am a Christian and that I believe in God.) Bakit ang matitinong tao maghihirap tapos sila masarap ang buhay? Nasaan ang hustisya doon?

Kaya di umaasenso ang bansa natin. Maraming garapal tapos yung matitino lumilipat sa mas matinong bansa kung saan mas kaunti ang garapal.

Tama na nga. Masyadong pagewang-gewang na ang pag-iisip ko.

The 1400s Test

The Harlequin
You scored 36% Cardinal, 48% Monk, 47% Lady, and 29% Knight!

You are a mystery, a jack-of-all-trades. You have the king's ear, but
also listen to murmurings of the common folk. You believe in the value
of force and also literature. Truly you are the puzzlement of the age.



My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 47% on Cardinal
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 66% on Monk
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 68% on Lady
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 8% on Knight
Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid

The Cowboy-Ninja-Knight-Pirate Thing...

a Man with No Name
You scored 10 Honor, 4 Justice, 7 Adventure, and 2 Individuality!

It's one thing to be a gunslinger. It's another to wander into town,
leave nothing but a trail of those who'd try your skill and take the
town's gratitude and cash with you. Hero or villan? It's all in how you
look at it and whose side you're on.

Cigar in your teeth and colt on your hip, you are ready to step into the hazy desert horizon. You'll do just fine.




My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 84% on Ninjinuity
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 32% on Knightlyness
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 56% on Cowboiosity
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 3% on Piratical Bent
Link: The Cowboy-Ninja-Pirate-Knight Test written by fluffy71 on Ok Cupid

Fuzzy Interference...

Okay so I'm technically free right now. Free from projects. Now I'm on my cooldown mode in the office. Chilling, relaxing, practicing some modeling on 3d. And now a lot of random thoughts fill my head. RANDOM. THOUGHTS. R. A. N. D. O. M. T. H. O. U. G. H. T. S. Sound familiar? Natch.

There are no drains in C5. I've been passing C5 to work since last year and I only started looking for them a few weeks ago when some flooding occured. I pass from FTI area to Market Market. No drains. So when it rains, and it floods, blame it on the drains. Or lack of it. Fortunately I saw some construction happening and hopefully it'll be for the drains.

Then I remember Wendy's. Had a snack in Wendy's Greenbelt. What has happened to that franchise? When I was a kid I always thought Wendy's was the "higher class" McDonalds, due to the fact that the price was higher and there were other "gourmet" (Hey, I was a KID back then) meals like the baked potato and the salad. So now what has happened to Wendy's? The place in Greenbelt looks exactly the same as when I was there when I was a kid/teen. In fact, when I entered it felt like the place was in sepia. How weird is that?

Have any of you seen the Suzuki APV commercial? It's a nice car. Used to think it was too utilitarian and plain looking, but upon further inspection, its actually a nice looking ride. The engine's 1.6 Vitara engine. So that may be the only glitch I see with it. Could be underpowered? Dunno. But it looks great.

Then there are these two nice (GREAT, actually) 3D commercials airing right now. One is Domex, the other is for Bacchus Energy Drink. Great modeling and animation. Even rendering. Amazing. Seeing stuff like that makes me want to do greater things (And I will too, y'know).

I've been modelling a 3D Ford GT40. Dunno if I'll ever finish it, but so far I'm happy with what I've done. But satifsied? Nope. I can do better, now that I've done the first model. I've seen my flaws and I've seen the things that need tweaking. So I'll go on and maybe make a new one, in time.

First I gotta find some grub, I'm starving...


Thursday, June 02, 2005

Confessions of a Frustrated Guitarist

Damn. I'm 24 now turning 25. I've got a good job, and I'm earning good cash. I'm also at the point where my responsibilities are now greater than ever.

And now I get better at playing the guitar.

I started with my fascination in guitars in grade school. Grade 6. 1993. Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Pantera, Megadeth, they were my idols. I picked up a guitar, learned the basic power chord shape, and I thought I was the best guitarist in the world.

High school came along. So did Dream Theater, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath. Now I shifted to "playing lead guitar". Thinking I could do guitar noodling, thinking I was the best. I didn't need practice. The emotions will guide me. I was a metalhead.

College came around. Dave Matthews Band, Wolfgang, and Parokya ni Edgar dominated my CD player.

Detour to Naga, where I became enamored with Wolfgang's Acoustica album. Even learned some of their songs with my roommate Geem, jamming. Still I "played" lead. Still, no practice. Hey, I read a few magazine articles about how to play. Even got a mag about how to play jazz, so my "solos" and my "licks" were jazzy/bluesy. At least they sounded like that because I was just re-hashing what I learned. Adding bits of experimentation here and there, sounding nice.

And now I'm working. Too old to think I can still have a music career. Too old to dream about forming a band. And now, I play guitar to relieve stress. Now I practice the finger exercises. Now I take it slowly, realizing I'm no Petrucci. Iommi even. Now I just play to relax. I can't even play now, since every time I pick up my guitar I just do the finger exercises I learned from Doug Marks and John Petrucci. I don't even remember most of the songs I used to play. So I practice. When its all to late, I practice.

AND NOW, OF ALL TIMES, IS THE ONLY TIME I CAN PLAY THE FIRST SOLO IN METALLICA'S ONE. Dammit. And not only that, if I had my electric guitar with me I'd be able to play the SECOND SOLO as well. Because only now are my fingers getting faster and more coordinated.

Dammit. Why did I only start practicing now?!?

Oh, well.