Nobody can eat fifty eggs

Emo Bit (TM) Theory

2008-11-10T07:24:00.003+08:00

I don't really write all that much. So here goes nothing much.

I'm trying to remember what life was like before the Internet. Before Google. Before "social websites." Was it more meaningful than today? Was my attention span longer, was I less distracted? Were relationships deeper, social interactions better? How were memes and ideas spread?

Surely information is much more "decentralized" nowadays, and easier to find. I cannot imagine doing my line of work (R&D) without the power of Google search. But does it come at a price? Perhaps I am more prone to think less on my own, though I certainly don't think so. Perhaps, too, I lose a certain focus to the task at hand when I am presented with such a vast array of diverging information. "I digress" could well be a motto for this age.

Even as I write this, my mind is constantly wandering about. My fingers are itching every few minutes to open a browser -- and subsequently lose minutes, if not hours, of productivity to surf the web. No doubt the Internet has expanded the horizons of my knowledge and opened my mind to new ways of thinking and solving problems. But this ultimate tool is at the same time also the ultimate time suck.

What of the social aspects? Sure, there are more ways to communicate now than ever: e-mail, IM, skype, wikis, forums, social webs. But I feel that "more" is not inherently "better." There is still somehow that "disconnected" nature of expressing through a computer screen rather than to a live person. Though one could argue that a computer screen is just an analog for the ink & pen of old, I think that the act of writing on paper imprints more of one's humanity on it as compared to writing it on a screen. For one, it is in your own handwriting.

Let me give an example. Below is the same "message" recorded in different ways.

[I love you. in ASCII text]
[I love you. in hand-written script]
[I love you. in voice]

They all want to express the same thing. Which one is *least* convincing? Which one(s) is(are) likely to evoke a more emotional response?

Information theory tells us that all information (here: "I love you" plus all the other meaning that goes with it) can be represented as bits. So why is the ASCII-encoded "I love you" (10 x 8 bits) less evocative than the handwritten or voiced one? I would argue that the latter ones add additional "bits" of information to the message, emo bits (TM) if you will, imparted from the sender to the receiver. (Note that I'm not talking about the additional bits necessary to store the encoded image or voice information!) Or that conversely, if I choose to express "I love you" by typing it through a computer, I actually lose some bits of information as compared to if I write it or say it directly.

This brings us to an interesting point. If these bits can be quantified and measured, can they then be used to make computer communication more "human"?

Another example. Think of the computer-generated voice in your GPS navigation system ("Turn right after 100 meters"), or any other text-to-speech program for that matter. Why is this voice always so distinguishable from a normal, human voice? (Even one that is intentionally trying to disguise as a robot :P) There are a lot of nuances, randomness in the human voice that can be difficult to express by a machine. In fact, the whole idea of computing, of algorithms, is counter to the idea of nuance and randomness. After all, you would expect a computer to produce the same result each time it calculates something, otherwise what's the point? If it gives a different answer when the weather is sunny from the answer it gives when the weather is cloudy, I wouldn't rely on that computer to run my banking or nuclear reactor software. :D

Okay, I've had enough pseudo-intellectual-rambling-without-any-factual-basis for today. Your thoughts?

Today's News: Nov. 3, 2008

2008-11-03T07:19:00.001+08:00

Paint thief caught red-handed.

Day One of ... many.

2008-08-25T17:29:00.005+08:00

7AM. Well. I finally arrived here in Babenhausen. What a long, long, long, long flight: I ran out of sleep before I ran out of flight. (And to those who know me well, I almost never run out of sleep.) I sat next to this nice French couple who chatted me up, probably out of civic duty, after seeing how fatally bored I was. Thanks for that.

Speaking of long things, how about that airport in Bangkok where I had to transfer to the connecting flight. I swear, I must've walked more than one kilometer to get to the destination gate. There were "walk-alators," sure, but they only served to highlight how feet-numbingly long that walk through the terminal was.

I had three dinners, by the way: First at the airport before boarding the plane, another one during the flight to Bangkok, and a final one on the flight to Frankfurt. Nice! By the last one, I was so full I barely managed to eat. I didn't realize that free food can sometimes be gift horses.

Update: Went to Aschaffenburg to buy some groceries. God, I'm so tired. It is now just 9PM but my body is still thinking it's 3AM. So this is how a zombie feels.

Brraaaiinnn...

Leave Out All The Rest

2008-02-25T18:36:00.002+08:00

Leave Out All The Rest

Linkin Park

I dreamed I was missing
You were so scared
But no one would listen
Cause no one else cared

After my dreaming
I woke with this fear
What am I leaving
When I'm done here

So if you're asking me
I want you to know

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest

Don't be afraid
I've taken my beating
I've shared what I made

I'm strong on the surface
Not all the way through
I've never been perfect
But neither have you

So if you're asking me
I want you to know

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest

Forgetting
All the hurt inside
You've learned to hide so well

Pretending
Someone else can come and save me from myself
I can't be who you are

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest

Forgetting
All the hurt inside
You've learned to hide so well

Pretending
Someone else can come and save me from myself
I can't be who you are
I can't be who you are

This Week's Free Video on iTunes

2008-02-23T13:10:00.006+08:00

Now I can have the classic song "We're Brothers Forever" with me wherever I go :-)

Coolness

2008-02-17T23:53:00.001+08:00

Will this work? Ü

And speaking of mythbusters...

2008-02-16T00:04:00.002+08:00

OMGROFLOL. (^_^)

1. Pretty Girls Don't Pass Gas? BUSTED!

2. Lighting The Emission : CONFIRMED!

Soom foony shite fer ya

2008-02-15T22:56:00.003+08:00

Really funny blog of "Fake" Steve Jobs. Sometimes I think he's really Steve Jobs just pretending to be fake so he can say all these nasty things :D

Some of my favorite posts (with quotes):

Bono is a class act

...Bono has got like this total Irish temper and plus he's had a few and he's like, Fook this, mate, I'm gonna stick this fooking Aston Martin up this fooker's arse! So he floors it and in like a nanosecond we're right on this guy's rear bumper with our high beams on and then, I can't believe it, Bono hits the guy...

The Clintstones

...In walk the Clintstones with George Soros. No smiles, no small talk. Hillary sits down and tells us in this pissed off Tony Soprano voice that there’s two years till this motherf-ing election but she ain’t gonna f- it up like Kerry and Gore, she’s gonna lock this motherf-er down now, she’s goddamn well gonna win and nobody is gonna get in her way, so we can all either get on the train or get run over by it, and she's here to tell us how much money she wants each of us to put in. She says everybody else pays their share, hell the oil guys pay 5% of net right off the top, meanwhile we're out here making our little chips and paying zilch, and that bullshit is gonna stop right here and right now, okay? And we can all check with George Soros on the way out and he'll tell us how to move the money so it can't be traced, using a bunch of these phony baloney environmental groups...

Hassles with Yoko

...Her big tactic is just to repeat things over and over in this monotone voice, to wear you down -- it's a Japanese business tactic, they all do it -- and so she starts going on for the millionth time about how she wants to guard John's legacy and what a precious gift to the world he was, and for a while I'm agreeing and trying to be all Zen about it, and Yoko is giving me the Zen right back, and we're both working our Zen and trying to be more passive aggressive and monotone and repetitive than the other one, and finally I just snapped and I'm like, "Jesus friggin Christ, bitch, it's bad enough you broke up the greatest band of all time. Now you're gonna frig this up too? Jesus, lady! Get a friggin grip! It's just a distribution deal!" She bows her head and says, in this voice that's barely more than a whisper, "I will pray for your soul." Well that did it. I won't get into details -- my lawyers won't allow it -- but let's just say that Yoko had to wear sunglasses in public for a few days, and Peter Oppenheimer had to drag me out of there by my ankles...

2. If you have iTunes, try to subscribe to the Ask A Ninja video podcast (or just watch it from the site). It's free and funny as hell.

Some of my favorite episodes (with quotes):

Back in the day

Oh I KNOW you did NOT just ask me that. You are NOT even calling me out on the old skool tip. Man, I keep it real like a banana peel! Ninja please.... I say it, play it, and slay it (but never spray it) so SMOOTHLY cause I was there back in the day!...

Writer's Strike

...Plus, Writer's Guild doesn't sound like a very intimidating foe... I'm just spitballin' here.. How about "The Supreme Blood Fang Force"? Or, how about "The Dragon Claw Fire Horde"?

If "The Dragon Claw Fire Horde" comes to me and asks for 4 cents, I think I'm gonna give it to them...

Coincidentally I just found this clip of my two favorite shows going head to head:

Busted!

Namaste. Peace out.

I look forward to killing you again soon!

$1.25 left on my iTunes account... What to buy?

2008-02-15T22:25:00.001+08:00

So far I've bought the following (among others):

1973 - James Blunt
Happy House - Siouxee & The Banshees
When You Were Young - The Killers
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
Not Ready To Make Nice - Dixie Chicks
Feeling Good - Nina Simone
If You're Not Scared - K's Choice

iPod Games - Sudoku, Peggle

I Am Legend (Audiobook)

*Sigh* Where did 50 bucks go? :P

Home

2007-12-20T22:19:00.001+08:00

Home
Chris Daughtry (2006)

I'm staring out into the night
And trying to hide the pain
I'm going to the place where love
and feeling good don't ever cost a thing,
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain

I'm going home to the place where I belong
where your love has always been enough for me
I'm running from you know I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home

The miles are getting longer it seems
The closer I get to you.... babe
I've not always been the best man and friend for you
But your love remains true and I don't know why
You always seem to give me another try

I'm going home
To the place where I belong
Where your love has always been good enough for me
I'm running from you know I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old

Be careful what you wish for
cause you just might get it all
you just might get it all and then some you dont want
be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it all
You just might get it all

I'm going home to the place where I belong
Where your love has always been enough for me
And I'm running from.. you know I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me'
But these places and these faces are getting old
But these places and these faces are getting old
I'm going home
I'm going home

The Not-So-Daily Spew - June 12, 2007

2007-06-12T16:23:00.000+08:00

My post yesterday, quite obviously, malfunctioned. Guess e-mail blogging doesn't work with pictures yet.

________

Watched Ocean's 13 last week and was unfortunate enough to sit near yet another loud patron. !@#!@#!@#!! We get it! You find the lines funny! You want to impress your date with your sharp wit! Ha-Ha. No need to broadcast the fact, miss. I try really hard, but the movie experience still gets ruined for me. It's a simple matter of ettiquete, isn't it? I don't understand how you can be such courteous drivers and rude co-moviegoers at the same time.

This other time, we were watching Shrek 3 and this girl beside me was snacking on some food that had this really pungent smell. Now, I'm sure it tastes exquisite and is probably healthy too, no trans-fats, chock full of vitamins and minerals etc, and I know Shrek 3 isn't exactly Oscar Best Picture material... still! The great poet 2Pac said it best when he asked, "Can't a brother get a little peace?"

On another note, the picture quality of the Sony 4K Digital Projector used for Ocean's was really impressive. It's like watching a Blu-ray quality film on a 1000 ft. HDTV. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but it's close. I wanna get me somma dat!

________

Here's an interesting (though old) post on Web 2.0. I was looking for similar material after seeing this book, and having myself observed the same general things while surfing the 'Net. I've always had this feeling something was amiss but couldn't point my finger at exactly what.

I'm reminded of something my sister once related to me, about her not watching [a famous debate show here] anymore because it was no longer about the issues at hand, but about which team could shout the loudest. Democracy can't just be about vox populi, can it?

The Not-So-Daily Spew - June 11, 2007

2007-06-11T18:15:00.000+08:00

Bought my self an M-Audio 49-e Keystation USB Midi Controller a few days ago. I'm such an impulsive buyer.

Blame Ableton Live for this. I installed this excellent piece of software last week and I couldn't get my hands off it. It's a music sequencer with such a well-designed interface, you'll be able to create music right away. Very low "signal-to-noise" ratio (no, I'm not referring to the electrical meaning). I've tried other music creation software before but I always seemed to lose the forest for the trees. Live, on the other hand, presents an easy-to-use interface, while not lacking in powerful features (more on those in another blog, hopefully).

Got to watch the Federer-Nadal showdown at the French Open last night. Hayy.. there goes that elusive Grand Slam. Still, the audience was the winner last night, with such a fine display from both competitors. I love it when athletes adjust and change their game in the face of adversity from their opponent. That's what both of them did. In the end, however, Federer's numerous unforced errors and inability to convert break points, (not to take anything away from Nadal's obvious supremacy on clay) did him in.

Lastly, I know it's too early for Christmas but here's my Wiishlist:

No box-art: FIFA '08, Boogie

The Daily Spew - May 25, 2007

2007-05-25T17:26:00.000+08:00

1. Bridge to Terabithia

It's a fantasy movie with its feet still on the ground. Is that a strength or a weakness? I don't know. Sometimes I found the family/growing up drama part a bit distracting or overplayed, and the fantasy parts a bit scarce. Overall it's still a good movie though, especially for kids.

I watched it at VivoCity last Tuesday with my hon and Bishop. This guy sitting next to me laughed so loud at even the tiniest hint of a joke. It was quite creepy. I was half-expecting a shiv to the rib from this guy. If I had my way, movie theaters would have warnings saying:

Not allowed inside the theater:

Filming

Cameras

Outside food

People with afros/big hair

Loud, overacting cuckoos

2. Pirates of the Caribbean - World's End

Can you say 'who did what to whom and when', and then some? The story line for this third installment of Pirates has more plot twists, backstabbings, and temporary alliances than a Philippine election season. Well, no, not really, but you get the point. I found myself perpetually confused, especially since (1) I watched the 2nd part a long time ago, and hence have long forgotten the details, and more importantly, (2) de bloo'y pira'e ac'ent be haerd ta und'rstan', ye sods!

Okay, nonetheless, it was still pretty entertaining. (Am I starting to sound like a Paula Abdul here?)

3. Joost

Yey! Got an invite to Joost. Too bad I can't try it out in the office.

4. FIFA '08 - Wii version

Thank heavens! I thought I was going to have to satisfy my Wii soccerlust forever and ever with Mario Strikers Charged. No disrespect to MSC though--I'm pretty excited about its online mode. Still, nothing beats playing a whole season of EPL or LFP and earning all your player stats.

FIFA '08 is scheduled for release Autumn 2007.

The Daily Spew - May 23, 2007

2007-05-23T16:00:00.000+08:00

Ahh, yes. Those who can, innovate. Those who can't, litigate?

http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/entry/what_we_did

Some notable Wii game release dates (from ign.com):

June 11, 2007 - Big Brain Academy : Wii Degree

June 19, 2007 - Resident Evil 4 : Wii Edition

July 30, 2007 - Mario Strikers Charged <--- yey! online mode!

August 20, 2007 - Metroid Prime 3 : Corruption

September 2007 - Boogie

October 2, 2007 - NBA Live 2007

November 2007 - Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games

TBD - EA Playground, Guitar Hero III, Rock Band, Super Mario Galaxy

Looks like my monthly 'doodad' allowances won't get to see much light of day.

My Last.fm Station

2007-05-02T00:55:00.000+08:00

Not-so-random* Thoughts

2007-03-22T02:11:00.001+08:00

30 Rock is now showing on Star World. Whoppee-doo!
Something to look forward to on Boring Thursdays.
You know. The day that follows Boring Wednesday.

You're probably thinking, hasn't this guy got anything better to do?

Excuse me. I watched American Idol three times tonight.

-----

Speaking of American Idol, IMO, it's the most entertaining -- in so many ways -- TV show on the planet right now.

Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Sanjaya Malakar

If you watched the show at least once, you already know what I'm talking about.

2. Ryan Seacrest

As topnotch a TV show host as they come. Classic. Very subtle.
My personal favorites are when he says "Dim the lights!" and the unforgettable: "Are we going to commercial now?"

Each show is literally peppered with more classic one-liners from this guy, delivered with impeccable comedic timing. (Yeah: comedic. It made me laugh, didn't it?)

3. VFTW

I thought VFTW was funny. The concept of voting for the most entertaining contestant (not always the worst), to keep him/her for the longest time possible on the show, I thought, was hilarious. I would support them if I could.

And then I came across the VFTW mailbag, and boy, that was even more of a hoot! Try it!

4. The judges

Randy "A'ight, so check it out. Dude it was a little pitchy for me but in the end you worked it out, dawg" Jackson
Paula "Btw, you look great, and... did I mention you look great?" Abdul
Simon "I thought it sounded like a (cabaret/hotel/bar/karaoke/barnful of squeamish cows) performance, I really did" Cowell

You could get more intelligent/relevant comments if you had a monkey type random characters into a keyboard.

Seriously, you could. I didn't actually type this blog, Fiona the Broad-nosed Lemur (sp. Hapalemur simus) did.
I found her through outsourcing website elance.com.

And it's funny how pitchy is almost a household word now. I don't know. I mean, I suppose it's not nice to say to someone on national TV:

"I thought you were a little tarry at spots."

------

*Only about 1/4 random or so. The rest are from Fiona.

Silence (Jars Of Clay)

2007-02-25T16:44:00.000+08:00

take, take 'til there's nothing
nothing to turn to
nothing when you get through
won't you break
scatter pieces of all i've been
bowing to all i've been
running to
where are you?

where are you?

did you leave me unbreakable?
leave me frozen?
i've never felt so cold
i thought you were silent
i thought you left me
for the wreckage and the waste
on an empty beach of faith
was it true?

yes, i, i got a question
i got a question
where are you?

scream
deeper, i wanta scream
i want you to hear me
i want you to find me
i, i want to believe
but all i pray is wrong
and all i claim is gone

well, i, i got a question
i got a question
where are you?

yeah, yeah

well, i, i got a question
i got a question
where are you?

where are you?
where are you?
where are you?

Cool Hand Luke

2007-02-04T01:55:00.000+08:00

Ever wonder where I got the title of my blog from?

Well, I heard it first from 'Reality Bites' (1994). It was the character Troy's retaliatory verbal sally to the occasional anti-'Hey, that's my bike'r (that's the name of his garage band). I thought it was a cool and senseless thing to say, and immediately scribbled it down my mental notepad (of cool and senseless things to say).

Later I found out that the line was originally from the 1967 movie 'Cool Hand Luke', starring Paul Newman. I finally managed to get a copy of it and instantly loved it! Luke is the ultimate rebel without a cause.

Below are some of the most memorable lines* from the film:
-----
Luke: I can eat fifty eggs.
Dragline: Nobody can eat fifty eggs.
Society Red: You just said he could eat anything.
Dragline: Did you ever eat fifty eggs?
Luke: Nobody ever eat fifty eggs.
Prisoner: Hey, Babalugats. We got a bet here.
Dragline: My boy says he can eat fifty eggs, he can eat fifty eggs.
Loudmouth Steve: Yeah, but in how long?
Luke: A hour.
Society Red: Well, I believe I'll take part of that wager.
-----
[Later, in a private moment]
Dragline: Why you got to go and say fifty eggs for? Why not thirty-five or thirty-nine?
Luke: I thought it was a nice round number.
-----
[Luke won a game of poker on a bluff]
Dragline: Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke: Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

*Taken, rather shamelessly, from imdb.com

bamboo la la

2007-01-30T22:24:00.000+08:00

Got to watch Bamboo perform at the Hard Rock Cafe last night, as part of MTV's ASEAN Rocks concert series. Man, they huffed and they puffed and they blew the house down! I sat right next to the speakers, which I thought was a bad thing at first (the sheer loudness drew the air from my lungs and thumped my chest with every beat). Later, I would come to appreciate it as I could really feel the music (it felt like it was coming from my brain instead of my ears), and we were so near the stage that I didn't have to stand. Although, to stand might not have been a bad idea, since 95% of the people watching already were, and it's pretty hard to dance to the music sitting down. :)

And dance I wanted to. Dance and mosh and headbang and sing. Their performance had great energy and flair. The (almost) all-Filipino crowd was in on it, too. We were the 'fifth Beatle' of the band, their musical symbiotes for the night.

The pace was unrelenting and unforgiving. They started off with a bang ('Mr. Clay') and there was no let up until the end. Even the occassional changes of pace ('Englishman in New York', 'I Don't Want To Wait In Vain', a jazz solo, and a drum solo, among others), were well-timed and refreshing, always appropriate.

In the end, (around) 15 songs were too few and I was left with a buzz that didn't die down until well into the sleeping hours. And apparently, this buzz resurrects itself in the morning such that I was singing 'Hallelujah' for the whole day today. (By the way, I talk of 'buzz' here in both figurative AND literal terms, since my ears also ached from the proximity to the speakers.)

Hope they hold another concert here sometime in the future, and I hope I can get to watch it with my girlfriend then.

Whatever (Aimee Mann): Sort Of An (Autobiographical) Album Review With Lots of Digressions

2007-01-28T10:46:00.000+08:00

Holy...! I can't believe it took me all this time before I listened to this album. I actually bought this CD a few years back from a used CD shop in Tokyo, delighted (nay, ecstatic) to find anything Aimee Mann. You see, being from the Philippines, you kind of get used to not having access to anything but shitty pop/rock albums forced upon your throat by major record labels. Anyway, for whatever reason, it got chucked to my bought-but-never-listened-to-CD collection and was consigned to oblivion forevermore.

It took the boredom of being in Singapore (and being alone... huhuhu... but that's another blog post) to save it from my musical netherworld. Writing and listening are cheaper therapies than eating or shopping, don't you agree? So here we are...whether you like it or not. (Of course, if 'not' then you could just go somewhere else, like here).

The album, yes. It's an absolute gem... Those who understand that listening to albums (as opposed to listening to individual songs) is a totally different experience, will appreciate it more. I would go so far to say that it's like the difference between reading a short story and a novel. You're looking for different things.

It feels like the day I found Counting Crows' August & Everything After. I can't express it, but, you know the feeling of going to school on the first day and discovering a new best friend? It's something like that. Sometimes this best friend is shitty (i.e., he went for Ultimate Warrior while you went for Hulk Hogan in WrestleMania VI), but more or less you know he understands you and something just fits right. (Another best friend I found in Japan: Ben Folds Five's Whatever and Ever Amen.)

Well.. let me describe the experience, so far as I can. Capturing the thought is like scribbling notes while riding a roller coaster, or to borrow a phrase, trying to stop the rain.

It comes off strong with 'I Should Have Known', like the good Track One it's expected to be, setting up the rest of the batters. Instant likeables are 'Could've Been Anyone' and 'Stupid Thing', tracks I can imagine being played at NU107 and getting picks-of-the-week awards, were it a musical trade restriction-free world.

Some songs have just a hint of country to it (eg, 'I Could've Hurt You Now'), but you could hear the underpinnings of deep musical genius and highly-developed pop-rock sensitivity. True enough, she'd later write the track 'Save Me' for the Magnolia OST... (among other things, lest I irk some rabid Aimee Mann fans).

Okay, regarding the 'singer' part of 'singer-songwriter', she doesn't disappoint. Though I think her singing's improved a lot in later albums (someone said listening to 'You Do' is like listening to an angel, a bit over the top yes, but not far off), you could hear the vintage Aimee Mann here. I can't describe it and I won't attempt, best you listen for yourself.

This album was released 1993 and I can just imagine if I had bought it at that time, it would have blown my mind.

Well, it still does.

Romance Language

2007-01-28T10:34:00.000+08:00

Valentine's day is nearing. Time to brush up on your
romantic words. :)

Faith Enough

2006-11-05T17:52:00.000+08:00

Faith Enough
Jars Of Clay

the ice is thin enough for walkin'
the rope is worn enough to climb
throat is dry enough for talkin'
world is crumblin', but i know why
world is crumblin', but i know why

storm is wild enough for sailing
bridge is weak enough to cross
this body frail enough for fighting
i'm home enough to know i'm lost
home enough to know i'm lost

Chorus:
it's just enough to be strong
in the broken places, in the broken places
it's just enough to be strong
should the world rely on faith tonight

land unfit enough for planting
barren enough to conceive
poor enough to gain the treasure
enough a cynic to believe
enough a cynic to believe

[CHORUS]

confused enough to know direction
sun eclipsed enough to shine
be still enough to finally tremble
see enough to know i'm blind
see enough to know i'm blind

[CHORUS]

should the world rely on faith tonight
should the world rely on faith tonight

superzero

2006-11-04T00:07:00.000+08:00

It takes as much will and imagination to believe a myth as it does to create one.

Waa!!!!

2006-10-28T01:10:00.000+08:00

I can't bloody wait to get my bloody hands on a bloody Nintendo Wii ...

I'm not a big console supporter (in fact I skipped the PS2/X-Box generation altogether), opting to play on a powerful PC instead, but Nintendo has got my juices flowing again with this new controller's design. I'm interested in how much it's gonna change (or, in their terms, revolutionize) gameplay. And, with a relatively wallet-friendly price of $250, it may very well be the first console product I'm actually willing to buy at launch time.

I can't bloody wait to get my bloody hands on a bloody Nintendo Wii !!!

Seven Songs

2006-10-18T23:23:00.000+08:00

Tagged by mtavb.

"List any seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to."

1. Faith Enough (Jars Of Clay, Who We Are Instead)

2. Don't Worry, Baby (The Beach Boys)

3. Could You Be Loved (Bob Marley & The Wailers)

4. Hoppípolla (Sigur Rós, Takk)

5. Save Me (Aimee Mann, Magnolia OST)

6. If You're Not Scared (K's Choice)

7. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (The Smiths)

Now, tagging Franz, Benj, Elmer, Mars, Cea, & Brymac.

Goalkeeper Blunders

2006-10-18T00:44:00.000+08:00

Very funny video of actual goalkeeper blunders.
Some of the world's greatest goalkeepers are here, too. :)

Top Five Movies

2006-10-17T22:48:00.000+08:00

All right, High Fidelity-style, here are my top five movies of all time, in no particular order. =)

1. Memento
2. Unforgiven
3. Almost Famous
4. Reality Bites
5. American Beauty

Boy, that was a difficult list to trim down. But alas, there can only be five.

thought

2006-10-17T10:31:00.000+08:00

A drowning man, having held his breath for so long, and despite the vehement efforts of his conscious brain, will take one last breath.

This last grasp at life, ironically, is the one which takes it. Water floods his terrestial lungs.

How many of us drown every day?

Arsenal v. Watford

2006-10-16T18:06:00.000+08:00

I was lucky enough to catch an English Premier League match last Saturday, and even luckier to catch one of my favorite teams, Arsenal, as they took on the newly promoted team Watford.

The game was significant not because of the result (3-0 win for Arsenal) which was largely predictable, but because it was (1) Arsene Wegner's 10th year anniversary in Arsenal and also (2) the 17-year old Theo Walcott's first game to start for the Gunners. The young lad was very impressive and showed a lot of promise. And what with being under the wing of none other than striker Thierry Henry and coach Arsene Wegner, he's sure to be the soccer superstar of the next generation.

Anyway, it's been a long time since I've been able to watch an Arsenal game, and I've got to say I was very impressed by their midfield players. In particular, Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky. The Spaniard played intelligent football in the middle of the field and was responsible for most of the goals they scored in that match. He reminds me of Essien's (Ghana), Ballack's (Germany), and Riquelme's (Argentina) performances during the previous World Cup. Rosicky (who also had his memorable moments in the World Cup playing for Czech Republic) on the other hand played attacking football at its finest. Though he didn't score a goal, he gave a sharp edge to the Arsenal attack and demonstrated how dangerous they can be in the last third of the pitch.

It was just one of those games that was sheer pleasure to watch and that made you hardly notice the 90 minutes.

2006-10-12T12:37:00.000+08:00

This is a test post from Google Docs aka Writely.

Fear

2006-10-11T00:56:00.000+08:00

Fear
Sarah Mclachlan

Morning smiles
Like the face of a newborn child
Innocent unknowing
Winter’s end
Promises of a long lost friend
Speaks to me of comfort

But I fear
I have nothing to give
I have so much to lose
Here in this lonely place
Tangled up in our embrace
There’s nothing I’d like
Better than to fall
But I fear I have nothing to give

Wind in time
Rapes the flower trembling on the vine
Nothing yields to shelter it
From above
They say temptation will destroy our love
The never ending hunger

But I fear
I have nothing to give
I have so much to lose
Here in this lonely place
Tangled up in our embrace
There’s nothing I’d like
Better than to fall
But I fear
I have nothing to give
I have so much to lose
I have nothing to give
We have so much to lose...

Gratitude

2006-10-08T17:24:00.000+08:00

Thank U
Alanis Morissette

how bout getting off these antibiotics
how bout stopping eating when I'm full up
how bout them transparent dangling carrots
how bout that ever elusive kudo

thank you india
thank you terror
thank you disillusionment
thank you frailty
thank you consequence
thank you thank you silence

how bout me not blaming you for everything
how bout me enjoying the moment for once
how bout how good it feels to finally forgive you
how bout grieving it all one at a time

thank you india
thank you terror
thank you disillusionment
thank you frailty
thank you consequence
thank you thank you silence

the moment I let go of it was the moment
I got more than I could handle
the moment I jumped off of it
was the moment I touched down

how bout no longer being masochistic
how bout remembering your divinity
how bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out
how bout not equating death with stopping

thank you india
thank you providence
thank you disillusionment
thank you nothingness
thank you clarity
thank you thank you silence

World Cup Updates

2006-06-15T23:49:00.000+08:00

Germany, Ecuador in!

Two down, 14 slots to go as Germany and Ecuador secure their place in the final 16 by getting 6 points apiece. How about Ecuador getting ahead with a 5-0 goal difference? Nice, eh? I hope they maintain their clean sheet up to the 2nd stage.

Who's next?

England could get their ticket now with a win over Trinidad & Tobago but I'm hoping for an upset. Who knows? T&T was good enough to draw Sweden, and they have a lot of players with experience in the English arena. England's first win wasn't that persuasive either, what with the only goal scored being an own goal.

Miscellany

2006-06-13T00:48:00.000+08:00

Best Wishes

My friend's wedding last Saturday was just grand. Well prepared and executed but more importantly, you could feel the love and hope all around. I agree with what the father of the bride said, this is one occassion which they could always look back to and remember how well they worked as a team.

Congratulations, J&D!

---

Goals Goals Goals!

From Germany-Costa Rica fielding 3 goals in the first 17 minutes in the opener, to Australian substitute Tim Cahill scoring 2 in the last 6 minutes for a late win against Japan, and just now Czech Republic getting its 3rd versus USA, this World Cup is living up to every football fan's dream.

So far the biggest surprise of the tournament has been Trinidad & Tobago drawing Sweden (Go T&T!). But rest assured there'll be more later in the group stage and especially in the last 16!

Right now, I'm rooting for Ghana in their game against Italy.

Today's article by Amando Doronila for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, aptly entitled "Soccer is the sport of the underdog", partially underscores why.

---

More Scientific Studies

Where are my drinking buddies? I need to increase my tolerance to 17 bottles. I'm currently only up to four.

For my prostate, eherm.

pompous@ss.com

2006-06-13T00:15:00.000+08:00

Thanks for reminding me how awful some people can be when they think they're right.

Sometimes, having the balls for the wrong reasons can be worse than having no balls at all.

How Sweet It Is

2006-05-30T23:51:00.000+08:00

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You
Marvin Gaye

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I needed the shelter of someone's arms and there you were
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs
and there you were
With sweet love and devotion
deeply touching my emotion
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I close my eyes at night,
wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore,
everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
But you brightened up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

You were better to me than I've been to myself
For me, there's you and there ain't nobody else
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby

(repeat and fade):

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

YARTPCG (Yet Another Reason To Play Computer Games)

2006-05-27T09:59:00.000+08:00

Check out this link .

I knew it! All this gaming has got to be good for something :)
Now excuse me, I have to um, polish my surgical skills.

The Ant Bully

2006-05-27T09:38:00.000+08:00

Here's an interesting discussion on software bugs.

The Simpsons as Philosophy?

2006-05-21T12:58:00.000+08:00

Check out this interesting article from BBC.

The Beautiful Game

2006-05-21T11:30:00.000+08:00

The World Cup 2006 begins this June, in Germany, one of (if not) the world's most football-crazy nations. First blood will be spilled on June 9, when Germany will play Costa Rica, and Poland will face Ecuador.

Here are the other qualifiers and their group assignments:

Group A
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Germany
Poland

Group B
England
Paraguay
Sweden
Trinidad & Tobago

Group C
Argentina
Ivory Coast
Netherlands
Serbia & Montenegro

Group D
Angola
Iran
Mexico
Portugal

Group E
Czech Republic
Ghana
Italy
United States

Group F
Australia
Brazil
Croatia
Japan

Group G
France
South Korea
Switzerland
Togo

Group H
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Tunisia
Ukraine

----

Personally, I'll be cheering for Brazil. With exciting players like Ronaldo, Robinho, Ronaldinho, and Roberto Carlos, they will surely be fun to watch.

I hope I can catch all of their games.

Second time around

2006-05-21T11:17:00.000+08:00

I love it when an artist repeats a word or a phrase, with a different meaning or context the second --or nth-- time around.

Here are some examples I could think of:

1.
Iba na ang iyong ngiti
Iba na ang iyong tingin
Nagbago nang lahat sa iyo
from the song Magasin by The Eraserheads

The first few times these lines are heard in the song, it's in the context of seeing the girl again after a very long time.

But in the last chorus, it takes on a different meaning. It's about seeing the girl in, er, a different light :)

2.
It's all happening!
Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), in the movie Almost Famous

Penny Lane says this to William and the rest of the Band Aid girls at the start of the film, when everything was just about to start happening. (For those who don't know the movie, they subsequently get to join the Almost Famous tour with the band Stillwater.)

She says this again, near the end of the movie, just before her stomach gets pumped for overdosing on sleeping pills. It's ALL happening!

Ladders

2006-04-19T02:05:00.000+08:00

Lately I've been interested in the topic of memes. I find it amusing that the same process that made possible the human brain (and therefore the mind) -- evolution -- could be the same process that governs its products (ideas). Kind of fractal, isn't it? Or Mother Nature could be a poet, I don't know.

Digressing a little. I'm reminded of a movie I saw way back, The Thirteenth Floor. The premise goes like this: in the distant future we've somehow developed some ultra-sophisticated AI that in turn was able to create its own ultra-sophisticated AI. It actually poses some valid and interesting existential questions, which took me by surprise it being a Hollywood film and all. :)

Digressing a bit more. In The Science of Discworld, the authors suggest that you could view evolution as a series of ladders, each one helping to build the next larger ladder. In turn this ladder is used to build an even larger ladder.. and so on..

Incidentally, the DNA double helix is molecularly structured like a twisted ladder. She really could be a poet!

Following this train of thought, one could ask, could we (and I'm speaking of us collectively as a species) perhaps be a 'ladder' as well? Something with which to build an even larger one?

I think it would be rather presumptuous to suppose otherwise, wouldn't it?

Maybe this is also the reason that the theory of evolution is hard to swallow for some. Not only are we reduced (if you could really call it that) to a product of millions of years of random mutation and survival of the fittest (among others), but we are also quite possibly a part of a process that's still ongoing to this day.

Anyway, I guess we'll find out soon enough, say, in the next couple of million years. Too bad I won't be there to know for sure.

But maybe, some part of me will.

Bittersweet Me

2006-04-18T23:40:00.000+08:00

When I'm down, I listen to this song.

The words are flies and I am paper.

--------

Bittersweet Me
R.E.M.

I move across, innocence lost
All flashing pulsar
I move across the earth in my new pattern shirt
I pass satellites

You’re so bitter, your complaint
I can’t give you anything
I don’t know who you’re livin’ for
I don’t know who you are anymore

I’d sooner chew my leg off,
Than be trapped in this
How easy you think of all of this as bittersweet me

I couldn’t taste it
I’m tired and naked
I don’t know what I’m hungry for
I don’t know what I want anymore

I move across, candy floss
I move like a tank
I move across the room
With a heart full of gloom,
Stronger than you think

Oh my peer,
Your veneer is wearing thin and cracking
The surface informs that underneath,
Underneath is lacking

You move across, innocence lost,
All static and desire,
You’re blue in the face from navel gaze,
You set yourself on fire

You strip down and lay yourself out,
I know you can’t fake it,
But are you tired and naked?
Are you tired and naked?

untitled

2006-04-12T02:57:00.000+08:00

Anna Begins is my favorite Counting Crows song and easily one of my all time favorites.

You could almost feel the protagonist's heart rend while listening to the song.

--------

Anna Begins
Counting Crows

My friend assures me, "It's all or nothing."
I am not worried, I am not overly concerned
My friend implores me, "For one time only,
make an exception." I am not worried
Wrap her up in a package of lies
Send her off to a coconut island
I am not worried, I am not overly concerned
with the status of my emotions
"Oh," she says, "you're changing."
But we're always changing

It does not bother me to say this isn't love
Because if you don't want to talk about it then it isn't love
And I guess I'm going to have to live with that
But I'm sure there's something in a shade of grey,
Something in between,
And I can always change my name
If that's what you mean

My friend assures me, "It's all or nothing."
But I am not really worried, I am not overly concerned
You try to tell yourself the things you try to tell yourself
To make yourself forget, I am not worried
"If it's love," she said, "then we're going to have to think about the consequences."
She can't stop shaking I can't stop touching her and...

This time when kindness falls like rain
It washes her away and Anna begins to change her mind
"These seconds when I'm shaking leave me shuddering for days," she says
And I'm not ready for this sort of thing

But I'm not going to break and
I'm not going to worry about it anymore
I'm not going to bend, and I'm not going to break
and I'm not going to worry about it anymore
It seems like I should say, "As long as this is love..."
But it's not all that easy so maybe I should
Snap her up in a butterfly net
Pin her down on a photograph album
I am not worried I've done this sort of thing before
But then I start to think about the consequences
Because I don't get no sleep in a quiet room and...

The time when kindness falls like rain
It washes me away and Anna begins to change my mind
And everytime she sneezes I believe it's love and
Oh lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing

She's talking in her sleep
It's keeping me awake and Anna begins to toss and turn
And every word is nonsense but I understand and
Oh lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing

Her kindness bangs a gong
It's moving me along and Anna begins to fade away
It's chasing me away
She disappears and
Oh lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing

Woman On Top

2006-04-08T00:53:00.000+08:00

My favorite songs performed by a female artist, in no particular order :)

1. Sarah Mclachlan
Sweet Surrender (Mirrorball)
Fear (Mirrorball)
Gloomy Sunday (Rarities & B-sides)

2. Tori Amos
Cornflake Girl
Taxi Ride
1000 Oceans

3. Nina Gordon
Too Slow To Ride

4. Sheryl Crow
My Favorite Mistake
Hard To Make A Stand

5. Hole
Malibu
Doll Parts
Celebrity Skin
Miss World

6. The Cranberries
How
Empty
Ridiculous Thoughts

7. K's Choice
Almost Happy
Not An Addict

8. Shawn Colvin
Sunny Came Home

9. Skunk Anansie
Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)
Weak

10. Annie Lennox
Love Song For A Vampire

11. Color It Red
Dancing & Singing
It's Called Love

12. Aimee Mann
Save Me

13. Guano Apes
Open Your Eyes

Human Touch

2006-04-07T00:39:00.000+08:00

Here's one of the "The Boss"'s songs that I always find myself listening to, especially during many a lonely night holed up in one of Tokyo West 21's spacious suites. :)

==========

Human Touch
Bruce Springsteen

You and me we were the pretenders
We let it all slip away
In the end what you don't surrender
Well the world just strips away

Girl ain't no kindness in the face of strangers
Ain't gonna find no miracles here
Well you can wait on your blessings my darlin'
But I got a deal for you right here

I ain't lookin' for prayers or pity
I ain't comin' 'round searchin' for a crutch
I just want someone to talk to
And a little of that human touch
Just a little of that human touch

Ain't no mercy on the streets of this town
Ain't no bread from heavenly skies
Ain't nobody drawin' wine from this blood
It's just you and me tonight

Tell me in a world without pity
Do you think what I'm askin's too much?
I just want something to hold on to
And a little of that human touch
Just a little of that human touch

Oh girl that feeling of safety you prize
Well it comes with a hard hard price
You can't shut off the risk and the pain
Without losin' the love that remains
We're all riders on this train

So you been broken and you been hurt
Show me somebody who ain't
Yeah I know I ain't nobody's bargain
But hell a little touchup
And a little paint. . .

You might need somethin' to hold on to
When all the answers they don't amount to much
Somebody that you can just talk to
And a little of that human touch

Baby in a world without pity
Do you think what I'm askin's too much?
I just want to feel you in my arms
And share a little of that human touch. . .

Psychotropic

2006-04-07T00:20:00.000+08:00

From m-w:

Main Entry: psy·cho·tro·pic
Pronunciation: "sI-k&-'trO-pik
Function: adjective
: acting on the mind
- psychotropic noun

Here are some of my favorite mood-altering songs:

Kula Shaker - Hey Dude
Stone Temple Pilots - Tripping On A Hole In A Paper Heart
Pearl Jam - W.M.A.
Tori Amos - Siren
Dishwalla - Charlie Brown's Parents
Eraserheads - Spoliarium
The Smashing Pumpkins - Bodies
Blind Melon - Tones of Home
Jars of Clay - Frail
Keane - Sunshine
Sarah McLachlan - Sweet Surrender
Dixie Chicks - Landslide
Stevie Wonder - All in Love Is Fair
Sting - Fields of Gold
Toad the Wet Sprocket - Windmills
Tori Amos - Taxi Ride
Travis - Sing
The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
John Frusciante - Omission
Nirvana - Something in the Way
Pearl Jam - Given to Fly
Radiohead - Just
Switchfoot - Dare You to Move
Evanescence - My Immortal
Massive Attack - Teardrop
At The Drive-In - Invalid Litter Department
R.E.M. - Bittersweet Me
Fuel - Bittersweet
Jars Of Clay - Silence

Friendster, meet iTunes

2006-03-28T23:41:00.000+08:00

I've been spending a lot of time lately on Last.fm. For those who don't know about it, think of it as a cross between the two products that would most probably define this generation, Friendster.com and iTunes. Personally I use it to find songs, artists, albums, and get recommendations. I always love the feeling of 'discovering' a great new band, album, or song. This site certainly helps to that end.

I used to use Audiogalaxy for this but since they turned into a subscription service, I couldn't anymore. I hope Last.fm doesn't go that way. I'm curious how my song or artist preferences are gonna level out in, say, five years. Which musical taste is gonna win? :)

out of the box

2005-03-07T20:11:00.000+08:00

1) just saw k-hons selling for around Y30,000 to Y45,000 in music shops in Shinjuku and Ochanomizu

2) just watched a band in yotsuya (didn't get their name though)use the k-hon (or cajon as they call it here) in an acoustic set

it's nice to see that this filipino brainchild can hold its own and sit beside the djembes, bongos, and congas of the percussion world.