Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Gunbound Mania

It's late, so I'll make this quick. Tommorow, I'll be at the Jaro branch, this time overseeing the place for a couple of days. Dad apparent;y wants me to jump in the fire right away. I vaguely know what I'm going to do there, most likely I'll be learning the ropes on how to run a small operation. Ah well, at least it's just for a couple of days, and away from Dad's prying eyes...

I'm now addicted to the online game of Gunbound, which was made by Koreans ( same as Ragnarok ). It takes the exciting turn-based game of Worms to a whole new level with more cooler stuff and add-ons, like new weaponry, gear and even helmets! But what makes this game great is the fact that you choose your mobile ( i.e. the "tank" you're riding ) from more than 9 different types, each unique in its own from weaponry to armor. Perhaps it is also one of the recommendad games in the net is the fact that its totally free. Just download the installation file, install, and play. Nice and easy.

Anyways, gotta sleep now and dream dreams of leisure.

State of Mind: Groggy
Song of the Day: Corcovado by E.B.T.G.
Now reading: JLA: Divided We Fall by DC Comics
Favorite types of mobile: The Boomer, The Armour and The Nakmachine

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Your Friendly Neighborhood Hero

Whoa. Awesome. Amazing. Totally.

I just watched the premiere of Spiderman 2 ( or what passes for premiere around here ) and I was totally blown away. Stan Lee is a god, and Sam Raimi is his prophet. Everything is just perfect, down to storyline ( albeit a little deviated ) and characters. My gripe is the fact that Doc Ock should be a little more older, since there was a story that he proposed to Aunt May, but that's just a little detail. Antonio Molina does credit to the role of Doc Ock, and for that I give him two thumbs up.

What else can I say? The movie rocks, the cast rocks, the story arc rocks. The fight scenes were superbly done, the cinematography perfect. And I can't wait for the next installment! My take on this? Ever since it pre-introduced Dr. Connors and the last part about Harry Osborn finally knowing the truth about his father's legacy and secret, my guess would be that the next storyline would involve the Sinister Six.

Yep, Spidey is going against not one, not two, but six powerful villains in the next movie, that is if it stays true to comic book form. Doc Ock will come back alive a little deranged and Harry Osborn will take the mantle of his father. The story would probably involve Dr. Connors as its main storyline, along with Mysterio, Rhino and Shocker. There's a slight possibility that it would just be Spidey versus Lizardman without the Sinister Six, but the way things are going, it might just not happen. If this is the case, following the comicbook format, then my guess that after the third, the fourth installment would involve none but the most ruthless of Spidey's enemies.
Yep, I'm talking about the Venom and Carnage story. If Sinister Six is indeed the third movie, then we'll find the Jameson Jr, ex-fiance of Mary Jane, will go back into space and come back in the forth bearing the symbiotic skin that Venom and Carnage has. Now won't that be an ass klicking story eh? Can't wait to see if my guesses come true.

Anyways, gotta sleep. My hamster-sense is tingling and its telling me that its already past 12. This is me, the Hamster, just reliving the comicbook geekiness inside of me. Now, if they'll only do a Spawn 2...

State of Mind: Awe
Song of the Day: Spiderman Theme
Now playing: Gunbound
Comic wished they'd make into a movie: Lobo!!!!

Monday, June 28, 2004

The Results, Gaming and Puppy Love

It's like two in the morning and I'm still wide awake, just like old times in Manila. I really do cherish these moments of peace, being alone in the dead of the night with no sounds to distract me. Kinda like a zen moment, drawing the energy from the gloom of the night.

Anyways, the results from the doctors were finally "tabulated" and it proclaimed to the world that I'm healty normal man, albeit a fat one. Those tryglecerides weren't a problem, even if I was way over the limit. I do need to cut down on my meat though, and that means I can't eat 90% of my regular foodstuff. Being a carnivore does have some drawbacks. At least the findings showed that I didn't have diabetes or hypertension at all, thank God.

I'm back to playing Ragnarok like an unrepentant addict, this time going for the merchant route again on the IRIS server. Meanwhile, while waiting for my energy bar recover, I also play Dark Throne, a online turn-based strategy game, still in alpha testing. Dark Throne is cool, for a game on the sidelines, for those people who want to play but with only minutes to do so. Nice setup, hope to see it go boom in its beta and final stages. Sadly though, the alpha testing is still in text mode, but that's the only gripe I can find.

Spent the whole afternoon texting my cousin Kay and teasing her about her crush. Apparently, the guy likes her too, but that's just what I think. In all cases though, asking a girl if you can make hatid to her house is tantamount to raising a flag that says "Hey, I like you. Can I get to know you better?"

Ah, puppy love. Some things never do change.

Well, that's it then, I'm off to La-la Land. I gotta get up early else I'll miss my gym schedule. Maybe I'll do a theory on the whole boy meets girl thingy, that is if the time [ is like this ] and mood is right. Oh well, g'night then!

State of Mind: Fuzzy Bleariness
Song of the Day: Sweet Steps by Junction 18
Room cleanliness: 90%
Now Looking for: A pillow that seemed to be lost somewhere...

Sunday, June 27, 2004

Hamster's Reality Check

Ok, everything is now in place. My room now boast a new table, new keyboard and mouse ( both wireless!w00t ), new speakers for added boost and, the most important of all, a brand new laundry bag!!! No more dirty, smelly clothes lying about the floor like a snake's peeled skin, hehe.

Sunday gameday wasn't the best at all, since the usual court ( PESCAR's ) that we play was being used by the dancing team led by our old teach in our HS days, Miss ( now Mrs. ) Rendaje. SO we hauled ourselves up to the HS courts. Man, it was weird coming back to that place. Deja vu surreal extreme, half expecting the afternoon bell to ring so we now go up the building. The old mango tree was still there, with the very old stone benches and our marks on them ( yeah gads, was it like 7 years ago? Time does really fly... )

Anyways, we didn't even finish the first game as a sudden storm erupted, making us move back the Pescar court to wait it out and also wait for the dancing team to finish up. Surprise surprise, our old music teach Mrs. Nuneza, was also there. Hmmm, must rememeber to ask her how's her daughter. She had the biggest crush on me on HS, and yeah, she's kinda pretty to boot. Too bad I already had a girlfriend at that time...

Ah well, that's history. Anyways, Game 4 of the section rivalry got delayed again by lack of players, so were hoping to do it again next Sunday. Then we'll trounce the Cattleya Section for good.

Okay, reality check. I have been in this province for more than 6 months. Life now today is more bearable than the first few months, wherein there wasn't a day that I wasn't griping about the province and missing Manila, vowing one day I'll come back to stay there for good. I even made plans on how to do it, involving a screwdiver, a no.5 mongol pencil, a wild baboon and a pre-heated lollipop at 57 degrees ( don't ask ). Seriously, I wasn't happy.

Now, I guess I got sorta numb all about it. One thing I learned over and over is that to delay the inevitable is useless as stopping a meteor headed for Earth. And yeah, while it's liberating, even heroic sometimes, it doesn't do all that much, except perhaps smudge your dignity. Hell, if there was ever a chance, I would bite, scratch and kick just to claw myself back to Manila. That was then though, now its just at the back of the head, laying low, in stasis. I think that I finally accepted that I'm here, and here for good, but it never lessened the dream of going back. Oh well...

Besides, I got a good job, got myself some new spiffy stuff, and can buy all the books I want. Bribery perhaps, but that's one way straight into my heart. Underhanded trick that was, but hey, it was one point for the opposition ( naks, parang politics na 'to ah...)
So now, I guess, yeah I kinda accepted the fact that I'm here. Am I happy? I guess, sorta. At least that's better than the few months before...

Now before I go melencholiac all over, I logging off to read some stuff I bought over the last time I visited Manila and escape this dreary world for a while.

State of Mind: Bleary-eyed
Song of the Day: I Will Fly by Ten to Five
Now reading: Legends of Riftwar by Raymond E. Feist
Gameday Stats: Two Games, 8 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists

Monday Madness

I woke up early this morning to bravely face the disaster that is going to happen to me: taking my annual check-up at the hospital.

Which usually means blood tests.

So there I was, bravely waiting for the call, so like a soldier waiting for the command to charge and storm the bunker, never knowing if you're gonna buy the farm or not ( read: military term of going to die ). Then, after like centuries have passed by, my name was called and I courageously step up to the chair, let my hands be binded by rubber and then let it be stucked by a needle.

And all I can do is not scream like a baby girl.

In all my life, I can't stand needles. It took all of my natural and supernatural powers to ignore the needle protuding in my arm while it sucked the blood out of me. And this went on for a two minutes, though it felt like a lifetime. Can you imagine sitting there and forcing yourself not to look because you know if you do, you might just shake your arm free and break the needle...
Brrr, I don't even want to think about it.

Then it was over. I got up with a wan smile on my face while the nurse ( she's actually very pretty; she's one of the reasons I acted up the brave one lest she think of me as a wuss, hehe ) told me to come back for the results later.

Office duties started, still boring as hell since these months are usually lean months. After lunch the results arrived and to my relief, my blood sugar is normal! No diabetes for another year! w00t! But my cholesterol is on borderline, and it's probably time to cut down on the meat. What's weird is that trigyceride is way above normal. What the hell is a trigyceride? It's like 50% more than the average. Hmmm, I hope it's not bad as tommorow we'll bring the results to our doctor and see what happens.

Anyways, scanning to my cousin Kay's blog, I found this site where you type your name and see what happens. Judging by her results, no wonder she was pissed off. Mine's cool, had like very nice compliments and stuff, and to wit:

Googlism for: arsenio
arsenio is lively
arsenio is alive
arsenio is a kinder
arsenio is there
arsenio is carrying has the
arsenio is grateful for every round that morgoth misses or tries to cast brain smashing or summons monsters and gets jackals
arsenio is the name of my first and favourite cat
arsenio is already there
arsenio is shot
arsenio is classic late 80's/early 90's style
arsenio is dressed in a white clown costume
arsenio is doing so well that they're not really worried about me
arsenio is back in the house doing highlights
arsenio is currently touring the country performing live
arsenio is going nowhere but up from here on out
arsenio is best known for his work as a
arsenio is off the air
arsenio is the sheer power of his band
arsenio is a noarsenio is enrolled in the massachusetts institute of technology in the united states
arsenio is able to attract guests who know he will be a gentle questioner and an empathetic listenera
rsenio is speaking of himself
arsenio is now a financially stable farmer but he wants to share his blessings with his neighbors so he ventured in a small cattle production enterprise
arsenio is preparing to teach in the bible school again this year
arsenio is suitably impressed with our craft
arsenio is doing guest spots for jay
arsenio is optimistic about capstone
arsenio is my buddy
arsenio is a superb actress who recently wrapped her first movie
arsenio is at the gate and so's joan rivers
arsenio is the most dangerous one of all
arsenio is revealed holding a recently fired rocket launcher
arsenio is busy
arsenio is bustling uparsenio is buzzless just two weeks away from opening night
arsenio is worse than just being a "sheep"
arsenio is stationed in dili
arsenio is off the air? who has he recorded with?
arsenio is an old time player who became a coach about twenty five years ago for deportivo
arsenio is a nicely restored house in a quiet cul
arsenio is classic
arsenio is officially off the air
arsenio is a very bright young man
arsenio is a giant
arsenio is getting sick of me asking "what time is arsenio is on 'martial law' right now? i thought the naacp was for other things first
arsenio is teamed up once agin with frank welker
arsenio is a multi
arsenio is a good young man who is very capable in the word as well as being a very cheerful soul
arsenio is a 27 yr old young man from oecusse
arsenio is delivering a line
arsenio is "da man"
arsenio is syndicated
arsenio is only to
arsenio is the nicest bartender
arsenio is back? i'm having flashbacks of him sporting
arsenio is no sam
arsenio is dumped again
arsenio is in our database
arsenio is very weak
arsenio is such a fucking moron
arsenio is a fairly bright person
arsenio is an excellent vocalist who has an extensive repertoire of music for your listening or dancing pleasure and during his set
sarsenio is in my face

Hehe, I like mine, even if half of it are not true. I particularly like 6th one, about the mis-summoning of jackals ( weird stuff ) for it's presumably fantasy take and me holding a secret rocket launcher and being the most dangerous one of all ( how cool is that ). Perhaps the one that struck me the most is " Arsenio is the nicest bartender ". Talk about metaphors. In the sense, I'm like a bartender ( without the bar, duh! ) who listens to people everyday, with compunctions and seeing both sides at all. Just like the proverbial barman who listens to the guys on the barstools and then giving his take on the issue at hand. That's what I wanna achieve ( just to clarify: not bartending! ), meaning I'm here, always here to listen but don't expect me to take sides.

Sometimes, being on the fence does help people open communications, no matter how preposterous it sounds.

Ah well...

State of Mind: Hyper Mode
Song of the Day: Manic Monday by The Bangles
Now Downloading: Gunbound, Korean based internet game
Looking for: A new videocard!

Saturday, June 26, 2004

Cold At Saturday Night

just got back from the HCG appreciation dinner, and it was kinda ok, and I went home with mom and dad instead of going out with the gang on a wet Saturday. Honestly, I'm a little tired, having a runny nose and a slight fever courtesy of today's weather. Plus I have to do a complete makeover on the topics I have to discuss tommorow for the quarterly managers meeting, checking up the stuff that I miss.

Can't stay long, my aunt is using the room for the night. I'll do the official start of regular updates on my weird life, my opinions and my thoughts starting tommorow, Sunday or Monday, barring of course difficulties. See yah on the otherside...

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Hamster Gets A New Look!!!

Finally!!! Everything is now A-OK, lan-based DSL connection really does wonders to the system ( both mine and the PC, hehe ). Am now in the process of putting the finishing touches in the system, like rebuilding the drivers, files etc. And I got a new look for my blog! How cool is that?!

Anyways, aside from this, things are getting hectic round the office. There's a HCG appreciation dinner tommorow, and then there's a manager's meeting on Sunday, where I'm expected to lay out the new designs for the main store and the branches. On top of that, I'm trying to find the time to paint my figs, which I have never ever touched since I got back from Manila.

This month probably is my "fixin" month, having redecorated my room, bought some furnitures, added some doo-dahs to the walls, and putting up and upgrading my PC. It's been a busy and productive month for me truly.

That's it, can't stay long, have to finish installing all the other programs. Tommorow, after the dinner party, I'll proabably make do with spiffing up my blog site with pictures and stuff, and also with my writing! Yeah gads, having just reviewed the stuff that I wrote for the past few weeks really got down. I sound like a broken down record! Sheesh!!!

Ah well, as they say, tommorow is brand new day! Definitely! Daily updates start now! w00t!!

State of Mind: Euphoria!!!
Song of the Day: Brand New Day by Sting
Now Reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Currently Installing: Ragnarok Online

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

The Search Party Begins And The Coming Of The Green Tide

Quick updates!!! Am at Dad's office ( obviously ) and the expedition will commence later as I will be going home to escort a technician to check on Operation: Connecting People if the lines are fine and the system ok. While he's doing that, I'm going to hunt high and low for the missing cds, in a short span of time ( hmmm, parang mission: impossible with a dash of temple of doom ah... )

Also, me and my friend in Manila have been planning a huge huge game of Warhammer, in the event that I could go there. 5000 points of green smelly orcs against 5000 points of fanatical bloodthirsty dark elves. Interesting matchup I should say, with me ahead in orchish model count with 400 models while the dark elven kin number to only 200. What going to get me down in the number of arrows the bastards can unleash against my horde, perhaps numbering to over a hundred shots per turn. So its pretty equal I guess, and it all boils down to superior numbers against massive firepower.

Anyways, gotta run!!! Perhaps my PC will finally run tonight!!!

After a few freakish hours....

Damnation! I'm still here stuck at the office. The techy was late and I decided to move the date to tommorow, seeing there's this sudden deluge of costumers at my doorstep!! And just me alone in the store, since my Dad, Mom, Aunt, Uncle and my brother all went out for various reasons. Right now, I'm so tired I possibly think that my bones have been rubberized. Well, that's it, cuz more costumers coming in! My typing here is just a slight reprieve to the chaos outside, and back outside I go!!!

Ciao!!!

Monday, June 21, 2004

Wanted: Trackers and Trailbreakers For Important Expedition!!!

Operation: Connecting People came to pause as I try organized an expediton to find the lost drivers, lost somewhere in jungles of my bodega. Deep within the sprawling expanse of that room lies two misbegotten cds looking for salvation and a way out of this mess. Looks like a serious job for Indiana Hamster, with his trusty whip cream soda and pea shooter! Off to the hitherlands!!!
Yep, my PC is still busted as I try to find the time to hunt those lost cds. Taking into the account that I now work Monday-Saturday and playing basketball every Sunday, and also the size of my bodega, the chances of finding them are pretty slim...unless I get a day off or something. In any case, this bodes ill for my project as everything came to a halt.

Damnation.

Sunday was a so-so day. We didn't have any a Section game since the Cattleya team didn't have the numbers to against us ( cries of "default!" in the background ) and we just played some regular. In the end though, I got chewed out again. It was the last play of the last game, and everyone was damn tired. The score was 28-29, with our team trailing by two. Maui got off a shot that would have won the game but got tipped by the fingers of Syd. When I got the offensive rebound and tried to shoot, I find that ball wasn't in my hands anymore, was stolen by Yams and it was streaking somewhere in the backcourt for the win. My only defense is that I'm tired, ok? Four games is enough to make a man my size and girth preety run over, sheesh...

Oops, gotta run! I'm in the netcafe and a friend just entered! Don't want her to know about this!!

Ciao!!!!

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Major Bump!

Tarnation!!!! No updates still as Operation: Connecting People came into a major stumbling block in the form of lost drivers. Still with me? Actually everything is peachy right now, everyone is connected and online...except me! I jsut reformatted my PC and guess what? I find that I lost my drivers, specifically the motherboard and videocard drivers. It probably somewhere lost in the jungles of my bodega, and up to now I can't find the time to mount an expedition to rescue them. Perhaps this Sunday would be best...

Anyways, gotta run cuz at my Dad's office and the customers are swarming like bees. Ciao!!!

Sunday, June 13, 2004

Sunday Gameday and Other Stuff

Wow! It's been like a week since I last updated, all because of Operation: Connecting People. The pet project is now on its way, and if things turn out right, tommorow is the D-Day for our LAN-based DSL connection! w00t!! No more lagging! And finally, some multi-player games!!! Final Fantasy XI, we're waiting for you!!!!

Anyways, it's Sunday and game three of our Section Wars. I woke up late and arrived as the game was just on its last minutes of play, with Cattleya winning in the end, 30-25. Suffice to say, I got chewed out royally because out team didn't have the rebounding capability, especially against Mamel and Syd, and since I arrived late and Bas wasn't around, it was a field day for the Cattleya. Ah well, game fouris next week, so we'll probably consider this a mercy game ( yep, that's wind blowing behind my ears! This will be a tough one...)

So.

Pinkgurl left the province last Saturday to work in Cebu, leaving in such a hurry that we barely had time to say our goodbyes. At least she's doing ok now, and due to my, ahem, connections, was able to help her by calling one of my "contacts" and asking him to show her around. Which turned out to be cool, and they hit it off fine.

Speaking of hitting it off, Dr. Hamster once again prevailed as he introduce one of his buddies to one his "girls", and by the looks of it, will turn out to be a smashing relationship on the works. Ah well, doing good deeds does have its perks, hehe.

Hmmm, I'm seriously thinking of doing that comic in the next couple of months, since I think I have my cast assembled. For those who didn't know, I got my inspiration ( and perhaps obsession ) for hamsters in www.shaw-island.com, thus I was thinking of doing something like it, pinoy style. Ah well, if turns out to be totally different then it's all good, copyright infrigement and all that, hehe. Or perhaps an anime style like in www.megatokyo.com or even games related like www.penny-arcade.com

Maybe a combination of the three. Ah well, I always believe that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, although in just the right amounts of course.

Which of course comes my favorite site of the month, www.happytreefriends.com. There is nothing more ingenious and perverted than cute cuddly forest animals trying to kill themselves. Fun for those gloomy rainy afternoons, hehe.

Anyways, that's it. Starting tommorow I'll be updating regularly, that is barring difficulties and end-of-the-world scenarious. Hmmm, suddenly I miss DnD. Perhaps I'll make a character just for the heck of it...

State of Mind: Just plain tired
Song of the Day: Songs from the Hed Kandi: Beach Sessions Album
Now Reading: Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
Games played today: 3 games, with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists

Saturday, June 05, 2004

Cattleya Vs. Anthurium: The Wars Begin Anew

For the unelightened, I'm not really talking about flowers! I'm talking about the two sections in our high school, aptly named Anthurium and Cattleya. A brief rundown...

Our university follows the precepts of any scholarly type of school, meaning they only take the best and the brightest of students. Only through a rigorous screening can a student be accepted in our school, indeed you can only enter high school if you started the first year. After that, no other students can enter in the succeeding years, so I guess that's probably the reason people at West V stay close even if the years go by. But that doesn't mean that once you're in you're safe, oh no! It's pretty hard to lie and cheat...er...work and study hard to maintain grades, hehe. If I remember correctly, our batch started out with 108 students ( we were that few!!! ) and, after three years of diligent monkey businesses, we finally reached 4th year with only a hundred left. And so we got divided up into two sections. Usually the division lies with the matter of grading average, in our case the top 50 going to one section and the lower 50 going to another one. Life was good at that point, with little or no frictions at all.

Then 4th year came.

This time to our surprise, the roster got jumbled, geeks rubbing shoulders with the jocks and celebrites exchanging notes with the groupies. That year, our last year in high school, changed everything.

It was the year of chaos.

Gradually the dust settled down and things went back to normal, or what passes for normal in our school. Suddenly things came to head. Our varsity team usually composes of jocks with some nerds and true scholars ( mga rizal ng bayan. ) We didn't actaully think of a section rivally till our last year together, but things suddenly looked promising and eventually became a matter of honor and just pure unaldurated fun. Since everyone is jumbled around, and with varsity basketball, football etc. got cut in half, the section wars started out. Friendly rivally so to speak.

This day, after the baptismal of Pal's son ( more on this later!!! ), the guys headed out to the courts for the weekly game of basketball. Since almost all of the barkada was there, it turned out to be a reunion of sorts, and the advent of the return of the section wars. Finally, after all these years, Cattleya versus Anthurium clashed again for the pride of being called the top section ( Kinda like LoTR, hehehe ).

The line up for the Cattleya:
Earl, Syd, Yams, Mamel and Jed. Damn hard line up if you ask me, with the first three of the varsity 1st five on deck. Mamel provides support with Earl in rebounding while Syd and Yams both take point in directing traffic with Jed going for three pointers. Gary and Gudz are the substitutes.

For the Anthurium:
Me, Instik, Maui, Bas and Ian. Hmmm, kinda like a mismatch here. Only one of our team is on the first five ( Intsik, Da Team Captain ), while the rest are usually bench warmers, with the exception of Maui who doubles with Yams as point guard during our varsity days. Rod and Ron are our substitutes.

In any case, this would be an uphill climb for our team, and the terms to win is to reach 30 points using normal rules ( i.e. three pointers, charging etc. ). To cap it all off, the refreree is our very own Coach Gaban, who seems delighted at the prospect of reunion/battle, hehe.
Game 1 started. And ended after a fashion.

The Score: Anthurium 30, Cattleya 18.

Whehehe, we actually won! Hmmm, perhaps one of our factors in winning was our benchwarmers who, after gaining a considerable lead in halftime ( A-15, C-8 ) took the game into another level by replacing me and Ian. Ron's quick hands seem everywhere, while Rod, the Paperman, provided a decent amount of both rebounds and points. Thus the game ended in a very huge upset.

Then, after a couple of games by other players ( we of course, are not alone in the court, since it's typically Sunday Gameday ), from other batches, schools etc, Game 2 started, with Cattleya promising vengence. This time, things look grim as Instik had to do something and Rod the Paperman went home early. We have no substitutes! Uh oh, looks like a trampling session is in order...

Anthurium line-up:
Me, Maui, Ron, Bas and Ian. Our gameplan? Speed and more speed, with me and Bas taking care of the rebounds.

Cattleya Line-up:
Earl, Gudz, Yams, Syd and Mamel. Jed went home too, to study I think, so Gudz went in to provide rebounding support and especially to harrass me ( long story, funny actually, hehe ).
Now this game will probably look like a Lakers ( Cattleya with it's all-star cast ) vs. Pistons ( Anthurium with humbler lineup ).

The game started again, for the second time. The it finally ended.

The Score: Anthurium 30, Cattleya 27!!!

w00t!!! But this time it was a more grueling game. Our plan worked, making use of our speed to gain advantage to take the lead in the first half 16 to 12. Then they started to catch up, even going neck to neck in a couple of times. It was a very tough game, harder still since I pulled my leg in the 2nd half but have to go on since there are no substitutes. Good thing Instik finally came back to replace me and took the winning three pointer to seal the game. Whew...
That's it! Anthurium wins! Maybe next time we won't be so lucky, but it's all good. And fun! Hehehe...

So, before the game, we went to Myll Andrei baptismal, Pal's son. It was kinda cool, even the priest was joing in the revelry by joking that he can't possibly bless all the ninongs and ninangs by holy water, we were simply too many ( 30+ godparents!!! ), so he decided to just offer a benediction instead. Nice.

Oh, good news and bad news. My best bud won last night in his gig, overcoming 17 bands to take home the 1st prize. Bad news is that they bring my blind date, saying she's busy and is opening a bar in Monday. Ah well, at least I had fun last night, although the rock scene in Iloilo has change over the years. It's probably a long while since I went to one of this things, but I still remember to wear a black shirt if you wanna remain anonymous and just be a part of the crowd. Rockers equal black clothes, although that's just generically speaking of course.

Or as they say in Rome: Caveat Emptor!

This is the Hamster, tired to the bones and just plain zoned out, signing off. Good night!!!!

State of Mind: Blue Beds Flying On A White Sheet
Song of the Day: Stop the Rock by Appollo 440
Stats for the 1st Game: 7 rebounds, 2 points and 3 assists
Stats for the 2nd Game: 13 rebounds, 6 points and 5 assists

Things Are...Well...Can't Actually Explain....

Ok, I'm here right now at an Internet Cafe, watching the hours go by as I wait for my best friend's gig tonight.

I woke up early this morning to attend a seminar for upcoming Godfathers and Godmothers, as our one of our barkada's son is getting baptized tommorow. What's fun is that we, the whole friggin group, get to be one, godfather that is. Plus of course some relatives and such, but the number to mention is that Pal's ( our bud's name )kid is getting at least 25 godparents! And that's just the godfathers alone, not counting the godmothers. Hmmm, this might be the start of a trend when everyone has their own sons and daughters. At least I won't go out looking for one, hehe.

So.

Last night was surreal. I went out on a Friday night, an event unprecedented and unexpected. It was supposed to be a barkada affair but then it turned out into a sort of a double date. Yes, faithful readers, yours truly has gone out on a date...well, techically I guess. We were supposed to play bowling but to due to circumstances we ended up going to videoke bar ( that's the thing about filipinos, we sure love our videoke bars, hehe ). So it was just me, Pinkgurl and her boyfriend Sir Troubador, and HER. Yes, no special nicknames since this one is kinda special. And yes, there is still the Kuya Factor to consider of ( as always! ) but I guess I'll try to work around that, plus the fact my chances are getting stronger somewhat ( gut instinct on the hyperdrive mode ). After we finished singing and the caterwauling noises died away, we went to an italian resto ( yep, this is turning out to be a double date!! ) for dinner, Then we headed out to the alma mater bar near the school itself for a couple of beers and for a night cap, went to another bar for some acoustic sounds. All this time, I'm playing it cool, and finally made hatid with her to her home.

But I'm still not making any illusions whatsoever, though I did send out some "sounders" to "feel the line", if you know what I mean. In any case, if things don't go the way I dreamt about last night ( yep, I dreamt about me not being single anymore...weird...), then I guess it's all good. Besides, tonight might be my lucky night since my best bud would be introducing me to this certain girl. Then again, as blind dates go, I'm not really all hype about it.
Ah well, if things do go badly, might as well enjoy the evening of rock hard jam, with my best bud at the helms of course.

Damn, I miss playing bass...

State of Mind: Surreal Setting Mode On
Song of the Day: Just The Way You Are by Milky
Now Reading: PC Gamer, Warhammer 40k cover
Looking for: A gift for Pal's son, hehe

Wednesday, June 02, 2004

Hamster Potter and the Rodent of Azkhaban

Huzzah!!!

It was 10 am and the line was already long in the cinemas as people waited for the booth to open and dole out tickets for the premiere of Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkhaban. Luckily, yours truly don't need to wait in no stinking line; yours truly already got himself premiere tickets! You know, I always gripe about things in my province, but nothing beats the fact that everyone knows someone. I got my tickets from...uh, shall I say, a certain personage? Hehehe, anyways so it was that me and my best friend, Pringles, got in first and selected the best seats in the house...in this case, the middle third row seats, perfect view to the screen and is natural eye-sight level.

The room filled in quickly and, finally, after some technical difficulties, the movie started.
It was good, real good, upping up my opinion on the Harry Potter movie series. The first two were less then satisfactory; Prisoner of Azkhaban shakes off that bad slump and far outshines the other two. The new director ( damnation, I forgot his name for the moment ) really gave the series it's due. The movie showed the important parts of the book without going out of the story, which I think is the most essential thing in this particular undertaking. All in all, I thought it was a cool movie and settled down to watch.

Then Gary Oldman came out as Sirius Black.

It was literally pure eye-candy. I wish there were more scenes of him instead of just the 20 minutes he was in the movie. He really played the character extremely well. He cavorted in fear, rolled in anger, walked the fine edge of insanity and sanity to the T. It was just like watching Yoda fight Count Dooku in the Starwars: Attack of the Clones, jolting me from my sleep from the boorish and inane dialogue. Sure, it was pure eye-candy but one hell of a crappy movie. But the real difference was that in HP: PoA was that I jolted out of being moderately pleased to being stunned to insensibilty. Gary Oldman, much kudos to you!

Then movie ended in a sort of bitin, but I guess it's all good since the movie turned out well.

Next stop: Spiderman 2!!!!

Oh, my PC is still in it's cryo-embryonic stage. To the unenlightened ones, that relatively means that I finished cleaning up my files and is now ready for format. I'll probably do that this Friday, and by Monday my new and improved PC will up and ready. For now, am using Dad's PC, clean and pristine as it is.

That's kinda like housekeeping I guess. Sometimes you gotta stay outside your room and turn your own room upside down to make sure that every speck of dust is dusted out.
Ah well, better put my workgloves on now...

State of Mind: Potterish...
Song of the Day: That Choir Song in HP: PoA
Now Reading: Path to Dawn by R.A. Salvatore
Favorite Scene in HP:Prisoner of Azkhaban: The scene where Remus Lupin and Sirius Black confront Peter Pettigrew, the whole Shrieking Shack Scene!