freebies and talking stuff

I just downloaded the Halftone 2 freebie from Apple's 12 Days of Gifts and I'm itching to try it out. Unfortunately, I only have a few pictures available on my Photostream so I had to make do with what I have. This is what I came up with...

So far, I'm really liking this app.

* * *

The Blogger IOS app is really pathetic, by the way. I had to edit this post using the web app to realign the pictures.

attack!

Go get 'em, Liu Kang!

I found this in my image bin when I was sorting my files. It never fails to amuse me. It's so realistic. Haha...

it was just a phase

I was playing my "cool down" playlist while psyching myself up for work and U2's Pride started playing. I was shouting the lyrics along with it when I got curious about its video. I never had any memory of it, unlike the other popular U2 songs, so I ran a search on the ever-trusted YouTube and got this:

U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love)

Jeez, am I really this old? Haha... Anyway, the music is timeless so who cares.

december!

It's my month once again. I just love December.

* * *

I can hear two people engaged in a heated argument about basketball at the office pantry. I think their "debate" will end in a fist fight because I can feel their egos emanating from their voices.

I'm not a sports fan so I can't really see the point of getting hurt over your team's honor (or whatever.) Anyway, I've got a lot of things to write about and here I am, writing about people fighting over meaningless stuff.

* * *

I'm craving for Mongolian Barbeque. (Yes, this is what I consider "write-worthy." Haha...)

I hope Alain doesn't have dinner plans tomorrow. It would be nice to discuss business over endless servings of Mongolian Barbeque at the eat-all-you-can place in Katipunan.

self-hypnosis through music

It was in 2008 when I left my comfort zone and risked time, money, and job security to try my luck in New Zealand. I may say that things didn't turn out well because I didn't get what I came there for... but, I may also say so otherwise as it was there where I became enlightened. During my visit, I learned a lot of things. I learned how to be independent (almost) and I learned how to adjust to a different kind of culture. Despite not getting the results I wanted, I enjoyed my stay. It probably helped that the scenery and the people were a great help in my "soul-searching." But what made my visit significant was hearing the music of a local band called Opshop. It was on that year that they released their "One Day" single which probably is one of the best songs I've heard. It was love-at-first-hear for me. That song alone is reason enough for my visit to be considered "worthwhile."

Opshop's Second Hand Planet

I'm greatly affected by music. Hearing a familiar song that I like, even once, can alter my mood. I have songs that I associate with happiness, sadness, and even anger. I even made the mistake of associating songs to a video game that I played as a kid. It was a mistake because I can never ever play any song from Green Day's Nimrod album without imagining my avatar walking along the 2D streets of Britania. (I was playing a ported version of Ultima - can't remember which version.) Anywaaaay... on my way to work today, I shuffled my playlist a bit and Opshop's "Saturated" was the first on queue. I don't know why, but I just feel happy whenever I hear this. I always picture myself relaxing on a bright, sunny, and calm afternoon. So, despite the traffic and the unruly drivers, I was smiling happily as if I was on a beach front basking in the warmth of the sun.

It was also timely that I saw "Now You See Me" before I headed off for work. One of the characters in the movie, the mentalist played by Woody Harrelson, was able to manipulate people through hypnosis, which I was very skeptical of. 

The hypnotist from Now You See Me

Now that I think about it, hypnosis can actually be real. I may have been hypnotizing myself using music without me even knowing it. Hmmm... 

So, okay... more happiness then...

Opshop - Saturated

we're putting up a fight

"It's such a tired game. Will it ever stop?"

We keep doing this time and time again. So go ahead, universe. Keep at it. We can do this all night long, if you really want to.

"It's such a tired game. Will it ever stop?" 

It's really not for me to say.

wanted: upper

I need a pick-me-up song. Let's try Swerve City. Go, Deftones!

Deftones - Swerve City

I've been stressing on a lot of things lately. Juggling work, business, and miscellaneous personal goals isn't really fun. I went back to playing MMO's (FFXIV ARR) to, at least, give me something good to look forward to in between tasks. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out the way I expected. Who would have thought playing games can be stressful as well.

Maybe I should just go back to just playing Arcane Legends. Haha... Anyway, I've still got a lot of distractions lined-up to keep my mind off the stressful stuff - like the free OS X Mavericks. I'm a bit excited to install it.

I hope it's good.

in a rut

I went to my sister-in-law's clinic before going to work to have my regular check-up. Little did I know that I'd be wasting two hours of my life stuck in the dreadful C5 traffic after my visit.

I would have lost my mind it it wasn't for Jack Johnson. Had him playing in the background all that time which made me the happiest person along the C5 stretch.

* * *

We're clever but we're clueless. We're just human.

Jack Johnson - Never Know

prelude to the sound of silence

Darkness, my old friend, came to me last night and told me something I didn't understand. I heard what he was saying but it wasn't what I wanted to hear. Dismayed, I stopped listening.

I walked away, alone and confused in the cold night. From a distance, I saw bright neon lights. I suddenly felt curious and excited. The lights looked comforting. Enticing. I went closer, filled with awe. There were others like me there. It was assuring knowing that I wasn't alone. It felt good. I wanted more. I bathed in the warmth of the lights while I took note of what the others were doing. It looked fun. I imitated their actions and made it my own as I walked even closer to the bright lights. With every step I take, feelings of power, security, affection, and self-esteem came to me.  I wanted more.

The lights gave me what I wanted. It is only right that I adore it. I gave it the praises that it deserves and made my life revolve around it. By doing so, I know nothing can ever go wrong now.

And then there was silence.

Simon and Garfunkel - Sound of Silence

you've been warned

I have always loved gadgets. I feel satisfaction whenever I get to own the latest ones. Unfortunately for me, I don't earn that much so I can't really afford keeping up with the latest tech. The rent alone for my miniscule apartment is burden enough for me that I've considered getting a roommate to share my expenses with. However, being paranoid and untrusting of other people, I just chose not to. I just decided to start looking for a higher-paying job instead. Besides, living alone has its perks - I don't really need to clean up after myself and I can just leave my precious gadgets lying around.

Ever since I've looked for new job opportunities, I've always had my phone out so that I wouldn't miss any of the calls from my possible employers. It turns out that that wasn't a very good idea. I didn't know when it exactly happened, but all of a sudden, I just didn't have my phone anymore. I'm not sure if it got stolen or if I misplaced it but I'm sure that it's no longer with me. I spent a whole day trying to track it down but to no avail.

The timing just couldn't be any better. I really needed a replacement phone as soon as possible. Of course, being a tech junkie, I didn't want to settle for just any phone... I wanted the latest and the greatest. Since this is an unplanned purchase and I really don't have enough money to spare, I've decided to get a pre-owned top-of-the-line unit. Luck wasn't always against me because it was timely that such a phone was being sold online at a really cheap price. Dirt cheap. I scheduled an appointment with the seller to check the condition of the unit as soon as I could. The guy who was selling it looked really shady but since he had all the proof needed to verify that the phone wasn't illegally acquired, I struck a deal with him right then and there. It didn't matter that the unit was being sold for a suspiciously low price; what mattered was that it was cheap and everything’s seemed to be working properly.

I went home happy that day. And I've been happily tinkering with the phone every chance I got. I always have it by my side whenever I slept, using it until I'm too sleepy to hold it up to my face. But all of that changed the other day.

I was trying to pull out all of the pictures that I've saved on the phone so that I can back them up to my computer. While doing so, I noticed something weird. At certain intervals, there would be dark photos inserted within my photo stream. There were at least five of them, taken on different days. When I encountered them before on my phone's screen, I've always thought that they were just "accidentally-clicked" photos of the insides of my pocket. However, after lining the photos up and making a few adjustments on my computer, I realized that those were photos of my room - my bed actually... with me still sleeping on it!

All the hair at the back of my neck stood on its roots. I jumped off of my chair and I quickly turned all the lights on for I was really spooked. From a distance, I took a glance at the photos and noticed that all of the pictures were taken from a single perspective. It was angled in a way that it seemed to have been taken from one corner of my room.

I didn't know what I was thinking of - maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe I was just trying to look for a logical explanation - but I decided to check if it was indeed my bed. I took the phone and went to the exact spot where I believe the picture was taken from. There was a chair at that corner of my room. It would seem as if the picture was taken by someone who was sitting down on it. And so I sat down, held my phone up and switched the camera on to check if that was indeed the exact spot. Just before the camera loaded, the lights on my room flickered. Freaked out, I dropped my phone and ran the hell out of there.

I haven't gone back since.

If you know me and you are trying to reach me through my phone, I suggest you stop. Someone, or something, might pick up.

under pressure

I've got a deadline coming up and I'm here sitting, posting about a video that has been looping in the background for hours now.

Queen and David Bowie - Under Pressure (Piano Cover)

I'm definitely under pressure. I hate deadlines. I was hoping the music would get my pendulum moving but I guess it isn't really helping. I've just been shouting my lungs out to the last part of the song over and over again. It actually feels good but it's not helping. Join me if you want though. I've posted the lyrics below so that you can shout it out with me.

Skip to 2:33 and let's go on 3.

1...
2...
3...

"'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word; and love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night; and love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves...

This is our last dance... this is our last dance.

This is ourselves under pressure."

Yeah! Another!

I've got a new idol. Move over Cobus... another genius is in town.

trying a bit too hard

The McDonalds commercial with the guy that's got a brother with Down Syndrome is, uhm, just okay. It has good intentions, it was tastefully made, it has okay actors, but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe the script plus the build-up was just too cheesy to be plausible? I felt that they just had to use a guy with DS to get a quick "awww" from viewers. In fact, if I look at it at another angle, they just actually promoted discrimination (through overly-emphasized special attention) against people with disabilities. In fairness to them though, trying to get people's attention over a few seconds of film is a bit of a challenge. It is hard, but it is possible. Heck, Bamboo's "Basta't May Plano" TVC made me cry even if I can't relate to the characters.

If I were given the chance to write the script for that commercial, I would have done it like this:

The commercial starts with a shot of a young teenage boy (the age when bullying is still very rampant) who is seen happily playing a game with his friends. The game can be simple, like tag or frisbee - but not actual sports. The camera's focus would be on the younger brother having fun in slow-mo... smiling and laughing with his friends and all. And then the boy's attention shifts to somewhere distant; as if seeing somebody familiar approaching. Without any change on his expression, still with a smile, the boy is seen motioning for someone to come over. Yep, you guessed it right. He's excitedly calling for his bother (who's got DS) to play with them. The camera then pans to the older brother who sees him and starts running to join them, seemingly excited to play as well. And they would play without prejudice and discrimination. The scene continous with the kids playing their game happily as if nothing is unusual... as if no one's sick. The actors don't really have to try hard to get the viewer's symphaty. They just need to make sure that their emotions are oblivious of any change that usually happens when we encounter people with DS. There's no special treatment or pity. It's just about a kid who wants his brother to play with them.

And then they'd all go to McDonalds afterwards to get those god-damned Minions Happy Meal. The end.

OR... I would retain the same commercial concept but I'd take out the DS angle completely. Instead of a guy with DS, the older brother would be a rich-looking professional wearing expensive-looking stuff. The younger brother would still go back to get an extra sauce packet because his older brother was busy talking over the phone (with a very expensive phone, perhaps) to do it himself. As the younger brother settles in his seat, the older brother puts down the phone and looks genuinely appreciative of his brother's attempt to treat him with breakfast. And they'd talk normally while eating their simple, affordable meal in contentment. The commercial ends with the older brother jokingly say, "bukas, sagot mo ulit a." The end.

That would have made me "awww" because my younger brother has yet to treat me breakfast. Haha...

happy nightmares

Why is it that every time I get scary dreams, I wake up happy. Yesterday, I woke up to rather unusual "nightmare." It wasn't about ghosts or zombies (my favorite), but instead it was a psychological thriller which felt like a cross between "The Usual Suspects" and "The Silence of the Lambs." Like most of my dreams, I've forgotten what it was about even if I've repeatedly told myself to remember the details. I still can't remember what made it special until now. I just remember that in the end, I realized that I made a wrong assumption in the beginning which created a ripple effect that affected the whole plot - much like the mistake of letting Keyser Soze walk out of the investigation in "The Usual Suspects." (If you haven't seen that film, I suggest you watch it as soon as you can. That's one of the best movies I've seen.)

Anyway, maybe I should keep a dream journal. I can probably get a good script out of those dreams. Also, I'm 90% sure that I dream in color which means I've got a good imagination (or is it I'm creative?) There was even a time when I dreamt of solving hard puzzles - in color. Top that!

I'm now looking forward to whatever it is that I'd be dreaming of tonight.

catharsis two

I've been meaning to tell you that you have made the right choice about a year ago. However, I don't want to put myself down either. So, no, I just won't. :)

My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my...

Birdy - Skinny Love

It worked out in the end though, right?

stigma

Overly-dramatic posts, whether they'd be inspirational or thought-provoking, only works if you time your postings right. If you flood news feeds with the same sh*t every single day, you're just an annoying emo who should probably just kill himself (or herself.) Even if what you've posted is good, if you've saturated your audience with the same stuff over and over again, they'll probably just roll their eyes at it because they are already fed up with your drama. They'll just skip your post as soon as they see your name.

Having said that, I will temporarily unsubscribe from your feeds, my friend, until I've flushed all your rubbish off of my system. Too bad I've always admired your work. You're like Pink's song, "Just Give Me A Reason." It was interesting the first time I heard it; then I wanted to hear more and listened to it a few more times in awe; then I unintentionally hear it everyday because it is playing everywhere I go; and now I'm fed up with it to the point where I want to hit something every time I hear it.

* * *

I should walk the talk, right? Haha... I don't post often. I only post when I'm stressed out at work or if I'm emotionally distraught - in short, I post a lot of rants. If this is the first time you've visited my blog and you've read my posts continuously "digest-style", you've probably pictured me as a whinny fifteen-year-old girl that you just want to slap endlessly into oblivion. Hahaha... Anyway, I'll try to mix things up and post happy thoughts in between my rants. The problem is, my blog is the opposite of Facebook. Facebook is used as a facade to show other people how "happy" and "successful" some people want others to think of them even if they're really not. I don't do that. I don't want to be the center of anyone's envy - I live in a country where crab-mentality is commonplace. That will be like advertising my goods to thieves. Instead I want people to think of me as a miserable old fool just so they'll lay off my back. 

that laugh

Mike suggested that I watch talent show "fails" to help me get a good night's sleep. I'm not really sure how this works for him but perhaps slapstick humour is his cup of tea. Maybe, seeing other people embarrass themselves sort of reminds us that sh*t happens to everyone and not just us, thus making us relax a bit more. This probably helps by stopping us from dwelling too much on the unfortunate things that recently happened to us and focus instead on somebody else's misfortune.

Just the other day, I really needed a good stress reliever so I gave in to his suggestion and watched a few "audition fail" videos. In doing so, I ran across some clips from Britain's Got Talent or X Factor UK (I couldn't really tell which is which) where Louis Walsh, a very giggly guy, is judging. In almost every video, it was impossible not to see Louis laugh. After a few hours of this, I said to myself: "Thirty years from now, that's going to be my laugh."

Seriously, he has got to have the best laughing face ever. If in case he was mocking me by laughing at me, I would have probably laughed with him. I can probably watch a whole episode of him laughing. I don't know... I think it's one of those contagious laughs that you won't find irritating no matter how inappropriate it is.

Take a look at this, for example:

I think the technique is in the eyes.

And so now, I've got a new goal in life. I will learn and master that laugh.

gather around all you clowns

Three of my most favorite things in one video.

Beatles - You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (Eddie Vedder Cover)

I'll leave it to you to guess which those three are.

falling slowly

It's never too late.

If you think something's not turning out the way you wanted it to, do not just let it play out without ever doing anything to alter its course.

You may be faced with a troubled career, a doubtful relationship, a failing business, or even a complacent marriage and you may be at the point wherein you believe a bad outcome is inevitable and that things are already beyond your control. If so, it is important to resist the urge to just stop. Don't just let it pass while you prepare to jump ship.

Instead, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. There was once a reason why you are in that career, in that relationship, in that business, or in that marriage. Once you were probably even wishing for these to be given to you. You once had motivations that you need to remember and relive again.

And of course, time isn't always on our side so we must not take for granted even the littlest opportunities that fate has laid down for us. If we think we've still got a chance, we must take that chance with hope and optimism.

And we can listen to this song:

Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová - Falling Slowly (American Idol Version)

I know this is easier said than done but I, too, need to remember why I'm here. I hope tomorrow I'll be motivated enough to make it work.

* * *

Yeah, this version is from American Idol. Don't hate me for this - in my opinion, this song has got to be one of the BEST duets ever done.  Hehe...

supporting wwf

I lol'ed at this more than I needed to. Haha...

everyone's got to start somewhere

You don't need to be a musician to appreciate good music. Neither do you have to be a photographer to take quality pictures.

With that in mind, you don't have to be a writer to write something good.

I just realized, while browsing my Instagram feed, that I've got several friends who are really talented. There's my friend, The Average Snapper (who I recently bumped into at the mall), who takes really good pictures - on a budget. No fancy stuff, no high-end-enthusiast-techie sh*t, just good pictures.

Then there's Super Giles, who writes short prose that are either witty, thought-provoking, or just plain funny, along with the pictures that he posts.

This one below is one of my favorite shots from The Average Snapper. (I just realized how hard it is to post a blog on iOS so just bear with me.)

calm

Imagine driving with your special someone, on a stretch of a highway along a shoreline, on a breezy summer afternoon, with the sun just about to set, with cool winds blowing in your faces, the waves glistening brightly like a blanket of diamonds slowly crashing by the shoreline, with this song playing on your radio:

The Carpenters - We've Only Just Begun (Joanna Wang Cover)

If you think that's great, then go ahead and do it. :)

non-fiction

Using my fingers, I blindly searched for the lighter that I've temporarily placed on top of my 8-foot closet. Inching further from the edge, I grazed something squishy. Curious at what it was, I picked it up. To my surprise, I was holding a dead lizard by its hand.

I'm not really scared of lizards but the squishy texture and the stench of decaying flesh made me jolt in disgust. (If it was a cockroach, I would have probably fainted. Haha... Lame.)

Anyway, in that instant when I let go of the lizard's hand, I heard a voice in my head saying "help me, help me, please... avenge my death!" At first I thought I was just dreaming. But then I realized that it was just my dementia kicking in. Haha...

* * *

I've always thought that I was a good liar. That was until I met KK. He's the definition of a compulsive liar. Everything that comes out of his mouth is either made up or greatly exaggerated. I never knew people like him existed. But there he is, telling epic tales of his greatness to everyone he meets any chance he gets.

I have lied lots of times for understandable reasons. Maybe you did too... And we probably were 100% aware of what we're lying about at the very instant we were doing it. We still know what the truth is and we know how we twisted it for whatever reason we had. In his case, I doubt that he knows what the truth is anymore. And that's a bit scary.

lol sorry

I apologize for the rant that I've posted earlier today. Haha... I'm not deleting it though.

Anyway, to get rid of the negativity, I'd like to commend my phone for being on it's second day on a single charge. Woot! I never knew that was possible.

Keep it up and I'll never want to replace you.

life is... interesting

I had a rather lengthy debate about life with someone over coffee a few days ago. it lasted for about three hours. We were discussing how life can be so cruel at times. Our debate ended with me losing my temper. Yep, it was bad. But the worse part of it was... I was the one insisting that life IS unfair. After I lost my cool, i just kept quiet for several minutes and reflected on the things that were said. And then I had a realization. All this time, I've been the negative thinker... I got angry because I wasn't able to convince my friend that life is harsh. WTF, right? What has become of me over these years? This isn't how I usually see things and this is not how I want myself to be. And to think that I have been trying to negatively influence the person who has been giving me good luck. I know, WTF indeed. It was a good thing that I lost. The better person does get to win in the end.

This is a sign that better things are yet to come. Changes will be happening soon and I'm glad that I'm getting the help that I need.

Woot on serendipity!