Just recently I was printing several pages of school term finals paper when I encountered once again my printer’s low/replace ink prompt. Having solved this problem before, I confidently opened the ink slots and tried shaking the cartridges just like what I did a couple of months ago. But despite number of attempts, the printer this time seemed to have known what I’m trying to do – fool him – and he’s trying to put up a good fight by displaying the error again and again which frustrated me more every after each try.

After stepping back and trying to think, logically and technically this time, if what seems to be the real problem and what might solve it, I peeked inside the ink slots and immediately saw what needs to be done. There it was staring right back at me – optical sensors. I almost cursed myself for not having thought about it the first time I encountered this problem.

Arrays of optical sensors which detect if ink is still present in the cartridge.

So what’s the fix? All it took me was a black marker pen to block the transparent window making the optical sensor “sense” that the cartridge is still full. And this time, the solution worked like magic. Now I’ve got unlimited ink…well, hopefully I won’t get caught unprepared when it actually runs out of ink while I’m in the middle of printing a much needed school essay. 

By marking the transparent window, the optical sensor will "think" that the cartridge still has enough ink.

Warning: this solution will just work temporarily. This is one flaw I’ve noted regarding the design of this printer because it prompts an empty ink when in fact there’s still about one-fourth (that’s approx P100 being wasted) available ink that may be used for several print-outs. Make sure to check every now and then if the ink cartridge is about to go totally empty.

Honk: 2/10 Honks! (just had buko pie for lunch)

Yesterday I unexpectedly attended the Ateneo’s MBA freshmen orientation after being told by our professor that she highly encourages us to be there even though its schedule is in conflict with our Information Technology class, thus she’s allowing us to be out of our first session.Since I didn’t anticipated being there and that I didn’t anticipate as well that I’ll be coming home late in the afternoon instead of lunch time, I decided that it is best that I drive my way back to Cavite via the south Luzon expressway (SLEX) instead of the coastal area after seeing in the morning that traffic at some part of it has worsened due to the flooding after typhoon Isang sent torrrential rains.

From the Rockwell area traffic flow was surprisingly fast but just before reaching Bicutan, it slowed down as if on cue. Although I was expecting it to be that way as I’ve heard from the news, I didn’t know that they’ve actually set a very long counterflow which I soon learned starts in Alabang. Thankfully, traffic loosened up after I reached the Filinvest exit. But it was short-ived.

The moment I approached the Total gas station in Ayala, traffic once again began to crawl and it remained that way until just before where the Daang Hari road starts. What made is frustrating though is when I learned what actually caused the build up is just the road which is more or less just 50 meters in length but is now as cratered as the moon’s surface. Man, that reminded me of the DPWH informercial where smiling public officials proudly declare their “accomplishments”.

Well, today I sort of retract back all the spite I had from yesterday’s ordeal. It is because our drive from Cavite to Batangas started to pick up speed as soon as we exited Carmona. As a proof, I was able to maintain around 120 kph until we reached the Calamba toll gate where once again, every car and motorist got stuck due to the still on-going construction in that area. This time I’m not disappointed since I’ve seen how a lot of progress have been made since this SLEX improvement project started. By the looks of it, they might complete it as planned sometime in 2010. All my fingers are crossed.

***

Yesterday’s drive was also quite alarming due to several encounters:

• I had a near miss when somewhere in Baclaran I saw a taxi swerving to my lane and upon hitting my brake and punching my horn, he braked so hard that I heard his tires screeching almost to a stop. Some people just don’t deserve to drive.

• While idling at an intersection near SM Molino I saw one street kid approach me but he not only knocked on my window to beg, but I also saw him lift the door knob on my side. I let it pass, but I only remembered about the modus when after he left one of the passengers of the car beside me opened her window and said, “he was trying to open you door”. That warning reminded me of what I’ve read from one of the car forums that some unscrupulous group operates this way. They send one innocent looking kid to check on car doors. Once they see that the doors can be opened, they will come out from nowhere and will immediately enter that particular car and divest whatever they can. It’s alarming knowing that as early as now, instead of the Christmas season (ironic, huh?), these people might be already starting their activity again.

 ***

I now describe the SLEX as the Philippine’s own version of Germany’s Autobahn. And I’m now calling it AutoBat (for Batangas). Right now, what this highway lacks, among other signs, is speed limit marks. So until the time when these are put in place, this highway is basically free for all and it means speed here is controlled more by the sanity of the driver behind each wheel rather than the speedometer in front of them – assuming it works. Hopefully, our beloved DPWH officials won’t wait for the time when accidents begin to happen before they act upon this safety concern.

Mood: 3/10 Honks!

Now he can be called trusty.

Today our electric bill was delivered and after seeing that our consumption surged significantly compared to last month’s, my wife and I had a brief but interesting discussion about it during another hearty lunch. She said that it must be our refrigerator that is contributing a lot to the increase. And so I asked why? “Because it is already ten years old”, she declared with a straight face.

I was taken aback by her reply not because of the way how she said it. It’s not even because I know that she knows as well that our kid’s nightly demand for airconditioning has more to do with it. And it’s not also because I sensed that what she’s really trying to say is, “let’s replace it” (women). So what was it then that got me to pause for a moment from swallowing the meat balls in my mouth? It’s because all of a sudden I realize that it is indeed already a ten year-old refrigerator. Once again, I lost track of time.

I can’t believe that it has been almost 10 years already that I’ve been shaking my head in disbelief how a “new” refrigerator can have its plastic coating peel off “so soon”. Yes, since we’ve had it, I regreted having bought it because just a year after we took it home, it already started showing signs of poor quality and that every time I get near it I swear I’d never buy the same brand. So today, the realization that it has actually reached 10 years somehow made me utter, “so tumagal din pala kahit papaano (somehow it reached quite a long service)”.

Now I’m hoping that it will serve us a bit longer especially now that it’s been months since I haven’t frequented opening it after I stopped buying and storing canned beers in it. Ti abi.

***

Another thing that surprised me for forgetting how long it had been with us is the 500-piece puzzle that my wife and I assembled even years before we got married. In fact, if there’s one thing that had witnessed several of our ups and downs we encountered back then, this might be it. Last two weeks ago, after more than 10 years of being wrapped in plastic and kept to collect dust behind our cabinet, my wife finally decided to have it framed along with other cross-stitch and puzzle projects.

Believe it or not, those were chiseled obliques when that puzzle got assembled.

Top: Puzzle set given by wifey's then colleague. Bottom: One of her many cross-stitch projects that finally got framed.

Mood: 2/10 Honks!

It’s early morning. First day of another week at work. The airconditioner’s monotonous hum making the wait for another meeting with the boss as uneasy as it can be. Good thing there’s a mug, on top of my own leather-cladded office table, filled almost to the brim with the freshly brewed coffee from the nearby fully-furnished pantry. At least it will mask my cold and yet sweaty hands just in time I guess for a ritual-like handshake before each monday meeting with the person known to always wear those seductive minis yet still appears to be less appealing than the thought of being infected by the hyped flu virus in the office. We’re in for another UFC-like corporate meeting – where when financial figures are crunched, a tapout seems to be the most humbling yet the most appropriate thing to do just like inside the real fighting octagon.

The dreaded meeting started. As expected hands where shaken, although in a manner closely equal to that when Judas Escariot made his historic kiss. Tablet notebooks were opened as if in unison; everyone so eager to present his own report; everyone already looking forward to calling it a day; everyone so eager to get the meeting over with. And the boss despite being in her usual red lips, well-parted black hair, partly exposed breast and the famous seductive minis doesn’t seem to attract one bit of attention of everyone but one. Me. Interestingly, she does look like she’s interested as well to hear what I’ve got to start the week with. And just as I was about to proceed in front, with the confidence that was created mostly by the recent caffeine intake, I all of a sudden feel a tingling sensation just inside my well-pressed black slack’s pocket. It became persistent and the more I resisted it, the more it sent vibrations that just cannot be ignored…few more seconds…few more seconds…

Snap! I find myself inside a room totally different from where I just was. I was daydreaming while holding my new touch phone. Damn. What an effect this small wonder has on me. This Nokia 5800 after all, is a bum’s dream come true. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Time to hit the sack and for tomorrow will be another day. Another day of fiddling and discovering what this perfect bum tool has to offer. Hahahaha. Will post my complete review soon.

For starters, you now know it comes with a stand : )

Mood: 3/10 Honks!

Photo credit: Yahoo!

June 26, breakfast (Philippine time). Upon turning on the TV to catch up on the local TV morning show that we regularly watch, the news about someone being rushed to the hospital in the US caught my attention. In my half-conscious state I heard the name Michael Jackson. The news updates that followed became bleak and certain – it says a pop icon is dead? “Who died again?”, my mind was still trying to process what was going on then and trying to make sense why all of a sudden the world seem to be glued to the boob tube.

Upon switching to CNN and other International news network on cable TV my question was finally answered. It’s THE Michael Jackson indeed. It is the king of pop. It is one of the most influential and controversial artist who ever lived. And he’s now dead.

Honestly, I felt bad of course after learning about the news. Someone passing away isn’t after all a good news and the fact that this isn’t just a mere someone makes it all sadder. And for his avid fans, needless to say, this is the saddest that it will ever be. (Un)Fortunately, I’m not among them.

I’ve tapped my fingers to his songs, I’ve moved my head up and down to his beats and yes, I’ve even had one padded-shoulder jacket once (not by choice but by fad). And who knows, some might have even seen me do a pathetic moonwalk before. But I’m just never a big fan.

Now with the death of Michael Jackson and everyone almost mourning, I all of a sudden find myself the only one not doing so. All of a sudden I felt left out. All of a sudden, people whom I didn’t expect to be Michael Jackson fans began pouring out their sentiments about what happened to the king of pop. All of a sudden I felt guilty that my avid memories of Michael Jackson are about the jokes that people told and made about him.

I’m now questioning myself where are the people who sent me emails about the black to white transformation of Michael Jackson. Where are the people who joked that the cub scouts need to watch out for the Bad singer (pun intended) rather the bears in the woods. Where are the people who laughed at the hilarious MJ lines of Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno. Where are the peole whose one of their memorable parts (if not the most) of the George Clooney movie, Three Kings, is when one of the villains said MJ’s famous song line, “huhu, hihi”. Where are you now people? Please speak up.

So as I now wait for these friends, contacts, online buddies, etcetera to go out in the open and share what they really feel now that they’ve lost one ice-breaker material, I might as well be on my own and brace myself to be visited and hounded by a ghost coming from the Neverland ranch owner. The problem though that I have right now is whether I’d be on the look out for one that’s black or or one that’s white. Ti abi.

Mood: 4/10 Honks!

“If you can’t beat them…make fun of them.” – me

Today I went to a nearby LTO office to have my motorcycle registered for the first time (it will turn just a year-old this August) and as usual I heard another not so surprising one-liner that it should have been made as this government office’s motto: “paumanhin sa lahat, meron lang tayong system slow down (our apologies but we have a system slow down).”

I’ve been hearing a lot of it for years since I started dealing (i.e., driver’s license, vehicle registration renewal) with them that such statement has become as predictable as sunrise (also a cliche). So instead of getting frustrated about the whole thing while standing still and staring blankly at the “efficiency” of LTO’s personnel, I tried to keep myself calm and composed and instead recall other amusing one-liners from different people. Here are some of them:

“Sorry for the inconvenience” – DPWH, Maynilad, MWSS (usually seen on the same area but different time of the year due to poor planning and coordination)

“P 1 – ihi, P 5 – dumi” – supposedly free public toilets.

“Para sa kapakanan ng masa (for the poor people)” – Presidentiables and other politicians.

“Paano yan sir?…” – Kotong cops after pulling over a motorist.

“Mani, mani…mainit-init pa, bagong luto” – Peanut vendors (whose peanuts are obviously burnt after countless times of re-heat).

“Nakainom ako, pero konti lang.” – Drunk drivers after a road mishap.

“Hindi naman masagwa ang kuha.” – Wholesome-turned-sexy actresses justifying their adult magazine pictorials.

And the last but my all-time favorite:

“Kumabyos ang preno, di umabot (brakes slipped, didn’t stopped on time)” – Public utility vehicle driver involved in a car crash.

How about you, any favorite one-liners? I’d love to read them.

***

I’ll be back this afternoon to claim my motorcycle registration renewal. I hope the LTO’s system is already up and running.

Mood: 3/10 Honks!

Eight weeks ago I was expecting my self to fill my need to blog with gusto. Obviously it didn’t came to be that way since I soon got myself pretty occupied ,just like I’ve mentioned before, with so many things (except for work). For the past few weeks it was all about Accounting.  

If my recently spreadsheet-crammed mind serves me right, I already made it a habit to turn off the TV immediately after I get my daily dose of local prime time news. From that time on and almost until midnight, I’m hunched over my thick Manegerial Accounting book and syllabus booklet trying to solve every exercise and problem. The only time I’d have a break is during my regular peek at my Facebook’s and Twitter’s page (which I soon learned to fully ignore during the last few days). And among my nightly routine of course is filling my mug with hot coffee and making one for my wifey who’s usually watching her favorite (but my hated) telenovelas in the room, surfing the net and while watching over our sleeping baby boy all at the same time.

Somehow, and thankfully, all those efforts made me understand more about this subject matter that I’m actually starting to like it already however late – last Friday was our last session and the final exam paper will be submitted after two weeks. So tomorrow, just after two days of taking a break from seeing rows and columns of numbers, I might be back to our dining table again, analyzing one company’s income statement hoping that those nights spent studying will result to something fruitful. And sooner of course, I’d like to put everything to practical use because knowing the concept is one, applying it is another.

***

What amazes me though is that while I’m away from blogging, my page marcuscanblog.com still gets hits after hits as if I’m blogging the way I used to be. Nice, huh. To those who made it possible, thanks for dropping by.

***

I think I forgot to notify some of my blog visitors that I finally decided to use the domain marcuscanblog.com to replace crisn.wordpress.com (although clicking or typing this URL will direct one to marcuscanblog.com) since I got tired and hopeless making it work with my supposedly self-hosted blog (from GoDaddy.com). It’s not that I’m quitting and letting a couple of thousands of 2-year subscription fee get lost in the world wide web, but I’m taking time off trying to figure it out. I might get another domain instead as soon as I find time to do it.

 Mood: 3/10 Honks!

“At least you’re a happy bum” – from my Managerial Accounting professor

Exactly 1 week ago during our TSLEADER class, we had an interesting topic about Enneagrams. For those who don’t know about it yet, it is just among the many tools that identifies and classifies an individual’s behaviour. And while our professor was discussing about it and each of the nine personality traits it comprises, I began to remember my previous co-supervisors and scribbled names according to his/her dominant trait.

Each trait in the Enneagram is indicated by a corresponding number and each are grouped according to how and where the behaviour most likely originates from. (It also tells which personality one isn’t aware of and might be able to develop through self-awareness.) For example trait numbers 2,3 and 4 belongs to the heart; numbers 5, 6 and 7 belongs to the head; while 8, 9 and 1 personality traits coming from the “gut”. Here are the names that immediately came to mind for each trait numbers.

***

By some strange coincidence (well, I consider it that way) last Thursday, I was called by “The boss” informing me about a hotel dinner with the rest of my ex-colleagues. Other than the immediate appeal of the word hotel plus dinner, I soon felt excited at the thought of seeing once again the faces behind the personality traits. I said yes without further ado just before I hung up the phone.

***

Team 2 in Renaissance Hotel. Front (L-R) Edna, Rix, Rhia, Lie, me. Rear (L-R) Tammy, Alfred, James, Cocoy, Nedie, Amor, Lei.

And so as planned, yesterday night I find myself together with most of the Team 2 supervisors and our manager (with her hubby Mark). We started the reunion with a buffet dinner at the Renaissance Hotel’s M2M area wherein the group’s exuberant demeanor and excited exchange of stories and laughter dominating the warm and elegant place.

Merk with Monday night's performer Silk & Steel

Stuffed after almost tasting every variety of food from the buffet tables, the group decided to have some beers at the nearby Greenbelt 3 mall. We settled at the Merk’s Bar Bistro where we caught the acoustic band Silk & Steel playing. We also must have been lucky last night because we saw the actor-comedian-owner Richard Merk. According to him, it’s been almost five months since the last time he dropped by the place.

After a couple of hours getting entertained by the guitar trio, where Merk joined and rendered some great songs as well (I never knew that he’s a good singer until last night), we capped the night (or early morning) by having coffee at the Starbuck’s coffee shop along Macapagal Avenue where sobering up with a hot Americano before the trip back to Cavite became a regular routine for several night outs I have attended since then.

Now you know why his personality trait is 7.

***

Last night’s gathering was actually a farewell party for those leaving this time as part of my ex-company’s (funny, but I still haven’t got used to writing the prefix ex) third retrenchment phase. Despite always feeling and talking as-a-matter-of-factly about the whole retrenchment thing, frankly, I find it really sad to see more people going out thus leaving fewer employees behind until the next phase and until the (ex)company finally ends its Philippine operation this year. Well, that’s life, huh?!

Mood: 3/10 Honks! (TSLeader class cancelled today)

“A wedding anniversary is the celebration of LOVE, TRUST, PARTNERSHIP, TOLERANCE & TENACITY. The order varies for any given year.” – Paul Sweeney (as written by wifey in her card)

For reasons I can’t even explain and even didn’t mind researching why, June is the time of the year when most couples find it a perfect time to make their marriage vows in front of the altar. This month another lovely pair was added to that June groom and bride list – Rogel and Marivic, who were my co-workers from my previous company, Intel. 

What so special about their wedding is that other than just being invited, it was my first time to be among the principal sponsors of a wedding and that made me seated next to men twice my age (no pun intended) which Rogel and Mavic picked to testify as their witnesses as they declare their binding love and commitment to each other through the sacrament of marriage at the small yet baroque Nuestra Senora de Garcia church in Makati.

The whole wedding ceremony was simple but well celebrated, with almost everyone (especially current and ex-Intel folks) of the attendees knowing what they’ve been through prior to this day. There have been several break ups and make ups which during those times don’t seem to give any hint that they’ll eventually tie the knot. Thankfully, they finally did and I was among those who celebrated with sincerity when they marched out of the church as husband and wife.

***

For my wife and I, June is just as special – we got wed also during this month. Although I still can’t believe how time flies so fast which got us through three more years from the dreaded 7-year itch, being able to celebrate this year’s wedding anniversary together is just amazing…however simple our celebration may be.

10 kilos and 10 years ago

I don’t know if it is just me, but the funny thing I notice is that as our marriage anniversaries progress, we tend to give cards that are rather wacky (in appearance) than romantic. Proof to that? On our 10^th exchange of wedding anniversary cards, each just reflects how we see our relationship in the past years – that despite the challenges and misunderstandings we never forget to take time to laugh our heart out together. Didn’t they say that laughter is the best medicine? I’d say I’m a believer.

Here are the “lovely” cards we gave each other that made it hard for me to suppress laughter just so as not to disturb our precious 10^th anniversary wedding gift – our 1-year old boy.

Mood: 3/10 Honks! 

Inks

Originally uploaded by louiemiranda

This is from my first (yes, first since I’m not fond of adding nor getting Flickr contacts although it has been a plan since I started using CC pics) contact – Louie Miranda, but I find the colors in this picture almost perfect. It could have been better if the lower left part weren’t overexposed. Anyway, it still is worth posting.

I don’t know however, if he has some creative commons photos that I can freely use on my blog posts.

Mood: 3/10 Honks!