Talking to Myself

Moved

2006-05-23T07:44:00.000+08:00

Finished, ... well, almost. All that's left are the content, news, blog & tutorial extensions (hopefully at least one).

http://elijah.pinoguin.com

Forward!

2006-05-09T08:19:00.000+08:00

I didn't expect us to be together again, I guess somehow both of us got jealous seeing each other with other ppl. I'm not single again :-)

Well, I'm here at the office now, it's back to work again. No new projects lined up today so I guess I'll spend the rest of the day browsing the internet, maybe implement a few server stuff & tech support.

Server Implements

2006-05-03T10:46:00.000+08:00

The bookmarks on my firefox browser contains links to sites on server stuff, I open one everyday to implement 'em, as per request. Last week I've just implemented a jabber server (ejabberd) for our local IM (think yahoo messenger). I've chosen Coccinella as client of choice, works on both windows & linux ... It's an awesome app, had a few uncaught bugs & weird issues but it works great. The best feature our project manager could use is the whiteboard feature. She could just send out whiteboards to everyone with scribbles & all, think ms paint being sent via ym in real-time. It's been a rave at the office for awhile, it also had a chess game & cards feature we played around in.

Not all server features are being taken that seriously, my boss wanted this feature & that... but when it's finally implemented he hardly uses it. I don't have that much of a voice & weight to carry around so actually telling everyone to use this application from now on is kinda difficult. It's a bit annoying but, what they hey... everything I've done here is documented, noted in my palm for future use. They'd look great in my future resume.

Plot Twists

2006-05-03T00:01:00.000+08:00

Sorry, I had to step back. The relationship has been a great experience for both of us but in the end some spark had to flicker out on my side. It was before that I started to like her, she's been so nice to me ( I mean very ). It's been 'us' before we knew it, I gave it a try anyway to see how it goes ... it didn't go well in the end. I may have some faults in the first place, maybe I felt pressured. Or maybe I was just confused with my feelings, everything's not 100%. She apologized to me too.

The story here isn't full, it's a bit complicated to think about. And I hate complicated relationships, to think this isn't my level of expertise. What's menacing are the courses that change in the middle of it ... cool. We had a great time.

We're just friends now. But we still meet. The next day we had a little movie marathon, watched the Sentinel & Silent Hill =) both are very nice (loved that pyramid head). We still go to church together like we used to. We could watch MI:3 next, but she didn't like Tom Cruise for some reason.

Edit: Ow! she bit me!

Need to step back

2006-04-21T22:53:00.000+08:00

Something's eating me up inside ... I know having relationships with a girl can be quite nice and all but ... you get your own share of problems too. I had a bad start with her brother .. and other issues I'd like to close down quick.

I need a break, it's only been almost 2 weeks now ... why is it that I get tired so quickly? ... I know how I handle these things ... I get depleted so soon. Introversion was my gift. I've been shifting in-between, it doesn't feel healthy to me...

In other news ... I'm still in this blog ... the new host is giving me new problems .. I'll stick here for awhile & build up that site some other time ... elijah.hostcubix.com/ my last host... the site's been built with a simple template I downloaded somewhere... it's free & quick to setup, I just don't have the time right now to build my own designs. Maybe later.

Office relations are good, but they've all noticed a big change in me. I've matured in a big way.

Not that late

2006-04-09T09:33:00.000+08:00

Friday, another free dinner from one of our Danish clients, had a very good dinner ... one thick slice of beef roast, veggies, a chop of lamb ... and some very nice char broiled lobster. MMmmmMMM.

Satuday, just had a date with someone, the longest one I've had ... we talked the whole day, whew. One hot date.

Sunday, got to go to Taytay again, just got a note that someone's interested in my bike ... but is offering a much lower price than I posted ... darnit, I needed the money to purchase a laptop so ... I just might sell it to that guy. If we could meet today, he's supposed to be there lunchtime.

My new host: I've got zoomcities for hosting my new typo3 site, not much storage 50mb but just enough. It's got imagemagick but I'm still waiting for the official 4.0 release of typo3. It looks real cool from what I've tested so far.

Finally

2006-04-04T22:36:00.000+08:00

Salary Increase! yey, I've been waiting for this after the 6 month period, I think they're late for like a month or two ... or three. I deserved it anyway, just the last few weeks I've noticed a surge of too many technical support requests, especially from our new project manager who is just fresh from Windows to Linux.

It's not like I could'nt keep up with that many requests & side tasks, I mean I'm being paid extra for it. But having that much requests & implementing new server features for like 15 people in the company could very much delay my main tasks a bit. I had to train a few people too, then there's ym of other people asking for some linux support too. Busy, busy, busy, if you see me at the office I'm the one who's always walking around being called on to for help (it's exercise anyway) ... The new increase could boost up my morale a bit.

I've switched hosts again for my new site, I'm not fond of that posting for hosting scheme ... exec() for my imagemagick is disabled too. At the time I don't have much time to squeeze up for personal site making... I don't even have much time to practice with my new guitar! sheesh, I really needed to buy up some lessons instead... I don't think online lessons are helping ...

Mixed.

2006-04-03T23:23:00.000+08:00

I am disappointed ... it kinda feels like being in a rut .. but no, pieces are moving here, but slowly ... too slowly. I can't see the top of the hill I'm climbing ... a bit lost I guess. What is it I wanted to do anyway? I dropped my map somewhere.

This week I feel a mixed sense of emotions bottled up, gotta pop up the lid somewhere ... maybe it'll help me feel better. Like talking to a wall. Thank you.

The work is fine, I'm learning at a faster pace now ... but outside work? I feel solitary. I've been invited to dinners, drinking fests, bars & clubs ... I've joined in, got a feel of the night life ... but ... nothing. This must be the same feeling I had when I first got this urge of riding a motorcycle ... alone. To nowhere. It wasn't some girl after all, there's a lone wolf inside me. I haven't been feeding him awhile ...

That solitary stranger kept me apart from deciding what I really wanted to be ... I don't know if this is a good thing or not. Who's typing all this? ... hah, he took over ... hello ...

... enough.

Blog Transfer

2006-03-25T11:07:00.000+08:00

http://elijah.hostcubix.com

My new personal site.

GAS

2006-03-01T21:56:00.000+08:00

Pic(3)
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

I kept hearing / reading that term on those guitar sites ... Gear Aquisition Syndrome, or Guitar Aquisition Syndrome. Very common sickness for guitarists. Also a very expensive sickness /swt , I got hit by this and made me purchase the behringer. It's such a shiny & cool sounding guitar ...

Probably because when someone gets tired of the same ol' sound, they wanted to sound like someone else, or create their own sound but with different gear. Hence, they buy more.

I read a very good article on suppressing this erm, syndrome at guitarnoise.com , it really doesn't matter if you've got the crappiest gear you can afford, it really relies on the player skilled enough for it. Give a different guitar to the same guitarist and it'll still sound like one of his own.

This made me think to prioritize learning & improve my skills first before purchasing new gear like that acoustic effect pedal, and sound card attachments.

I heard Yupangco & Yamaha has that course on guitar playing ... maybe I'll devote my weekends on lessons & tutorials. I'm wondering how much that could cost me ... Those online tutorials & even the beginners pamphlet I acquired from the purchase doesn't teach me much.

Oh well, at least today I figured out how to use the knobs & switches on my amp & guitar. Neat.

Behringer V-Tone

2006-02-28T20:04:00.000+08:00

Pic(2)
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

I've been posting about guitars before ... that was some Yamaha midi guitar I think that I couldn't get ... This year, while seeing how much I've saved up in the bank ... I've treated myself to a new hobby. Guitar & Harp playing. Hopefully, within the year(or two) I could be able to solo the guitar & my harmonica. I love blues & country, I just might be playing those genres most often. I like rock too ... buuut, maybe I'll just let my mp3/ogg player do that job, I don't intend to join a band. Just the ol' lonewolf.

It's an electric guitar ... rather than an acoustic. They say, an acoustic is most ideal for a beginner, but a bit difficult cause you really had to press hard on those frets(?). It's easier on an electric. I've been thinking of getting that acoustic effect too on my behringer, but that little gadget could cost 1.8k, add to that another cord for 699php. I was adviced to wait for the free gift cheque that I might receive for purchasing Yupangco's guitars. Yep, it's that building right beside us =) maybe I could try & sign up for tutorial sessions too ... I wonder how much that costs... maybe I'll teach myself for awhile, there are a lot of resources out there on the net. I mean here.

It's a package set for beginners, it's actually the cheapest one they had ... I've been meaning for a Squier or an Ibanez starter pack but ... the Squier costs 10k (it's even on sale), Ibanez is not available right now.
I've researched this behringer, they say the guitar is crap, but the amp is awesome. I dunno about the reviews ... some are good, then bad ... but most are rating 7.8-8.5. Compared to my 2nd choice, an acoustic Squier starter pack 1k less cheaper than Behringer... but it's an acoustic. I wanted a guitar that could play lots of sounds, I don't want to get stuck with acoustic forever. I don't plan to buy lots of guitars either. This is not my career.

The guy salesman tested it for me, man ... he's really good at playing. Said he started playing at 14 or 16(?) up 'till now, 30's?? ... At least I now know what I could sound like with this guitar, it's pretty damn good!. It makes me even feel I don't even need that effect pedal. But that guy is a little strange ... his hands are shaky, a bit nervous-y ... other salesmen watched too. Instead of me trying to analyze the sounds whether the guitar is right for me ... I'm actually a bit nervous for the guy. I don't know why, his jerkiness is contagious.

Last thing to figure out right now, find a way to plug this baby onto my sound card & yes, my headphones ... I'd get kicked out of this house by the landlady if ever I get into such a state of making too much noise (or music).

For Sale

2006-02-25T22:57:00.000+08:00

forsale
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Just setted up the ad at motorcyclephilippines dot com. It's a really nice bike ... the looks & style of it is as gorgeous as always. And it still looks brand new ... mm... I took good care of it. But this machine hasn't been used for quite awhile now ... I live really close to work & have only been using it on grocery shopping. And that happens just once a month.

I've been re-thinking of upgrading to a big bike too ... but ... I dunno, will it stay in the garage again? it's great on utility but it'd only break down & rust when not used too often .. A laptop is a fine choice too .. but the prices of high end laptops are still too pricey ...

I'll set all this bike sale thinking aside for awhile. *shove*

Yesterday it took everyone by surprise when GMA announced that emergency thing on tv. Supposed to be some pre-emptive move. Well, ok.

Hopefully everything will be in order after all this ... why is it that I get this weird feeling that those who protested & joined in on that Edsa march could have just been paid to be there? Look at those people, they are @#%! smiling & laughing whilst running away from law enforcements. Is this a game? are they enjoying a game of tag with the police? they throw rocks & stuff afterwards. This is sick. I really hate it ... this weird notion that those people were just being used, I'd love to get their names, I mean those who are really behind it.

Last night while walking to get my laundry I saw this cute dog walking around with a protester's sign on it's neck. I didn't have the time to read what it says, but it's cute anyway. The guy right behind the mutt looks just like those who were on tv at Edsa. This guy, ... looks mindless, glittered with political designs & anti-government stuff, and yet there's not a single spark of enthusiasm on his face. Binayaran ka ba?? (Are you being paid to do this?). I mean real people who complain & had the guts to march towards Edsa should be with great vigor & high spirits for what they believe in ...

Something is really wrong here ...

MC for SALE

2006-02-20T06:51:00.000+08:00

forsale
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Last few rides from Makati to the 'pleasant-enough' Taytay country side makes it something like my bike's 'last meal' as it's original owner (myself) will finally sell.

I rode off from Belair with my jacket sides flapping happily against the wind up front. The wind whistle sounds the same, but feels slightly stronger than before. My leathery grip to the handlebars makes me feel more 'buffed' up, a feeling like 'superman' gets whilst flying against the wind. Up, up, horizontalllyyyy. No we don't want to fly here right now. A flying motorcycle creates a horrible image when someone imagines how it lands.

I've parked my mc to my home base at Taytay. Awaiting repairs to the former guys who sold it to me.

I'm still planning of ways of what to do with the money, maybe a small entrepreneurial job to setup ... The rest I treat myself to a low-end laptop, or a phone/pda replacement.

Wow. After that bike wash it still looks new...

Firewall

2006-02-18T19:42:00.000+08:00

Pic(3)
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Another movie with 2 friends. Watched 'Firewall' ... it was ok, no comment about how they hacked into stuff ... some attempts too unbelievable, but good anyway.

Before getting there I felt a bit paranoid by this Australian-Indian-Arab whatever kind of guy that keeps on following me, I think he's gay. I took a right turn to wherever just to get off the scent. Sheesh. Ugh.

Common talks on dating & girls & stuff ... while I'm still enjoying this single life, it gives me this kind of ... 'yearning'? or ... 'wanting'? some kind of female partner. I wanna ask someone out again ...

On another topic, I'm selling my bike. Can't get enough use for it anymore .. only for getting groceries & that's it. Today I rode off to Glorietta but the main intention was to find a repair shop to take care of whatever things that need fixing... then sell it. I was hoping to get enough to buy a laptop but ... hmm.... I dunno, can't buy good quality laptops for just one bike. Maybe I'll hold the money for awhile & maybe it'll help setup my dream business.

Goodnight.

The little things ...

2006-02-14T23:11:00.000+08:00

Pic(4)
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

My spellings, grammar and my usual blog schedule ... I've been neglecting. Before I check twice before posting. Now I lack something to even care about it. I haven't been taking much pictures too. Things have slowed.

I was thinking that a new change in behavior could somehow mess up my habits ... those little things like regular backups of my files, writing down every little thought & idea to my palm ... have all been ... what's that word? tsk, even looking up a dictionary ... well, whatever comes to mind I could post up here ... this poor blog.

Pic, another lamp post ... it's valentines and I have no date. Even my lady boss jokingly asks me out.... I told her to meet me at the fishball stand.

Thinking

2006-02-14T23:04:00.000+08:00

Pic(5)
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Quite a times I see businesses, shops and thought to myself "Hey, that was my idea before..." ... and it's not doing very well. That's good! I didn't have to go through all that trouble to see if it will work or not! Nyahhahahha.

But that's also bad 'cause ... that's one more experience I lack. That's also understandable 'cause ... I don't have the funds yet. Oh well.

Here's a pic of a lamppost(sp?), newly installed by the generous belair management. I still don't like the guards though, they still don't know me ... I've been here for months now and they still ask me who I am ... everyone is paranoid here.

Korean Candy

2006-02-14T22:59:00.000+08:00

Pic(1)
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Or was it thai?? I'm not sure what my landlady told me where she was ... I think it's Korea where she bought these candies ... She has travelled to lots of countries now I think, last time was in Thailand where she got that elephant & tiger pic. Now she gets to take home these candies (tastes very much like our local cloud9 chocolates).

After tasting those candies makes me feel I've never missed a thing :P

I'm still blogging?

2006-01-29T18:20:00.000+08:00

Pic(24)
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Just checked out itzamatch again, what in holy h@#l!~ 4 males have visited my profile, get outta there you!!! checked out other profiles too, few are scary, a few I liked ... winked and messaged them but were ignored.

It's tough finding a girl with similar preferences, I'm not that typical guy next door ... I could be sporty and sometimes geeky, I like technology & sports at the same time, quiet & talkative ... maybe I'm still confused. Buying that motorcycle may not just be for that depressing day, I do remember doing something to clear out all that fog in my brain, yet still confused. Lots of reasons popping up and I can't decide.

February, would've been ideal to get a girlfriend ... I'm not taking girls up on a pedestal anymore, I'm willing to find ones that could be just like a 'bestfriend' and much more. If I finally setup that business she'd be there with me, not just helping but alongside ... like in war she'd be a comrade, the closest the ties so noone/nothing could break it, not even ourselves. I big whoop at the office, some misunderstandings, I just lost respect to our lead programmer and stuff have quieted down instead of the usual lively one. These kinds of social things I'm not a major in, hoping that the very relationship to come would not come to this. I am very careful now.

Motorcycling didn't cure me, the rush of almost getting bumped by tailgaters didn't help. I can't find myself.

There's that walk again near the house I'm boarding in, I've taken up jogging =) I plan to sign up for gym only on weekends, saturday mornings only. On Sundays they're closed. I only jog in the evenings, it's quieter and cooler. The village is well lighted too, very well safe. Junk foods are now taken lightly, fruits & veggies have filled my fridge.

Really really old music ...

2006-01-23T19:46:00.000+08:00

Really really old music ...
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Music of my Dad's generation ... it's their giant Cd's called vinyl records that plays by scratching some diamond tipped arm of the hifi my Dad owns.

It's still there, barely worked when I last heard it. Years before he simply loved playing really old records like "Tie a Yellow Ribbon", "Kingston Town" and "It all seems to fall into line" by Perry Como, Orlando Tony, etc ...

Those old hits seem to have hit my head and echoed some age old music syndrome and decided to reminisce (I'm not sure this last sentence makes sense).

After hearing it over and over and over it began to grow on me ... I've decided to download some mp3's for it ... just what I could remember.

Here is a little lyric from Kingston Town, a favorite of mine when I was a kid, sigh memories:

Down the way, where the nights are gay,
and the sun shines daily on the mountain top,
I took a trip on a sailing ship,
nd when I reach Jamaica I made a stop.

But I'm sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.

Sounds of laughter everywhere,
and the dancing girls swing to and through.
I must declare my heart is there,
thou I've been from Maine to Mexico.

But I'm sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.

At the market you can hear,
ladies cry out while on their heads they bear,
acky rice, salt, fish are nice
and the rum is fine any time a year.

But I'm sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.

Down the way, where the nights are gay,
and the sun shines daily on the mountain top,
I took a trip on a sailing ship,
and when I reach Jamaica I made a stop.

But I'm sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.

Sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.

Blog

2006-01-17T10:31:00.000+08:00

Pic(10)_2
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Sometimes whenever I get in a such a mood I say things I never thought I'd say ... I've just cleaned up a few blog posts that I thought were not really 'me'. I was like "why the @#$ did I say that? " ... Edited.

But then again things change ... my beliefs, including myself ... I'd might as well delete my entire blog If I don't even agree with myself. Hayyz ...

More blogging ... I'm looking into some free hosting to put up my new typo3 site ... I could just setup a news plugin for my blogs, upload my notes of work.... mmm... the possibilities ... some ads would be fine for a free site I guess.

Back to RO

2006-01-13T10:46:00.000+08:00

screenUrdr030
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

I am doing well ... got a fine job, learning & livin' it. I been trying to live healthier now, taking up gym, walking to and from the office ... with my poor bike in storage =( It's 'rectifier' or something is not performing very well. I'd like a second opinion on that one. It's not a battery problem after all. Tsk, wasted 1.4k on that one.

Bike stats: for 1 1/2 year of riding I got a broken clutch cable and a weird rectifier.

RO: I won an event for the first time around, won 30m zennies, 30opb and 30 candies. Went right to prontera for some shopping ^-^

Gym

2006-01-10T22:46:00.000+08:00

Pic(24)
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

I'm running out of things to post ... hmm... anyways, like the title says, I've just signed up for gym training =) I'll be working out more often.

Lucky me to spot this one, it's near JP Rizal, not too crowded, has it's own shower, sauna ... jacuzzi isn't working but that's fine ... 50php for just one session, 700php for a whole month. The price is fine I guess ...

Qemu installs WinME

2006-01-04T23:59:00.000+08:00

qemu_winmeinstalled
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Techblog, I'm not sure I liked techrepublic's blog posting ... I'm more comfortable posting here at flickr / blogger.

The screen is from an ubuntu breezy install, common stuff like gkrellm on the right ... xterm on the left, firefox on the background ... what's in the middle is qemu hosting a windows ME install. I just figured it out a few hours ago.

Some of the programmers who use linux wanted to use Internet Explorer of Windows to test their design if it works well on IE. For some reason what looks good on mozilla or firefox looks bad on Internet Explorer and vise versa. And so the need for IE keeps bumping up my todo list.

First choice was Vmware, a commercial product ... I managed to run a Unix variant called 'minix' from it ... but for working on windows I had to purchase a copy. Win4lin, I didn't get anywhere with this one ... I signed up for an evaluation version but didn't really get an email reply. Bochs, forget this one, it's much too difficult and time consuming to configure. Finally I found qemu and a guide on how to use it, it's pretty simple. You just need to setup a harddisk image and install whatever OS from there, after completing the install you may want to bridge the network from the host linux box to windows.

http://applications.linux.com/applications/05/10/24/1845248.shtml?tid=13

Things Change ...

2006-01-01T11:48:00.000+08:00

Last night I'm all by my lonesome in this tiny little room, my family isn't such a normal 'family' to even celebrate any form of holiday anymore. So I only visited home before New Year's eve. It was midnight and everyone was lighting up their firecrackers ... I didn't bother to watch the display I've seen 'em before, what I hate about the traditional new years celebration is the using of cheap firecrackers ... they're all over the place, everyone's buying and using them ... which means by midnight the streets become fogged up with smoke from those cheapies. I only wish for a normal new year where the only firecrackers allowed are those that can only reach the sky. I worry for my Dad 'cause he's asthmatic.

Last night I had a dream, like being back in time I saw my old classmates again from highschool. Guess who's also there? the very same girl I admired for years. The rest of the dream were just fillers of weird stuff, I forgot what they were ... in the end, having sick of regrets I approached her and tried asking her out. She said no. Is that your final answer? I asked again ... She said yes. Then tears fell out of her eyes ... I wanted to cry too ... Then I woke up, it was raining ...

Only in dreams stuff like this could happen ... in reality all is just rotten fruitcake. But that's just how we make it I guess ... and even in dreams you can't change anything ... This year my resolution is time management, I'll do my best squeezing up all that is productive. I'll take up gym and pursue career some more.

Last year was the time I bought myself some freedom, that was a rebellious year ... this time the keyword is learning ... and searching. Stuff about myself I didn't really understand, I'm pursuing my own meaning ... I'm changing goals for new ones. A lot more maturity will have to set in ... and yeah, I'll have to kill my demons now ...

New Server Install

2005-12-28T13:46:00.000+08:00

eriavy2
Originally uploaded by Elijah_A.

Replaced our old Fedora linux OS to CentOS ... I don't really approve of it but ... what the heck, it's what they wanted, I've never tried this thing anyway ...

The clutch cable for my bike has been replaced, it snapped right near the clutch lever. I had to ferry my mechanic to and from Kymco branches looking for a clutch cable, cause their own branch is always out of it. Can't find good parts for my pulsar anymore ... The Dink model is more popular. I really don't like that name ... 'dink' ... ugh.

Here's a pic of some japanese maid being humorously abused. Gif file.