SouLsEarChiNg ♪▲α--punkies07

Calling all BLOGGERS - Help Flood Victims of Mindanao!

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Calling all bloggers and dear readers to help our poor kababayans in Mindanao. Indeed, Christmas is less than a week from now yet many people will be spending it with broken hearts and homes, lost loved ones, and maybe even some who are still struggling to cope with the flash floods brought by Typhoon Sendong.

This is a good time to show compassion to our very own Nation. Encourage others. Spread the word. Use your capabilities. A small effort can go a long, long way.

God be with us all!

The Worm, the Girl, the Ant Hill. (story)

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:30:00 +0000

"The worm. The girl. The ant hill." Three simple characters and one simple story that somehow changed my outlook in life.

Baby steps. That's what I call my spiritual journey at this moment of my life. Slowly and steadily, I am trying to make way for more time and devotion to my spiritual needs while on the way dealing with other functions of life.

For several years, even while I was still working and living in Cebu City, I have been attending sunday services at Ayala Center through Bread of Life Ministries. I can't say that I am an active member because I just technically attend the service and be one of the few people who prefers to immediately exit after the service. But what kept me hooked with this Church is their modern and more strategic approach to learning more about God and about living a Christian life. I won't go into details of what the church does differently from other Churches here in our country, or other religions at that, because I believe that one is called for one assembly where he most see himself fit and motivated to build a relationship with his Creator.

Anyway, after I moved here in Bacolod, I luckily found out that they too have a satelite church here. I then started to attend Sunday services and had known few people along the way. Still, I'm the typical enter-attend-exit type of guy in the service.

I can certainly call it a blessing as I did not have a hard time at all convincing my siblings to join me in the services. They too loved the church immediately after the first visit. Since then, I and my siblings, together with some friends, have been attending the Church's different services.

It is only recently though, after more than 2 years, that I decided to level up my niche in the church. I am now attending small group sessions, where you can share experiences and opinions about a topic with a certain group of people in the Church. I found it very comforting to know some people in the church in an almost personal level.

One time in our small group session, our moderator shared a wonderful story. It's something she already shared a couple of times especially to those who were already tenured in the church. It's just so special to her that she's always enclined to share it to someone she hasn't told this story yet.

It's her childhood story - and it goes like this.

One hot summer day, one girl found a worm trying to escape the warmth atmosphere of a dry land. Worms are generally more adaptable to cold and wet surroundings. They don't have eyes that can see but have 5 hearts that can help them feel their environment as they crawl. It's such a big worm, as big as a grown man's middle finger. It is also long, as long as twice as you can stretch your palms, and of course it is slimy and slippery in nature.

She sees the worm trying to move away from that piece of dry land. The worm, having no eyes, was just swirling its way out - anticipating that there's a moisture rich land at the other side.

By the looks of it, she immediately figured that the worm is in for a big demise and it can potentially cost the life of the poor crawling creature. Just nearby, she saw a hunch on the land. It is an Ant hill covered with strong and willing ant soldiers, and perhaps filled with many more hungry ants inside.

Feeling pity for the poor worm but coward and "ma-arte" enough to touch it, she then took two small sticks and tried to pick up the worm to make it change course from its current path. She tried and tried harder. But the worm just slides right through the sticks and still continues on its way - the way to disaster. As the worm gets closer to the ant hill, she tried even harder. She was able to make the worm get back a few steps but the willing worm still struggles and fights to continue its journey.

Her childish instinct finally kicked in. She grew tired and left the worm alone. Moments later, she went back to see what happened. All that was there was a worm covered and swarmed by ants. Death finally took its fierce bite.

Then, it suddenly struck her.

It is her (and it is us). The worm - the struggle to pursue our wants, the need to find comfort and freedom, the want to not be told or guided by others, the persistence to continue what we believe is right based personal through logic, the carelessness with our decisions that usually lead us to tragic events.

But is it Him - who knew what has happened, what is happening and what will happen. It is Him that sees the bigger picture. It is Him that only wants what's the best for us. It is Him that doesn't want us to be harmed but rather be comforted. It is Him that would willingly grab the whole ant hill with bare hands, even if it would hurt Him and even cause Him to die, just to clear it from our path.

--------

Blessings - Laura Story - Guitar Tab Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:07:00 +0000

Song Title : Blessings

Artist/Band: Laura Story

Intro: C#m - B - F# - E - F# - D#m - C#m - B - F# - E   Verse 1 E    F#       G#m We pray for blessings E    F#      D#m We pray for peace E     F#      G#m       A                  E Comfort for family, protection while we sleep E     F#      G#m We pray for healing E      F#   D#m for prosper--ity E       F#        G#m            F# We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering B        E         F#               G#m All the while, You hear each spoken need     C#m             B                 F# Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things  Chorus                     B (Cause) what if your blessings come through raindrops               F# What if Your healing comes through tears             G#m                 F#                 E What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near C#m     B              E                          (C#m - B - F# - E - F# - D#m) What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise  Verse 2 E   F#        G#m We pray for wisdom E    F#       D#m Your voice to hear E     F#      G#m       A               E We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near E   F#        G#m We doubt your goodness E    F#       D#m we doubt your love E       F#     G#m            F# As if every promise from Your Word is not enough B           E          F#                  G#m And all the while, You hear each desperate plea     C#m                 B            F# And long that we'd have faith to believe  [Chorus]  Bridge E             F# When friends betray us G#m            A When darkness seems to win we know E           F#              G#m           F# the pain reminds this heart That this is not                  C#m - B - F# - E - F# - D#m this is not our home                B - F# - G#m - E - E- F# it's not our home                                     Chorus 2                      B (Cause) what if your blessings come through raindrops               F# What if Your healing comes through tears             G#m                 F#                 E What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near              B What if my greatest disappointments        F# Or the aching of this life           G#m           F#                 E Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy C#m     B              E                    F#                  E What if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights  (E) Are your mercies in disguise  Outro: C#m - B - F# - E - F# - D#m - C#m - B - F# - E - F# - B

If you are playing this song with the guitar, it sounds really pretty with a capo on the 5th fret (and is much easier to play).
Here are the chords you would play with CAPO 4:
NO CAPO = CAPO 4
C#m = Am
B = G
F# = D/F#
E = C
D#m = Bm
G#m = Em
A = D

A comment on Rihanna's mean song

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:53:00 +0000

Reposting.. I just had a really good time re-reading this.. hahahah!

-------

How about a round of applause? A standing ovation?

I was quite bored listening to the songs I had on my phone, so I decided to download new ones. I immediately created a new playlist that would only play those latest songs I have just stored. But Rihanna's Take a bow song really irratates me to the point that I keep on listening to it over and over while thoughts of aggravation and resentment run wild in my mind. It drives me nuts! Such a totally over-reacting song and certainly irrational!!!

I would admit I posted some rants about love's unfair notion, about mean love songs, about letting go and moving on. But this song is just too much for me.

Sometimes you might be hurt by the ones we love but that doesn't make you the hero on the relationship. You really dont have to act as if you were beaten by a huge number of crowd, drowned by the lifeguard of the pool or beach, or shot by that same sheriff you ran for assistance. Gimme a break!

You don't have to break another heart just to sustain your own! Don't be mean when you think you're at loss. If you think you have been fooled, taken advantage, et cetera, then asses yourself. How come? Was there something you could have done to trigger such unlikely deed?

Moreover, for me everything happens for a reason. If s/he failed to comply to one's fck*n promise of love, then there is always a reason for that. Ask yourself. Probably your love's spark for each other doesn't even ignite anymore? Or worse, have you been good in bed lately? lol

If you love the person, and the person asked for forgiveness for something wrong that s/he made, then forgiveness is really not that hard to imagine (granted that both parties are willing to cope with the damage that was done.)

But you put on quite a show. You really had me going. But now it's time to go, curtain's finally closing. That was quite a show, very entertaining. But it's over now. Go on and take a bow. Guys don't just show off or put up a show just like that. If so, it could have been something serious. If sometimes guys put up a show though, well girls would probably put up a concert in return!

Well, that's just about it. I guess these contempts only apply to guys like me. And to all the guys out there, don't put up a show no more! Ditch em'! (just kidding)

I'm taking a bow now! =)

--
Lance

A spooky Halloween to us all!

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:34:00 +0000

Me, Matet and Nashie spooking with our company Halloween treats!

Test Email Post

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:01:00 +0000

Hi All,

Just testing out this posting feature.. I miss blogging!

--
Lance

Charice officially signed and sealed for GLEE

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Charice is joining Glee.
No, really this time!

When that rumor began to spread earlier this month via her loose-lipped manager, Charice herself shot it down via Twitter. “I just want to let you all know, that it’s not true that I’m going to be on Glee,” she said.

Well, it’s true now! Sources confirm to me exclusively that the international pop star is signed, sealed, and delivered to recur next season as a foreign exchange student whose killer vocals get Rachel (Lea Michele) contemplating murder.
Not literally, mind you.

So what do you think?

Got it from here!

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:18:00 +0000

Its finally here - the trailer of the highly anticipated 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1' debuted at the MTV Movie Awards today.

The film is the penultimate of the highly successful series and reunites Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson along with the rest of the Hogwarts clan. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is directed by David Yates who has made 'Order of the Phoenix' and 'Half Blood Prince'.

What do you think? Does it look better than the previous two films? We certainly think so. Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix was the worst of the series so far, and the climax of Half Blood Prince was disappointing as well, but Deathly Hallows Part 1 looks promising. Director David Yates stated that the first part is "going to feel very real" in comparison with the six previous Potter features. Yates also confirmed that Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter will get naked for a scene.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I releases worldwide on November 19, 2010 and Part II arrives on July 15, 2011, both in traditional and IMAX screens. In 3D.

You dont miss your water till the well runs dry

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:49:00 +0000

As I sail with you across the finest oceans
On our way to find the key to our emotions
Together will me move the clouds to brighter days
Some people question what I say
Try to break up you and me

But I know this love between us is growing stronger
You can call me whenever, from wherever just remember that
I'll be there through all the stormy weather
Us break up never, no, we'll be together forever

You dont miss your water till the well runs dry
But I believe so strongly with you and I
Can somebody answer me the question why?
You dont miss your water till the well runs dry

As I close my eyes, sit back while reminiscing
Of when we used to fuss and fight but end up kissing
There may be sad and painful times along the way
But in my heart you'll always be everything and more to me

For I know this love between us is growing stronger
You can call me wheneer, from wherever just remember that
I'll be there throught all the stormy weather
Us break up never, no, we'll be together forever

You dont miss your water till the well runs dry
But i believe so strongly with you and i
Can somebody answer me the question why?
You dont miss your water till the well runs dry

For you are always on my mind

You are always on my mind
You are always on my mind
You are always on my mind

You dont miss your water till the well runs dry
But I believe so strongly with you and I
Can somebody answer me the question why?
You dont miss your water till the well runs dry

You dont miss your water till the well runs dry
But I believe so strongly with you and I
Can somebody answer me the question why?
You dont miss your water till the well runs dry

Listen, If you ever get the feeling
You when playin start cheatin me
But you dont miss your water until the well runs dry.

***
This inspires me a lot right now.. :)

Don't be Hijacked, a Sunday service

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Sun, 23 May 2010 04:30:00 +0000

I attended the service today at our church. It's only been this month that my schedule would allow me to attend our sunday service so I dared not to miss the opportunity and time.

The message was about how to hate and manage sin. Human as we are, we commit mistakes, we fall and stumble and give in to our own temptations. But that's not a good excuse for us to just commit sin.

As someone has quoted, "It's human to commit sin, but to choose not to stay away from that sin is devilish".

Now to give this matter a different approach, let me share to you a video that was also shown during the service. It's really cool... ;)

Happy Sunday everyone! :) Stay Blessed!!!

Lucas and Caleb

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Fri, 07 May 2010 10:11:00 +0000

It’s been few months since I have been carrying the pain and guilt of Rupert’s loss. It’s another sad story I despise to share as it would only bring back those memories of happy and worried times with him.

For everyone wondering who’s Rupert, please read here.

But just like a relationship that ends with a bittersweet goodbye, something just great has to come along – to bring the joy back, just as when we really need it the most.

And now here comes Lucas and Caleb. Lucas is a white Siberian husky with some few dark spots, not to mention and highlight in details his blue with some shades of green eyes. Caleb, is a strong and aggressive chocolate brown Polly with some strands of white along his head and on his 4 legs.

I and Ram own them. Ram has been a good roommate of mine for some time now. I own Caleb and Ram owns Lucas. But we both take care of them alternatively or together. We take them for a walk and prepare their food, and of course you can’t take away the usual clean the pooh-pooh chore.

Lucas and Caleb are both just 2 months old. We have dewormed them and feed them regularly with dog food or some tira-tira foods we have during meals. My sisters who are just living right next to our apartment are also fond of taking care of them. They also feed the boys when me and Ram are away or at the office.

I say this is another milestone that I would have to surpass on taking care of a second pet that I put all my love and attention with. I know Ram cares and loves them as much as I do, or quite even more – he does the deworming and decides where to put them around the house. Rupert has given us lessons, far more of those I realized after he was gone. But his memory will always live forever and these memories will stay vivid for as long as we have Lucas and Caleb to take care of.

An In-depth realization of a dream

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:08:00 +0000

Nah.. The title doesn’t really describe what I am about to write in this post. It’s not the usual sweetdream or nightmare interpretation thingy.. It’s actually bigger and brighter than that..

It’s been few months to almost a year now since I’ve been intermittently blogging - on and off, post only whenever I feel like it, and most of the times I feel the other way around. I have had several posts that tackled my attempts of ditching blogging which failed due to a dream that someday I will be able to make my blog a tool that can make a remnant past come back to life in a form of easy reading. And yes, that dream is what keeps me holding up to it til’ now.

But as many say, a dream knows no limits. It progresses through time. Experiences, one after the other, make us realize how much competent and able we can ever be. There are even times we know we are beyond what we thought we could be.

Few months ago, in the middle of my hushes and stillness in blogging, a friend introduced to me an idea of partnership in blogging. I thought it’s weird to have someone you’re working with for a single site, much for the fact that you might not have the same likes or ideas for the site. I agreed of the offer and tried to ride along, however. Few months passed and we both still didn’t have anything to write. He was busy and I became busy as well. I thought the whole idea already died. But I was shocked to see that he was actually still paying for the yearly hosting and domain costs for the site – it having no content from me at all.

Only then when I realized that spending some time from my not so busy schedule is technically not a big loss, realizing that the site could actually grow bigger in years to come. We talked through Skype and laid all matters out, planned everything right there and then. We even motivate each other by making sure to update whoever is making kulelat on the site.

The site is gonna be all techy with a personal “pinoy” touch. Our goal, to become like www.yugatech.com and even better. http://www.in-depthreview.com – how about a link-exchange? :)

Well, I think it’s gonna be great. Firstly because I know it’s gonna make my internet connection cost worthy and efficient. Secondly, I just might be able to update this personal blog since I am also updating that other site. And most of all, it’s because I know I am not just making a post everyday but actually building a bigger dream site, one day at a time.

Rupert and Me

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:56:00 +0000

Ok. I’m not supposed to be writing this but, heck, it looks like I am a little in the mood to write right now. Been a while, I know..

Yesterday I downloaded an old movie about a dog. The movie looks so promising. I have been watching the trailer and exclusive interviews of Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston in HBO for so many countless times in the office as I am taking my coffee breaks.

I decided to download “Marley and Me” and watched the movie yesterday. The movie was about a Labrador Retriever dog named Marley who was at first called the worst destroyer dog in the world but later on found to have played one of the greatest role for the family that adopted him. The movie is funny and inspiring, so much for the dog owners or pet lovers.

Before I get totally lost in this post, I would like to remind myself that this entry is not about the movie, intended for promotional purposes or what not. It’s actually about --- Rupert!

I just can’t help but adore him as Rupert looks straight in my eyes. Those lovely black eyes, cute curved mouth, those little pangs, smooth and silky strands of yellowish white hairs and small tender claws are just so perfect.

Rupert, in the picture, was still less than a month old. Past tensed, I know, because he’s running to 4 months old now. You just can’t imagine how he has grown so much.
However, for about a month or so, I have been reluctant at taking care of Rupert. He grew so big but he’s looking pale and becoming less adorable. He had some lice and ticks because he’s fond of diving into the bushes and I haven’t had the time to bathe him everyday.

The funny thing is, my sister and roommate are insisting that Rupert is a good looking “Askal” and that Manong from the downtown area of Bacolod has lied to me saying that the clearance sale puppy was a Labrador retriever breed. But to me Rupert is a pure breed. I can’t afford to accept that I bought an askal for 900php!!!

When he was still a puppy, one can definitely agree that he’s that of a special breed. But since I have neglected my responsibilities for my pet, his being a “suspicious” Labrador breed is becoming more obvious that I couldn’t even take him outside the gates of the house with his leash for a walk, afraid that neighbors will mock him. I don’t want them to take away the praises and nice responses they said when they first saw the puppy Rupert.

So after I realized that I am becoming a lazy master to a friendly companion, I immediately put all efforts together to get Rupert back in shape. I tie him up almost all the time to a secured clean place in the house, feed him Dog food and bathe him everyday. De-worming him was difficult but I did. All this I did with a great help from my roommate, who by the way owned 20% of Rupert. hehehe

Dog food or puppy chow don’t amaze him so much though. He likes biting on things. So my roommate opted to ask a Karienderia near the office to give us his “tira-tira” bones every afternoon. Rupert loved it so much.

Right now Rupert is back in shape, really similar to 3 months old Labradors. He also had learned some tricks now like throwing the ball and he would come running after it and bring it back to you (we can do it all day long), sitting down, and barking at anyone and anything that is not so ok with him.

I am used to taking away chewable things away from Rupert. Our shoes, my helmet for my motor, sandals and slippers, pillows and other chewable valuables are enough “lesson learned” experiences already.

But does breed really matter after all? That’s what I realized after seeing the Marley and Me movie. It’s the companionship, the friendly bond you have with your pet, no matter what kind, type or breed he is, that matters most.

How he scratches my tired feet, licks my toes, hustles me when I need someone to talk to are more than enough to assure him of my love and care.

To quote a line from the movie “A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes or designer clothes – water and a bone stick will do just fine. A dog won’t care if you’re rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he will give you his.”

Kudos to all pet lovers!

Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Just want to share this lovely story of a young cowboy, named Logan, who's been so touched by God. He called a radio station just to share his story of losing his beloved pet and how God talked to him with what happened to his pet.
He's got a very lovely voice, something I can call the voice of a little Angel. Kids are never liars and by the way he shared his story definitely wracked up my forbidding soul.
Kudos to you Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy!

My new online diary

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:43:00 +0000

This is how it looks like..

**

My Current Feeling: Neutral.
Wearing what?: Basketball shorts, no top.

What happened?
Just arrived from my last day shift for this week. I am supposed to be feeling really happy and jolly right now since it's finally another two days off ahead, pero I feel the opposite way.

I am not really in a depression state though. I am just feeling Neutral. Why? It's actually the feeling you get when you think there's something you need to be happy about but the current occurences suggest the other way around.

When we came back from lunch break (me and the whole team went on lunch together coz Diebhe, my so called second mom, brought cooked rice and nag-amot2x kami to buy oven roasted chicken) I was able to take in a very bad call. I was able to resolve the issue pero cust was somehow rude and he was taking the lead during the call. I felt very stupid and dumb during the t/s because he was suggesting everything.

And another thing that added to my frustration was when TL blasted all my unknown tickets in our team chatroom. I had the second most number of unknown tickets due to customers not giving out their email addresses. I feel bad because I wasn't updated of things that TL wants us to do. My off is during wednesday and thurday so I am always not present during team meetings because most of the team members have saturdays and sundays off. But I still accepted that it was my fault. TL, has the point naman kasi because I am not asking for the customer's email before I start the t/s so if the call gets disconnected while in the middle of the t/s, I would put unknown nalang when supposedly I should just had left the default email eh.

And I know there's still something that's causing me this neutral feeling. I just can't figure out what it is. I feel like I just want to spend my whole 2 days off locking myself inside my room and do nothing. I even feel sick about facebook but I still log in to it and still read updates and do updates. I want to tell everyone that I want to just quit blogging *again* but then my other me tells me that I should not do so. I don't know what's happening.

**

Whew! Sorry you shouldn't have read about my rants there. Hahaha! I was just trying to release the tension I had inside by putting it into writing.

It's very nice to compose a post realizing that no one will ever read it except me. (Yeah, it's a private blog and it's not accessible to public..LOL) The only sad thing is I could not anymore reply to comments from other people reading my blog. But well I guess I can also submit comments on my own posts, can't I? hehehe

The article above was just an excerpt of the whole original thing. I had to cut out some very personal things. And uhmm, it's unedited so pardon the grammar and spelling. (woot)

Life's simple pleasures

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:45:00 +0000

**I just want to share this really nice and moving realizations about simple pleasures in life. I hope to inspire you today**

1. Sleeping In on a Rainy Day – As the rain beats lightly against the window, you nestle your head deeper into your pillow. The sound is soothing and your bed feels like a sanctuary. There is no place you would rather be.

2. Finding Money You Didn’t Know You Had – You reach into your pocket and find a $20 bill from the last time you wore these jeans. You aren’t rich, but you are richer than you were a second earlier.

3. Making Brief Eye Contact with Someone of the Opposite Sex – You pass her on the street or in the subway. She glances up at you momentarily, making direct eye contact in a way that seems to communicate a subtle curiosity. For a split second it makes you think… and then it’s gone.

4. Skinny Dipping – There is something mysteriously liberating about being naked in a body of water. You are naked, but it feels natural, a sense of unrefined freedom.

5. Receiving a Real Letter or Package via Snail Mail – E-mail has become the primary source of written communication. Most snail mail these days is junk mail. When you check the mail and find a real letter or package from someone you know, excitement overtakes you as you tear into this rare gift.

6. Making the Yellow Light - It’s one of the most common simple pleasures, the act of beating the pack. As you blaze through the yellow light you glance in your rearview to see all the cars behind you stopping at the red light. Yes! You made it!

7. Telling a Funny or Interesting, True Story - One of the most enticing roles you lead in life is that of the storyteller. You love to share stories, especially those that will captivate your audience with deep curiosity and humor. There are few things more satisfying than telling a true story that others enjoy listening to.

8. Seeing a Friend Stumble Over Himself – As you walk across the street with your friend, he fails to accurately address the curb on the other side. He trips and stumbles around momentarily before regaining his footing, then swiftly attempts to play it off like nothing happened. This can be a hilarious sight if the moment is right.

9. Hearing the Right Song at the Right Moment - It doesn’t matter what the setting is, hearing the right song for that moment is one of those simple pleasures in life that instantly lifts your spirits. You could be driving home from work, hanging out at a bar with friends, or jogging. When the right song rattles your ear drums the entire meaning of life seems crystal clear.

10. The First Sip of a Beverage When You’re Thirsty – You just finished mowing the lawn or taking a long jog. The only thing on your mind is an ice-cold glass of water. When you are really, really thirsty, that first sip of any liquid beverage is sheer bliss.

11. Catching a Glimpse of Bare Skin on the Opposite Sex – For guys, it’s when the waitress bends over a little too far. For girls it’s seeing that buff guy in a Speedo. Either way, when you see a bit more skin than you were expecting on the opposite sex, you can’t help but to smirk on the inside.

12. Saying the Same Thing Simultaneously – There is a moment of silence. Then all of the sudden you and your friend blurt out the same exact set of words simultaneously. This rare occurrence is something to smile about.

13. The Pull-Through Parking Spot – You pull into a parking spot and are delighted to see the availability of the parking spot immediately in front of you. You pull through to the spot in front so that when you return to the car you can drive forward out of the parking spot. Why? Because driving backwards is a pain in the butt.

14. Realizing You Have More Time to Sleep – Something abruptly awakens you and you think it’s time to get up. Then you squint over at your alarm clock and realize you still have 2 more hours to sleep. A warm euphoric feeling shoots though your body as you glide gracefully back to your dreams.

15. People Watching – Sitting there on your bench you can see people in every direction. Tall people, small people, thin and plump. Blond, brunette, and redhead alike. Each of them has a different stride and a unique expression. As you drift from body to body you are mesmerized by what you see.

16. Putting On Clothes Straight from the Dryer – As soon as the dryer buzzes, you pull out your clothes and put them on. They feel soothingly warm on your skin and emit a fresh-scented aroma into the air. A sentiment of ease comes over you as you head out to conquer the day.

17. A Familiar Smell – You just pulled into your parent’s driveway and opened the car door. You haven’t been home in a long while. You smell familiarity in the air, the scent of a large pine tree in the neighbor’s yard. As you head through the front door, more familiar smells consume your senses. Gosh, it feels good to be home…

18. The Feeling You Get When Your Idea Works – You have been struggling to resolve a complex problem all day and you just can’t seem to get it right. Filled with frustration, you decide to exercise one last idea before calling it a night. You’ve had many ideas before that failed miserably… but this time it works.

19. Fresh, Clean Bed Sheets – You yank at the corner of the bedspread to create just enough space to slide your body under the freshly cleaned sheets. The sheets feel cool to the touch. Everything seems so clean, like nobody has ever slept in this bed before.

20. A Beautiful View – As the car veers around the side of the mountain you gaze out the passenger window. It’s a clear, sunny day and you can see the entire valley below filled with wild flowers and bright green vegetation. The scenery reminds you of something you once saw in National Geographic. But here it is live, right before your eyes.

21. Reminiscing About Old Times with Your Closest Friends – Pink Floyd once said “the memories of a man in his old age are the deeds of a man in his prime”. There is no simple pleasure more satisfying than recounting the greatest moments of your life with your closest friends who lived these moments alongside you.

22. Receiving an Unexpected Compliment – It’s been an average day. Nothing really great has happened, but nothing terrible occurred either. This monotonous day has put you in a dreary mood. Unexpectedly, an older, attractive lady taps you on the shoulder, calls you “handsome” and says she loves your shirt. The day just got a whole lot better.

23. Having a Good Laugh – Laughter is the greatest cure of all. Life is extraordinary in the moments when you are laughing so hard you can barely breathe. These moments of deep laughter are divine in the sense that they cleanse your mood and set your mind on a positive track.

24. The Feeling After a Healthy Workout - It’s a giddy feeling of self accomplishment; the one true activity that actually makes you feel better and look better simultaneously. When you walk out the front door of the gym you are on top of the world.

25. The Celebration in the Instant Something Makes Sense – Even now that it has explained to you for the third time, you just don’t understand how it works. Everyone else seems to understand but you. Then out of the blue the dots connect in your mind. You finally get it, and it feels great!

26. Relaxing Outdoors on a Sunny Day – As you relax sprawled out in a lawn chair, the sun warms your skin and a light breeze keeps the temperature comfortable. Birds are chirping merrily in the trees behind you. You are at complete peace with the environment.

27. Holding Hands with Someone You Love – Every time she grabs your hand you are overcome with an awareness of how much she means to you. Holding hands is sensual and physically intimate, yet subtle. There are few people you allow to hold your hand, so when it happens you can be sure that the moment is special.

28. Playing in the Water – Water marvels people of all ages. From jumping in puddles as a child, to doing cannon balls in the pool as an adolescent, to enjoying a cocktail in the Jacuzzi as an adult… water is enjoyable.

29. Making Someone Smile – You notice that your colleague has been under a great deal of stress with meeting a deadline, so you take it upon yourself to complete one of her indirect responsibilities for her. As soon as she realizes what you did, she comes into your office with a big smile on her face. “Thank you”, she says. You just hit two birds with one stone, because making her smile just made your day.

30. Finishing What You Started – You just finished up a big project you’ve been working on for the last few months, or maybe you just finished your first marathon… Either way, you finalized what you set out to accomplish. The feeling of self accomplishment you get when you finish what you started is by far one of the most rewarding simple pleasures life has to offer.

The day before Payday blues – a hunger strike.

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:09:00 +0000

It’s the 14th. I have no more funds left. No more money left to spend. No more coins to pay for a jeepney fare. No more bills to spend for food. I was doomed. In bisaya terms we call it the “Tig-bitay” day experience.

I knew I would not be experiencing this had I not let a friend borrow the some few amounts I had left few days ago. But then I pity that friend because he really needs it also. He needs it more than I do.

I was completely blank and didn’t know what to do. It’s my day off and pay day will still be tomorrow. Also, the pay arrives around noon time so I am completely out of funds from today until noon time tomorrow. Where will I get the money for me to eat? My sister has a shift tonight and I can only afford to give her money for fare but not for her pocket money to buy food during her breaks.

I was so lost. It isn’t the first time I had to go through with this. The only difference this time is that there’s no one I could contact for me to borrow money from. We tried texting our aunt living here in the city but got no reply. I don’t want to contact my parents to ask for money because aside from I should not be asking money from them anymore, it would only take more than 24 hours before salary arrives so it might be just a hassle for them. We chose not to inform them anymore.

My tummy was aching. The last time I ate food today was 2:00o’clock this morning. I scanned the remaining box of groceries we have left. It contained some packs of noodles and my favorite packs of oatmeal goodies. There were also some packs of chichirias which I am not really contented of eating.

Since it was my day off (a day off that sucks way too much) I thought that I would just sleep until the salary arrives. But then my attempts to sleep were futile. Being hungry makes me agitated, thus I can’t sleep. I waited and prayed to God that a rescue will come. Of course, The Lord didn’t fail me. A knock on the door came and it was my housemate who cooked us dinner! (Wahehehe) So we ate. My sister went to work with the assurance of another friend that will lend her money for her lunch break. I was happy and contented then. Yey! I wasn’t that unfortunate still after all.

Lesson Lesson Lesson

1. Save for the rainy days. (you know what I mean)

2. Share your blessings. God will return the favor when you need one.

3. Don’t contain hunger. It makes you crazy.

And pay day came…

I went to the mall to buy some groceries and other stuff to store (again for the rainy seasons). Thereafter, I treated myself with my faves. Thanks BOBs!

The pinoy size giant cheeseburger at Bob's...

at hindi pa nakuntento..

Tuna Fettucini at Bob's..

The Fray - Never say never, You found me, and more

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:15:00 +0000

(The Fray as my desktop background..;0)

Lately I have been digging into some brand new songs to listen to. While I was searching for new tracks to satisfy my lingering soul, I found this band and it amused me so much.

My enthusiasm about the Fray songs drew from a passing to becoming an ultimate fan! I then downloaded their new self titled album and listened to it every time. The Never say never song is my favorite. Although the song You Found Me is I guess their carrier single for the album.

The Fray was formed in 2002, and currently consists of Isaac Slade (vocals and piano), Joe King (guitar and vocals), Dave Welsh (guitar) and Ben Wysocki (drums and percussion).The band is best known for the song "How to Save a Life", which charted in the top three of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007.

Syndicate, Ungodly hour tracks are also some of my favorites. Isn't it obvious how addicted I am to this group? Hmmm.. I never thought I would become a fan of a boy band again. At least it's not Nsync or backstreetboys, with all due respect.
The band’s songs were featured and used as theme songs for popular US shows like LOST, One Tree Hill, and many more. One of their songs was also featured recently on the Transformers 2 movie.

Aside from their good meaningful songs, I also later found out that the band was a group of devote Christians themselves! It’s so cool! It’s like the taste of Hillsong’s Christian songs, with the voice of David Cook and or Daughtry, and the beating of the Maroon 5 plus a touch of piano and acoustic of Boyce Avenue. (lol) That’s how power-packed this band is!

Out of the blue

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Thoughts just pop up on my mind sometimes, and yes, out of the blue, that is. I can't seem to keep my mind concentrated on things i better put my attention on. Thoughts of moments about the past and the fears of the future are blurting out one after the other.

After I got off from work, basically that's 9 hours plus around 1-3 hours of overtime, I just go home right away. I get myself laid on my bed and get a sweet nap and after few hours I wake up and dress up for yet another long shift ahead. But there are days that I can't get enough sleep. All I do is just lay on my bed, switch positions (I'm not talking about sex here, geehhh) from the opposite sides of the bed, and occasionally stare bluntly on the wall or on the ceiling. I keep on thinking things that I even don't wanna think about. I keep telling my mind to sleep coz I basically need it for the type of job that I have, but my mind just won't do so. I was trying to avoid drinking coffee during work hours and instead load myself up with ample amount of h2o (water) just so I won't dry up talking 8 hours straight on the phone, but it seemingly won't do me any good. I don't know if it's just a paranoia or sort of like that.

During those sleepless days, things are basically all coming up to me. There was silence on the room but my mind is blurted with so much noise. I would recall the past experiences I had with my previous calls. Sometimes I keep on thinking what happened to my previous customers since their issue is unresolved ora I was hoping that those customers I had with resolved cases would give me a satisfied mark on the random survey. Sometimes, I think of things that are usually happening at our home in Canlaon, Oriental Negros, during such hours. Then I would start missing my family, our cute little boy sa house nga si Lenard, then of course I'd starting thinking about my girlfriend and also some old friends and classmates in dumaguete. Sometimes, I'd think about what will happen tomorrow. I'd start sorting out things like what I should have to do tomorrow and what I will be on top of my to-do list. I also get weird sometimes that I'd imagine I have this very powerful capacity of doing magic and having everything I want in just a flick of my fingers. I would imagine going to SM or ayala with the whole family and I would give each of them credit cards, all registered to me, and I'd tell them to shop everything that they want. I would be having body guards all around me and I'd spend much on my precious cars and book several tours with my girlfriend outside the country. Isn't that nice? But isn't it weird? I don't know if you get to be like at one point of your life, but surely I find it peculiar.

As I had said earlier, unrelenting things just keep popping out of my mind when I thought it would be best for myself to rest. I researched on the net on how I can manage to get more sleep but the advices there doesn't seem to work for me, or at least had little or no effects at all. Inadvertedly, thanks for the walkman phone that I have so every time I can't get to sleep I would just listen to my favorite tracks and when I get tired listening, I would be snoring for at least 3-4 hours and wake up with still the sound banging my ears. But I still thank God i can still manage to wake up though. I guess the point is, even if I can't get much sleep, at least, at the end of the tiring day, I can still wake up and stretch and work my self out for yet another promised day ahead.

Review: Left 4 Dead pc game

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:55:00 +0000

If you are looking for some zombie slaying action, then don’t think twice about the game Left 4 dead.

Browsing through the games I had on my laptop (Counter Strike, Prince of Persia, PopCap games, War Craft/DOTA, Need for Speed Undercover, Zuma, and other crappy games) I felt bored and thought my games are becoming so dreary and lame. I asked a teammate who’s been to online gaming since his high school years and he told me about this Left 4 Dead game. I immediately made my way of downloading it (ask me how) and installed it on my pc. And to tell you honestly, even my elder sister who’s never into horrors actually loved the game as well.

According to Mr. Wikipedia, Left 4 Dead is a cooperative first-person shooter video game. It was developed by Turtle Rock Studios, which was purchased by Valve Corporation during development. The game uses Valve's proprietary Source engine, and is available for Windows and the Xbox 360.

Set during the aftermath of an apocalyptic pandemic, the game pits its four protagonists—dubbed "the Survivors"—against hordes of the infected, zombie-like aggressive mutants. There are four game modes: a single-player mode in which allied characters are controlled by AI; a four-player, co-op campaign mode; an eight-player online versus mode; and a four-player survival mode. In all modes, an artificial intelligence (AI), dubbed the "Director", controls level pacing and item spawns, in an attempt to create a dynamic experience and increase replay value.

What I like most in this game is the teamwork value it incorporates to its players. When you play, you will have 3 other teammates who will be your allies. You would need to guide them to a safe house and also build a friendly relationship with them so that whenever you need help along the duration of the game, they will be there to rescue you or give you some health boost to can surpass to the next level. You just don’t shoot anywhere because if they will be hit, that means you are not being friendly to them so neither they will be to you!

Here are some, but not limited to, tricks/advices that I can share to some of you guys who wish to play this game.

1. Don’t mess with the witch – you can surpass the level without fighting the witch. When you hear a crying lady in the background, make sure to turn off the flashlight of your gun. If your teammates will be the one who accidentally encountered the witch, be sure to help them.
2. Shove then shoot! – when all zombies attack together (hordes) you will have a hard time shooting them if they get too close. Shove them off by right clicking the mouse before shooting them.
3. Use a bomb – use the bombs instead of Molotov because it can kill more zombies efficiently and effortlessly.
4. Use weapons wisely - at the beginning of each campaign, the player can choose between an Uzi submachine gun and a pump-action shotgun. As the survivors progress, more powerful weapons can be found. I suggest you use guns with long range shots for outdoor scenarios and shotguns when inside the buildings.

Let’s enjoy a world that is zombie free.

P.S 948,374,529,100,348,755 zombies have been harmed in the making of this game.

First Bacolod Bloggers' Networking event

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:18:00 +0000

Being a former member of the Cebu Bloggers Society (CBS), the Digital Filipino Networking event is pretty much not new to me. I had joined the same event for the Cebu Bloggers last year at Waterfront in Cebu City.

Since I relocated from Cebu to Bacolod City, my blogging career (if one may call it) has dwindled and I thought has arrived to its end. It has come to the point where I myself would even refuse to visit my own site, with the fear of blogging to haunt me again. Now, don't get me wrong there. There has been no major disaster that the blogosphere had caused me. It was just that I had been too pre-occupied by other much important things like my full time job, my relocation, and etc. Also, I had lost the natural instinct of blogging when I thought I didn't have the inspiration anymore. lols

But came this Networking event organized by Miss Janette Toral, the author of “Blogging from Home” book and the site owner of DigitalFilipino.com. It was a really great opportunity to be part of this big event again. It was actually the first time this bloggers' networking was held here in Bacolod. A lot of bloggers from Bacolod and the neighboring Island Iloilo came to the event. It was again sponsored by PAGCOR, a Digital Filipino Club member, and the event was held at the Lobby Lounge of Casino Filipino, Goldenfield Commercial Complex.

But it turned out that I was late for the event. (geeeh) It was sad and I had to gain a lot of “kapalmuks” just to approach Miss Janette and apologize for my late arrival. I was actually too excited to hear about the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2009 Update and other speeches. Too bad they were already partying and camwhoring when I and a friend arrived.

Anyhow, the event in itself was indeed successful. I was able to meet bloggers from Bacolod and I was even amazed to know that one of them prioritized his big time money generating blogs than going to school. Isn't that great!? But these Bacolod bloggers are up to something great! Right now the group is planning to organize a union that will connect all Bacolod Bloggers. I wish we could be as successful as what it turned out for CBS.

I am looking forward to attending this event next year!

And by the way, call it the "Revenge of the Fallen" because this post will be the start or rather the rebirth of this thing I once called my refuge- my blog.

Credit for the picture: http://anniemay.multiply.com

Kwaknit nga gamay - real firefox

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Mon, 11 May 2009 05:17:00 +0000

These were the pictures taken months ago which I just opted to post now to cover up the review post. I know that sucks! A review for a website that sells used cars/van? Ugh, gimme a break! But unfortunately, I had to post it coz I stupidly clicked on the "accept" button on the email that they sent me. I was unconsciously clicking then because I was tired and had just arrived from work. The following day I got a reply which told me I just had 10 bucks on my paypal account and so now I'm doomed to make a hell of a review. Anyhow, I guess anyone can commit mistakes, right? It's fun to play dumb sometimes. Geeehhhh..

So, going back, this set of pictures tells about a young bat or "Kwaknit" as we call it in the Visayan touge. It actually has a lot of kinds. I'm just not sure where it belongs to. Some may call it wakwak also.

It's already a dead kwaknit. Kissie (on the pictures), my kiddo couzin, used the tirador to take it down. It was hanging on a Mango tree when he spotted it and perfected his tirador shot. There's pretty much nothing we could do since it's already dead, so we just took pictures of it. Lenard (baby on the photo) was also very amazed but he wasn't afraid to touch it at all.

I was actually amazed how this pic looked like this. This is my favorite shot. I love how clear the fingers on a small rugged nail were captured.

V for Vendetta!

How am I doing, daddy?

The culprit.

It really resembles the logo of the firefox browser, right? hehehe Kulang nalang yung globe/earth ilagay jan eh... :D

Writing experiences over bottles of beer

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:37:00 +0000

I’ve been all alone and locked up here in my room this whole day. I was too exhausted last night when I partied with my friends at Panaad sa Negros here in Bacolod City. I arrived at around 3am this morning, slept while feeling a little wasted, and woke up at 8:30 am still feeling groggy and don’t know what to do.

Usually when I wake up in the morning with no tasks planned to do for the day, it would take me around 1-2 hours of convincing myself to get up my bed and start my no work, yet boring, day. As soon as I wake up, I usually don’t know what to do. So it’s either I will go back to my bed and start the convincing process all over again or get up and face the computer blankly as if I am asking it what I wanted to do. If heavenly intercession comes, I would then pray (but usually falls back to sleep again or might forget if I already said Amen or not yet (lol)). However, if morning hunger strikes, it wouldn’t even take me second thoughts to proceed to the kitchen and look for something to eat. Despite my normal fast-paced life, I could still be extremely sluggish at times. I’m just human, you know. (Talk about lame excuses)

But this Sunday morning is but a little different from my typical morning days. It’s probably because of that near hold-up experience “I thought” I had last night – a terrifying scene I wish would never happen to me again.

I was heading home very late (3am or 4am) after an exhausting walking, camwhoring, drinking and smoking (yeah, I learned how to smoke now... ftw) then I realized I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. My stomach was demanding me to fill it up so I approached a nearby burger station before taking the final ride going home. As I was waiting for my orders, there were 3 guys chatting few meters behind my back. There was a tarpaulin covering my back but I can still see them because they are not really that far.

I started to panic. My instinct immediately told me that there was something bad that was about to happen. The call center that I am working for is not that far from this area so many bad spirited people are thriving here.

The lady processing my order inside the burger station also looked terrified. She may not be new to this situation. I tried to compose myself though. I wasn’t bringing any bag but just my camera, wallet and cell phone all stuffed inside my two small pockets.

I stood up, showed myself to them while I was pretending to clear my throat and check something like a weapon at my back, trying to give them an idea that I ain’t no typical kind of victim. But after they saw me, one of the tambay looking guys went a little closer. I thought it was already it and my mind has already been playing on the possibilities that will happen. It’s either I will be caught off-guard here and lose my treasured stuff or I will fight till my dying breath. I know I have no match with these three guys. But nonetheless, I just stared at the guy pretending as if I was getting ready to counter an attack. The guy took the other side of the burger junction. He was still staring at me, which made me remember my childhood experience being chased of a big yellow snake (that’s another story).

I don’t know what came to him when he asked the sales lady if she is selling ice cubes. It’s probably one of his tactics. I pity him though for he can’t even think of a reasonable approach of starting up a conversation or making a scene (haha). The lady, of course, said that she doesn’t sell ice cubes in view of the fact that we are in a burger station. Is he nuts? Anyway, the next few seconds were silence.
The guy still didn’t leave his spot while the other two guys are attempting to get closer at my back. I was already literally dying. I haven’t paid for the burger yet so if they will get all my money and stuff, I will be left with nothing and definitely won’t be able to take the burger that I ordered, and still eventually be hungry. I thought, “Hindi nga ako na hold-up man lang sa Cebu, considering that Cebu is a highly urbanized city, tapos dito pa sa Bacolod? If I will fight back, baka naman mamatay akong gutom.. tsk tsk tsk. What do I do?!”

But thanks to our good Lord, these guys just suddenly aborted their plan. I don’t know if it was because of how I behaved or if it was something else – like a divine intervention or of some sort. I didn’t mind the reason anymore since all I wanted was just to get the hell out of that place. My order was packed so I took an amount from my wallet and paid the bill. I also didn’t even have the nerve to wait for my change anymore. I hurriedly took off from the area. It was nearby a main road so I walked in the center of the road so those guys won’t dare follow me. I was then able to get a nice cab to ride going home.

My normal consciousness returned after I had swiftly consumed the four medium sized burgers as soon as I arrived in my rented room. These burgers aren’t really worth the compromise, I thought.

So I slept. The following morning I woke up with my conscience convincing me to go the church to Thank the Lord for still being good to me despite my shortcomings and weaknesses. And yes, this time it didn’t even take me a minute to convince myself to get up and get dressed for church.

I don’t know if it was supposed to be a hold-up situation or not but I am still thankful nothing awful happened. For all we know, we can sometimes lose life or treasured belongings in a matter of weird circumstances.

---

Then again, in this humid Sunday night, I would like to thank the Lord for sending me these 2 SMB pale pilsen beers for FREE. Without it I wouldn’t be able to come up with this post.

“Lord, I went out of the room to eat dinner at a nearby Karenderia. In the church today, I promised that to you that I will keep this day as “holy” as I can so I am like Santino today. But instead You sent a friend of my father, already drunk, who insisted that I bring these beers and drink em’ in my room. So right now Lord I am writing this post, with one bottle down, but I am not even sure if I am making sense. (lol) But thanks because at least I would have something to post in my blog, just in time when my smartbro connection will be reconnected tomorrow. Lord, I promise, after these two beers I will go out again to eat dinner, but please don’t give another beer anymore…Okies?..Thanks…See yah...”

Cute little puppies

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:58:00 +0000

Sudlon Falls Adventure, the last installment

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:16:00 +0000

Hahaha!
Kindly forgive the title. Just can't think of anything better than that.
This is the continuation of my previous post (from here)