Muffled Noise

Let me count the ways. Google has been a big part of my Netizenship, and along with m’dear pal Wikipedia, has been among the first I run to for help when I’m feeling noobish. Now I know you all love Google too, but I’ve come to give you some more reasons to finally buy that diamond ring, get down on one knee and ask Google if it would like to have little search engine babies. Uhm, or something like that. Let’s begin!

5. Because of the changing Google logos, occasionally reminding me to celebrate people that I don’t know wouldn’t normally pay tribute to.

125th Birthday of Walter Gropius (May 18, 2008)

4. Because of Google Maps, which have been the cause of many arguments between people who think they know rooftops, and have brought us Atlantis.

Because I refuse to believe their “logical” explanation. Lulz.

3. Because when you search for “french military victories” and click “I’m Feeling Lucky”, it will lead you of this very sad history lesson:

Try it. And if you’re French, I’m sorry.

2. Because you can come up with very interesting search suggestions as you type.

Click it or open in a new window, it’s surprisingly insightful (and funny).

1. Last but not least, because Google co-founder Sergey Brin reminds me of both Zach Braff and Jerry Seinfeld.

And this is reason enough.

So for all you Google-lovers out there, don’t take her for granted. If I missed a good reason in this short list, let me know! :P

I’ve been laying on the FAIL pretty thick recently, as many of you know. I’d like to claim that a bunch of pink internet-savvy bunnies attacked my blog, took down my very interesting February posts, leaving me with only traces of soil and grass on the floor. I’d say it were a shame you didn’t get the chance to read them, really. They would have changed your lives, they were the stuff of classics.

As believable as that story is, I’m afraid it isn’t true. If by any chance you insist on believing it then, yay for me! :D

Truth is that work has sucked me dry of all blogging skills — pulled out a black crayon and scribbled all over my heart cutouts. Lolz. Seriously though, I’ve just been busy. Not miserable, mind you (I happen to really love my job) but yeah. This blog tends to suffer at crunchtime, because the pink bunnies convinced me that my readers were very understanding. Yes, you shouldn’t believe everything you read — the pink internet-savvy bunnies are actually very wise and gentle creatures.

Belated Happy Valentine’s, and I promise to be a good blogger again. For the bunnies.

…and I got the chance to get together with some of my best friends from highschool (the original “gang”, the ones I can imagine getting together with until we’re all old and gray). And if there’s anything we know about each other, it’s that everytime we meet we almost always have a weird, shocking or heartbreaking story to tell about out our lives. In particular, our love lives.

But that’s how it always goes, right? We don’t grow wise overnight, and neither do the people around us. So we’re “doomed” to go through (or suffer) these things a few times before getting it right. That’s both the danger and the beauty of it. We just have to take comfort in the fact that this world isn’t out to get us, despite how crazy a ride it takes us on.

Right after parting with them, I beelined to the bookstore and bought my second book of the year — He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccilo. I tell you, this Greg guy is annoying as heck! He thinks he’s so smart just because he managed to get his act together and land a seemingly perfect wife. Tsch. And what I hate about him the most is that deep inside, I know he’s right.

And as his co-author Liz says, it’s hard to digest. I finished the book in a day (thanks again to Cat for recommending it!).

If there’s anything I want to get at, it’s this — in my opinion, the week before Valentine’s happens to be the most tragic time of year. I noticed that people tend to think of the bad stuff around this time, not the good. Why is that? Well, I guess you can blame it on the bookstores, the publishers, the authors, the ancient Egyptians and their crazy ideas.

(Advance happy hearts day!)

It seems that originality these days doesn’t just mean you splash on an adventurous shade of pink. Apparently, weird and kinda-crazy is the new cool. So here are some of the things I found that despite being “eccentric”, have an equally weird appeal to them — that is, if you’re anything like me.

“Canape” sofa by Lila Jang. If I had this, I wouldn’t be able to shake off the feeling that it does crawl around the house when I’m not looking. I’d jump into the room shouting “Aha!” every hour or so.

“Knife” coat hooks by Tianyi Chang. For the secret psycho killer in all of us.

“Divided” sofa set (by whom, I have no idea). Because yo momma always told you not to play with the black paint. I keep thinking — black waffles.

“Bad Table” by Straight Line Designs. I want this, but it sets a bad example for my dog Bruce. And last but not least —

“Paint or Die but Love Me” by John Nouanesing. One of the creepiest yet coolest furniture designs I’ve seen. Serve a red-candle-lit dinner with red wine, extra rare steak and bowls of ketchup, and you’re all set. Unfortunately this is only a concept, so to all the bloodthirsty furniture fans out there, keep dreaming.

So we had two guests over from Hong Kong — they were here for 3 days on a business trip. Naturally I had to give them a few tips for their stay, tell them what’s what, at least what they really needed to know to get around. One of those days, the three of us needed to attend a whole-day meeting in Makati. These are the things I had to explain to them about getting around in Metro Manila, most of them given during that trip. Of course, most if not all of my readers know this already, but I myself never really gave any thought to these things until I had to explain them. So I’m gonna try to contribute to society by sharing them, here goes.

1. If you’re going by cab, you have to choose carefully.
   • Reason: Some of them charge extra when traffic is heavy, and some just decline when they know it’s a tough drive to your destination.
   • Tips: It’s always best to tell them where you’re going first before getting on, to avoid having to get off if they decline, and to avoid surprise charges. Also, try to pick the company-owned cabs (they’re not white — some of them are MGE, R&E, EMP and Sturdy). They generally don’t decline and don’t charge extra. If they do, try to negotiate and make sure you know when it’s too much. Sometimes, Filipinos are willing to give up to Php20 (in extreme cases, Php30) extra to cab drivers if they know traffic is really that heavy. Never agree to a no-meter run, that is NEVER allowed, no matter how they try to convince you (they sometimes do that to trick foreigners).
   • Story: The day after the meeting, they were fooled into paying Php200 for a Php100 trip, because the driver told them that he wasn’t running on a meter. In fact, he charged P250 but finally accepted Php200.
2. Cabs usually don’t give change if it’s less than Php10, maybe even Php20.
   • Reason: It’s considered a tip, whether or not you intended to give any. It’s the custom and in general, nobody complains. I guess it’s pakikisama, the Pinoy concept of getting along with others (meaning, don’t go fighting with him over Php5).
   • Tips: Just try to be reasonable. Remember the denominations — Php5, 10, 20, 50. If you have the exact fare (by exact we mean anything with an extra of not more than Php10), then pay that. If not, prepare to let go of anything under P20. Try to read his body language for a second too — if he looks like he’s reaching for change, then wait for it. If not, let it go. Ask for anything over Php20, unless you agreed on paying extra for traffic beforehand. Better yet, you can also just give a tip of around 10%, less hassle.
   • Story: One of them took a cab somewhere the day before our meeting. After paying, he was waiting for his Php16 change. The driver wondered what he was waiting for, and asked in a mean voice “Change?”. He realized the driver didn’t want to give it back so he just declined and got off.
3. In most cases, cabs don’t have receipts.
   • Reason: The system hasn’t been officially rolled out until recently (last year), and implementation will take a while.
   • Tips: If you need your fare reimbursed, just write down the plate number, taxi name and fare. Driver name if you think it’s necessary, they won’t mind. Afterwards, have it signed by the driver.
   • Story: Our guests thought all cabs had receipts, because airport taxis right now have them.
4. Jeepneys and busses can stop anywhere, sometimes even in the middle of the road.
   • Reason: One reason is that in most cases, it’s really okay to stop anywhere (as long as you move to the side). Another reason is because vehicle stops in general aren’t observed that much, except when there are traffic police around. Another is that many drivers just don’t think about the trouble they could cause others when they do that. It’s worse for busses since they’re at least three times the size of jeeps. Also, we do have bus stops, but again unless there are cops, they usually aren’t followed.
   • Tip: Just say “Para” where you want to get down. If the jeep/bus isn’t on the right side already, it’s best to say “Sa tabi lang po” which literally means “Just at the side”, but connotes something like “Please move to the side so I can get down.” Otherwise they might stop right there. You can also just tell the conductor or driver where you need to get down when you’re near. That way they can plan a “legal” stop for you. If the vehicle is stuck in traffic, it’ll most likely open the doors for anyone who wants to get down, even if you’re not at a stop. You can get off, it’s completely fine, but be careful and watch where you step — get to the sidewalk as soon as you can.
   • Story: They didn’t get to ride either of these, but they were absolutely fascinated (or confused) by this idea. Continue reading

I’m currently at chapter fifteen of this book — over halfway through. It’s pretty early for me to be writing a review, but I really feel the need to post about it. Just looking at the picture below (from the movie poster and post-movie cover of the book) makes me remember the significance of the kites. I’ve been teary-eyed at least 3 times already while reading this. I’d just like to say that <pseudo-spoiler>

YOU FAIL, AMIR. YOU FAIL AT FRIENDSHIP. </pseudo-spoiler>

Erhm.

I love the story, and I absolutely love the way it was written. Tragic story, in a non-emo way (lulz). I had a hard time putting this one down, the only reason I was able to get this far in only a week of reading. Not bad considering I’d practically given myself months to read it.

I’m gonna start scouting for my next book, I wanna strike while the iron is hot. Any suggestions? (Please note that I’m not much of a fantasy-book person, I like down-to-earth stories like this. No, not Twilight.)

I highly recommend this book, no matter how it ends (thanks for recommending this, Cat). Afterward, I’ll watch the movie. :D

So, after days of toil, neglecting Plurk, and having CSS monsters invade my dreams, My Playground is finally up! Click the image to visit!

2 reasons this is a big thing for me:

1. It’s my new artsy blog, where I’ll be posting all my art-and-design-related works. I mirrored a couple of posts there already.
2. I made the theme almost from scratch! It’s my first attempt at making a Wordpress theme! Consider it a Beta stage, because the CSS is really messy, and I’m guessing I’ll still find some bugs in there.

I actually put up that subdomain as a test blog for my current Wordpress theme, but after I’d finished it, the space was just staring at me — calling out to me like a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese (yes, I found a way to bring it up again). And so after a few days, I stood up, burst through the neighbor’s door and shouted “I’ll do it!”. Okay I just made that last part up, but hey I did it, didn’t I? :D

So what’s this really about? It all started when I was two years old. I’d discovered the magic of paper and the yellow stick that could mysteriously leave marks on the paper. Later, I called the stick “pencil” and all 20 years after that lead up to this exact moment. The big “tada”, the “here we go”, the “you really gotta pull through with this one” moment.

Oh btw, if you find any serious browser problems (I only tested it on FF3 and IE7) please let this amateur know! I can give you +0.9 Plurk Karma for it. Er, no I can’t, but I hope you’ll do it anyway. Thankeeee. :D