Heavenly music

Sam and a couple of classmates from SSC were tapped to join the Ateneo College Glee Club at the San Agustin International Music Festival. The event is tonight and she invited me to watch.

I took Jon along. We got to Intramuros about an hour early so we decided to eat at Ilustrado.

When we got to the church, we found out we had to buy tickets. Sam apologized later when she found out that there were tickets to the event. She thought attending the event was for free.

I don't mind paying though. The music was wonderful. Acoustics in the church were good. We had the luck to sit at the back where the giant fan was.

Globe Rebate

Learned that if you call up Globe's hotline, you'd find out if you're entitled to rebates or not. Surprise: I am entitled to a PHP5,000 rebate! I had the option to either apply it to buy a new phone or get the amount via G-cash. I chose to get the G-cash.

Getting a Dial Up plan

Buying prepaid dial-up cards is less expensive. The thing is, although I buy prepaid cards, Jon doesn't. So, the phone bill is still high because the dial-up connection is charged per minute. I've decided getting the PLDT Plan 440 is a cheaper alternative: it's still a dial-up connection, with unlimited number of minutes a month, but each connection can only be 4 hours long ... the link is cut off automatically and you'd have to redial again.

The plan takes effect today.

Invitation to a comedy show

Got this letter from Yvette who is one of the producers of the following show:

---------

Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2005 21:01:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bee Luciano
Subject: Late Nite with BMW - An Invitation

Hello everyone!

For those of you in Manila and Cebu:

If you seek comedy that stimulates the mind with witty setups, punchlines; and appreciate shrewd, point-of-view comedy in English without the distraction of karaoke-singing, then this show is for you. Featuring Tim Tayag and Allan Manalo, stand up comics from San Francisco, California.

Round The Bend Entertainment and Koncepts & More proudly present a refreshing alternative to your evening leisurely escapes by bringing you

“Late Nite with BMW” Sophisticatedly Subtle Stand Up Comedy

September 3, at the BMW Autohaus Showroom in Libis, Quezon City – and

September 17 & 18, at the Casino Filipino of the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City.

This show is brought to you by Autohaus BMW, Apple IPOD, Padua International Furniture, JOEY Rhythms 92.3FM, ClickTheCity.com, Smirnoff Ice and SEAIR. Tickets are available at the BMW Autohaus Showroom in Libis, Quezon City, and the Casino Filipino of the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City. For details and reservations please call/SMS the following numbers: for Manila – 0917-8398233, and Cebu – 0920-9090468.

Support Live Intellectual Comedy! See you there!

Warped sense of time

No, this isn't about wondering why the watches and clocks in your room are suddenly "advanced" compared to everyone else's time.

Attended the gathering at Dan's house for Joy (whose family arrived from Pennysylvania June 29 for a vacation) lunchtime with Ma. We stayed at the funeral chapel overnight Saturday, I went home Sunday afternoon, spent the rest of the night till morning taking care of feeding the pets, making sure Papa took his medicines on time, and doing my laundry (with some of Ma's thrown in), and now I'm not sure if it's still Sunday, Monday or if it's already Tuesday.

Checked my calendar ... yep it's still Monday. Promised to go back to the funeral chapel this afternoon, but I'm still tired so I'll make it evening.

Uncle Vic, Aunt Lily and Uncle Sonny arrived from the US today and headed straight to the funeral chapel. Ma and Jon were able to talk to them. If they haven't left by the time I arrive, I'll be able to see them, too.

Death in perspective

Cristy and Jeng sent me a duplicate text message to inform me that Es' father died yesterday. This hit me more than news of Lola dying. The perspective being, Es' father died young, my grandmother died of old age. Her father could have lived and witnessed more (something better than the political turmoil we have now, I hope), while my grandmother had already enjoyed her life.

Cellphone numbers

Cristy changed her phone number today, it's been more than a year since she last changed numbers. That means she bought a new phone.

She and Cris often buy the latest cellphone models, and since new units are cheaper if you buy a plan, they change phone numbers too. With Cris, you know either she or her husband had a promotion/increase because she'd upgrade her phone (last change was Apr-20-2005). With Cristy, she's always changing phones but I don't know if it's because she likes them new or she has excess cash to do so (She's got two jobs).

I've actually taken to appending a year to their caller ID in my phone just so I know which is the latest.

Lola Cion's Death, and the day President Arroyo wish didn't happen

Pay called up early this morning to say that Lola Cion is dead. She's 95, would be 96 had she lived a month longer.

I still went to the office today, Pay hadn't told us the details of the wake yet, so even if we wanted to go to Cavite, we wouldn't know where. The news was a shock to Jon and Ma, I gathered this because they were extremely quiet when they told me the news before I left the house, as if they can't believe the news coming from their own mouths. I guess it's weird that I wasn't as shocked because I was expecting it to happen ever since the dream I had about a month ago. I even suspect she died in her sleep as in my dream. I'd really be acting weird if I called up Pay to ask if Lola indeed die in her sleep and if she was by chance wearing pink today. Then again, maybe she was wearing pink in my dream because that is the color of love - and she loves Lola a lot.

Lola's death was overshadowed by political events today though. In one day, 10 resigned cabinet secretaries, the Liberal party, the Makati Business Club, and former president Corazon Aquino, made separate televised statements asking President Arroyo to step down. Worse scenario would be we'd have a new president by Monday by the name of De Castro. If Arroyo is the spoiled brat I sometimes think she is, I imagine that she's probably playing the pouting princess right now, asking her counselor if she had the power to say "off with their heads!" He he he!

A rally scheduled today closed off Ayala Ave., Makati ... the protesters will probably converge at Ninoy Aquino's statue along Paseo. This rally had been planned days before, but by coincidence, it comes right after separate influential groups have announced on TV that they want Arroyo to step down. I expect more people will join this rally if they weren't planning to do so before.

Terror in London

Was in the bus this afternoon, heading home, when I heard on TV the news that bombs were set off in London, probably the handiwork of terrorists. Well it reminds me of the pictures of the bombs that were set off in Makati not too long ago, also during rush hour.

Robert Tarongoy's timely release

So, Robert Tarongoy has been released after seven months of captivity in Iraq ... after the Philippine government fulfilled the demands of his captors. This includes paying ransom.

And if so, why would the Philippine government decide to capitulate to such demands at this time? Not earlier, or later? Is it just coincidence that this happens at the height of current Philippine president Arroyo's UNpopularity? Is her government hoping this move would earn her some popularity points the same way Angelo dela Cruz' release did, almost a year ago? After all, as I remember it, the government gave in to dela Cruz' captors demands because to stand by its pledge to help Bush in his war would mean sacrificing the president's popularity amongst the Filipinos. It is the Filipinos who did vote her into office, not the Americans after all.

Given the Filipinos' penchant, or pre-occupation, with ousting whoever's on the seat of power - it is a no-brainer that many politicos will always monitor their popularity ranking. People on both sides of the fence would screw ethics, word of honor, and morality if it gets in the way.

Jaime Cardinal Sin

I was on the way to work when I heard the news flash that Cardinal Sin has died. What ran through my brain then was that the weaves are unravelling and the torches are being passed.

The significant figures of the 80s who were involved in one way or another with the toppling of then-existing governments (communist-led or dictatorships) are leaving us one by one.

Organizations and countries are finding that the deaths have left holes or gaps in their structures, since these figures of history have also served as their anchors or compass.

I wonder who the next group of notables will be. Such figures, once they break into the world scene, usually dominate headlines for the succeeding decade or so. And more often than not, they are also connected to one another.

Can dreams tell you when another person will die soon?

Had a dream of Lola Cion yesterday morning, just before waking up.

In the dream, there was a party for her. It wasn't a birthday party though, it's to celebrate the fact that she'll be dying that day. She was wearing make-up and she was eating heartily - maybe it was a slice of cake, I can't remember. She was happy because she was looking forward to dying... her body is already tired. I was sad but also happy for her. Pay made a brief appearance in the dream wearing pink, and she was crying because she'll really miss Lola.

When Lola had finished eating, she began to change clothes. She remarked as she was taking off her everyday dress that the buttons on clothes these days easily come off. She started putting one of her older, fine clothes that presumably had better buttons. After she had finished changing, she would then lie down and wait for death to claim her. I woke up before she lied down.

There was a sense of peace in that dream, and I was happy for her. That doesn't mean I didn't cry when I woke up - I will miss her, though I had trauma when I was kid because of her being a stiff disciplinarian.

I remember being told that Pay had once called up to say that Lola was weak because she wasn't eating all her meals. Maybe that dream was created by my subconscious because of that news, although I wasn't dwelling on that the moment I had the dream (I fell asleep playing the Sims 2 game).

Anyway, whether the dream was just a product of subconscious or not, I woke up Mama and told her to call up Uncle Ceo's house to ask how Lola was. I was urgent so she had no choice, he he he! ... it was easy to prod her since she had been meaning to call before but never had the time. When Uncle Ceo told her Lola was fine, and they had finished the phone conversion, I told Mama, and Jon who had woken up by then, about my dream. Afterwards, Mama decided we should visit Lola. However, since Papa can't leave the house and someone has to stay, Jon and I visited yesterday afternoon, with Mama and I to visit again today.

Tessie had planned to go to Pacita today, so Mama told her we'll be out of the house to visit Lola. Tessie decided to come anyway and go with us to visit Lola. She spent most of the time in Uncle Ceo's house pestering the maid, though, and not talking to Lola Cion.

Ever wonder about the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel?

I was surfing around and decided to read on the current Pope. Then Google comes up with links to articles about the prophecies about the popes, and I clicked on one which happened to be published on the Christian Churches of God website. It was a long article and eventually, the reader becomes aware that the denomination is anti-pope and disagrees with many things Roman Catholics do.

You could even say the group gets a small drop of satisfaction that the prophecies from Malachy, Book of Revelation, John Bosco and Nostradamus point to the eventual destruction of the Roman Catholic church.

I haven't heard of this group so I decided to go to the home page of the site and Lo and behold, a large button at the top of the page links you to a discussion about the lost tribes of Israel.

Now, when I was a kid, my father used to watch Herbert Armstrong's show on TV, ordered some of his books (we got the ones that prove why the Catholic holidays are pagan), and even had a subscription to the magazine "Plain Truth". Not that my father believes him 100%, it's just that my father likes to read/know about everything, from the occult like astrology to other religions like islam. He still remains a Catholic, and when he noticed I inherited his appetite to know about the same stuff, he asked me (short of making me promise) that even after learning all the negative things about our religion, to remain a Catholic and to have faith that Rome will change and steer the ship to the right direction. If you're wondering, it might help to know he was a young man during Vatican II and still keeps the hopes of that era alive in his heart. In contrast, someone I know has a son who joined a denomination whose main wish is to go back to the era before Vatican II - they even have their mass said in Latin.

If you're reading/listening to Armstrong's show, he makes sense most of the time - including the bashing of the Catholic holidays of Easter and Christmas. One day though, as I was listening to his show, one claim raised big questions in my head... that the Anglo Saxons are the lost tribe of Israel. I was a kid and still at that age, I found something fishy with the logic that Saxon sounding like Isaac's Sons means you're the missing social division mentioned in the bible stories.

That one claim is the root cause of why I ended up:
1) pouring over the Bible during that summer break and creating a very long family tree written at the back of old, large calendars (they make good writing paper - thick, glossy, with more writing space);
2) wondering how the end of the family tree in the bible could be expanded to prove the line ended with the Anglo-Saxons (which I have given up on);
3) looking up the lineage of Britain's royal families;
4) realizing they're just the last of a long line of europe's ruling dynasties;
5) I got interested in mapping out how the dynasties are interconnected;
6) I spent my High School and College "dull time" (i.e. stuck in the house during summer and semestral breaks) making another large family tree, this time of european royal families starting with the Merovingian dynasty.

My "family tree" stopped right after World War 1 started - I remember because I was reading about how the assasination of one man plunged Europe into war. Things got messier after that with royal families dwindling into oblivion.

The college library had books that introduced me to other claims like the Merovingians being Jesus's descendants. If the two would dovetail, you'd have a theory that not only were the Saxons Israelites, but their rulers, who at some point or another are related to Merovee, are descendants of Jesus, the "King of the Jews". Wow, that would mean Israel and Judah are reunited once more. I had to reach for a salt shaker and take a grain.

Where do those theories leave the world's other nations, you may ask?

This Christian Churches of God have expanded the Saxon=Israelites theory to include the territories and people conquered by Britain, and its former colony, the United States. Come to think of it, I think this is similar to Armstrong's group with a more global flavor. I had to grin when I saw my country highlighted in their map as one of those lucky enough to be partake of the "birthright inheritance" promised to Abraham. Does this mean I'm supposed to thank God my country was colonized?

Ma's reunion with friends

When Mama was invited by her best friend, Tita Norma (Aguila) to attend her daughter's wedding, Ma had a problem on what she would wear as the occassion required an evening gown.

I brought Ma to Makati last May 15 to buy her a gown and shoes. What took us long was the fact that she did not want a gown that had low or wide necklines because she has a tiny scratch on the neck made by one of our cats. I think the scar was negligible, she thinks everybody can see it.

The wedding is today, and Ma will hitch a ride with another former officemate to go to the hotel and back.

Kaibigan

Text msg fwded by Rach:

sbi nLa...
pRa Rw sRang0La ang iSang kaibgan.
gaAn0 mN cya kaLaU,
me taLi p Rng ngUugnay senY0.
hAnGat hndi M0 i2 bnbtwAn...
d cya mwwLa saU...
kaiLanman

nice huh?

Bowling a Suez Canal

Today's the office fun bowling tournament. I brought a white shirt as Jeng asked via text. Vikki was the only one wearing a dark blue t-shirt.

I had a very low score in the 1st game - a little over 40!. My score was about double in the 2nd game - above 80. Almost a repeat of Tuesday's practice. Does that mean I always need a warm-up game to at least hit 80? I mean, if I had a warm-up game before the competition, then maybe that 80 would be my first game score and my second game score would be higher?

I got the Suez Canal award for throwing the most balls into the canal. At least I have cash prize that ended up twice the money the individual members of the winning team got. Well, I did announce at the start of the competition that I'm gunning for the lowest score award - and I got it! :-)

Some of us ate at Dencio's near CCP afterwards. With the guys ordering, we ended up with crispy pata, crispy tenga, and sisig! The only vegetable was the pinakbet ordered by Cristy.

Bowling lessons

Seems that my team is taking the "fun" tourney seriously ... Vikki arranged us to have bowling lessons with Becky during lunch last Thursday. Jeng found her game improved after pointers from a real player. I was not as lucky. Last Friday, I joined the marketing people and my score was worse. I hadn't internalized Becky's teachings and then I've got Pam and Jong telling me what else to do. The tips got mixed up.

Today, we had another lesson during lunch. We had two games though and my score in the 2nd round was almost twice that of the first round. My team mates are hoping I could at least hit 96 again during the tourney. How pathetic am I? :-)

Benedict

Gave out the Benedictine medals I bought last week. Pia said she appreciated it and she needed it, Jun and Cristy said thanks. Jeng's txt msg: Hi. Thanks so very much. Was really touched. (dabbing tears)

:-)

That makes me happy.

What passes for a Retreat

Sam paid for a retreat in her tuition but didn't attend... now the nuns want her to avail of it even if she goes on her own. She invites me to go with her. I needed a break and said yes. She scheduled it for April 13 - 15 at St. Scholastica Tagaytay. As April 13 came nearer, I was excited enough to have a dream ... funny thing was - Sam and I were lost again as we were in Subic, and when we asked where we were, I think the person in the dream said Palawan.

We planned to meet Wednesday morning near her place which is on the way to Zapote where we will take a jeep to Cavite, and a bus to Tagaytay.

Read what we did there in my pinoytourista blog:
http://pinoytourista.blogspot.com/2005/04/what-passes-for-retreat.html

Ponderings on Grief

During Holy Week, one of the features I watched on TV was Pope John Paul II's contribution to history - particularly his role in the fall of the communist bloc. I even remember remarking that such a feature seems to forebode John Paul II's death soon for the documentary struck me like a eulogy.

Fast forward to April 2. The round-the-clock Vatican watch on the cable news networks when it became apparent that John Paul II may die anytime soon was, to me, overkill. Therefore, it was not surprising when my brother told me Sunday morning (Saturday afternoon in the Vatican) that John Paul II is dead.

I felt none of the grief that some of the people expressed when interviewed by roving reporters. The Holy Week documentary prepared me for the probability, the Vatican watch in cable news imprinted to me the inevitable. The announcement of the death was merely confirmation of the expected. By then, I was already looking forward to who the next pope will be.

I find this as an example of how media, particularly news as reported these days, could take away the feelings out of an event or a moment such as the dying of a well-loved Pope of the Catholic Church.

It was not until yesterday, April 4, that I felt grief over his death. It only took one paragraph to make me feel it - and because of it, any coverage these days of the wake leading to John Paul II's burial will bring on grief even if only a touch. What brought it on? It was an account of his final moment, which, to date, is not even confirmed yet. According to Rev. O'Connell in an interview with CNN (transcript here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/03/oconnell/):

"...in the pope's last minutes he grasped the hand of Archbishop
[Stanislaw] Dziwisz.
And looking out the window, the curtains were not drawn,
he was looking out the window. And he said, "amen." And then he passed
on..."

His supposed act of farewell sealed it. That is when his being gone hit me. For me, it meant - he had done all he could of what he must as leader of his flock, and now that his body is failing, he accepts the end of his life, and his ministry, and looks forward to what God has set aside for him in the afterlife. He died gracefully, and it is the beauty of that moment that touched me, to the point that sometimes, my eyes threaten to cry if I allow them.

Round the Bend Entertainment

A friend of mine has formed a production company. I think it's great. Below is her e-mail announcing her first production:

----------
Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2005 20:44:36 -0800 (PST)
From: Bee Luciano
Subject: My Show Invitation

Hi everyone,

I'd like to invite you to catch my first production of a Stand-up Comedy show in English on April 8 (Friday) 2005 at San Mig El Pueblo in Ortigas.

I formed the production company, Round The Bend Entertainment because I am trying to provide an Alternative to those looking for fresh, stimulating, up-to-the minute type of entertainment, where you can actually exercise a bit of your brain cells and probably lose a few calories laughing your head off.

So do come on April 8, bring your friends, and be electrified with thigh-slapping, slap-your-buddy-in-the-arm type of comedy, without the embarassing, gay-lingo, Regine Velazquez-imitation distractions.

Check out the press releases in today's Sunday Inquirer Magazine, also in the days to come in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and via radio at 99.5RT.

Hope to see you there! Support Live Intellectual Comedy! Call/Text me 0917-TEXTBEE for more information.
___________

Humor by Tim Tayag, Al Manalo and Mike Unson

"APRIL FOOLS - Stand Up Comedians On The Loose!" Features U.S. Style, witty, observational stand up comedy in the English language, tackling everyday situations and opinions that we can relate to and laugh about. Immerse yourself in Tim Tayag's world, and be in a state of euphoria from this slick, riotous performer. Together with Al Manalo, a stand-up comic from San Francisco and Mike Unson, who has opened for top comedian Rex Navarrete, the show guarantees you'll delight in this intellectual form of comedy.

Produced by ROUND THE BEND ENTERTAINMENT in cooperation with SAN MIG ORTIGAS PUB & RESTAURANT, JAGERMEISTER and 99.5 RT, "APRIL FOOLS - Stand Up Comedians On The Loose!" Will be on APRIL 8, 2005 (Friday),7pm at San Mig El Pueblo, Ortigas. Tickets are P250 each, available at San Mig Ortigas. For inquires please call/text 0917-8398233 or San Mig Ortigas at Tel 637-5499.

The 6-ft shelves

You thought I'd be playing the rest of the Holy week just because I bought Sims2 University? Think again. I spent the day cleaning my bookshelves and finally putting on them my books that have been in boxes for about a year. Last year, termites decided to make a house of my original bookshelf, which was fixed to the wall. I lost about 10 books - most of them paperback. Thankfully, the ones they ruined were not the books I'd really miss and find hard to replace. I also found out they don't like munching thick, glossy paper ... so my expensive books managed to survive the attack ... a couple had small holes where the termites tried to eat them before deciding they don't like the paper.

My new bookshelves are not fixed to the wall, have wheels underneath (so I can move them around if feel like rearranging furniture), and have been treated with Solignum. For good measure, I sprayed the surfaces with insect spray before placing the books. I haven't finished with the work yet, but I've got till Sunday to do so.

Hopefully, those termites won't bother me - and my precious stash of books - again.

Conforme

The lawyer from legal called to tell me the person who "shares" my name (with the exception of a different middle initial and a different vowel in the second name) won't sign the document stating that the legal case does not refer to me but to the other person.

Said other person thinks there is no need for such document, I replied I need said document as the bail bond for other person is being charged in my name.

Said other person gave in because of bail bond excuse but says wants to change some statements before signing under the words "conforme".

Go ahead. The lawyer hadn't given me the draft, so I wouldn't know what other person wants changed, anyway.

If it was a forgettable case (well, if you call a criminal case dismissed by the courts forgettable) , other person won't be that hesitant, right? Lawyer says person cited in 2 dismissed cases. Grrnh! and "other person" thinks there won't be a problem without said document?! Who are you kidding? I'm not a lawyer, true, but I can see probable problems ahead. If I tell this to my father who's a real lawyer, I may end up demanding more documents than they are preparing!!

Wheel of Time

Finished Winter's Heart from R. Jordan's Wheel of Time series ... I found it had a pretty boring start, and had to force myself to get past the prologue. The rest of the novel's okay - but not that awe-inspiring.

The only reason I'd look at the other novels would be Mat ... funny guy. I like it when he's running away from Tylin.

This being the 9th of I don't know how many novels eventually, I have a feeling that Jordan's running out of ideas here ... maybe the first books were really good, but I don't know because the person who's supposed to lend me the series started me with Book 9 (duh!). I got to that conclusion because a lot of the characters come across as weak but they have promise of being strong characters - and they probably were strong characters in previous books.

Based on this book, I'd probably not buy the series. I don't freaking care how good the first books may be, because this series is one of those "continuing" sagas - any novel in itself is not completed, and you have to read the last of the series to know how things will end ... but by novel 9, the steam is running out and you'd probably not be satisfied with the ending... considering you had a good beginning.

Kind of reminds me of the Vampire Chronicles - the first 3 books were grand ... okay - let's say I really only liked the 2nd and 3rd books because the first book is just about a whiny vampire ... but my interest in the chronicles gradually waned in succeeding books. Why? The rest of the books have whiny vampires, and horror of horrors, she had to intertwine the tales of the witches too ... and I am not a fan of Anne Rice's witch novels. Haven't looked at any of her last installments, but it will be a real joke if Ramses from The Mummy starts appearing too in the Vampire Chronicles ... there was mention of immortals who can walk the light in the earlier books (I think it was in Tale of the Body Thief). I liked Anne Rice's Mummy better than I would like her Mayfair witches.

He he, did a bit of digressing there, didn't I?

Point is, when will the editors come in and tell a famous author that "enough is enough, it's time to end a series and save your reputation"? Honestly, the author is seldom a good judge of that, but the editor, who's got advantage of looking from the outside, should know.

Constantine

Left the office early to get to the PDEX office in order to attend the hands on tutorial on the FX module. Expected to done around 5:30. No one told me this hands on thing extends to 6:30 pm! Jon had to wait for me at the movie house... for a change.

Watched Constantine on probably its last week in the Makati theaters. I thought Tilda Swinton's Gabriel was cool.

Paris Hilton gets on the news again

A year ago, I was barely aware of who this person is. Then a TV trailer about 2 hotel heiresses got me interested ... I wasn't able to watch that show but I searched the net. Sadly, the Hilton sisters seem to be people who haven't spent enough time developing their brains ... despite all that money that could enable them to learn or at least buy books to read.

So, I never watched that entertainment channel episode, never watched the Simple Life series, but I seem to be hearing a lot about Paris Hilton just by opening the TV (was it the MTV spot ad that says one good thing about the 80s was that it was Paris Hilton free?), or surfing the net (mention of sex tapes or the Simple Life escapades). Now that I usually open Google news, here's Paris Hilton again on the Entertainment section headline ... creating havoc by unwittingly (?) allowing a hacker to publish her phone book on the net... havoc on her friends that is, who are being deluged by curious callers.

The phone book list and the notes aren't that interesting - simply because I'm not that updated with who's who in entertainment. It's the pictures that are interesting (sexy or otherwise).

The most interesting thing I discovered from this? I LIKE the way the blackberry phone looks like.

Funny, huh ... people talk about Paris and I end up looking up blackberry cellphone models.

Calm

Rey's birthday today and we had siopao for breakfast and I heard he had pansit, BBQ and pichi-pichi ordered for merienda.

Lunch was courtesy of the big boss ... the annual lunch with each group/division thing.

Tried to call legal but got busy signal. e-mailed the lawyer I talked to instead. She e-mailed back and told me she's referred it to litigation. Then she advised me to check docs before receiving them... Had to reply and tell her the docs were sealed in the envelope and the guard is the one receiving mail in the dealing room. Cannot make her think I am THAT careless.

One problem resolved

Called my bank and asked about the "other" statement of account. They said it was a mistake and they corrected it. They made note of my middle name ... the usual distinguishing factor.

Installed SimCity4 in office PC... I think I like it.

More Errands

Got the last installment check on my sister's early retirement. Problem is, I forgot to bring along her account number so I couldn't deposit it. Supposed to order food to go at Max's EGI Taft but ended up dining in.

Felt like eating Crispy Pata today but obvioiusly, can't buy one just for one person. After picking up my Laking National Card I browsed a bit at the bookstore, and bought the FRIENDS - the one with the 10 years coffee book. When I got to Max's HP, they already ran out of crispy pata. Since folk at home were expecting me to bring food, I brought home Chinese food from Hap Chan ... which is just as yummy. My dad liked the food - machang, siomai, sharks fin, salt and pepper beef and butter chicken.

Got a copy of SIMCity4 to find out if I'd like it.

Red Letter Day

Valentine's day yesterday.

The corporate affairs people hired some guy to hand a red rose to every lady in the building.

On a serious note, the day ended with three bombs exploding - 1 in Metro Manila (Near EDSA MRT, less than 20 meters from Intercon) and 2 in Mindanao (one near Gaisano Mall).

The military has been fighting militant muslims since the start of the month... this is their payback.

News plastered on every newspaper - ofcourse.

Name game

It really sucks when the very common name your parents gave you is also the name of someone who works in the same place or deposits in the same bank you do.

Just realized I've been getting 2 sets of statements of account from my bank. One is from the branch handling my account, one is an account in another branch probably owned by someone having the same name I do - but that person hasn't been receiving statements because said statements are being mailed to me. Called customer service and got little help apart from the phone numbers from both branches and a suggestion to talk to the managers myself.

The other one who almost has the same name I do with the exception of a different middle initial and a different vowel in the first name, works in the same company I do and had the freaking unluck to be respondent in a criminal case of theft ... I think our company was repossessing a borrower's property and the borrower fought back by suing anyone involved in the repossing with theft. The subpoena meant for the other person was served to me, legal said they'd fix things, but now I find out they haven't made the correction on the name. Grrr!

Something is really wrong with my PC

The PC shut down upon login last night. Then I did a restore, a lava deepscan which touched my bro's Drive H and activated Norton which deleted 2 files it said are viruses but he says are not, but hack tools (what the freak does he hack?). SIMS2 did not work well ... it would start out okay, but then it would become a jumble of triangles again.

That meant I kept restarting the game, saving every now and then just in case the PC crashes the game.

Am really afraid I may have to change the video card - if it's damaged... again. Have to look for the receipt.

Must I keep doing Restore?

Did not play SIMS2. The PC opened by telling me it had to check drive C because the PC wasn't properly closed down. When it finally finished, the PC automatically closed down after login. Assumed if it was a virus, Norton would have caught it, so did some scanning with lava, spybot instead. Defragged the C drive as well. Creating restore points along the way. No idea if that solves anything but the PC did not shut down again.

My PC is acting up again!

Something's wrong with my PC ... and can't play SIMS2 decently on it. It was ok when I left this morning, but this evening, when I ran SIMS2, the image is nothing but a jumble of triangles. Asked my bro if he installed something but he said no. Re-installing DirectX9, the way I did last month when installing Windows Service Pack 2 ruined the images, did not work. I did a restore to Saturday and my game worked. Which meant some settings may have changed.