My Father's Legacy

It is my late dad's birthday today (July 7th) and I can't help but think about him. He was a strict disciplinarian in his younger years, one mistake and we would get a beating. His sermons were longer than the priests'. At the office where he worked as a manager he scolds his employees for hours, just like at home. At least he was consistent. He's a chain-smoker but oddly enough he avoids drinking alcohol.

There are two things he was most passionate about - education and sports, for which i am very thankful. Me and my siblings would usually joke about memorizing 5 new words each day, this being a favorite command of his. He would go to our schools and check on our teachers, get acquainted with the guards ... and once, he even flashed my picture to the students at PLM while looking for me, lol! What a man! In spite of these "faults," we love and respect him, and we'll never be where we are today if not for him. Of course, we have the best mom too but that's another story.

Our father mellowed down over the years as we grew up and those are my best memories of him - playing bowling, watching sports live or on TV - basketball, boxing, baseball, tennis etc.

Wherever he is right now, i am sure he is very happy with whats happening to his off-springs. My older sister manages her own convenience store right now, my older brother now starting to work independently in spite of his illnesses, my younger sister recently passed the Bar exam and moved to an office where she can practice the profession and my younger brother, well, he's got a doctorate degree and doing well in his post in a Dubai college.

As for me, when i passed the board exam for civil engineers, my dad said to me that "you have accomplished more things than i have". That time, i don't really get its meaning and two years ago, i wouldn't have agreed but today, i would say, in all honesty, that i am on the right track.

We miss you dad.

Being a Fanboy!

Paramore!

So young, yet so talented! Man, i was blown away when i first checked Paramore on youtube and still am. This girl Hayley Williams is something else. Aside from outstanding vocals, you can't miss her other charms - her face, her figure, her red/orange hair and the way she moves onstage. Just WOW! The other band members are doing great too and complements Hayley nicely. Oh shit, what i'd do to see them perform live.

TV-Movie

IMHO, Korea has one of the best cultures in Asia today. Their shows are interesting and a lot of fun too. In a place where there's little Filipino and American shows on TV, I usually check out the Korean channel. But of course, Pinoy culture will always be tops for me.

The latest movie I saw was Ip Man 2 last weekend, not to be confused with Ironman 2, quite amusing because they practically came out at the theatres on the same day. I have watched the first Ip Man on dvd, and thought the sequel is worth a trip to the cinema. You bet I'm dead right about this one. Its so good that the usually reserved chinese audience clapped their hands in appreciation. For the uninformed, Ip Man is a master of Wing Chun, a form of martial arts and one of the students he taught was the great Bruce Lee. What a remarkable life he lived. Man, i've had goosebumps as the credits roll when they showed still photos of the real Ip Man and Bruce Lee, then 16 years of age. Turns out google has them too.

These days (2)

Wow its April 2010 now, these days sure are fast. I'm a year older, and a lot wiser. I'm getting scorched, literally, by the hot sun but i don't mind. On the contrary, i enjoy working out at site. We're building a hotel right now and I feel like its my baby. Suddenly i have a vision of what and where i wanna be in 5 years and i have the blueprint on how to do it. The future looks bright. Hope it pans out well.

Anyway, i'm enjoying my 32" Philips LCD, just the right size for me. The NBA Playoffs, Avatar DVD, PS3, Final Fantasy, RE5 and my LCD TV - perfect.

Avatar rocks!

Simply awesome! I thought at first it was just some cartoonish flick with a feel-good theme but it has impacted me tremendously, much to my surprise. Maybe its because its about living in a hostile place, making enemies, making friends, learning the local tongue, feeling that you have to prove yourself at all times and how you want to go home but want to stay at the same time - things i am going through right now. In general though, I think its about what the writer feels about globalization, the civilizations of old, and even religion. It brings to mind top caliber films like Gattaca, Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, and District 9 (not top-notch, though thought-provoking), Chrono Cross (if you're a gamer, you'd know what im talkin about).The secluded Na'vi tribe, i thought, is with reference to the Moslems and their prophet Nabi Mohammad. With the Chinese, well, the thought of Avatars playing basketball brings to mind Yao Ming, the tallest NBA player right now, and the red plants that fold up upon contact suggests Asian temples and the pyramids. The warriors of different clans are like Shaolin monks, American indians and Muay Thais. The tattoos and markings, are of the Indians. The dread locks, of course, is associated with black people and the praying of them Home tree people like rockin n' rollin music in the church ministry. And Jake Sully, is you and me - discovering the new world out there.
The new world is called "Pandora" in the movie, an eye-opener, the tip of the iceberg - the new world that is the internet where all races and nations; the past, the present and the future come together.

Haha, i can't get enough of this shit. Just my 2 cents.

Wonders of the Net

Youtube Downloads
Man, i can't believe how easy and simple it is to download videos from the youtube.

Step 1:
Go to you Youtube.com and select the video you want to download.


Step 2:
On the address bar, replace youtube with voobys. Download the flv file.


Step 3:
Download flv converters from download.com to convert them into videos or mp3s.
(http://download.cnet.com/1770-20_4-0.html?query=flv+to+mp3+converter&tag=srch%3Ba&searchtype=downloads&filterName=platform%3DWindows&filter=platform%3DWindows)


Bookmarked:
1. ESL (http://www.youtube.com/user/JenniferESL)
I'm on the no.3 lesson, great tutorial, i never thought i can learn diction from nursery rhymes.

2. Manga (http://www.youtube.com/user/MANGAentertainment)
Astroboy cartoons, i just watched "The Greatest Robot in the World", one of the best episodes that i remember from Astroboy. Hellboy, Streetfighter and host of other animes there.

3. Boxing (http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=wayneBedfre&view=videos)
Love this site, the superfights of the 80s featuring Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, and many many more. And BEST of all two of the Best Pinoy fighters and fights EVER!!! Espinosa vs Cobrita Gonzales Part 2 and hard-to-find Pascua vs Chiquita Gonzales, what an upset!!!

4. PBA (http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=preyes&view=videos)
Late 80s to early 90s PBA action. Check out Caidic, Samboy, Patrimonio in their prime.

5. Food (http://philippinerecipe.blogspot.com/)
Filipino foods, what else.

6. Live Streaming (http://punchsports.blogspot.com/)
For live sports coverage. I'm pumped up for the Fiba Asia at Tianjin, China. Can't wait!!! 4 days to go!!!

Alor Star

I thought i'm going to KL, but i have no choice after all. They want me in Alor Star under the state of Kedah, near the border of Malaysia and Thailand. They say Thailand is just a train away from there.

Still, my plans stay the same. I'd like to tour my family here in Malaysia. First, my brother when the Ramadan takes place in September, and then my mother and sister in December. (Teng, ayusin nyo na passport nyo hehe)

Small world

Friendster, facebook, myspace, multiply, blogspot...

Caught up with friends and former officemates. I found out one of my good friends in college is an Ang Dating Daan member (Christian sect headed by Eli Soriano), i never thought he would join such a group. Another one celebrates her birthday today. Another one will be going home to the Phils. Etc. Indeed, it has become a small world.

Movies
Which one to watch? The Godfather, The Punisher or Kill Bill?
Same theme - "Revenge is a dish best-served cold."
Yeah its a small world. See you later, alligators!