Know the Real hawOo...

Welcome to my very own blogspot. Well, enjoy!

Note:
All entries in this blog are not copy-pasted unless specified. It's what I think of them and I see of them. Any resemblance to any sites is not intended by the Administrator. Thank you.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

National Toy Hall of Fame... Epic!

Well, how do you know? When I was scanning the TV the other day for some good watch, I came across AXN’s bizarre game show called ‘101 Ways to Leave a Game Show’. This is probably the only game show I would not be psyched to join in. But I’m not gonna tell you more about the show. What I wanted to share in this post is my newly discovered info with the help of the game show that sure tickled my curiousity. One of the questions included the inducted toys in the National Toy Hall of Fame. I mean, is there such thing? And with a little help from Uncle Google, I found out that it’s for real! How awesome is that, man? and so… here it is… the toys that made its way to the National Toy Hall of Fame. A round of applause, please.

Alphabet Blocks
Inducted 2003

 
Etch A Sketch
Inducted 1998

 
Nintendo Game Boy
Inducted 2009


Atari 2600 Game System
Inducted 2007


Frisbee
Inducted 1998


Play-Doh
Inducted 1998


Baby Doll
Inducted 2008


G.I. Joe
Inducted 2004


Playing Cards
Inducted 2010


Ball
Inducted 2009



The Game of Life
Inducted 2010


Radio Flyer Wagon
Inducted 1999


Barbie
Inducted 1998


Hot Wheels
Inducted 2011


Raggedy Ann and Andy
Inducted 2002


Bicycle
Inducted 2000


Hula Hoop
Inducted 1999


Rocking Horse
Inducted 2004


Big Wheel
Inducted 2009


Jack-in-the-Box
Inducted 2005

Roller Skates
Inducted 1999


Blanket
Inducted 2011


Jacks
Inducted 2000


Scrabble
Inducted 2004


Candy Land
Inducted 2005


Jigsaw Puzzle
Inducted 2002


Silly Putty
Inducted 2001

Cardboard Box
Inducted 2005


Jump Rope
Inducted 2000


Skateboard
Inducted 2008


Checkers
Inducted 2003


Kite
Inducted 2007


Slinky
Inducted 2000


Crayola Crayons
Inducted 1998


LEGO
Inducted 1998


Star Wars Action Figures
Inducted 2012


Dollhouse
Inducted 2011


Lincoln Logs
Inducted 1999



Stick
Inducted 2008


Dominoes
Inducted 2012


Lionel Trains
Inducted 2006


Teddy Bear
Inducted 1998


Duncan Yo-Yo
Inducted 1999


Marbles
Inducted 1998


Tinkertoy
Inducted 1998


Easy-Bake Oven
Inducted 2006


Monopoly
Inducted 1998


Tonka Trucks
Inducted 2001


Erector Set
Inducted 1998


Mr. Potato Head
Inducted 2000


View-Master
Inducted 1999



Here’s my question, have you owned every/any of the inducted toys? I had a fair few. And I hope this post reminded you that your childhood never would have been that meaningful and happy if it weren’t for these toys that kept you company, inducted or not.

Thanks to www.toyhalloffame.org/toys.

and http://www.google.com.ph/ for the pictures :D

Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Best Way to Eat Magnum



One of the greatest dreams most people want to achieve is to become rich. Way way rich! But not me. I don't even like the idea. Well, there are times that having money is tempting. But having too much money is terrifying. I have dreams of my own, of course. I dream of having a family comfortably living in my dream house. To have it, I need money. Enough money. Too much money is very different from ENOUGH money. And there is one more reason why having too much money is rather scary to me. Happiness is too hard to get. Why? Let me explain. Gadgets. People are getting crazy with gadgets nowadays. They are of existence from cellphones, to toppies, to gaming consoles, all the way to tablets. Not to mention things that make pooping easier. Me, for instance, wants to get my hands on IPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S3, IPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, Amazon Kindle Fire, DSLR camera, GE-DV 1, 1 million terabyte hard disk, Skull Candy headset, Nokia N9, Nokia 808 PureView, Alienware laptop, Iron Man suit, Hawk Eye’s Bow and Arrow and whole lot more. Now that's life. And most of the time, gadgets with higher specs logically cost higher than those with eeeeew specs.  And for those with average way of life, That's kinda far from the needed-to-have lists. But, of course, people of middle class like me want to possess things like this. So as to feel, uhm, accepted. You kinda wanted to belong, right? Even when in reality, you don't. But you can't blame me, gadgets make me happy. And gadgets are way too out of my pocket's easy reach. And so, never ending saving must be done! Thriftiness must be applied at all times! And that's not the easiest thing to do on Earth. And after all the sacrifices (including not having snacks on midmorning and in the afternoon, no midnight snacks, no chips while watching downloaded movies, no fave ice cream, no new clothes, pants, and polos, no new shoes, no new shades, no hangouts with friends, cellphone unloaded, no internet, no fast food, no new accessories, no nothing!) have paid off, you got yourself the gadget you've been dreaming of! After all the hard work you finally got your reward! The fruit of your labor! The answer to all your questions. The thing of all things. And because you worked hard for it, you'll gonna cherish it for the rest of your life! You'll gonna love it more than you love yourself! You'll gonna take care of it like you've never taken care of anything before. Oh, all right, that's way too ridiculous. But I hope you get the idea. Now, when you're rich and all that, just one whining over your parents, and voila, there you have your new gadget. And for those who are wickedly rich, they don't have to whine at all. The thing would just be sitting on the side table of their room waiting for them to wake up and try it. Fresh from its two-minute market release. Wow! That's too easy. Nothing special. No pain. No romance at all! Everything spoiled! Let me demonstrate what I'm trying to say here through these pictures.




That is the thing most people are getting crazy nowadays: Selecta Magnum. And it's not cheap, mind you. For a popsicle it rather costs high. Fifty bucks! Fifty bucks?! But you can’t really blame people if they would want to spend their cash just to have a taste of this heaven.  They even go to lengths where they would do desperate moves like selling their houses or cars or furnitures just to get their hands on this one excellent piece of goodness. OA. Sorry about that. I just want to emphasize the in-a-stick greatness that is the Selecta Magnum. Now, for someone like me, someone who is still financially dependent to my parents, having this goodie in a daily basis is way too ridiculous. And expensive. So, we only save this for special occasions. Just like this…


That’s me holding the gold. Yum yum.



That’s me and my big bro licking our way to awesomeness!


That’s me and my little sister. We were just showing how happy we are to finally digest something so divine.


And that’s the three of us. Just look at that and feel the intensity. Feel the hunger. Feel the urge to go the nearest ice cream parlor and get yourself one of those amazing ice cream variety.

Bottom line? Family. Everything expensive is best spent with the people you love. Just what I have shown you. Why? When you spend thousands or millions for someone you love, the thought of spending that much goes out of your system. What remains is contentment and happiness. And this little display of munching a not too cheap delicacy is one of the best ways to demonstrate what I’ve been trying to tell you. Go figures. 











Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Crazy Love Leads to Crazy Ending...

 Here's a big question for all of you out there. If you're really out there, huh. Did it ever happen to you that you felt infatuated with someone you barely know and actually fell in love just by seeing her almost everyday? Then you start to stalk her by following her every post in Facebook and liking some at the same time (to avoid suspicions. 'Coz it would really look suspicious if you liked each and every post!)? Then you went through her 'Photos of You' album and saved almost every solo photo she has in there? Then you made her photos your mobile phone wallpaper? Then you started daydreaming and actually imagining her as your girlfriend? Then your craziness went so high that you even talked to her picture sometime? Or maybe most of the time? Then you even prayed that she'd be in your dreams just for the sake of being with her? Then it went through your head that she'll never be yours even if you actually managed to fish the moon and the stars? Then you realized it would be so dumb to continue drooling over her and actually thought of moving on? Then you started moving on and your back to your old miserable life again? Did it happen to you? If it did, then you're one in a million. No, we're two!

 Here's the catch. Back a few years ago, when I was among those little innocent, carefree, angelic freshmen in my college, I met a girl who I was attracted to the instant I laid my eyes upon her. Quite a fairy tale, actually. But it's true. Love at first sight could actually exist. But I never thought of it as love before, so forget that mythical saying. But the fact still remained that I like her. A lot, mind you. Not that I knew her that much before. I was attracted with her, uhm, stunning looks! I really was stunned. She's a bee, man. She may not be that beautiful-beautiful for some, but she definitely has something in her that will make every guy forget their mother's name. And I was one of them. But i did manage to not forget my mom. But the idea of liking her seemed so ambitious. And the idea of her liking me is absolutely absurd. So I got off of it, and started shifting my focus on other things. Meanwhile, I grabbed every solo photo she had on friendster (yeah, friendster was still kickin' that time). I made one pic of her with this silly little santa cap on her head my laptop wallpaper and got scolded 'coz of it. My father wasn't really happy with it. He called it, and I quote, fantasizing, unquote. So, I removed her from my wall and deleted the album dedicated for her.

 For the next years, I went through a lot. A lot meant heartaches. But I'll not get into detail with it. I have my book to settle with it. If you're interested in learning things about love, crazy love, undying love, heartaches, moving on, and how to survive major love problems, let me know, I may give you a copy. So, after four long years, after 3 failed relationships, after the publication of my book, I saw her again. Notice is, I think, the right term. All grown up! And she proved that growing really is for the better. In fact, she grew into a fine lady that made my heart jumped again. Whoa! Here I go again! Feelings from the past which I thought was long dead suddenly burst out! And I was like, "whoa! Wait a minute! I mean, for real?". At first, the idea was, uhm, interesting. Then it became entertaining. Then it evolved into serious admiration. And it went all the way to LOVE. LOVE!!! Would you believe it? Maybe there was a part of me that deserved to be blamed. I mean, I helped develop the feeling. I, for the second time around, and as mentioned on the first paragraph, made a second album full of her solo pics from her own Facebook account. I know it's stealing and I will plea guilty on any court if I would be sued, but you can't blame me. I like the girl a lot. But let me defend myself here. I never intended to fall for her. Uh uh. Never. Ever! It just did. It was like, one day, I woke up suddenly realizing, oh, I love her already. Yap yap.

 Let me go back to the part where I finally realized that continuing this feeling for her will not cause anything beneficial for the both of us, I decided to let go of it. Before things get worse, I settled with it. So, none would be harmed. Without her knowing at all, there's this one guy here that loved her so much even without proper acquaintance, but before even that, the guy decided to move on with it. And that's that.

 You may ask, of course, why did I suddenly decide to let go of the feeling. You have the right to ask, and I have the right to answer. You see, I do have the ability, the rare ability, of recognizing defeat even without entering the battle at first. 3 failed major relationships from the past taught me it. Call me Superman, dude. That's it. It never came to me that she might like me. The idea is as blur as channel 1,092,695 on your local cable provider. There is no way, I say no way, that someone like her, as divine as her, would actually like someone like me! Things like that only happen in fairy tales. And this, i'm afraid, is not fairy tale. This is, sadly, what you call, reality that everyone, including me, must accept. Boo Hoo!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Sari-Sari Store: A Book like No Other

This is a link for my book in pdf format. Anyone who wants to download it, just do so. But, in order to open it, you're gonna need special permission from... me. And I just don't give it so easily because this book is... my precious (say it the Gollum way). Here you go...


Have fun reading...

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Movie Buff Me: First 20 Favorite Movie Lines!

I’m a movie buff. But, of course, there are specific movie genres that I like. A don’t dig pure DRAMA or pure ACTION. And I don’t like real stories. By real, I mean real. Those things that happen in real life, that’s a no-no. Let’s put it this way, things in movies that look like normal is not my type. What I want to say is, I’m into FANTASY, SCI-FI, HORROR, 3D ANIMATION, COMEDY, COMEDY-ROMANCE, and, of course, ANIME. I hope I’m clear.

But, I guess there are always exceptions to the rule. I mean, comedy is normal and can be a real thing. In fact, it happens around me all the time. I can even make myself laugh without trying to. That’s comedy. But you can’t blame me. Everyone needs a laugh these days. With all the problems human race is facing. They are present from global economic recession, worldwide terrorism, oil price hike, crime rate rise, disasters like hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, tsunamis and wildfires, graft and corruption, impeachment trial, favorite TV network ratings, Taylor Swift’s upcoming album, to “how do I lose fats?”.

And because I LOOOOVE movies, I will share to you lines (yeah, LINES) that took my breath away the moment I heard it. Nah, taking my breath away is, uhm, quite exaggerated. Maybe “caught my attention” might fit. Yes, I’m gonna share to you lines that caught my attention in the movies I watched (and luckily, remembered). They are, of course, randomly selected, as they only randomly pop out in my mind. And I might, as well, add that these lines didn’t just catch my attention because of its riddled meaning, but on how the actor/actress who said it said it.

And I would also like to point out that this post will not include ANY Harry Potter movie quotes as I treat Harry Potter my personal favorites having watched them over and over and over and over and over again. So, you really can’t blame me if I memorized quite a lot lines from hp movies to actually make a special post for them. Yeah, right. I’ll just make another post just for Harry Potter. *<sniff>* I’m missing them again.

And another note, these lines are taken from foreign movies. This means local movies favorite lines (my favorite lines) aren’t here yet. There will be, again, special post for them. Understood? Understood. Oh my! I remember someone.

Here they are in no particular order:

1. “Call me crazy, ONE MORE TIME!”

Mary from the movie “Hancock”

**When Hancock finally knew of his past, and Mary is actually her super wife, they began to word-fight, and then wrestle. With wrestle, I mean, in a super way. Like flying across mountains, cities, destroying everything along the way. And just after a brutal landing, Hancock innocently called her crazy.

2. “This is a pen!”

Percy from the movie “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief”

**Ooh. I totally remember this. Percy finally realizing who he really was now faces death in front of one of Hades’ Furies. And his teacher, Mr. Brummer (who is actually Chiron in a very convincing disguise) gave him a pen and told him he’ll need it. And it’s true. The pen was actually the “Riptide”, english name for "Anaklusmos". And Riptide’s a sword, by the way. Percy just needs to uncap it, that’s all. And according to the book, The Riptide once belonged to Hercules himself, son of the mighty Zeus. How it came to Chiron’s possession, I really don’t know. What I know is, Chiron was the one who tutored Hercules during his time. And I would like to extend my deepest annoyance to the makers of the Percy Jackson movie. Where’s the second part? I mean Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters?

3. “It’s my job not to be.”

Hal Jordan from the movie “Green Lantern”

**Hal Jordan is actually the Green Lantern. And one of the main requirements to actually be one is to forget of the so-called FEAR. This, in my opinion and Hal’s, as well, is not an easy thing to do. He said this line when his young nephew asked him if he felt afraid during the ejection from the falling aircraft. And Hal said this.

4. “I see dead people.”

Cole from the movie “The Sixth Sense”

**I remember the line, all right. But I can’t remember what part of the movie Cole said it. Duh, I watched the movie, like, million years ago.

5. “My precious.”

Gollum from the movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”

Of course, I remember this. And Gollum, too. Actually, Gollum says the line over and over again during the entire movie. And with the other Lord of the Ring movies, too. He is actually referring to the ‘Lord of the Rings’. You will relate to him when you actually get your hands on the ring. It’ll take everything sane in you. Mark my words! Take it from me, I… uhm. Actually, I haven’t tried it yet. So, forget what I just said.

6. “I’m the king of the world!”

Jack from the movie “Titanic”

**What I remember is Jack and Rose were at the front tip of the gargantuan boat and having the time of their lives. And Jack was actually yelling this line while stretching his hands.

7. “Good job.”

Hancock from the movie “Hancock”

These two words are what Ray wanted Hancock to say to all the people who try to do good. I remember Ray had had a very hard time making Hancock say this. But on his heroic act on a bank robbery (in a suit he promised not to wear) just after the chief of police actually asked him to come out of the jail to help them, he said this line to almost everyone on the scene. Quite exaj? I agree. But, really, good job, Hancock. Anger managed.

8. “Trying doesn’t matter when you always fail.”

James Reid from the movie “Green Hornet”

**James Reid is Britt Reid’s father. And Britt Reid is the Green Hornet himself. But this line was delivered when Britt was just a superhero fanatic kid. Britt just got thrown out of the school because of a physical involvement in a brawl in their school. And James wasn't at all happy about it. He kinda scolded him, took the kid’s superhero action figure, actually disfigured it by forcibly taking its head, and threw the head in a bin. Poor Britt. He was really just helping a girl being bullied. Oh, life is just so unfair.

9. “Honey, you complete me!”

Secretary from the movie “Furry Vengeance”

**I really couldn’t understand why the secretary said it. So, I’m not gonna tell you no more.

10. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be home in no time.”

Aunt Jackie from the movie “Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel

**After rolling down in a wheelchair from a upper floor all the way down to the lower floor connected by an escalator, Aunt Jackie managed to say these words. How brave of her. But the ambulance guy didn’t think Aunt Jackie will be home in no time. And I think, too. I think It’ll take a lot of time before she could go home.

11. “Life is a race!”

Dr. Virus from the movie “Three Idiots”

**Famous line from the infamous Dr. Virus. I can’t remember exactly his full name, ‘coz it’s Indian. He said this line to a crowd of first years which includes Rancho. He brought a bird with him, knocked off a box filled with rejected applications, and showed the innocent and delicate, young freshmen of one of the greatest inventions man have ever seen: An Astronaut Pen. You see, ordinary pen don’t work on space. So, scientists spent years and a lot of money developing this pen. So astronauts could actually write while in space. But Rancho asked, why couldn’t they just use pencils? So true.

12. “Sorry is not in my dictionary. If you want to hear it, change your name to ‘Sorry’. Then, I’ll call you ‘Sorry’.

Kyungjin from the movie “Windstruck”

**This movie is actually Korean. So, I got the line from a subtitle. But, of course, subtitles are meant to translate what the actual lines mean. May it be Spanish, Japanese, Korean, gibberish, and even Pikachu’s “Pika, pikapi. Pika Pikachu, pika pikapi”. Unless, of course, you buy a pirated movie where 'sh*t' is subbed as ‘dog’s feces’. And 'let’s go' is subbed ‘come away’. Now, that’s totally a no-no. Well, Myungwoo was just asking Kyungjin to just say sorry because she forcibly and brutally took him to the police headquarters (twice!) to put him in jail for a misinterpreted act of heroism Myungwoo did. But as arrogant as she is, well, uhm, she said this line.

13. “Of course.”

Ha-Young from the movie “100 Days with Mr. Arrogant”

**Honestly one of the best Korean movies ever produced. So the leading guy in the movie (aka Mr. Arrogant) tried to teach Ha-Young the right way of speaking English. As far as I remember, the guy even proposed to be his private tutor so they could have their private lessons in the girl’s room. And the guy asked the girl, “Are you stupid?” (something like that) in English, and the only thing the girl could come up with is this line. Epic!

14. “Too freaky?”

Edward from the movie “Vampires Suck”

**This is one heck of a movie, this is. A parody to be exact. A parody of the hit movies 'Twilight' and 'New Moon'. Well, Edward was trying to get over Becca by watching this black and white movie featuring a human, uhm, mosquito while eating gigantic cup of, uhm, ice cream? I’m not really sure what that stuff was. A girl entered the room and said she had a vision of Becca. You know ESP things. Where you can actually see things in your mind, and on movie standards, they are quite true. But Edward said she’s totally, like totally, over Becca and finally got himself someone that actually meets his level. And then, a Lady Gaga look-alike (I really don’t think they look alike) showed up and that’s when Edward said this line.

15. “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

Uncle Ben from the movie “Spiderman”

**Who would not remember this line? I mean, WHOOOO? Uncle Ben was dying when he said this. He was shot by a guy who Toby ignored even when he got the chance of capturing it. Whoa, it’s like Pokémon. Capture? No? I mean, capture? Really. You see, Spiderman (a while ago, he was “The Human Spider”) entered this enter-and-you’ll-not-go-out-alive wrestling match that promised, uhm, I think $3,000 to those who could manage to defeat the reigning champ. But, of course, he’s the Human Spider, I mean, Spiderman, he won! But that good for nothing guy gave him $100. Only! Where’s justice, man? Incidentally, the guy who shot his Uncle Ben robbed that GFN guy and took all the money Spidey should have. And for justice to be served, the Human Spider just let the culprit go away. If he just did capture the guy, Uncle Ben would have been alive and couldn’t have said this line upon the face of death. *<sniff>*. Lesson learned, Spidey.

16. “I don’t deal in chance.”

The Red Queen from the Movie “Resident Evil”

**The Red Queen is actually an AI (artificial intelligence) of a huge underground laboratory called The Hive in Raccoon City. Funny thing is, The Red Queen is a little girl with no less than 10 years old. When the T-virus was exposed to the lab, she (the AI) closed every possible way to get out of The Hive killing everyone in it. The T-Virus, being able to become air borne, and inhaled by the pips in the lab, reanimated their bodies making them *<RAWR>*, LIVING DEAD! The AI said this particular line when Alice mentioned something about an Anti-Virus that could cure one of her infected companions when they were trapped inside a password-protected room. But according to The Red Queen, Alice must kill her first before she gave the password. And she said, and I quote, “it’s a risk I cannot take.”

16. “To infinity and beyond!”

Buzz Lightyear from the movie “Toy Story”

**This is epic, man. Who would forget Buzz Lightyear? When this guy, uhm, toy, whatever, came into Andy’s room, he sure believed he was a Space Ranger sent from intergalactic headquarters to defeat the evil dominion of Zurg. Well, Woody sure wasn’t impress by this. And he keeps on telling Buzz that he is just a toy. T-O-Y, toy! But, of course, Buzz didn’t listen much to Woody and actually told him that he could fly using his built-in wing. And before he took off, he said this line. Well, I agree with Woody, it wasn’t flying. It was falling with style. There you go, Space Ranger Buzz.

17. “Oh, it’s an equation.”

Troy Bolton from the Movie “High School Musical”

**Wildcats gonna have their championship match later. Before they went to the gym, the girls showed them a black board full of mathematical equations. That’s when Troy said this line. Well, that’s not it, Troy. Gabriella flipped the board backwards and showed them what they truly mean; a well lettered “Good Luck Wildcats!”

18. “I’m not afraid anymore!”

Kevin from the movie “Home Alone”

**This is one of the first movies I’ve got the wildest opportunity to watch over and over again. Who can blame me? The movie sure is full of comedy in it. Not to mention stupid villains who make the movie funnier. Funnier, with their careless stunts and successful schemes (say successful in the most sarcastic way). Now, Kevin here sure is brave when he delivered the line. He was actually referring to an old guy who sweeps the snow on the road. Well, this guy turned out to be his hero when worse came to worst. Thanks, old friend.

19. “It is impossible.”

Edward from the movie “Daybreakers”

**One of the creepiest movies I watched. I mean, the whole world is run by vampires. And instead of global economic crises, their global problem is the fast declination of human blood supply. Yeah, there are still humans on the run. And they are, in turn, hunted and farmed by the government of blood suckers. Blood deprivation was a national threat. Vampires, who do not have the means to get blood of their own, fed on themselves. And according to the movie, they could poison their own bodies. Thus the subsiders were born; an ugly evolution of vampires. Edward said this line when a guy (a vampire like himself before) took his hand, rested it on his chest, and allowed Edward to feel the heartbeat in it. The thing was, there was no heartbeat. In fact, it hadn’t beaten for 9 years. Now, that’s impossible.

20. “Go f*ck yourself.”

Logan of X-men: First Class”

This is so typical of Logan. Erik and Charles (Magneto and Professor X in their tween days) found him in a bar using the old version of the Cerebro. They were, uhm, recruiting mutants like them around the globe to join their common cause. And sadly, Logan refused with this line. This is some kind of a mystery to me. While Erik and Charles were young in the movie, Logan was still the same Logan in X-men 1 to 3. Go figures.

Well, that’s 20 of them. 20 lines that are luckily stuck in my mind even after all these years. There are more, of course. I’m just waiting for them to cross my mind. Until then.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

My Second Birthday

March 4. A day I will never ever forget. How could I? This is my second birthday. SECOND BIRTHDAY. I guess, I owe you some explanations, huh. Well, I think the best way for me to explain how come people could have 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, or even up to 100th birthday is by getting an excerpt from my book entitled “Sari-sari Store’. This particular excerpt will tell you everything how in the world I was able to have a 2nd birthday.

Oh, by the way, this is the cover of my book. It’s not quite artistic. But this is the best I could come up with. And I can assure you that the title really tells everything about the book.


Enjoy reading…

“…Una kaming nakapuwesto sa isang tulay na may nakapagandang view sa baba. Buti na lang at gabi, hindi ko na nakita ang kagandahan ng view doon. Nag-usap kami. Ng kung anu-ano lang. Hanggang umabot kami sa second birthday ko. At doon ako nalungkot. Hindi niya alam kung kailan ang birthday ko. Ok lang sana kung hindi niya alam iyong second birthday ko. Pero ang first birthday ko? Iyon ang nakakalungkot. Pero hindi ko ipinahalata sa kaniya iyon. Ayokong masira ang magandang gabing iyon. Hindi niya lang alam na tumatalun-talon ang puso ko ng mga oras na iyon. Na-dislocate nga, eh. Napasok sa baga ko sa kakatalon! Kinakailangan ko pa ng operasyon para maibalik sa dati ulit.

            Second birthday. Paano nga ba nagkakaroon ng second birthday ang isang tao? Simple lang. Kung nakatakas siya sa isang tiyak na kamatayan! At isa ako sa masuwerteng nakatakas mula kay Kamatayan!

            March 4 iyon, 2006. Birthday ng adviser namin at English teacher. Nagplano kaming magkakaklase na batiin siya sa tradisyonal na paraan: ang Mañanita! Sa bahay kami nagplano noon, eh. Meron pa nga kaming ginawang malaking message board na may mga drawings ng paa na siyang pagsusulatan namin ng mga mensahe para kay Ma’am, eh. Hindi naman talaga board iyon, eh. Cartolina lang. Sinabi mo lang na message board kasi pangit naman kung message cartolina ang sinabi mo, ‘di ba? Pagkatapos makapagsulat ang mga kaklase ko, isa-isa silang nagsiuwian hanggang apat na lang kaming natira sa bahay. Doon na kami nagpaumaga. Magkikita-kita na lang kami sa may kanto malapit sa bahay nina Ma’am. Nung mga panahong iyon, uso na ang gitara. Kaya kahit papaano, may saliw ng gitara ang aming kanta! Hindi kasi maganda kung sa sariling boses lang namin kami aasa. Lalo na’t kasali ako!

            Umalis kaming apat sa bahay nang hindi nakatulog. Madaling-araw iyon. Subukan mong mag-mañanita sa tanghali. Pagtatawanan ka lang. Kami yata ang pinaka-unang dumating. At naghintay pa kami ng eksaktong isang taon para sa iba pa naming kasama. Eksaktong isang taon para pagdating nila, birthday pa rin ni Ma’am. Sulit ang aming paghihintay.

            Nang makumpleto na kami at medyo nakapag-ensayo na ng aming kakantahin, tumuloy na kami sa tapat ng bahay nina Ma’am. Ang dilim! Ang dilim-dilim talaga! Pero ok lang. Andoon naman si Yvonne, ang Miss Liberty namin.

            Inabot pa ng ilang oras, minuto at segundo bago kami makapagsimulang kumanta! Wala kasing lumalabas sa mga bibig namin, eh. Wala ding may gustong magpasimula. Naku talaga! Ang batch na ‘to talaga! Pero nairaos din naman namin. At nagising namin si Ma’am (hindi dahil sa ganda ng aming kanta, kundi sa ingay ng aming pagtatalo! Palpak!). Pero pinatuloy pa rin kami ni Ma’am at pinasalamatan kami sa aming munting handog para sa kaniyang kaarawan.

            Masarap na Arroz Caldo ang inihanda ni Ma’am. Tamang-tama sa nilalamig kong tiyan. At pagkatapos ng masarap na almusal at kuwentuhan, nagpaalam na kami kay Ma’am upang umuwi at matulog sana. Sana!

            Bago kami nagsiuwian, dumaan muna kami sa aming eskwelahan upang tingnan ang alaga naming mga petsay. Kung kumain na ba. Kung nakatulog ba nang maayos. Kung hindi ba nilamig sa buong magdamag. Pero pagdating ko doon, wala naman akong nakitang problema. Ayos lang naman ang lahat. Kaya nagsiuwian na kami para matulog sana. Sana!

            Kaso nagkayayaang maligo sa dagat! At ako naman ay siguradong maiinggit kapag hindi ako nakasama. Pero sigurado din akong hindi ako papayagan ng aking butihing ina. Kaya, may ginawa akong kabulastugan. Nagpalusot ako. Nasa bahay pa ang kaha ng gitarang ginamit namin para sa mañanita. Kaya nagpaalam akong isasauli ko lang iyon. Pero ang totoo, balak kong tumuloy sa dagat at sumama sa paglangoy! Na muntik nang kumuha ng buhay ko!

            Naalala ko pa, nagdasal pa kami bago lumusong sa dagat. Nang mga oras kasi na iyon, halos lahat kaming nandoon ay YFC’s na. Kaya marunong na kaming magdasal at humingi ng patnubay ng Panginoon. Medyo maalon kasi.

            Sa umpisa, masaya! Masarap sagupain ang paparating na malalaking alon at hayaan ang katawang maanod hanggang sa dalampasigan. Masarap talaga! Pero naging masaklap!

            Isa sa mga kaklase ko ang napapalayo. Sa una, hindi pa ako nag-aalala. Alam kong marunong lumangoy ang kaklase kong iyon, eh. Pero habang tumatagal, nagsimula akong mangamba. Hindi pa kasi niya nagagawang bumalik sa mababaw na parte ng dagat. Kaya naman, kasama ang dalawang lalaking kaklase ko, nilapitan namin siya upang masamahan palapit sa dalampasigan. Pero tinarayan pa kami ng lola mo at sinabihang, “Bakit kayo nandito?”. O, ‘di ba? Ang taray talaga. Nang akma na kaming babalik, humawak siya sa isa kong kaklase at nagpasama pabalik sa dalampasigan. Ako! Ako na ang nahirapang bumalik! Kahit anong gawing kong paggalaw sa aking kamay at paa papunta sa dalampasigan, nadadala pa rin ako ng malakas na daloy ng tubig papunta sa mas malalim na parte ng dagat. Sa madaling sabi, palayo ako nang palayo sa dalampasigan! Aaminin kong hindi ako athletic at payat pa ako ng mga panahong iyon. Hindi ako kasing lakas ng dalawa kong kaklase na madaling nakabalik sa dalampasigan hindi tulad ko na napalayo pa. Hindi pa marahil nila napansin iyon sa umpisa. Pero nung umahon na sila sa dagat at marahil kamay ko na lang ang nakikita nila sa malayu-layong parte ng dagat, nag-alala na sila!

            At, siyempre, ako rin! Sobra-sobra ang nararamdaman kong pag-aalala para sa sarili kong kaligtasan ng mga oras na iyon! Ang dami ko nang nainom na tubig. Naisip ko pa nga, puwede pa akong maligtas sa pagkalunod pero mamamatay din naman ako sa poisoning! Pero sa kabutihang-palad, binalikan ako ng isa kong kaklase na may pambihirang laki ng katawan at nakaramdam ako ng pag-asa. Pero mali ako, nahirapan siyang akayin ako pabalik sa dalampasigan! Pareho na kaming palutang-lutang sa gitna ng dagat! Dumoble ang pag-aalala ko! Nandamay pa ako ng isa pang buhay! Ang sama ko! Pero kumapit pa rin ako sa kaniya. Marahil kung hindi, wala na talaga ako sa mundong ito!

            Pinuntahan pa kami ng isa ko pang kaklase upang tanungin kung ang-e-enjoy daw ba kami. Sabi ko, “HINDI!!!”. Siyempre, biro lang ulit iyan. At nagawa ko pa talagang magbiro sa ganitong klaseng kuwento *<tawa>*.

            Pero totoong pinuntahan kami ng isa ko pang kaklase para tumulong, sa pagkakataong iyon, sa aming dalawa! Pero hindi din nagtagal, sumuko siya at bumalik mag-isa sa dalampasigan! Nabibigatan daw siya sa T-shirt at maong shorts niya. Akalain mo iyon? Doon na ako nawalan ng pag-asa para sa aming dalawa! At ewan ko kung maniniwala ka, dahil ako mismo ayaw maniwala, nakakita ako ng liwanag sa mula sa taas. At doon ko naalalang magdasal! At pronto! May dumating na tulong. Sa pagkakataong iyon, handa siya dahil may dalang mahaba at matabang kahoy sa paglapit sa amin. Para may makapitan kami habang tinutulak niya ang kahoy palapit sa dampasigan, palapit sa bagong buhay!

            Pagdating sa dalampasigan, hapung-hapo ako! Ang dami pang gustong magpa-autograph kahit nakikita na nilang pagod na pagod ako! Ang dami kasing tao. Pakiramdam ko tuloy noon isa akong artistang matagal nang hindi umuuwi ng Capul City! Bumagsak ako sa buhangin. Inisip ko pa noong tumayo, mag-lakad-lakad, at magtumbling para isipin ng mga tao na walang nangyari. Pero hindi ko nahanapan ang katawan ng lakas upang gawin iyon. Sa halip, may umakay sa aking patayo, pinaankla ang aking kaliwang braso sa kaniyang batok at pinalakad papunta sa pinakamalapit na bahay!

            Doon ko mas naramdaman ang pagod! Nakaupo na ako habang maraming mata ang nakatingin sa akin. Para akong kriminal na hinatulan ng pagkamatay sa pamamagitan ng silya elektrika! Alam ng Diyos kung gaano ko gustong matulog sa mga sandaling iyon. Simple lang. Naubos ang lahat ng lakas sa katawan ko! Pero hindi nila ako pinayagang matulog! Kahit daw anong mangyari huwag akong matulog! Bakit? Bakit hindi? Hindi ba nila nakikita ang pagod at pagkahapo ko? Hindi ba nila nakikitang lupaypay na ako? Bakit ganun? Walang sumagot! Simple lang ulit, dahil hindi ko naisatinig ang mga tanong na iyan! Pagod din kasi ako para makapagsalita. Sa halip, pinalitan nila ang damit ko. At doon dumating ang butihin kong ina. Nagpasalamat siya sa mga tumulong sa akin at isinakay ako sa scooter na dala niya pauwi! Hindi ko man lang nagawang magpasalamat sa taong tumulong sa akin. Pero kung sino man siya at kung nasaan man siya, labis-labis ang pasasalamat ko sa kaniya sa tulong na binigay niya noong panahong nangailangan ako. Labis-labis ang pasasalamat ko sa pagdugtong niya sa buhay ko. Para sa’yo, MARAMING SALAMAT!

Pagdating ng bahay, pinaligo ako ng butihin kong ina at pinilit na kumain bago matulog. Hindi ko alam kung saan ako nakahugot ng lakas para magawa pang maligo at kumain! Dahil na rin siguro sa kagustuhan kong makatulog na, ginawa ko iyon nang walang reklamo! At natulog na ako!

            Doon ko napatunayan ang kapangyarihan ng pagdadasal at pananampalataya sa Panginoon. Doon ko napatunayan kung gaano kabilis duminig ng panalangin ang Panginoon. Kaya mula noon, hanggang ngayon, kapag March 4, dumadaan ako sa simbahan upang magsindi ng kandila at mag-alay ng dasal ng pasasalamat!

Ito ang nakakatuwang parte ng kuwentong iyan. Kinahapunan, pagkagising ko, pumunta ako sa bahay ng kaklase kong kasama kong muntik na sanang malunod. Kinamusta ko siya at kinamusta din naman niya ako. Ok na ang pakiramdaman ko noon, may konting hilo lang. Sa dami siguro ng nainom kong tubig-dagat. Niyaya niya ako sa birthday party ng pinsan niya. Na, sa malayong pagkakakamag-anak, ay pinsan ko din. Hindi na ako nagpaliguy-ligoy pa. Pumayag ako at sumama sa kaniya! Akalain mo iyon, nakuha ko pang maki-birthday. At doon ko nalaman kung gaano kabilis tumakbo ang balita (at kung paano mabilis ding magbago!). Mantakin mo ba naman, may isang ale daw na naglilibot ng isda ang nagtsismis sa isang teacher namin sa CAIS na may nalunod daw nitong umaga at namatay! NAMATAY! N-A-M-A-T-A-Y! NAMAN! PINAPATAY NA AKO NG ALENG IYON! Pero hindi ko na masiyadong inisip iyon. Nabaling ang atensiyon ko sa nagsasarapang handa ng celebrant: may lechon, may Spaghetti, may _______, may  _______, may _______, may _______, may   _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, may  _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, may _______, at may _______.

            Sarap na sarap ako sa kain ko noon. Pagkatapos, umuwi kami kaagad. Eat and run lang. Hindi naman mapapansin kung may dalawang nawala na lang ng parang bula pagkatapos kumain.

            Diretso kami pauwi, pareho lang naman ang daan papunta sa mga bahay namin. At nakasalubong namin ang mga kaklase kong muntik nang mawalan ng kaklase. Sila iyong mga nakasama ko sa paglangoy umaga noong araw na iyon. Galing daw sila sa bahay para dalawin ako. At nakatanggap na naman ako ng katakut-takot na kantiyaw nang sinabi ko sa kanila kung saan ako galing *<hagikhik>*.

            Iyon ang second birthday ko. March 4, 2006…”

That’s just about it. Quite a long story, eh. Anyway, if you wanted to read the entire book, just contact me. So, we could talk about it. But I have to warn you, though. It’s a 456-page book. Quite lengthy. But I can assure you entertainment if you’re just too patient to read it.
Oh, well. Happy birthday to me! Toodles.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Yeng Constantino's Time in Cover by my Sister and Me

Now this time, you will witness the crazy in me. This video came out of nowhere. It was like, "hey, let's do some video", and my sister was like, "yeah, let's go!". As simple as that. Yeah, you're right. My sister and me has this same passion for craziness. Perhaps, she's crazier than me. You judge. 

Now this vid is one of the musical videos worth winning in the MTV awards. I know you will agree when you watch the video. So, without further ado, I give you, uhm, mine and my sister's greatest performance of our lives. Enjoy!

There is Goodness in Pokemon Games

Some people may find it childish, but I really don't care. I am so much in love with Pokemon that I wanted them to be real. Yeah, you heard me, right. I mean, uhm, you read it right? Whatever. There's nothing really wrong with too much liking for Pokemon. In fact, there are millions like me out there who drool over Pokemon.  Drool seems to be exaggerated. Uhm, how about obsessed? 

Bub that's reality. And the Internet is my witness. Just go to YouTube and you would find thousands of videos of Pokemon games walkthroughs. I, sometimes, find it useful. But I don't rely much on walkthroughs. It's just so useless playing Pokemon games if you used walkthroughs. I mean, where's the thrill, man. And, besides, Pokemon games are usually not hard to play. Just, uhm, fun and really TIME CONSUMING. There are even websites that are dedicated solely for Pokemon. Just check out PokeCommunity and Bulbapedia.

But I have to consider the monotony of the Pokemon games. You see, from Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue in the old Game Boy, to Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal in the old Game Boy Color, to Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald in the old Game Boy Advance, to Pokemon Pearl, Diamond and Platinum in the Nintendo DS, up to Pokemon Black and White in the Nintendo DS, the same things happen. It all starts with; you are at your house about to start your very own Pokemon adventure; the nearby Pokemon Professor will let you choose among the three Pokemon Starters for that region (always the same Fire, Grass, and Water types); you obtain the PokeDex and the Good Ol' Prof will ask you to complete the Dex and actually capture every Pokemon there is to capture; along the way, you will fight some villainous teams who have this we-are-the-strongest-team-in-the-world-and-no-one-can-beat-us attitude, but always end up losers (that is if your not too careful about training your Pokemon team); your task is always to go to towns and cities ahead and fight their respective Gyms and collect their Gym Badges; and when you collected the eight Gym Badges, you will go to the League and beat the Elite Four and the current Champion (who, usually, is your rival in the game); and after you beat the Elite Four, the credits will roll and you will start the game again in your house; the Pokemon Professor will now upgrade your Dex so that it will become National Dex, allowing you to record the old Pokemon's, and your task now is to complete the National Dex; beating the Elite Four usually gives you access to those places you weren't able to enter before because some guy is actually standing at the entrance preventing unqualified trainers to enter; and usually, these places, usually caves, contain legendary Pokemon.

But despite this monotony, I still played them all. Every single one of them. Including the remakes of the old Red, Green, Gold, and Silver games: Fire Red, Leaf Green, Heart Gold, and Soul Silver. It's simple. I love playing the games. And the never ending task of completing the Dex is also my never ending goal. Funny, but in every game I played, I never ever completed the Dex. For so many reasons, of course. First, there are Pokemon in one version that are not really included in that version. That's why they always release two or three versions so you could just trade with others playing the other version. And that sucks, man. And a lot hassle. Second, the other two starters that are left in the Professor's Lab (the one you didn't choose) can never be seen in the wild. Again, you have to trade. Third, there are just Pokemon that won't evolve unless traded. Pokemon's like Graveler, Onix, Machoke, Pupitar, and a lot more. So, I never had the chance to get Golem, Steelix, Machamp, and Tyranitar for myself. That really sucks too, man. Fourth, there are fossils in every regions (usually two) and you only get one 'coz the other mysteriously falls into nothingness, or there are people who guard the fossils and just give you one! I mean, why not just give everything? GRRRRRR! 

The thing is, I don't know anyone in my locality that has the same obsession as I have. So, I don't have the chance to trade. Making it impossible for me to complete the Dex. 

But, anyways, there are side quests along the journey that I enjoyed much. Taking you temporarily out from your main quest. In Johto, there is Bug Catching Contest you could actually join in to. In Hoenn, there is the Pokemon Contest, and the fun mixing of berries. In Sinnoh, the mining really is cool, and that mixing of puree-like thing (the one that goes black when the heat is uncontrolled, and actually spills if you stir it so hard, EPIC!). And all regions have Safari Zones. The very place you could have fun in capturing never-before-seen Pokemon. In other words, rare ones. Things like this break the monotony of the game. And I still haven't mentioned the other quest to defeat the villains. 

I'll just add this. I like the idea of getting to another region after defeating the Elite Four and winning the League on the region you are playing in. Just like in Pokemon Gold and Silver series. After you finished making the Elite Four look sorry for themselves, you can actually travel to Kanto. And start another journey of Gym Badges-collecting. Sadly, the only games that did not are the ones mentioned. Of course, their remakes, too. 

So, there are lot to Pokemon than meets the eye. I don't care if people find it funny for a 21 year old guy to be playing games like this. Blast it, there are 43 year old guys still into Pokemon. So, just excuse me, and mind your own business.

Friday, February 24, 2012

For my Hometown...

Something worth watching. And I am just so grateful I had a part on this. The performer (Ate Jeanra) actually asked me to make a video of a song composed by Atty. Reo Andarino. This is entitled "Kaaw y Kalipay Ko". If literally translated, that would be "You are my Happiness". I can still recall how I came up with this video. You see, I am not much of a AV presentation maker. But I do have a little knowledge with Windows Movie Maker. So I tried. I gathered pictures of our most beloved Capul showcasing its untouched beauty. By the way, thanks a lot to those who owned the photos. I didn't have time to ask permission because I was excited on finishing the vid. My bad. Apologies. I hope I'll not be sued for Copyright Infringement. But I think I am safe now. This vid was finished a long long time ago. And I am still having a blast with no police men taking me into their custody. 

This is not much, but it meant a lot to me. Not to mention the time it took me to finish the vid. I finished it at almost 2 in the morning.

Here you go...