Uhaw pa sa camel

Intalling Java JDK in Ubuntu

2011-02-08T10:48:00.004+08:00

I just got these steps from the net a few years back and decided to put it here when a friend asked me for a howto.

1. Install the java package from the ubuntu package repository. This contains make-jpkg for creating the debian package later.

sudo apt-get install java-package

2. Download the jdk package from here. As of this writing Java SE 6 is available.

3. Create a debian package out of the binary package you downloaded.

fakeroot make-jpkg jdk-6u23-linux-i586.bin

4. Install the newly created debian package.

sudo dpkg -i sun-j2sdk1.6_1.6.0+update23_i386.deb

That's it. Enjoy!

Python Short Hacking Tip #4: Don't mix encodings

2010-11-04T20:42:00.000+08:00

Being a C/C++ programmer I really found it a pain handling string encodings. But in python, it is a breeze! Here are a few short tips for handling unicode and other types of encoding.

>>> #Create a unicode string
>>> s = u'Hello unicode world! Ü'
>>> s
u'Hello unicode world! \xdc'
>>> 
>>> #Convert to an encoding using encode
>>> s = s.encode('utf-8')
>>> s
'Hello unicode world! \xc3\x9c'
>>> 
>>> #Convert back to unicode using decode
>>> s = s.decode('utf-8')
>>> s
u'Hello unicode world! \xdc'
>>> 
>>> #Convert to another encoding
>>> s = s.encode('iso-8859-1')
'Hello unicode world! \xdc'
>>>
>>> #Convert back to unicode
>>> s = s.decode('utf-8')
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "", line 1, in 
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/encodings/utf_8.py", line 16, in decode
    return codecs.utf_8_decode(input, errors, True)
UnicodeDecodeError: 'utf8' codec can't decode byte 0xdc in position 21: unexpected end of data
. . .

This time when the string codec tried to convert the string back to unicode, it was expecting a utf-8 but we supplied a string in iso-8859-1 thus, the exception. Don't get your encodings mixed!

Not all situations results in exceptions, though. For example:

>>> #Create a unicode string
>>> s = u'Hello unicode world! Ü'
>>> s
u'Hello unicode world! \xdc'
>>> 
>>> #Convert to an encoding using encode
>>> s = s.encode('utf-8')
>>> s
'Hello unicode world! \xc3\x9c'
>>> 
>>> #Convert back to unicode using decode
>>> s = s.decode('iso-8859-1')
>>> s
u'Hello unicode world! \xc3\x9c'

As you can see we did not get the original unicode string anymore!

Python Short Hacking Tip #3: Know your encoding

2010-11-04T19:12:00.002+08:00

It is next to impossible to determine what encoding was used just by looking at a string of bytes. The second best thing for us is knowing whether the string is encoded using a certain specific encoding.

def is_encoding(enc, s)
    try:
        s.decode(enc)
        return True
    except UnicodeDecodeError:
        return False

Sample run:

>>> is_encoding('utf-8', u'Hello World \xdc'.encode('iso-8859-1'))
False

Take note that if the characters in the byte string are all in the ascii set, is_encoding will return true even for the call above.

>>> is_encoding('utf-8', u'Hello World'.encode('iso-8859-1'))
True

Python Short Hacking Tip #2: is_pys60 (duh!)

2010-11-04T08:47:00.004+08:00

try:
    import e32
    __has_e32 = True
except ImportError:
    __has_e32 = False

def is_pys60():
    return __has_e32

Python Short Hacking Tip #1: Plain Auth Base 64 Encoding

2010-11-03T15:32:00.002+08:00

auth_string = base64.encodestring( '\x00%s\x00%s' % (username, password) )

If you don't want the new line at the end feel free to remove it:
auth_string = base64.encodestring( '\x00%s\x00%s' % (username, password) )[0:-1]

Reading from
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2620975/strange-n-in-base64-encoded-string-in-ruby

I learned that:

"The reason content-free newlines are added at the encode stage is because base64 was originally devised as an encoding mechanism for sending binary content in e-mail, where the line length is limited. Feel free to replace them away if you don't need them."

Aaron's Letter to LT

2010-08-20T11:07:00.002+08:00

For those wondering about the contents of one of Aaron Hallam's (Benicio del Toro) letter to L. T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones) in The Hunted, well here is the top letter in the bunch that LT burned. Cheers!

LT, 

No postmark on this letter for obvious reasons. Everything you taught me has kept me alive. I've seen enough killing i don't think i can do that anymore. The nightmares are getting worse. 

Don't know if you've been getting my letters. I need to hear from you or talk to you. You've been like a father to me.

 I moved to Portland. Met a woman called Irene Kravitz. She shares my faith. She has a little girl Loretta and we've become close. Still waiting to hear from you. 

T B E H I R R

2010-07-28T08:44:00.006+08:00

After 17963 questions, your top 50:

1950 x
1707 <TerraGrace>
1317 (+)|RaiZo+~
1000 Apple0Archer
897 ` VLKODLAK
825 kuwah
609 <<<
597 Keyser Soze
546 :B,
542 Zard
537 Katie
531 mOonlitKiSS
446 >%'.>^'
445 *SHAIRA:e09*
390 </Makabata>
380 !
275 Sanzo
249 daphney
247 MAFiA:DDiOx
220 euniceinvain
213 Alex
208 :o;)Wish>,:D
199 Kenai
181 ++aLaSt0r++
175 >,/`emo liit
158 j
157 wink
150 ..:DD.|.
145 .
145 +19+nero+32+
118 bombardLaine
102 _________666
99 c
94 :B,PLEMAbomb
70 devilman
66 `pre|SPELL`
64 ..sam
64 hagwortz143
58 pedobear
51 herzonkrish
46 peekaboo:>
43 B
42 MAE
39 `
38 CARiZA
35 '
33 HELLO
32 CHAiARAY:>
30 Blue_Dragon
28 san

OSREECRNITU

2010-04-07T09:14:00.003+08:00

After lying dormant for months, the trivia bot is now partially operational. And here are the results for the easter text twist:

UP 2
359 Shamrock
326 CheLiCiouZ
122 GENRO
116 clandestine
106 Sonata in C
100 +Kael'thas+
91 ` LORD YEN
90 dyozatot
84 s
80 GACHAPON@};-
79 ..sky
64 sheanred
61 Yui
56 ga
50 BT|RHANDZO:)
44 Hell
42 BUN^3:)^
37 FURY:DDLUFFY
36 XLR8
33 bomb[?]LaiNe

Bombards
307 Bomb[?]BRUNO
254 BT|RHANDZO:)
138 bombardBREW
102 bomb[?]LaiNe
65 bombardLHADY
55 bomb[?]SA|NT
53 bomb>|okra
44 bomb|britney
39 Shamrock
38 GreenPeace
19 potchiko
14 bomb|cheLLy
12 demz
11 .chai.
8 angelhuvzyou
7 weak
7 marky
7 bombardDAP`
7 GONE
6 bomb|britney

Multi-threaded Problems Licked

2010-02-19T11:23:00.006+08:00

Random Wikipedia Trivia

2009-12-09T09:21:00.001+08:00

Edsger Dijkstra, discoverer of the shortest path algorithm, pioneer of goto-less (structured) programming, inventor of semaphores and algorithms for resource allocations, designer of operating systems, machine code programmer, contributor of so many computer technologies and, a Turing laureate to boot, wouldn't have anything to do with physical computers for most of his life from 1970's onwards.

A Short Letter to Fellow Uzzapmates

2009-12-05T08:24:00.003+08:00

Hello,

It's been a while since Uzzap started and I should say that it's been a heck of a good ride so far. I'm one of those Uzzap users who tend to stay on the sidelines in so far as indulging in the Uzzap experience. But from the point of view of someone like me, it's sometimes more enjoyable because you get to watch people interact with each other, share thoughts, get into online cat fights, create friendships and even develop serious relationships and deeper ties. I've seen youtube videos of "eyeball" gatherings, blog entries, forum discussions, "technical" web/wap sites, and online social networking groups bloom around Uzzap. Once in a while I even get up from the sidelines and indulge in the experience myself, not only to prevent putting myself in a hypocritical situation like writing this letter and not knowing what Uzzap really is all about, but also not to miss out on the fun that so many are already experiencing.

Yes, it's been a heck of a one and a half years so far and I expect it to stretch even longer than that! This time, though, is a critical point for Uzzap because something that was at first only looming in the horizon has finally come. Something dreaded by so many has finally claimed that fear. Billing.

Having to pay for something worthwhile is not sad, it's inevitable...or else that something just won't be able to exist anymore. When I say worthwhile I mean not only worth the while of the consumer to "check it out if it's okay", but also worth the while of people who maintain the service to "check out that it's doing well and good". And yes, people do maintain Uzzap. Nameless, invisible and yet we feel their presence through their dedication. We feel that they are there when something that went wrong gets fixed. We feel them whenever a new version gets released. They are there. And what's more, they also feel you and your frustrations. Whenever you don't get that prized chatroom hello from ms. 23fmla, because it was claimed by a frozen chatroom, they feel your frustrations 10 times more. Whenever a flooder washes away mr. 25mcebu's sweet whispers off your screen they feel your anger 30 times greater. Whenever a failed download prevents you from installing the latest kick-ass version, they feel your tears 60 times hotter. But it's not just enough to feel. It's more appropriate to take action, and that's what the Uzzap team does. Action may not take effect right away but it's there.

Before I get too patronizing, I'd like to get back to my point. This wave of melancholy over Uzzapdom is being felt by so many. But I'd like to believe that this is just a passing thing. Because for me, what's really sad is when people who supported Uzzap through the tough times caused by flooders to network lags to haters to failed downloads should refuse to help it survive the rest of the growing pains. And when I say people, I mean you. We all know the free beer is not going to flow all the time. I am not one to decide whether 10 pesos is a big or small expense because I am not in charge of your pockets. But if it's not too much to ask, your continued presence if at least in the chatrooms is a very big deal already. Uzzap needs you. There will always be problems but solving them won't matter much any more if you are not there. As for billing, well, that's just part of the reality that we have to accept. Just remember: it's always worth the while of the Uzzap team to make sure that it's worth your while to part with your ten pesos.

Best regards,

Mark Doc
31 m lpc

Macros are Evil, a Multi-Threaded Scenario

2009-11-22T10:34:00.007+08:00

The daemon I mentioned in my preceding post did fail some debug assertions which I found out came from the U++ MAP containers. Now this confirms my suspicion that there was a race condition in my app which puts the container in a "volatile" state. Digging though my code I found out that this code:

#ifdef GUI_POST_CALLBACK
#define MUTEX_LOCK(mutex)   Mutex::Lock __(mutex)
#else
#define MUTEX_LOCK(...)   ((void)0)
#endif

should have been:

#ifdef GUI_POST_CALLBACK
#define MUTEX_LOCK(...)   ((void)0)
#else
#define MUTEX_LOCK(mutex)   Mutex::Lock __(mutex)
#endif

Let me explain. Posted callbacks (using U++ PostCallback() in GUI mode) are called with mutex locking automatically done by the U++ framework. Since a daemon is not a GUI app, GUI_POST_CALLBACK is not defined, which leaves me to create my own locking. In the incorrect code above the ifdef guard was reversed thus calling MUTEX_LOCK(mutex_) had no effect in my code, leaving the daemon code vulnerable to non-preemptive data sharing! Reversing it solved the problem. No more crashing!

Whew, definitely NOT python + twisted! :D

Using SetAssertFailedHook() in U++

2009-11-20T04:28:00.003+08:00

A few months back, I started using Ultimate++ which is IMHO, a very elegant development framework in C++. One interesting facet of U++ (and one which deserves a more comprehensive treatment treatment than a side note) is its aggressive use of C++, which deviates from the standard. U++ containers, unlike STL ones do not require their contained objects to have a deep copy constructor. That being said, U++ or NTL containers can be magnitudes faster in performance than their STL counterparts by virtue of not having to copy an element every time you insert or append one. The caveat is you have to follow (a few) certain rules, which someone coming from an STL background can forget from time to time. Luckily for noobs like me though, the debugging facilities of U++ are excellent, with the downside of being poorly documented!

I am currently writing a daemon in U++ and I am constantly wondering why my app (built in debug mode) gets terminated from time to time with only a "Received Terminate Signal" in my logs (for some reasons I am using my own logging facility and not syslog). Digging down deeper into my code, I found out that the daemon terminates with this message when it receives either a SIGABRT or a SIGTERM signal. Now the only reason I can suspect is that a debug assertion is failing and the abort(3) funtion of stdlib is sending the SIGABRT. So how to catch that assertion?

Although the forum members of U++ are very friendly and comes to your rescue ASAP, my philosophy in development is if you don't need to ask, don't, and this is how I got by all this time in Symbian and other forums---by just using the search button or its command line brother, grep. Anyway, I wasn't in the mood to dig up forum posts and thought it's easier to grep through U++ code (yeah, you get the U++ source code too, swell huh?). The result? SetAssertFailedHook().

void MyAssertFailedHook_(const char* msg)
{
// Log msg here
}

// ...

SetAssertFailedHook(MyAssertFailedHook_);

That's it. Problem licked!

Oh, btw, the daemon is called sentinel. :D

If there was a thing on the net filled with more bullshit...

2009-10-29T08:55:00.003+08:00

... than this: http://forums.gov.ph/thread.asp?rootID=127876&catID=25 please, please show me! The Philippines is a Spanish creation, bah!

I quote the beginning of the forum post:

"The Philippines is a Spanish creation. Without Spain, there would have been no Philippines to talk about. If we weren't conquered by Spain, we would have ended up as either separate warring kingdoms/tribes (tribu de los tagalos, tribu de las visayas, tribu de los ilocanos, tribu de los mangyanes, etc.) or a Portuguese/Indonesian territory..."

And it gets worse from that point on. No, I will not sully my humble blog by quoting more. Jose Mario "Pepe" Alas, if you want to kneel before those Spanish bastards who raped this lands for more than three hundred years and lick their smelly asses again, be my fucking guest! But keep your dirty paws off the Internet if you don't have anything worthwhile to say!

You're almost literally saying that the pre-hispanic Philippines without any outside interference could not establish itself as a state, forgetting only too well that even your European colonizers started off as small conquering tribes before they banded up to become a big conquering monstrosity that used the bible and the sword to subjugate what was to become Pilipinas.

The Spanish brought the religion of my forefathers to this country and if my ancestors up to my mother and father found solace in the Roman Catholic brand of Christianity then well and good but make no mistake that the only reason and purpose that the name of Christ was cast into this mess is for subjugation and control! Spain was not interested in what the Indios, as a people, could offer, they were only interested in the natural resources these lands could yield. Why else would they not make us a proper province after three hundred long years? Why else, would they hold a religion that teaches love and goodwill to all men as a sword over our poor ancestors' heads? "Pay your dues or the fires of hell will consume you...", my father recalls very well why his grandfather and relatives was forced to move from Camiguin to the forests of Zamboanga del Sur, to escape the wrath of Spanish friars whose taxes they could not afford to pay anymore with what remained of their dignity.

Now tell me about this creation bullshit again?

"makipagclose ka kay mark doc..."

2009-10-18T12:48:00.003+08:00

"panu b maging moderator ng uzzap" A topic I happened upon here:
http://www.symbianize.com/showthread.php?t=102915

Ahahahahaha!

Some posts (in the url above) that really made my day:

"Punta ka smart tapos bayaran mo yung mods nila dun. (kung papayag). Mahirap kasi yan otor."

"w0w moderator ng uzzap.. maging isa ka sa pinakamagaling na it dito sa pinas tapos magapply ka sa smart makipagclose ka kay mark documento ata yun tapos yun baka gawin karin nyang moderator.. Goodluck.. haha,."

Damn! I gotta limit my visibility.

Trivia and Other Games Top Scorers - Uzzap

2009-10-15T17:24:00.005+08:00

Top 25 score(r)s for the trivia game in Sietch Tabr on Oct. 9-Oct. 17, 2009.

nautica                1200
rippogi                1020
~genkin~                747
Chronus                 568
shaira:e09              557
hideandseek7            543
(+)|caduceuz            500
pukinginamo             434
redjuan                 239
TRT>,ANGEL, 1932        235
slyvixen                224
C1N])3R3||A             215
nanref                  214
darkflame24             200
PriTi ~,^               198
Aki                     191
frozenflame             172
obraPUZA:o?             163
aleakim05               156
slaynfx                 154
KYUt \:>/, kenjitots    140
jefferson               129
reycop                   91
r0ckyken                 87
aphrogirl                86

Top 15 score(r)s for the trivia game in Tambayan 27 on Oct. 13-Oct. 15, 2009.

vew           225
alva          184
01            117
yUnA          100
maeden         79
shirosaki      79
RAH|*}\{imzo   67
[>;~           63
w!nx           41
gx~`jhii`Sh    32
gavino ang     25
cielo          22
ellemo1224     15
jefferson      13
jaymeern       13

Till the next!

Get the MSISDN in Symbian, Not!

2009-10-14T09:47:00.004+08:00

Yesterday we had a meeting in ***** with this guy from Sony-Ericsson about some top secret project which I am not at liberty to tell, sadly. Long story short, the discussion went into MSISDNs and how on our end we should get it so the service they'll provide can make use of it. I sort of suggested that we use the telephony services of Symbian to get the MSISDN. To my horror, I found out just now that it virtually impossible to get this from the client (phone). [See why.] Luckily I sort of put in a disclaimer that I haven't tried it yet and it may not be possible. So our plan went another route and all ended well.

Lesson learned: Don't suggest things you are not sure works especially when the big bosses are listening.

PHP syntax highlighting in Emacs (Debian Linux)

2009-10-12T14:11:00.006+08:00

Someone encouraged me before to start blogging again (no, his name is not Emerson Galacio). So just to have an entry for starters, 'cause I'm too lazy to think of anything original, I resolved to remember anything useful or useless (but curious enough) that I learn everyday and put them in my blog. So without further fuzz:

To have syntax highlighting in Emacs for the PHP language try the following in a debian setup:

sudo apt-get install php-mode

Then, edit the .emacs file located in your home directory and add the following lisp code:

(load-library "php-mode")
(global-font-lock-mode t)

Save and start emacs. Btw, you can learn more about font-lock-mode from here Emacs FAQ

If you don't have apt-get installed or you have a different package manager, you could download php-mode from here: http://php-mode.sourceforge.net

Maybe You

2008-09-24T19:19:00.002+08:00

And sad, oh sad i thought i was
Barely gasping for air in this sea of misery
Maybe it's you, it's you who'd come
And brave the waves to my rescue.

And deaf, but deaf i was to the world
Droning all day long around me
Maybe it's you, it's you who'd speak
And laugh the music back to my ears.

And difficult, but difficult the trials were
It's like the devil's hand was everywhere
Maybe it's you, it's you who'd fly
To snatch me from the pits of fire.

And hard, but hard my heart became
Like a stone unfeeling and rock unmoving
Maybe it's you, it's you can move
This weathered hunk of insensitivity.

And time, but time can only see
What's in store for a man lonely as me
Maybe it's you, it's you who'd be
The one, the possessor of the key.

For love, but love can only free
This soul of mine deprived of light
Maybe it's you, it's you who'd say
Come I'll help you find the way!

Locking the Keypad in UIQ for P1

2008-09-20T07:03:00.014+08:00

Wow programming! Hahaha

Why don't I try my hand at this? Maybe my blog visit stats would go higher.

So how do we lock the P1 keypad? API? Nope! As far as Sony-Ericsson is concerned, their Standby Application is the only thing that knows how to lock their d*mn P1 phones. So plan B? We use the Standby App to lock the phone for us. Easy? Took me long enough to figure out!

After typing "Symbian" "UIQ" and "key lock" in the google search bar I came up with the following discussion: Querying Key Lock State

This turned out to be a very interesting discussion which was both very helpful and turned out to be almost the answer to my problem.

Following the discussion, you will eventually come up to the very neat stuff (with a sample application). Basically the gist is this:


Snippet 1.

// ...
const TUid KUidStandby = { 0x10205AB5 };  // Uid of the Standby App
RWsSession& aWs = CEikonEnv::Static()->WsSession();

TApaTaskList list(aWs);
TApaTask task = list.FindApp(KUidStandby);
if (task.Exists()) {
  TKeyEvent key = {EQuartzKeyBack, EStdKeyDevice1C, 0, 1};
  task.SendKey(key);
}
// ...

Would it work for you? It did not for me! It set me in the right direction though.

I finally came up with the idea to simulate keystrokes from my app that would get the attention of the Standby App and finally get my keypad locked. So I came up with the following from Simulating Key Events.


Snippet 2.

void simulateBackKey()
{
  RWsSession& aWs = CEikonEnv::Static()->WsSession();

  TKeyEvent keyEvent;
  keyEvent.iCode = EQuartzKeyBack;
  keyEvent.iScanCode = EStdKeyDevice1C;
  keyEvent.iModifiers = EModifierAutorepeatable;  // Simulate long keypresses??
  keyEvent.iRepeats = 1;                          // Simulate long keypresses??
  aWs.SimulateKeyEvent(keyEvent);
  aWs.Flush();
}

Ok what this basicaly does is simulate a long press of the back button, found on the side of the phone just below the jog dial. Long pressing the back button sends any active application to the background and brings the Standby App up to the foreground. Long pressing the back button for a second time tells the Standby App to lock the keypad. So what we have here is a two-step process: bring up the Standby App and then lock the keypad.

To achieve this, we should have a timing mechanism to create a delay (2 seconds worked for me) between the two key simulations because the following just wouldn't work:


Snippet 3.

// ...
simulateBackKey(); // Ok, brings up the Standby App
simulateBackKey(); // FAIL! Too soon.
// ...

But I won't get into that messy detail right now, I'm sure googling(?) for "Symbian CTimer" will get you in the right direction.

So you finally managed to get this all working. Well and good! But you are too egocentric to accept the idea of your application just disappearing into the background. Well why not bring your app back up again? Of course after another (2-second) delay is in order, you could do that.


Snippet 4.

void bringMyAppBack()
{
  TApaTask task(CEikonEnv::Static()->WsSession());
  task.SetWgId(CEikonEnv::Static()->RootWin().Identifier());
  task.BringToForeground();
}

Ok that's it! To run down:

simulateBackKey();

<(2-second) delay>

simulateBackKey();

<(2-second) delay>

bringMyAppBack();

I've only tested this stuff on P1i, but feel free to try it out with other SE phones with similar interfaces and good luck!

Pinoy Thriller

2008-09-04T02:18:00.001+08:00

Ano ang nasa dako pa roon? Bunga ng malilikot na pag-iisip, likha ng balintataw o halaw. Di kayang ipaliwanag, ngunit alam mong magaganap. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Handling Stress (Yeah!)

2008-09-02T14:42:00.002+08:00

From our Stress-Handling Seminar:

Sabado night with Wally G

2008-06-17T11:51:00.007+08:00

Last Saturday Charles, Emerson and I were in My Bro's Mustache bar in Q.C. at the gig of no other than, Wally Gonzales---Pinoy rock pioneer and blues rock guitarist. Notable among his guests is Gary Perez of Nosi Balasi and Pagbabalik ng Kuwago fame. After seeing Gary come on stage I quickly had the feeling that this night's going to be special. And indeed it was! Sampaguita's former lead guitarist blazed on stage with his Jeff Beck meets Eddie Van Halen antics and guitar skills.

Among the band's repertoire, what quickly stuck in my mind was Wally's rendition of Europa (Santana) lending his powerful embellishments to a very emotional song. Up next was Little Wing (Jimi Hendrix) with Wally exchanging soulful licks with Gary. They also played a down-keyed version of Bonggahan (Sampaguita) with Gary on vocals. The second set opened with tadaaa, Wally's Blues! That was such a treat for me since that was the first time I heard Wally play his signature piece. At some point Gary came on stage with 'Cause we've ended up as lovers (Jeff Beck). As always the other songs were masterfully performed and the other band members were equally great. There was Dondi Ledesma showing off his bass guitar virtuosity and Bea Lao putting on her semi-bored mask while the rest of the world is drop-jawed watching her wreaking punishment to the drum set. There's this guy whose name I didn't catch on guitars. I think he's better than the other rhythm guitarists I've seen with Wally so far.

All in all the night turned out great though there was that feeling of being "bitin" in the air as Wally called it quits after 12.30am. As a bonus Wally tossed bottles with us and I also got to shake Gary's hand. Hah! If only I had those Rogue (X-men) powers. To my former band mates Julius, G-boy and Jun dela V: this is the real deal---eat your hearts out! Hahahaha!

Friday celebration

2008-06-16T10:22:00.002+08:00

Taken at Joday's post-birthday bash last friday. Parang ako lang ang may birthday ha? Wehehe

Sorry can't post *their* pics. Ask Jodie if you wanna see more. ;)

Parang sungka lang ha...

2008-06-16T09:13:00.003+08:00

There's something about cooking and the precise presentation that turns me on...

Now, if engineers would learn to cook like them. Hahaha, I'll miss you guys; you know who you are. ;)

13th June, 2008

2008-06-13T14:42:00.003+08:00

Friday the thirteenth! Read all about it here: http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th.htm

It's gloomy skies all over Alabang, and the rest of Metro Manila, I bet! A perfect setting to a vile day!

It's the day after the Philippine Independence Day! Uhhhh, what independence?!?

It's Bong-bong's Birthday! Yes he's my friend Jason's son. Jason? Oh no!

It's our OJT's last day.

I'll be meeting Jodie and company for her post birthday bash.

It's Wally Gonzales at My Bro's Mustache in Q.C. tomorrow!

This day two years ago, I submitted my resignation to K.R.

Piet prints my name

2008-06-12T09:51:00.003+08:00

"DOC"

Piet Programming Language

Piet Interpreter

Breakfast, anyone?

2008-06-11T10:26:00.004+08:00

Hmmm yum...

...as if the English language isn't bad enough. Come to think of it, it could be worse, like Mandarin (oh no!)

Yep, the Chinese might realize (at last) that it would be cost-effective, not to mention saner for their so called technical writers, to just write the manuals for their cheap electronics in Mandarin like it's the mandate of heaven and let the rest of the world worry about catching up. They're going to rule the universe anyway....

6 things you shouldn't be without on a long weekend

2008-06-10T10:51:00.002+08:00

So yeah you've noticed it's missing something... any takers?

"IT" people

2008-05-28T09:03:00.000+08:00

(08:58:55 PHT) Emerson: fucking IT people!
(08:59:00 PHT) Emerson: makes your job hard
(08:59:05 PHT) Emerson: instead of easy!
(08:59:08 PHT) Emerson: ...
(08:59:10 PHT) Emerson: ay mali
(08:59:16 PHT) Emerson: IT people pud diay ka
(08:59:18 PHT) Emerson: hahaha!
(08:59:21 PHT) Emerson: (lol)
(Wednesday, 28 May, 2008 08:45:57 PHT) Boy Ton-og: dili ko "IT" oi
(08:46:12 PHT) Boy Ton-og: i always put myself apart from them
(08:46:33 PHT) Emerson: (lol)
(08:46:37 PHT) Boy Ton-og: "IT" people are technicians, I am a programmer
(08:46:39 PHT) Boy Ton-og:
(08:46:47 PHT) Emerson: (lol)
(08:46:50 PHT) Emerson: sigi
(08:46:53 PHT) Emerson: lusot
(08:46:55 PHT) Boy Ton-og:

Eliza

2008-05-06T13:31:00.002+08:00

One of the earliest chat bots, also one of my earliest javascripts.

There is a fifth dimension...

2008-05-05T09:17:00.001+08:00

...beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and timeless as infinity. It is in the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fear and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. The signpost up ahead - your next stop...

...Quezon Avenue Station, Quezon Avenue!

Wow! More than 50 years since its original airing and its still as cool as ever. Watching it from this cheap mp4 player and standing up inside the MRT, Rod Serling's black & white classics never cease to engage my imagination. No matter the rocket ships that land standing up or the 1950's hairdos---Twilight Zone still rocks!

Fractal Fern

2008-04-30T18:41:00.006+08:00

Fractal fern in javascript (tested only on Mozilla Firefox, will most probably not work on IE :p)

Creepy Palindrome Poem

2008-01-07T08:32:00.000+08:00

A poem that reads from the first line to the last as it does from the last to the first is called a line unit palindrome poem. The following is an example, a favorite of mine:

Doppelganger
by James A. Lindon

Entering the lonely house with my wife
I saw him for the first time
Peering furtively from behind a bush --
Blackness that moved,
A shape amid the shadows,
A momentary glimpse of gleaming eyes
Revealed in the ragged moon.
A closer look (he seemed to turn) might have
Put him to flight forever --
I dared not
(For reasons that I failed to understand),
Though I knew I should act at once.

I puzzled over it, hiding alone,
Watching the woman as she neared the gate.
He came, and I saw him crouching
Night after night.
Night after night
He came, and I saw him crouching,
Watching the woman as she neared the gate.

I puzzled over it, hiding alone --
Though I knew I should act at once,
For reasons that I failed to understand
I dared not
Put him to flight forever.

A closer look (he seemed to turn) might have
Revealed in the ragged moon.
A momentary glimpse of gleaming eyes
A shape amid the shadows,
Blackness that moved.

Peering furtively from behind a bush,
I saw him for the first time,
Entering the lonely house with my wife.

Slang terms for age disparity in sexual relationships: which one of these are you?

2007-12-10T13:42:00.000+08:00

I was searching for the definition of the word gold digger (just to find out if they've already changed its definition from my high school Webster's Dict), and I found this from Answers.com:

n. Informal.

A woman who seeks money and expensive gifts from men.

Well, I was quite disappointed that they didn't already change it to include men as well, but I did find something else interesting---a Wikipedia article on "age disparity in sexual relationships". And the following are some slang terms lifted verbatim from the article:

Bobcat refers to a woman in her 30's who sexually pursues younger men.
Toyboy (or boytoy) refers to a young boy or man in a relationship with an older woman or man. Use of this terminology is considered by some to be impolite.
Haguar refers to an unattractive older woman, usually in her 40s, who makes unsuccessful sexual advances on younger men (e.g. an ugly Cougar; etymologically a portmanteau of "hag" and "cougar" but conformed to rhyme with "jaguar").
Cougar refers to an older woman, usually in her 40's who sexually pursues younger men or women.
Chickenhawk describes a much older gay man who "preys" on younger males, i.e. "twinks" or underage boys. The term was used as the name of a television documentary on the subject of NAMBLA.
Golddigging refers to a relationship in which a young person pursues an older person for monetary gain.
Jailbait refers to a particularly sexually attractive person, female or male, below the legal age of consent. This designation connotes enticement to endanger oneself of being prosecuted for statutory rape.
Lolita refers to a sexually precocious young girl who is the object of desire of a significantly older man. The term refers to the title character of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita, who is referred to by the book's narrator, Humbert Humbert, as a nymphet. While "nymphet" is still used to refer to children, "Lolita" has come to be applied to older adolescents and young women in the context of pornography. In South American and Cuban Spanish, "lolita" is a diminutive of "lola", a slang Spanish word for a prostitute, a usage unrelated to Nabokov's novel.
May-December Romance is a general and non-prejudicial expression for an age-disparate relationship. The expression draws an implicit analogy between one's lifetime and the time of year. Thus "May" refers to the younger partner, who is in the spring of his or her life. "December" is the elder partner, in the winter of his or her life.
MILF (Wiktionary link) - (Mom I'd Like to Fuck) refers to mothers who attract the sexual attention of high-school boys. This acronym was popularized by the movie American Pie and is frequently referred to in pornography. The term is also sometimes euphemistically construed as standing for Mama Is Looking Fine.
Mrs. Robinson, a reference to the movie The Graduate, refers to an older woman romantically involved with a younger man.
Robbing the Cradle (also known as Cradle Snatching) may refer to a situation in which an older individual seduces a much younger one; the term stigmatizes the act through its use of the word "robbing". The tone of this phrase is highly situational—in some cases, where consensuality in a relationship is clear, it is often used in a jesting manner, but where consensuality may not be evident, it can be intended in a very pejorative sense. People who 'rob the cradle' are commonly called "cradle snatchers" or "cradle robbers".
Robbing the Grave may refer to the opposite situation, where the object of affection is an elderly person. As it makes punning reference to archaeological tomb robbers, the term is often used to convey a similar idea to "gold digging", when a wealthy elderly person marries a much younger spouse and the speaker or writer believes that the younger partner hopes to receive part of the fortune upon the older spouse's death. Some editorial writers used the term in reference to the marriage of J.H. Marshall and Vickie Smith (who later adopted the pseudonym Anna Nicole Smith).
Sugar Daddy refers to a rich, usually older man who offers money or gifts to a less rich, usually younger person in return for companionship or sexual favours. This term is also an underworld code term for a pimp.
Sugar Mama (compare to sugar daddy) refers to a rich, usually older woman who offers money or gifts to a less rich, usually younger person in return for companionship or sexual favors.

So uuhhm, which one are you?

Bopis Avenue

2007-12-10T13:19:00.000+08:00

Amahan

2007-12-06T15:22:00.000+08:00

Pakyas!

2007-11-28T11:06:00.001+08:00

Bye Kikay!

2007-11-13T13:57:00.000+08:00

My doggie and trusty companion Kikay just died last Sunday evening at 9:00. My mom thinks she died of a stroke since she was getting fatter and fatter. She was still okay on Sunday morning. In the late afternoon they just saw her lying on the floor with the left side of her body paralyzed.

She has already been through a lot, having survived having been hit and run by a van and her spinal column damaged thus causing her to limp for the past 2 years. This probably made it difficult for her to run thus, her getting fat.

We will miss her sorely.

Bye Kikay and thanks for the loyalty!

YouTubed

2007-08-01T16:00:00.000+08:00

I discovered these gems in YouTube just recently, one through random search and one through a friend (thanks Estong).

Indian Superman starring Govinda and a woman in a Spidey suit, bridging the D.C. and Marvel universes through song and dance, LOL!

Another Superman rip-off from India this time, with subtitles! My ribs are cracked from laughter, oh my!

And, CPDRC inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines practicing Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. Wow, look at those thrilla moves and those thrilla faces. LOL! Move over Michael, take over Lolo!
Thriller (http://youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o)

My RFE (Redundant Friendster Entry): (YouTubed @ Uhaw pa sa Camel on Friendster)

Job Hunting Blues

2007-07-26T18:15:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, the personnel department over at a European outsourcing firm called and invited me for a job interview. Seeing this as an opportunity to once again put my mettle to the test, I accepted to be scheduled for Wednesday, yesterday.

Whew, am I getting rusty... sometimes the pressure of taking job exams just gets to you when you've never done it for a while. I was sloppy enough to botch up two problems and miss 3 questions out of 20 in the multiple choice test. But, nevertheless, it was a good experience and I'll do it again tomorrow if need be. Just to sharpen up things!

Anniversary

2007-07-23T18:26:00.000+08:00

I just realized that I already spent a year here in manila just last July 21. It's amazing how time can just fly by. I've already made a lot of new friends and got reacquainted with some old ones, reestablished rapport with my brods, celebrated my birthday in the middle of a typhoon, broke some hearts and in turn had my own broken, went to Subic twice, finished a few projects and gained a raise, relocated to a new home, established contact with some relatives, sang in my friend's wedding, saw Transformers(!), etc...and missed everything back home. I miss my dogs, my friends, my family and everything that's Davao City. Nonetheless, I had lots of fun here and I'm looking forward to lots more this year!

Recipe from Hell

2007-07-17T18:28:00.000+08:00

The Vermicelli from Hell

Hello. In a flash of inspiration or a fit of madness, I invented the following recipe which I call the Vermicelli from Hell. Exactly why I made it, maybe too much alcohol in my system or too many of those Thundarr the Barbarian reruns, I don't remember. But, I clearly recall the hellishly engineered taste and it caused me nightmares for weeks after. For those stupid enough to try, here it is. Remember that altering the basic ingredients might spoil(!) the taste so be forewarned.

1 can (155 g) canned tuna, spicy (I used Century tuna)
1 can squid adobo (I recommend Saba brand)
1/2 can button mushrooms, sliced. (Use SM bonus for that extra large mutated look)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bulb onion, diced
4 red chili pepper (siling labuyo), crushed
1 pack vermicelli (bihon) noodles
1 tablespoon used oil
1 dash salt
1 pinch sugar
fish sauce (patis)
4 cups water

Sautee the onion and garlic in the used oil in a wok. Add the tuna and heat up for a little while, then add the water and the noodles. Cover up for about 4 minutes then add the salt, sugar and patis (to taste!). Throw in the siling labuyo and canned squid (don't slice the squid). Cook until it gains that hellish aroma. Serves 20 or more.

Write a suicide note before tasting or, you can wring your hands in the air and shout, "It's alive!" Then serve your unsuspecting enemies.

Baybayin Transliterator

2007-07-04T16:08:00.002+08:00

I simplified the design, making it accept f as letter p, v as b, and c as k. I know this is not proper but I am lazy and you can just ignore them if you don't want them.

Thanks

2006-10-03T04:22:00.000+08:00

Hey guys thanks for all those advanced, on-time, and belated greetings last Saturday. You remembered, that's incredible! (What an asshole thing to say, hahahaha!) Anyway thanks again!

Shot para igat!

Happy Birthday

2006-09-24T04:12:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

I luv you!

Tupelo

2006-09-13T12:50:00.000+08:00

Here's something I found in YouTube. This is John Lee Hooker performing Tupelo.

Awe-fucking-some!

It's Flooding Down in Visayas

2006-09-09T03:26:00.000+08:00

As if yesterday's flood wasn't enough again I encountered the beast in Pinoy 55's Visayas Avenue hideout in Quezon City. This time, the flood just became a not so welcome diversion but did nothing to destroy the merry atmosphere during the Celebration of Mon's birthday and the christening of Rolly's daughter earlier that day. We put our fraternity energies to work salvaging furnitures and appliances and stuff. More importantly, the beer was warm enough to combat the cold except maybe in Mon's case whose hands were somewhat shivering when he took the picture below:

Uhaw pa's camel nga gibaha (L-R): Spencer, Warren and yours truly

When the Levee Breaks

2006-09-08T22:41:00.000+08:00

:: Bahaan blues

4:00 pm: Ningadto kog SM kay namalit kog sanina og bedsheet.

6:30 pm: Pauli na ko apan mibundak ang puwerte kakusog nga uwan.

7:00 pm: Gikapoy na kog hinulat og taxi, mao nga nagjeep na lamang ako.

7:05 pm: Misakay akog jeep nga rota Ayala-Washington.

7:10 pm: Nakatulog ako (mao nga wala ko kakanaog sa Ayala.)

7:30 pm: Bilat! Unsa na man ning lugara ni! (Mga tao naninggit: Hindi na madaanan doon, ang lalim na ng baha!)

7:35 pm: Manong lalabas pa kayo? Hindi na eh, titrik na tong sasakyan ko.

7:37 pm: Stranded.

8:00 pm: Stranded lang gihapon. (Pero naa nay yosi.)

8:05 pm: Mitaas na ang baha. Nanggawas ang ok-ok og uban pang matang sa manananap gikan sa gutter akong gitindugan.

8:06 pm: Pota! Gikamang-kamangan ko sa mga animal! (In the background: Ang laki ng alupihan!)

8:10 pm: Nanawag ko kang Nonoy para mangutana kung unsaon nako pag hawa dinhi. Ang tubag? taxi. Ang taxi? Tu-a naglangoy-langoy.

8:15 pm: Kakita na gyud kog bangka nga gama sa styrophore. Maayo na lang walay bangka nga gama sa lungon.

8:30 pm: Ang sitwasyon: ako naa sa kanto sa usa ka crossing. Baha ang tanan kalye nga nagabot ssa maong crossing.

8:40 pm: Nakasakay akog traysikad. Manong saan po ako sasakay? Dyan lang sa drayber's seat, sir. Itutulak ko kayo.

8:45 pm: Tidal wave!!! Kigwa, kalooy sa akong bag-ong pantalon!

8:50 pm: Minaog ko sa Gil Puyat Ave. Pugsit akong singkuwenta. Apan naluoy man ko niya kay layo layo iyang pagtuklod kanako (83 kapin ka kilos) mao gitagaan na lang nakog panigarilyo nga dies pesos. Kasuwerte sa kuanggol!

9:00 pm: Chino Roces Ave: way dyip masakyan. Baktas na lang ko pauli.

10:00 pm: Katol....

:: Approximation of how I felt.

New Beginnings

2006-09-04T19:36:00.000+08:00

I recently acquired this photo from Den's and Cez's wedding last July 15, a week before my leaving town. Looking back I didn't really realize then that it would mean new things not only for them and for me, but for KR as well.

iWebmaster Camel

2006-08-25T13:35:00.000+08:00

This are my new officemates at iWebmasters. I'm on a night shift so I had to control my "thirst" nowadays. But like the camel, who walks the desert for days without drink, so would I brave the nights without nourishment. Thus, like this venerable beast that wantonly slakes its thirst after a long journey, well....

Photo courtesy of Rovic Balunsay. You can view the rest of his photos at http://photojazz.multiply.com/.

Bye Kwikrelease

2006-07-07T10:22:00.000+08:00

For almost two years I've teamed up with wonderfully competent people who also became my friends. I'll be missing you guys!

Pure Massacre

2006-04-13T12:36:00.000+08:00

Oh no!

New Look

2006-03-25T10:20:00.000+08:00

I finally got around to hauling my lazy ass to work on a new look for my sight. I just love how it maximizes space now. Hope you like it. :D

Arnis Exhibition

2006-03-14T16:30:00.000+08:00

I joined my first KDO exhibition at the Gaisano Mall last Sunday. It was exciting and fun. Judging from the awe on the faces of the on-lookers, I realized that arnis in Davao City is a very esoteric art, known only to a few martial arts afficionados. The exhibition was a guest number in a body-building contest sponsored by Matina South Studio, where we also practice our art. It gave us a chance to promote a virtually misunderstood and rarely known art which is a part of our Philippine heritage.

Vino Kung-fu

2006-03-03T09:20:00.000+08:00

In 1852, a young chinese kung-fu master brought to Manila the secrets of making medicinal wine using secret herbs. Thus, Vino Kung-fu was born. Energy giving Siok Tong that tastes good. Highly recommended for good health. Drink Vino Kung-fu for V-igor and V-itality.
Disclaimer: this entry is not an ad for either Vino Kung-fu or Destiliria Limtuaco & Co Inc. I don't know what it is.

Uhaw...

2006-03-01T14:57:00.000+08:00

...pa sa camel!

How I went fifty kilometers for a smoke

2006-02-27T09:27:00.000+08:00

"Tell me, as a friend, how much do you care for me?"

"Much."

"Do you care for me enough to hurt me?"

She fell silent for a while as if she really gave it thought then she let out a somewhat embarassed smile and said, "I don't know. That's a very strange idea."

Silence.

But, as the bus drove on and on, he was more than silent cause his heart was in turmoil. Why don't you hurt me? Maybe it's the only way I'll let go. Perhaps the only way I'll stop messing with your life…. But he was already hurt and he's still here.

He looked at her and playfully and softly jabbed at her shoulder, "Hey don't sleep on me yet. It's just a few more minutes."

"I'm really tired but hey, just talk, okay? I'm listening."

Silence.

So the taxi, wasn't really enough. He had to board the bus to be with her more. He knew he's wasting money now, buying a few more moments—an hour to be exact. And now he's desperate. He's got less than twenty minutes left.

"We're arriving in less than twenty minutes."

"You're getting off, right?"

"No, I'm going with you," he said, perhaps too seriously, to stop himself from smiling.

"Hmmm, did you file a leave?"

"I'd call in sick," he quipped, but knew this was impossible so he added a few heartbeats later, "I won't have a place to sleep if I do."

"Oh."

Silence. But not any longer.

"I'm sorry if I've been difficult today."

She gave him a blank stare, so he tried again, "even the hardest heart get frustrated sometimes."

"Stop speaking in riddles," she replied. But he knew she understood, even more than she tried to show.

Her eyes suddenly lit up and she said, "I can never forget the radio station and the DJ, I can't quite get him out of my mind."

He replied, "Oh yeah the DJ. You know if you keep talking about him I'd have to get jealous." She laughed.

He held her left hand and looked at her watch and said, "When do we meet again?"

"I don't know, maybe next year."

"That's too long."

She just smiled, like she used to when declaring something inevitable.

Silence.

"You know, I... next year's too long and by then I'd probably miss a lot of things about you."

She raised her eyebrows.

He tried to hold her hand again and she allowed her fingertips to be taken hostage.

"I'd miss the way you smile, your eyes, your lips and your lipstick." She laughed softly at this.

"I'd miss your laughter, your toes, your hands."

"I don't like my hands, they're so big."

"But I like them because they're yours."

She laughed louder this time, shaking her head a bit.

"Yeah, and I'd miss the way you chat with me, which is like waiting for eons before you reply."

"Hmmmm, sometimes I get busy."

"And those blouses you wear everytime we meet---the ones with the plunging necklines."

"You could see my cleavage?"

"Is there any?"

"Oh!"

Then he realized: what an asshole thing to say! So he quickly followed with a smile, "Of course there is, I was joking."

Then quickly he added, "You know there's these guys at the department store last night. They were checking you out because you were leaning over too far and your blouse just revealed too much. When I realized what they were up to, I immediately move in front—between you and them…"

She smiled again.

"…so I could have the view all to myself!" He looked playfully but meaningfully downwards. She immediately tried to cover with her hand, but he pulled it off saying, "Don't do that, your secrets are safe with me." He winked.

She was laughing audibly this time.

"Then I notice those men were behind you this time and I'd bet they were checking something else."

"What then?"

"Well, your ass is there. That's what I've been checking before," he said while trying to sound guilty.

"Yeah I'd miss your ass too."

Laughter.

"I'd also miss, well that is if you stop, those spam emails that you seem to send to only two people: me and misty-something."

"She's my sister abroad."

"Oh. Well it's spam you know but..."

Before her laughter died he said, "What I'd really miss is a friend. Thanks."

She smiled and mouthed, "You're welcome."

Then she said, "Hey if you're gonna right about this trip in your journals will you please let me read it?"

He replied, "Of course" just as the bus entering the terminal. She pointed to one of the buses parked outside. "You will have to be on one of those."

"Yes." He leaned over and kissed her hand and then kissed her forehead as well saying, "For good measure. Bye now. Take care always."

"Thanks for giving me company."

He blinked his eyes as they were getting accustomed to the glare of the afternoon sun. He went to a cigarette stand and lit a stick. As he was consumating his smoke, he saw two middle-aged snack vendors carrying their wares on their head while hawking them to passengers. They seem to move as one and he noticed they were holding hands. They seemed to be very happy. He looked at the half consumed stick between his fingers and he threw it at the nearest trashcan. He immediately boarded a bus headed home, thinking, enough already, time to get back to reality.

Uhaw pa sa camel

2006-02-08T10:25:00.000+08:00

I woke up this morning feeling drunk. Hey, I was drunk last night--why do I feel drunk right now? It's not fair! When you wake up the next day, you should be feeling the hangover--you know achingly heavy head or heavily aching head and numb body parts and indescribable thirst and what not. But not drunk. Drunk's supposed to be last night when your still drinking though you 've had too much. Not now. Not this. If the words I'm typing can be heard, they'd be slurred. F@ck! I'm going back to sleep.

Distant

2005-10-25T08:51:00.000+08:00

distance, physical, unbound
you remain distant in your ground
while large is the chasm that divides
our two worlds would never collide.

distance, real, profound
always keeps us in a shroud
while thick is the mist that blinds
our hearts will never, each other, find.

distance can awe and astound
in our corners we remain bound
while unbreakable are these ties
freedom, the fates will always deny.

distance, lonely, wanting
forever taunts my yearning
while the gods refuse my wants
near or not you'll remain distant.

Mga Uhaw Pas' Camel

2005-10-21T08:56:00.000+08:00

Oi! Kanus-ang sunod G.I.?!?

Amiyake

2005-10-15T12:20:00.000+08:00

How do I describe what it is I see
Whenever your questing eyes bore into me?
Is it beauty maybe enticing me softly
Or merely my imagination playing tricks on me?

How do I put into words what it is I hear
Whenever my name you whisper so dear?
Is it music perchance---a sweet sounding lullaby
Indulging me in a never ending melody?

How do I express what it is I smell
Whenever the wind carries your scent to me?
Is it perfume perhaps, so sweet and so deadly
Forever drowning me into a rosy reverie?

How do I tell you what it is I feel
Whenever your touch alights on my skin?
Is it a mirror of what my heart felt
The moment fate brought you to me...?

Driftwoods

2005-10-07T14:46:00.000+08:00

Exploring my sorroundings was a favorite pastime of mine as a kid. There used to be a neat forested area of about 10-20 hectares near our village where you can find an assortment of small animals, big snakes, and hundreds of birds --- a young boy's paradise! Now, returning to that same area, I find a -- residential subdivision being constructed. No more forest, no animals, no snakes and no birds. Where there used to be a pond, I find a smaller version, a far cry from the lusher and richer one that I once imagined as a grand lake. One afternoon, during a solitary haunt with Kikay as my only companion, I rested one afternoon beside that pond. And gazing into the water I saw small pieces of driftwood. I was immediately transported back in time while staring at the dreamy though murky waters....

I heard laughter, and saw my friend, M. J. sitting beside me and throwing small rocks and pebbles at the little driftwood. We were very close, he and I. While he was very high-spirited and fun-filled, I, in contrast, was more silent, sometimes to the point of being brooding. Although we shared secrets between ourselves, I found out that I am more hesitant, more careful with mine, while he is very trusting with his. Aside from secrets, we shared many other things between ourselves, including the love for adventure and fun, music, machines, books but most specially, a love for exclusivity. We would never be seen around with each other in the company of other children. It's as if, I am transformed into a different person when I am with him. I thought that I could be more of myself when I'm with my companion. Sometimes we'd dream of being in a rock band together, he on guitars and me on vocals. We'd dream of being martial artists or foot soldiers in an ancient realm. Always he would be enthusiastic while I would be more reserved. But always, I can be more of a normal kid when we're off together on some little adventure. Sometimes he leads and I follow -- like a pirate captain and his first mate or a dashing knight and his squire -- or it may be the other way around with me at helm of our inter-galactic star cruiser, ready to embark on a deadly mission with my trusty navigator.

One afternoon, we decided to look for spiders since fighting spiders were "in" among the boys in school and we were hoping to have a nice little profit from cashing on the sale of the poor critters to my classmates. My friend, being more knowledgeable with the habits of those eight-legged animals, lead the expedition into the little forest. According to him, unlike other kids who waited for sundown to catch the spiders descending from their webs high up in the trees, we had the advantage of the forest where it is already dark and the little critters are already about their business spinning their webs and catching bugs. We brought along bibingkas (rice cakes) and a bottle of water for our merienda and two pairs of sling-shots just in case the birds were about. He would never let the opportunity of bagging a bird or two slip away.

After quite a while, we capture 6 big ones that would fetch a handsome price in the kid market and 7 smaller ones that we'd sell to the smaller, more gullible kids. We decided to eat our cakes near the small lake (pond). Afterwards we took turns throwing stones at the driftwoods. We would watch while the stones made splashes and ripples that either brought the pieces of driftwood closer together or farther apart. Sometimes a well-aimed rock with smash a piece into splinters. Suddenly a bird was cried as if calling to its mate. In a rustle of wings three birds nesting near our lake flew away and my friend, suddenly dashed away in pursuit. I was torn between following him and staying, my eyes glued for no apparent reason to the driftwoods, especially at the one that's drifting further away from the others even though the ripples were all but gone....

I never saw my friend again after that afternoon. What I saw in his place was a creature more silent, often to the point of being brooding....

One day my friend simply went away. I really can't remember when. Perhaps it was on a 30th of September, a day which, according to him is very special.

Today while looking back at the pond's murky waters, I can still remember M. J. explaining that driftwoods were moving because other things less obvious to my eyes were making them move. Sometimes the soft breeze made them move. Sometimes undercurrents do. I smiled and patted Kikay, who's probably wondering why there's a sudden break in our trek.

I smile more often now. And I laugh more. And I learned to trust more. And I had a band where I was both on guitars and vocals. I am learning to do many other things I'm afraid to do before.

I can't remember if I really cashed in on the spiders. More likely I just threw them all away.

Arnis

2005-09-22T08:24:00.000+08:00

I've been practicing arnis, the deadly Filipino stick, blade and empty-handed fighting art, albeit in an off and on fashion, for about five months now. Though I just couldn't find enough time to pursue this passion of mine, my appreciation for the simplicity and effectiveness of this martial art stands unwavering. I belong to the Kapatirang Doble Olisi Escrima (KDO) club, which literally means "Double Stick Escrima Brotherhood". The club was founded in the 90's by Master Mario Palazuelo. As a martial artist, Master Palazuelo is skilled in a wide gamut of martial arts including aikido, boxing and taekwondo, having earned his black belt in the Korean art decades ago. As an arnisadore, he is also well versed in many different permutations of the art, having traveled across the country, especially in the Visayan area, where he studied with different masters, including GM (Grand Master) Ernesto Presas of Kombatan and Modern Arnis and GM Ben Luna Lema of Lightning Scientific Arnis. As the name of the club implies, the Master teaches his students the double stick as well as single stick forms aiming to make them proficient in both styles. Disarms and locks are taught as well, with emphasis on speed and timing. True to tradition, the master teaches knife-fighting, boxing and unarmed combat when a student has progressed in his stick-fighting abilities.

As a club, KDO aims to promote the Filipino martial arts in Mindanao and Davao City and, if opportunities allow, world-wide. As an affiliate of Arnis Philippines (Master Palazuelo as Commissioner for Davao City), KDO sponsors tournaments that follow Arnis Philippines rules. Personally, I share the hopes of many arnisadores that one day arnis will gain a world-wide following large enough to include it in the Olympics. So far, about 35 countries practice arnis, 15 short to make it an Olympic sport.

2005-09-20T12:19:00.000+08:00

Tension slowly mounts up in the office as a Starcraft aficionado (that means any one of us) patiently attacks a defending camp while his teammates stealthily drops a bevy of lurkers into an unsuspecting opponent's mineral field. In silence another one may be preparing a full compliment of carriers ready to be unleashed into the foray as yet another opponent awaits with a dozen scourges. Whatever the strategem may be and whatever the cost a victor emerges and gloating ensues as the losers lets lose a barrage of excuses. Yet whoever wins or loses the game remains as stimulating as ever as the boys look forward to another day of razing and wanton mayhem and destruction.

The following shots show me, together with my team (Ivan, Markie and Rod) unleash our unforgiving firepower into the enemies' (Bing, Shawn, Al, Coyix) ranks.

Nuke em up!	Capture the middle.	Puppy power!

Harvest time	Futile stand	Sweet victory!!!

Towers of Hanoi

2005-09-15T12:20:00.000+08:00

Mondrian Art

2005-08-26T09:32:00.000+08:00

This is a PHP script I wrote (or rather, translated) for simulating modern art after the Modern abstract artist Piet Mondrian.

Hit your browser's Reload or Refresh button if you don't like the picture.

Visit the web site where i got the original Java source for this script by Richie Bielak.

Visit the following to know more about Piet Mondrian:
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/mondrian.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/mondrian/
http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/mondrian/
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/mondrian_piet.html

Starcrap

2005-08-20T17:04:00.000+08:00

Nuke em up!	Capture the middle.	Puppy power!

Harvest time	Futile stand	Sweet victory!!!

Uhaw...

2005-08-18T16:57:00.000+08:00

...pa sa Camel???

OMG! Mga kamel sugot mo ma-alasan sa mga kabayo???

Limtanon

2005-08-15T16:52:00.000+08:00

Turing celebrated his birthday on the 2nd. I thought it was on the 5th. Hmmmm, kulang sa vitamins.... Hehehe, belated happy birthday part!

Meanwhile, the Salumay trip is now in limbo. Kanuto, Deciembre na sab???

I was going to create and mail a poem to a special friend. Hulat-hulat lang Bel, hapit na. Di na gyud nako kalimtan. :)

It seems I also forgot about pending upgrades to my pc. If only motherboards cost only a peso each....

What else? If I forgot anything, would it matter? I'd forget about it anyway. Hahahaha!

My pencil rendering of Mnemosyne, Greek goddess of memory. Just a reminder that memory is beautiful, we shouldn't forget about it. Nyahahahaha!!!

The Original Kwik Team

2005-07-28T16:46:00.000+08:00

Left-Right: Detdet, Vinson, Ivan, Shawn, Me, Markie and Al

Dark Side

2005-07-07T16:31:00.000+08:00

When a jedi has had too much he turns...

...nagmaoy kay nahubog!

Digi-art

2005-07-02T16:26:00.000+08:00

Since childhood, I have this passion for comics which extends from mere reading to sketching and making my own comic books. I sort of lost interest as I grew older. My priorities just changed after my interests broadened. But I guess It's really hard to scratch away an old itch. Recently, I found out that my office mates Bing Ong and Shawn Somido also share the same passion and they were the ones who convinced me to put my pencil to the test again after quite a long time.

After quite a number of scribblings, I finally came up with the picture on the left which I call 'Escrimador'. Now my sketch is a far cry from the usual ink on paper after Bing has colored it digitally just like those guys in Image Comics. Cool huh?

Click to view larger image.

Tie me up

2005-07-02T16:21:00.000+08:00

Another one bites the dust... the song takes on another meaning as I watched my long time friend Otep tie the knot with Enalyn, his long time girlfriend. That fateful June 29 was the point of no return as another of my friends decided or was forced to decide to call it quits the carefree and careless life of a bachelor and start afresh. Imagine that --- spending the rest of your days with someone who doesn't share your penchant for boxing matches, basketball games, beer, LAN and shoot-em-up games, beer, porno material, beer, martial arts, rock music, beer..., you know what I mean, don't you? A woman just isn't like the rest of the boys! And yet, what kind of prick wants to marry a guy??? As if that Will & Grace sitcom isn't bad enough.

I remember hearing my fellow grooms man comment that marriage is one of the wages of sin. You are getting married as punishment for your excesses as a bachelor. Hehehe if getting married to a stunning Angelina Jolie is punishment, I'd be sinning more often from now on.

Now on to Enalyn. She is going to be a wife...to a man who loves boxing matches, basketball games, beer, LAN and shoot-em-up games, beer, porno material, beer, martial arts, rock music, beer..., you know what I'm getting at don't you? A man just isn't like one of the girls. But, what self-respecting woman wants to live with another broad??? As if....

Now as I see the ordeal comes to an end, I realize that Otep and Enalyn are indeed happy and that perhaps there is more to this marriage thing despite all the talk. After all Otep will be Otep and Enalyn will be Enalyn --- a man and a woman made and meant for each other. Thirteen years is a very long wait. After all the "wise guy insinuations" * I'm finally convinced that m'man Otep is not shooting blanks. But most importantly, I am happy that they finally did it.
To you guys --- my warmest congratulations!

Now who's next, Joman? Hehehe....

Grooms men (that's me in the Matrix-avoid-the-bullet-pose)

wise guy - way semilya ang lagay
nice guy - naay semilya ang lagay

Happy Beerday Kanuto

2005-06-06T16:19:00.000+08:00

Hapi-hapi-hapi bertday,
Sa 'yo ang inumin,
Sa 'yo ang pulutan...

...hoy Kanuto Happy Bertdi bai. Pasensya na nanghawa mi'g sayo kay wa na giganahan si Turing sa istorya didto. Ikaw, sa tanang tawo ang dapat makasabot. ;)

--------------------------------------

Datu Salumay Spring Resort

The place to be this coming July...

...as decided on the meeting at Not-not's birthday celebration last Saturday.

Ready na guys?

Naghinam-hinam na ko ba.

Uhaw?

Happy 50th

2005-06-02T16:03:00.000+08:00

THIS AD SPACE IS RESERVED

FOR THE UP PINOYS 1955.

SPOT DEDICATED TO THE UP DILIMAN BROTHERHOOD OF THE FILIPINOS 1955

Uhaw...

2005-06-01T15:58:00.000+08:00

...pa sa kamel!

June.

Rainy days.

Beer is out?

No but definitely hard is in!

Watch out for the summer solstice on the 22nd.

Keep thirsty.

Graphic imagery due to Onets Boy Shawn.

Kikay

2005-05-30T15:48:00.000+08:00

Name: Kikay Molly
Alter ego: Banimbus
Birth date: May 20, 2000
Gender: Female
Breed: Mongrel
Known Tricks: The Pretend-she's-not-looking-then-suddenly-snaps-at- your-nearest-appendage Trick
Likes: Early morning walks and cheddar cheese
Dislikes: Small kids and strangers
Trait: Very faithful and affectionate

Photo taken while Kikay was busy fighting alien invaders in the mystical forests of Matina, circa 2004 A.D.

Party II

2005-05-22T15:46:00.000+08:00

After our Samal escapade, our boss dropped me off at home where I met Joman--- my friend and, more importantly, a camel who is celebrating his birthday. Hehehe guess what's next?

"Mark, imo."

"Ahhh. Salamat 'Ric."

"Ikaw 'Noy?"

"'Di, 'sa ko bai---bug-at p'ang tiyan."

"Tep."

"Ibutang sa."

"Asa na?"

"Paghulat 'Yat."

"Ahhhhh. Salamat."

"Jom pasa kang Boyet, palihog."

"Bai, naa pay barbeque dinhi o."

"Salamat Jom. Naa pay ice?"

What transpired basically sounded like this with some variations. What do you expect?
I've never seen a guy so happy as Joman in his birthday. And never felt a head as heavy and pain-filled as mine. And yet after the karaoke stint where Michael made a heart-stopping rendition of Through the Fire (and I thought he was going to give the mic to his wife), we still managed to go home with smiles pasted on our faces.

Party!!!

2005-05-18T15:38:00.000+08:00

The Event:
Last May 7 we finally had our Christmas vacation company party at Island Garden City of Samal (Samal for short).

The Team:
Rodney, Den, Henry, Ivan, Markie, Al, Shawn, Salatiel, Randy and me, of course!

The Ride:
We ferried from Davao City to Babac. After a backbreaking, very bumpy ride from Babac to Kamudmud, we were told that we didn't have a reservation so we had to ride all the way back to Babac again and ended up at Coco Beach Resort. Coco beach was recommended to us by a hitchhiker we dubbed The Scorpion King because of a prominent scorpion-cum-yin-and-yang tatto on his right deltoids. We got ourselves settled fast because it's already nightfall.

The Menu:
Grilled bangus, panga ng tuna, pork kilawin, tuna kinilaw, prawns, pork barbecue and ripe mangoes for dessert and mango juice to wash it all up.

The Drinks:
Fundador brandy, Red horse beer and Red Wine.

What happened:
Well what do you expect? When thirsty camels get together, there's bound to be a lot of...drinking, i guess. We started off with beer instead of brandy. Someone finally opened the brandy and that's when things got interesting. Ivan got into singing duets with a widow about 20 years his senior. Salatiel, our official gunner, somehow started to lead us (unsuccesfully) into believing that he's been putting ice instead of small pebbles into our drinks. Then he kissed Shawn and crawled on his knees on the sand after he got so drunk. We did have our revenge though (See Salatiel Tragedy).

Whats missing?
Gurls.

The Morning After:
I was the first one up. And after an envigorating swim the throbbing in my head finally subsided. I started to work on what's left in the cooler. After everyone was up, we broke fast on eggs and corned beef. After a few more swims and beers and wine, we finally went home happy and tired and yet...still uhaw pa sa camel.

Sleepless

2005-05-17T15:25:00.000+08:00

Cimex lectularius Linnaeus - bed bug.
Cebuano - kuting
Tagalog - surot
Slang - pesteng yawa katola!

Blood feeding parasites of humans, chickens, bats and occasionally domesticated animals (Usinger 1966). Bed bugs are suspected carriers of leprosy, oriental sore, Q-fever, and brucellosis (Krueger 2000) but have never been implicated in the spread of disease to humans (Dolling 1991).

Human dwellings, birds nests, and bat caves make the most suitable habitats for bed bugs since they offer warmth, areas to hide, and most importantly hosts on which to feed (Dolling 1991). Bed bugs are not evenly distributed throughout the environment but are instead concentrated in harborages (Usinger 1966). Within human dwellings, harborages include cracks and crevices in walls, furniture, behind wallpaper and wood paneling, or under carpeting (Krueger 2000). Bed bugs are usually only active during night but will feed during the day when hungry (Usinger 1966). Bed bugs can be transported on clothing, in traveler's luggage, or in bedding and furniture (USDA 1976) but lack appendages to enable them to cling to hair, fur, or feathers, so are rarely found on hosts (Dolling 1991).

Kept me awake for many a night now. Damn this itch!

Scientific stuff taken verbatim from:
http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/bed_bug.htm
Maybe of interest:
http://www.sovlit.com/bedbug/

Salathiel Tragedy

2005-05-17T12:33:00.000+08:00

Word of caution guys: don't get caught drunk and asleep, especially when your drinking mates are named Ivan, Shawn, Al, etc...or you'll probably end up like this (Click on a thumbnail for larger view):
Yes that's right. This poor guys name is Salathiel---Salat for short and he met a fate that could be worse...ah well its a shame I'm too decent to show only his tops. ;)

Uhaw...

2005-05-07T12:20:00.000+08:00

...pa sa camel!

Graphic wizardry courtesy of Shawn Somido, batang onets.

Swap

2005-05-07T11:52:00.000+08:00

#include <cstdlib>
#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    int a = 2563, b = 290;
    b ^= a ^= b ^= a;
    std::cout << "a = " << a << "b = " << b
              << std::endl;
    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

What? What? Hehehe...this is just one of those things that used to fascinate me guys and I admit still does now, even more so now I know the logic behind it....

And this is one of those things that got me interested in getting intimate with the computer. I'm glad to know that those of you who get to read this also took a liking to the technology. I may be little presumptous in assuming this, but you wouldn't be behind that console if you didn't share a little of my fascination. ;)

Uhaw pa sa camel

2005-04-23T11:30:00.000+08:00

Dear readers, take note: sometimes I ramble in my native tongue. I can't help it. It's more natural to me. Now that you've been properly warned, step right up into the world of Mark, ang batang laging uhaw pa sa camel!

Grabe akong pagkauhawa gabii parts. Tinuod nga lami ang sud-an nga gihalad kanamo ni Turing, kay bag-o man syang gradweyt, pero nipatimabaw akong pagkauhaw. (Oi, Turing congrats diay brod, lipay imong mama?) Balik kita sa istorya. Emperador, Red Horse, ug San Miguel, samtang gapalawom ang kagabhi-on, gapataas ang tagay ni Nonoy. Samtang gapataas ang tagay ni Nonoy, gapagrabe among kauhaw: camel gyud! Samtang daw-gacamel na ang kauhaw, gapanaog ang tama! Samtang gakanaog ang tama, ako nangutana, "Ngano?" Yots! Pero ingun-ana man gyud na, trabajo ugma ug uban pang samokan sa kinabuhi, maong nanguli na lang mi. Hahaaay, kahimtang! Pero kamo akong pangutan-on mga pre, lami man gyud muinom noh?

O hantod dinhi na lang usa, maayong pagkasikas sa matag-usa kaninyo. Hantod sa sunod natong pagkita sa tulumanong (pinasinggit): Iyot sa udtong tutok... awww sayop. Teyk two (pinasinggit): Uhaw pa sa camel!