My Affordable Wishlist

A few days ago I posted my Christmas wishlist. It's nearly impossible for me to get those things I wished for (unless some local multi-millionaire or billionaire reads my blog and gives me one of the things I wanted - no strings attached). This time, it's my affordable Christmas wishlist.

• At least one pack of Hanes briefs.Why this specific brand? It started a few years ago when they ran their ad campaign saying you'll never get "bacon briefs" with their product. So I gave it a shot. And I've been very happy with this product since then. Although to be quite honest the garters do end up shriveling, but only because I had been using that pair for at least two years.
• A couple of pairs of socks. For the affordable kind, I prefer Burlington socks. Either these sport socks or this other type, that I haven't tried out, called the Shock XT socks. Why this specific brand? Because they've been tried and tested personally and I enjoy their durability.
• 16gb or 32gb flash drives. Because you never know when you might need them. On another note, it would also be great to have a 16gb microSD card with adapter. Because I'll never know if I'm going to end up with an android smartphone. And because I can use that microSD card with the adapter for my digital camera.
• Any Nike basketball shorts with pockets. I still have a dream of having an all-Nike shorts cabinet. Why? Because I can wear them as pajamas, use them in the house, or wear them when I go out. I already have four but I don't want to ruin them due to wear and tear.
• A new bag. I know I have a lot of bags, but it's one of those things I like having many options to choose from. Either of these three bags from Pacsafe will do, a small-ish backpack, a bigger backpack, or this shoulder bag. I'm intrigued by Pacsafe because they're supposedly anti-theft. But nothing beats being vigilant and careful. I know this bullet point is more expensive than the previous ones, but it's still relatively affordable.
• One or two Sony Dualshock3 PS3 controllers. So I can buy a few kid-friendly games that my wife and daughter can play with me.

And that's it. Those are the things that are part of my affordable wishlist.

They say it is better to give than to receive. And while I agree with that, there is nothing wrong with wishing for things too.

Out.

Newtown, CT Killings

Ten days before Christmas. Or eleven, depending on timezone.

It had an even greater effect on me now that I'm a father. How can things like these happen? I cannot imagine how bad it must be for the families who lost their loved ones. I can only hope that they can eventually find peace of mind and maybe, just maybe, forgive the killer for what he did.

I was amazed at the range of reactions from athletes I read about in ESPN. The best reaction I read was from Chris Kluwe, an NFL player for the Minnesota Vikings. Here's what I read from the article:

"The way we deal with this tragedy in CT will tell us a lot about where we're headed as a society. Do we only address the symptoms (i.e. just gun control laws)? Or do we also address the disease -- how we treat each other and those who need help," Kluwe said in a couple of posts on Twitter.

It's the holiday season. In times like these, we should always think about these kinds of things. How do we treat other people? Kindness, compassion, and common-sense should be prioritized. Whatever happened to caring for other members of mankind?

Out.

My 2012 Christmas Wishlist

Here we go again! It's that time of the year where I start daydreaming a lot of the things I want to have. As always, these are purely fantasy based (unless I win the lottery or something similar). So here we go.

• A decent house and lot to call my own. Two-car garage, at least three bedrooms, two toilet and bath with maid's quarters. Someplace almost in the center of everywhere, with lots of options available to take coming and going. Sort of like where I live right now with my family.
• Subaru Impreza WRX STi A/T Hatchback. Yes, an automatic STi. Why? Because I'm going to use it as my daily driver. And because I honestly think the hatch looks better than the sedan STi.
• Diesel Kia Sportage. Another vehicle? This one's for when the STi's color coding. And this one is also for family days and long road trips. Also for the rainy days when sudden flooding can happen.
• Canon 5D Mk III body. And a dry box. Ever since my 30D fell to fungus in the CMOS sensor I've felt an emptiness in my inner photographer. P&S cameras just don't do it. Why body only? Because I have two decent lenses here to fit the body, and I can have those lenses cleaned.
• Olympus TG-1 Tough. I still need a P&S for convenience's sake.
• Dean Dimebag "Wanted" ML guitar, Korg G3, and a Marhsall Amp. So I can play guitar when I feel like it.

These things are theoretically possible for me to achieve. If I work hard and get lucky. Working hard I have no problem with, but it's the getting lucky part that seems to be a problem.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Or Happy Holidays to the non-Christmas folk out there.

Out.

Time for a Quick Release

It's back. I felt if before in my previous job, and I feel it again.

What am I talking about? You know that feeling when you wake up in the morning and you know you have work, but you don't want to go? It's back. It comes and goes, and I can still force myself to go and work. But it's there.

It is not a coincidence that this started happening once a certain turn-of-events at work happened. I do not wish to elaborate, partly because I still respect my employers, and mostly because this is the internet.

It's nothing serious. Everyone goes through this. Some people ignore it, I choose to take it as a warning. Perhaps it is time to start considering my options. Time to start looking around, making some connections, and asking some friends for some favors.

It's pretty obvious what I'm hinting at. In fact, I'll even go so far as to put it in writing. I've updated my resume and am in the process of updating my demo reel and portfolio. Meaning that the horn to signal the hunt for new employment opportunities is about to be sounded.

Why now, why so sudden, and why so serious? Simple. I've got a daughter who will turn two in less than a month. Education, medicine, food, clothing, etc. are not cheap in the Philippines. At least, the good quality kind are not cheap. And I have no plan of skimping on my daughter, nor my wife.

And so I offer this quick release. It is time. Time to start looking. Who knows, perhaps I might end up starting my own business. We shall see.

Out.

My Latest Dream Car Garage

And here we go again, another edition of "My Dream Two-Car Garage" is up and posted. My category this time is vehicles available on the Philippine market. No budget, but keep in mind I always remain realistic about costs. So I guess no cars at all for my fantasy two-car garage.

Just kidding.

Right now I'm currently obsessing over two vehicles that I wouldn't mind having for a two-car garage, the Kia Sportage, and the Subaru Impreza WRX STi hatchback. Here's why I want these two right now. Let's start with the more practical one.

The Kia Sportage. It may not seat as many people as my previous family car ideal, the Toyota Innova. But it looks better, and it can still fit five adults easily. Now, which Sportage am I drooling over? Either the diesel or the top-of-the-line version. The diesel because of the amazing torque figures, and the top-of-the-line because it's the top-of-the-line. I've been seeing a couple of these on the road, and they all look nice. They even have daytime running LED lights, and a back-up camera you can view from the rear-view mirror. Two features a dad like me really likes.

Now for the Subaru Impreza. Why the WRX STi hatch? Because it's got automatic transmission. Why in the hell would someone like me want a supercar level car with automatic transmission? Because I want it for my daily driver. I need the comfort of the automatic transmission for the stop and go traffic of everyday life. The only time I would not drive this would be when it's number-coding or when I have to bring my family to my in-laws. Oh, and if the rain's are bad and flooding could possibly happen.

And that's it. Two cars I'm obsessing on right now, two cars I'd want to have in my dream two-car garage.

Out.