Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Just A Quick Plug

Right now I am streaming the podcast "Tropical Banter." You can also find them on iTunes, and you can download either their audio only podcast or the one with video. As of now I'm only downloading the audio only.


How did I chance upon this podcast? It started with me and my officemates subscribing to DJ Mo Twister's own podcast, Good Times With Mo. There was this one podcast where DJ Mo had Basti Artadi and Tirso Ripoll as guests, and soon they had their own podcast.


I personally am leaning more towards Tropical Banter than Good Times With Mo (sorry, DJ Mo). I guess it has to do with the fact that since high school I've been a "rocker" when it came to musical preferences. Basti Artadi is the vocalist of the Philippine band Wolfgang, and Tirso Ripoll is one of the guitarists of the Philippine band Razorback. I was a fan of both (but more of a Wolfgang fan) in high school.


It's great to listen to Tropical Banter because they have musical interludes where they play different cover songs on acoustic guitar. I've started listening to different kinds of music again because of those interludes. Basically I've started listening to the original versions of their covers and that has once again broadened my musical tastes. Most excellent.


So that's it, please try to listen to this podcast and enjoy. One quick warning though, it does feature a lot of explicit language, and they occasionally speak in Filipino. But overall, a most excellent podcast.


Out.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Looking at the Good Things in Life

One of the biggest reasons NOT to compare yourself with other people is because you almost always end up on the losing end of the comparison. At least for me that's true.


The reason is because I usually compare myself to others who have something I don't. Obviously it's a no-win situation. But every once in a while I have to remind myself that while I may not have the things that I want (not NEED, but just want) there are other people out there who, if compared to me, don't have the things I currently HAVE.


And there lies the trick. I always have to remind myself that while I may not have all the things I want, be it physical, mental, or spiritual, I do have a lot of things that others don't have.


It may not sound good on paper, but basically what I'm trying to say is that there's always something good I have, I just am not looking for it. Or I'm taking it for granted. Either way, I really really have to force myself to keep on looking at the things I have, rather than the things I want.


Out.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Post-Seminar Thoughts

I have no idea how long this post will be.


So I got home this evening after spending the night somewhere where my officemates and I attended a seminar on positive work attitude. I learned a lot, and most likely will forget about most of the things talked about on the seminar. But I am pretty sure that the seminar was still effective.


I got a lot of new ideas and ways to make sure that I can maintain my positive attitude, not just at work but also in life. And I plan on using this to improve myself.


I need to remove, or at least lessen, a lot of negatives about myself. That's the bottom line.


I also learned a lot about my officemates. Most, if not all of them, really want to be better people, just like me. And I guess I have to get rid of a lot of my attitudes and hang-ups in order for me to become a better person.


I'm rambling. Because I fell asleep last night, actually this morning, at 12:30am. And I woke up at 5:45am and I have not had a wink of sleep since.


Out.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

This Will Be Interesting

I'm going off tomorrow for an overnight stay somewhere with the other leads and directors from my office. It's supposed to be a leads team-building thing, with maybe other stuff included. No, I'm not a director (yet - but I want to be one) I am a lead.


I'm sort of looking forward to this, even if it means I won't be spending time with my wife and our baby girl. The reason I'm looking forward to this is its a chance to learn some more techniques that will help me become a better person, hopefully not just at work but for everything.


Plus hopefully after this quick sabbatical I'll be able to write a few introspective blog posts. We shall see.


Oh, and I am now officially a contributor at another blog. I have yet to post anything because I want my posts there to be of a better quality than the ones I post here. The reason for this is because that other blog will be a pet project of my best friend and I. I will post the link here soon enough.


Out.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Letting Go

No, this won't be a post about love or a lost loved one, or about any (relatively) mushy stuff.


It's about letting go of small things. Something I've been forcing myself to do, and I have been constantly fighting internally with myself to just let things go.


It's about the small, insignificant little peeves, or anxieties I have. Things that (I'm guessing) normal people don't think about too much. I have to make sure to just stop thinking about some things that I know will only lead to bigger problems if I put too much thought in them.


Some examples of this are the things that happen on the road. I have been constantly reminding myself to just let go of the things that piss me off on the road. I don't need to bitch too much about those things, and I certainly don't need to add stress to whoever is my passenger (usually my lovely wife) if they start hearing me complain about things that shouldn't even piss me off.


It's hard. Really hard.


Out.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Let Me Re-Phrase That

When I said I wanted a Baja Bug, I guess that statement was sort of false. Let me write down some of the things that I'd want in a VW Classic Beetle.


I'd like to have a Baja Bug-like VW Classic Beetle with bigger and wider tires, and a higher ground clearance. The tires would be slightly low profile, at most having 50% of the wheel's section width, and at least having 30% of the section width.


I want the engine to still be covered, but inside would lurk a modified engine that produces more power and torque. I'd like it if there was also a cooling system in place to help fight the tropical heat of the Philippines. And maybe if the engine can handle the heat and power requirement, an A/C unit.


I'd like to have steel pipe bumpers with a pair of circle fog lamps on the front bumper, and steel pipe bumpers on the rear also. I'd also want to have the front part chopped to look like a Baja Bug, meaning the spare tire would either be stowed somewhere else, or I'd have to go with run-flats.


Inside I'd like to have four bucket seats or four ergonomic semi-racing seats. As long as you can still put child-seats on them it won't be a hassle for me. I'd also replace the windows with a full-window instead of the window having the small folding window - for security reasons. And I'd also like the car to have a functional, sturdy looking roof rack.


What does this all mean?


Basically I want a Beetle that looks like a Baja Bug, but isn't a true Baja Bug. Think of it as a crossover vehicle. It's comfortable enough to be used as a daily driver, but sturdy enough to tackle some off-road scenarios - like deep potholes and gravel roads.


I haven't even gone into all the insane details I'd like the car to have, like the suspension settings and the brakes, interior, engine mods, etc.


Out.

Friday, July 15, 2011

I *REALLY* Want A Baja Bug

Yes, it's another car-related rant!


And yes, it's about the Beetle Baja yet again!

Yes I have other cars I like. Cars like the Ford GT40, Ford GT, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Ferrari 512bb, and of course the Volkswagen "Samba Bus / Kombi", the Kharmann Ghia, and the Kubelwagen / Thing.



But right now my main focus is on the Baja Bug. Why?

  • It's the most realistic thing I can afford right now. Well, not exactly the Baja Bug, but I can find myself a decent priced Volkswagen Beetle for sale. Let's say I manage to buy a Beetle that runs and is reliable, that gives me a car already. I can use it as a daily driver while I save up for the parts I need to convert it.
  • I can work on it with my dad. Well, maybe not everything. My father and I can tinker with it during the weekends. It's not so high tech that we have to send it to specialized shops just to modify it. With the classic Beetle we can have more bonding times if we were to work on whatever we can work on. Just not maybe modifying the bodywork.
  • It's the perfect daily driver for Metro Manila's streets. Like I wrote before, a Baja Bug is high enough to clear the deep potholes, it can ford most flash floods, and it's small enough that I can wiggle around traffic with it.
Well those are the only reasons I can think of now. I have no idea what re-awakened my desire to own a Baja Bug, but it's better and more realistic than say, a BMW E46 320i, or an E30 320i.


And besides, there's nothing wrong with dreaming right?


Out.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

I'm Thirty-One Years Old...

... And I still complain a lot. Its probably getting annoying to the people who hear me complain. I guess I have to learn to curb my grievances.


That would be the mature thing to do. Just let things go. Let it slide, smile, look for the bright side of things. It's just so damn hard to do.


I am seriously considering getting professional help for my attitude.


Out.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

These Things Like To Try My Patience

Here we go. Things that try my patience. A quick rant, just to vent. I am doing my best to not be so negative, so I guess these things that are happening right now are just ways to make sure I keep positive. I just have to quickly let go of the negativity and just focus on finding a more positive point-of-view.


1. I accidentally dropped my android phone, and the LCD got damaged. It was my fault so I was quick to let go of the negativity and acknowledge that it was my fault. But the screen is damaged and I'm guessing it's going kaput soon, so I have to save up for a new phone.


2. While playing PS3 early this morning, it just suddenly died. When I tried turning it on, YLOD. I had just turned it on so it wasn't an overheating problem, but I have no idea what the problem could be. Since I'd spent to fix up the blu-ray lens before, I have no idea if I want to have it fixed yet again. If I'm feeling up to it I may check the net and see if I can fix it myself. (Actually I'm doing that right now as I blog.)


3. Driving on Philippine streets. Actually no, I just like to complain. I'm a "reklamador" in Tagalog. I complain. A lot. I think I should cut back on complaining.


Oh, a quick update of my birthday wishlist!


1. A new android phone. Maybe the newest Samsung Galaxy.
2. A new PS3. I'd rather get a new one and keep the old one as a paperweight.
3. A fully functioning, very reliable Volkswagen Classic Beetle.


Out.